Feminist Bookshop-favourite books -Libby

	Libby's Favourites>> Gail >> Emma >> Siri >> KAT >> Eliot
		Teachers Who Change Lives Andrew Metcalfe & Ann Game $26.95 An important new book from two internationally renowned Australian educationists who cast new light on the process of teaching. Includes in-depth interviews with notable people describing their memorable teachers, such as Helen Garner, Greg Chappell, Michael Kirby, Julie McCrossin, Betty Churcher and many others. The authors share their ideas on the power of great teaching, and the place of heart and soul in the classroom. A wonderful book for parents of school age children, for teachers, and trainee teachers, and for all those who remember a life-changing teacher.
		The Secret River by Kate Grenville $29.95 This award winning book was inspired by family history, and tells of life in and around Sydney during early white settlement, and of the Darug people, the original inhabitants. Kate Grenville creates tension from the first page with the main characters sheltering in the dark in their new unknown home. Then we go back in time to London to the precarious cold, damp, and poverty stricken existence of William Thornhill. Even though we know he survived to make it to Australia as a convict, this book is a “page turner” and is impossible to put down. After reading The Secret River, one could never look into the bush around the Hawkesbury and not think of the Aboriginal people who lived here and owned the land. This is a haunting and beautifully written book which confronts us with harsh realities of our history
		The Secret Life Of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd $22.95 One of our customers bought half a dozen copies of this book to give to her friends so I was curious to find out why she loved it so much. Long-listed for The Orange Prize in 2002, it has been a best-seller in the U.S. since. It is a coming-of-age novel about a young white girl from South Carolina who grew up believing she was responsible for killing her mother when she was four years old. Later she was in the care of a black woman and a cold, remote father. Eventually the two young women escape and find sanctuary with a family of strong, black sisters who keep bees and are involved in Civil Rights. The strengths and bonds of women, and sense of creating family is central to this book. I particularly loved the references to keeping bees, as I was once a bee-keeper myself! Secret Life of Bees will appeal to young readers as well as anyone who wants a jolly good read!
		Queen of Dreams by Chitra Divakaruni $28.00 Divakaruni was born in India but now lives in California, and is the author of other well-loved novels The Mistress of Spice, Vine of Desire and my previous favourite Sister of My Heart. She is a brilliant story-teller and a teacher of creative writing. Her latest book is the story of a daughter coming to know who her mother really was after her death, and the opening of a relationship with a father whom she hardly knew. It is about the complexities of family relationships, loyalty, friendships, and creating a small business, and being at the mercy of a multi-national company in a rather dubious locality. It is about cultural difference and facing obstacles of suspicion and racism in a world after September 11.
		Out Of The Silence by Wendy James $32.95 A story of love, betrayal, politics and murder. Enjoyed recently by The Feminist Bookshop Bookgroup. This is Wendy’s first novel, about three Australian women from very different worlds: Maggie Heffernan, a passionate, working-class country girl, Elizabeth Hamilton, whose disappointment in love has served only to strengthen her humanity; and Vida Goldstein, a charismatic suffragist from Melbourne and the first woman to stand for Parliament in Australia. When Maggie’s life descends into darkness after betrayal, the three women’s lives come together. Based on a true story this novel follows the plight of women in the early 1900’s, and looks at class, education and options for women. The support of feminism makes connections between these three women.
	The Grave At Thu Le by Catherine Cole $22.00 Catherine Cole is the author of two previous novels and a non-fiction book about crime fiction. She currently teaches writing and lives in Sydney. The Grave at Thu Le is set in Vietnam and follows the journey of Catherine Danyers as she traces her family’s history in Hanoi. This beautifully written novel introduces us to the family when they moved from France in 1900. Her great-great-grandfather built the bridge that spans the Red River and we meet the following generations who live in and love Vietnam. Catherine has fragments of information about her family and many beautiful and intriguing stories to follow-up. Between each chapter is a tiny photograph, slightly out of focus, which adds to the curious journey Catherine is taking. This is not a mystery, but the author’s captivating and visual style of writing kept me intrigued to the last page.
	Salvation Creek by Susan Duncan $32.95 This memoir was written over five years after the sudden death of her husband and brother, who died within three days of each other. Susan Duncan, editor of two top selling women’s magazines, enjoyed a life of jetsetting around the world covering stories. Salvation Creek tells how a shattered woman recovers her life without partner; close family, or career. Susan settles in Pittwater, north of Sydney; and reveals the story of her personal upheaval and new life. Descriptions of everyday activities and the people she meets are absorbing and her writing is inspiring, heart-wrenching and real. Surprisingly there is humour in the midst of sadness. A very involving read – the sort of book you miss when you finish it!

	If you'd like to order books from our staff favourites list download an orderform - fill it out and post, fax or email it to us.
	webdesign©pixelmorph