Great     Reads

1. The Savage Garden by Mark Mills
2. The Undutchables by Colin White & Laurie Boucke
3. Angela Carter's Book of Fairy Tales
4. The Pan Book of Animal Stories, selected by John Montgomery in 1964
5. Jackdaws, by Ken Follett
6. The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown

THE SCENT TRAIL, by Celia Lyttleton.
After deciding to have her own bespoke perfume crafted Celia takes us with her as she travels to the origins of the ingredients of scents and perfumes.  Myrrh, Frankincense, Ambergris and Vetivert are just some of the discoveries in places that include the islands of Yemen, the souks of Morocco and the hills of Sri Lanka. The book is entertaining and enlightening and you will learn about the make-up of many wonderful perfumes on the market. It will remain a handy reference in your library and may even inspire you to develop your own, unique scent. 

DIARY OF A FRENCH HERB GARDEN, by Geraldene Holt. 
A wonderful book that details and chronicles the development of a community and public garden by a committed individual in her adopted land. The renovation of an ancient garden, this book is entertaining, educational and heartwarming, giving an insight into French life, Herb Garden design and development, and also contains an index of plantings in the garden. ISBN 1 86205 488 6, published by Pavilion Books LImited. An enjoyable book that may prove useful in developing one's own garden.

MAKING HISTORY, by Stephen Fry. 
Fabulously Fry, an enjoyable read from the first word to the last. You just have to read this book. ISBN 0 09 945 706 7, found at Arrow Books or Random House. You will never look at our world in the same way.

WATERLOG, A swimmer's journey through Britain by Roger Deakin. 
This is a fabulous factual book by a guy living in Suffolk, UK, who swims all over Britain detailing his swimming journey from one end to the other. If you know the UK you'll love learning more about some of the areas with which you are familiar, and if you are a swimmer you will delight in his descriptive tales of waterholes of all shapes, sizes and sorts. I bought my copy in Auckland, but you can track it down by ISBN 0 7011 6652 5, first published by Chatto and Windus in London.

SURVIVING GALERAS, one man's battle to tame the power of the volcano by Stanley Williams. 
Stanley is one of the world's leading volcanologists, and a professor of geology at Arizona State University. This is an extraordinary book about a tiny group of scientists who risk their lives to study and report on volcanoes. True, informative and gripping. ISBN 0-316-85570-7

THE FINAL CONFESSION OF MABEL STARK by Robert Hough 
A fictional autobiography, it's style is so easy to read. It will transport you to the carnival world of the Big Top, when circus stars were the superstars. Learn a bit about the big cats, the circus world of the 1910s and 1920s, it's a fabulous read. As Kate Winslet said, "Mabel survived a dozen maulings and five husbands, she was brazen, brave and obsessively driven. She has the story leading ladies were invented for". (Grammar isn't Kate's strong point!) Track it down, ISBN 0 - 7336 - 1736 - 0 or look at www.hha.com.au

baggage by Emily Barr 
People in trouble or distress sometimes run away to the Australian outback. It's a stoic place, where people keep secrets, respect each others privacy and wait to be told rather than make pointed enquiries. So it is no wonder Daisy Fraser ended up in a small opal mining town surrounded by family and friends when the truth finally comes to light. You will love this book for the intrigue and learn a bit about Australia along the way. ISBN 0-7472-6677-8

A FINE BALANCE by Rohinton Mistry 
Set in mid-1970's India, A Fine Balance is a subtle and compelling narrative about four unlikely characters who come together in circumstances no one could have foreseen soon after the government declares a "State of Internal Emergency". If you have travelled to India and taken the time to enjoy your experiences, you will LOVE this novel. You will be instantly transported back to the colour, the smells, the rush, the amazing...ISBN 0-571-17936-3

RUDLEY CABOT in... THE QUEST FOR THE GOLDEN CARROT by Keith Brumpton 
This is one of a series of little books for children, absolutely delightful. Rudley Cabot, (Cuddly Rabbit). Great graphics, some lovely irony, "yeah, its an old carrotmac!", some childish yet funny play on words, "Lettuce us give thanks", it is only $3.95 from the Oxford St Books shop in Leederville, Perth, WA.  ISBN 1-85881-122-8

THE TATTOOED MAP, by Barbara Hodgson. 
This book has an interesting format, not dull old, text only pages for this author! Old ticket stubs, maps, scribblings and torn notes litter the pages. Join Lydia in her adventures as she travels thru North Africa, as the mysterious marks on her hand develop into a detailed and macabre map, spreading across her hand. Printed by Byzantium Books in Hong Kong. ISBN 0-8118-0817-3

BANKER TO THE POOR, by Muhammad Yunus with Alan Jolis. 
“When I first set up the Grameen Program, the banks told me that the poor were not credit worthy. My first reaction was, “How do you know? You have never lent to them. Perhaps it is the banks which are not people worthy.” At the Grameen Bank we have worked with the poorest people in one of the poorest countries on earth, yet we have maintained a recovery record of over 98%.”

This bank lends only to Women! Grameen Bank has strict lending rules, rigid protocol, and even requires its members to acquire skills before borrowing money. Muhammad Yunus strongly advocates Lending rather than Welfare, empowering women along the way, in a culture that traditionally did not allow women to have financial dealings. Member, (Borrowers) adopt Sixteen Decisions, and it is said that most members can recite all sixteen, and feel humbled if they have not lived up to everyone.

The author, Muhammad Yunus, was born in 1940 in Chittagong, the business centre of what was then Eastern Bengal. He is the third child of fourteen. Educated in Chittagong, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and received his PhD from Vanderbilt University, Tennessee. In 1972 he returned to Bangladesh and became head of the economics department at Chittagong University. Professor Yunus is the founder and managing director of Grameen Bank. In 1997 he led the world’s first Micro-credit summit in Washington, DC.

The book is available from Aurum Press, The Autobiography of Muhammad Yunus, 1998. Or, you will find it in Today’s Best Non-fiction, Readers Digest condensed version, 1999.

GETTING OVER IT, by Anna Maxted. A funny, witty and fast paced book. An ideal aeroplane book. Bright green cover, so you will notice it out of the corner of your eye, instead of leaving it behind! Funny, so you can pretend your laughing at the joke of the guy next to you, when you have actually just remembered a funny throw away line from Anna Maxted's laugh a minute journey thru the angst and trial of love, parents and friends. A Random House book, available from most book stores.

THE SURGEON OF CROWTHORNE, by Simon Winchester. This is a terrific book. One of the things that struck me about this was how patient learned men of yesterday must have been, compared with our modern ways of instantaneous answers. The book was very enjoyable, so if you normally keep away from "popular" books, take heart, you will enjoy this one. The compiling of the Oxford English Dictionary must rate as one of the wonders of the world.

THE SECRETS OF PISTOULET. An enchanted fable of food, magic and love. This book, by Jana Kolpen, is enchanting. It is all about the magic and mystery of a French Farmhouse. Find the ancient recipes which transform the weary guests at Pistoulet. - Tourte of Friendship, the Tea of Courage, the Potage of Passion. This is a book with a difference, make sure you track it down. ISBN = 1-55670-443-7. Distributed in Australia by Penbo Pty Ltd, 30 Beaumont Rd, Kuring-gai, NSW, 2080.

DRIVING OVER LEMONS. This book, by Chris Stewart, is a lot of fun. Chris was the drummer with Genesis before he retired at age 17 and launched a career as a sheep shearer and travel writer. Subtitled 'An optimist in Andalucia", it describes his acquisition of, and move to, a remote farm house in Andalucia. You will love it!

THE TWICE BORN by Uma Mahendran will keep you entertained for hours. Briefly, a psychiatrist meets a young autistic boy who leads him on a telepathic mind-journey into the past.....back to 1500BC, when the Arya invaders have just begun to settle in the lush plains of the Indus Valley. It is a truly great read, do yourself a favour, hunt it down and enjoy your read. I bought the book at Kuala Lumpur airport, maybe you could try searching for Platinum Press, Malaysia.