Search

Australians are reading less than other countries, a new report shows. Why?

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katya-johanson-425719">Katya Johanson</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720">Edith Cowan University</a> Recent international research shows Australians are buying and reading fewer books than people in many other countries. But why? A <a href="https://risebookselling.eu/consumer-behaviour">report</a> by the European and International Book Federation found that only 64% of Australians bought a book in the past year, compared to an average 72% of people across 19 countries. Similarly, 80% of Australians read a book in the past year, slightly below the international average of 85%. These differences are slim, but as book buyers and readers, we are among the lowest in the sample, alongside Aotearoa New Zealand, Finland, Latvia and the United States. The number of people who had read a book in the past year in Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom and Ireland all came in at over 90%. Local research also suggests reading rates in Australia are falling. Back in 2017, a Macquarie University study found 92% of us read books at least once in the previous year. By 2021, in the <a href="https://australiareads.org.au/research/the-national-reading-survey/">Australia Reads national survey</a> that figure had dropped to 75%. What’s behind these numbers? Price might be less of a factor than we often assume – and surprisingly, Australia’s dependence on cars could play a role. International examples showing how other countries protect and value their book cultures – from government policies to counter the strength of Amazon to public holidays for poets – suggest measures to actively boost our own could help. <h2>The price myth</h2> There’s a general perception that books cost too much in Australia. But they’re not necessarily more expensive here than elsewhere. Competition from online retailers like Amazon and increases in production costs globally <a href="https://www.ibisworld.com/au/industry/book-publishing/171/">have levelled prices internationally</a>. In fact, Australians often pay similar or less for books than readers in Canada, New Zealand and the US. Tim Winton’s new novel, <a href="https://theconversation.com/tim-winton-goes-cli-fi-his-dystopian-novel-juice-breaks-new-ground-to-face-the-climate-emergency-238769">Juice</a>, for example, has an Australian recommended retail price of A$49.99. It’s almost exactly the same price in Aotearoa New Zealand (A$49.81) and costs more in Canada (A$54.59). In the US, Juice is A$44.02, and in the UK, it’s A$43.07. While UK book prices are lower, this is mainly because books there don’t attract sales tax. The UK <a href="https://www.accountingfirms.co.uk/blog/are-books-vat-exempt/#:%7E:text=In%20the%20UK%2C%20books%20are,to%20most%20goods%20and%20services">made books exempt</a> from its value-added tax (VAT) applied to most goods and services – a deliberate decision to make reading more affordable. Pauline MacLeod, the children’s and young adult literature specialist at Brisbane’s Riverbend Books, told me children’s publishers are “trying hard to keep local books priced between $22.99 and $25.99”. Still, <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-australian-workers-true-cost-of-living-has-climbed-far-faster-than-weve-been-told-221590">in the current cost of living squeeze</a> books are a discretionary spend some cannot afford. <h2>Public transport is good for reading</h2> Interestingly, countries where <a href="https://www.statista.com/topics/8282/rail-passenger-transport-in-europe/#statisticChapter">more people use public transport</a> – like the UK, France, Germany and Spain – tend to have higher reading rates. It’s easier to read a book on a train than in a car, and these countries often have bookshops in train stations, creating a culture of reading while commuting. In contrast, car-dependent countries like Australia, the US and Aotearoa New Zealand show lower reading rates. Our reliance on cars might explain why audiobooks are more popular in Australia than in many other countries. <h2>A holiday for a poet</h2> In Ireland, where 91% of people have read a book in the past 12 months, there is a strong cultural history of storytelling. Reading is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/article/2024/aug/20/we-all-read-like-hell-how-ireland-became-the-worlds-literary-powerhouse">supported by</a> an arts council providing grants and bursaries, and a healthy ecosystem of literary festivals and magazines, public libraries and bookshops. Australia has many of these things, but Ireland also significantly supports writers, with a tax exemption on artists’ income up to €50,000 (approximately A$81,500) and a basic-income pilot scheme granting 2,000 artists €325 (approximately A$530) a week. In France, where the government <a href="https://www.culture.gouv.fr/en/regions/drac-grand-est/services/idc/reading-book/Support-for-the-book-economy">actively protects its reading culture</a>, 88% of people have read a book in the past 12 months. In 2022, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/23/france-minimum-book-delivery-fee-amazon">France introduced a law</a> to make French bookshops more competitive with online retailers like Amazon which often offer free delivery of books. By setting a minimum delivery fee for all online book orders of less than €35 (around A$57), the government aims to level the playing field for local booksellers. Perhaps unsurprisingly, only 5% of French people buy all their books online (as opposed to 12% in Australia). Australia has public holidays dedicated to sports, like the Melbourne Cup and the AFL Grand Final (both in Victoria). In Portugal, a national holiday, Portugal Day, commemorates the death of poet <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Luis-de-Camoes">Luís de Camões</a>, considered Portugal’s greatest. While 85% of Portuguese people have read a book in the past 12 months (exactly the international average), they consider reading as one of their hobbies (37%) and have bought a book in the past year (76%) at rates above the international average. Interestingly, just 32% of Australians said they consider reading a hobby, compared to 44% in Spain and 42% in the UK. Families, the education system and the media are also all key to inculcating this culture of reading, as is a strong local publishing industry. <h2>The way forward</h2> Local booksellers report declining reading rates in Australia, too. Robbie Egan, CEO of Australia’s peak bookselling industry body, BookPeople, told me: “The competition for eyeballs is real and it is fierce, and consumer discretionary dollars are scarce”. Industry leaders like Egan suggest we need a national campaign to promote the benefit of reading. We know from local research that <a href="https://www.bookpeople.org.au/images/BookPeople_Papers_Imagination.pdf">Australians value books and storytelling</a>. With increasing competition from other forms of entertainment and tighter household budgets, encouraging a stronger reading culture may be more important than ever.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/243272/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/katya-johanson-425719">Katya Johanson</a>, Professor of Publishing and Audience Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/edith-cowan-university-720">Edith Cowan University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/australians-are-reading-less-than-other-countries-a-new-report-shows-why-243272">original article</a>. </div>

Books

Readers response: What’s the best book you’ve read recently, and what did you love about it?

With hundreds of new books on the market, it's hard to know what are the best to recommend. We asked our readers what the best book they've read recently is and what did they love about it, and the response was overwhelming. Here's what they said. Helen Ulgekutt - The Venice Hotel by Tess Woods, loved it start to finish. Zoy Crizzle - The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George. Great book, so easy to read and an interesting story line. I loved it. Keralie Stack - I have just finished Fallen Woman by Fiona McIntosh. A good read. Karen Peardon - The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston. A great story. Nola Schmidt - The Perfect Passion Company by Alexander McCall Smith. It was clever, witty, and gentle. June Lennie - People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. Interesting story set in different historical periods. Brilliantly written and researched. Christine Hayes - Where the Crawdads Sing, just beautiful. Sandra Moores - All That's Left Unsaid by Tracey Lien. A great debut based in Cabramatta, very compelling read. Greg Cudmore - 'To Alpha From Omega'. Although very much Australian, its themes are universal. Denise Zephyr - The Days I Loved You Most. Such a beautiful story and a beautiful ending. Marie Chong - Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy. I love all her books, she tells a good story. Yvonne Bercov - The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, couldn’t put it down. Image credits: Shutterstock

Books

We know parents shape their children’s reading – but so can aunts, uncles and grandparents, by sharing beloved books

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-grace-baulch-1399683">Emily Grace Baulch</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> <a href="https://creative.gov.au/news/media-releases/revealing-reading-a-survey-of-australian-reading-habits/">Over 80%</a> of Australians with children encourage them to read. Children whose parents enjoy reading are <a href="https://www.booktrust.org.uk/news-and-features/news/news-2023/new-research-from-booktrust-reveals-the-impact-of-parental-reading-enjoyment-on-childrens-reading-habits/">20% more likely</a> to enjoy it too. My research has found parents aren’t the only family members who play an important role in developing a passion for reading – extended family, from grandparents to siblings, uncles and great-aunts, also influence readers’ connections to books. I surveyed 160 Australian readers about their home bookshelves and reading habits. More than 80% of them acknowledged the significant influence of family in what and how they read. Reading to children is often <a href="https://www.booktrust.org.uk/globalassets/resources/research/booktrust-family-survey-research-briefing-2-reading-influencers.pdf">the invisible workload of mothers</a>: 95% of mothers read to children, compared to 67% of fathers. Yet intriguingly, those I surveyed – whose ages ranged from their early 20s to their 70s – collectively talked about books being passed down across eight generations. Family members were associated with their most valued books – and their identities as readers. <h2>Treasured possessions</h2> Books passed down through generations often become treasured possessions, embodying a shared family history. One person discussed an old hardcover copy of <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780732284350/blinky-bill/">Blinky Bill</a> by Dorothy Wall. Originally given to her father and his siblings by their great-aunt in 1961, the book’s pages are now discoloured and falling out. “Although I always think of my mother as having been my reading role model,” she wrote, “actually my father had an equally big impact, just in another way.” Her father is a central organising figure on her home bookshelf: she has dedicated a whole shelf to the books he liked. The story she tells about his old copy of Blinky Bill, however, crosses generations. The book’s battered state is a testament to its longevity and well-loved status. Its inscription to her family members makes the copy unique and irreplaceable. Another person remembered a set of Dickens’ novels, complete with margin notes and century-old newspaper clippings, carefully stored with her most special books. These volumes, initially owned by her great-great-grandmother and later gifted by her great-aunt, represent a reading bond passed down through generations. Such books can never be replaced, no matter how many copies might be in circulation. These books are closely associated with memories and experiences – they are invaluable for who they represent. A third person has her father’s “old” Anne McCaffrey’s <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/40323-dragonriders-of-pern">Dragonriders of Pern</a> series: he read it to her as a teenager, then passed it down. The book “sparked” her interest in science-fiction, and she now intends to pass it on to her own teenager. Her book, too, is “battered”, with “chunks falling out when you read it”. The cover is falling off. The deteriorating state of a book is part of the book’s legacy. It shows how loved it has been. Reading passions can be deliberately cultivated through family, but their value is less connected to reading comprehension or literacy than a sense of connection through sharing. Inherited, much-loved books bind families together. They can anchor absent family members to the present. These books can come to symbolise love, connection and loss. The family members who’ve passed down their books might not be physically present in children’s lives – they may not be reading aloud to them at bedtime – but through their books, they can have a strong presence in their loved ones’ memories. That indelible trace can be sustained into adulthood. <h2>Buying books for the next generation</h2> Another way relatives contribute to a family reading legacy is by buying new copies of much-loved books for the next generation. Theresa Sheen, from The Quick Brown Fox, a specialist children’s bookstore in Brisbane, notes that customers often ask for copies of books they had when they were younger. They may have read them to their children and now want them for their grandchildren. For example, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/40767-the-baby-sitters-club">The Babysitters Club series</a> by Ann M. Martin was mentioned multiple times as a nostalgic favourite, now being sought after by grandparents. Readers’ habits of re-buying favourite books can affect the publishing industry. With older children’s classics still selling, publishers seek to update the text to reflect contemporary cultural mores. Enid Blyton is one author who endures through intergenerational love and nostalgia. However, her work is regularly <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/books-magazines/books/enid-blytons-famous-five-books-edited-to-remove-offensive-words/news-story/47a63bb79a5d870f19aed58b19469bb5">edited and bowdlerised</a> to update it. Books can be imbued with the voices and emotions of others. They are more than just physical objects – they are vessels of shared experiences that can be passed down, up and across generations. This enduring bond between family members does more than preserve individual stories. It actively shapes and sustains a vibrant reading culture.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/232372/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emily-grace-baulch-1399683">Emily Grace Baulch</a>, Producer at Ludo Studio & Freelance Editor, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/we-know-parents-shape-their-childrens-reading-but-so-can-aunts-uncles-and-grandparents-by-sharing-beloved-books-232372">original article</a>. </div>

Family & Pets

Read this before choosing a retirement village

Making the move from your own home into a retirement village is a huge decision. And with more than 2,000 villages around the country there’s a world of choice. These are some of the things you need to know before you make the move. Get your priorities straight Think about the kind of village you can see yourself living in. Make a list of features that you absolutely must have and a list of those that are desirable but not essential. Don’t be tempted to compromise on the first list because you could end up very unhappy in the long run. Do your research and find a village that meets your requirements. Don’t rush into somewhere that you aren’t completely sure about. Money, money, money Retirement villages aren’t cheap so you’ll need to be realistic about what it’s going to cost and how much you have to spend. It’s a good idea to see a professional financial adviser to get a complete picture of your financial situation, including things like selling your current home, super and any shares you own. You will have to sign a contract with the village before you move in, so get your financial adviser or a lawyer to go over it with you and make sure you understand all your obligations. Location is key As with any move, you need to think carefully about location. If the village is a long way from your current residence it can drastically alter your social life and connections with friends and family. You also need to think about proximity to public transport, shops, health services and community activities. Choose your style Retirement villages range from self-contained independent living to serviced accommodation and residential aged care. They also vary greatly in size from just a handful of units to villages with hundreds of residents. Larger villages tend to have more facilities, so if you’re an active person who loves to swim or play tennis then this could be the choice for you. However, extra facilities come with extra costs so if these aren’t important to you then you could find a cheaper option. You’ll also want to find out about communal dining options and social activities or groups within the village. Get the help you need As with accommodation styles, there is a wide range in the levels of assistance available. This can be as basic as having a cleaner come once a week right up to full nursing care. Some villages have the option to raise your level of care as you age or become unwell, which can be a better option than moving into a new village. Stick to the rules Can visitors stay the night? Can I have a pet? Is there a system for resolving disputes? You’ll want to be familiar with the rules and regulations of the village so read the fine print in your contract or ask questions before you commit. Image credits: Getty Images

Retirement Life

“If you’re reading this, it means I have passed away”: Young mum announces own death

Casey McIntyre, 38, has announced her own death in a heartbreaking post shared on Instagram. The mother-of-one from New York, passed away after a battle with stage four ovarian cancer on November 12. Casey's death was announced on Tuesday via <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CzmnPArO37i/?img_index=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a post</a> that she had penned before her passing, which was shared by her husband Andrew. The post showed a carousel of images highlighting special moments of Casey's life, including her childhood, their wedding and a few photos with their 18-month old daughter. The statement began: "A note to my friends: if you’re reading this it means I have passed away. I'm so sorry, it's horses*** and we both know it." "The cause was a recurrence of my previously diagnosed stage four ovarian cancer. "I loved each and every one of you with my whole heart and I promise you, I knew how deeply I was loved. "The five months in home hospice that I got to spend with my family and friends in Virginia, Rhode Island, and New York were magical." Tragically, Casey did not have the chance to finish her post, with her husband adding a tribute to his wife in an "editors note" which read: "Casey meant to finish this post with a list of things that were a comfort & a joy to her during her life, and I am heartbroken that I will never see that list. "As she grew sicker, she couldn’t finish it," he explained. "I imagine it would’ve included our daughter Grace, whales, ice cream, her beloved friends, being at the beach, her niece and nephews she incorrigibly doted on, reading 10 books on a weeklong vacation, her beloved parents and sister and their amazing extended family, swimming, a perfect roast beef sandwich, and me, her sweet, sweet honey. "Oh Casey! I don't know how we will do it without you but we will," he ended the tribute, before asking loved ones to share "a note that was a comfort or joy" that they shared with Casey. He also shared details of Casey's memorial service and revealed his wife's last act of kindness, where she hoped to "celebrate" her life by setting up a <a href="https://ripmedicaldebt.org/campaign/andrewrosegregory-47569/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fundraiser</a> to help pay off others' medical debt. "We will celebrate her life by anonymously purchasing medical debt and then anonymously forgiving it, hopefully with a bonfire if they will let us," Andrew wrote. As of today, $47,343 out of their $50,000 goal has been raised in honour of Casey. Tributes have poured in from loved ones in the comment section of her post. "Casey, in April 2019 on a phone call, you dreamed such big dreams for a book I didn’t yet believe in. They all came true. Your authors and colleagues were so lucky to have your humour, wit and light," wrote one friend. "You have left a beautiful legacy and you will be deeply missed. All my love to your family and your beautiful baby Grace. ❤️" "Casey you were so funny and sharp and beautiful and that light that shone through your eyes lit up the world," wrote another. Images: Instagram

Caring

"Uniquely, magically, indescribably us": Read the emotional love letter from Suzanne Somers' husband

Just one day before her death, Suzanne Somers' husband gave her a handwritten love letter as part of an early birthday present. Somers' husband, Alan Hamel, gave the letter to his wife of 45 years just 24 hours before she passed away at the age of 76. According to Somers' publicist, R. Couri Hay, Hamel “gave it to her a day early and she read the poem and went to bed and later died peacefully in her sleep.” The emotional poem was an expression of love from Somers' husband, as he struggled to define their intense relationships. “Love I use it every day, sometimes several times a day. I use it at the end of emails to my loving family. I even use it in emails to close friends. I use it when I’m leaving the house,” the note began, via <a href="https://people.com/read-love-letter-suzanne-somers-husband-alan-hamel-wrote-to-her-day-before-her-death-8358234">People</a>. “There’s love, then love you and I love you!! Therein lies some of the different ways we use love. Sometimes I feel obliged to use love, responding to someone who signed love in their email, when I’m uncomfortable using love but I use it anyway. “I also use love to describe a great meal. I use it to express how I feel about a show on Netflix. I often use love referring to my home, my cat Gloria, to things Gloria does, to the taste of a cantaloupe I grew in my garden.” “I love the taste of a freshly harvested organic royal jumbo medjool date. I love biting a fig off the tree. I love watching two giant blackbirds who live nearby swooping by my window in a power dive. My daily life encompasses things and people I love and things and people I am indifferent to,” he continued. “I could go on ad infinitum, but you get it. What brand of love do I feel for my wife Suzanne? Can I find it in any of the above? A resounding no!!!! There is no version of the word that is applicable to Suzanne and I even use the word applicable advisedly.” “The closest version in words isn’t even close. It’s not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction. Unconditional love does not do it. I’ll take a bullet for you doesn’t do it. I weep when I think about my feelings for you. Feelings… That’s getting close, but not all the way.” “55 years together, 46 married and not even one hour apart for 42 of those years. Even that doesn’t do it,” he added. “Even going to bed at 6 o’clock and holding hands while we sleep doesn’t do it. Staring at your beautiful face while you sleep doesn’t do it.” “I’m back to feelings. There are no words,” he concluded. “There are no actions. No promises. No declarations. Even the green shaded scholars of the Oxford University Press have spent 150 years and still have failed to come up with that one word. So I will call it, ‘Us,’ uniquely, magically, indescribably wonderful ‘Us.’” Somers and Hamel tied the knot in 1977, giving them 45 years together as husband and wife. Somers died on Sunday morning after “an aggressive form of breast cancer for over 23 years,” her publicist said in a statement. Suzanne was best known for playing Chrissy Snow on the 1970s sitcom Three’s Company and Carol Foster Lambert on the ’90s family comedy Step by Step. Image credits: Getty Images

Caring

The unexpected health benefits of reading

Not only does reading expand your mind but it also comes with many health benefits. So next time you lose hours (or days) of your life chomping through a novel, don’t feel so bad because you’re doing yourself the following favours. It reduces stress According to a 2009 study from the University of Sussex, reading for just six minutes can reduce stress levels by up to 68 per cent. Researchers found that silently reading to yourself slows down heart rate and eases muscle tension, and it achieves this more effectively than other relaxing activities such as listening to music or having a cuppa. It refines brain function A 2014 study published in Brain Connectivity found reading fiction improves reader’s ability to flex the imagination and “puts the reader in the body of the protagonist”, increasing a person’s emotional intelligence and ability to be compassionate. It helps your memory In her landmark paper "What Reading Does For The Mind", psychologist Dr. Anne Cunningham concluded, “reading is a very rich and complex and cognitive act.” She found the benefits of reading become reciprocal – reading helps your brain retain information over time (as every time you read, you create a new memory), which in turns makes you read better, which in turn make you sharper and smarter. It enhances mental agility in old age The 2013 study from the Rush University Medical Center in Chicago measured memory and thinking in over 200 participants aged 55 and over, annually for six years until their deaths. The participants answered the same questions about whether they read books, wrote letters and took part in other mentally stimulating activities. The researchers found that those who kept their brain busy had a rate of cognitive decline estimated at 15 per cent slower than those who did not. “Based on this, we shouldn't underestimate the effects of everyday activities, such as reading and writing, on our children, ourselves and our parents or grandparents,” says study author Robert. S. Wilson, Ph.D. Image credits: Getty Images

Books

“If you’re reading this, I have died”: Breast cancer advocate’s powerful last words

Breast cancer advocate Nicky Newman has passed away at the age of 35, leaving a posthumous message to her dedicated followers. The influencer has been documenting her journey battling stage 4 breast cancer with her 300,000 followers on Instagram, sharing the ups and downs of her disease. The British woman’s death was confirmed by her husband Alex, who posted Nicky’s final message to those who supported her through her cancer journey. "If you're reading this it means I have died, I made it 5 & half years though, not bad for a stage 4 breastie hey," the post began. "And none of this 'she fought her battle nonsense', I didn't lose anything, the cancer eventually took over & that's okay, we all knew this would happen." The inspiring woman recalled being told she had breast cancer and how she chose to embrace life during the time she had left. "I don't think we are ever prepared to hear the words, we think we are indestructible & a magic cure will appear, but the truth is we all live this life day to day (we just knew our days are shorter)," she continued. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CxVtBF7Itxy/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CxVtBF7Itxy/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Nicky & Mr G - Go Grab Life! (@nicknacklou)</a> </div> </blockquote> "So please promise me to cherish those around you and give your friends and loved ones the biggest squeezes! GO GRAB LIFE! "You never truly know what is coming around the corner - so don't take anything for granted." In the hours after Nicky’s last post, Alex shared some thoughts of his own to her Instagram account, explaining why he thought Nicky’s story resonated with so many. He recalled a conversation he had with this wife, saying, "People instantly love and are drawn to you because ever since diagnosis, at the worst time of our lives, we chose not to mourn the time we are losing but rather to celebrate and cherish the time that we have left - however long that may be." "She has created a legacy here, a place where anyone can see that life is for positivity and smiles and happiness. Even through hardship…even if it seems impossible." Both Alex and Nicky’s posts racked up hundreds of thousands of likes, with people flocking to the comments to share how Nicky’s strength had had an impact on their lives. One person wrote, “Life is so unexplainably cruel at times…and even when it was for you, you still came on here and raised awareness for all of us, and our future generations - of the importance of things that without you educating us, we wouldn’t know without having to go and research ourselves.” “Thankyou for putting us first, and for making me see how precious life is, & how important it is to grab it.” Image credits: Instagram

Caring

US school teacher sacked after reading Aussie book to class

A US primary school teacher is forced to resign or terminate her contract after reading an Aussie book to her class. Katie Rinderle, from Cobb County, Georgia wanted to teach her fifth graders about inclusion and acceptance through Aussie author Scott Stuart’s book, My Shadow is Purple. The book itself explores this through the theme of “gender beyond the binary” and the story of a child who neither identifies as a boy or girl. Rinderle discussed the main message behind the book before asking them to reflect and write their own poem, which has been praised by some parents. However, not all of them were happy about Rinderle’s initiative and one parent filed a complaint which led to an investigation. Rinderle was sacked for violating the Divisive Concepts law, which disallows teachers from educating about divisive concepts and was given the notice of termination on June 6. Investigators reportedly deemed the book to be “pornographic” material which included “inappropriate topics”. Stuart, the author of the book, responded to the situation and shared his “disgust” on <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@scott.creates/video/7247741499775995137?lang=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">TikTok</a>. “A teacher’s just been fired for reading one of my books,” he said in the video. “(She) had parents reaching out saying that this kind of lesson was something that they wanted in the class. This is a teacher who gets phenomenal feedback from the principal, the students, the parents. “Her teaching is described as transformative and key to the school’s success,” he defended Rinderle. “This whole thing just really goes to show how much more interested the school system in the US is in playing politics than they are in educating kids,” he added “It’s gross. It’s disgusting.”. Cobb County School District has responded to the situation in a statement to FOX 5 and claimed that any action taken was “appropriate considering the entirety of the teacher’s behaviour and history”. “The District remains committed to strictly enforcing all Board policy, and the law,” the statement concluded. Rinderle will face a termination hearing in August. <p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #323338; font-family: Figtree, Roboto, Rubik, 'Noto Kufi Arabic', 'Noto Sans JP', sans-serif; background-color: #ffffff; outline: none !important;">Images: TikTok

Books

Settle in with one of these top reads this winter

It can be challenging deciding on a new book to read, but with these titles releasing throughout July 2023, you’re sure to find something to settle in with. Whether an edge-of-your-seat murder mystery, a laugh-out-loud romantic escapade, or even a deep-space adventure is more your cup of tea, the time has come to dive into your next favourite novel, and maybe even convince your book club to read along with you. For the budding detectives out there: <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/zero-days-ruth-ware/book/9781398508408.html">Zero Days</a>, Ruth Ware </li> </ul> “Hired by companies to break into buildings and hack security systems, Jack and her husband Gabe are the best penetration specialists in the business. But after a routine assignment goes horribly wrong, Jack arrives home to find her husband dead. To add to her horror, the police are closing in on their only suspect – her. “On the run and out of options, Jack must decide who she can trust as she circles closer to the truth in this unputdownable and heart-pounding mystery from 'one of the best thriller writers around today' Ruth Ware.” <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/four-dogs-missing-rhys-gard/book/9781760687724.html">Four Dogs Missing</a>, Rhys Gard </li> </ul> “While estranged twins Oliver and Theo Wingfield are identical in appearance, they couldn't be more different. Theo, an extrovert verging on arrogant, was always a drifter, a nomad, operating on the fringes of the law. Oliver, intense, creative and introspective, was destined to become a winemaker. Each vintage, every bottle from Oliver's Mudgee-based label, Four Dogs Missing, sells out. “And now, after fifteen years without contact, Theo unexpectedly turns up at his brother's vineyard, bearing an invitation that his twin knows nothing about. The quiet and fulfilling life that the winemaker has built for himself is about to change overnight: Theo's arrival is the catalyst for a series of murders involving those closest to Oliver. Finding himself the main suspect, Oliver soon discovers that not everyone in Mudgee supports a reclusive and unorthodox vigneron who's shied away from the community that helped him succeed. “Oliver is inexorably drawn into a sinister world where poisoned liquor and stolen art leave a deadly trail. Abandoning his grapevines, he sets out to solve the crimes – and confront his damaged past – before someone else he loves is found dead … beside a bottle of his own wine.” <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/none-of-this-is-true-lisa-jewell/book/9781529195989.html">None of This is True</a>, Lisa Jewell </li> </ul> “Celebrating her 45th birthday at her local pub, popular podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie, it turns out, is also celebrating her 45th birthday. They are, in fact, birthday twins. “A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix's children's school. Josie has been listening to Alix's podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for her series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life. “Josie's life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can't quite resist the temptation to keep making the podcast. “Slowly Alix starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it Josie has inveigled her way into Alix's life - and into her home. “But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that Alix has become the subject of her own true crime podcast, her life and her family's lives under mortal threat. “Who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?” For the sci-fi fanatics: <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/circle-of-death-james-patterson/book/9781529136630.html">Circle of Death</a>, James Patterson </li> </ul> “Since Lamont Cranston - known to a select few as the Shadow - defeated Shiwan Khan and ended his reign of terror over New York one year ago, the city has started to regenerate. “But there is evil brewing elsewhere. And this time the entire world is under threat. “Which is why Lamont has scoured the globe to assemble a team with unmatched talent. “Only their combined powers can foil an enemy with ambitions and abilities beyond anyone's deepest fears. “As their mission takes them across the globe and into the highest corridors of power - pushing them beyond their limits - can justice prevail?” <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/a-psalm-for-the-wild-built-becky-chambers/book/9781250320216.html">A Psalm for the Wild-Built</a>, Becky Chambers </li> </ul> “It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend. “One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered. “But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how. “They're going to need to ask it a lot. “Becky Chambers's new series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?” <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-mother-fault-kate-mildenhall/book/9781760859848.html">The Mother Fault</a>, Kate Mildenhall </li> </ul> “Mim’s husband is missing. No one knows where Ben is, but everyone wants to find him – especially The Department. And they should know, the all-seeing government body has fitted the entire population with a universal tracking chip to keep them ‘safe’. “But suddenly Ben can’t be tracked. And Mim is questioned, made to surrender her passport and threatened with the unthinkable – her two children being taken into care at the notorious BestLife. “From the stark backroads of the Australian outback to a terrifying sea voyage, Mim is forced to shuck off who she was – mother, daughter, wife, sister – and become the woman she needs to be to save her family and herself.” For those with a passion for romance: <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/palazzo-danielle-steel/book/9781529022421.html">Palazzo</a>, Danielle Steel </li> </ul> “After her parents perish in a tragic accident, Cosima Saverio assumes leadership of her family's haute couture Italian leather brand. While navigating the challenges of running a company at twenty-three, Cosima must also maintain the elegant four-hundred-year-old family palazzo in Venice and care for her younger siblings: Allegra, who survived the tragedy that killed their parents, and Luca, who has a penchant for wild parties, pretty women, and poker tables. “Cosima navigates her personal and professional challenges with a wisdom beyond her years, but her success has come at a cost: Her needs are always secondary. She's married to the business, and her free time is given to those who rely on her . . . until she meets Olivier Bayard, the founder of France's most successful ready-to-wear handbag company. “But Luca's gambling habit gets out of control and Cosima is forced to make an impossible choice to save him. The palazzo, the family business or cut Luca loose. Or is there another way to rescue everything she has fought for before it goes up in flames?” <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-willow-tree-wharf-leonie-kelsall/book/9781761066092.html">The Willow Tree Wharf</a>, Leonie Kelsall </li> </ul> “Samantha, owner of Settlers Bridge cafe Ploughs and Pies, is short on confidence and big on regrets. Married young to fill the void left by an unhappy childhood, she still works in the same small town where she grew up, too filled with self-doubt and insecurity to ever risk spreading her wings. Yet will the end of her abusive marriage force her to start anew? “City restaurateur Pierce di Angelis knows what it is to have his career and family ripped away. However, a chance encounter with the intriguing Samantha ignites his passion, and together they concoct a plan for a destination restaurant. “But, with their personalities like oil and water, will old hurts and hidden truths destroy the new business before it's afloat?” <ul> <li dir="ltr" aria-level="1"> <a href="https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-forgotten-bookshop-in-paris-daisy-wood/book/9780008525248.html">The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris</a>, Daisy Wood </li> </ul> “Paris, 1940: War is closing in on the city of love. With his wife forced into hiding, Jacques must stand by and watch as the Nazis take away everything he holds dear. Everything except his last beacon of hope: his beloved bookshop, La Page Cachée. “But when a young woman and her child knock on his door one night and beg for refuge, he knows his only option is to risk it all once more to save a life… “Modern day: Juliette and her husband have finally made it to France on the romantic getaway of her dreams – but as the days pass, all she discovers is quite how far they’ve grown apart. She’s craving a new adventure, so when she happens across a tiny, abandoned shop with a for-sale sign in the window, it feels fated. “And she’s about to learn that the forgotten bookshop hides a lot more than meets the eye…” Images: Getty

Books

Why reading books is good for society, wellbeing and your career

TikTok allows video up to 10 minutes, but says surveys show almost half its users are stressed by anything <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/tiktok-wants-longer-videos-like-not">longer than a minute</a>. An Instagram video can be up to 90 seconds, but experts reckon the ideal time to maximise engagement is <a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-reel-length/">less than 15 seconds</a>. Twitter doubled the length of tweets in 2017 to <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2018/10/30/twitters-doubling-of-character-count-from-140-to-280-had-little-impact-on-length-of-tweets/?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAE7Ou03VeQ_VU9SZA2zdsZOLh6KKtVl5dj2ti0R3YgY_T_G9h7s3Ry9GOzQNecfcZbs_ko9I9YGELzKTM_2Ox9PTglVrcKM_xbBwh23aBAm12Q126TLMvre8SujfV3KkZnRIisVGD19Q3j5uP-P3RMMJuATO_ooLJgkF19ECOs3g">280 characters</a>, but the typical length is more like <a href="https://www.wired.com/2015/10/many-characters-tweet-ask-experts/">33 characters</a>. It’s easy to get sucked into short and sensational content. But if you’re worried this may be harming your attention span, you <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jan/02/attention-span-focus-screens-apps-smartphones-social-media">should be</a>. There’s solid evidence that so many demands on our attention make us <a href="https://www.curtin.edu.au/news/media-release/short-attention-spans-linked-to-social-media-distress/">more stressed</a>, and that the endless social comparison <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-social-media-makes-you-feel-bad-and-what-to-do-about-it-197691">makes us feel worse</a> about ourselves. For better mental health, read a book. Studies show a range of psychological benefits from book-reading. Reading fiction can increase your capacity for <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1239918">empathy</a>, through the process of seeing the world through a relatable character. Reading has been found to reduce stress as effectively as <a href="https://clutejournals.com/index.php/TLC/article/view/1117">yoga</a>. It is being prescribed for depression – a treatment <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2004-95164-009">known as bibliotherapy</a>. Book-reading is also a strong marker of curiosity – a <a href="https://hbr.org/2018/09/the-business-case-for-curiosity">quality prized</a> by employers such as Google. Our research shows reading is as strongly associated with curiosity as interest in science, and more strongly than mathematical ability. And it’s not just that curious minds are more likely to read because of a thirst for knowledge and understanding. That happens too, but our research has specifically been to investigate the role of reading in the development of curious minds. <h2>Tracking reading and curiosity</h2> Our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00036846.2023.2174943">findings</a> come from analysing data from the <a href="https://www.lsay.edu.au/aboutlsay">Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth</a>, which tracks the progress of young Australians from the age of 15 till 25. Longitudinal surveys provide valuable insights by surveying the same people – in this case a group of about 10,000 young people. Every year for ten years they are asked about their achievements, aspirations, education, employment and life satisfaction. There have been five survey cohorts since 1998, the most recent starting in 2016. We analysed three of them – those beginning in 2003, 2006 and 2009, looking at the data up to age 20, at which age most have a job or are looking for one. The survey data is rich enough to develop proxy measures of reading and curiosity levels. It includes participants’ scores in the OECD <a href="https://www.oecd.org/pisa/">Programme for International Student Assessment</a> tests for reading, mathematics and science ability. There are survey questions about time spent reading for pleasure, time reading newspapers or magazines, and library use. To measure curiosity, we used respondents’ answers to questions about their interest in the following: <ul> <li>learning new things</li> <li>thinking about why the world is in the state it is</li> <li>finding out more about things you don’t understand</li> <li>finding out about a new idea</li> <li>finding out how something works.</li> </ul> We used statistical modelling to control for environmental and demographic variables and distinguish the effect of reading activity as a teenager on greater curiosity as a young adult. This modelling gives us confidence that reading is not just correlated with curiosity. Reading books helps build curiosity. <h2>Gloom and doom-scrolling</h2> Does this mean if you’re older that it’s too late to start reading? No. Our results relate to young people because the data was available. No matter what your age, deep reading has benefits over social-media scrolling. The <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/Dopamine-Nation-Finding-Balance-Indulgence/dp/152474672X">short-term dopamine rush</a> of scrolling on a device is an elusive promise. It depletes rather than uplifts us. Our limbic brain – the part of the brain associated with our emotional and behavioural responses – remains trapped in a spiral of pleasure-seeking. Studies show a high correlation between <a href="https://academic.oup.com/hcr/article-abstract/44/1/3/4760433">media multitasking and attention problems</a> due to <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315167275/emotional-cognitive-overload-anne-fran%C3%A7oise-rutkowski-carol-saunders">cognitive overload</a>. The effect is most evident among young people, who have grown up with <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11126-017-9535-6">social media overexposure</a>. US social psychologist <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00296-x">Jonathan Haidt</a> is among the researchers <a href="https://jonathanhaidt.substack.com/p/social-media-mental-illness-epidemic">warning</a> that high social media use is a major contributor to declining mental health for teenage girls, "Boys are doing badly too, but their rates of depression and anxiety are not as high, and their increases since 2011 are smaller." Why this “giant, obvious, international, and gendered cause”? Haidt writes, "Instagram was founded in 2010. The iPhone 4 was released then too — the first smartphone with a front-facing camera. In 2012 Facebook bought Instagram, and that’s the year that its user base exploded. By 2015, it was becoming normal for 12-year-old girls to spend hours each day taking selfies, editing selfies, and posting them for friends, enemies, and strangers to comment on, while also spending hours each day scrolling through photos of other girls and fabulously wealthy female celebrities with (seemingly) vastly superior bodies and lives." In 2020 Haidt published <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00296-x">research</a> showing girls are more vulnerable to “fear of missing out” and the aggression that social media tends to amplify. Since then he’s become even more convinced of the correlation. Social media, by design, is addictive. With TikTok, for example, videos start automatically, based on what the algorithm already knows about you. But it doesn’t just validate your preferences and feed you opinions that confirm your biases. It also varies the content so you don’t know what is coming next. This is the same trick that keeps gamblers addicted. <h2>Tips to get back into books</h2> If you are having difficulty choosing between your phone and a book, here’s a simple tip <a href="https://www.katymilkman.com/book">proven by behavioural science</a>. To change behaviour it also helps to change your environment. Try the following: <ul> <li> Carry a book at all times, or leave books around the house in convenient places. </li> <li> Schedule reading time into your day. <a href="https://howtoliveameaningfullife.com/you-should-read-everyday-but-for-how-long-the-science-says/?fbclid=IwAR03mbaXPpM19aoaO4p1AsTD0EvZsLgFQJy0RoJo8JTx9g1Q6ukh4_FEbIU">20 minutes is enough</a>. This reinforces the habit and ensures regular immersion in the book world. </li> <li> If you’re not enjoying a book, try another. Don’t force yourself. </li> </ul> You’ll feel better for it – and be prepared for a future employer asking you what books you’re reading. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-reading-books-is-good-for-society-wellbeing-and-your-career-200447" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Images: Getty

Books

5 crime books you need to read

If you love a good whodunit crime thriller, our list of five must-read titles will be sure to get your heart racing. 1. Disclaimer byRenee Knight When filmmaker Catherine finds a book on her bedside that tells in graphic detail about the day she took on the burden of a huge secret, she must decide whether to confront what happened that day, or keep it all hidden. The New York Times called it ‘an outstandingly clever and twisty tale.’ 2. Fallout by Paul Thomas The fifth book in the series about maverick cop Tito Ihaki, Fallout is hit New Zealand crime writer Paul Thomas’s fast moving sequel to Death on Demand. Ihaki agrees to look into a cold case as a favour to his boss, but in return he wants permissions to investigate his own father’s death. 3. Friday on My Mind by Nicci French When a body is found floating in the Thames, identifying the victim seems simple enough when a hospital wrist band is found with the name Dr. F Klein. But Doctor Klein is alive and well and finds herself the number one suspect to the murder. The fifth book in the powerful Frieda Klein series sees the psychotherapist trying to clear her name as well as save her own life. 4. Gun Street Girl by Adrian McKinty Book four and the last of the series about Detective Sean Duffy, a Catholic cop in a Protestant constabulary. As he investigates a gruesome double murder and suicide, Duffy finds evidence that suggests that things may not be as clear as they seem. The Boston Globe calls it ‘one of the best books of 2015.’ 5. An Untamed State by Roxane Gay The debut novel is a gripping read that is hard to put down once you begin the journey. A mother’s perfect life is turned upside down when she is kidnapped by armed men in Haiti. When her wealthy father refuses to pay the ransom, Mireille is forced to endure abuse and torment by a man who fights against all that she represents. Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/books/2015/11/short-classic-novels/">10 short classic books for the weekend</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/books/2015/11/banned-childrens-books/">8 children’s books that caused controversy</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/entertainment/books/2015/11/real-books-are-better/">Why real books will always be best</a> Image credit: Shutterstock

Books

6 things you should do when reading with your grandkids

Ameneh Shahaeian is a Research Fellow in Developmental and Educational Psychology at the Australian Catholic University. There is magic in stories. We all remember hearing them as children, and we loved them. Imaginary adventures set in faraway places. Tales about how the dishwasher isn’t working. It doesn’t matter! Whether made up by parents or read from books, kids love to hear stories. Our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10888438.2018.1482901">recent work</a> showed reading to children positively impacts long-term academic achievement more than many other activity (including playing music with them, or doing craft). We found the more frequently parents read to their children, the better their children’s NAPLAN scores in different areas. In our most recent study, we asked parents to read a wordless storybook to their three to five-year-old children titled The Wolf and Seven Little Goats. We also tested children in many areas of their important cognitive skills, such as language proficiency, memory, self-control, and friendship skills. Through examining the different ways parents tell stories, we have pinpointed which elements of shared reading are most beneficial for children’s <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272775714000156">cognitive development</a>. 1. Tune in to your child Perhaps the most important aspect of reading to children is to tune in to your child. Listen to your child’s cues. Do they like the story? Do they know the vocabulary? Are they paying attention to the pictures more, or the text? Try to coach your child, not to instruct them. Instead of saying: “Look they are going to cook some food, maybe they are hungry”, you can ask “What are they doing?” or “Why do you think they’re doing that?” Be sensitive about whether they are listening and engaged or uninterested and disengaged. If they are disengaged, are there questions you can ask to make them more interested? Do you think they’ll like a different type of story better? The best books for your child are the ones they <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/181204/110118.pdf">enjoy</a> most. 2. Ask questions Parents who ask lots of questions engage in a more fun and informative way with their children. Ask them if they know the vocabulary, if they can guess what the characters are going to do next, and why they’ve done what they’ve done. These questions are not only helpful because they help children gain new knowledge and ways of thinking, it also <a href="https://theconversation.com/reading-to-your-child-the-difference-it-makes-57473">helps strengthen</a> the emotional bond between parent and child. Children <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4337405/">like to feel</a> they’re a part of the task, not that they’re being told how to do things. 3. Go beyond describing images or reading text In our study, we gave parents a wordless picture book. An important difference we observed between parents was some only describe what they see. Some go beyond the picture. For example, when the mother goat in the picture book comes home and sees the door to the house open, one parent said: When their mother came home and was looking forward to seeing her children and hugging them and telling them a story, she suddenly saw that the door is open. She was shocked! Another parent said: The mother came home and saw the door is open; she went inside and looked for the children. This parent is only describing the picture. The first parent is imagining what is beyond the picture and text. This is a richer way to tell a story to children, and ultimately leads to better cognitive developmental outcomes for children. This is because it teaches abstract thinking, which is the basis for many of the <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781351236898/chapters/10.4324%2F9781351236904-7">higher order cognitive abilities</a> such as problem solving and critical analysis. 4. Make logical links between different parts of the story Another element that has a strong link to the development of children’s cognitive skills is the way parents build logical links between different parts of the story. Often the events in books unfold very quickly. One minute, the wolf eats the little goats, and the next minute he is found by the mother. Some parents try to make the sequence of events more logical than others. For example, in this picture, when the wolf is coming to knock on the door, one parent said: The wolf, who realised the mother is not home, came and knocked on the door. This sentence is lacking logical links. How did the wolf know the mother is not home? Why should he come and knock on the door? What did he want? Another parent said: The wolf, who was sunbathing in the bush, saw that the mother is going to get some food. He thought, ‘Oh, the little goats are alone at home, and it’s a good time for me to go and trick them and maybe get a good lunch!’ The parent here is clearly providing logical links between these different parts of the story. 5. Add relevant details We also found most parents add many details to the story to make it more interesting or comprehensive. But relevant details are the most useful in terms of improving children’s learning. Relevant details are the kind of details that help make the story easier to understand. For example, one parent said: The little goat, who was wearing the yellow shirt and was the smallest said: ‘We shouldn’t open the door! How do we know this is our mother? She has just left.’ Here, wearing a yellow shirt is a descriptive detail, but it doesn’t add much to the story. Another mother said: The smallest one, who was also the cleverest and very careful, said… This second parent is clearly adding a detail (that the smaller one is also the cleverest and careful) that makes the story more meaningful and easier to follow. 6. Talk about mental and emotional concepts We found parents who not only describe the events of a story but also discuss <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00506/full">abstract concepts</a> related to emotions, desires and thoughts tend to have children who are better cognitively skilled. These children develop a better understanding of others’ emotions, better friendship skills, and even improved memory and higher order cognitive skills that are useful in later life. These lead to <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=cvLWDQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=abstract+concepts+children+better+cognitive+ability&ots=DtILotRFSV&sig=FftCKFka4vA-j2mpu3iY8UxDopY#v=onepage&q=abstract%20concepts%20children%20better%20cognitive%20ability&f=false">academic success</a> as well as better skills to build friendships and perform well in social relationships. Written by Ameneh Shahaeian. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/99637/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></a> Image credit: Shutterstock

Books

Can reading help heal us and process our emotions – or is that just a story we tell ourselves?

The <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/4306897">oldest known library</a>, dating back to the second millennium BC, in Thebes, Egypt, reportedly bore a sign above its portals in Greek: Psyches Iatreion, translated as “healing place of the soul”. The idea that reading may confer healing benefits is not new, but continues to intrigue readers and researchers. Of course, this doesn’t apply to reading about how to put up the tent, or tidy our piles of household stuff. When we talk about books that might offer a balm for the soul, we mean fiction, poetry and narrative non-fiction (including memoir). The idea of emotional catharsis through reading is intuitively appealing. But does it work that way? Or do we read for interest, pleasure, escapism – or love of words? <h2>Reading as catharsis and transport</h2> “The highest aspiration of art is to move the audience,” claims <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/609280/a-swim-in-a-pond-in-the-rain-by-george-saunders/">George Saunders</a>. Who is not still moved by the first book that affected them on a cellular level – whether that’s Storm Boy, The Little Prince, or their high-school reading of To Kill a Mockingbird? According to the authors of <a href="https://www.textpublishing.com.au/books/the-novel-cure">The Novel Cure: an A-Z of Literary Remedies</a>, "novels have the power to transport you into another existence, and see the world from a different point of view […] sometimes it’s the story that charms; sometimes it’s the rhythm of the prose that works on the psyche, stilling or stimulating." Humans imitate or re-present the world through art: poetry, drama and epic. That drive, claimed <a href="https://www.amherst.edu/system/files/media/1812/The%252520Poetics%252520of%252520Aristotle%25252C%252520by%252520Aristotle.pdf">Aristotle</a>, sets humans apart from animals. In 1987 Jerome Bruner proposed that “world making” is the “principal function of mind”, in both the sciences and arts. As humans, we are drawn to the momentum of narrative to tell our stories, <a href="https://ewasteschools.pbworks.com/f/Bruner_J_LifeAsNarrative.pdf">he says</a>. We seek to make sense of the events in our lives, as if life really were a three-act play with a clear narrative arc. (Conveniently summarised as: “Get him up a tree; throw rocks at him; get him down.”) <h2>How reading works</h2> Reading is one way we seek to understand our worlds. Evolutionary psychologists propose the brain is <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/009164710203000101">“designed for reading”</a>, just as it is for language, facial recognition or other drives. The act of reading engages both cognitive and – especially where there’s a narrative – emotional processes. Children learning to read must first grasp the basics of recognition (sound-letter-phoneme-word) and then proceed to the higher-order cognitive skill of comprehension of the meaning of the text (semantics). It is at that next level of meaning-making that words connect and stir the emotions. That might be fear (<a href="https://theconversation.com/frankenstein-how-mary-shelleys-sci-fi-classic-offers-lessons-for-us-today-about-the-dangers-of-playing-god-175520">Frankenstein</a>), love (<a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/pride-and-prejudice-9780241374887">Pride and Prejudice</a>), outrage (Germaine Greer’s polemic <a href="https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-the-female-eunuch-at-50-germaine-greers-fearless-feminist-masterpiece-147437">The Female Eunuch</a>) or existential angst (Albert Camus’ philosophical novel L’Etranger/<a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-outsider-9780141198064">The Outsider</a>). But how does this process “work”? Or, as Saunders puts it: “How does [the writer] seduce, persuade, console, distract?” <h2>How reading between the gaps invites us in</h2> World or meaning making can occur directly by acquiring knowledge (for example, when reading that tent manual) or indirectly, through our engagement with the social world, art and our meaning-making faculties. Works of art invite thought and feeling. This “<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27449184/">indirect communication</a>” of literature is one of the unique affordances (or benefits) it offers readers. Meaning-making <a href="https://www.onfiction.ca/p/books.html">is</a> a transaction between author, text and reader; the “gap” between the words and the reader’s interpretation, shaped by their own experiences and predispositions, is critical. Thus, an author might seek to move a reader – but whether the reader is moved will depend on individual circumstances and preferences. (Not the least among these is the skill of the writer, of course.) <a href="https://theconversation.com/book-week-is-good-for-kids-and-book-clubs-are-great-for-adults-30783">Book clubs</a>, where heated discussions can be motivated by how books and their characters made readers feel, are a great example. So is consumer review site <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-the-world-of-goodreads-do-we-still-need-book-reviewers-56455">Goodreads</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-booktok-and-how-is-it-influencing-what-australian-teenagers-read-182290">#BookTok</a>, the sector of TikTok where books that make readers cry dominate. As <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/609280/a-swim-in-a-pond-in-the-rain-by-george-saunders/">Flannery O’Connor</a> says, “the writer can choose what he writes about but he cannot choose what he is able to make live” (my italics). In other words, some books will always speak to some readers. And those same books will leave other readers cold – or even make them regret joining a book club. <h2>What neuroscience tells us about reading</h2> Virginia Woolf wrote of books as “<a href="http://lemasney.com/consulting/2015/05/05/books-are-the-mirrors-of-the-soul-virginia-woolf-cc-by-lemasney/">mirrors of the soul</a>”. And contemporary neuropsychologists have proven it, with brain-imaging studies. These studies have demonstrated that when a person indirectly experiences an event associated with an emotion, the same regions of the brain are activated as if they had experienced the event directly. We feel disgust, whether we actually discover (or half-eat) the maggot in the ham sandwich or view a TikTok video of the simulated event. The same fear is elicited in the brain when we walk a tightrope in a virtual reality simulation, view the film of Phillipe Petit in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3488710/">The Walk</a>, or high-wire walk ourselves (do not try this at home). Mirror neurons prompt us to yawn or smile or frown when another person yawns, smiles or frowns. The other person – the protagonist, in a book – can be completely fictional, the entire plot make-believe: yet we still cry. Who of us hasn’t wept real tears when tragedy befalls a favourite character in a novel? (For me, it’s the death of shell-shocked World War I soldier Septimus in Virginia Woolf’s novel <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/mrs-dalloway-9780241468647">Mrs Dalloway</a>.) <h2>The psychology of fiction</h2> University of Toronto professor emeritus and author-psychologist <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Such+Stuff+as+Dreams:+The+Psychology+of+Fiction-p-9780470974575">Keith Oatley</a> explains that reading narratives allows us to “simulate” a social world where we identify with characters and their struggles, and observe their way of solving conflicts. This way we can process emotional content and solve life’s problems indirectly. It’s much more effective than being given the solution! Oatley’s research has also demonstrated that readers’ long-term engagement in fiction (especially literary fiction) <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27449184/">improves their empathy</a> and their ability to take the perspective of another person (referred to as “Theory of Mind”). Oatley suggests: “We need not lead one life; through fiction we can lead many lives”. In this sense, reading can prompt us to understand the inner lives of others as well as our own. It can even help us to re-imagine the narrative of our lives – especially if we are not happy with the one we are actually leading. In this way, reading can provide both escape and a way to imagine (and perhaps start to plan for) alternative ways to live. In her book <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1kgqwk8">Why We Read Fiction</a>, Lisa Zunshine argues "fiction helps us to pattern in newly nuanced ways our emotions and perceptions […] it creates new forms of meaning for our everyday existence." Quite apart from the practical benefits of this kind of cognitive and emotional gymnastics, Zunshine says our biggest reason for doing it is enjoyment itself. <h2>Does reading prompt emotional catharsis?</h2> Marcel Proust wrote that a novelist can, in an hour, “set free all kinds of happiness and misfortune which would take years of our ordinary lives to know”. Reading, as a hard-wired impetus and a form of engaging with art, allows us to process our emotions. Importantly, this can be at a distance. We don’t have to directly, for example, pursue forbidden love and sort out the ensuing mess (Graham Greene’s <a href="https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-end-of-the-affair-9780099478447">The End of the Affair</a>), or cope alone with alienation or discrimination (Alice Walker’s <a href="https://www.hachette.com.au/alice-walker/the-color-purple-the-classic-pulitzer-prize-winning-novel">The Colour Purple</a>). We can scare ourselves without ever having to go into the dark woods. We can access experiences unavailable to us in life – and the positive feelings they produce can remain with us. For example, we can transform ourselves into magical, powerful heroes and heroines who prevail against impossible odds (<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-tolkien-and-lord-of-the-rings-inspired-the-commercial-and-artistic-success-of-the-fantasy-fiction-genre-170958">Lord of the Rings</a>). Saunders suggests art (including literature) might be "an offering of sorts – a hypothesis for both writer and reader to take up and consider together […] the goal of that offering might be to ease the reader’s way; to make the difficulty of this life less for her. We try to give the reader a way of thinking about reality that is truthful, yes, and harsh, if need be, but not gratuitously harsh, a way of thinking that, somehow, helps her." Image: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-reading-help-heal-us-and-process-our-emotions-or-is-that-just-a-story-we-tell-ourselves-197789" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Books

How the pandemic affected our approach to reading and interpretation of books

During the pandemic, reading took on new meaning. People turned to books for comfort. Some read to confront difficult issues, especially following the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Others used reading as a way to care for their children in locked-down houses. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/mar/25/book-sales-surge-self-isolating-readers-bucket-list-novels" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sales figures and lending data</a> showed a huge spike in people buying and borrowing books. We wanted to follow the stories of real readers and <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/reading-novels-during-the-covid-19-pandemic-9780192857682?q=reading%20novels%20during%20the%20pandemic&lang=en&cc=dk" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our new book</a> uses a rare combination of literary analysis and qualitative interviewing to capture these dynamics of reception. While many commentators at the beginning of the pandemic <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/03/9581961/long-books-to-read-in-quarantine" target="_blank" rel="noopener">endorsed reading</a> as a straightforward way to relax, our readers showed that the practice morphed and took on new forms and meanings. Based on hundreds of survey responses and hours of reader interviews from Denmark and the UK, the study makes the interpretation of literature something dynamic and ongoing. And it suggests that readers themselves are agents of meaning, even in the case of novels that seem the most stable in our culture. Reading during the pandemic showed how books and their meanings change. Novels that we think of as settled in their significance acquire new meaning as they are read under unfolding conditions, exposed to the vagaries of history. In our research we show how Albert Camus’s The Plague became an unlikely hit in 2020, how the affordances of Sally Rooney’s romantic fiction seemed suddenly to apply to the lovers unable to meet, and how long novels that had intimidated pre-pandemic readers became lifelines in their heft. <h2>Tricky reading</h2> For many people, reading became more difficult during this time. Far from giving everyone uninterrupted time to attend to long novels by authors like Tolstoy, lockdown exacerbated the separations and challenges of everyday life. Take Jane Eyre, a novel that many readers picked up during lockdown because it was on their shelves. Suddenly, this classic seemed to be a novel about a woman locked in small rooms and living through a cholera epidemic. Many also took it up under conditions that overlapped directly with the book’s scenes of homeschooling. One respondent called Phoebe, for instance, deliberately avoided rereading Jane Eyre for these reasons. Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel of loneliness and love was, in 2020, “too creepy”. The story of Jane being locked up made her feel unsafe while she lived alone through lockdown in the confines of her own room. Another interviewee, Alexandra, was troubled by the idea of reading Hilary Mantel’s bestseller The Mirror and the Light, explaining: <blockquote> I knew that I would be saying goodbye to Sir Thomas Cromwell […] I looked at it and I thought, what if I die before I get to the end of this? It will be the most unsatisfactory experience. </blockquote> Rather than sizing up the third part of Mantel’s intimate portrayal of the life of Thomas Cromwell as offering the ideal opportunity for narrative immersion, Alexandra viewed the very thickness of the book as problematic. Her intense fear of death in the pandemic and expectation of Cromwell’s literary demise converge on the length of narrative, which stretches into a future that had become harder to face. <h2>Slipperiness of time</h2> For the reader caught up in a global pandemic, a novel like The Plague, Albert Camus’s famous story of a town suffering a deadly virus, reads differently than it usually would for, say, the school student of French literature. One interviewed reader, for instance, discussed the novel’s temporal slipperiness. Normally, of course, the very lack of measurable time would suggest the novel as an allegory – untied to a particular time, a warning of dark political forces turning up and spreading at any moment. But in 2020, when time <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-philosophical-idea-that-can-help-us-understand-why-time-is-moving-slowly-during-the-pandemic-151250" target="_blank" rel="noopener">felt like it was moving oddly</a> The Plague’s confused sense of time felt realistic, as if it were mimicking our lived experience of a pandemic. <figure></figure> Yet, it would be a mistake to assume all readers suddenly ditched allegory for realism or real-life correspondence. As Kirsten, a Danish woman in her 30s, explained: <blockquote> I ended up buying The Plague because I was more interested in the metaphorical portrait of the occupation (of France by the Nazis) than in what epidemics do to a society. </blockquote> By following real readers, our study provides a snapshot of a phenomenal moment in modern history and shows the movement of readers between new purchases and books long kept in their collections. By exploring these varied experiences, we investigated the larger question of how the consumption of novels depends on and shapes people’s experience of non-work time, providing a specific lens through which to examine the experience of reading more generally. Perhaps most importantly, it demonstrates the dynamic process of reading and the ways in which books change depending on where and when they are read and by whom. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-pandemic-affected-our-approach-to-reading-and-interpretation-of-books-195238" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Books

Thinking about a summer fling? Read this article first

Summer is a time we associate with love. The longer days and warmer weather can <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-reports/pdfExtended/S2211-1247(21)01013-5" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lead</a> to people feeling happier, more relaxed and in the mood for romance. This year in particular, Australians are longing for human connection with the ease of state border restrictions and lockdowns. Before you head to the bar or the beach or swipe right, here are some things to think about to make the most of summer relationships. <h2>Summer romances</h2> Relationships research tell us the initial stages of a romance are highly influenced <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01463373.2010.524874" target="_blank" rel="noopener">by context and social norms</a>. This means when expressing romantic interest, we tend to go with what makes us feel confident and comfortable. For some, it might mean seeking out someone in a night club, for others it is online dating. We tend to act differently depending on where we are and who we are with. This explains why you might be willing to engage in a casual romance when holidaying abroad, although this is not something you would normally do at home. Summer romances or “holiday flings” <a href="https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.365342" target="_blank" rel="noopener">often occur</a> outside of the routine of everyday life, where normal behaviour is not necessarily followed. Research has <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057/978-1-137-50683-2_4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">found</a> people feel less inhibited on holidays and willing to try new things, including embarking on a “hot romance” with someone they just met or experimenting with sexuality. Similar to casual relationships such as one-night stands and “friends with benefits”, summer romances tend to be shorter and more intense. They often have an <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13691050500256807" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accelerated timeline</a>, where people will seek to experience important relationship milestones, such as disclosing personal information and having physical intimacy, in a shorter period of time. There is also more chance of people engaging in risky behaviours, and the expectation that sex (or increased sexual activity) is an inevitable part of the interaction. But summer romances can also allow us to date without commitment. This is an appealing option if you are looking to minimise the chances of rejection or getting hurt. It is also appealing for those of us who like to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01463373.2010.524874" target="_blank" rel="noopener">flirt for fun</a>. As there is more than one way to experience romance during the holidays, it is important people know what they are looking for and understand their expectations upfront. <h2>Great expectations</h2> Regardless of whether casual romances can turn into committed relationships, the experience is real and can be treasured as a moment to remember and learn from. For instance, <a href="https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/full/10.3138/cjhs.2744" target="_blank" rel="noopener">research</a> suggests people might use these experiences as a way to “test drive” partners that might be suitable for a long-term relationship. Research <a href="https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/full/10.3138/cjhs.2744" target="_blank" rel="noopener">also suggests</a> women place more importance on the friendship aspects of casual relationships, while men are attracted to casual relationships as a means to have sex without commitment. So, for singles looking for a serious commitment, a casual summer romance might be emotionally risky. I would recommend communicating this expectation with your partner upfront to manage the risk of disappointment. We also know there is a natural increase in feelings of stress, anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts during the holiday season, <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1989-19049-001" target="_blank" rel="noopener">associated</a> with social demands and unmet expectations. So, if you are already feeling emotionally vulnerable, this might not be the best time to embark in new romantic experiences without acknowledging the risk of having your heart broken. <h2>You must talk about sex</h2> Regardless of whether you’re on holiday or not, it’s important for partners to talk about their expectations <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13691050600569570?src=recsys" target="_blank" rel="noopener">around casual sex</a>, so it is safe and consensual. This might include telling your partner if you’re also seeing other people, or being upfront about your sexual history and last sexual health check. Studies <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00224491003721694" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> that when engaging in casual sex, partners communicate less about sexually transmitted infections compared to partners in committed relationships. It is also important to be honest if you are just looking to have fun and not considering a serious commitment. Altogether, the holiday season is a time filled with opportunities to experiment with new romantic adventures or experience magical moments with loved ones. But, managing expectations in advance is paramount to experiencing healthy intimate encounters. This means people should be able to take responsibility for their choices with insight into what they want and need - and most importantly - can emotionally handle at the time. <h2>What about couples?</h2> Holiday romances are not only for singles. It can also be a time to strengthen existing relationships. The holiday period is also the perfect time to establish relationship rites of passage, such as getting engaged, with Christmas and New Years being a very popular time to pop the question. For more established relationships, it is also a chance to get out of everyday routines and repair relationships that might have fallen into a bit of a rut during the year. When managing work and family commitments, it is easy to feel like you might not have enough time to talk to your partner about your needs or your desire to try new things. A good place to start is by communicating with your partner about your expectations before a holiday. Are you wanting to recreate a special sentimental memory from a past holiday or looking to create new traditions and experiences? This time of the year can be a chance for people to embark on romantic adventures, create new meanings for the holidays, and reinvent themselves. To make the most of these experiences, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15332691.2020.1795039?journalCode=wcrt20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">open and honest</a> communication is key. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/thinking-about-a-summer-fling-read-this-article-first-172615" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. Image: Shutterstock

Relationships

The five best books to read by the pool this summer

Australian literature is having a real moment, so here’s our pick of the best Australian novels to soak up with the sun this summer. The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Richard Flanagan It took Tasmanian author Richard Flanagan 12 years to write this Booker Prize-winning novel, and it’s easy to see why. Based on his father’s real-life experience, it’s a beautifully written, haunting read about a Japanese Prisoner of War camp on the Thai-Burma death railway during the Second World War. It focuses on Dorrigo Evans, an Australian surgeon haunted by a love affair with his uncle's young wife two years earlier, struggling to save the men under his command from starvation, cholera, and brutal beatings. At times the novel is harrowing, graphic and disturbing, but is ultimately a story of love in the midst of a cruel war. The Light Between Oceans, M. L Stedman Read this novel. We could just leave it there, to be honest, it’s that good. Hollywood movie rights were recently snapped up so, because books are nearly always better than subsequent films, read it quickly! It has won three prestigious ABIA awards, including their 'Book of the Year', and also won the Indie Awards' 'Book of the Year'. It’s 1926 and Tom Sherbourne is a young lighthouse keeper on a remote island off Western Australia. He and his young wife Isabel live a quiet life, cocooned from the rest of the world. Fatefully soon after suffering devastating miscarriages, a boat washes ashore carrying a dead man and a crying infant. Only years later do they discover the devastating consequences of the decision they made that day - as the baby's real story unfolds. Get your tissues ready. This book will stay with you for life. Promise. The Night Guest, Fiona McFarlane Fiona McFarlane’s debut novel has been shortlisted for the Stella prize and the Miles Franklin Award. One morning Ruth, an elderly widow, wakes thinking a tiger has been in her house in a small coastal town. Later that day a carer, Frida, arrives to look after her. Both Frida and the tiger are here to stay, and neither is what they seem. The Night Guest is a mesmerising novel about love, dependence, and the fear that the things you know best can become the things you're least certain about. Eyrie, Tim Winton Tim Winton’s 25th book follows Tom Keely, whose reputation is in ruins, whose marriage is over and career finished. Holed up in a grim high rise, cultivating his newfound isolation, he reluctantly meets a woman from his past and a boy who will change his life. Eyrie is heart-warming and human, and reassures the reader that no matter how low you can feel, life will renew itself and take new paths, whether you want it to or not. The Swan Book, Alexis Wright This is like nothing you’ve ever read before. Set in the future, around the time of Australia’s third centenary, we see Aboriginals still living under the Intervention in the north, in a country fundamentally altered by climate change. The book centres around the life of a mute young woman called Oblivia, the victim of gang-rape by petrol-sniffing youths. We follow her from the displaced community where she lives to her marriage to Warren Finch, the first Aboriginal president of Australia, and her elevation First Lady. Alexis Wright’s previous novel, Carpentaria, was a prize-winning best-seller and The Swan Book has been short-listed for the Miles Franklin Award. Image: Getty

Books

Drugs – 4 essential reads on how they’re made, how they work and how context can make poison a medicine

Pandemics and disease outbreaks put a spotlight on the hurdles researchers face to get a drug on the shelves. From finding prospective drug candidates to balancing time and financial pressures with ensuring safety and efficacy, there are many aspects of drug development that determine whether a treatment ever makes it out of the lab. Broadening the definition of “medicine” and where it can be found, however, could help expand the therapeutic options available for both researchers and patients. Here are four facets of how drugs are developed and how they work in the body, drawn from stories in The Conversation’s archive. <h2>1. Matching drug to target</h2> The most effective drugs are, in a sense, the product of good matchmaking – they bind to a specific disease-causing receptor in the body, elicit a desired effect and ideally ignore healthy parts of the body. Drugs <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-do-drugs-know-where-to-go-in-the-body-a-pharmaceutical-scientist-explains-why-some-medications-are-swallowed-while-others-are-injected-182488" target="_blank" rel="noopener">travel through the bloodstream</a> to reach their targets. Because of this, most drugs circulate throughout the body and can bind to unintended sites, potentially causing undesired side effects. Researchers can increase the precision and effectiveness of a drug by designing different ways to take it. An inhaler, for example, delivers a drug directly to the lungs without its having to travel through the rest of the body to get there. Whether patients take drugs as prescribed is also essential to ensuring the right dose gets to where it needs to be often enough to have a desired effect. “Even with all the science that goes into understanding a disease well enough to develop an effective drug, it is often up to the patient to make it all work as designed,” writes pharmaceutical scientist <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Thomas-Anchordoquy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tom Anchordoquy</a> of the University of Colorado Anschutz. <h2>2. Searching for drug candidates</h2> Researchers have discovered a number of drugs by chance, including <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/the-real-story-behind-the-worlds-first-antibiotic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">penicillin</a> for bacterial infections, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200928-how-the-first-vaccine-was-born" target="_blank" rel="noopener">vaccines for smallpox</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nrcardio.2017.172" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warfarin</a> for blood clots. While serendipity still plays a role in modern drug discovery, most drug developers take a systematic approach. Scientists typically start by identifying a particular molecular target, usually receptors that trigger a specific response in the body. Then, they look for chemical compounds that react with that target. Technology called <a href="https://theconversation.com/discovering-new-drugs-is-a-long-and-expensive-process-chemical-compounds-that-dupe-screening-tools-make-it-even-harder-175972" target="_blank" rel="noopener">high-throughput screening</a> allows researchers to quickly test thousands of potential drug candidates at once. Compounds that match screening criteria advance to further development and refinement. Once optimized for their intended use, compounds go on to safety and efficacy testing in animals and people. One way to ease the search for optimal drug candidates is to work with compounds that are already optimized to work in living beings. <a href="https://theconversation.com/nature-is-the-worlds-original-pharmacy-returning-to-medicines-roots-could-help-fill-drug-discovery-gaps-176963" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Natural products</a>, derived from organisms like microbes, fungi, plants and animals, share similar structures and functions across species. Though not without their own development challenges, they could aid the search for related compounds that work in people. “There are thousands of microorganisms in the ocean left to explore as potential sources of drug candidates, not to mention all the ones on land,” writes medical chemist <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=8_T1ueYAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ashu Tripathi</a> of the University of Michigan. “In the search for new drugs to combat antibiotic resistance, natural products may still be the way to go.” <h2>3. A drug by any other name may be just as effective</h2> Existing drugs can find a second (or third, fourth and fifth) life through repurposing. Most drugs <a href="https://theconversation.com/many-medications-affect-more-than-one-target-in-the-body-some-drug-designers-are-embracing-the-side-effects-that-had-been-seen-as-a-drawback-184922" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have many functions</a> beyond what researchers originally designed them to do. While this multifunctionality is often the cause of unwanted side effects, sometimes these results are exactly what’s needed to treat a completely unrelated condition. Sildenafil, for example, failed to treat severe chest pain from coronary artery disease, but proved to be potent at inducing erections as Viagra. Similarly, thalidomide, a compound that caused birth defects in thousands of infants around the world as a morning sickness drug, found redemption as a cancer treatment. Because drugs inherently have more than one function in the body, <a href="https://theconversation.com/repurposing-generic-drugs-can-reduce-time-and-cost-to-develop-new-treatments-but-low-profitability-remains-a-barrier-174874" target="_blank" rel="noopener">repurposing existing drugs</a> can help fill a gap where pharmaceutical companies and other developers cannot or will not. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=iDKZaA4AAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gregory Way</a>, a researcher at the University of Colorado Anschutz, uses artificial intelligence to predict the various effects a drug can have and believes that this lack of specificity is something to explore rather than eliminate. Instead of trying to home in on one specific target, he suggests that scientists “embrace the complexity of biology and try to leverage the multifaceted effects drugs can offer.” <h2>4. Poison as medicine</h2> If so many drugs can have toxic effects in the body, be it through side effects or taking the wrong dose or for the wrong condition, what determines whether a drug is a “medicine” or a “poison”? Biomedical scientists evaluate drugs based on their active ingredient, or a specific compound that has a specific effect in the body. But reducing medicines to just a single molecule ignores another important factor that determines whether a drug is therapeutic – the context in which it is used. Opioids treat intractable pain but can lead to debilitating and lethal addiction when improperly administered. Chemotherapy kills tumors but causes collateral damage to healthy tissues in the process. Another pharmaceutical paradigm, <a href="https://theconversation.com/poison-or-cure-traditional-chinese-medicine-shows-that-context-can-make-all-the-difference-163337" target="_blank" rel="noopener">traditional Chinese medicine</a>, has historically acknowledged the malleability of drugs through the use of poisons as therapeutics. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=4q0hYSwAAAAJ&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yan Liu</a>, a medical historian at University of Buffalo who studies this practice, notes that ancient texts did not distinguish between poisons and nonpoisons – rather, Chinese doctors examined drugs based on a continuum of potency, or ability to harm and heal. They used different processing and administration techniques to adjust the potency of poisons. They also took a personalized approach to treatment, aware that each drug works differently based on a number of different individual factors. “The paradox of healing with poisons in traditional Chinese medicine reveals a key message: There is no essential, absolute or unchanging core that characterizes a medicine,” Liu writes. “Instead, the effect of any given drug is always relational – it is contingent on how the drug is used, how it interacts with a particular body and its intended effects.” This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/drugs-4-essential-reads-on-how-theyre-made-how-they-work-and-how-context-can-make-poison-a-medicine-192590" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> and is a roundup of of articles from The Conversation’s archives. Image: Shutterstock

Books

7 amazing benefits of daily reading

If you haven’t picked up a book in a while, here are seven reasons why you should. 1. It reduces stress – There’s nothing like a good novel to distract yourself from whatever worries you have in your life. Reading allows you to exit your own conscious stream and enter the mind of the narrator – because doesn’t want a break from their own head once in a while? 2. It stimulates your mind – You know the old saying, “If you don’t use it, you lose it” and this also applies to our minds. Reading keeps the brain engaged, which in turn can help to deter the onset of Alzheimer’s and dementia. As you read, you also gain knowledge and indirect experience which can aid a reader in the future. 3. It increases empathy – Reading helps to increase one’s empathetic capacity for the same reason it reduces stress: it allows you to exit your mind and experience the emotions of others. This allows a frequent reader to understand the motives and thoughts of others, making them more empathetic in every day social interactions. 4. It helps your memory – When you read, the mind is made to remember new information in the form of plots, names, and characters. In remembering these facts, we strengthen the brain’s short-term memory and reinforce our existing recollections. 5. It can help you sleep – While staring at your lit phone screen can actually make it harder to go to sleep, reading can help. Nightly reading creates a routine that indicates to the body that it’s soon time to go to bed. In addition, reading’s de-stressing abilities can help to quiet the mind for an easier time dozing off. 6. It improves your vocabulary – When you read regularly, you vastly increase the words that your mind is exposed to. In this way, you improve your vocabulary, which in turn can improve eloquence, and, as such, can even help to improve your self-confidence. 7. It improves your writing skills – When you are exposed to any author’s literature for a prolonged period of time, their writing style will inevitably influence your own writing skills. Add to this the induction of new vocabulary, and it’s no stretch that frequent readers make better writers. Image credits: Getty Images

Books

Achoo! 5 essential reads for pollen season

As spring expands across North America, trees, shrubs and flowers are releasing <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/pollen">pollen</a>. This fine, powdery substance is produced by the male structures of cone-bearing and flowering plants. When it’s carried to the plants’ female structures by wind, water or pollinators, fertilization happens. As pollen travels, it also triggers allergies in <a href="https://www.aafa.org/allergy-facts/">some 25 million Americans</a>. Pollen exposure can cause sneezing, coughing, itchy eyes, runny nose and postnasal drip – unwelcome signs of spring for sufferers. This roundup of articles from our archives describes recent findings on protecting pollinators and coping with pollen season. <h2>1. Hey pollinators, over here</h2> Since pollen grains carry the cells that fertilize plants, it’s critical for them to get where they need to go. Often wind or gravity is all it takes, but for many plants, a pollinator has to carry the pollen grains. Some plants offer nectar or edible pollen to attract insects, bats or other animals, which carry pollen from plant to plant as they forage. Many flowers also <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-do-flowers-smell-151672">lure pollinators with scent</a>. “Similar to the perfumes at a department store counter, flower scents are made up from a large and diverse number of chemicals which evaporate easily and float through the air,” writes Mississippi State University horticulturalist <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=dJ8gD7MAAAAJ&hl=en">Richard L. Harkess</a>. “To differentiate itself from other flowers, each species’ flowers put out a unique scent to attract specific pollinators. … Once pollinated, the flower stops producing a floral scent and nectar and redirects its energy to the fertilized embryo that will become the seed.” <h2>2. Bees at the buffet</h2> It’s well known that many species of insects have <a href="https://theconversation.com/insect-apocalypse-not-so-fast-at-least-in-north-america-141107">declined in recent years</a>. One big focus is <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/plant-pest-and-disease-programs/honey-bees/honeybees">honeybees</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/beyond-honey-bees-wild-bees-are-also-key-pollinators-and-some-species-are-disappearing-89214">other species of bees</a>, which pollinate many important crops. In a 2021 study, University of Florida agricultural extension specialist <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=I8IjAnIAAAAJ&hl=en">Hamutahl Cohen</a> found that when bees visited fields where sunflowers, grown as crops, were blooming over many acres, they <a href="https://theconversation.com/planting-mixes-of-flowers-around-farm-fields-helps-keep-bees-healthy-170527">picked up parasites at a high rate</a>. In contrast, bees that foraged in hedgerows around crop fields and could choose from diverse types of flowers to feed on spread out farther and had lower rates of infection. “The more bees in sunflower fields, the more parasites,” Cohen observed. “Sunflower blooms were aggregating bees, which in turn was amplifying disease risk.” However, “in the presence of many flower types, bees disperse and spread across resources, reducing each individual bee’s likelihood of encountering an infected individual.” <h2>3. Warmer weather means more pollen</h2> As climate change raises average temperatures across the U.S., growing seasons are starting earlier and ending later in the year. That’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/pollen-season-is-getting-longer-and-more-intense-with-climate-change-heres-what-allergy-sufferers-can-expect-in-the-future-179158">bad news for allergy sufferers</a>. “The higher temperature will extend the growing season, giving plants more time to emit pollen and reproduce,” write University of Michigan atmospheric scientists <a href="https://clasp.engin.umich.edu/people/zhang-yingxiao/">Yingxiao Zhang</a> and <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=3dWPwz8AAAAJ&hl=en">Allison L. Steiner</a>. And by increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere, climate change will make it possible for plants to grow larger and generate more pollen. “Southeastern regions, including Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, can expect large grass and weed pollen increases in the future. The Pacific Northwest is likely to see peak pollen season a month earlier because of the early pollen season of alder,” Zhang and Steiner report. <h2>4. Providing better forecasts</h2> With all that pollen out there, how can allergy sufferers know when counts are high? Today the U.S. has only a rudimentary network of 90 pollen observation stations across the country, staffed by volunteers and run only during pollen season, so often there isn’t good information available when people need it. <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=sUwveOEAAAAJ&hl=en">Fiona Lo</a>, an environmental health scientist at the University of Washington, is working with colleagues to develop a model that can predict airborne pollen releases. “Our forecast can predict for specific pollen types because our model includes information about how each plant type interacts differently with the environment,” Lo reports. So far, the model only predicts levels of four types of common pollen in areas where there are observation stations. Ultimately, though, Lo and her collaborators “want to provide a forecast every day during pollen season to give allergy sufferers the information they need to manage their symptoms. Allergies are often undertreated, and knowledge about self-care is limited, so a reliable pollen forecast that is easy to access – for example, via an app on your phone – along with education on allergy management, could really help allergy sufferers.” <h2>5. Support pollinators in your garden</h2> Pollen season is also gardening season, since it’s when plants are blooming. West Virginia University mycologist <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Brian-Lovett">Brian Lovett</a>offers advice for gardeners who want to <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-help-insects-make-them-welcome-in-your-garden-heres-how-153609">attract beneficial insects to their yards</a> for pollination and other purposes. One step is to replace grass with native wildflowers, which will provide pollen and nectar for insects like ants, bees and butterflies. “Just as you may have a favorite local restaurant, insects that live around you have a taste for the flowers that are native to their areas,” Lovett notes. Replacing white lightbulbs with yellow or warm-hued LED bulbs, and providing water in dishes or other containers, are also insect-friendly steps. Local university extension offices and gardening stores can offer other suggestions. “In my view, humans all too often see ourselves as separate from nature, which leads us to relegate biodiversity to designated parks,” Lovett observes. “In fact, however, we are an important part of the natural world, and we need insects just as much as they need us.” Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/achoo-5-essential-reads-for-pollen-season-181672" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Home & Garden

Our Partners

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Contests

Entertainment

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Property

Games

Information

Keep up to date

Search

Australians are reading less than other countries, a new report shows. Why?

Readers response: What’s the best book you’ve read recently, and what did you love about it?

We know parents shape their children’s reading – but so can aunts, uncles and grandparents, by sharing beloved books

Read this before choosing a retirement village

“If you’re reading this, it means I have passed away”: Young mum announces own death

"Uniquely, magically, indescribably us": Read the emotional love letter from Suzanne Somers' husband

The unexpected health benefits of reading

“If you’re reading this, I have died”: Breast cancer advocate’s powerful last words

US school teacher sacked after reading Aussie book to class

Settle in with one of these top reads this winter

Why reading books is good for society, wellbeing and your career

5 crime books you need to read

6 things you should do when reading with your grandkids

Can reading help heal us and process our emotions – or is that just a story we tell ourselves?

How the pandemic affected our approach to reading and interpretation of books

Thinking about a summer fling? Read this article first

The five best books to read by the pool this summer

Drugs – 4 essential reads on how they’re made, how they work and how context can make poison a medicine

7 amazing benefits of daily reading

Achoo! 5 essential reads for pollen season

Our Partners