Books

Eliminated Masterchef contestant Dani Venn doesn’t just whip up exotic dishes in the kitchen, she manages to turn up the heat in exotic locations too. As she competed for the title of Masterchef, Dani, 25, won the hearts of Australian viewers with her trademark smile and bubbly personality. And it was these personality traits as […]

The star chef has found the perfect recipe for a happy family life. From his days as an ambitious young cook slaving over hot stoves in London restaurants to his celebrity status as a judge on Australia’s top reality show, chef Gary Mehigan has come a long way. And he owes it all to his […]

While Katrina and Amie did battle on The Block, their men held the fort at home. Knocking down walls in this year’s series of The Block was easily one of the biggest challenges Katrina Chambers and Amie Godde have faced. But it pales to insignificance compared to their greatest test – leaving their husbands and […]

He is best known as a comedian, but now Anh Do has cemented his place in Australia’s literary scene, taking out the top prize at the Australian Book Industry Awards. Do’s novel The Happiest Refugee was named book of the year at Monday night’s award ceremony in Melbourne. The book explores his family’s journey to […]

Hayden Quinn talks about what keeps him fired up, and the kind of girl most likely to win his heart. He’s easygoing lifeguard who’s very easy on the eye, but when MasterChef’s Hayden Quinn sat down for an exclusive interview with Woman’s Day, this cool customer wanted to set the record straight on a few […]

Florence Broadhurst: Her Secret & Extraordinary Lives by Helen O’Neill, Hardie Grant, $69.95. Helen O’Neill’s sumptuous coffee table book on Australia’s home design queen Florence Broadhurst first came out in 2006 and this new deluxe edition is bigger with much more of a design focus. Aficionados will notice more of Broadhurst’s signature prints and patterns […]

Blue Monday by Nicci French, Michael Joseph, $29.99. Nicci French is actually the pseudonym of UK crime writing husband and wife duo Nicci Gerrard and Sean French, and while the split personality of their voice is not immediately apparent, the duo’s books certainly benefit from the carefully crafted pace changes and character analyses that you […]

The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht, Orion, $29.99. There are two tigers in this book. One is a semi-mythical creature that lives in the jungles surrounding the old Balkan village of Galina, an object of superstition, fear and dangerous gossip. It features in many of the stories told to a young doctor, Natalia, by her […]

When God Was A Rabbit by Sarah Winman, Hachette, $29.99. I was a bit nervous about a book featuring a talking rabbit, especially when young Elly, the narrator, names her pet “God”. Whimsical charm can curdle awfully easily. Yet Winman is one clever (debut) author. In two parts over 40 years — from the revolutions […]

The Wreckage by Michael Robotham, Sphere, $32.99. He’s mastered the psychological thriller. Now, with his seventh novel, set amid the wreckage of the recent global financial meltdown, Robotham stretches the canvas to take in money, power and international conspiracy. In Baghdad, prize-winning journalist Luca Terracini is risking his life to chase a story about the […]