The Confessions Of Catherine De Medici, BY C.W. GORTNER, HODDER & STOUGHTON, $32.99. A riveting first person account of the extraordinary life of Florentine-born Caterina (Catherine) de Medici, 14-year-old bride of the 14-year-old Duke of Orleans, later crowned King Henry II of France, to whom she bore three kings among her seven children. In spite […]

Hawke: The Prime Minister, BY BLANCHE D’ALPUGET, MUP, $54.99. The most important thing to do when reading Hawke: The Prime Minister is to keep reminding yourself that it is written by his second wife, Blanche D’Alpuget. If you forget, even for a few pages, then you could be lulled into thinking he was the greatest […]

Food Fashion Friends, BY FLEUR WOOD, PENGUIN, $59.95. If you’ve yet to discover Sydney-based fashion designer Fleur Wood and her soft, slightly bohemian but always elegant sense of style, this book is a good place to start. As well as making great frocks, Wood is a fervent home cook and her passion shines through the […]

Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock talks about how she chose to play the character in the inspirational movie The Blind Side, available to buy now on DVD and Blu-ray. What is it like to play characters that are based on real people who are not necessarily famous? Do you try to capture their spirit? And what […]

Mental health stimulation through word games and puzzles have long been associated with keeping the brain active and young, but if this isn’t your thing, you will be glad to know there is an alternative. New research from the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service found that adding strawberries, blackberries and blueberries to your […]

Up to 275 Australians develop diabetes every day, but new research in the UK suggests cutting diabetes risk can be as easy as munching on some spinach. A new study by the University of Leicester has found that eating green leafy vegetables can significantly cut your risk of type 2 diabetes. Diagnosis of type 2 […]

A research team from England’s University of Warwick says it may be possible to substantially reduce your chances of developing heart disease with a simple blood test to check your vitamin D levels. In one of the largest studies of its kind, the researchers reviewed 28 studies, which examined over 99,000 men and women from […]

Getaway presenter Catriona Rowntree discusses her favourite books in our new monthly Book Club feature. What was the last book you read? After reading a recommendation in this very magazine, I grabbed at the airport, en route to Tuscany, Frances Mayes’ latest offering Every Day Iin Tuscany. To read her colourful description of her beloved […]

It’s long been known that certain chemicals found in everyday products can be harmful to humans so new research confirming the link between pesticides and ill-health will not come as a shock to many. However, the alarming factor here is that the ill effects can be caused by exposure as early as foetal development, prompting […]

Most people on MasterChef use their 15 minutes of fame to carve out a career in cooking, but Matt Caldicott is taking a very different approach after his stint on the reality series. While the aspiring chef is working as a kitchen hand at Neil Perry’s chic Chinese restaurant Spice Temple in Sydney, he says […]