Lifestyle, Lifestyle & Social

The Curated: What to read

27th May, 2020

There’s something about a great book recommendation. I love hearing what books people are reading and past books they’ve loved because it helps me add to my own list of books to read. So if you’re looking for a book to sink your teeth into, here’s what The Curated panel are currently devouring, and also the books that have stayed with them long after the last page.

The Curated panel: presenter, journalist and producer Ksenija Lukich; artist and style curator and founder of Where did your style go? Tash Sefton; influencer Nadia Fairfax, stylist Elliot Garnaut, influencer Rey Vakili; Ostelin and Johnson’s baby ambassador, Phoebe BurgessElle Effect founder and creative director, Elle Ferguson; influencer, Anna Heinrich

Me

“I feel like my reading has taken a back seat since I had kids and all my books seem to be parenting related, so I’m a bit behind in all the best sellers! However I’m currently reading Becoming by Michelle Obama ( I know I a bit late to the party) and thoroughly enjoying it.” 

Nadia Fairfax

“[I’m reading] Born or Bred? Martine Bryant: the Making of a Mass Murderer. Could Port Arthur have been prevented? You read and decide.”

Anna Heinrich

“I’m currently reading pregnancy books. I don’t think these are for everyone so I’ll leave it there :).”

Tash Sefton

“[I’m reading] This Is Me which is a book by friends of mine (Julie Adams and Georgie Abay). It features unretouched portraits of women and their stories of their journey to acceptance and self love (I’m in it but that’s not why I’m mentioning it ….the stories are wonderful and every woman should have a copy as a reminder we need to be kind to ourselves). Also the book Loulou & Yves. My friend Liesel just gave it me and I’m about to start it. It’s a behind the scenes look at the fashion world.”

Ksenija Lukich

“This will be on a lot of lists but Boy Swallows Universe is an absolutely stunning book. It’s an instant classic. Persevere through the first 30 per cent of the book. It’s well worth the slow start. 

Where The Crawdads Sing is phenomenal. I never thought a marsh could be the location for a love story but the way Delia Owens writes is truly captivating. I finished it so quickly I’m about to go back and reread. 

And I just finished Pretending by Holly Bourne. This book is a rom com with a triggering edge. Following the story of a woman who is trying to overcome her sexual assault and find love. A really heartwarming, funny and educational book.”

Rey Vakili

“My all time favourite book is Emma by Jane Austen but I most recently finished American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins which I loved. A book everyone should read is Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker. Scary stuff! And finally, I recently read Robert Iger’s memoir and loved it.”

Elle Ferguson

“I am so bad, I’m a magazine girl. I also have been, even since high school. I love the articles so I also buy the local and overseas Vogues, Elle and Harpers.”

Elliot Garnaut

“My consumption of media leans toward the dark side. I love horror, always have. A book that had a profound effect on me was Brett Easton Ellis’ American Psycho. For those not as wacky as I, I couldn’t recommend the Harry Potter series more. It’s escapism at it’s best, no matter what age. I am currently reading Bridget Collins’ The Binding, a gift from my sister-in-law from my birthday.”

Phoebe Burgess

“I’ve just picked up Marian Keys’ Grown Ups. Juggling work and kiddies means I need a storyline I can jump into straight away – as 20 minutes reading time is the usual after the kids have gone down, and before I am out cold with them.

My all time favourite book – apart from Harry Potter, Twilight, The Alchemist and Kite Runner, and all the must must reads that I adored— is The Bronze Horseman. Looking back, it was pretty  raunchy for a teenager—but it combined history with romance (the starvation of Leningrad 1941). The can’t put down part of a good book to me is all about the relationship I form with the characters I’m following, the people that I can’t let go of. I’ll invest as much time as possible into characters I fall in love with, or hate, or that excite me as opposed to intricate plots…author Liane Moriarty does this so well.”

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1 Comment

  • Reply Elizabeth 27th May, 2020 at 4:03 pm

    Thanks Kate – any parenting books you found helpful that you can recommend?

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