Best books to read this year

Keep your eyes (and reading glasses) peeled for these new releases from our favourite Australian publishers.

Saved by Cake, Marian Keyes

Plenty of us have experienced that moment when a fat slice of chocolate cake with all the trimmings has perked us right up from a black hole of self-pity and moodiness to sheer joy. No one knows this better than author Marian Keyes, who recounts how baking helped her recover from a battle with depression. If you're a beginner baker and share the love of all things sweet, Marian's book will guide you through meringues, macaroons, fruit cakes, cheesecakes, cupcakes and of course choccie cakes too.

1000 Best-Ever Recipes, Australian Women's Weekly

This is the ultimate collection of must-have recipes for any mum. We've all grown up with the awesome recipes from Australian Women's Weekly (who could forget those incredible children's birthday cakes - jelly pool, anyone?) and it's no surprise they're so popular. Triple-tested in the AWW test kitchen, these are fail-safe, foolproof recipes guaranteed to work every time. Whether you're after meals that are on a budget, super fast, super healthy or from across the seas, this is the book to show you how!

Down to Earth, Rhonda Hetzel

Do you ever feel like you need to just stop and breathe a while? (Was that a resounding "Yes!" we heard from women across the nation?) You're constantly running from home to work to gym to pick up the kids to back home again... Dinners are becoming less about healthy, home-cooked meals and more about what can be on the table in five minutes... You've forgotten how to sew on a button, never mind make your own jam... Well, fear not, dear women of Oz, Rhonda Hetzel is the woman to help us slow down and breathe deep. She shares practical tips and advice on how to live a simpler life, from baking your own bread to growing tomatoes and living sustainably.

Big Fat Lies: How The Diet Industry Is Making You Sick, Fat & Poor, David Gillespie

Well this is certainly food for thought... Author David Gillespie shares his views on why following all the rules of the multibillion-dollar food, health and diet industries might, in fact, make you worse off than you were before. He discusses how you can avoid sugar and polyunsaturated oils without depriving yourself or dieting, and work towards a healthier, happier life.

Making the Future: The Unipolar Imperial Moment, Noam Chomsky

Rebel with a cause Noam Chomsky shares his critiques of many issues ranging from the financial crisis to nuclear Iran to corporate power. His fierce political writing is intelligent, accessible and certain to get you thinking about issues beyond your own backyard.

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