Item category 1: Society & Culture

Alain de Botton's The Consolations of Philosophy takes the discipline of logic and the mind back to its roots. Drawing inspiration from six of the finest minds in history -- Socrates, Epicurus, Seneca, Montaigne, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche -- he addresses lack of money, the pain of love, inadequa...

Subject: Fine tea leaves and resplendent utensils are only two elements of what is a dynamic process to fully enjoy tea. However, without skill in steeping tea, without a suitable environment to drink tea, without good spring water, without proper fire to boil water, without an understanding of t...

Curious about the culture around drinking tea? Perfect for travel and history lovers, Why We Love Tea dives into the practice of tea ceremony and meditation in different cultures. From the origins of tea to drinking etiquette in other parts of the world, this guide illuminates tea's important his...

Carnaby’s cockatoos are a part of the fabric of Perth. Their loud calls, messy feeding habits and endearing personalities make them easily recognisable to anyone living or visiting the suburbs of Perth. But their numbers are declining as their habitats are lost to development and other threats. T...

Wedding toasts, website copy, social media posts, even holiday cards - you'll become a sharper everyday writer with this witty and comprehensive guide to clearer, better communication. You'll never write an email the same way after reading Everybody Needs an Editor, a game-changing guide to sharp...

Online romance fraud is a problem across the globe. It causes financial and emotional devastation, yet many people refuse to take it seriously. This is the story of one middle-aged woman in a cardigan determined to understand this growing phenomenon. No other woman has had so many online romances...

"While travel was once a marker of sophistication, tourists now face tough questions: When does economic opportunity become exploitation? How do we justify the use of climate-changing jet fuel? And can we be sure our vacations aren't propping up corrupt and brutal regimes? In Reservations, avid t...

As a White House speechwriter, Terry Szuplat helped craft hundreds of speeches for President Obama. But when it came to public speaking himself, Szuplat -- like many people -- was gripped by anxiety and preferred to stay in the shadows. When he was invited to give the first major speech of his li...

What do you want, when no one is watching? What do you want, when the lights are off? What do you want, when you are anonymous? When we talk about sex, we talk about womanhood and motherhood, infidelity and exploitation, consent and respect, fairness and egalitarianism, love and hate, pleasure an...

We all have our list of things we want to have "someday." Whether it's for a better job, a stronger marriage, a happier home, more gratifying relationships with friends, or simply accomplishing more and leaving a lasting legacy, we think that tomorrow is the day to start our journey towards our g...

We all feel it -- the distraction, the loss of focus, the addictive focus on the wrong things for too long. We bump into the zombies on their phones in the street, and sometimes they're us. We stare in pity at the four people at the table in the restaurant, all on their phones, and then we feel t...

Belle Gibson convinced the world she had healed herself from terminal brain cancer with a healthy diet. She built a global business based upon her claims. There was just one problem: she'd never had cancer. Written by the same journalists who uncovered the details of Gibson's lies, this book trac...