Australian Recent Release: gigorou – first nations wisdom and womanhood by Sasha Kutabah Sarago
Gigorou (jig-goo-roo) means ‘beauty’ or ‘beautiful’ in Jirrbal, the language of Sasha Kutabah Sarago’s grandmother. Growing up, Sasha didn’t feel gigorou. At a young age, she was told, ‘You’re too pretty to be Aboriginal’. Since then, she’s been on a journey to reconcile her conflict with beauty.
In this intimately fierce, funny and reflective book, Sasha retraces her footsteps as a beauty assistant, model and magazine editor to find the answers she’s searching for. Through conversations with her matriarchs, and the creation stories gifted to her, Sasha unlocks an ancestral wisdom – the key to healing and reclaiming her femininity.
In a time where the patriarchy obstructs women from the divine feminine, and sexism, racism and ageism violate our sovereignty, Gigorou invites us to explore the interconnectedness of Aboriginal culture to resolve our relationship with beauty and ourselves.
‘I laughed, shed tears and felt those goosebumps when you know your soul is being spoken to and nourished.‘ – Chelsea Watego
Sasha writes with purpose and power. You’ll wish your younger self read this book, and you’ll thank Sasha for writing it. Gigorou is a gift.’ – Alley Pascoe
‘A brilliant representation of the way we walk in two worlds from a young age, asking ourselves how we fit into western society when they don’t accept us and we don’t see ourselves reflected.’ – Elaine George
Tasmanian Recent Release: Spirits over time and Oceans – Demons of the Deep by Suzanne King
The beauty of Tasmanian landscapes is viewed through the eyes of extraordinary artist, Delia. It is a story that pitches the protection of our natural environment against demons and darkness, designed to leave the reader asking: ‘Am I doing enough to protect the wilderness?’ Predominate Tasmanian locations include the shores of the Derwent River, The Gulch Bicheno and the Wielangta Forest to the rugged subantarctic shores of Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean.
About the Author: Suzanne was born in Tasmania and grew up on a property next to the bush in the ‘Granton Himalayas’ overlooking the Derwent River. The ever-changing moods of the Derwent was indeed the inspiration for her first novel, ‘Spirits Over Time and Oceans’ (Echo Publishing). Suzanne still overlooks the Derwent from her home in Taroona, where she lives with her husband and two very much loved ‘ginger panthers’ (who of course rule the household and take up the prime position in front of the log-fire).
All facets of her life revolve around a central theme, to be kind towards others and our beautiful planet, and to protect our precious wild, verdant places. These themes are easily recognisable in her work ‘Spirits Over Time and Oceans.’
Kids Recent Release: The Eerie Escavation by Ash Harrier
Alice England and her friends are back for another adventure and another mystery to solve. It’s summer holiday in Damocles Cove and Alice, Violet, and Cal are off to Archaeology Camp. Sure it’s not the K-pop camp Violet wanted, or the days of video games that Cal was looking forward to, but Alice’s enthusiasm carries them all off to the mysterious Malkin Tower and the spooky Pendle Woods. The work is hard, and the discoveries are small until one day a fellow camper turns up something unexpected that will plunge Alice and her friends into another murder mystery. Do curses really exist? Is a monster haunting Pendle Woods? And what is really going on with the adults at the camp?
Tasmanian Classic: Postcards from the Asylum by Karen Knight
POSTCARDS FROM THE ASYLUM, Karen Knight’s fifth poetry collection, won the Arts ACT 2007 Alec Bolton Award for an unpublished manuscript. These poems arise from her experiences as an inmate at the Royal Derwent Psychiatric Hospital in 1969.
“These are poems which will make you gasp – with wonder, delight, laughter, amazement, and shock (yes, shock).” – Deb Westbury
“Knight’s writing is insintent, vivid and brutal in its objective description of a devastating experience.” – John Foulcher