Icebreaker by A.L. Graziadei follows Mickey James, a talented hockey player whose carefully planned future begins to unravel after an unexpected setback. Through a queer coming of age story, the novel explores romance, friendship, family expectations and the uncertainty of finding your place after high school. I enjoyed how Graziadei balanced the competitive hockey setting with quieter, character driven moments. Mickey’s anxiety and self doubt felt authentic, and the relation

Inside I’m Hurting offers a compassionate and grounded shift in how we understand children whose behaviour in school is shaped by attachment difficulties and early relational trauma. Rather than viewing behaviour as something to control or eliminate, it reframes it as communication of unmet emotional needs and survival based responses. This creates an important lens shift for educators and allied professionals working in complex relational contexts. A key strength of the book

As a creative and experiential therapist, I didn’t pick up Art Cure to be convinced that the arts are important. My work already shows me the impact that creativity, play, imagination, and artistic expression can have on people’s wellbeing. Instead, I was interested in how Daisy Fancourt would bring together the evidence and communicate the broader role of the arts in health and wellbeing. What I appreciated most about this book was the way Fancourt weaves research, stories,

Body Weather is a reflective text built around the author’s understanding of how the body has its own weather system, a metaphor for the unpredictable fluctuations of chronic illness and embodied experience. It frames the body as atmospheric and changeable, where states shift in ways that are not linear, stable, or fully predictable. Rather than trying to contain or resolve this instability, the writing stays with it through close attention and metaphor, allowing experience t

When the Naughty Step Makes Things Worse is a practical and compassionate guide for parents, carers, and professionals supporting children who are highly sensitive to pressure. The authors explain how strategies like time out, sticker charts, or consequences can increase stress and oppositional behaviour in children who feel overwhelmed. The book reframes these challenges with understanding, showing that resistance often comes from pressure rather than defiance. The book clea

A dear friend recommended The Book Thief to me and I am so grateful for that suggestion. From the very first pages, Markus Zusak’s writing struck me as alive in a way that is both intimate and expansive. The voice of Death, unusual and observant, carries the story with quiet reflection, subtle humour, and a sense of inevitability that is deeply affecting. Every sentence feels deliberate, every word carries weight, and the way time stretches and folds in the narrative makes th

This book brings together stories, poems, reflections, and artwork exploring trans and disabled experience. The collection feels deeply personal and grounded in everyday life, with contributors writing about identity, relationships, community, access, belonging, and the different ways people move through the world. The range of voices throughout the book gives it a strong sense of honesty and care. What I appreciated most was the space the book made for complexity without try

Out of the Forest is one of those books that stays with you long after you finish it. Gregory P. Smith writes honestly about a childhood shaped by violence, neglect and systems that failed to protect him. He doesn’t soften it for the reader, and he doesn’t sensationalise it either. He simply tells the truth, and that alone makes this book powerful. As his life unfolds, we see how trauma, homelessness and isolation pushed him further to the margins. His decision to live in the

Healing the Oppressed Body by Andrea Gutiérrez-Glik offers a timely contribution to trauma and somatic practice by positioning oppression as both socially and physiologically embodied. It integrates nervous system work, parts-based approaches, and attachment frameworks to explore how marginalisation is held in the body. Rather than locating distress solely within individuals, it expands the frame to include broader systems shaping safety, threat, and identity. A strength of t

The Queer Art of Failure is a bold and playful challenge to conventional ideas of success, productivity, and social norms. Halberstam reframes failure as a creative and radical act, showing how refusing dominant expectations can open space for alternative ways of living, relating, and being. Drawing on film, literature, performance, and popular culture, the book illustrates how failing can be both joyful and empowering, offering readers a way to question what society values.

I really valued how this book explores burnout as a whole rather than presenting it as something only neurodivergent teenagers experience. It shows that anyone pushed too far can reach the point of exhaustion. The authors explain how burnout builds slowly and normalise it as a human response rather than a personal failure. The discussion about school stood out as especially important. The authors highlight how testing, social pressure, and constant expectations can make schoo

Robert Jason Grant’s The AutPlay® Therapy Handbook is a thoughtful guide for working with neurodivergent children through play. The approach is integrative and flexible, offering techniques alongside a framework for understanding each child’s unique way of engaging with the world. It is an accessible read for practitioners and most useful for those who want to integrate play-based approaches into their work. The book blends evidence-based practice with a strong relational and

For National Close the Gap Day I want to share a powerful anthology that broadens how we think about wellbeing, culture and justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Colouring the Rainbow: Blak Queer and Trans Perspectives brings together voices often missing from mainstream conversations. Through essays and reflections, Blak queer and trans writers share experiences of identity, belonging and survival with honesty, care and cultural depth. What stands ou

The Anger Management Sourcebook offers a wide range of practical tools for understanding anger, including identifying triggers, building coping strategies, and improving communication. The exercises are generally accessible and may be helpful for readers who are new to anger management or seeking structured self help material. As a skills focused resource, the book functions best as an introductory text rather than a comprehensive or context sensitive guide. A key limitation

Neurodivergent, by Nature is an engaging mix of memoir, neurodivergence education, and nature writing. Harkness writes with a grounded and thoughtful voice, occasionally punctuated with humour, moving from honest reflections on mental health to small moments of absurdity that provide levity without undermining the subject. Some of the language used around neurodivergence surprised me, as it did not always feel entirely neuroaffirming, but the book still creates a reading expe

This book is a gentle and affirming picture book for children aged 3 and up. It explores how children experience and interact with the world, celebrating that every child is unique. Some children are talkative, some prefer quiet. Some enjoy movement, others enjoy stillness. All of these ways of being are valid and valuable, and differences are important and meaningful. The illustrations by Inge Daniels bring the story to life. Children are shown engaging in a variety of activ

Nonviolent Communication is often presented as a communication framework, but at its heart it is a practice of relating with greater honesty, responsibility, and compassion. Rosenberg invites readers to slow down and notice how everyday language can move quickly into judgement or blame, even when our intentions are caring. The focus is less on saying the right thing and more on creating conditions for genuine understanding and connection. The core structure of observation, fe

This book offers a clear and welcoming introduction to asexual and aromantic experiences. Personal stories are blended with gentle explanation, creating an easy entry point for readers with varying levels of familiarity. The tone is warm without being over the top, and the authors present their ideas in a way that feels steady, accessible, and grounded. A major strength is the attention to variety within ace and aro identities. The authors avoid rigid definitions and instead

This book is a remarkable and deeply respectful collaboration between astrophysicist Duane Hamacher and Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Holders from across Australia. The book weaves together scientific insight with ancient cultural knowledge, showing that astronomy has always been a human practice grounded in observation, meaning, and relationship with the land and sky. It invites readers to look up differently and to recognise the depth of wisdom in the world’s oldest conti

Andrea Gibson’s Take Me With You is a small book of big truths. Written in fragments and lyrical passages, it feels both intimate and expansive, like carrying a pocket-sized collection of revelations. Gibson explores identity, love, loss, and the complexity of being human with a voice that is raw, tender, and unafraid to lean into vulnerability. One of the most striking threads is Gibson’s reflection on gender and belonging. They write with clarity that makes the in-between f