My 2014 Summer Reading Wishlist...

IMAGE: THE MOTHER LOAD | 2014 Summer Reading

* THIS POST IS IN COLLABORATION WITH BOOKWORLD, AN AUSTRALIAN OWNED ONLINE BOOK STORE.

So - Christmas, eh? I can't quite believe it. Wasn't it February like five minutes ago?? Surely!

The way I see it, there are two distinct ways of looking at the festive season. For me, the first involves general panic, a multitude of lists and a tendency to overspend as we prepare for the big day while madly trying to juggle the end of school activities, work, and the stuff that doesn't end just because Christmas is coming. That's where I'm at right now and it's where I've resigned myself to be until 24th December at 5.00pm (as per last year, and all previous years).

The second way to approach the festive season (and indeed my preferred way) is to think about the break that will be our reward after the mayhem, allowing us to finally stop at the end of a relentless year, catch up with friends and family and eat way too much leftover pudding. After a somewhat challenging 2014 for our family, I'm looking forward to taking some serious time out, have some chilled out conversations that don't revolve around a schedule, and to read a book or two from my long and neglected reading wishlist.

I've been buying books online via Bookworld for a couple of years now and I'm happy to be working with them. I'm a massive online shopping fan, and for me, there's nothing quite like the joy of receiving a beautiful hardback treasure in the mail.  So with that in mind, and as part of my post-Christmas minimal activity preparations, here's the list I intend to attack while I'm downing my third helping of leftover ham.

My 2014 Summer Reading Wishlist:

The Art Of Belonging - Hugh Mackay  
A little reading from an Australian researcher about the age old question, "What makes life worth living?" Seems appropriate this year.

Love Your Sister - Connie and Samuel Johnson
How inspiring are Sam and Connie?  I love their tight sibling bond and their fierce determination to make a real difference to cancer research. Also, anyone who can ride a unicycle around Australia deserves as much of my summer reading attention as I can give. This book should be on everyone's list.

Not The Kind Of Girl - Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham. Girls. Nuff said. 

The New Easy - Donna Hay
I'm so sick to death of my own cooking right now so need some new inspiration in 2015. If Donna can't give it to me, then no one can.

The Penguin Leunig 40th Anniversary Edition - Michael Leunig
This would make an excellent Christmas gift for someone. *cough*

Yes Please - Amy Poehler

Love Amy Poehler, mainly because she's Tina Fey's bestie and well, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler!

Leaving Time - Jodi Picoult
A little bit of easy to absorb fiction should be on everyone's list. This one's to take to the beach.

Family Food - Pete Evans
I've recently adopted a low carb way of eating and I saw Pete do a really nifty recipe using zucchini ribbons instead of pasta. Bring it, Pete just don't mention the activated almonds again, OK?

Julie Goodwin - 20/20 Meals
I love Julie Goodwin - she's a real mum, cooking real food. Again, I'm looking for some real inspiration in 2015 before my family members decide to pack their bags and go in search of finer cuisine and I think Jules is just the person to give it to me.

So what's on your post-Christmas reading list? Feel free to share some of your recommendations in the comments section below. In the meantime, check out the Bookworld website for some great Christmas gift ideas. It's all online. That means no shopping centre car parks. Just sayin'.

Happy reading!