We love a good ‘best of’ list, so we’ve compiled a list of books and podcasts, with the help from some of our ACC Australia members and friends. Whether you’re heading off on a sunny getaway somewhere in Australia, or having a staycation, these suggested summer reads and podcasts will have you escaping reality or freshening up your professional skills, ready for the new year!
SUMMER READS
Hell and Other Destinations, by Madeleine Albright
Six-time New York Times bestselling author and former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, one of the world's most admired and tireless public servants, reflects on the final stages of one's career, and working productively into your later decades, in this revealing, funny, and inspiring memoir.
Pathfinders, by Michael Bennett
From the explorer to the pioneer, the swagman to the drover’s wife, with a few bushrangers for good measure, Europeans play all the leading roles. A rare exception is the redoubtable tracker. With skills passed down over millennia, trackers could trace the movements of people across vast swathes of country. Celebrated as saviours of lost children and disoriented adults, and finders of missing livestock, they were also cursed by robbers on the run.
The Philosopher Queens, by Rebecca Buxton and Lisa Whiting
This is a long-awaited book about the lives and works of women in philosophy, by women in philosophy. This collection, brings to centre stage, twenty prominent women whose ideas have had a profound — but for the most part uncredited — impact on the world.
Atomic Habits, by James Clear
People think when you want to change your life, you need to think big. But world-renowned habits expert, James Clear, has discovered another way. He knows that real change comes from the compound effect of hundreds of small decisions – doing two push-ups a day, waking up five minutes early, or holding a single short phone call. He calls them atomic habits.
The Bodysurfers, by Robert Drewe
Set among the surf and sandhills of the Australian beach – and the tidal changes of three generations of the Lang family – The Bodysurfers is an Australian classic.
Women and Leadership, by Julia Gillard and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
An inspirational and practical book written by two high-achieving women, sharing the experience and advice of some of our most extraordinary women leaders, in their own words.
My Own Words, by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Mary Hartnett and Wendy W Williams
In this collection, Justice Ginsburg, discusses gender equality, the workings of the Supreme Court, being Jewish, law and lawyers in opera, and the value of looking beyond US shores when interpreting the US Constitution.
The Survivor, by Jane Harper
Kieran Elliott's life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences.
The Happiest Man on Earth, by Eddie Jaki
Life can be beautiful if you make it beautiful. It is up to you. Eddie Jaku always considered himself a German first, a Jew second. He was proud of his country. But all of that changed in November 1938, when he was beaten, arrested and taken to a concentration camp.
Born at the Right Time, by Ron McCallum
Blind from birth, Ron regards himself as fortunate to have been born at a time when ever improving technology has enabled him to live a rich and full life, and to become a professor of law at one of Australia's most prestigious universities.
Becoming, by Michelle Obama
An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States.
Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens
For years, rumours of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl.
A Theatre for Dreamers by Polly Sampson
1960. The world is dancing on the edge of revolution, and nowhere more so than on the Greek island of Hydra, where a circle of poets, painters and musicians live tangled lives, ruled by the writers Charmian Clift and George Johnston, troubled king and queen of bohemia.
The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
In 1901, the word ‘Bondmaid’ was discovered missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it.
*All book descriptions have been taken directly from Booktopia.
SUMMER LISTENING
Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard: a podcast that celebrates the messiness of being human.
Chats10Looks3: A peripatetic podcast in which Leigh Sales and Annabel Crabb discuss what they're reading, watching, cooking, listening to or irrationally exhilarated by.
Counsel: A podcast about in-house lawyer life
Download this Show: Your weekly guide to the world of media, culture and technology. From social media to gadgets, streaming services to privacy issues.
Pivot: Recode’s, Kara Swisher and NYU Professor, Scott Galloway offer sharp, unfiltered insights into the biggest stories in tech, business, and politics. They make bold predictions, pick winners and losers, and bicker and banter like no other. After all, with great power comes great scrutiny.
The Cryptid Factor: Hear passionately, (and often awkwardly), discussions of animals yet to be proven by science - like the Mongolian Death Worm, Chupacabra, Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness Monster. Though they take the pseudo-science as seriously as they can, they struggle to take themselves seriously at all. The podcasts hosts are comedian and actor, Rhys Darby, respected television journalist and documentarian David Farrier.
The Michele Obama podcast: This podcast features the former First lady, getting deep into conversations with loved ones – family, friends and colleagues – on the relationships in our lives that make us who we are.
Wardrobe Crisis with Clare Press: A fashion podcast about sustainability, ethical fashion and making a difference in the world.