Why movement is not only good for our bodies, but for our brains as well.

As we all know, our lives are too sedentary. The last century has brought us many labour saving devices – cars and washing machines – but there has been a detrimental effect. We are moving less and less. As Move! by Caroline Williams shows, this is even having an effect on our cognition. Exercise – whether it be walking, dancing or gardening – helps power up brain function. Sadly, research shows that IQ scores have been dropping over recent decades. Lazy limbs are leading to lazy minds.

A book on the benefits of movement sounds like a guilt inducing trip urging us to quickly sign up for all year aquatic passes and gym memberships. That's not the aim here. What Move! shows, backed up by the latest science and interviews with experts in the field, is how important the simple, everyday movements are in life. Walking, jumping, doing housework, sitting straight and not slouching, or simply performing a few stretches. Did you even know that laughter is good for your core? The final chapter concentrates on a topic that may surprise many in a book about movement: breathing. Correct breathing should be evenly measured and done through the nose, not the mouth. There are many health benefits in this technique, as the nose filters air. Slowing down breathing to six breaths per minute can induce a state of meditative calm.
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Move! is a nifty little book that uses science to explore the mind-body connection and urges readers to not think of their brains and bodies as things in isolation, but as a fully integrated nervous system that requires thought and care.

Move!: The New Science of Mind Over Body, by Caroline Williams. Published by Profile Trade. $22.99

Review by Chris Saliba

An invitation to breathe your way to health, inner peace and happiness.

Yolanda Barker is a film maker and yoga teacher. She had experienced persistent depression and decided to try yoga. While this helped, the dark feelings didn't entirely lift. Going deeper into her yoga practice, she decided to concentrate on breathing exercises. A mixture of research and talking to experts in the field helped Yolanda discover breathing techniques that suited her. Finally, relief. Yolanda was hooked on breathing.

Everyone knows how to breathe, so why read a book on it? Apparently we don't breathe properly. We should breathe calmly, with correct posture and always through the nose. The nose filters toxins before entering the lungs. Moreover, breathing is a part of our body's functioning that we can actually control. Research shows that by controlling breathing we can change our mood. Our emotional state does not necessarily emanate from the mind, but from the nervous system. Measured, thoughtful breathing can reduce inner turmoil and bring equilibrium. 

The book is divided into a seven day program, which can really be read as seven aspects of breathing. Yolanda Barker mixes a good dose of science and physiology with practical steps to improve breathing. The Breathing Revolution is an easy to read guide that is a surprisingly calming experience in itself.

Discover how mind and body are more closely intertwined than previously thought.

The Breathing Revolution, by Yolanda Barker. Published by Green Tree. $24.99

Review by Chris Saliba

A crowd pleasing transgender memoir.

Cadance Bell grew up in Mudgee, New South Wales. Hers is your usual story of growing up in country Australia – trips to the local fish and chip shop, hunting expeditions with your father – except for one thing. Cadance had a frightening secret. Born a boy and named Benjamin Lynch, she knew that something was wrong. Her male body, and all the cultural expectations that go with being a boy, didn't fit. She felt seriously out of whack. Cadance tried to right the wrongs of her male body by secretly buying women's clothing and wearing bras underneath her blokey clobber. She would keep stashes of women's clothes in hidden bags, terrified that someone would find out. Shame, guilt, secrecy, self-loathing. All these emotions would drive her into the arms of a drug habit to try to dull the pain and make life bearable. Finally the dark clouds started to break and Cadance found a way out. She started to transition. It wasn't easy. Most difficult of all was finding acceptance from her parents. While they did struggle with her identity, they eventually came round.

The above may make The All of It: A Bogan Rhapsody sound like a misery memoir, but it's actually a boisterous, rollicking, laugh out loud ride through  working class Australia. Cadance Bell has a magic gift for capturing personalities in their true vernacular. Her dialogue leaps off the page and shakes you about. The portraits of her knock-about parents – her mother, a  tough-as-nails nurse who's seen it all and her father, a mine worker – are unforgettable. The various snapshots of growing up in rural Australia resonate as unmistakably authentic. This may be a trans memoir, but readers will see themselves and their family in its pithy descriptions of Australian life.
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Ultimately, The All of It is a funny, big-hearted memoir of growing up Australian, one that also deftly explains the pain and mental anguish of feeling you don't belong in your body. An absolute winner. 

Release date 5th July, 2022

The All of It: A Bogan Rhapsody, by Cadance Bell. Published by Viking. $34.99

Review by Chris Saliba

An 18th century true story is brought to life in this beautiful children's book.

Elisabeth lives with her family in Paris. The time is long ago. She is a little girl who loves to paint and draw. Her father is also an artist. One day Elisabeth is sent to a boarding school on the other side of Paris. Things don't work out so well. The building is grey and depressing. Her teacher, Sister Augustine, confiscates her colourful crayons and sternly makes Elisabeth stick to her lessons. Life is unremittingly gloomy. Then things take a very dark turn when her father dies. Seeing Elisabeth's obvious grief, her schoolmates organise some simple pens and paper for her. She draws an image of her father and starts to feel better. Finally Sister Augustine returns Elisabeth's colourful crayons and she can start to find proper healing in art.

Based on the life of French artist Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (born 1755), Elisabeth and the Box of Colours is a delightful yet gently melancholic story for emergent readers. Katherine Woodfine captures the charms of an imagined 18th century Paris in her simple descriptions of people and places. Coupled with Rebecca Cobb's sensitive watercolor illustrations, this chapter book is a wonderful gem.

Ages 5-8.

Elisabeth and the Box of Colours, by Katherine Woodfine. Illustrated by Rebecca Cobb. Published by Barrington Stoke. $12.99

Review by Chris Saliba​