What SmartCompany editor Eloise Keating will be reading these holidays

Emma Isaacs Business Chicks

Business Chicks' Emma Isaacs. Source: Supplied

New books have always been part of Christmas for me, and those long summer days are the perfect chance to catch up on some reading.

Like last holidays, my summer reading list once again includes fiction, cookbooks, and some small business inspiration. 

It’s no secret that independent bookshops are some of my favourite small businesses, and there’s never been a better time to support them by buying some books to put on my shelf. 

So, here are six books I plan to devour these holidays.

Vivid: Style in Colour by Julia Green and Armelle Habib

This year I’m hoping there will be a copy of Vivid: Style in Colour for me under the Christmas tree. This interiors book celebrates how colour influences the world of design and our everyday lives, and is co-authored by renowned stylist Julia Green.

Green champions small creative businesses through her own company, Greenhouse Interiors, and has recently opened a beautiful retail concept store and art gallery in Geelong, Victoria.

My Life in Full: Work, Family and Our Future by Indira Nooyi

Also at the top of my to-read list is Indira Nooyi’s memoir, which was published in September. The former CEO of PepsiCo has been a trailblazer in her industry and for women in business more generally.

The book promises to “clear-eyed insight and a call to action for how our society can really blend work and family — and advance women — in the 21st century”.

Every Night of the Week by Lucy Tweed

I have more cookbooks than time to cook, but I couldn’t go past buying a copy of Every Night of the Week for simple and fast meals to cook during the week.

Tweed is a Sydney-based food and recipe writer and stylist, who has built an impressive Instagram following for her delicious and easy-to-follow recipes.

Devotion by Hannah Kent

My reading list always includes Australian fiction too, and I’m looking forward to reading the latest novel by Burial Rites author Hannah Kent.

Kent specialises in historical fiction and her latest book is set in the 1830s in Prussia and South Australia.

The New Hustle by Emma Isaacs

The ‘hustle’ that has long defined our work culture is dead, according to well-known Australian entrepreneur and Business Chicks founder Emma Isaacs.

I enjoyed reading Isaacs’ earlier book, Winging It, and so I’m interested to delve into The New Hustle, which explores how the pandemic has shown up the old ways of working, and why we need to reimagine the way we work.

Tomorrow is a Brand-New Day by Davina Bell and Allison Colpoys

I also plan to spend the summer holidays reading plenty of picture books to my daughter, and the message in Tomorrow is a Brand-New Day — that hard days come and go, but love is always with us — seems perfect for the end of another challenging year, and the start of a new one.

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