Happy As

In a world where data is the new currency, social media is turning us all into walking, talking billboards and brands and we're meant to be mindful, manifesting and present, isn't it a bit rich to be expected to be happy too? After a lifetime spent actively searching for happiness as well as studying it, communications executive and yogi Lisa Portolan shares valuable insights into how we made happiness a science and an industry, created products around it and supported it with a whole heap of advertising to ensure that works, but is 'brand me' just a recipe for unhappiness? 'Lisa points the way to an alternative approach where instead of performing or pursuing an artificial construction of happiness, we can discover our authentic, holistic selves, and learn that this is enough.' - Tom Dawkins 'A big call, but coming from a practitioner of the dark arts of advertising and persuasion Lisa's insights are f*cking surprising and enlightening.' - Paul Bongiorno AM 'Lisa Portolan's fascinating exploration of happiness reveals fresh insights into this much-lauded but little-examined condition. Startling in its insight and surprising in its scale, Happy As sheds light into the darker corners of people's search for joy. And, oddly enough, it is an unbridled joy to read.' - Tim Ferguson

After her dad suddenly dies, teenage Saskia gets a crash course in growing up in the gritty glamour of 1970s New York. Her now downwardly mobile family moves to the seedy Upper West Side. Their mom becomes increasingly nihilistic and embarks on a sexual walkabout, which costs her the trust of her two eldest kids who run away to join the Sullivanian cult. Ex-communicated by her siblings, Saskia becomes her mom's mom. High school becomes all about getting high at school as Saskia struggles with grieving, hapless crushes, fixing her family and the desire to be loved. This witty, heart-breaking but ultimately affirming coming of age novel doubles as a love letter to a Manhattan of an edgier era, that speaks to the chaos of closure and the satisfaction of self-determination.

Happy as Harry is a positive, touching and uplifting book about happiness, written by the perfect life coach - Harry the one-eyed rescue dog, and his owner, Deana Luchia. Perfect for fans of Alfie and George, Haatchi & Little B and The Happiness Project. 'Dogs know how to be happy. It's what we do best. We cavort, careen, race and chase. Any day can be a good day, an amazing and fabulous day. You have the power to make an ordinary day extraordinary simply by deciding to make it so.' Harry the Dog Dogs are the happiest creatures in the world. They possess qualities that include their ability to live in the moment, their incredibly loving and playful natures and their innate forgiveness and joie de vivre. So a dog is the perfect narrator for a book about how to be happy. If dogs could share their secrets on happiness, this book is what they would say. The book is divided into six life-coaching sections: How to be Happy Love Well and be Well Loved Happy Families A Balanced Life How to be Good Saying Goodbyes Harry, along with a group of his closest friends, shows us how dogs approach life in all of these areas, and shares his simple and practical top tips for how we, as humans, can learn from dogs in order to live better, happier lives ('After every bath dry your whole body with a hairdryer'). We may have to dodge some curveballs at times, but there are plenty of challenges that can be overcome and doubts that can be banished by looking at the world through Harry's eyes.

We can read this novel with many different eyes. It’s an investigation. It’s a search for a coveted object, but it’s also about what a person may do to pursue a passion, about how far one may venture in pursuit of that passion. We can step into the world of pipes and understand the shape of pipes and take a peek at what drives this passion. And we can experience the ecstatic appeal of the Jewish Kabbalah. Or we can just forget about everything, sit back, and enjoy what the author has invented for us.

By listening to the expressions of others, Linda Cutler has come to realize that there is thankfully more humor in life than not, especially when it comes to well-known quips. In a collection of witticisms, Linda humorously dissects why we repeat sayings like “he drinks like a fish” and “happy as a clam” without questioning whether anyone has ever measured fish consumption for comparison and whether it is even possible to tell if a clam is happy or sad. While examining other amusing sayings such as “sweating like a pig,” “barking up the wrong tree,” and “striking while the iron is hot,” Cutler offers witty reflections and clever wisdom that encourages others to stop and think about what they are saying on a daily basis and what each phrase really means. Happy as a Clam is a collection of quips that make us all scratch our heads while wondering how we can sow wild oats, why we would ever want to spill our guts, and why there are vegetables like suffering succotash.

Three teenage girls from very different backgrounds find themselves sharing a hospital ward. When they witness a crime in the park below their window, they bond over trying to solve the crime and each one undergoes a profound change. A beautiful coming-of-age story about identity, expectation, class, justice, society, fairness, and, above all, kindness. 'Fresh insights into friendship and family are spun through tangents into chance and randomness ... and music and its power to trigger memory and give a rhythm and pace to life. Injured Evie, in particular, learns how to grow and walk away stronger.' - Weekend Australian 'Such a richly delicious read and I wanted it never to end ... I am a true fan' - Naomi Shihab Nye **Contains BONUS extract from Jane Godwin's newest novel, WHEN RAIN TURNS TO SNOW**

Have you ever wondered if your dog knows more about joyful living than you? I met a man who told me, "For years I was so miserable that I prayed to God daily to please let me wake up as happy as my dog!" I went home and observed by dog Munchie, who is happy all the time. Munchie is the most joyful creature I have ever seen. He lives in a state of continuous delight and discovery. It became clear to me that Munchie knew something I didn’t know (or at least didn’t remember). So I decided to study Munchie’s attitude to see what he knew that I was missing. Professor Munchie’s lessons include: • Love to Be a Lover • Ask for What You Want • Keep Your Eye on the Ball • Give Your Heart to Someone • Get Off the Leash Sometimes • Dig Where the Real Bones Are • Don’t Settle for Mush • And Dream with Your Feet Moving