Women's Weekender: For everything you need to read, listen and binge

Women’s Weekender: For everything you need to read, listen and binge this week!

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It’s that time of the week again, and we’ve been busy collating the latest books, podcasts, audiobooks and movie must-watches for you to get lost in during lockdown. Thanks to our partner, Scribd for supporting this feature.


Memoir: Judith Lucy- ‘Turns Out, I’m Fine: How Not To Fall Apart’ 

When was the last time you laughed out loud so much you turned heads inside a bus? This is what happened to me (more than once, in fact) as I listened to Judith Lucy read her memoir, Turns Out, I’m Fine: How Not To Fall Apart.

The beloved Australian comedian and performer has penned a hilarious, heartfelt, agonisingly gorgeous comedy in her tale, which follows her assessment of how she feels about men — now, at the age of fifty-three. 

What was the catalyst for such a story? A few years ago, Lucy found herself doing three to four hours a day of yoga following the worst breakup of her life.

 “…which was actually just me lying on the floor crying,” she writes. “The only thing that amounted it to yoga was the fact that I was wearing LuLuLemon pants.”

Through the book, she talks about being adopted, her biological and adopted mothers, the history of dysfunctional relationships she’s had with men, and looking for her biological father.

Her humour is intwined with the tragedies of her life — in 2014, Lucy lost her brother Niall to cancer.

In her characteristic flair, she writes about death, sex, ageing, anxiety, sex, relationships, grief, climate change and self purpose, menopause, women’s sexual health and sex drive. 

She tries to find herself again by dating a tree, getting a portrait of her vulva done and swimming with a whale shark. Nothing is off limits for this incredibly talented comedic genius. If only we could all be as brash, brave and human.  

Listen to Lucy read it out herself in the audiobook version, here on Scribd.  

Listen: Sarah Krasnostein- ‘The Believer

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be someone who believes in UFOs? Or what about people who call themselves “ghost-busting paranormal investigators”?

Bestselling author Sarah Krasnostein returns with her second book, The Believers, where she dives deep into the lives of mennonites and creationists, ufologists, a Buddhist “death doula”, and a woman accepting an unjust punishment for a crime.

Often pushed to the edge of society, Krasnostein compassionately interrogates the ins and outs of these individuals and their communities and asks big questions – about connectedness and separation, certainly, but also about love and grief, resilience and faith, and all the ways in which we situate ourselves within the world. 

Krasnostein’s luscious and lyrical style shines throughout the book, especially when she inserts a personal anecdote from her own history growing up in the US and then moving to her adopted country of Australia. 

Ultimately, it’s a book about the the power of human belief and what certainty looks like in the absence of empirical knowledge.

Listen to it here, on Scribd. 

Listen: Delta Goodrem- Bridge Over Troubled Dreams

With international acclaim and multi-platinum chart-topping singles, the singer/songwriter is adding yet another title with her first book, Bridge Over Troubled Dreams. Through this, Goodrem shares a rare glimpse inside the process of her sixth studio album as well as the evolution of each deeply personal track.

Sharing intimate stories, Goodrem envelops readers in her journey.

This is an inspiring listen for any person looking for a spark of artistry and hope. Not to be missed by any fans. Listen to it here, on Scribd.

Binge: Valerie Taylor: Playing with Sharks

Valerie Taylor was a woman ahead of her time. She was a glamorous shark hunter in the 1950s, known as a champion slayer with a precise aim. But then a sudden moment transformed her into a passionate marine conservationist. In cinemas now, this documentary explores Taylor’s incredible true story as she went on to try to change our misconception of sharks.

Watch: Sandsong | Sydney

Australia’s brilliant First Nations company, Bangarra Dance Theatre will return this weekend with a spectacular new work, showcasing an ancient story framed against the backdrop of shifting government policies and of the survival of First Nations culture.

SandSong was created by Bangarra Dance Theatre in consultation with Wangkatjunga/Walmajarri Elders from the Kimberley and Great Sandy Desert regions, extracting the stories, knowledge and memories of the ancient past to create new narratives for Indigenous futures.

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