We’ve teamed up with the wonderful Amy Love, founder of our favourite sustainable bookstore and reading community Secret Book Stuff, to share a monthly round-up of inspiring reads. This month, Amy’s recommends…

‘Of Gold & Dust’ by Samantha Wills

This beautifully written book is an intimate, funny, raw memoir by one of Australia’s most successful businesswomen. You’d know Samantha Wills as the jewellery mogul who lovingly closed the doors to her wildly popular brand in 2019. I inhaled this book a couple of months before it was published, and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect as we’d just decided to close the doors to our physical bookshop and focus exclusively online. Sure, it might seem ridiculous to compare our humble social enterprise with a multi-million-dollar company, but the sentiment is real: the mixed feelings, tears and elation. It made this book pretty special – the fact that I felt like Samantha’s friend and confidante throughout. Her honesty about her relationships, mental health, creativity, and big decisions was stunning. ‘Of Gold & Dust’ is warm, poetic, and absolutely fascinating. I can’t wait to see what Samantha Wills writes next.

‘How to Start a Side Hustle’ by Kaylene Langford

I could say I’m biased because Kay is my business coach, but I promise I’m not! This is without a doubt the most practical book about business that I’ve ever read. Kaylene Langford is the founder of @startupcreative and is a mixed bag of knowledge lollies. Whether you (or your loved one) is keen to unleash their creativity, say goodbye to the 9 to 5, or just be inspired to find ideas, ‘How To Start a Side Hustle’ is gold. It’s practical, inspiring, insightful, and down-to-earth. Split into 15 sections packed with tips, tricks, hacks, and activities. Hand on heart, I know I’ll read this book again and again, to realign my business values, remember the purpose of what I do, and to start something new when the time is right.

‘I Quit Plastics’ by Kate Nelson

If you don’t follow @plasticfreemermaid on Instagram yet, that’s my one hard recommend right now. Kate Nelson is hilarious, inspiring, down-to-earth, and wildly entertaining. She’s an environmental activist and self-proclaimed mermaid who gave up plastic 10 years ago. ‘I Quit Plastics (And You Can Too) is a beautiful hardcover book with recipes and tips for living clean, cutting waste, and being kind to the planet. If you’re anything like me, on a constant mission to live more simply and sustainably, to celebrate slow, you will adore this book (not just for the pretty pictures!). The best thing is that Kate doesn’t make you feel guilty – she shares grounded messages of doing the best we can, starting small, every little bit counts, without shame or judgement. Enjoy changing the world, I’ll be right there with you. 

Amy Love is the founder of Secret Book Stuff, a social enterprise and online store celebrating books and reading, which she runs with her partner, Laura. Tell them what you like to read, and they’ll find your perfect (bookish) match at secretbookstuff.com. You can find Amy at @secretbookstuff and @helloamzlove