In need of an escape? Here are some brilliant new releases from WA authors and beyond to encourage you to take a mental health break with a good book, writes ZOE DELEUIL.

According to Australia Reads, new research shows that reading fiction for just five minutes can reduce stress by nearly 20 per cent. This reduction comes into effect almost immediately and encourages changes in the brain that help us manage future stressful or difficult tasks.

Here are some recent books from Australian authors to get you started.

Salt City Runaway
Gillian O’Shaughnessy (Night Parrot Press)

Former ABC journalist and broadcaster Gillian O’Shaughnessy brings her innate storytelling skill to flash fiction (stories of less than 1000 words) in Salt City Runaway. Letting her imagination roam from her beloved Fremantle to the Goldfields, the Southwest and beyond, she creates tiny fictions that are sometimes uncanny, often moving and always dazzling.

The Book of the After
Rebecca Higgie (Fremantle Press)

In her second novel, Perth author Rebecca Higgie imagines Australia in 2049, when the children striking for climate today have become our leaders. Crossing centuries and continents, time and space, The Book of the After is both an imaginative leap into the future and a beautiful love story, told with the same intelligence and artistry that fuelled Higgie’s unforgettable debut, A History of Mischief.

Amazing Astro Animals
James Foley (Fremantle Press)

Fremantle children’s author James Foley’s first foray into non-fiction is here! As the title suggests, it honours the amazing animals that were sent into space long before humans left Planet Earth. Told with Foley’s characteristic humour and featuring his wonderful illustrations and comics, this is an absolute treasure of a book for the space-obsessed animal lover in your life.

Rewilding Suburbia – bring nature to your home, no matter how small your space
Mel Logozzo (Affirm Press)

Looking for inspiration to tackle your garden this spring? You might just find it in this practical guide from Perth gardener Mel Logozzo. A big believer in embracing plants that are adapted to our unique West Australian climate, she encourages us to see verges and patches of neglected land as opportunities, not eyesores. Whether you want to encourage more wildlife into your garden, create a play space for kids or grow some food, this guide is exactly the encouragement you need to head outside and get started.

Read more about the health benefits of gardening here.

Common Places
Gillian Hagenus (University of Queensland Press)

The coiled garden hose on the cover of Common Places is instantly recognisable if you grew up in Australian suburbia, but the short stories within all work to make the familiar strange. If you like your fiction inventive and darkly funny, you’ll be absorbed by these beautifully crafted short stories.

I Eat the Stars
Sarah Wilson (Penguin)

A truly original and sometimes divisive thinker, Sarah Wilson has a curious and roving intelligence that is reflected in her prolific writing career, where she’s covered everything from quitting sugar to living with anxiety to the joy of hiking. In I Eat the Stars she explores how to live fully in a world where nothing seems certain without giving in to despair or anger.

Hating Alison Ashley
Robin Klein (Penguin)

This year Penguin released some of its best-loved Australian classics in colourful clothbound hardcovers. A standout is the hot-pink version of Hating Alison Ashley, Robin Klein’s hilarious and endearing study of disgruntled schoolgirl, Erica Yurken, and her glamorous new classmate Alison, who fills Erica with an overwhelming mix of jealousy and longing. A brilliant study of friendship, class and girlhood.

In My Backyard I See
Jingalu (Magabala Books)

From Magabala Books up in the Kimberley comes this vibrant children’s counting book for early readers by Bagawa woman Jingalu. Set on Country, it encourages numeracy while celebrating the unique animals and flowers found in the Australian bush, including the magpie as seen on its cover.

Find out about our LISTEN program

If you’re an adult and would like support with the emotional side of managing diabetes, LISTEN, a free Telehealth program, may help you.

If you would like to ask any questions about the program, you can call 1300 001 880 or email us at LISTEN@diabeteswa.com.au

And remember, you can always call the Helpline for any diabetes-related questions on 1300 001 880 – we are here to listen.