Fiona McArthur is a rural midwife in NSW and the best-selling author of more than 30 romance novels and The Don't Panic Guide to Birth. Her latest book, Red Sand Sunrise (Penguin), is about three estranged sisters who set up a remote medical clinic.
KINGS IN GRASS CASTLES
Mary Durack
A sweeping canvas of early pioneering life in Australia in the 1800s when men were tough, but the book brought home to me the resourcefulness of the women of the time. Women gave birth on the side of the road, dealt with heartbreaking hardship and tragedy, and were solid behind the men. I see that in today's outback women. My hat is off not only to the kings but the "queens in grass castles" and to Mary Durack for the scope of her work.
CROSS STITCH
Diana Gabaldon
Claire Randall's double life with two husbands in two separate centuries is my number one book. Cross Stitch also had an impact on me for her comparison between World War II battlefield injuries and treatment and Scotland's Culloden Moor. The book raised my awareness of lives that could have been saved with first aid and hygiene. Thank you, Diana.
CALL THE MIDWIFE
Jennifer Worth
This memoir of a London midwife in the 1950s illustrates the camaraderie of working midwives and what women can achieve both as a care provider and as a mother in ordinary surroundings. Brilliant. The warmth and diversity of the ordinary characters in this memoir was heart-warming while giving a glimpse into the resourcefulness of early midwives.
BLACK SHEEP
Georgette Heyer
And then there are the books you read when you need a smile. When I read them I want to create worlds for other people to find joy in. Georgette Heyer's historical romance sits at the top of the list. Even the really tattered ones still grace my bookshelves. Heyer died in 1974 but her books still appear on the modern lists – and you can imagine just how many romance books are published every year. Black Sheep is my favourite and I reread it annually.
