25 books in 25 years

So, I recently turned 25, and while I’m going through a mega quarter-life crisis. Which should really be called a third life crisis, because I really do not see myself living to 100. Anyway, I thought I would share 25 of the books, which shaped me in some form or another. I did not necessarily read this books in the year they are noted by, but they still shaped me.

Review: Xx by Angela Chadwick

So, I do not read a lot of science fiction, or anything to high fantasy esque. Maybe, I do not have the imagination to sustain it, or perhaps I am too interested in the drama of read life.

The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter by David Sax

This is one of the audiobooks I have read since I downloaded Libby on my phone. The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter by David Sax, tells the story of the growing reemergence of analog things like records in an increasingly digital society.

2019 The Year of the Audiobook?

I know audiobooks have been a thing, for like ever. When I used to actually go to the physical library, I used to see the audiobook tapes or little MP3 players that were the shit in the early aughts. However, I have never really gotten into audiobooks as a method of reading. Other than a few classics, which I listened to on youtube, I have seldom read new release books this way.

My issues with audiobooks, were that they were often too slow for me, and I got lost if I listened to them all at once. I know, they are often used by people on their commutes, but I have a e-reader, so I often read off my screen. Then through a combination of getting bluetooth headphones for christmas and downloading the Overdrive app Libby, I got into audiobooks.

A Tale of Two Books: Childfree

Since, I was in my early teens I’ve identified as childfree. Which, for the uninitiated is being childless by choice. I did not want children. There was nothing inherently wrong with children, as I have learnt in later years, they can be entertaining and enjoyable.

However, when I imagine my dream life aged forty or so, I am possibly coupled up, own my own home, travel two-three times a year, and do not have children. I am gay, so  am lucky in that in order for me to have children, there is a lot of work and planning involved. Of course, I am only in my twentieth fifth year now, and hopefully the universe will grant me a long life, so I could change my mind, or in my quest for love could meet a woman who already has children.

Anyway, despite identifying as childfree for about a decade, I have not read too many books on being childfree, except for the odd memoir where the author happens to have been childfree. However, during an extended break during the christmas/new years period, I read two Childfree and Lovin’ It by Nicki Defago, and Two Is Enough: A Couples Guide To Living Childless by Choice by Laura S. Scott.

Here We Go Again: Zero Waste

So late last year, I was really into the idea of ‘zero-waste‘. Obviously, I am nowhere near perfect with my wastage, and while personal responsibility is important. It is also the responsibilities of corporations and governments to aid its customers and citizens to create less waste. Anyway,  I recently read another zero waste book, by a German author, which I feel levels up the discussion of zero waste. The book is Zero Waste: Eliminate Your Trash, Simplify Your Life, and Heal the Earth by Shia Su.

Here We Go Again: Personal Finance

One of my many life goals of recent years, has been to improve my finances and financial literacy. In 2018,  I read a handful of books which focused on paying off debt and investing. I prefer my finance books to be written by an Australian as money advice can be so country specific. I also like to read books written by women, as I find them more accessible and easier to read.

Enter The $1000 Project by Canna Campbell, which ticked both of those boxes.

A Tale of Two Books: Cheap Eats

I do not know if it is introvert nature, or because I am approaching my 25th birthday, but I find myself pulled to the kitchen, and actually enjoying cooking. During, my student years and when I lived on my own (I live with family now) I tended to live off sandwiches and veggie packs.  Now, I find myself become quite the cook, spending Sunday afternoons making food for the week.

With this new found hobby, I’ve found myself scouring cook books looking for inspiration. I wanted simple food, which was vegetable heavy and cheap to make. It took a little while, and some looking into but I found two cookbooks by British cooks who both focus on eating cheaply but healthfully. The two books were Cooking on A Bootstrap: Over 100 Simple Budget Recipes by Jack Monroe, and MOB Kitchen: Feed 4 or More For Under 10 GBP by Ben Lebus.

Australia Day, and important Australian books.

So, it’s Australia day here, a day celebrating the colonisation of an already settled country. It is my second Australia Day, and I am still not sure what to really do. The cultural norm for white Australians is enjoy the long weekend that comes with it, by drinking and going away.

Of course, indigenous Australians have a different names for Australia Day, calling it invasion or survival day. As,  I white person, who is marked as a temporary entrant to this country. I will not try to insert my own voice into  250 years of history.  I was born and spent my childhood, in the very country that colonised this country. I also, spent my later childhood and early adulthood in a neighbouring country to Australia, with its own history of colonisation and has a different story in terms of reconciliation.

It was also during a recent visit to New Zealand, that I read the two books I’m going to talk about. The two books are Am I Black Enough For You? by Anita Heiss, and The Power of Hope by Kon Karapanagiotidis. Both books are memoirs, which tell important Australian stories.

Who is Mary Sue? by Sophie Collins, and Fanfiction in the mainstream

I recently read a debut poetry collection by Sophie Collins called Who is Mary Sue? It was an interesting read, chaotic in places covering lots of different themes and ideas. Some poems read better than others, and I am curious to see what Collin’s comes up with next. The collection also got me thinking, about fanfiction, and female characters.