It’s true, I’m not doing very well on my commitment to review Australian women writers this year. It’s May, and so far I’ve done one review towards my commitment, of One Magic Square, published over at Sustainable Suburbia. And by the way, I’m giving a copy of the book away, so if you’d like a copy, go read the review and enter the draw before the end of May.
I am reading another book by an Australian women writer, namely Out of the Black Land by Kerry Greenwood. I will be publishing a review of that soon. That’s the only fiction I’m reading at the moment – to myself at least. I’m reading plenty of fiction to the kids, from the next Dougal book, When We Were Kittens, to A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett (author of The Secret Garden), but they’re not by Australian women.
Another book I’m reading by an Australian (and this review will probably come first), is Frugavore: How to Grow Organic, Buy Local, Waste Nothing and Eat Well by Melbourne writer and nutritionist Arabella Forge. I love that this is by an Australian, because it is very much a how to book so it’s good to have a sense that everything she is advocating is possible right here. Of course, a lot of what she teaches is things like how to cook with the cheaper cuts of meat – not just the expensive, pre-prepared stirfry cuts the supermarket will sell us – and using the whole animal (like making stock with chicken feet) and that’s obviously going to be the same anywhere.
I am also reading several other wonderful books which are not by Australians. I love, love, love Shannon Hayes’ Radical Homemakers. I just can’t tell you how much I am loving it. I will write a proper review when I’m finished. I’ve made a start on the Australian edition of The Transition Handbook by Rob Hopkins. But it’s taking a backseat now until I finish Frugavore, because there are lots of copies of it in the library. I’d love to also read his more recent book, The Transition Companion: Making Your Community More Resilient in Uncertain Times, but it is not in the library, and since I am a) trying to save money and b) trying to declutter my house, I’d rather not buy a copy. When I get some of my other reviews actually written maybe I’ll see if I can get a review copy from the publisher and then do a giveaway along with the review.
On kindle for iPhone I am also reading The Urban Homestead by Kelly Coyne & Erik Knutzen, but I’ve also requested it from the library, which I think will be better. Novels are great on Kindle, but this book feels like I need to be able to flip through it, not just read it in order. We’ll see. I’m also reading the kindle version of The Joy of Less: a Minimalist Living Guide, by Francine Jay, which I am finding very inspirational, even though I will never be a true minimalist.
Most of these books will eventually be reviewed on SustainableSuburbia.net, not here, but the Kerry Greenwood one will definitely show up here soon.
What are you reading at the moment?