I started this post on Friday but my 5 quickly became 1. So, here's 1 on a Friday and 4 on a Wednesday
1. This morning [last Friday] I woke up and checked email and found out that my credit card had been stolen, and someone had spent £2,000 very quickly at a number of shops in London over the last two days. I know this will all get sorted but it seems like a real annoyance, I've ordered a new card and the fraud team will call later to tell me what happens with the rest. It feels like a huge violation for someone to steal my money and spend it at fancy french shops in London. I don't spend my earned money at fancy french shops in London, why would someone else get to spend their unearned money there?
2. Last weekend I went to a ladies mountain biking festival and had an awesome time riding bikes and doing yoga and camping. It was my first ever camping trip sans husband, my first time setting up a tent, and my first time riding a gravel bike. I wish I could spend every weekend at a ladies mountain biking festival.
3. I had had headaches in the evening which is a bummer. I'm not sure if it's my computer/screen set-up, my posture, the fact that the sun is out, or something else, but I am getting vaguely annoyed with evening headaches now.
4. I am looking forward to TWO meals out this week! Tomorrow with friends from work, and Friday with mom friends. Tomorrow I am finally going to eat a Dosa which I have been dreaming about for three weeks now. Also, excited to see my friend.
5. I am giving up on an audiobook. I tried to read "How to do Nothing" and I was somewhat into the first chapter and then progressively lost interest. I'm also a little bored/confused by books which talk about "neo-liberalism". What is that? It is a sort of para left dig the way "neo-conservitive" is a dig? Or maybe neo-conservative isn't a dig? I don't know, I am somewhat detached from american politics but I have read a few books recently that have used the term "neo-liberal" and it doesn't seem to mean the same thing in every book, and I get the sense that it's a bad thing. I don't normally abandon books but 4 hours in I don't have 4 hours of attention left.
Have you read "How to do Nothing"? What is the best book you read in April? What is the last book you abandoned?
I read a lot of books I loved in April! The Nothing Man, All The Light We Cannot See, Crying in H Mart, What Alice Forgot.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry about the credit card; that happened with our business credit card last year and it was such a hassle. Cancelling the card, waiting for the new one to come and changing all. the. things. that automatically billed to the card was a giant headache. I hope things get sorted quickly!!!
How To Do Nothing was a DNF for me!
It's so funny to see how many people DNF that book! It's a rarity for me so I feel a bit better it happend to others. I'm so behind on your blog but I always pick through your reads on your blog and add them to my future lists.
DeleteBoo to whoever stole your credit card. I think the punishment should be that they give you 2k to spend on whatever you like.
ReplyDeleteIs the complete title How to Do Nothing: Your Four Hour Guide on How to DNF an AudioBook;-) I don't DNF nearly as many audiobooks as regular books, but when I do, it's bad. I think the last one was a dysfunctional family memoir and after a few hours I was like "okay, your family just wasn't that interesting or dysfunctional and I don't need to know your personal business. Goodbye!"
The bike camp on the other hand sounds fascinating. Enjoy your dinners out!
Haha! It is true that I couldn't finish a book about doing nothing. I started reading Lucy By The Sea (well, audiobook) before realizing it was a pandemic narrative and NOPED right out of it. I think i would feel the same about dysfunctional family memiors.
DeleteThat's a bummer about your credit card. Very annoying. Hopefully it will all be sorted soon.
ReplyDeleteI really like "How to do Nothing", but maybe I was coming at it from a different angle to you. It is different to the usual "simple life" and "low tech" books, more of a rage against dehumanising structures and how to push back against the view of human beings as consumers and producers, hence why she is not a fan of neo-liberalism, which touts free markets and de-regulation. Maybe the person he stole your credit card and bought lots of high end goods could do with reading this book.
I think I have recently read a number of book which circled around the same topic and that's why I wasn't as excited about How To Do Nothing. I totally agree with her points - I just wasn't patient enough for the rest of the book.
DeleteI totally agree the person who stole my card probably should read a book about consumerism haha
Oooh! A bike camp; I did not even know that was a thing. It sounds like fun to me though, although I don't know anyone who mountain bikes, so I would have to go by myself (which is fine). I also need to get a bike rack but have been dragging my feet because they are kind of expensive and then I would have to install it and...(excuses!)
ReplyDeleteI also DNFed How to do Nothing! I guess if we are sharing book recommendations, we should also be sharing DNFs so people will not have to waste their time, although I guess we all have different tastes. It seems like you and I have similar tastes so far -- FYI, I also DNFed Colleen Hoover's November 9 and Michael Chabon's Telegraph Ave. I actually have so many DNFs that I have a category on Goodreads for this. I used to try to get to 50% before deciding but then I decided that life is too short to read crappy books and now I give up on them all the time!
You can come join me next year! The festival was this one: https://ridefreecollective.com/. Bike racks are a pain to install, I put the bike in the car and it just fit with seats down.
DeleteI like the DNF list thank you! I had heard good things about Telegraph Ave so interesting that you didn't finish it, it's not on my list but has been on my radar. I usually have a lower threshold for audio books than regular books - this was a big DNF for me.
The last book I DNFed was Daggerspell by Katharine Kerr. It's the start to a beloved fantasy series, but I was 150 pages in and had already dealt with violence and incest and just sort of took myself out of that world. Ha.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry your credit card was stolen. That is such a hassle and it takes forever to get it sorted!
Oh I couldn't do that book either! I actually stopped reading Game of Thrones the first time because I found it too brutal. I did read it later but I definitely don't like books that deal with such heavy subjects (and in fantasy too...? Couldn't we fantasize about a better world?)
DeleteHi Rachel, I'm Daria from NJ. I read Jenny Odell's book when it first came out in the US. I remember muscling through it, especially her very detailed descriptions of the art installations or parks or something of that nature. I also felt like the title was a bit misleading (or maybe it's my fault for not reading the back flap of the book). I still have it on my shelf and was going to pass it along to someone else.
ReplyDeleteHi! Welcome to my blog! I think I read a few similar books recently (a guide to stoicism being one of them) and so some of the bits I probably would have found interesting were less interesting having just read on similar topics. I definitely think she has very valid points and I'm glad that people do read and enjoy the book, I just couldn't keep going with it. Thanks for your comment!
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