tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45800299342199705022024-03-18T07:20:16.900+00:00 Another Ranting Reader Sustainability, Fashion, Books and Life.Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.comBlogger428125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-62795568608967886192024-03-15T08:30:00.016+00:002024-03-15T08:30:00.132+00:00Why We Can’t Have a Green Economy Without Well-Paid Bus Drivers<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This article was first written in November 2023, commissioned by a publication to discuss the connection between the Go North East bus strike and a sustainable economy. In the end it wasn’t published due to the strike ending earlier than expected (which is a win!). Although the strike ended some issues resolved – including and importantly a backdated pay rise for bus drivers – there are still larger systemic issues existing. For this piece I went down to my local picket line and talked with some amazing workers. They were so open to discussion, sharing their experiences, hearing mine and sharing ideas for change. It’s those guys who know how to make transport work for everyone, not the people at the top.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-def27f67-7fff-6371-01a6-2b2790db1a9a"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">All names have been changed for anonymity.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpnR8VaP479UFgEbUKEqhN7eiQBDf_BAyoFCZtnAds5cGvAv0rBwpl-ox7nh4TCpGwKgCK8FDrfYnLpjW6KyWIxg9zdzd3tf4vDNZubJwEsVzXn1YXOUBBY-CKg8a4xja-srCv7YFSMLO3YqaOIvKwJWlr67zvQEz3s_mnPkXLWLyiwEsRBkq1is9a1k7/s3290/GNE%20Bus%20Strike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3290" data-original-width="3013" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcpnR8VaP479UFgEbUKEqhN7eiQBDf_BAyoFCZtnAds5cGvAv0rBwpl-ox7nh4TCpGwKgCK8FDrfYnLpjW6KyWIxg9zdzd3tf4vDNZubJwEsVzXn1YXOUBBY-CKg8a4xja-srCv7YFSMLO3YqaOIvKwJWlr67zvQEz3s_mnPkXLWLyiwEsRBkq1is9a1k7/s16000/GNE%20Bus%20Strike.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Workers in this image gave their permission to be photographed. They are not the workers quoted in this piece.</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>---------------------------------------</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We all know the feeling of waiting on the side of the road in the freezing cold for a bus that should have turned up 20 minutes ago. Checking your watch, late for work, late to meet a friend. It would have been so much easier if we’d driven, got a lift, or even walked. But that’s not possible for so many of us. Maybe we can’t afford a car, can’t drive, or have disabilities that mean public transport is our only option.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Our public transport system - whether bus, rail, tube or local metro networks– is crumbling. You only have to look at the extortionate prices of train tickets, unreliable and cancelled services, and seemingly constant strikes to see that. This is not only damaging to the day-to-day lives of ordinary people, but is also a huge barrier to a truly sustainable economy.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">From October to early December 2023, more than 1,300 bus drivers operating Go North East routes have been on indefinite strike over pay and working conditions. The strike has brought the North East to a standstill and prompted questions over the state of our public services and the treatment of the North East in comparison to other areas of the country. I live in Gateshead and work at a pub in the East End of Newcastle. Since I moved to Gateshead, I’ve been reliant on the buses getting me to and from work, often leaving much earlier than should be necessary to compensate for late or missing buses to make sure I get to work on time. During the strike, I cycled as much as I could, walked, or used the metro and taxis when that’s not possible. It was frustrating but is manageable. However, for many people further away from the city and in more rural areas, the lack of buses left them isolated.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If anything, the level of disruption caused by this strike proves how important bus drivers and other public transport workers are to our daily lives. During lockdown, bus drivers were classed as ‘key workers’ and now, according to Andrew, a striking driver, “many are reliant on food banks.” From being viewed as vital to our society, bus drivers have now come to be seen as dispensable. Thom Campion, councillor for Castle in Newcastle City Council and Transport Spokesperson for Newcastle Liberal Democrats, says that “almost a third of [his] ward is solely reliant on one Great North East service, [and the strike] has occupied a lot of [his] work as a local councillor.” He tells me that “residents in Newcastle Great Park only have one bus service and that was a Great North East service. [The strike] completely cut them off and has a huge impact.” However, Campion emphasises his support for the workers, highlighting how “public transport workers are the lifeblood of our network across both [Newcastle] and the country.” According to Campion, the immense disruption caused by this bus driver strike has led to residents having “a greater understanding of why the bus drivers are so important and why they should be supported.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In order to achieve a truly green economy, we need a shift of focus from the individual to the collective. That means drastically reducing the number of cars on the road in favour of public transport that can carry large groups of people at a time. In other words, we need effective, reliable and cheap buses, trains, trams and metros. Simple, right? Barry, another striking bus driver, told me how, across the sector, the problems all come back to the same root cause: “It’s all the same, it’s all about the profit. We need a massive restructure of all public transport. It’s not just us, that’s why the train drivers are upset [too].” Chris, a colleague of Andrew and Barry, told me how the pursuit of profit has decimated bus services in the North East – “they have stripped all the meat from the bone.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oad2GMeo5QBSbyoKlcHTGrR5RgchfMLF9fnJG9_nx3eCcIKazYYWH2jazmlR_OgqOwb0LWyevcxoUd08hefoyT2IojiDkkeE4btZKMCgn6_hWNJdE2RXDPdoplkU8uO2F5r7Sb3AsjfH4xjSdE9pD8oHsbDVa3YgK6_qsbriCjhbSqDRf-LnTGAFyAne/s3156/GNE%20Bus%20Strike%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3156" data-original-width="3012" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oad2GMeo5QBSbyoKlcHTGrR5RgchfMLF9fnJG9_nx3eCcIKazYYWH2jazmlR_OgqOwb0LWyevcxoUd08hefoyT2IojiDkkeE4btZKMCgn6_hWNJdE2RXDPdoplkU8uO2F5r7Sb3AsjfH4xjSdE9pD8oHsbDVa3YgK6_qsbriCjhbSqDRf-LnTGAFyAne/w610-h640/GNE%20Bus%20Strike%202.jpg" width="610" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One of the reasons why Go North East bus drivers were striking was over pay. The striking drivers were paid £12.83 an hour, while bus drivers at</span><a href="https://www.unitetheunion.org/news-events/news/2023/october/poverty-pay-for-go-north-east-bus-workers-prolonging-industrial-dispute"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Go North West are paid £15.53 an hour for the same job</span></a><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. Andrew said “it’s only a couple of pound here and there but a couple of pound on 40 hours a week is a substantial amount.” However, as much as the he would “like a decent pay rise”, for Andrew “money isn’t everything, it’s about the conditions” too. The</span><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-67588641"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> end deal</span></a><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> of the strike results in a rise to £14.27 per hour from January to July, rising to £14.84 from July and a 10.5% pay rise backdated from July 2023.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One of the most pressing issues bus drivers face is toilet breaks. Barry recalls that they “used to have a sitting time every time we got to a terminus, where you could get out and stretch your legs and [go to the toilet]” but these have been cut to reduce the time between bus stops, create a quicker service and increase profit. Additionally, to save money more bus stations have been closed or reduced and bus stops without facilities prioritised. This lack of ability to take toilet breaks is tougher on the increasing number of women drivers. The drivers I spoke to were all men, and said they “could nip behind the bus” to relieve themselves if they needed. This in itself is degrading and something they shouldn’t have to do. However, for people with periods and who can’t stand up to go to the toilet, even this option is not available – and it only gets worse if the workers are already disabled or have bowel issues. The drivers briefly suggested the lack of breaks or sitting time causes water infections and bowel problems.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">After hours and hours on the road, with little breaks in the cold and often in the dark, bus drivers only have a minimum 8.5 hours between shifts, compared to the usual mandatory 11 hours. So, according to Cheis, “you could finish at midnight and be back in at 8:45am and that doesn’t include your travelling time.” If you live 30 minutes’ drive from the depot, you could have closer to 7.5 hours of so-called rest. In that time, you need to eat, sleep, check in with or take care of family and friends, do housework and allow for relaxation. As Chris put it: “I cannot go home, take my coat off and go to bed. I’ve got to unwind. There’s not time for that.” Sleep-deprived and burned out drivers ultimately leads to less safe journeys, at no fault of the drivers themselves. The combination of low pay and damaging working conditions has led to an exodus of bus drivers from the sector and meant difficulty recruiting. The shortage of drivers adds further to pressures with fewer buses on the roads.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Increased pressure is being added to drivers as the time between stops is being shortened and is taking a great mental toll on the drivers. This shortening of timetables means there is no time to wait for stragglers (remember that time the bus pulled away while you were running), there’s no time for regular safety checks of the bus, and there’s little time to assist disabled or elderly passengers, all because, as Andrew says, “there’s always the panic in [the driver’s] head of ‘I’m going to get wrong if I’m late, I don’t like to be late’.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Time pressures also reduce the drivers’ capacity for another crucial part of their job: community care. Each of the drivers I spoke to had attended the funeral of a passenger. They share stories of regular passengers who use the buses “like clockwork” to go get a pint of milk from the shop. Bus drivers are sometimes the only other person that passenger might speak to that day. Drivers look out for school kids and young women making sure they get off safely. Drivers are the first port of call for those in danger or with medical issues. That’s “the other side of the job, the actual side of the job that we all do as drivers is looking after people,” Andrew tells me - “it’s never reflected by the hierarchy of the businesses cause all they want is the money. It’s more than just driving a bus.” A crucial part of bus drivers’ jobs is keeping us safe.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">While some people may say that the strike is environmentally damaging by forcing more people to drive or use taxis (what about those of us who are cycling too?), however, strikes like these are necessary if we are going to achieve a sustainable public transport system in the long-term. People drive because there is no other option. Because buses are few and far between, because they don’t know when the buses will arrive. To make the sustainable economy we all know is desperately needed, we need more than just a few electric buses. We need, as Barry said, “a massive restructure of all public transport.” It’s striking bus drivers who are “trying to fight back by having people back on the [public] transport.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If we had functioning public transport in all areas, including and especially in rural areas, cars could become obsolete. Bus drivers know this better than anyone else. “Even in Gateshead,” Chris shares, “if you live somewhere like Chopwell, where it’s pretty rural, there’s next to no bus services because it’s not bringing in profit.” Similarly, in places like Jarrow and Hebburn elsewhere in South Tyneside, there used to be “nine bus services [but] now has only got two because the heavy industry isn’t there [anymore] but people are still there. They close the shipyards down and build houses, surely [the residents] need to be travelling [to work]. It’s been a knock on effect from quite a few years.” As Andrew says, “if you want people to travel on public transport you need to have that link working properly.” These transport links in the North East have been taken away with the shutdown of the region’s heavy industry. The needs of the people left behind have been forgotten. These areas deprived of public transport also have high levels of poverty. For instance, in Jarrow</span><a href="https://www.nechildpoverty.org.uk/facts/"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> 34.3 per cent of children are living in poverty</span></a><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. The reason rural communities are struggling as a result of the strike is not because of the bus drivers, but because private transport companies like Go North East don’t see them as profitable enough to bother with – as a consequence, communities are left isolated.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The drivers tell me how Go North East “under-estimates how much support the public have for [the strike]. Because they’ve realised we’re fed up with the way [the bus network’s] being run [too]. They know how bad it is when that bus doesn’t turn up, the reason the bus doesn’t turn up is because they can’t get drivers because they’re not paying a good enough wage to keep drivers.” Andrew believes that “the travelling public are on [their] side because they don’t want change. People don’t like change. They want a bus that comes every day at that [same] time.” Ben, 24 from Sunderland, echoes those sentiments. He says “most of the people [he’s] spoken to feel similarly in terms of siding with the drivers on this. We interact with them in our daily lives and can relate to them more than Go North East as a faceless company in charge. The frustration [of late and cancelled bus services] is definitely directed at the company.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ultimately, we need a public transport system that is sustainable for both our communities and our planet. Regular, reliable bus services that we can count on to get us safely where we need to go without requiring a car. A world with few cars, cheap and reliable buses driven by people who are well-rested, happy and are able to chat and even wait for you when you’re running late is not a fanciful dream. It’s a reality that is entirely within our reach. However, it’s only possible when workers have decent pay and working conditions. Without the worker, there is no public transport system at all.</span></p><div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">---------------------------------- </span></div></span></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">This blog has been neglected somewhat while I completed my Master’s, but now I have so many ideas for blog posts I would love to share with you and I hope to post more regularly in 2024. To help me have more time to spend on this blog, it would be amazing if you could <a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" target="_blank">buy me a cuppa or two to keep me going</a>! It would mean the world to have your support and would also help keep my cat warm. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: helvetica;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2022/09/blog-post.html">AD | Is Hemp a Sustainable Fabric?</a></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: left;"><div style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div></div><br /><br /></div><p><br /><br /><br /></p>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-42985851728633215522024-01-19T08:30:00.041+00:002024-01-19T08:30:00.138+00:00My Top 10 Non-Fiction Reads of 2023<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">A new year is upon us and you know what that means?! MORE BOOKS! Okay I should calm down. I’ve already shared my top 10 fiction books of 2023, and you can see what those were <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2024/01/my-top-10-fiction-books-of-2023.html" target="_blank">here</a>. However, I also love a good non-fiction read. Whether that’s a book on climate justice, a personal story or memoir, or a deep dive into a particular topic, I love getting stuck in. Here are some of my favourites from this year! I’d love to know your recommendation too. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvK-wRV5Of993VsmeHprRu5Wh4fZltmTvDRU_QyjWXRmtVIqbOEtiKzN3O1CKONtGkH_w_8YewW_vYdc1c_AG_TH7IfdIqbVfQ8N1u0c8a9Rpt7pObqU7WLrxbi8y-sI8L4ox6f9599SaoDhO5ZZMwSprfLdiMN8poxE0y1VP9GWnKcKHCDbeKVh7XmUpN/s4032/top%2010%20non-fiction%20books%20of%202023%20another%20ranting%20reader.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvK-wRV5Of993VsmeHprRu5Wh4fZltmTvDRU_QyjWXRmtVIqbOEtiKzN3O1CKONtGkH_w_8YewW_vYdc1c_AG_TH7IfdIqbVfQ8N1u0c8a9Rpt7pObqU7WLrxbi8y-sI8L4ox6f9599SaoDhO5ZZMwSprfLdiMN8poxE0y1VP9GWnKcKHCDbeKVh7XmUpN/s16000/top%2010%20non-fiction%20books%20of%202023%20another%20ranting%20reader.heic" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">An Extra Pair of Hands: A story of caring and everyday acts of love by Kate Mosse</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Kate Mosse’s portrayal of care and love is deeply touching. My heart ached when I finished this book, it was beautiful. Mosse shares her experiences living with and caring for her parents and her mother-in-law in their elderly years and of losing both her mother and father. In some ways this is a sad book, and I did get teary every now and again, but wow it’s so full of hope and joy. I especially loved when Mosse discussed the close friendship between her mother and mother-in-law developed particularly after her father died, and of the companionship her and her mother-in-law found in each other in lockdown. It’s a truly gorgeous look at love and connection. But Mosse doesn’t view her experiences in isolation. The Covid-19 pandemic looms large in the background of this book, as it still does in many if not all of our lives. When looking at the concept of caring, Mosse highlights the systemic inequalities that face paid and unpaid carers in the UK, including working conditions and exposure to disease. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYliiUwBu7sKdAiKtTAGhU6yggOklkThNofCB66eH7x4P4JW2kpndF_uYYDQ0xlGi6b9h6xKI4Q6vcniXULrjbng7pg6ZF7R78MpK7eAG4nhD9c1dhTmQ4ThbrC9CblMKW3qyoOSlIvYelWfzK1CC5zQj6iy51R-iOs-LSP06VEhAXg64qvDHWtiSOvHZc/s4032/an%20extra%20pair%20of%20hands%20kate%20mosse%20another%20ranting%20reader.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYliiUwBu7sKdAiKtTAGhU6yggOklkThNofCB66eH7x4P4JW2kpndF_uYYDQ0xlGi6b9h6xKI4Q6vcniXULrjbng7pg6ZF7R78MpK7eAG4nhD9c1dhTmQ4ThbrC9CblMKW3qyoOSlIvYelWfzK1CC5zQj6iy51R-iOs-LSP06VEhAXg64qvDHWtiSOvHZc/w480-h640/an%20extra%20pair%20of%20hands%20kate%20mosse%20another%20ranting%20reader.heic" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">“No Offence But…”: How to have difficult conversations for meaningful change by Gina Martin & co.</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">“No Offence But…” is one of the most useful books I’ve read this year. Gina Martin highlights the importance of individual conversations in social change and equips us as readers in how to undertake them in an impactful way. Each chapter begins with a problematic phrase such as “Boys Will Be Boys”, “To Play Devil’s Advocate”, “Men Aren’t Doing Anything to Help Feminism”, “I Don’t See Colour” and “It Was a Different Time”, which are subsequently unpicked and debunked it such as a way that you can never see them as valid ever again. Gina and her guest writers are incredible at doing this. In Martin’s chapters, she shares experiences from her own life, such as her first memory of experiencing misogyny as a child or a friend’s sexist behaviour. The situations described by Martin (and her guest contributors) are so every day and really share the frustrations of regular and normalized discrimination. However each chapter highlights the exact arguments that can be used to counter this kind of behaviour, certain key facts to remember and tips on how to challenge these situations. “No Offence But…” is a crucial read for anyone wanting to make the world a better place.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_drVPHFUIm-NN3reKD5Qs56isd2ROCRctlvu9Bn2ZarVPtW01jolGs-sD3uTM_B0tCs7WLhTYS4Qnysnn8e7kJevEJox3Oy4Ws9Frg_fFFliqPn7aW6vE9OHKqBTcKGhUGzgm8kxFK-jXJCrSMa4wd5uX1MiRvj-AD10YGqmGfvec5MDP3brYKjpvy55/s4032/no%20offence%20but%20gina%20martin%20another%20ranting%20reader.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC_drVPHFUIm-NN3reKD5Qs56isd2ROCRctlvu9Bn2ZarVPtW01jolGs-sD3uTM_B0tCs7WLhTYS4Qnysnn8e7kJevEJox3Oy4Ws9Frg_fFFliqPn7aW6vE9OHKqBTcKGhUGzgm8kxFK-jXJCrSMa4wd5uX1MiRvj-AD10YGqmGfvec5MDP3brYKjpvy55/w480-h640/no%20offence%20but%20gina%20martin%20another%20ranting%20reader.heic" width="480" /></a></div> <p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">Strong Female Character by Fern Brady</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">This copy of Strong Female has gone through many different hands as it has been passed around a friendship group and beyond. Strong Female Character has many reviews saying that it’s incredibly funny and has been marketed in that way too, which makes sense as Brady is a well-known comedian. However, (and I know friends of mine who’ve also read the book agree with me) that is not the word I would use to describe this book. Of course there are moments of humour, but oh my god this book is heartbreaking and intense and stressful. There is so much trauma in this book I don’t think it’s really fair to call it funny. It is, though, a brilliant portrayal of undiagnosed neurodivergence, poverty, mental illness, addiction, and harmful relationships. It’s a lot and I would through a ton of trigger warnings in there. But it’s so incredibly raw and honest – perhaps one of the most open memoirs I’ve ever read. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlulvJP_7vhBDwdm-NG9f2_UMprTWuY5fql6K0vr9hZg9FNU2lCTdgbksVEoQCPIRCItCcFpmjX-EbDaK1ybDRB9zCxAPVDyHAlLsqscNBpz_GMaQJ23l_YPNbRm84RNNloQ4_xBPfKFRP18EAg0-PmY3R4jf7Kd_M1x2KiGonQ4V9E0a7Hky27hBCuT-S/s4032/strong%20female%20character%20fern%20brady%20another%20ranting%20reader.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlulvJP_7vhBDwdm-NG9f2_UMprTWuY5fql6K0vr9hZg9FNU2lCTdgbksVEoQCPIRCItCcFpmjX-EbDaK1ybDRB9zCxAPVDyHAlLsqscNBpz_GMaQJ23l_YPNbRm84RNNloQ4_xBPfKFRP18EAg0-PmY3R4jf7Kd_M1x2KiGonQ4V9E0a7Hky27hBCuT-S/w480-h640/strong%20female%20character%20fern%20brady%20another%20ranting%20reader.heic" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">A Trans Man Walks Into a Gay Bar by Harry Nicholas</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">A Trans Man Walks Into a Gay Bar is a beautifully written story of self (and sexual) discovery. Harry Nicholas charts his experiences figuring out his gender and sexuality (or as he puts it ‘The Lesbian to Straight Man to Gay Man Timeline’), navigating Grindr and the gay dating scene as a trans man as well as figuring out the rest of life. Nicholas states at the beginning that this is not in any way a guidebook or ‘how-to’ of being trans or gay (not that there is any one way of being either those things anyway) but that he wanted his story to be out there as he had only seen memoirs or accounts of being either gay or trans, very rarely being both gay and trans. This book is intimate and tender, with Nicholas showing amazing vulnerability and openness. It shows the duality of the difficulties that come with being trans in a transphobic society and trans joy. I loved it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZ6XGN6gM6ru-TPJ_4eXjKVTQsm1OaaYovJ5FcpzvcNY-6KLxwDGDcpbSNV_IHJ_q1epH3x_HsFrypIv4PoHcuuK8whKPyEmYV2EXr73CYVhoBuALBP_ySuqzIcAhYHHUwJwgR9aHxL1jb1r5WsiRqPcVpeF10Jxqw2oiQd8XioK799tD26_kNKXwXo-_/s4032/a%20trans%20man%20walks%20into%20a%20gay%20bar%20harry%20nicholas%20another%20ranting%20reader.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZ6XGN6gM6ru-TPJ_4eXjKVTQsm1OaaYovJ5FcpzvcNY-6KLxwDGDcpbSNV_IHJ_q1epH3x_HsFrypIv4PoHcuuK8whKPyEmYV2EXr73CYVhoBuALBP_ySuqzIcAhYHHUwJwgR9aHxL1jb1r5WsiRqPcVpeF10Jxqw2oiQd8XioK799tD26_kNKXwXo-_/w480-h640/a%20trans%20man%20walks%20into%20a%20gay%20bar%20harry%20nicholas%20another%20ranting%20reader.heic" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">Mad Girl by Bryony Gordon</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">As I’ve been trying to understand my own brain and mental illness, I’ve been trying to read more stories about OCD and people’s experiences with living with it. Bryony Gordon’s experiences with OCD are intense. It’s a lot. But it also felt like she was not holding back and was being very raw in bearing her all – the good, the bad and the ugly. I want to widen my perspective and read the experiences of other people with OCD and also those with other mental illnesses. A good and interesting read, but a lot. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">Orwell’s Roses by Rebecca Solnit</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">This is potentially my favourite non-fiction books of the year. It’s one of those books where I feel like I grunt with enthusiasm when I try to describe it rather than using my words. However, that’s not really helpful when I’m trying to describe it to you using the written word. But rest assured if I’ve already made some strange noises trying to figure out how to tell you how much I loved this book.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">In a sentence, this book is a biography of George Orwell, centring on his relationship to nature. But it’s so much more than that. Solnit uses Orwell as a springboard to discuss a whole range of topics including beauty, joy, aestheticism, workers’ rights, the rise to fascism, our connection to nature, Stalin’s lemons, colonialism, slavery and gender inequality. There’s so much in this book it feels like it spills from the pages. I read this as I was studying nature and power in Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier for my Master’s dissertation, and although she focusses on a completely different author, so much of Solnit’s writing here felt relevant. Orwell’s Roses heavily influenced my dissertation and brilliantly highlights the connection to human action, nature and systemic power structures. To say I adored it would be an understatement. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4wHEVuaQhpdTIADUXUbl8aQY3wNKaRGt_2HcDEI1XlOEfbQx7FkirNH33f_J9PvskNyqWPY6cpg2F0eHzLOayDMiAHErW9FDMrQgqLOogEtmjD7gbWD-0j4vNFuwM_Ivvc7N8TluUB0J5sv9qXagzievxuwf9_PY_lEi6DpOm7fxQeTQuz_5yaIt_ncj/s3441/orwell's%20roses%20rebecca%20solnit%20another%20ranting%20reader.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3441" data-original-width="2990" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4wHEVuaQhpdTIADUXUbl8aQY3wNKaRGt_2HcDEI1XlOEfbQx7FkirNH33f_J9PvskNyqWPY6cpg2F0eHzLOayDMiAHErW9FDMrQgqLOogEtmjD7gbWD-0j4vNFuwM_Ivvc7N8TluUB0J5sv9qXagzievxuwf9_PY_lEi6DpOm7fxQeTQuz_5yaIt_ncj/w556-h640/orwell's%20roses%20rebecca%20solnit%20another%20ranting%20reader.heic" width="556" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">Radical Intimacy by Sophie K. Rosa</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">This book was everywhere on my social media at the beginning of the year, and it looked fascinating so of course I crumbled to the inevitability of advertising. It was worth it though. Radical Intimacy looks at the relationship between capitalism and well, our relationships, of all kinds, our physical and mental health and our outlook on social connections. I have made notes, underlines and scribbles all over this book, which is always a good sign. Sophie K. Rosa covers all sorts of relationships in this book - </span><span style="background-color: white;">from friendships, romantic and sexual relationships, family, and even our relationships with strangers, all of our interactions are impacted by capitalist ideology, which separates and isolates us from each other. Rosa breaks this down brilliantly. I’m looking forward to reading more of her work.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 10.5pt;"></span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAfCdUd3ol1VcxEeAXy1Ic7W0YaZXu0YabH5ytynsOjJgYEZESoC8uQ1_sK8yjLzSvIq83OjZLc1YTmtB3FFdcW8I-M3gfbomQsvj6gC81VB7WufGUlWvCnYL2ZOLHzq7FRhyKoaFe8qDHMiGoJMN_LL5FJgK0QFjR6BytR5CF-ZD1Hnjev588woiDm5G/s4032/radical%20intimacy%20sophie%20k%20rosa%20pluto%20press%20anotherranting%20reader.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVAfCdUd3ol1VcxEeAXy1Ic7W0YaZXu0YabH5ytynsOjJgYEZESoC8uQ1_sK8yjLzSvIq83OjZLc1YTmtB3FFdcW8I-M3gfbomQsvj6gC81VB7WufGUlWvCnYL2ZOLHzq7FRhyKoaFe8qDHMiGoJMN_LL5FJgK0QFjR6BytR5CF-ZD1Hnjev588woiDm5G/w480-h640/radical%20intimacy%20sophie%20k%20rosa%20pluto%20press%20anotherranting%20reader.heic" width="480" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">Tell Me the Truth About Love: 13 Tales from the Therapist’s Couch by Susanna Abse</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">I love books about love, relationships and human connection. I also love books that analyse the way our brains work and how we think. Tell Me the Truth About Love is a combination of all of those things. Abse’s laid back writing style draws you in and the compelling stories keep you there. Each chapter plays on a fairy tale and shares a different story of a couple Abse has worked with (with names changed and other identifying characteristics removed). Let’s admit it, it’s entertaining reading about other people’s struggles, but it’s also fascinating delving into understanding behaviour. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnN0Zo2w7Xhg5rG5vAMP6sG236WqVd-7tcLaif5OSMskPb-57lXTRmAXdGuIUZoLjH5UrR7-xRo9TAku8vBx8l9Vznp24RW2hE-Lzkqb8RxrYFQUKMlafA4pNsM4CL3JdCzUZxT40TI1HP4_EwNbx837V0LXxApogf3kIzV4i5snbuQlFNVasUdD4JBTJ/s4032/tell%20me%20the%20truth%20about%20love%20susanna%20abse%20another%20ranting%20reader.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQnN0Zo2w7Xhg5rG5vAMP6sG236WqVd-7tcLaif5OSMskPb-57lXTRmAXdGuIUZoLjH5UrR7-xRo9TAku8vBx8l9Vznp24RW2hE-Lzkqb8RxrYFQUKMlafA4pNsM4CL3JdCzUZxT40TI1HP4_EwNbx837V0LXxApogf3kIzV4i5snbuQlFNVasUdD4JBTJ/w480-h640/tell%20me%20the%20truth%20about%20love%20susanna%20abse%20another%20ranting%20reader.heic" width="480" /></a></div><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red;"><br /></span><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Rebecca Solnit is a theme on this list. I absolutely adore her work. It really resonates with me and gets my mind whirring. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Hope in the Dark should be mandatory reading for anyone involved with climate activism, anyone who deals with eco-anxiety or climate doomism – basically anyone who is worried about the climate crisis and wants to make the world better. So much of this book also applies to so many other social justice movements too – basically anywhere that we need hope. Solnit characterises hope not as a passive feeling that happens to us but an active one which needs effort and action to sustain it. This book helped me feel so much better about the world, about climate activism and really informs a lot of what I do. Where there is no action, there is no hope. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7rYxV7sKEi6GxFRhZxxc_aJ7rdbOvDLwm_mbU4R3ocaTVYttdUcGz-Sboy1xQOAoE2tczd6MUBK07uo2cjdlGA74KJtdeEkl2ia-s2mUpFDPOXy4-kR1X7etwE17VUtaupksoQM1dTOG5Gdil7nbjCBa9C1bl-UY8onTS_jhq8jNmcVkBeFU2qp7vvuP/s4032/rebecca%20solnit%20hope%20in%20the%20dark%20another%20ranting%20reader.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg7rYxV7sKEi6GxFRhZxxc_aJ7rdbOvDLwm_mbU4R3ocaTVYttdUcGz-Sboy1xQOAoE2tczd6MUBK07uo2cjdlGA74KJtdeEkl2ia-s2mUpFDPOXy4-kR1X7etwE17VUtaupksoQM1dTOG5Gdil7nbjCBa9C1bl-UY8onTS_jhq8jNmcVkBeFU2qp7vvuP/w480-h640/rebecca%20solnit%20hope%20in%20the%20dark%20another%20ranting%20reader.heic" width="480" /></a></div> <p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">Life in the City of Dirty Water: A Memoir of Healing by Clayton Thomas-Müller</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">I read Life in the City of Dirty Water at the beginning of the year as part of Shado Mag’s Book Club. Thomas-Müller came to speak to us as part of our book club and it was amazing to hear him speak. </span><span style="background-color: white;">His words and his story is beautiful and touching and I’m so grateful that he took the time to speak to us.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;">A Life in the City of Dirty Water is Clayton’s memoir, following him throughout his childhood in Winnpeg and the systemic discrimination facing indigenous people in the land colonially known as Canada. At times, this book is difficult to read as we look back at Clayton’s experiences. He covers incidents of sexual assault and rape, domestic abuse, intimate partner violence, drug use, gang violence, suicide and suicidal ideation and environmental racism. Heavy as the subject matter might be, it is also profound and raw, yet inspirational and comforting. It is a warning against burnout and hustle culture as is so prevalent in activist spaces. It is a lesson that we are all part of one ecosystem. It is a reminder to reconnect to the earth, to ourselves, and our heritage, in whatever that may mean to us. It is also </span>a <span style="background-color: white;">reminder that if we are fuelled purely by anger we will burn up ourselves and those around us - that when hatred drives your work, you eventually turn into the thing you’re fighting against. </span><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA1OHKD4lk03h6bVsgAN94GNsP3IcU7T8ELCeskEqvknav-BdphxsxqRwxeQlDBUD9BNPmsPYPXBcGQhljEyk1OtufC7XCX_Gz5E-7Amg1TRhSp-2xCPNUSkWPiGzPN8huXNoWjUfivfs5K5R0pp48CT6xYNsCNACAQF4LZRaed4SeGb1BDsYUJnG0hvnM/s4032/a%20life%20in%20the%20city%20of%20dirty%20water%20clayton%20thomas-muller%20another%20ranting%20reader.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA1OHKD4lk03h6bVsgAN94GNsP3IcU7T8ELCeskEqvknav-BdphxsxqRwxeQlDBUD9BNPmsPYPXBcGQhljEyk1OtufC7XCX_Gz5E-7Amg1TRhSp-2xCPNUSkWPiGzPN8huXNoWjUfivfs5K5R0pp48CT6xYNsCNACAQF4LZRaed4SeGb1BDsYUJnG0hvnM/w480-h640/a%20life%20in%20the%20city%20of%20dirty%20water%20clayton%20thomas-muller%20another%20ranting%20reader.heic" width="480" /></a></div> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">This blog has been neglected somewhat while I completed my Master’s, but now I have so many ideas for blog posts I would love to share with you and I hope to post more regularly in 2024. To help me have more time to spend on this blog, it would be amazing if you could <a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" target="_blank">buy me a cuppa or two to keep me going</a>! It would mean the world to have your support and would also help keep my cat warm. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">See you soon,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Jemima</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2023/01/top-10-non-fiction-books-of-2022.html" target="_blank">My Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of 2022</a></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><p><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-25023376137174994192024-01-12T08:30:00.043+00:002024-01-12T08:30:00.130+00:00My Top 10 Fiction Books of 2023<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Happy 2024! I’m so excited about what this year could bring. It’s my first full year outside of education, having finished my Master’s back in September, and I’m just now fully getting into the swing of reading whatever I want to for fun. Despite completing my dissertation last year, I still managed to have some good non-uni-related reads (although several books I mention here are uni-related, but I really loved them otherwise they wouldn’t be included). I also ended up revisiting a lot of old favourites, particularly in the second half of the year. I decided not to include these in my top reads of this year, just to include books that were new to me. Some of these books have also appeared on previous editions of these lists before and kind of thought it was unfair to include established faves amongst new ones. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBYjEl2EwtVMhS2Ufjjm64nMDW884uuXTOMFGoHfLbsJZnX7TbzjJ_JePRqFOV3gqC0WaljaVqIZAt_dABBPoguAmdZoki4TOTPQveXFn40zN1Dtg7aeNuQmL9-6GrWAqnQq3x7UQBDzI0hzKJ7lJotGhDUFYNJxbjnTd6Zt9ttcfRS-wcf5PmeEPjz_x/s4032/Top%2010%20Fiction%20Reads%20of%202023%20Books%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpBYjEl2EwtVMhS2Ufjjm64nMDW884uuXTOMFGoHfLbsJZnX7TbzjJ_JePRqFOV3gqC0WaljaVqIZAt_dABBPoguAmdZoki4TOTPQveXFn40zN1Dtg7aeNuQmL9-6GrWAqnQq3x7UQBDzI0hzKJ7lJotGhDUFYNJxbjnTd6Zt9ttcfRS-wcf5PmeEPjz_x/s16000/Top%2010%20Fiction%20Reads%20of%202023%20Books%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.heic" /></a></span></div><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I reread all of The Hunger Games series and rewatched the films about a week during the summer and fully returned to my 13/14-year-old obsessive state. This series never gets old and still has so much for us today. Seeing parallels between the Capitol and Israel at the moment has been chilling. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I also reread The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkein whilst I was ill with Covid, and just before Christmas, Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern (also known as Where Rainbows End). All of these books are so comforting to me – the characters just feel like coming home. Something I want to prioritise when it comes to reading this year is fun and ease. I don’t need to be reading hard-hitting serious things all the time. I want silly and fluffy love stories in with discussions about justice and power. I’ve already read 2 books this year and I’m just so excited about stories again.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie</u></span></span></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">An Agatha Christie classic. I have seen the most recent film adaption of this book several times and I love it. The story is so intriguing and complicated. There’s so much about human desires, connections and power in there. Ugh I love it. I got so into this book. I read it while I was in Sweden in October and ended up reading most of it whilst I had an evening to myself. I love it when I completely get fully absorbed in a story. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1eizilbWa3RnH5JRiRFmqeqCH7P08gcaPXkKpesGyg5C1yDkDBcJvStXDhEc0msf3vJ59UVvr6oAwXbtRpXhxtRYn9sbjS1ehR8HhsdztM77xHoC8hyDeCkxCQMMkcrAflXlKxrKlwLVefVvDWryKwgMRc8mZjBOsxT5leRD6xx1H-BxMFHz_9a9jv5A/s4032/Death%20on%20the%20Nile%20Agatha%20Christie%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh1eizilbWa3RnH5JRiRFmqeqCH7P08gcaPXkKpesGyg5C1yDkDBcJvStXDhEc0msf3vJ59UVvr6oAwXbtRpXhxtRYn9sbjS1ehR8HhsdztM77xHoC8hyDeCkxCQMMkcrAflXlKxrKlwLVefVvDWryKwgMRc8mZjBOsxT5leRD6xx1H-BxMFHz_9a9jv5A/w480-h640/Death%20on%20the%20Nile%20Agatha%20Christie%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.heic" width="480" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson</u></span></span></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">God this book healed my heart and then broke it again. This novel focuses on the romantic relationship between two young Black British people in South East London trying to make their way in creative industries. I won’t say anymore otherwise I will discuss the whole plot. It is gorgeous and raw. I don’t really know how else to describe it to be quite honest with you, but wow Caleb Azumah Nelson is just such a brilliant writer. I know he’s written a few other things as well and I would love to read more of his work.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwaWwjmXdRgzkdGivG_lzx6wcLTYvrHI-QvQ7XonQwE_vRRD-tytgFx4WyuGKtZk1tV3Njx-pafSvN-bk5q0IrsKJvd6uom790n8NqqXC-w8_nhNtPEDTlciAlcnHhKb3Q3HPDOnFWofZgZ4h6D0daLExH7sT-pn00pvYOJCHKNEeGrPNugZMdFWply1G/s4032/Open%20Water%20Caleb%20Azumah%20Nelson%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwaWwjmXdRgzkdGivG_lzx6wcLTYvrHI-QvQ7XonQwE_vRRD-tytgFx4WyuGKtZk1tV3Njx-pafSvN-bk5q0IrsKJvd6uom790n8NqqXC-w8_nhNtPEDTlciAlcnHhKb3Q3HPDOnFWofZgZ4h6D0daLExH7sT-pn00pvYOJCHKNEeGrPNugZMdFWply1G/w480-h640/Open%20Water%20Caleb%20Azumah%20Nelson%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.heic" width="480" /></a></span></div><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> <u><br /></u></span></span></b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><u>Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell</u></span></b></span></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hamnet made me baby cry. It follows the story of Shakespeare’s wife, Anne, and his children. It is, afterall, named after his only son. I love any book that flips perspective to lift up the voices of the most marginalised in history and Maggie O’Farrell did this beautifully. A loving tale of family, care, isolation and grief. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Jtk0W-45BQ7NrsZrghP7hIv_dxLffCpySbxJulCouBKKBBwYPDzeL4VW2JnZkwpP48NLpnNUUDKXFALsD2zzx5y64fe_mLFwUDSPsGnvB1bUaq-ofeEDRpBANxSefze7C7MFJyrBDHRr6wpy_Hex6lnc8JU0L0NMzKWnhgvlUN_DTTgoEnsElIDvDixk/s4032/Hamnet%20Maggie%20O'Farrell%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Jtk0W-45BQ7NrsZrghP7hIv_dxLffCpySbxJulCouBKKBBwYPDzeL4VW2JnZkwpP48NLpnNUUDKXFALsD2zzx5y64fe_mLFwUDSPsGnvB1bUaq-ofeEDRpBANxSefze7C7MFJyrBDHRr6wpy_Hex6lnc8JU0L0NMzKWnhgvlUN_DTTgoEnsElIDvDixk/w480-h640/Hamnet%20Maggie%20O'Farrell%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.heic" width="480" /></a></span></b></div><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></b><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler</u></span></span></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Parable of the Sower is THE climate novel. I’d been meaning to read it for ages but had got prompted to do so by studying ecocriticism at uni. I really enjoyed it and think it feels like a much more contemporary novel than it is, having been published in 1993. A post-apocalyptic world (starting in 2024, lol), we follow Lauren, a 16-year-old girl, as she navigates family, religion, and survival in a world and society that is crumbling into chaos.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’d also add trigger warnings for sexual assault and murder. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQ067ncle4a6Hj-lQFk47n1Rga1qAc891CrrF5kaA5vaOS9bHg2GA2L9LxZFYtyyctdWZ0aIU6ORtQ4hhFqPyjt2WM7wCXaMWa9uKkMEydHvUZsv8GvBXh8ynMuMmHv8pnz4DTv05lYQAOi3qgWTIyQu9ih-hFDW1pTpK-5OlioGtDWddygABFa-bfE_2/s4032/Parable%20of%20the%20Sower%20Octavia%20Butler%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQ067ncle4a6Hj-lQFk47n1Rga1qAc891CrrF5kaA5vaOS9bHg2GA2L9LxZFYtyyctdWZ0aIU6ORtQ4hhFqPyjt2WM7wCXaMWa9uKkMEydHvUZsv8GvBXh8ynMuMmHv8pnz4DTv05lYQAOi3qgWTIyQu9ih-hFDW1pTpK-5OlioGtDWddygABFa-bfE_2/w480-h640/Parable%20of%20the%20Sower%20Octavia%20Butler%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.heic" width="480" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins</u></span></span></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As self-proclaimed Hunger Games girlie, I was very nervous about reading the prequel in case it didn’t live up to the original trilogy. However, after my re-read of the series I decided it was time to finally give President Snow’s story a crack. And I did really enjoy it. I loved the way she built up and hinted at how different elements of the society had progressed and become more extreme. I also thought the characters were really interesting too. Don’t get me wrong though, I do still prefer the originals. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXurpUX5tWVgkoAVCKZPY-X1l9mJ2PSal_loQ-ta6qKC06-cZYZ8zeVO9G7D_AzLsmWjw7eK592tUxevtlXN76PvPaSnDLtsHSsmD7_m8U5UeAkefESgLe6fNQv0DJmy5mZRVp5KF5aAJNKO8U_CKOSOVTGm7nBKaqnQHshApHGiuke7oIlfsjN8NPrD7/s4032/hungers%20games%20ballad%20of%20songbirds%20and%20snakes.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTXurpUX5tWVgkoAVCKZPY-X1l9mJ2PSal_loQ-ta6qKC06-cZYZ8zeVO9G7D_AzLsmWjw7eK592tUxevtlXN76PvPaSnDLtsHSsmD7_m8U5UeAkefESgLe6fNQv0DJmy5mZRVp5KF5aAJNKO8U_CKOSOVTGm7nBKaqnQHshApHGiuke7oIlfsjN8NPrD7/w480-h640/hungers%20games%20ballad%20of%20songbirds%20and%20snakes.heic" width="480" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier</u></span></span></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">I spent a lot of time with Rebecca this year, mostly due to the fact I wrote about it for my dissertation. The title of my dissertation was </span>“For Manderley was ours no longer”: power, control and the natural world in Daphne Du Maurier’s <i>Rebecca” </i>and I absolutely loved working on it. <span lang="EN-US">Despite spending around nine months of the year with this book, I still love it. There’s so much nuance, the characters are so interesting, and the world descriptions for fascinating. It’s a tale of intrigue, murder, deception, patriarchy, class and power struggles.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTlNgfnukojciL3_wSY8HmmMInR9Lxfru5Qh19RPlGCb8cSlDstImd0t1zjYWuOqAqtyJ_sHRaS2EI37S13kVra7WECFXWRl3ZTUHp0DLHaLjVNptCJXbpP_z6oWsOWZzMU9kFeSsZbFsZfVC6Td_pVmgosJFNWbQEu7bwqErcS0RNPuALyqime5deVNc/s4032/Rebecca%20daphne%20Du%20Maurier%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLTlNgfnukojciL3_wSY8HmmMInR9Lxfru5Qh19RPlGCb8cSlDstImd0t1zjYWuOqAqtyJ_sHRaS2EI37S13kVra7WECFXWRl3ZTUHp0DLHaLjVNptCJXbpP_z6oWsOWZzMU9kFeSsZbFsZfVC6Td_pVmgosJFNWbQEu7bwqErcS0RNPuALyqime5deVNc/w480-h640/Rebecca%20daphne%20Du%20Maurier%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.heic" width="480" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Weyward by Emilia Hart</u></span></span></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Weyward was actually the first book I read last year, and I started the year off very well indeed. The story follows three women across three different time periods: 1619, 1942 and 2019. However, each of these women has some connection to nature they can’t quite explain. Emilia Hart completely sucked me in and made me feel involved in these women’s experiences. It’s a powerful story of female solidarity, women’s power, connecting to nature and our history. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There are however several trigger warnings I would bear in mind before you read. These are for domestic violence and abuse, sexual assault, pregnancy loss and suicidal ideation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Lady Chatterly’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence </u></span></span></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lady Chatterly’s Lover is known as a smutty book, as controversial and as, well, post-WW1 porn. I didn’t exactly think it was the smut-fest history and popular culture has made it out to be. It does however have a fair bit of problematic language and that can’t be excused. There’s a lot that I think is still so valuable about this this book however, particularly by looking at this novel as climate fiction. In fact, there’s more discussion and depiction of nature than there is of sex. I very nearly wrote about this book while at uni but didn’t end up doing so. There’s so much to say about capitalism, class, gender and the environment in this book. I think it’s fascinating. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaLnhIdZANVLzrZIdQSNiqNLoe8kSGkjAGlGZcuhdgaYApYuwZW3GWKQMv-q5tYmWY6Wd9kEuw_Q4wbJPeIke8NEWHi5Av_FJYDdo7yIgRxoZd8ezFoc5_WqOd_XCJhsJgnmeJq2GyLAOzlKOX2IFt9QnnE7dFTsLamvwJT-YjFS25OXtxDJ8et7moUJU/s4032/Lady%20Chatterley's%20Lover%20DH%20Lawrence%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGaLnhIdZANVLzrZIdQSNiqNLoe8kSGkjAGlGZcuhdgaYApYuwZW3GWKQMv-q5tYmWY6Wd9kEuw_Q4wbJPeIke8NEWHi5Av_FJYDdo7yIgRxoZd8ezFoc5_WqOd_XCJhsJgnmeJq2GyLAOzlKOX2IFt9QnnE7dFTsLamvwJT-YjFS25OXtxDJ8et7moUJU/w480-h640/Lady%20Chatterley's%20Lover%20DH%20Lawrence%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.heic" width="480" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie </u></span></span></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another Agatha Christie! Her books are so easy to read and plots so gripping. I read The Body in the Library very quickly. I was absorbed and didn’t figure out whodunit. I just enjoy a good Christie murder story. This is probably lower down on my faves rankings, closer to 10 to be honest. It didn't blow my mind or make me feel incredible things but it was fun and engaging.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQN7h9p-uIfXPPXpVbx84QK3IypiUPLhuTG4N2-zew8p8hpgLGLKccr2dfj0REAr3eaR_oE_Ck2k1Xjg8inx7SvNx8Ti6meZQjktYHyyUbkz2k3qFuiVcB3InY1RxufGSx71kxRkr_DJAgaPpfzczQRJCPdNQk-X0FDCPQPya49aMUFhPB1V3HnIzZAHuG/s4032/Body%20in%20the%20Library%20Agatha%20Christie%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQN7h9p-uIfXPPXpVbx84QK3IypiUPLhuTG4N2-zew8p8hpgLGLKccr2dfj0REAr3eaR_oE_Ck2k1Xjg8inx7SvNx8Ti6meZQjktYHyyUbkz2k3qFuiVcB3InY1RxufGSx71kxRkr_DJAgaPpfzczQRJCPdNQk-X0FDCPQPya49aMUFhPB1V3HnIzZAHuG/w480-h640/Body%20in%20the%20Library%20Agatha%20Christie%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.heic" width="480" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Variations by Juliet Jacques</u></span></span></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In this beautiful collection of short stories, Juliet Jacques tells stories of trans people in Britain throughout history. I nearly went to put this book in my non-fiction faves post but remembered partway through that it’s actually fiction. The characters feel so real, I guess because they’re based on real people and are supposed to portray real experiences. Each story uses a different form, such as blog posts, diary entry, film script, and is set in different areas of the UK in different time periods. Each is brilliant and I love Jacques’ way of writing. She is so skilled. If you want brilliant well-written stories to dip into, Variations is for you. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiScq-d3-4EF3k_R5Fajtn6O4qnUjg2BsXwutT7eUKCfzswyVWkY8Z2Rhz4m-TI3Yi6HxXKIhXMlzWHMXm1T4nk-s4ICDe-3VEzC3DyfjljTolArIIkIjHP2aiK7kuFK0uRgFboCuHOpiPXIYDtID-tgOu3Q4zefBeurxrAXxBVwFSoU4mBkmkLrVjaUuCJ/s4032/Variations%20Juliet%20Jacques.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiScq-d3-4EF3k_R5Fajtn6O4qnUjg2BsXwutT7eUKCfzswyVWkY8Z2Rhz4m-TI3Yi6HxXKIhXMlzWHMXm1T4nk-s4ICDe-3VEzC3DyfjljTolArIIkIjHP2aiK7kuFK0uRgFboCuHOpiPXIYDtID-tgOu3Q4zefBeurxrAXxBVwFSoU4mBkmkLrVjaUuCJ/w480-h640/Variations%20Juliet%20Jacques.heic" width="480" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am so excited about reading more novels this year. I’d love to hear your recommendations and your favourite reads of 2023!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This blog has been neglected somewhat while I completed my Master’s, but now I have so many ideas for blog posts I would love to share with you and I hope to post more regularly in 2024. To help me have more time to spend on this blog, it would be amazing if you could <a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" target="_blank">buy me a cuppa or two to keep me going</a>! It would mean the world to have your support and would also help keep my cat warm. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">See you soon and Happy New Year!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Jemima</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2022/10/me-at-23.html" target="_blank">Me at 23</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><p><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-79411715222915857702023-10-23T08:30:00.009+01:002023-10-23T08:30:00.136+01:00Me at 24<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">As I child, I would have thought that I’d have my life much more together aged 24 than is my reality. Don’t get me wrong, I think that kid would still be really proud of who am now and maybe slightly in awe of my life now. I mean, I get paid to write about things I care about and live with a cat – what could be better than that?! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkYeMrOv547PdigUiK_7U637Nth7eOSdjqw7pqOakFYsIQ6QLzcXMZFDQIciRodDUonHX8WOC7mgG7qyvACl5uEKZlCKB95Ssr3mnx-6IiGxU2KCdIMAql0mXCKEKhLhPwNWwQhjIvaZRljj-cajyudptQIHJBtUMhyWqclkSCvSIgHE-7eNMMBRpYWdO/s1024/me%20in%20copenhagen.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghkYeMrOv547PdigUiK_7U637Nth7eOSdjqw7pqOakFYsIQ6QLzcXMZFDQIciRodDUonHX8WOC7mgG7qyvACl5uEKZlCKB95Ssr3mnx-6IiGxU2KCdIMAql0mXCKEKhLhPwNWwQhjIvaZRljj-cajyudptQIHJBtUMhyWqclkSCvSIgHE-7eNMMBRpYWdO/w480-h640/me%20in%20copenhagen.heic" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">24-year-old me is tired. I did just finish my Master’s, so I have good reason to be. I think everyone I know is exhausted at the moment. The state of the world has been a lot (understatement of the year) and has been grinding us down slowly. I’ve been trying to prioritise rest after handing in my dissertation, but that’s easier said than done. Capitalism also has a handy habit of making us feel incredibly guilty about resting and not working constantly. That’s super fun, thanks to whoever came up with that system! In such a system, actually resting becomes an act of resistance. And we can do our best to prevent harm to ourselves by reminding each other of that.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">I finished my Master’s on 1<sup>st</sup> September, meaning that, at the time of writing, I have been uni-free for 7 weeks. It’s still early days and I’m trying to relax into some kind of routine. At the moment, that’s a lot of figuring out an organising system for my new flat (more on that in a bit), trying to figure out how I can survive (i.e. earn money to pay my bills and rent) while doing want I want and care about (i.e. campaigning, educating, writing). I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about how I want to expand and continue my freelance work – whether that’s journalism, campaign projects, workshops, social media, research or other community engagement. I have so many ideas for things I want to do and be a part of, but I know a lot of them take time and slow work to achieve. I’ve got time and am not rushing anything, and staying at my hospitality job post-Master’s is definitely keeping some sense of continuity in a very disjointed time. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">I moved house just after submitting my diss. This involved very stressful few days of frenzied packing, sorting, redistributing and cleaning before I moved into my flat. This has been the first time I’ve lived somewhere that came fully unfurnished. Although buying a fair chunk of furniture and appliances is expensive, I had a lot of fun finding cute and cheap secondhand items. There are still a couple of non-essentials on my list (mostly more shelving. I have a lot of books…), but the flat has come together really well. My flatmate and I (and our cat Mayonnaise!) have made it such a cosy space. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">At 24, I feel much more secure and comfort in myself. In my values, my friends, my knowledge, my sexuality, my skills, even my fashion sense. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still an incredibly anxious bean (I have spent almost all of being 23 monitoring the regrowth of a chunk of my hair after I pulled it out as a result of my trichotillomania) and I get panicky, uncertain and paranoid on a regular basis. But I’m now much more aware of my brain and how it behaves and (some of the time) when it’s lying to me. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">I’m still religiously watching Strictly after nearly two decades of fandom, but I’m also bawling at the Ghosts Christmas specials and getting inspired by Alaska Daily. Quiz shows like House of Games and The Wheel are my go-to happy shows. I read books that inspired me, informed how I think and make me reassess the world around me. I also read books that are silly, frivolous, entertaining and have very little impact on my behaviour. Some of these books may be shit but they give me comfort, provide fun, laughter and escapism. And boy do I love them for that!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">I feel incredibly lucky to have the pals that I do, even if I don’t see most of them as often as I would like. So many people from so many different areas of my life give me such joy and hope in people. Because if there’s one thing I believe in, it’s people. I feel like I have a genuine support network around me, and I’m so grateful for that. There’s nothing like feeling genuinely safe with the people around you. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">I may be tired, but this newly-24-year-old is excited about the future and what it will bring. More cats and more books I say! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2022/10/me-at-23.html" target="_blank">Me at 23</a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><p><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-72835142966945352462023-04-21T08:30:00.009+01:002023-04-21T08:30:00.187+01:005 Easy Ways to Take Action This Fashion Revolution Week<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">Happy Fashion Revolution Week! Okay, so it officially starts tomorrow but we can get ahead of the game. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">This is the week we commemorate the 1,134 mostly women garment workers who died when the Rana Plaza factory complex collapsed in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2013. This year, it is the 10-year anniversary of the tragedy and as always it is a reminder of the change that has been made since in the industry and what needs to come. It is the week we take stock of the progress we have made since then and push to make the industry better. It is the week we remind ourselves why we campaign for a better fashion industry and just how bad the system can be.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjXT3thfJoC4Xn-pQaZYlg04sRPNP8db8scXcgEY_gQoyncQ4yJdtXX1HLOZtcRDUTa15HIFjRNt5gtD67T7nFe3TaMWe1LFM2q9pbTJMgQaAYKrD2loSx31l7bkbk8_9DyA806z5J2qtdtpm8iqmXyyKCj_21O6vzC-h-ADCLyegxzRiY0aCXpnOdA/s1500/5%20ways%20to%20take%20action%20this%20fashion%20revolution%20week.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRjXT3thfJoC4Xn-pQaZYlg04sRPNP8db8scXcgEY_gQoyncQ4yJdtXX1HLOZtcRDUTa15HIFjRNt5gtD67T7nFe3TaMWe1LFM2q9pbTJMgQaAYKrD2loSx31l7bkbk8_9DyA806z5J2qtdtpm8iqmXyyKCj_21O6vzC-h-ADCLyegxzRiY0aCXpnOdA/s16000/5%20ways%20to%20take%20action%20this%20fashion%20revolution%20week.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">1. Email brands as part of campaigns such as #SignTheAccord</span></u></b></h2><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b><span lang="EN-US">It gets to them. It really does. We know mass emails influence a brand’s actions. They care about what people think of them and how their reputations hold up. We’ve seen this tactic produce effective results with campaigns like #PayUp, Victoria’s Dirty Secret and more. These bring ethical concerns straight to the inboxes to those who have decision-making power and can have a huge sway in brands’ actions. The threat of a removed or reduced customer base can influence policy, especially when combined with other tactics as part of a wider campaign. <br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Campaigns often share email templates to make it easier for you to take action. For example, here are templates made by Remake for you to contact executives at Levi’s to demand they sign the International Accord on Fire and Safety, a legally binding agreement which ensures basic health and safety for garment workers that was first introduced in the aftermath of Rana Plaza. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">2. Talk about it with friends, family, and anyone you can</span></u></b></h2><p style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b><span lang="EN-US">We need everyone to take action. And that means getting information spread amongst the majority. Tell people that only two percent of garment workers are paid a living wage. Tell them that Boohoo not only owns Pretty Little Thing but also Nasty Gal, Debenhams, Oasis, Coast, Dorothy Perkins, Wallis, MissPap, and more. Tell them how some migrant garment workers in garment factories in Leicester producing clothes for Boohoo are being pai as little as £1 per hour. Tell them how Shein is producing 17 times more clothing than Boohoo, who are already notorious for their over-production. These facts are shocking and they are shocking for a reason. These facts wake people up to the scale of the problem and prompt an alteration of behaviours. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">3. Donate to organisations, campaign groups and unions working to change the industry</span></u></b></h2><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b><span lang="EN-US">Change happens faster when there are funds behind it. Campaigns run more smoothly and have more impact when they have better funding. The people working behind the scenes are able to focus more of their time and energy on the campaign, rather than having to take on other jobs that may be completely irrelevant to the campaign and increase the likelihood of burnout. <br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Whether it’s a regular donation, a birthday fundraiser, or one-off, every donation is important and makes this work continue. Fashion Revolution week is a great time to look at how and where you can give your money to support the people on the forefront of action in the fashion industry. <br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Remake hold fundraisers, both to sustain their own operations but also to provide direct relief to garment workers. These funds go directly to garment worker unions working on the ground and can provide support to workers and their families who have lost work when a brand suddenly ends a contract, does not pay for their orders (as happened in the 2020 lockdowns), or something else happens that threatens the livelihoods of garment workers wherever they are in the world. Previous fundraisers by Remake have helped provide food for garment workers in Bangladesh during the intense floods in 2022. <br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">4. Comment on brands’ posts asking ‘who makes their clothes?’</span></u></b></h2><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b><span lang="EN-US">Again, this comes back to reputation and public image. Can they answer this basic question? Most likely not. The more brands are asked this question, the more ridiculous they look if they can’t answer it. If lots of people repeatedly, consistently and publicly contact them on these issues, the more pressure is put on them to change. <br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">If you follow me on Twitter, you will likely have seen me trolling Boohoo. It is one of my favourite pastimes and only takes about 30 seconds to do so. You can get a bit of public shaming and embarrassment in with your morning cuppa! <br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">5. Share your Fashion Love Story</span></u></b></h2><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b><span lang="EN-US">The anti-haul posts! Take an opportunity to show you’re a garment you adore. If fast fashion is the toxic ex, slow fashion is the healthy partner who treats you with respect. As Orsola de Castro put it so well: loved clothes last. Share the story of a well-loved garment: how you met, your favourite memories, how long you’ve been together. Sharing our fashion love stories helps disrupt the narrative that clothing is disposable and instead pushes towards a culture of longevity, care, and circularity. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2021/05/50-questions-for-brands.html" target="_blank">50 Questions To Ask Your Favourite Fashion Brands</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><p><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-82268002028827257712023-02-03T10:17:00.000+00:002023-02-03T10:17:04.076+00:00Clothes I Got in 2022 as a Slow Fashion Campaigner<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-align: justify;">Last year, after being inspired by fellow slow fashion blogger Farihah (<a href="https://www.instagram.com/easypeasysustainability/" target="_blank">@easypeasysustainability</a>), I decided to keep a log of my clothing consumption for the entire year. It was overall a successful project and was useful to look at my clothing consumption and whether I really practice what I preach. I started off really well, making sure to write down details of each item straight after I got them, but a few items I forgot to log and only remembered at the end of the year when I was doing a review. I hope I've not forgotten anything else! But hey - nobody’s perfect.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In this post I’m going to go through the garments and accessories I obtained this year. I have included any garment I received this year – they could be bought new or secondhand, given to me as a gift, for work/volunteering, or as hand-me-downs, or swapped. I’ll go through more specific stats on them at the end of the post, but generally most of the clothes I got this year were secondhand, and I also had a chunk of garment made for me by family members (big up both of my aunties for never letting me be without adequate knitwear!). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPdTJnxuyEjqwxdV2O0BDCXHTluj21TinSFuUGyr2SI5lVuLAeGshcgl4EJs_56ogJ0ScBOK66FqEEfhy2WK92UdMtkWjJHVISLt2aqXv9k60mNRSQ206IOStlfiPJ2ey70HwlbjAzqcRZ2VkXDyssdObtHzFiM4H5ELEALYyUdOaRubPC8-Nj9TEFg/s1500/clothes%20I%20got%20in%202022%20as%20a%20slow%20fashion%20campaigner%20another%20ranting%20reader%20remake%20no%20new%20clothes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIPdTJnxuyEjqwxdV2O0BDCXHTluj21TinSFuUGyr2SI5lVuLAeGshcgl4EJs_56ogJ0ScBOK66FqEEfhy2WK92UdMtkWjJHVISLt2aqXv9k60mNRSQ206IOStlfiPJ2ey70HwlbjAzqcRZ2VkXDyssdObtHzFiM4H5ELEALYyUdOaRubPC8-Nj9TEFg/s16000/clothes%20I%20got%20in%202022%20as%20a%20slow%20fashion%20campaigner%20another%20ranting%20reader%20remake%20no%20new%20clothes.png" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. Mustard Turtleneck Top</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The first two items on this list were given to me by my flatmate. She had a few things spare that she didn’t wear anymore, so first asked our other flatmate and I to look through and see if there was anything else we wanted. I picked this out and I wear it a lot. I love a bit of yellowand bright colours, and it fits in really well with the wardrobe I already had. I wear this with jeans and skirts, and it also works really well as an extra layer underneath other tops, dresses and jumpers. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Price: £0<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Woolen Cardigan</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The second garment given to me by my flatmate in 2022. This cardi fits well under shorter jackets, adds a cosy extra layer to winter outfits, and works well by itself in the spring! Its colour also means it goes with pretty much everything.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Price: £0<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Floral Dress</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After I finished a few university assignments in February last year, I went on a little solo trip to Edinburgh to celebrate and relax. I had a great time visiting Edinburgh’s various vegan eateries, touring its bookshops, and walking up Arthur’s Seat. I also stumbled on an amazing place called Zero Waste Hub or SHRUB Coop. They are incredible. There is a pay as you feel café, loads of secondhand goodies including clothes, books, and all sorts. They are fabulous and would recommend checking them out! While I was there, I picked out this dress and absolutely fell in love it. I have worn it a lot, on a mixture of occasions. It can be dressed up, or dressed down, and is easily layered (including with the mustard top I mentioned above!) to make it suitable for all weathers. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Price: £5<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0N0e9gsoZqsxi0Fhi05zpfL-9xN-jFQHj_eKQYIDHQG8ukc4_NRCQcWUjNCNbmNpZcfF5TNGyKoYzNL4fo0-8ylNpYJNEVB5jODa-ra0HfqmuIXq1NMp0npsxoTYKh72Q9uq9DSzt0w-R6bub0SCEBMNaBV3olDMtcNqaMZXZTltLSKgn7V7-6Bpg1Q/s750/floral%20dress%20zero%20waste%20hub%20arr.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0N0e9gsoZqsxi0Fhi05zpfL-9xN-jFQHj_eKQYIDHQG8ukc4_NRCQcWUjNCNbmNpZcfF5TNGyKoYzNL4fo0-8ylNpYJNEVB5jODa-ra0HfqmuIXq1NMp0npsxoTYKh72Q9uq9DSzt0w-R6bub0SCEBMNaBV3olDMtcNqaMZXZTltLSKgn7V7-6Bpg1Q/w640-h640/floral%20dress%20zero%20waste%20hub%20arr.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. Jeans</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My old black jeans from M&S that I’d had for years finally gave out on me in 2021. The holes around the crotch had just got too big to repair and had frankly got inappropriate as well as quite cold. In March some friends came to visit for a long weekend, and we ended up in Retro, a vintage clothing shop hidden away in Newcastle city centre. A few days after they left I returned to Retro on the hunt for some new jeans. I tried on many pairs, and finally tried on these and they felt great. (They also make my bum look great if I do say so myself and it is a big win for my ego!). If you have met me in real life, you have likely seen me wearing these jeans. I have almost definitely passed the landmark 50 wears already. The people in Retro are lovely, I would highly recommend having a wander in and a chat to whoever’s on the counter. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Price: £15<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. White Lace Top</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In April, Newcastle University Feminist Society ran a day trip to the coast! We went to Tynemouth for a BBQ at the beach. Before we headed to the beach, we stopped off at the market in the metro station. We looked at secondhand books, ate vegan doughnuts, and this top caught my eye. I was stressing about the ethics and sustainability of top, and got chatting with the seller. She told me the clothes she was selling were deadstock from Debenhams after it had shut down a few months beforehand. I was happy that although it most likely wasn’t ethically produced, I could prevent a top I absolutely loved from going to landfill. I didn’t have much cash on me, and she didn’t take card, but she was happy for me to pay whatever I had on me. That ended up being only £2.80! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Since then I’ve come to call this my ‘bisexual pirate top’ and absolutely adore it. I only wear it on days that I’m not working (pubs and long white lace sleeves would not be a good combination). I’ve worn it on more snazzy occasions but also like wearing it casually. It makes me feel fancy if I wear it casually and honestly we should be chasing that feeling more. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Price: £2.80<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeXXFhMXnz1jTEZLyhLL5Gc2wdoh56HSCi3BTcIl__y0ZjddWPpqC2iGEuACKbInbzRkf53LoRP_VifNdthBz5VOWYASqNYd1oAj9wKKKb9LcIVe4K4RwLR2cE5HmFQnMFWn2Mat-Af2kXKhzQLz3qk4xUD4Rd2l9VNJ9qwLLIa0skaHmul34q-XR9TQ/s4032/pirate%20top.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeXXFhMXnz1jTEZLyhLL5Gc2wdoh56HSCi3BTcIl__y0ZjddWPpqC2iGEuACKbInbzRkf53LoRP_VifNdthBz5VOWYASqNYd1oAj9wKKKb9LcIVe4K4RwLR2cE5HmFQnMFWn2Mat-Af2kXKhzQLz3qk4xUD4Rd2l9VNJ9qwLLIa0skaHmul34q-XR9TQ/w480-h640/pirate%20top.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6. GNDR Baseball Cap</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In June I went to Green New Deal Rising’s meet-up in Coventry. It was the second mass meeting the group has run and it was great to see my climate pals from all across the country. At the meet-up were able to collect campaign materials like flyers, stickers, as well as t-shirts (if we didn’t already have them) and hats. I already have a GNDR t-shirt from my first action with them back in August 2021, but liked the idea of having a baseball hat to wear in the sun! I wore it a lot both while out campaigning and generally in the sun in summer. I don’t really have many summer hats, and this was particularly useful this year as I had my first summer on anti-depressants – us SSRI pals need to take care of ourselves particularly in sunny and hot weather. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Price: £5<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCEeTKjM_Duom2NR50e46k94_3W4PkZ2ILWffa0GH9TM-_-tMFpcrrmE0o_XbSgqUpajvTeEv9oVylYBqEZweHsprqpr_NxFUv8K0P0yFEsDxGv8IBoWB-wSkyyLi2iOkIwXlHuiuIY4pourNhGHdYLFqlaTixpNhQ306T8oYThleKdfYKKKyISbHPIQ/s1125/green%20new%20deal%20rising%20hat%20another%20ranting%20reader%202022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="746" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCEeTKjM_Duom2NR50e46k94_3W4PkZ2ILWffa0GH9TM-_-tMFpcrrmE0o_XbSgqUpajvTeEv9oVylYBqEZweHsprqpr_NxFUv8K0P0yFEsDxGv8IBoWB-wSkyyLi2iOkIwXlHuiuIY4pourNhGHdYLFqlaTixpNhQ306T8oYThleKdfYKKKyISbHPIQ/w424-h640/green%20new%20deal%20rising%20hat%20another%20ranting%20reader%202022.JPG" width="424" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">7. Todos Somos NEST Top</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I attended a university awards event with North East Soldiarity and Teaching (otherwise known as N.E.S.T), a student-run solidarity and support organisation for refugees and asylum seekers in Newcastle and the North East. We all wore the same tops and kept them to wear at N.E.S.T sessions too (like English language lessons, circus club, etc.). They were given to us new, and as they were needed quickly and on a tight budget (as tends to be the case with small voluntary/third sector organisations), I’m unsure of the ethics of their production. This top is super comfy and I have also worn it as a pajama top many times since! It’s all about reuse. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Price: £0<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JEvjDFPfUIcZ73QexAQjj42JGKAgtM11Cr61gFp56ybd5sNhZUzHifupL02pxk3l77IgNu5VrFlO0U8a_qYEtw8Hye45xp8KLr_u0d2dxmZWg9eh1PVC65Fz9D2341Gwc3PcPydIwlwI6iH48ohCmVJQC85tbLbFxAUuWuw42Zge1snL8ontZH-TcA/s912/nest%20top.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="912" data-original-width="912" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2JEvjDFPfUIcZ73QexAQjj42JGKAgtM11Cr61gFp56ybd5sNhZUzHifupL02pxk3l77IgNu5VrFlO0U8a_qYEtw8Hye45xp8KLr_u0d2dxmZWg9eh1PVC65Fz9D2341Gwc3PcPydIwlwI6iH48ohCmVJQC85tbLbFxAUuWuw42Zge1snL8ontZH-TcA/w640-h640/nest%20top.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">8. Guinness Top</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As a bartender, your place of work sometimes gets sent free things (read: merchandise/advertising) by drinks brands. We had a few t-shirts sent from Guinness and I took one. I don’t know about the origins of this top, but it is comfy and easy to move around in. I only really wear it when I’m working, but I guess that’s its purpose. It’s useful to have a top that’s designated for work, just as I have some garments that I specifically don’t wear on days I’m working. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Price: £0<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">9. Red Scarf</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In July I went to Northern Fashion Week in Manchester and took the opportunity to stay with my uncle and auntie and to spend some time with them. Not long after I arrived, my auntie handed me a gorgeous red scarf she had knitted for me. I had to wait a few months to wear it, but it has been so great to wear in the winter. It’s a lovely colour and is so cosy!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Price: £0 (gift)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdUboX9d5z29KFL_D_xMF_GYdSfthzefmTbkMTOc7GRjqnKQ09dyh7gSt6-JQ8YRbm17vCAg-x_kRgTJyJGIbH7RI2DBDR7w6THGflr8YLxVnFu0IUIbdIz_bpyDynNskvJlVGZZGYBHKD9KEMUKNfifNHmHZAa5cU7e-js4_5N9geH0QcQnvC1ZuEg/s3088/red%20knitted%20scarf..jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibdUboX9d5z29KFL_D_xMF_GYdSfthzefmTbkMTOc7GRjqnKQ09dyh7gSt6-JQ8YRbm17vCAg-x_kRgTJyJGIbH7RI2DBDR7w6THGflr8YLxVnFu0IUIbdIz_bpyDynNskvJlVGZZGYBHKD9KEMUKNfifNHmHZAa5cU7e-js4_5N9geH0QcQnvC1ZuEg/w480-h640/red%20knitted%20scarf..jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">10. Pink floaty top</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At the end of September/beginning of October, I went into Flea Circus (a secondhand/ethical shop in Newcastle selling all sorts of goodies from plants and jewelry to books and furniture) to get a birthday present and card for my flatmate. I saw this top and fell in love with it. Stocked from a local seller, the top is vintage and had been altered slightly to be cropped. The material is also gorgeous. I did my usual method of leaving it for a little while and if I still thought about/wanted it after some time, I’d go back and buy it. I went back to Flea Circus the next day and bought. It makes me feel quite fancy and the floatiness (yes I made up that word) of the material gives me so much joy. I got a compliment from a customer while wearing it at work almost straight away and felt very pleased with myself. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Price: £13<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQxcyltdMsVh-sUnwcnXLWs7SCVPRxP8OD5SflE71IujLoj4YnzBNkxSXAHZBOoAzTXczlN4W4lvHcT6kZQqayjs7sp0Lq5Ii6AlhIhzbf4TLi4MAtDkmdl4Zn_XrDIOvfIfrj1p8sS3-yd0cSakRNnuFJI5hz316WPNuvB5Xk2wvbhzIQjawNmKX7Q/s4032/pink%20floaty%20top%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixQxcyltdMsVh-sUnwcnXLWs7SCVPRxP8OD5SflE71IujLoj4YnzBNkxSXAHZBOoAzTXczlN4W4lvHcT6kZQqayjs7sp0Lq5Ii6AlhIhzbf4TLi4MAtDkmdl4Zn_XrDIOvfIfrj1p8sS3-yd0cSakRNnuFJI5hz316WPNuvB5Xk2wvbhzIQjawNmKX7Q/w480-h640/pink%20floaty%20top%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">11. Pink Patterned Coat</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A few weeks later, I went back into Flea Circus looking for a birthday card for my gramps (there’s a theme here), and got totally side tracked by this gorgeous gorgeous coat. I tried it on and spent ages pondering whether or not to buy it, and eventually decided to leave it and wait at least a day (while keeping my fingers permanently crossed that no one else bought it in the meantime!). I thought about it for the rest of the day and the next, so decided to go back and buy it. This would be my clothing investment for the year. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I have since worn it a lot. It goes so well over so many outfits, and it actually has decent pockets! I’d been looking for a longer coat for a little while as I want to be able to wear a coat over my long cardigan, and this one fits perfectly! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Price: £60<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjbFyvCOymjTF9EIZ244X2o3hoc5YOIHg_otY8ox07rmW8VX-eqGTManU4vqn0BsaNgL3hnlUfSxsAZW4yf2jLNr5Z5CLn3k3HOvzFNXRpQK5-8pM5_yqIoPigEXnIXrFQpeUO9rq33fbShBETtIcR4mHt7EH9XMUTV80XL7m4dqv4Y7kUO32gdEO9Q/s4032/pink%20coat.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjbFyvCOymjTF9EIZ244X2o3hoc5YOIHg_otY8ox07rmW8VX-eqGTManU4vqn0BsaNgL3hnlUfSxsAZW4yf2jLNr5Z5CLn3k3HOvzFNXRpQK5-8pM5_yqIoPigEXnIXrFQpeUO9rq33fbShBETtIcR4mHt7EH9XMUTV80XL7m4dqv4Y7kUO32gdEO9Q/w480-h640/pink%20coat.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">12. White Scarf</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In September, my uncle and auntie came to visit me for a day while they were on holiday in Northumberland. Almost as soon as I saw them I was given a new scarf. This one is somehow even bigger and softer than the other one. It’s like having a blanket on me at all times. I have been to sleep wearing it a few times I will not lie. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Price: £0 (gift)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">13. Recycled Sari Scrunchie</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I either have a scrunchie forever or I lose it very quickly. I’d just lost my favourite scrunchie, and decided I needed a new one. When I was in Oxfam looking for some new socks and a bar of soap, I saw a row of scrunchies made out of gorgeous fabrics. As I was in need of a new scrunchie, I bought an orange one and have been wearing it a lot since! It is made by a company that recycles old unused saris into new garments and accessories. The fabric is so soft and comfortable in my hair. I think these are great and would also make great gifts to femme pals. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Price: £2.99<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">14. Socks </span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Many of my socks are thinning or having holes in. It happens sometimes and can’t be avoided. I need to figure out a way of reusing old socks or repairing them, but right now I don’t have that skillset, so I desperately need new socks. On the same trip to Oxfam where I got the above scrunchie, I bought a couple of packs of socks. They are very soft, quite thick, and from a brief scan, the company seemed to be ethical. I will likely needsome more at some point, so if you have any recommendations for ethical sock brands, please let me know!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Price: £4.99<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">15. Bag</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For Christmas, my auntie and uncle gave me an incredible brown over-the-shoulder bag. It’s gorgeous and I spent much of Christmas Day with it around my neck. It fits my laptop and has plenty of room for books and snacks (my priorities in life). It’s so practical, sturdy, and suits my style, I love it! I’ve used it most days since receiving it! It is ethically made by <a href="https://www.auraque.com/" style="color: #954f72;">Aura Que</a>, who produce accessories and bags in collaboration with workers in Nepal. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Price: £0 (gift)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">16. Multi-coloured croqueted hat</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My other auntie is great at crocheting. Last year she crocheted me a scarf and several headbands. When her, my cousin and my uncle came around on Boxing Day, they brought loads of crocheted hats for us to choose from. It chose this amazing multi-coloured bobble hat. It’s incredible and it looks pretty complicated to make (I have no idea if it actually is or not). <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Price: £0 (gift)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">17. White croqueted hat</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I ended up with another hat on Boxing Day. It was originally a plan hat that fit snuggly to my head. However, when I put it on we decided it needed a flower embellishment and my auntie crocheted me one then and there. It makes me feel quite like Elle Woods when I wear this one!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Price: £0 (gift)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">-----</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall, I spent £108.88 on clothes and textile accessories in 2022.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Out of the clothes I gained, 41.2% of these were secondhand, 23.5% were homemade (big up my aunties), and 35.3% were new. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I bought 47% of them and was given 53% of them. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Out of the garments I received or bought that were new, 66.67% were ethically made (I haven’t included the homemade items in this).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2022 was the first year I actually monitored my clothing consumption, and I think I’ll keep doing this in years to come. It’s useful for me to know exactly what clothes I’m gaining and why. It helps me to both improve my own attitudes towards clothes and reassure myself that I’m only buying what I love or getting garments from sources I trust where possible. I think it says a lot that as a fairly privileged gal (read: middle class, slim, cis woman living in a city in the Global North) I was not perfect in my consumption. Not all the items I got this year were ethically made. But you know what this means?! That we demand system change at the same time as trying to change our individual attitudes and behaviours around clothing. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2020/08/whats-so-bad-about-fast-fashion.html" target="_blank">What's So Bad About Fast Fashion?</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-34240707279514800532023-01-13T08:30:00.038+00:002023-01-13T08:30:00.171+00:00Top 10 Non-Fiction Books of 2022<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">Over the past couple of years, I’ve struggled with the question of whether I prefer reading. fiction or non-fiction. At some moments, I’ve tended towards non-fiction, and others I’ve preferred novels. More recently I’ve come to the kind of obvious conclusion that I don’t have to have a preference. Fiction and non-fiction can serve different purposes in my life and as long as I’m finding and reading books that I enjoy and/or learn from then that’s all that really matters. Last week I shared the 10 best novels I read in 2022, and today I thought I’d share the 10 best non-fiction books I read in 2022 too! I would love to hear what you thought of these books if you’ve read them, and if you have any recommendations you think I would like.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF57C76uBoeee6GZ1CoUw7NZtdjJSUZajD6roLYkEKjuflFtEg2u9Ek20gGIPn9oBt3rBwUUZQMmLD4uZhWFl2HupDDLOkNU2w3tPbqxZtD162IXElH_e20P4l3YTrr76D-xSXFpG5kxpbvx7-mBYR2-DrjyjcN5vF48_0rX2EQJZbEMmYGw9kqR3zDA/s4032/top%2010%20non-fiction%20books%202022%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF57C76uBoeee6GZ1CoUw7NZtdjJSUZajD6roLYkEKjuflFtEg2u9Ek20gGIPn9oBt3rBwUUZQMmLD4uZhWFl2HupDDLOkNU2w3tPbqxZtD162IXElH_e20P4l3YTrr76D-xSXFpG5kxpbvx7-mBYR2-DrjyjcN5vF48_0rX2EQJZbEMmYGw9kqR3zDA/s16000/top%2010%20non-fiction%20books%202022%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">1. First Comes Love by Tom Rasmussen</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">I have recommended this book to so many of my friends. It is absolutely brilliant and I couldn’t put it down, Tom’s writing is addictive. I would love to read more of their writing. First Comes Love is Tom’s struggle over marriage – it is something they want but is at odds with their values and feels exclusionary to them as a non-binary person. Yet it is still something they are drawn to. I loved reading Tom’s thoughts and discussions on marriage. It’s something I too find myself considering almost as a theoretical concept. Tom considers marriage from their perspective as a non-binary, working class northerner; its place within their culture, how their friends view it, how their family view it, their past experience with weddings and marriage of people they know, and consistently comes back to the question of whether or not marriage is for them. I loved this book and I’m sure I’ll come back for a re-read at some point soon! I first heard about First Comes Love when Tom was a guest on my favourite podcast All the Small Things with Venetia La Manna. I would highly recommend listening to that episode too!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">2. Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom by Derecka Purnell</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Becoming Abolitionists was a book I read quite slowly. A chapter here and there. It was a lot to take in and had a lot of information, but that’s okay, some books are meant to be read slowly and sometimes it can be better to read slowly rather than rushing through. This book is part memoir, part political manifesto. </span>Using her own experiences, those of her friends, and many many case studies, Derecka Purnell picks apart violence to show how and why it is perpetuated by the prison industrial complex and how we can find solutions in our communities, not in more policing. She looks at disability justice, sexual and gender-based violence and even the climate crisis. If you’re not sure why we need prison abolition or how it would work, give this book a read.<b><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">3. Hands: An Anxious Mind Unpicked by Lauren Brown</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">After a conversation about my dermotillomania and trichotillomania – disorders which mean that I compulsively pick at my skin and pull out my hair – my friend Rosie lent me this book (which was actually on loan to her by another friend!). The author, Lauren Brown, writes about her own experiences of dermotillomania both as a child and as an adult. I’ve known the name of these disorders for a long time and recognized that I had them for a long time too, but I wasn’t really taking the impact they had on me seriously. Reading this book was the final push that got me to finally go on medication for my anxiety and I’m grateful to it for that. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">4. All About Love by bell hooks</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">I read this book in a day. I couldn’t put it down. hooks is brilliant. We already knew that. She is so missed and still has so much impact on us. Her writing had a huge impact on my when I was younger and still does today. I think I read it almost too quickly. I feel like I need to go back and read more slowly and in a more considered way. Even though I read it too fast, I still got so much out of All About Love, and needed to hear the thing hooks says in it. It got me reflecting a lot on my past romantic relationships, and how I value love in my life now, but also how love is valued in climate movements and impacts how we carry out climate action. I may have more thoughts on a slower reread, who knows! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">5. Conversations on Love by Natasha Lunn</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">I read this book immediately after All About Love and honestly, these two go together so well I feel that my experience of each of them cannot be separated. Natasha Lunn’s discussions on the different kinds of love are wonderfully and eloquently written. She looks at friendship, family, and romantic love in such a clear and comprehensive way that feels almost like you’re finally exhaling after holding your breath for a while. This book felt like therapy, and the end made me cry while I was having a cup of tea in a Costa. I have since given several copies to friends, both just because and as birthday presents. I think everyone should read this. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9wWOeVbV7_RlKySzAVmAb-ydWKmWVY8PvFoP8PG3-qinJAAuqssmHeQDoeSAtZkQpi-DPM9umtPnYW9P1p6HKQR4B6LIuPym4qkH6XDYqfrU_G_6-TJBiCZ7cPjXVVD0HaXTwpOUPLLbLybVUgoFevc1D3xhSUD3jdbnUFUqynaQN-zLkyqx2jO1gLQ/s4032/top%2010%20non-fiction%20books%202022%20another%20ranting%20reader%201.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9wWOeVbV7_RlKySzAVmAb-ydWKmWVY8PvFoP8PG3-qinJAAuqssmHeQDoeSAtZkQpi-DPM9umtPnYW9P1p6HKQR4B6LIuPym4qkH6XDYqfrU_G_6-TJBiCZ7cPjXVVD0HaXTwpOUPLLbLybVUgoFevc1D3xhSUD3jdbnUFUqynaQN-zLkyqx2jO1gLQ/w480-h640/top%2010%20non-fiction%20books%202022%20another%20ranting%20reader%201.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">6. Experiments in Imagining Otherwise by Lola Olufemi</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">This book is top tier in every single way. I shed a few tears reading this, and it filled my heart with joy, love and hope, with the belief that change will come and that that change is in community. I started reading it while visiting my parents after I’d just handed an assignment in. I lay in my teenage bedroom unable to put this book down until I’d got to the end in the early hours of the morning. It is simply gorgeous. A few pals have borrowed it recently and had similarly reactions to it. I have a feeling I will revisit many times in the future. Lola Olufemi, you are the writer of this generation. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">7. Abolishing the Police edited by Koshka Duff</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">So much writing about police and prison abolition is US-centric. That can make it easy to think that the prison industrial complex or police violence is ‘only an American problem’, when that really is not the case. This book, edited by Koshka Duff, is a selection of essays by academics and campaigners all around the theme of police, prison, and border abolition and how the systems that abolitionism seeks to dismantle operate in the UK. Topics range from everyday borders and how we display carceal ideology in our everday behaviour to the arms trade and fascist panic. Throughout some specific terminology is set in bold with a definition so that you don’t have to already have a level of knowledge on abolition, policing and borders to be able to read and comprehend the text. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">8. Burnt: Fighting for Climate Justice</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">You could call my timing reading this book ironic. It was one of the books that I brought with me on my family summer holiday, when we went back to where I grew up in Wales to stay with my grandparents. I ended up reading this book days after there had been several unprecedented wildfires in my home county during the extreme heat, including one in a recycling plant and another across the clifftops of beaches I had grown up on. The title of this book was not lost on me. This book highlights the scale of the climate crisis and sets out the Green New Deal as a starting point to its solution. I wrote a longer review of it in <a href="http://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2022/10/burnt-b.html" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="color: black;">this blog post</span></a> if you want to find out more! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">9. The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice by Shon Faye</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">The Transgender Issue is essential reading for everybody, cis or trans. It is as so much information that both sets out the reality for trans people living in the UK and the systemic inequality that faces them, as well as highlighting what needs to be changed. This information is so accessibly presented and Shon’s writing so engaging that anyone can pick up this book and get so much out of it. If you want to learn about trans rights, or find understanding trans issues hard or considering how the media talks about trans people, this book is perfect for you. Please read this!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">10. Border Nation: A Story of Migration by Leah Cowan</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Another one of Pluto Press’s Outspoken series that I absolutely loved! In Border Nation, Leah Cowan looks at borders – how we interact with them on a daily basis, how they impact our movements, how they are monetized through the prison industrial complex and the colonial history of their formation. Cowan begins the book with some vital context, looking at the history of borders and migration in the British Empire (including Windrush), colonial wealth disparities, and the myth of the migrant ‘outsider. This book is brilliant for grounding the realities of migration in Britain and gaining an understanding of how borders operate to enforce oppressive systems.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US">Honourable Mention (or a little something extra): Takeaway: Stories from a Childhood Behind the Counter</span></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">When I was considering what books to include this list I was stuck at 11 when I’d decided to only include 10. I still wanted to mention all of those books here because sharing is caring. I picked this book up from The Book Bar in London the day before my birthday and adored it. Part memoir, part cook book, Angela Hui recounts her childhood growing up in a small village in the Welsh Valleys as a second-generation Chinese immigrant whose family ran the local Chinese Takeaway. Each chapter ends with recipes Angela ate with her family and is mentioned in their corresponding chapter. A wonderful book that deserves more acknowledgement! </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2021/12/10-best-non-fiction-books-i-read-in-2021.html" target="_blank">10 Best Non-Fiction Books I Read in 2021</a></span></div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-71619559929799947532023-01-06T08:30:00.016+00:002023-01-06T08:30:00.175+00:00Top 10 Fiction Books I Read in 2022<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;">2022 was the year I rediscovered reading for fun. It was the first year since I was very very young that I didn’t have any required reading to do. I graduated from my undergrad degree in English Lit and Politics in the summer of 2021, and while I loved my degree it was amazing to be able to read whatever I want whenever I wanted. I started studying again in September 2021 and have continued my postgraduate course through 2022 and into 2023, but as this is a research course, I get to choose what my course reading is. While I read the detective novels I’ve wanted to, once I decide what text I’m writing on, I can read whatever the hell takes my fancy. By taking the pressure off my reading, I ended up reading more books in 2022 than I have in any other year before – 73 in total. I’ve split up my favourites into my 10 favourite fiction books, and my 10 favourite non-fiction books. Here are my favourite fiction books of 2022 (in no particular order but you may be able to tell which I preferred to others).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnydMdIilGa95iFhdX2k9D6D8tEjWTCi70RMvkQt9b6rCylaOHszhb0ufC2_L5KrZyZBWfw7sFUK1pocYb-LbTvt9s95xfrKlpwe4rCt7ToxGjlu-FnonWtLBeyMCw_xdU6COeEOmiggWSjS0giCNxytGraWGm7v3uIBb6mnZQSzcYGtqbcwG9TD68Q/s4032/top%2020%20fiction%20books%20of%202022%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnydMdIilGa95iFhdX2k9D6D8tEjWTCi70RMvkQt9b6rCylaOHszhb0ufC2_L5KrZyZBWfw7sFUK1pocYb-LbTvt9s95xfrKlpwe4rCt7ToxGjlu-FnonWtLBeyMCw_xdU6COeEOmiggWSjS0giCNxytGraWGm7v3uIBb6mnZQSzcYGtqbcwG9TD68Q/s16000/top%2020%20fiction%20books%20of%202022%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">This book reminded me why I love reading. It’s so gripping, I read it mostly in one night and stayed up into the early hours of the morning to finish it. It felt like I was a kid again. I loved the characters, the imagery, and the twists. And yes, it did make me cry. Ugh it’s just so good. Since I finish reading it, my copy has been making its way around my friends – if you’re my pal and you haven’t read it yet, my copy is currently free! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">At the beginning of the year, I was really looking for some fluff to read. Red, White & Royal Blue was the fluff I needed. This book is just so cute and so gay and wholesome. As the main characters are members of the both the USA’s First Family and the British Royal Family makes it feel quite fanciful but also I don’t care, that’s the point of these novels. Would highly recommend if you a fun, easy read that might make you a bit teary at the characters being happy. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">I’ve read a lot of Agatha Christie this year (I study early-twentieth century detective fiction for my masters, so you know, makes sense), and honestly this is my favourite novel of hers. It’s so clever and easy to read. I couldn’t down even though I knew the ending (I’d watched the BBC TV adaptation a few Christmasses ago). On a remote island off the Devon coast, 10 strangers meet, none of them having met their mysterious host, and one by one are killed without explanation. The story bring sup questions of justice and the judicial system, morality and accountability. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">This book has a deeply racist history (it had two previous titles before And Then There Were None became the mainstream title, one of which contained a racial slur and the other still racialized language and imagery), so make sure you read a copy with this final title to avoid slurs when reading. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: red;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">I found this book oddly hilarious. It’s ridiculous but so dark at the same time. I mean her sister is literally killing men left right and centre and the main character annoyed at her the way as if she kept stealing her clothes or getting home late very night. The key moment in this book is when Ayoola (the sister serial killer in question) starts getting involved with the man that Korede (the protagonist) is in love with and also works with – yep, it starts to get complicated. This book is a lot of fun. It is also short and easy to rad if you want a quick story. I am definitely going to be looking out for what Oyinkan Braithwaite does next! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">I borrowed this book from a friend and it’s just so joyful and wholesome. Maybe a parallel to Red, White & Royal Blue, this is a wholesome Sapphic YA love story that will warm your heart. If you’re on the look out for an easy-read high school love story/drama and a load of queer joy to warm your heart, I couldn’t recommend Hani and Ishu enough. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">How to Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">The main character in How to Kill Your Family is a brutal serial killer coming after each of her family members one by one. And I love her! Grace is hilarious, clever, and witty, and has an incredible level of bitterness that, let’s be real, would be relatable if you had her back story too. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">While reading this book I realised I still tend towards novels about murder even if they’re not the genre or time period I research for my postgrad. After finishing this book I took a little break from murder books for a little bit… <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is called a masterpiece for a reason. I still personally prefer And Then There Were None as a novel, but Roger Ackroyd is iconic. I didn’t know its twist ending before reading it, and only figured it out just before it was revealed. This book is engrossing, clever, and honestly brilliant. Avoid spoilers at all costs on this one especially, it will make it even better when you reach the end. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">The Bread the Devil Knead by Lia Allen-Agostini</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Lisa Allen-Agostini is a beautiful writer. Her writing is so engaging, and the characters so well fleshed out. I read this in one sitting in bed on a Saturday morning/early afternoon after I’d been working late the night before. I would give a trigger warning for domestic violence and murder for this book, as it deals with the protagonist Alethea’s internal struggle over whether or not to leave her abusive partner alongside her recollection of traumatic childhood memories. This novel is heartbreaking, and gets more so as it goes on. At the same time the last few lines feel like a deep exhale of utter relief. </span>I would also give trigger warnings for sexual violence and incest. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">Forever Home by Graham Norton</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">I love Graham Norton’s books. His novel Home Stretch was featured in my top 5 fiction books of 2021 and this was the second book of his I read in 2022. This is a mystery thriller, and let’s be real, a hilarious romp, that kept me hooked from the get go. Like The Bread the Devil Knead, I read this in a few hours on a Saturday before I’d even stepped out of bed. I adore the characters in this book, especially’s Carol’s mum. The book keepa you questioning and theorising what the secret is and delivers a shock when its finally revealed. I can’t wait for his next book, but seeing as this was only released a few months ago, I will likely have to wait a long time. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">As the title would suggest, this book is gorgeous. I just want to hug this book. It’s a letter the main character (known as Little Dog) to his mother who cannot read or speak English, written when he is an adult. It follows the family history from Vietnam to the USA and throughout Little Dog’s life. It is beautiful and heartwrenching – a book on love and loss, home and displacement. Ocean Vuong is a truly wonderful writer. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" target="_blank">buying me a virtual cuppa</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="http://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2022/01/5-best-fiction-books-i-read-in-2021.html" target="_blank">5 Best Fiction Books I Read in 2021</a></span></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 16px;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-67420833211583394072022-10-10T08:30:00.024+01:002022-10-10T08:30:00.170+01:00Me at 23<p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today, I turn 23. I was thinking the other day about how this series may be a little strange but I genuinely love looking back on them years later. This is the seventh iteration of ‘Me at’ and it seems wild to me and yet somehow kind of comforting being able to look back at how I’ve grown in myself alongside my blog and my writing. The person writing ‘Me at 17’ six years ago could not have imagined who I am now. In fact, I think she’d be pretty proud of the person writing ‘Me at 23’ and that’s pretty cool.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO79CuOcddAkbGQN69MNL4FZfy2wTr7LD9YDZj_V-mjHbmbue2rAq4BzP7n21e2FJg2OZv5K7UVpvtWUMtV7jQCtsEFKDOlh9vtnaGdDDICvweSP4XcyUPYkcDhJ8xIX18C4IKa4dpNPtMpo_bjkGKzIh56YzwtuDe7EzBWbUKT6i_DVUrGekowtZoLA/s4032/bookbar%20visit%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO79CuOcddAkbGQN69MNL4FZfy2wTr7LD9YDZj_V-mjHbmbue2rAq4BzP7n21e2FJg2OZv5K7UVpvtWUMtV7jQCtsEFKDOlh9vtnaGdDDICvweSP4XcyUPYkcDhJ8xIX18C4IKa4dpNPtMpo_bjkGKzIh56YzwtuDe7EzBWbUKT6i_DVUrGekowtZoLA/s16000/bookbar%20visit%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">A lot has happened in the past year, although as predicted in last year’s post from the outside my life doesn’t look that different. I’m living in the same house – now with more books, more placards and a cat – doing the same degree, working in the same please, wearing (mostly) the same clothes. I love the fact that some things have remained the same. It’s nice to be in a stable place, both physically and mentally, for a little while. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Under the surface though, a lot has changed. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV4TGGkmSPHb6dpSjzYbVe3QWUeQCirvBC76BQ1LFsfy5WKX_uFzFGkFDmnQR6VBu5EhJFV50oA4lTrBRrvJhB8LWKd-q6iYB1tDwWBUEPrIMKaFSitm5II_5dwsUf0j00vAk5RgOE91v2_HcWr8hE0cIghST5OCzaXUn7-_lwJymH_wcbS64YpnaO9w/s1120/cat%20books%20art%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1120" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV4TGGkmSPHb6dpSjzYbVe3QWUeQCirvBC76BQ1LFsfy5WKX_uFzFGkFDmnQR6VBu5EhJFV50oA4lTrBRrvJhB8LWKd-q6iYB1tDwWBUEPrIMKaFSitm5II_5dwsUf0j00vAk5RgOE91v2_HcWr8hE0cIghST5OCzaXUn7-_lwJymH_wcbS64YpnaO9w/w428-h640/cat%20books%20art%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" width="428" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">One of the biggest things that happened to me this year was finally starting medication for my anxiety. At several points last year, but particularly throughout October, my mental health got pretty bad and it took a while for me to make the decision to actually go on medication. It took book recommendations from pals (thank you Rosie for lending me Hands by Lauren Brown) and discussions with pals to make me take my mental illness serious and treat it like what it is: an illness. However long it took, I’m proud of myself for taking that step to look after myself. It hasn’t completely stopped my anxiety or compulsive behaviors, and I didn’t expect it to, but it has made a notable difference. I’m no longer walking down the street in fight or flight mode and that makes life a hell of a lot easier. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">If you’d told me last year that I would have directly confronted the then Home Secretary and my university’s Vice-Chancellor, as well as co-organised and hosted two rallies, I would not have believed you. This year has really opened my eyes to what I’m capable of doing, as well as recognising when I need to step back for my own wellbeing. My imagination is brimming with ideas for things to do and write, but even if I may not have the capacity to carry them out right now I can pass on the ideas to someone else. The team is the best part of these. The actions my past self would have been in awe at me for doing is all possible because of the team in place to carry them out. Together, we are so much more powerful than if we stand alone. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QNFLXOpbCiL3n-nZMmPbjYMl1vQnquq7BLNvLrZg0IkPG8BsBBtSngiyY6So36uzoKyDa2GQXXCQ--ficoAXRPMat3pfrXwq___kv2zkVj5WS6iTnO1e6ZGQAZvN5_8YMrFj3UdltEAWjAPaX8o9KQIy9dSbP_UvQvcK_H0HpGSsTIRH0T8WNSmLhQ/s758/stop%20jackdaw%20protest%20rally%20newcastle%20stop%20cambo%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="746" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9QNFLXOpbCiL3n-nZMmPbjYMl1vQnquq7BLNvLrZg0IkPG8BsBBtSngiyY6So36uzoKyDa2GQXXCQ--ficoAXRPMat3pfrXwq___kv2zkVj5WS6iTnO1e6ZGQAZvN5_8YMrFj3UdltEAWjAPaX8o9KQIy9dSbP_UvQvcK_H0HpGSsTIRH0T8WNSmLhQ/w630-h640/stop%20jackdaw%20protest%20rally%20newcastle%20stop%20cambo%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" width="630" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Many of the friendships I made and developed at 22, largely down to being more involved with activist groups like GNDR and the campaigns I’ve been part of, I now can’t imagine my life without. Some friendships aren’t meant to last forever. They can come and go and be meaningful even if they’re only around for a short amount of time. And that’s okay. At the same time as those friendships come and go in cycles, others come along and feel like home. I’m so grateful to the friends who I might not see as much as I would like (frankly that includes pretty much all of them), but whom I know I can be my full self with. There is so much joy to be had even when things around us are looking godawful. Friendship is what makes it all worthwhile. Joy became a real priority for me at 22, and I don’t want to let that go at 23. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">After finishing my undergrad, I was desperate to start reading more for fun again but wasn’t sure if I’d end up in a reading slump. Luckily, there hasn’t been one huge reading slump. I’ve read less for fun while I’ve had more uni reading to do, but when I’m in the writing stages of a project I am able to speed through books. I feel like I’ve been able to regain my love of reading that may have straggled a little bit when I was doing my undergrad (simply from the amount of prescribed reading I was doing then compared to then freedom I have since gained). There was a couple of weeks last August when I read 12 books, and the vast majority weren’t related to my work in the slightest. Getting caught up in a story just for the sake of it, so that you spend an entire afternoon with your nose stuck in its pages or stay up hours after you’d planned on going to sleep because you can’t tear yourself away from it is magical. I miss that feeling when I don’t have it and want to be in the position to spend as much of my life reading underneath a blanket with a big cup of tea as possible. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SkWDEW822U3C3qGCQ3pW_V3t94wTwWn8sATdL0jOhkcSvAPS0tn__NmL37DcPZ7XJ32sgktLGiP-GhMU4bmGynzGGkC-YtECaDQikLaoVByPsyLMC0I9vunyxVMcwPl_VudvHeqwiD1QuW2qE9nSB9VkVBeVwrQ90-CWuC6Kz_62ZHbgv091OC1GWA/s4032/another%20ranting%20reader%20slow%20fashion%20outfit.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6SkWDEW822U3C3qGCQ3pW_V3t94wTwWn8sATdL0jOhkcSvAPS0tn__NmL37DcPZ7XJ32sgktLGiP-GhMU4bmGynzGGkC-YtECaDQikLaoVByPsyLMC0I9vunyxVMcwPl_VudvHeqwiD1QuW2qE9nSB9VkVBeVwrQ90-CWuC6Kz_62ZHbgv091OC1GWA/w480-h640/another%20ranting%20reader%20slow%20fashion%20outfit.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p>This time last year, starting my Master’s put into a bit of confusion and instability at not having a set routine. I still don’t properly have a routine, but I’ve adapted to the flow of it. I think having no teaching anymore really helped me get that stability I needed. I now just have my own schedule to worry about, and I love having that control. I’m excited about the work I get to do and do truly love my learning right now. Since the beginning of the new academic year it has felt like a bit of a shift. Starting the second year of my MLitt has made the end of it feel closer and much more real. Last year it was comforting to know roughly what my life would look like now, but right now I have no clue what I’ll be doing in a year’s time. Hopefully I’ll have finished my dissertation by then, but apart from that who knows. If I think about it too closely I get a little bit panicky, but not as panicky as I would expect. Hey, maybe it’s the anxiety medication. Either way, we’ll have to see what this year brings. <o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Ooh, and I’m a dye-induced ginger now! I love it a lot and probs won’t give up the ginge life anytime soon. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Here’s to reading good books, wearing good clothes, and laughing with good friends. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">This is me, at 23. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" target="_blank">buying me a virtual cuppa</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2021/10/me-at-22.html" target="_blank">Me at 22</a></span></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 16px;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-75310472917309557982022-10-05T08:30:00.014+01:002022-10-05T08:30:00.170+01:00Book Review: Burnt - Fighting for Climate Justice by Chris Saltmarsh<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“In the textbooks and on broadcast media, the impacts of climate change are abstracted as technical policy debates without a proportionate sense of the scale of the suffering and devastation already being endured. Both offer a cursory acknowledgement of impacts including droughts, floods, tropical storms or lower crop yields, but it is impossible to understand what these impacts mean without their political context and without the stories of those with direct experience. To understand climate change, our stories must directly address the question of justice.”</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span> - </span>Burnt, page 8</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hJyrkgR9wXfjYnpA2O2ARy8PluSoVMR_35oa2uUypjisf-Z-SdGv0kyPwKBmZY64-_83x9E2K5QK0ft93XeNdFWi2ceOj1erudw0Ayq92_k6Wrj-dFQ_ZYWPUgud8GGdczQyHtt8E0s1Q3QREtLdl8fKeIy4mghEPLnIc6ui0xsqoBkFYkazRcGt4A/s3182/burnt%20chris%20saltmarsh%20book%20review%20another%20ranting%20reader%20climate%20justice%20pluto%20press.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3182" data-original-width="1790" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4hJyrkgR9wXfjYnpA2O2ARy8PluSoVMR_35oa2uUypjisf-Z-SdGv0kyPwKBmZY64-_83x9E2K5QK0ft93XeNdFWi2ceOj1erudw0Ayq92_k6Wrj-dFQ_ZYWPUgud8GGdczQyHtt8E0s1Q3QREtLdl8fKeIy4mghEPLnIc6ui0xsqoBkFYkazRcGt4A/s16000/burnt%20chris%20saltmarsh%20book%20review%20another%20ranting%20reader%20climate%20justice%20pluto%20press.jpeg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">From Karachi to Pembrokeshire to Tuvalu, the impacts of the climate crisis are being felt by ordinary people. Across the world, our homes are on fire, underwater and we are choking with fumes. We need change and we need it now. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">In Burnt, Chris Saltmarsh looks at how we bring about that change, some of the issues with current and past environmental movements and groups (including big environmental NGOs like WWF and larger activist groups such as XR), as well as how and why justice needs to be embedded in every part of the action we take to prevent and slow down climate disaster. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Saltmarsh highlights a Green New Deal as the first necessary step to achieving change on a big enough scale to make the impact we need to survive and thrive. In one chapter he breaks down key aspects of the GND, including shutting down the fossil fuel industry, creating (or in some cases adequately funding) national energy, food, health, housing and transport services, and moving to a system of democratic public ownership. Reading parts of this chapter actually made me quite emotional. But emotional in a positive, hopeful way. Emotional because I was in awe imagining what could be possible. One aspect of the GND Saltmarsh describes that I’d not come across before was the idea of a National Food Service. A service which “could begin to concurrently address the interlinked crises of food insecurity, abuses of land rights, and emissions through the universal provision of food free at the point of access.” The fact that my only two margin notes on this section are “this seems wild but amazing” and “this makes me want to cry (in a good way)”, I think says it all. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">While I was reading Burnt, I kept thinking of the quote by Chico Mendes: “environmentalism without class struggle is just gardening”. That sentence is scrawled in at least two margins of this book, if not more, and for good reason. This book emphasises how capitalism and wealth inequality contributes to the climate crisis. We can’t rely on corporations to stop climate change of their own accord, because they simply won’t as this would mean changing their entire business model and relinquishing profit. Saltmarsh uses the example of Quorn, who use the climate crisis as a central part of their advertising campaigns, to highlight how “individuals ‘reducing their carbon footprint’ and practicing moderation is conveniently synonymous with buying their product.” Saltmarsh demonstrates the hypocrisy of Quorn’s climate claims by pointing out that while they may sell a food product more sustainable than meat, their views of climate justice fall short as they “don’t have much interest in transforming the food system to eliminate workers’ rights abuses, environmental degradation and emissions”. This is the same with so many brands. From Levi’s branding themselves as an ‘activist’ company but refusing to commit to signing the legally binding International Accord which would ensure their workers have safe workplaces, to universities claiming to be forerunners of climate action while their staff are on strike around pay, workload, and pay gaps. Green capitalism will not help us. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Just like Feminism, Interrupted by Lola Olufemi (also part of Pluto Press’s Outspoken series), is an incredible introduction to intersectional feminism, Burnt is a great introduction to climate justice and more specifically to the Green New Deal. It doesn’t cover absolutely everything the Green New Deal would involve – that would be tricky in eight short chapters - and not in huge depth, but Burnt provides a strong foundation of knowledge on the GND and why we need one. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><b><u>What can we do to make this happen? Here are a few ideas: </u></b><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Support striking workers - whether by attending pickets, donating to strike funds, communicating with bosses and politicians, or whatever other way you can think of. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Join a movement. There is a role for everyone no matter what you think your activist skills or credentials are, there is something you can do. Green New Deal Rising and Stop Cambo are a fab lot, and there are so many other organisations that are working for change too. Find what’s right for you. Find friends and join together if it seems scary. You’ll undoubtedly make more friends along the way and then a few months later be in awe of what you’ve managed to do as part of a community. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Write to your MP (or find them in person wherever they may be) to ask if they back a Green New Deal, and if not, ask why not. We need to keep the pressure up otherwise its highly unlikely politicians will take the action we need them to take. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Work to unpick the oppression that shapes all of our thoughts and behaviour. That means unlearning the racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, classism, and ableism that has been pressed upon us from the get go, identifying how we perpetuate those systems of oppression and how we can put a stop to them and reduce the harm caused in our communities. As Saltmarsh emphasises in Burnt, anti-oppression must be central in our fight against climate change, otherwise we won’t achieve climate justice. This is not easy in any way, in fact it should be pretty uncomfortable if it’s done properly, but it’s crucial if we want to create the just world we’re aiming towards. This process should be never ending and can’t be a tick-box exercise. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Keep imagining. The Green New Deal is an alternative future. It is something to build towards and a task of radical imagination and hope. Sometimes it can feel like we’re only fighting against things – to stop oil and gas fields from construction, to stop forests from being cut down, to stop repressive governments from taking power… What would you want the world to look like in its most perfect form? If there were no barriers and everything was possible, how would you imagine the world to be? Now why shouldn’t that be possible? Why can’t we all be provided for and live our lives to the fullest? Alongside stopping harmful things that are happening, we have to keep in mind the world and the society we want to live in. Having something to fight for keeps our hope and our motivation. What’s the point in saving the world if we don’t live better lives once we’ve done so?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">There are so many more things that you can do to help make meaningful change. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">We’ve got this. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" target="_blank">buying me a virtual cuppa</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2020/06/books-amazon.html" target="_blank">Where to Access Books and Avoid Funding Amazon</a></span></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: -webkit-standard;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 16px;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div><style class="WebKit-mso-list-quirks-style">
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</style>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-85069641921977776882022-09-28T08:30:00.027+01:002022-09-28T08:30:00.166+01:00AD | Is Hemp a Sustainable Fabric?<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">When it comes to sustainable choices, fabrics can be a minefield. Polyester seems to be in everything, but brands rarely talk about the fact that this means plastic is one of their most used materials. Cotton is supposed to be good, until you hear about its intense water usage and impact on soil quality. So, what other options are there?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Hemp is a bast fibre. That means that it is a fibre derived from the stems of plants, in the case from cannabis. Hemp is a fabric that has been </span><a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=MRFpAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA225&lpg=PA225&dq=marijuana+sober+cousin&source=bl&ots=Qxjq2fhLg7&sig=cW6xjj_pjC2ZIFkb5hHNFAvUW3M&hl=en&sa=X&ei=eQE7U7iQHKWEyAG9qoGACw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=true" style="color: #954f72;"><span lang="EN-US">used for thousands of years across the globe</span></a><span lang="EN-US"> to make all kinds of items, including clothing. It has dipped in and out of popularity and at different times even been banned from production. More recently hemp has come back into popularity and is being hailed for its sustainable qualities. But what are those exactly? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: Calibri; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnVVAC4ql-nGTEFvm_aNzZZw5afiHe6dGjD67Mwfi8OdEQGH9UWUwRG2MXEY6cC0AZxDbCJklTNgv-g-grvvazKNlgdxhi99gldH7UN6AaUA7ztsHywFXggQ5OOtJ6353evEFEQVaGyYPk-8I6BQTZ7hCuYS7yJjpLYtjHSo39tBsiAaWuooCC88Wow/s2036/Hemp%20as%20a%20sustainable%20fabric%20GeeGee%20Collection%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2036" data-original-width="1229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTnVVAC4ql-nGTEFvm_aNzZZw5afiHe6dGjD67Mwfi8OdEQGH9UWUwRG2MXEY6cC0AZxDbCJklTNgv-g-grvvazKNlgdxhi99gldH7UN6AaUA7ztsHywFXggQ5OOtJ6353evEFEQVaGyYPk-8I6BQTZ7hCuYS7yJjpLYtjHSo39tBsiAaWuooCC88Wow/s16000/Hemp%20as%20a%20sustainable%20fabric%20GeeGee%20Collection%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;">Photo: GeeGee Collection</td></tr></tbody></table></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">What makes hemp sustainable?</span></u></b></h3><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">One of hemp’s biggest strengths is its durability. It is also resistant to fading, so it will keep looking good for longer than other fabrics that fade more easily. If we are aiming for a fashion system where we use our clothes as much as possible for as long as possible, hemp and other durable materials like it are crucial to any new production that takes place.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">As its non-commercial name suggests, hemp is quite literally a weed. It grows very densely and dominates other plants by growing over them and blocking their light source and using up the other resources available in the same vicinity. This is useful for fabric production as it means that no chemical herbicide is needed to aid hemp’s growth. It is also a natural pesticide, so can be grown completely organically. Using a densely growing plant like hemp also reduces the amount of land needed in the early stages of the supply chain. It is much more land efficient than some other crops. For example, hemp produces double the amount as cotton in the same space while also using around </span><a href="https://slate.com/technology/2011/04/hemp-versus-cotton-which-is-better-for-the-environment.html" style="color: #954f72;"><span lang="EN-US">four times less water</span></a><span lang="EN-US">. This makes it more cost-effective for producers and is beneficial to the environment by consuming fewer resources.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Landfills are a huge problem when it comes to fashion. I have written before for Remake and on this blog, waste and waste colonialism are huge issues. Across the globe, billions of garments get thrown away each year. Most of those clothes are made out of plastic (also known as polyester) and can take millions of years to break down and also spread into animals and across the environment through micro-plastics. These create health and safety hazards not only to the planet and the animals who live in it, but disproportionately affect those living near landfill sites. Chemicals, heat and gases that get trapped among the rubbish can cause fires, blocked drains increasing flooding, and spread disease. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Hemp, however, biodegrades much faster than other fabrics. These micro-plastics won’t occur with hemp products. It’s not a solution to waste but if disposed of correctly, it will have a significantly smaller impact than other fabrics. Hemp is also a lot less harmful to the soil it grows in. It </span><a href="https://goodonyou.eco/material-guide-hemp/" style="color: #954f72;"><span lang="EN-US">returns around 60-70% of nutrients it takes from the soil</span></a><span lang="EN-US">.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">Hemp may not be perfect. There are still impacts when it is dyed, the biodegrading process becomes trickier when it is combined with other materials such as polyester (which it doesn’t always need to be), and if it is used to produce the same high quantities of garments fast fashion brands currently do, the damage will still be incredibly high. However, it is still better than others and can be a useful part of creating a slower and kinder fashion landscape. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgokDf3SSNwoK7L5bkiMud_H7f80TqvrQwJiT9mTkBVXXyPnaTCC3uB7U3I8HBnpoHVbq4X6lqu144Tt-j9Ajp7zIQlx_C5PFSxIMCnwocTvIngp4hqgYjExl3bfHnH_ZNC_nm0sIRES4XGB5lX38X8Ll8e02hhFB4mFwieHw1d1QOicoJV0OZ2p111PA/s2036/GeeGee%20Collection%20Organic%20Hemp%20Natural%20Front%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2036" data-original-width="1229" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgokDf3SSNwoK7L5bkiMud_H7f80TqvrQwJiT9mTkBVXXyPnaTCC3uB7U3I8HBnpoHVbq4X6lqu144Tt-j9Ajp7zIQlx_C5PFSxIMCnwocTvIngp4hqgYjExl3bfHnH_ZNC_nm0sIRES4XGB5lX38X8Ll8e02hhFB4mFwieHw1d1QOicoJV0OZ2p111PA/w386-h640/GeeGee%20Collection%20Organic%20Hemp%20Natural%20Front%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.jpg" width="386" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;">Photo: GeeGee Collection</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><h3 style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">Introducing… GeeGee Collection’s Expanded Hemp Range </span></u></b></h3><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://geegeecollection.com/" style="color: #954f72;"><span lang="EN-US">GeeGee Collection</span></a><span lang="EN-US">, a small slow fashion brand based in London whom </span><a href="http://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2022/09/ad-meet-geegee-collection.html" style="color: #954f72;"><span lang="EN-US">I introduced in my last blog post</span></a><span lang="EN-US">, are now transitioning to using more hemp in their clothing line. From the end of October, GeeGee are </span><a href="https://geegeecollection.com/collections/all" style="color: #954f72;"><span lang="EN-US">adding to hemp dresses to their collection</span></a><span lang="EN-US"> in addition to the </span><a href="https://geegeecollection.com/products/third-eye-hemp-kimono" style="color: #954f72;"><span lang="EN-US">hemp kimono</span></a><span lang="EN-US"> already on sale. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US">The hemp GeeGee Collection uses is organic and biodegradable to make garments that not only last and look good for a long time, but will also have a kinder afterlife when they are eventually out of use. This is part of the company’s aim to act as a counter-narrative to the current exploitative fast fashion system and to bring slow, sustainable artisan craftsmanship back to the forefront of our fashion culture. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eW76CSOjUouz_nttc5jI4o1xpSqJKPqNWTOuGmyvX8WfFD2fYW6x08b8YVUoBdZfxUCUyl47PZXjxJtFS6kpdRxA82D09U-3jBk145kEmcw7sVomOhESajA3IXe03F7CMEM75qB-EsuIJ7-chmpu5egaY2MjqhwjIgcjldNI7KlR30DURlCYMbeK8A/s2036/GeeGee%20Collection%20Natural%20Hemp%20dress%20Back%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2036" data-original-width="1229" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eW76CSOjUouz_nttc5jI4o1xpSqJKPqNWTOuGmyvX8WfFD2fYW6x08b8YVUoBdZfxUCUyl47PZXjxJtFS6kpdRxA82D09U-3jBk145kEmcw7sVomOhESajA3IXe03F7CMEM75qB-EsuIJ7-chmpu5egaY2MjqhwjIgcjldNI7KlR30DURlCYMbeK8A/w386-h640/GeeGee%20Collection%20Natural%20Hemp%20dress%20Back%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader.jpg" width="386" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: GeeGee Collection</td></tr></tbody></table><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" target="_blank">buying me a virtual cuppa</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2022/09/ad-meet-geegee-collection.html" target="_blank">AD | Meet GeeGee Collection</a></span></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 16px;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-76798007481514702072022-09-09T08:30:00.018+01:002022-09-09T08:30:00.184+01:00AD | Meet GeeGee Collection<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">In July, I went along to the first ever Northern Fashion Week, held in Manchester for 3 days. I had never been to a fashion week event before and I admit I did feel a fair bit of imposter syndrome when I first arrived, but I was excited to see how the event would showcase ethical and sustainable fashion and positive changes in the industry. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After a few minutes looking around, I found GeeGee Collection’s stall and got chatting to Georgia, GeeGee Collection’s founder. She told me about her business – a focus on traditional artisanship and luxury on a small and sustainable scale – and showed me the samples she’d brought with her. After I took a particular fancy to a jacket and short set, Georgia suggested I try them. I got so much joy from trying on that outfit in the toilets of the convention centre, I never wanted to take them off (of course I did in the end, that would have been unfair to Georgia). A pair of shorts has never fit me as well as that pair did. I absolutely adored them and to be honest, many of my conversations since then have been about these shorts. I’m sorry to all my pals who have had to put up with me constantly going on about them…<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktU2U5KFw8Z98dhJ1Rr5bWnuIizkA1x4IE_mDrDUg6gO0glw-q0UB5Ro9GAZ7nfzCZ9uLs7qH3POLuZ-GXPSIyy4ncfWqupTelEXcQfwyg8nMRl-z3bLbQSaOC6vtEmXZRrh5Vrtdg8qhhc7MhTiLe6UN0_v8y3p5INWsCjQlOqQIHRhiw9u2utvfrw/s2933/Meet%20GeeGee%20Collection%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader%20Sustainable%20Fashion.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2933" data-original-width="1977" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktU2U5KFw8Z98dhJ1Rr5bWnuIizkA1x4IE_mDrDUg6gO0glw-q0UB5Ro9GAZ7nfzCZ9uLs7qH3POLuZ-GXPSIyy4ncfWqupTelEXcQfwyg8nMRl-z3bLbQSaOC6vtEmXZRrh5Vrtdg8qhhc7MhTiLe6UN0_v8y3p5INWsCjQlOqQIHRhiw9u2utvfrw/s16000/Meet%20GeeGee%20Collection%20Another%20Ranting%20Reader%20Sustainable%20Fashion.jpeg" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><h1 style="text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>So, Who Are GeeGee Collection?</u></span></span></h1><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Founded in 2019, GeeGee Collection’s core goal is to bring back traditional artisanship and quality to fashion as a means of moving away from the fast fashion model and its harmful environmental impact. Georgia develops her designs in East London while the fabrics used are handwoven using traditional artisanship in Lyon, France. The clothes are then put together in a sample studio in Shoreditch. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">GeeGee work on a non-seasonal basis. This means that they don’t conform to the trend cycle and don’t have a limited time for product creation and sale, allowing for fewer designs to be sold throughout the year and with less time pressure on the production process. While big fashion brands have sped up this process to incorporate 52 (or more) seasons per year into their business, operating on a non-seasonal basis slows down the production of brands like GeeGee by adding in styles as and when they’re ready, working on bespoke items and focusing on waste reduction. They also do this by looking at ways to make every day clothing staples feel new and creative. I love any way of making my outfits more jazzy - adding colour or cool patterns in there to spice up an otherwise ordinary look. So I love GeeGee’s principle of reinventing wardrobe classics, like blazers and shorts, to make them more exciting and feel more luxurious!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5rTp-IgvBlY4gnYLf-4pZrueM9TOhKLMjErHz8os6Y6RHZtu-lf0kj-VzhG-tGEYr1JcP0bD2SW2SvripraHlI4yDajY_zOjjjIaNdilIqZcrUii5PvDZhXb_4BXY04WeU8cPx_wWDVsw642yYRXrSaQvnSuctcKvZJEPcK5knjTPhdu7FQI5nWXEg/s1186/GeeGee%20Collection%20Fabric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1186" data-original-width="918" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF5rTp-IgvBlY4gnYLf-4pZrueM9TOhKLMjErHz8os6Y6RHZtu-lf0kj-VzhG-tGEYr1JcP0bD2SW2SvripraHlI4yDajY_zOjjjIaNdilIqZcrUii5PvDZhXb_4BXY04WeU8cPx_wWDVsw642yYRXrSaQvnSuctcKvZJEPcK5knjTPhdu7FQI5nWXEg/w496-h640/GeeGee%20Collection%20Fabric.jpg" width="496" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://geegeecollection.com/pages/sustainability" target="_blank">Image: GeeGee Collection</a></td></tr></tbody></table></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">In their early days, GeeGee were producing 10 products in size small, five in medium, and 5 in large. Two years later they shifted to cater mostly for size large and then downsize when needed, as they found that more styles were selling in that size. Those numbers seem almost astonishing when we’re used to seeing production figures of thousands, millions or even billions of garments by big fashion brands like H&M, Boohoo, and SheIn (no matter how much they try to convince us that they’re sustainable and ethical). As we know through research such as </span><a href="https://remake.world/2021-remake-fashion-accountability-report/" style="color: #954f72;"><span lang="EN-US">Remake’s 2021 Accountability Report</span></a><span lang="EN-US">, small businesses are consistently more sustainable and ethical than big brands. In this report, </span><a href="https://remake.world/stories/2021s-most-sustainable-brands-smes-take-the-lead/" style="color: #954f72;"><span lang="EN-US">small and medium businesses scored 37 points on average, compared to 9 points average for big fashion brands</span></a><span lang="EN-US"> – highlighting that smaller businesses are leading the way in sustainable fashion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">GeeGee Collection’s first London Fashion Week show is taking place on 9pm 19<sup>th</sup> September at Soho House, London. This event will include not only a showcase of their clothing line, but also demonstrations using textile looms so that attendees can see for themselves how much time, labour, and skill goes into weaving their fabrics. I am personally very excited to see how this process works! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">If you fancy a nose at more of GeeGee Collection’s clothes and what they’ve been up to, you can find their </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #954f72;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thegeegeecollection/" style="color: #954f72;">Instagram</a> </span><span lang="EN-US">and </span><a href="https://geegeecollection.com/" style="color: #954f72;"><span lang="EN-US">website</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> here. And if you ever want to talk to me about the incredible jacket and shorts pair I tried on, I will be more than happy and will probably get slightly over-excited at how cool they are!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" target="_blank">buying me a virtual cuppa</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2021/11/where-was-fashion-at-cop26.html" target="_blank">Where Was Fashion at COP26?</a></span></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 16px;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-68473357854765359382022-04-29T08:30:00.001+01:002022-04-29T08:30:00.306+01:00April 2022 | Monthly Wrap Up<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">April has been a slower month than the past and for that I am grateful!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzHQfbJXUpJEuogUzTiST6Ry5TLEBMpBUifxMpaDns1mKrZN7J093qy5OisNXMA5GiNuZIFhAxsnQj_d9_c1b-2j7J0lH2y2_9FmSJwNC3C7_lM4svX97A0OZKSXQfrvxMsLJ0D_4F9NulyDsFeOIo7GABHb-RpjUuuSy9oL1vw_jOpMzCesBArrkMw/s4032/tynemouth%20another%20ranting%20reader.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLzHQfbJXUpJEuogUzTiST6Ry5TLEBMpBUifxMpaDns1mKrZN7J093qy5OisNXMA5GiNuZIFhAxsnQj_d9_c1b-2j7J0lH2y2_9FmSJwNC3C7_lM4svX97A0OZKSXQfrvxMsLJ0D_4F9NulyDsFeOIo7GABHb-RpjUuuSy9oL1vw_jOpMzCesBArrkMw/s16000/tynemouth%20another%20ranting%20reader.JPG" /></a></div><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite part?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve had a bit less on this month which has been great, especially after such a hectic month as March when I didn’t get much chance to relax. I got some long extensions for my uni assignments which has definitely helped me go at the slower pace I needed. I’m now spending most of my days ensuring I get the sleep I need, doing some essay reading or planning, going to my job, and doing fun things when I can. Not too bad.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">My friend Rosie and I went to a Made Up North independent sellers’ market at the Biscuit Factory art gallery and had a great time looking at all the businesses, chatting to the people selling things, and bought some snazzy stuff too. I came home with a print, some vegan fudge (!!), a book, a coaster, and a plant! It was such a nice way to spend a Sunday morning. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35t04SRmEf1BfJ1lXj9YUkq5w-ERayUZGFmBNW2xuDRtvrN9WwJ90D0l7QyZRmUgLlGRCfBuzIQGBAF6m5_QbmqOImbqcfA3fL35Vw5EHd3pOJ15_fVyFUL7tqP69KORtMZJoXGEiS5N5rrV-hgJWbB2SVzw9RUjyYiWv_sWQKovNGJZ0pUSQUOFYsA/s4032/made%20up%20north%20market%20biscuit%20factory%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35t04SRmEf1BfJ1lXj9YUkq5w-ERayUZGFmBNW2xuDRtvrN9WwJ90D0l7QyZRmUgLlGRCfBuzIQGBAF6m5_QbmqOImbqcfA3fL35Vw5EHd3pOJ15_fVyFUL7tqP69KORtMZJoXGEiS5N5rrV-hgJWbB2SVzw9RUjyYiWv_sWQKovNGJZ0pUSQUOFYsA/w480-h640/made%20up%20north%20market%20biscuit%20factory%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve had quite a few great evenings and afternoons with friends this month actually. Whether that’s going for a gin and some ice cream or wine and cake... Okay, so there seems to have been a lot of alcohol and desserts but you know what, what better past time can you have?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">I took myself to go see Eight Grade at the Star and Shadow Cinema. It was such a good film – I can really understand all the praise it got when it was released. I used to go the cinema by myself loads before the big panini so it’s nice getting slightly back into that comfort habit. Self-care people! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">I had a great beach day at Tynemouth with FemSoc. We had a look around the market, I had a doughnut (it was amazing!), and then had a barbecue at one of the beaches. It was decent weather and a couple of us even had a quick dip in the sea – I can confirm it was still pretty cold!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">A couple of days ago I went to a rage room also with FemSoc. We had a great time basically just smashing lots of things up. I wasn’t expecting it to be such a workout but as I’m writing this there are many muscles in my body which are still aching! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdmQkE1tDJ3SFnMK7HO3tqJ-pSLDIB-na950yaEKVxpU-P3I4o343TaqCT-EVgXxDymCbRmO0u7rw-YCSjApJNzBo-rLDu3e9i3GuYyu91D4YyqZAoUIvEUFZs20QNHvdEf774FzQhKVW3XTi2u9stI5Tk5BP4fK-g65KGPQUEblSl1H3U2AqVoB9Jig/s1001/smash%20space%20rage%20room%20another%20ranting%20reader%20nusu%20feminist%20society.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdmQkE1tDJ3SFnMK7HO3tqJ-pSLDIB-na950yaEKVxpU-P3I4o343TaqCT-EVgXxDymCbRmO0u7rw-YCSjApJNzBo-rLDu3e9i3GuYyu91D4YyqZAoUIvEUFZs20QNHvdEf774FzQhKVW3XTi2u9stI5Tk5BP4fK-g65KGPQUEblSl1H3U2AqVoB9Jig/w480-h640/smash%20space%20rage%20room%20another%20ranting%20reader%20nusu%20feminist%20society.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Best read?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">I finished off The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte – a potential text to write on for uni but plans changed! I still enjoyed it though, Anne is the underrated Bronte. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">I then also finished off reading Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom by Derecka Purnell. This book is incredible in so many ways and I really urge you to read it, especially if you’re unsure on what police and prison abolition actually means in practice. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGcKrV45KmhbrfXrut5KOjARhxons8S5fmDBwkY83nXUaYoOb4BtitcFLOndIGbAwS05S2dEZo7jlNVRRuZbnClPd405ReZJtrrF4Sf_KGSkuSTnhbOtnmCRzkFridxTlgjQOx9zzxF_a85SSxmvCp6ZpzHXHkM8OBs7JyhScagUwX2GgeNWjhfX6WQ/s3024/becoming%20abolitionists%20by%20derecka%20purnell%20book%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3019" data-original-width="3024" height="638" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFGcKrV45KmhbrfXrut5KOjARhxons8S5fmDBwkY83nXUaYoOb4BtitcFLOndIGbAwS05S2dEZo7jlNVRRuZbnClPd405ReZJtrrF4Sf_KGSkuSTnhbOtnmCRzkFridxTlgjQOx9zzxF_a85SSxmvCp6ZpzHXHkM8OBs7JyhScagUwX2GgeNWjhfX6WQ/w640-h638/becoming%20abolitionists%20by%20derecka%20purnell%20book%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">I then read Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers, which I still haven’t figured out my opinions on. It was a slow start but an interesting premise, and I got much more into it as it went on, only to be very confused by the sudden and quite annoying ending. I didn’t feel like I had closure with the characters or any kind of resolution. I feel like I need to speak to someone who has also read it and has out some of my thoughts. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">I borrowed a copy of Hands: An Anxious Mind Unpicked by Lauren Brown from a friend, and read it pretty quickly it. It’s a memoir primarily discussing the author’s anxiety and experiences of dermatillomania, or compulsive skin picking. I felt very emotional reading this book, as I experience the same compulsions, except in different areas of my body to Lauren Brown and also alongside hair-pulling. I think this book really gave me a push to realise just how much I’m affected by my anxiety and skin and hair-picking and to do something more about it. Would highly, highly recommend! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtY8kWLueUsvPbyESq_tx1sjZ2jTkfFr8FIBM2SThanQ1SF2yPWZWmZpPV1k2DY0o8KsFsMoMJbZqjUYQQQ029fWDlhFOC2mi9JUaY9yJYpe2qF1kxDo6A0yEP_9cLI-jqP68H6ilhbdqKf02hnmpYAaHiWS7eRWnmsDOM6BcODk3vBsVqEnhxOYu9Tg/s748/hands%20by%20lauren%20brown%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="748" height="634" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtY8kWLueUsvPbyESq_tx1sjZ2jTkfFr8FIBM2SThanQ1SF2yPWZWmZpPV1k2DY0o8KsFsMoMJbZqjUYQQQ029fWDlhFOC2mi9JUaY9yJYpe2qF1kxDo6A0yEP_9cLI-jqP68H6ilhbdqKf02hnmpYAaHiWS7eRWnmsDOM6BcODk3vBsVqEnhxOYu9Tg/w640-h634/hands%20by%20lauren%20brown%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;"> </span></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">I finished read Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center by bell hooks. As always, bell hooks is incredible. I made so many notes which I know I’ll be going back to. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">Sesame and Lilies by John Ruskin among chapters of various other books and articles relating to the essay I’m currently writing for uni.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">I’m part way through several books at the moment. First Reputation by Lex Croucher, <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">Abolition Feminism Now by Angela Davis, Gina Dent, etc. and The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy which I started for Shado Mag’s new Book Club! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite listen?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve mixed it up a little bit this month and have listened to something other than Taylor Swift or Little Mix. I know, wild right? The Regrettes, Orla Gartland and Olivia Rodrigo, along with some dodie nostalgia, have been some faves this month, as well as their artist radios on Spotify.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite watch?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">I’m on season 11 in my Grey’s Anatomy rewatch. I’m currently behind on Interior Design Masters and the new season of Derry Girls, so I need a chill catch up day! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">What did I learn?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">Even if you love some projects it can be a relief to let go. Having a slower life is actually the goal, and I’m gradually getting there. It’s a good thing to ask for help more often. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">What’s happening next month?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">I’ll be doing more prep for and writing up my next essay! Some pals are coming up to visit me and I’m going to visit pals and family too! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">It’s now my final month on the committee for my unviersity’s Feminist Society and our last events of the year! It’s going to be emotional but it’s the right time for me to stop. We’ve got some time to celebrate too with some awards evenings at the Students’ Union. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">I’m hoping to get cycling more now that I’ve had some recovery time after having Covid again and to have some more time to see friends. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">What’s been on my mind?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">I’ve been thinking a lot about my own mental health recently. Or maybe just being more aware of it, and noticing changes or habits, especially after reading Hands. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite post?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">Haven’t written any posts other than this one! I’ve come up with several ideas but I’ve just not had the capacity to write them. Hopefully when a few things come off my plate soon I’ll be able to spend more time on this here blog! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Biggest inspiration?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">Honestly I’ve been getting a lot of creative joy from TikTok and it’s genuinely giving me so much energy. It may seem a bit ridiculous but it’s true! If you’re not following me already, go and have a look at <a href="http://www.tiktok.com/@anotherrantingreader" target="_blank">some of the videos I’ve made</a>. They’re mostly in relation to fashion/the climate and I hope they’re a good way of engaging people and getting them into movements for change.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Any other favourites?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;">I treated myself to a new candle from Nook Candles! I got the Machlud candle, which is quite a citrusy one. It smells lush, and it’s amazing getting to support a Welsh independent brand! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6R2SZSTij9pmIknRnNJkaUXYYPZX8XWIF_NnfjB0yPazsKgx4KyVbvS5rdtFri4Bh2swCO-pZF70aDX5Fivp4CUtOAfQjZcm1YVNHaQykpwuYE605I7Y40eNf4K5Bx0MszCCk0ShLPe9opw9UODc-KtcV4ViW8JI7OPIm_4Gk-nrS7wNFWprWQPneBg/s4032/nook%20candle%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6R2SZSTij9pmIknRnNJkaUXYYPZX8XWIF_NnfjB0yPazsKgx4KyVbvS5rdtFri4Bh2swCO-pZF70aDX5Fivp4CUtOAfQjZcm1YVNHaQykpwuYE605I7Y40eNf4K5Bx0MszCCk0ShLPe9opw9UODc-KtcV4ViW8JI7OPIm_4Gk-nrS7wNFWprWQPneBg/w480-h640/nook%20candle%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p><div><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" target="_blank">buying me a virtual cuppa</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2022/04/march-2022-monthly-wrap-up.html?m=1" target="_blank">March 2022 | Monthly Wrap Up</a></span></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div><div><br /></div></div></div></span></div>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-8373054618195559562022-04-04T08:30:00.007+01:002022-04-04T08:30:00.173+01:00March 2022 | Monthly Wrap Up<p><span style="font-family: inherit;">A lot has happened in March. It’s seemed non-stop in parts. And now it’s time for more of a rest.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"></span></u></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><u><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAy78JtaCdU_poR8aVGi-HbkKrrAmB03PRUoD05dleMToVEKyVD-DU6fGsOL8ekWs90YfiaTiBTbfK9fya3DUE1-DloRy2LplsoeqV0B8UswcoDhpyI8M-WJYVutv04lrWE4tkB0OAybM3h7wzkJJOKSGqKkKPFdKSOO6UijsN-qN3hMCM1R96GfCxQ/s4032/arthur's%20seat%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuAy78JtaCdU_poR8aVGi-HbkKrrAmB03PRUoD05dleMToVEKyVD-DU6fGsOL8ekWs90YfiaTiBTbfK9fya3DUE1-DloRy2LplsoeqV0B8UswcoDhpyI8M-WJYVutv04lrWE4tkB0OAybM3h7wzkJJOKSGqKkKPFdKSOO6UijsN-qN3hMCM1R96GfCxQ/s16000/arthur's%20seat%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" /></a></u></b></div><b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></u></b><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Favourite part?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There’s been so much stuff happening March, my trip to Edinburgh feels like much longer ago than just the beginning of the month. It was such a great trip and while I spent way more money on books than planned, I loved walking around by myself and having an explore, both of the city and Holyrood Park. More solo trips in the future please! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlssv7KtXeDWfTzvHjslDpqMz7rUX4Mipdds66RSnnahBui5Kf0hsMRTPyCyL_wVY5MbRlQVSppNQHfZy4uLfqRYX_OMvhVtNjmJYOySIuBhU5_T0N6zOr0xeou8VQ4ylw7qU_qx6RthxtWhgLPlxMR6SYRrgnWyOVLRKgtnRRt2JwlvIQUZe8frcing/s4032/edinburgh%20national%20gallery%20of%20scotland%20statue%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlssv7KtXeDWfTzvHjslDpqMz7rUX4Mipdds66RSnnahBui5Kf0hsMRTPyCyL_wVY5MbRlQVSppNQHfZy4uLfqRYX_OMvhVtNjmJYOySIuBhU5_T0N6zOr0xeou8VQ4ylw7qU_qx6RthxtWhgLPlxMR6SYRrgnWyOVLRKgtnRRt2JwlvIQUZe8frcing/w480-h640/edinburgh%20national%20gallery%20of%20scotland%20statue%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" width="480" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After my holiday some friends came up to visit me for a long weekend and I was so lush to spend time with them. I totally switched off that weekend and loved being a tourist in my own city for a change. Now that so many of my friends live far away from me, I feel like I value visits like these so much more than I used to. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9-RH4SgAFtE3V1RU7HJI7Hxj2ymJ6Jo4OLW_vqhHgpv-9K1feWtKUS-CDFBk3zE1H-2lMkWbJZs1m_rA5_sGJSwbtYQezPKLBULXiidHDWfZnoZsJfwgB6IJ8c5yoxn8X0Y07oMagN69ml6sr9qhqcniWVoDMGFOS9xRmrVUyzLLemw0J1K6VQrPTQ/s4032/pals%20visiting%20baltic%20newcastle%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9-RH4SgAFtE3V1RU7HJI7Hxj2ymJ6Jo4OLW_vqhHgpv-9K1feWtKUS-CDFBk3zE1H-2lMkWbJZs1m_rA5_sGJSwbtYQezPKLBULXiidHDWfZnoZsJfwgB6IJ8c5yoxn8X0Y07oMagN69ml6sr9qhqcniWVoDMGFOS9xRmrVUyzLLemw0J1K6VQrPTQ/w480-h640/pals%20visiting%20baltic%20newcastle%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am President of my university’s Feminist Society and for the past few months the rest of exec and I have been working so hard to put on the society’s annual conference – this year known as FemCon! I was so nervous and stressed about it beforehand but it went so well, it was such a relief! The speakers were all incredible and I’m so grateful to have been able to have them all on board. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wGVglC6DFUBlJxMgHCm6l-lK3oPGIKT985-YPaukfaYIzMbSDZ2hkNOtx4g_7N_egESY6wLGC2srGWQWd8lshRicCF5z2yw_jR7lSGeR2QhjPEcWGEiqb7A6IPBJ0as7JJuqs9ZXWRmphkEBRSsCI7JgosoqZCf8AvF6RgPJ7hZdRfQlWVY12ZCbUA/s997/nusufemsoc%20femcon%202022%20feminism%20festival%20conferencenewcastle%20university%20students%20union%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="997" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4wGVglC6DFUBlJxMgHCm6l-lK3oPGIKT985-YPaukfaYIzMbSDZ2hkNOtx4g_7N_egESY6wLGC2srGWQWd8lshRicCF5z2yw_jR7lSGeR2QhjPEcWGEiqb7A6IPBJ0as7JJuqs9ZXWRmphkEBRSsCI7JgosoqZCf8AvF6RgPJ7hZdRfQlWVY12ZCbUA/w482-h640/nusufemsoc%20femcon%202022%20feminism%20festival%20conferencenewcastle%20university%20students%20union%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" width="482" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Newcastle Students’ Union held a week-long campaign in March called Climate Conscious Careers, and I was a part of these events! The first one was a collaboration with university’s Sustainability Team looking at climate action beyond individualism, with me talking specifically about why being involved in movements is necessary for change. The next day I was on a panel about green jobs with 3 other people who are much more established in their careers than I am, which, I won’t lie, was quite intimidating. I really enjoyed both events, especially as the people attending were so engaged, and they left me feeling very validated in the work that I’m doing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">I kept talking about green jobs after the Climate campaign at the SU, specifically at the UCU pickets at uni. It was great speaking with staff and students about the issues staff are facing, and to speak to a crowd of people about Newcastle University's hypocrisy on climate issues at the Newcastle Climate Strike. Some pals and I made it onto the BBC North report on the strikes, something that made me chuckle. </p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfcQRAtZvb7sxFZziG5BdX07GtmfZ2X4Kxen0sekQ3InbAW_-0VuykQ92RF5cAugOACT43FPE1iKE8fbi1RQfKcfkvpImPOBf-XVz7bvAq_77BnjwAw9QQIWCaP8AEYr8XfslQ-Gbx3HWBlsIvQiSJX_W0UKGuEtMTOBiozzYlS9wYC_WEoG4SdIM9Q/s1450/ucu%20strikes%20bbc%20north%20newcastle%20university%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="828" data-original-width="1450" height="366" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfcQRAtZvb7sxFZziG5BdX07GtmfZ2X4Kxen0sekQ3InbAW_-0VuykQ92RF5cAugOACT43FPE1iKE8fbi1RQfKcfkvpImPOBf-XVz7bvAq_77BnjwAw9QQIWCaP8AEYr8XfslQ-Gbx3HWBlsIvQiSJX_W0UKGuEtMTOBiozzYlS9wYC_WEoG4SdIM9Q/w640-h366/ucu%20strikes%20bbc%20north%20newcastle%20university%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Screenshot of BBC North Report</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At the end of the month I had my delayed graduation. My family came up and it was such a lush couple of days until it came to bit of a crashing end. After getting a snotty nose that evening I did a Covid test and ended up being positive, so I’m currently writing this from my bed having spent the past few days in isolation and not moved much from the position I’m in right now. It’s been a relief that my symptoms have been a lot milder than last time I had Covid, but and the anxiety about who I may have spread it to during my graduation has been huge. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwKjAQ34zDpfcalBfoBNvxTaCGrjT4oVbQWj575tBa4EySYA-muIY0ObppamWiYzJxrc26B1kx1u8-rairQLunE1HDyWxBtMxcCzIyc_QcsEnZxeVyAyHZX67Scibwqdwj_w6NqPyezIEjBQXMWepwhq_iUaEVKfJbF5ssms1nfJ83qxsbhKHpYP_ow/s3247/graduation%20newcastle%20university%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3247" height="596" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnwKjAQ34zDpfcalBfoBNvxTaCGrjT4oVbQWj575tBa4EySYA-muIY0ObppamWiYzJxrc26B1kx1u8-rairQLunE1HDyWxBtMxcCzIyc_QcsEnZxeVyAyHZX67Scibwqdwj_w6NqPyezIEjBQXMWepwhq_iUaEVKfJbF5ssms1nfJ83qxsbhKHpYP_ow/w640-h596/graduation%20newcastle%20university%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Best read?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve been back on reading books for my next uni essay, so overall I’ve read slightly less, and that’s okay! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I started the month reading How to Blow Up a Pipeline by Andreas Malm. It was interesting for sure, and while I found his writing style engaging I’m not sure what my opinions are on what he says. I know one of my friends is reading it soon so I can’t wait for them to because this is a book I feel I need to discuss with someone. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I picked up a battered secondhand copy of The Doctor’s Wife by Mary Elizabeth Braddon in Armchair Books in Edinburgh. I was very excited to see a Braddon book that wasn’t Lady Audley’s Secret. Reading it was hilarious, mostly because of the fact two of the male characters tell the main female character that (and I paraphrase) ‘she’s not like other girls’ multiple times. It just cracked me up that things haven’t changed in over 150 years. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I then read The Pyjama Myth Sian Meades-Williams, which I pre-ordered on Unbound I think almost a year ago now. Sian has some brilliant and practical tips and advice in this book. I now have 2 books on freelancing and I feel like they’ve both been necessary to give me a bit of a kick up the bum to sort out the admin side of my writing work. I will certainly be dipping back into The Pyjama Myth here and there in future! <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m now halfway through The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte, which is potentially another book I’m going to write on for uni.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Z-JURLnbZok0cXDZVeLpaH9Ao26RE27RnuTKgRcVE30IxSrsGYGyKF-iRO0oeCulr-liFMPqSMvAP8UhNsF5rd3BU3hD0nmRs_zcnVsOH9l-OwwH9IHOxgzElbBxpbKRzRCYQ_7pOFICL_yLT0lvYhQqVsqDGmieoZwikByWUv6ekxxMLP0vI9v-iA/s4032/the%20doctor's%20wife%20mary%20elizabeth%20braddon%20another%20ranting%20reader%20book%20.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Z-JURLnbZok0cXDZVeLpaH9Ao26RE27RnuTKgRcVE30IxSrsGYGyKF-iRO0oeCulr-liFMPqSMvAP8UhNsF5rd3BU3hD0nmRs_zcnVsOH9l-OwwH9IHOxgzElbBxpbKRzRCYQ_7pOFICL_yLT0lvYhQqVsqDGmieoZwikByWUv6ekxxMLP0vI9v-iA/w480-h640/the%20doctor's%20wife%20mary%20elizabeth%20braddon%20another%20ranting%20reader%20book%20.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Favourite listen?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve mixed it up a little bit this month and have listened to something other than Taylor Swift or Little Mix. I know, wild right? The Regrettes, Orla Gartland and Olivia Rodrigo, along with some dodie nostalgia, have been some faves this month, as well as their artist radios on Spotify. Some abs<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Favourite watch?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Bridgerton series 2 of course. I watched it all in the first few days after it was released, and then the second half with my mum. I am obsessed. My TikTok For You page is no dominated by Kanthony and I don’t know how I can change that. I’ve also been rewatching Grey’s Anatomy yet again so that I have a refresh for watching series 17 which is now on Disney+! A new series of Interior Design Masters with Alan Carr is back on and I am loving it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What did I learn?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I can be good at things and people can actually take me seriously for the things that I’m good at. And all climate panels need a gobby young person, and I am perfectly happy to fit that bill. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What’s happening next month?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">April will be a quieter month hopefully. I need to recover again from Covid and from a ridiculously hectic few weeks. The main focus will be continuing my uni work, seeing friends where possible and if the snow doesn’t continue like it is now, enjoying the sun.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What’s been on my mind?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I don’t feel like I’ve had much chance to think recently, what with everything being so busy. But then when I do get chance to think it gets a bit overwhelming with all of the things happening in the world. I need some more brain space.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Favourite post?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I didn’t post this month so I guess this question is void right now? <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Biggest inspiration?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Seeing some wins actually happen (like Tim Farron finally signing the Green New Deal bill after months of back and forth) and to experience people being genuinely engaged in the work I’m doing. Honestly the week where the sun came out and it was warm made so so happy, and combined with being at the pickets I got so much motivation. I can’t wait for summer.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XFv1T5Tl3O9VCvKmZvSEmlMNWOrxVA7Cg4ikrwJ8Sn8ZwalkC6HI5cuDJfcuEbVuRRjpjLHs0ZFRMR0rBwpJ5SYVC-oH7l6uMOKEO6hQPjxZO2c92zMJYGV2mJgKjPIn-4nr2qPrshHrDUc8KgNpntQL6I6SP_HuzhhbY1hkOUGSI9j0VsuhjzWU-g/s3088/fun%20in%20the%20sun%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5XFv1T5Tl3O9VCvKmZvSEmlMNWOrxVA7Cg4ikrwJ8Sn8ZwalkC6HI5cuDJfcuEbVuRRjpjLHs0ZFRMR0rBwpJ5SYVC-oH7l6uMOKEO6hQPjxZO2c92zMJYGV2mJgKjPIn-4nr2qPrshHrDUc8KgNpntQL6I6SP_HuzhhbY1hkOUGSI9j0VsuhjzWU-g/w480-h640/fun%20in%20the%20sun%20another%20ranting%20reader.jpeg" width="480" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Any other favourites?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Balsamic vinegar and the Hellman’s chilli vegan mayo have been obsessions of mine recently. Not together mind you. But balsamic vinegar with tomatoes and pasta in some combination oof I love it. I never used to be a mayo person but recently I’ve been having mayo on everything and the Hellman’s chilli vegan one is simply god tier. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: Calibri;" target="_blank">buying me a virtual cuppa</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2022/03/february-2022-monthly-wrap-up.html" target="_blank">February 2022 | Monthly Wrap Up</a></span></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-5007584591041685452022-03-02T08:30:00.018+00:002022-03-02T22:42:35.347+00:00February 2022 | Monthly Wrap Up<p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">February has been full on but all in all pretty good.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRgOY3eLNy9YC6P3bdLrz0jYJ9lOfJuXEhF8ykEWznN2WmQsuzAFCKR8mFaDGtLd6HW2Nau6FjIqWv3PJHQY3gUOHTS3uXVaj0sTtu7LzPbeG-sseXfEiBJTVQiaklS3DD1auluF5qdXvALIWaKe71QNvpDZLWUkve5dHNaTpkwojISL_lq1mWxWULIQ=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRgOY3eLNy9YC6P3bdLrz0jYJ9lOfJuXEhF8ykEWznN2WmQsuzAFCKR8mFaDGtLd6HW2Nau6FjIqWv3PJHQY3gUOHTS3uXVaj0sTtu7LzPbeG-sseXfEiBJTVQiaklS3DD1auluF5qdXvALIWaKe71QNvpDZLWUkve5dHNaTpkwojISL_lq1mWxWULIQ=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite part?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the biggest things that happened in February was probably becoming President of my university’s Feminist Society! It’s been exciting to plan out events for the next few months and to bring everyone together. Here’s to seeing what the rest of FemSoc 2022 holds! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">To show solidarity with the UCU strikes at my university, myself and some other students worked together to organise Teach Out on the Green New Deal. It was so much fun and I’m so proud of how the event went. We discussed what the GND is, why we need it how we make it happen, and how the strikes link to climate justice. The discussions felt really engaging and it was great to have so many young people interested in action. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhK_lEoNbeFHRyy8QeeBVBdDAMCpSSfiouGXN7d2q0DhMjU7GZmzWR-oNvai4J5OKwW4wIUTT8wADA6qTOqB1pWh-CeTFZOuZArh1GTES3cHu1zhaMrx11bO-tzJlMgPitDKFC4ncjCd8LkbGayF2FKTpwXvljvQ6yXLzB2W-XyOoYoHfFjRRnFf_x08Q=s750" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="750" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhK_lEoNbeFHRyy8QeeBVBdDAMCpSSfiouGXN7d2q0DhMjU7GZmzWR-oNvai4J5OKwW4wIUTT8wADA6qTOqB1pWh-CeTFZOuZArh1GTES3cHu1zhaMrx11bO-tzJlMgPitDKFC4ncjCd8LkbGayF2FKTpwXvljvQ6yXLzB2W-XyOoYoHfFjRRnFf_x08Q=w640-h312" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">I had a new article come out this month. It was for <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CaUKM39N9QX/" target="_blank">One Off Nature</a>, and will be on their upcoming website as well as in a post on their Instagram page. It looked at upcycling and why having joy and sentimentality attached to our clothes is key to sustainability in fashion.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">I also got a tattoo! It’s my first one and I was and still am very excited about it. It’s an outline of Leia Organa’s classic hair-do, and I’m glad I finally got it as I’ve been procrastinating booking an appointment for literal years. Fair to say I’m obsessed with her! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilIBUC4UdTJZy9GSF_aBEiodgWlLKeoeS8_E4D4zKfDdulJ9wT_wF4YPwUYBgHr19k9KBrNHN6ydQHZrwB0Nv0Jsk52K_FeRy7Wjt_W80qKojoN8Jm3nZDKj3DHZJQytC8K4EZDpiw2IjffxXjJAIJf1vQeT0Wz9IRT1wwGeuH4stqiI2JMP_1QDofYQ=s3088" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilIBUC4UdTJZy9GSF_aBEiodgWlLKeoeS8_E4D4zKfDdulJ9wT_wF4YPwUYBgHr19k9KBrNHN6ydQHZrwB0Nv0Jsk52K_FeRy7Wjt_W80qKojoN8Jm3nZDKj3DHZJQytC8K4EZDpiw2IjffxXjJAIJf1vQeT0Wz9IRT1wwGeuH4stqiI2JMP_1QDofYQ=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">I spent a lush evening doing a couple of different painting by numbers images from a set I was given for Christmas, while watching Encanto and eating crumpets. It felt like I was able to properly wind down and I want to find some more sets to do. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimlljzaOSNlGNZ8w7BYONRZegIQHy8LYZJX5rlaE5n4lcUHFh5uh91j4w8UNnRu-7z_k7MPZQzfZ2rkKEu7-znsRvpWHbPW8Jsz7h8GpWeKQfx0stm9AADzi4jxnqLekyW0PrheTfOhGVgOxhnoNAUhgFvdd3iuy5N1GiTQ7U50H4jtmAQT1zxeJzCQw=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimlljzaOSNlGNZ8w7BYONRZegIQHy8LYZJX5rlaE5n4lcUHFh5uh91j4w8UNnRu-7z_k7MPZQzfZ2rkKEu7-znsRvpWHbPW8Jsz7h8GpWeKQfx0stm9AADzi4jxnqLekyW0PrheTfOhGVgOxhnoNAUhgFvdd3iuy5N1GiTQ7U50H4jtmAQT1zxeJzCQw=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">The last weekend of February was actually really fun. One of my friends was in a musical with a society at their university and a group of us went to watch opening night. It was lush to see them as we haven’t been able to spend much time together recently. The next day it was my flatmate’s last football match with her team and we went to watch and headed to the chippy afterwards. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">All of February I’ve been working on different drafts of the first research assignment for my degree, and last Thursday I finally submitted it. The process was a bit of a learning curve with getting feedback and having lots and LOTS of edits to make in a week, but I feel more confident heading into the next one. But first it’s time for a bit of a rest and then reading lots to figure out what I’m writing about next! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Best read?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve had some pretty fun reads this month. I started off with First Comes Love by Tom Rasmussen which is absolutely brilliant in every way. Tom’s analysis and anecdotes about marriage are so insightful and so funny. I have lots of notes on this book and need one of my friends to read it so we can discuss! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">I then read No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood. It took me a while to get into this one, but I found it much more interesting and impactful from the second half onwards. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">I then read Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston which was fun and silly and sentimental, and My Sister, The Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwate which was also quite fun despite being very different in tone. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I also read Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl as part of my tutoring job.</span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">I am currently working my way through How to Blow Up a Pipeline by Andreas Malm, Becoming Abolitionists by Derecka Purnel and Feminist Theory: from margin to center by bell hooks. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjv9vHfxgTLktdbYftGxvzER4tCsfYH2rT1sW6hs-dlWhf102ElLtvvRd0F9ldgMkv41xqoV2pk_UI883a5D4Def-4qAdApfHyWFIk2pimzvAHy2jgtzLksKq6ATttz68-FPD9qnw103jfHCacugdQoJc2g08pqEnPgNtyuzrhFv_E-04m5nZa-Gt1TIA=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjv9vHfxgTLktdbYftGxvzER4tCsfYH2rT1sW6hs-dlWhf102ElLtvvRd0F9ldgMkv41xqoV2pk_UI883a5D4Def-4qAdApfHyWFIk2pimzvAHy2jgtzLksKq6ATttz68-FPD9qnw103jfHCacugdQoJc2g08pqEnPgNtyuzrhFv_E-04m5nZa-Gt1TIA=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite listen?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m extremely late to the party but I’ve been listening to Olivia Rodrigo’s album SOUR on repeat for the past few days. I get the hype now. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite watch?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">I finally got around to watching Encanto and yes, it did make me cry. I also watched series 2 of Starstuck in one night and yep I’m still obsessed with that show. It’s so so good. I just absolutely adore the characters. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">What did I learn?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">I don’t have to be amazing at all creative things to enjoy them. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">What’s happening next month?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Trips away, seeing more of my pals, the annual FemSoc conference, and getting started on my next essay! And hopefully resting where I can. For some reason everything has seemed to be happening all at the same time so I’m trying to find pockets of rest where I can and ways to do all these things in a way that is sustainable for me. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">What’s been on my mind?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">Trying to find joy in things when the world around me is falling apart. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite post?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">I only shared one blog post this month and it was my Valentine’s post on <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2022/02/5-steps-to-getting-over-your-break-up.html" target="_blank">5 Steps To Getting Over Your Break Up with Fast Fashion</a>. I had an absolute blast writing this and was chuckling at my laptop the entire time. I hope it makes you laugh too! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg231x5dWd0dqvCXiuxmkTfSxiS-4Q5ZsxUQBDWK5EhTz1_rS1gklLEOtO50uUGRHZKCQl1niOKK1JYxUD1PWV5hiQnGSwxN70nUFmkdYJrKUJOLFxqcHTi_mtXKSkBFtrJRLkv7LQxt4srWUukiO_KJXVbSx56LQTEPngqhQ-jP17PWkVO8BLmhZ2mBg=s1500" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg231x5dWd0dqvCXiuxmkTfSxiS-4Q5ZsxUQBDWK5EhTz1_rS1gklLEOtO50uUGRHZKCQl1niOKK1JYxUD1PWV5hiQnGSwxN70nUFmkdYJrKUJOLFxqcHTi_mtXKSkBFtrJRLkv7LQxt4srWUukiO_KJXVbSx56LQTEPngqhQ-jP17PWkVO8BLmhZ2mBg=w426-h640" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Biggest inspiration?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve been feeling really excited about the research I get to do as part of my degree. It feels very creative and to really be pushing me in the best of senses. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">Any other favourites?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b> </b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">I’ve had a few small things that have been giving me a lot of joy. One of those has been my new Jane Austen mug. I got it to keep at uni and it makes me so happy. It’s a great size and is just so pretty. It somehow makes me feel more legitimate as a research student, although I have no idea the psychology behind that. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">The next are a few items I received as a late Christmas present (due to having to isolate over the actual Christmas period!) and which come in the form of an insulated food pot, many sachets of miso soup, and a hand knitted scarf. The pot and miso soup have particularly been helping me get through my deadlines. I’ve been roasting tofu and any veg that I have in the morning, shoving them in my new insulated pot and adding a miso soup sachet and hot water when I’m ready for lunch in uni, and it’s just so tasty. I will forever be keeping miso soup sachets in my locker at uni now. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJepGT7r-m2U1rK6-OgMf7Jesy6bBXu8baKRgCKUZI19uoPTyH_djWE6zgXu5o-xJqKyhdjPqhNwVBfuO9iDZO39fJBb8GLAugzAm7vlucOjlgEpBPhswsxMpVEeMQ18KtlhZNjSBj4erOqXHdF863lgtrCtfc30bsQatfFSHKf_PP_yReTYyqjx8WrA=s1334" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJepGT7r-m2U1rK6-OgMf7Jesy6bBXu8baKRgCKUZI19uoPTyH_djWE6zgXu5o-xJqKyhdjPqhNwVBfuO9iDZO39fJBb8GLAugzAm7vlucOjlgEpBPhswsxMpVEeMQ18KtlhZNjSBj4erOqXHdF863lgtrCtfc30bsQatfFSHKf_PP_yReTYyqjx8WrA=w360-h640" width="360" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: Calibri;" target="_blank">buying me a virtual cuppa</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">If you liked this post you might like: January 2022 | Monthly Wrap Up</span></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-56327975848328754212022-02-14T08:30:00.025+00:002022-02-14T08:30:00.193+00:005 Steps to Getting Over Your Break-Up with Fast Fashion<p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Fast fashion is the ultimate shitty ex. It’s the truth. You’re caught up in an intense and possessive relationship (potentially for many years) that you keep going back to because maybe they’ve changed this time. It’s only once you’re out of that situation that you can fully see how many times you were lied to or taken for granted. This Valentine’s Day, we’re celebrating getting over our breakup with fast fashion and moving on to healthier and slower relationship with clothes and consumption!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFJSn0nVySWwtNuMtxghzQ96vUJF_wtAxGHw7Q03qLBuC6BYvXWQ7-8yci-gyLVtEx1KOK9w7WcpZzEs-ExK1DUvTVo3HmpH55ID3X3nPvyP48Z6crwurZgNvKoBOtcKNqEl05S6_bjB99h49L1jl1QV_Ubqqnahs9s7eWX-SA6JX1egLaMW071WIi6Q=s1500" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFJSn0nVySWwtNuMtxghzQ96vUJF_wtAxGHw7Q03qLBuC6BYvXWQ7-8yci-gyLVtEx1KOK9w7WcpZzEs-ExK1DUvTVo3HmpH55ID3X3nPvyP48Z6crwurZgNvKoBOtcKNqEl05S6_bjB99h49L1jl1QV_Ubqqnahs9s7eWX-SA6JX1egLaMW071WIi6Q=s16000" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">1. Acknowledge that this relationship was toxic</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Make a list of red flags. Yes, all of them. They said you were ‘not like other girls’ and claimed to be an intersectional feminist while paying black and brown women poverty wages behind your back. They repeatedly lied to your face about the impacts of their sustainability efforts and how much they care for the environment. They got angry when you returned their hoodie and threw it straight in the bin.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">2. Talk trash about them with your friends</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">The ultimate cure. Maybe get a bit drunk while doing so, turn all your friends, colleagues, family against them. Tell them the facts, show them the stories of millions of women (and the also that 1 big planet) they have harmed too. Get it out of your system and rant to the world. Your feelings are valid and shouldn’t be kept in. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">3. Unfollow, block, delete on ALL social media</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">You do not need that kind of negativity in your life. Leave the reminders behind. Yes, that includes their Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, even their crappy little newsletter you think no one reads. If they have a YouTube channel, block that too. But don’t worry we can still be bitter and leave comments calling them out on their lies and deception – we’re just protecting those to come right? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">4. Reflect on what was missing in the relationship and what you’re looking for in the future</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">What were you so unsatisfied with that you kept going back to fast fashion? What was at the root of the short term gratification but prolonged feeling of general shittiness? This year, we’re working on ourselves, and feeling more confident in who we are, what we like, how we want to dress, and our own values, so that we’re not sucked into trends and end up with things we don’t actually want or have any interest in. What kind of clothes do you actually want? And what do you want their stories to be? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">5. Forget them and thrive in your new relationship with fashion</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">At this point you will only remember them when listening to Taylor Swift’s ‘I Forgot That You Existed’. Years, potentially even months down the line from your cutting ties with fast fashion you won’t think about needing new clothes, and if you do, you’ll reconsider if you actually want that garment or if you only want to buy it for the short-term gratification to briefly fill the void of inadequacy that white supremacist capitalist patriarchy pushes on you constantly. Here’s to being able to better spot red flags, see beyond the lies, and having better relationships with ourselves and the clothes we wear!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: Calibri;" target="_blank">buying me a virtual cuppa</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2020/08/whats-so-bad-about-fast-fashion.html" target="_blank">What's So Bad About Fast Fashion?</a></span></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-32169088526497738402022-01-31T08:30:00.004+00:002022-01-31T10:29:31.807+00:00January 2022 | Monthly Wrap Up<p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">January, you were overall quite a good way to kickstart 2022.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkJerhb9MAlAVaEpDPDaa0-Z6ZUtSCMPZNLSys5ckf4k7SVnXqDhUAMgUIZ2mrULxUaSnRIg4gy2HCnqCfc50UR8QWW5mc-cPzXhUK797pfKz9GT0mAm5PZT3EfAscxBOMjdwc3TkXauBJxZaTKRbspBthPqGGBA4DYTSL4HIMfHJD0qBWEiUtOlMnGw=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjkJerhb9MAlAVaEpDPDaa0-Z6ZUtSCMPZNLSys5ckf4k7SVnXqDhUAMgUIZ2mrULxUaSnRIg4gy2HCnqCfc50UR8QWW5mc-cPzXhUK797pfKz9GT0mAm5PZT3EfAscxBOMjdwc3TkXauBJxZaTKRbspBthPqGGBA4DYTSL4HIMfHJD0qBWEiUtOlMnGw=s16000" /></a></div><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite part?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I spent the first few days of 2022 in isolation with Covid. I was eventually able to get out and travel back home after seeing my family over Christmas. It was nice to be outside again but also just very weird being around people. I got very paranoid I was going to infect people even though I wasn’t infectious anymore. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Quite quickly I had to start cracking on deadlines which were looming. I feel like I’m getting into more of a swing with my masters with a routine and habits, and I’m certainly getting more comfortable with what I’m doing and settling in for the next (nearly) 2 years I have left. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I may have had a slight resurgence in my book-buying addiction recently, mostly because I’ve been getting excited at the prospect of reading more novels just for the fun of it. It doesn’t help when there have been lots of sales on by publishers of radical non-fiction books I want to read anyway. Book buying and book reading are two completely different hobbies…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_AK1t-JrlIqyJrABFoZdjlaHVpNXPzz2vlkqPwqT43WsFt5jU_H_ylR4DJMgoVBwDXxgwZhFNUgkG0qGIoEOl31g3ZBa7L5vHJzl5TErT1Qnt1aCd7rjEwLBC2YvuVBfpsswuDiBAnk90FsGjKha1KK94FibRnKmgOh0GvZXeajR8IpKLlzYsH7mynw=s3088" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi_AK1t-JrlIqyJrABFoZdjlaHVpNXPzz2vlkqPwqT43WsFt5jU_H_ylR4DJMgoVBwDXxgwZhFNUgkG0qGIoEOl31g3ZBa7L5vHJzl5TErT1Qnt1aCd7rjEwLBC2YvuVBfpsswuDiBAnk90FsGjKha1KK94FibRnKmgOh0GvZXeajR8IpKLlzYsH7mynw=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Half way through January I was part of a Green New Deal Rising action challenging her championing of the Policing Bill that is currently in its final stages in Parliament. I spoke to her directly and many others flooded the Zoom chat with challenges and held up Kill the Bill signs. It all feels a bit like a fever dream now. And seeing a video with my voice so prominently shared by thousands of people, including big name groups and individuals, felt a bit surreal. I felt like some of the pressure or credit for the action was on me when I did very very little for the actual action itself, I just turned up and said some words then left and drank half a bottle of prosecco while jumping up and down in my kitchen. If there’s one thing I was wish people knew more about actions and political organising, it would be that there is so much that goes in to one action, even if it looks like a couple of people just doing one thing one day and filming it. Yes, people do turn up. But there’s also many planning meeting, admin to make sure it runs smoothly, role assigning, filmers, writing out what’s going to be said, finding opportunities for actions, editing the film, captioning… There are so many roles and so many people involved with every single action. That’s what creates a movement and impact: people showing up and doing something. If you haven’t already, <a href="https://twitter.com/gndrising/status/1483025874089881604?s=21&fbclid=IwAR2D4qaPylvc3WoShGZkBDmEfn0sSFr2MvSTJJlR6SwFY2CenkZmVKw3yoQ" target="_blank">watch and share the video</a> (it’s incredibly well edited) and learn about how you can get involved with GNDR <a href="https://www.gndrising.org" target="_blank">here</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbaBWCyG_he0NOnooMi5J9deqzGz2_tVcrQvDVFH-4NASfjPlEExPnKt9RDKi0GVYqBlT5tRQ6fqyxgN11k8qX2lAaGrAdaGaqSo5tbOUVuxIVUH9rh3OE0rWEsLScoZpKtafBlZZDdLhCaKneRCxBbDseSwFz4KsCuPCqU9eCBHv37Nl2epaNn-_Yzg=s750" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="750" height="613" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbaBWCyG_he0NOnooMi5J9deqzGz2_tVcrQvDVFH-4NASfjPlEExPnKt9RDKi0GVYqBlT5tRQ6fqyxgN11k8qX2lAaGrAdaGaqSo5tbOUVuxIVUH9rh3OE0rWEsLScoZpKtafBlZZDdLhCaKneRCxBbDseSwFz4KsCuPCqU9eCBHv37Nl2epaNn-_Yzg=w640-h613" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I’ve loved being able to spend more time with friends. It feels hard trying to see each other now that everyone is on different schedules and in different parts of the country, so I value seeing them more now when I do. Whether that’s going for coffee or lunch, or walks around a park, or having a games night, it makes me so happy to see them. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjaQ5OPs_EX1ioZA9LzQfWm80IyvA2D1Btr9GPr_SShEsOHNXY9Tz-u2OV6aPqDeBg-ju3chPrgQ9n6wo43HKMPE_y8QuwfhoI082SHWXgy01pwEYciQpBBinUnnab7bXA5N2wrvJ-shhd111_Dk28MMGVrBjgppu4Q83EYsDUz0ULC8tssAbDzOfdV1A=s1001" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1001" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjaQ5OPs_EX1ioZA9LzQfWm80IyvA2D1Btr9GPr_SShEsOHNXY9Tz-u2OV6aPqDeBg-ju3chPrgQ9n6wo43HKMPE_y8QuwfhoI082SHWXgy01pwEYciQpBBinUnnab7bXA5N2wrvJ-shhd111_Dk28MMGVrBjgppu4Q83EYsDUz0ULC8tssAbDzOfdV1A=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I spent a great weekend celebrating some friends’ engagement. It was great for us all to be reunited and to just have fun dancing together. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiCQqKuXgxv_hJUw_VYcMeO_IOjPrW97ow0nqUeiSKFAKuz2lpZs1Phlo9cUCbWCHYFl6KYQEecqUXUg_UBoYzmMaApdFtb5b4QmiMS5flU2mNF9y_IrJvJN3R8HXgDybMntdaOo1r-04ECXE9rRC88flKMd5ztLoZ9E0gfiOgLoD_YVZE23dyosmtfow=s992" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="992" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiCQqKuXgxv_hJUw_VYcMeO_IOjPrW97ow0nqUeiSKFAKuz2lpZs1Phlo9cUCbWCHYFl6KYQEecqUXUg_UBoYzmMaApdFtb5b4QmiMS5flU2mNF9y_IrJvJN3R8HXgDybMntdaOo1r-04ECXE9rRC88flKMd5ztLoZ9E0gfiOgLoD_YVZE23dyosmtfow=w485-h640" width="485" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Best read?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I’ve been getting back into reading fiction for fun recently, and I am loving it. Let’s hope I am able to continue this for the rest of the year! I first read A Christmas Party by Georgette Heyer on my train back home after Christmas and in my first few days back before I started working again. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I then read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins-Reid in about 24 hours and absolutely loved it. My favourite book of the month (if not favourite fiction book for a lot longer than that). I was a little bit skeptical because of the amount of hype around this book but honestly it’s worth it. I couldn’t put it down. It’s so gripping and the characters are brilliant. And I was not expecting the final twist. Read it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I then read Sabotage by Emma Gannon (mostly while I was in the hairdressers having my hair re-dyed). It’s one I need to re-read because I’m not sure I fully took in everything she was saying, but it definitely had a lot I need to hear about in.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I also read Esio Trot by Roald Dahl and Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan. I read those for my tutoring, but honestly I actually found it quite fun re-reading some nostalgic favourites. I also finished reading How to Be an Anti-Capitalist in the 21<sup>st</sup> Century by Erik Olin Wright after having started it in December. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I finished reading Lovers and Writers by Lily King yesterday evening. I heard good things about this book but it’s been a bit of a slow-burner for me. It picked up a bit more after about 100 pages and became faster paced at the end. I think there's a lot you could say about the pacing of the novel linking with the main character's state of mind, but in general I thought it was okay but nothing incredible. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxjiHVhUz1a5Kpx-3o87rksaEmVfITKiiMptLGMrGAAdJPmjelDhnzRRDRCdSeVT1Z2zqjdYxtRSH1bmpg4OGtO35OJE6maNcyoqWsdsqe5WkwkC5-9x4bMZcYQ-7RukxiJIlY1sxfYusyKbZPck-2uVG1KmrdhJw2F7wyv4jjvXUuNedeCjmgmiig7A=s961" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxjiHVhUz1a5Kpx-3o87rksaEmVfITKiiMptLGMrGAAdJPmjelDhnzRRDRCdSeVT1Z2zqjdYxtRSH1bmpg4OGtO35OJE6maNcyoqWsdsqe5WkwkC5-9x4bMZcYQ-7RukxiJIlY1sxfYusyKbZPck-2uVG1KmrdhJw2F7wyv4jjvXUuNedeCjmgmiig7A=w501-h640" width="501" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite listen?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I had a great time listening to Emily Stochl and Venetia La Manna’s discussion on Pre-Loved podcast. It was interesting and a joy to listen to!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite watch?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">When I got back up to Newcastle, I rewatched The People v OJ Simpson and Black and British. I have now seen Black and British several times and it always makes me feel emotional. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I also stumbled upon the series Black is the New Black from a few years ago, and spent an afternoon watching that.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I finally watched Cruella, which I enjoyed a lot more than I was expecting to. I mean, if something has Emma Thompson of course I’ll enjoy it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I then watched Afterlife (and had the occasional cry at it), bits of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and a full rewatch of Bridgerton in preparation for the new series. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I’ve been watching more book related videos on YouTube and TikTok too, but still watching mostly my usual faves Jack Edwards and Leena Norms.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNaiJY_jmj-qC2Tsrjq_GOp4WHgIxgOI1Tnqb2BRw_TAPAwzuF1mT9YnbTqyv198P9OlwIKOLfHL7TgEc6rby-RuSdKDMiD9YayE2ogCdQM-Ei84ePIWZRdcUFO1khkUaV_dpIkUB971R5HWiOu0w9Ur2d-nw216Vgq0kX8_RlGKFPO5FAffV9ttcJRA=s810" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNaiJY_jmj-qC2Tsrjq_GOp4WHgIxgOI1Tnqb2BRw_TAPAwzuF1mT9YnbTqyv198P9OlwIKOLfHL7TgEc6rby-RuSdKDMiD9YayE2ogCdQM-Ei84ePIWZRdcUFO1khkUaV_dpIkUB971R5HWiOu0w9Ur2d-nw216Vgq0kX8_RlGKFPO5FAffV9ttcJRA=w426-h640" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://movies.disney.com/cruella" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">What did I learn?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">It’s not a great idea to have cards that make up most of my life in one bus-pass holder. And it’s also not a good idea to leave that bus-pass holder on the bus, and especially not on a Friday afternoon. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">What’s happening next month?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Getting my next essay in then relaxing! Taking a well-deserved break. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">What’s been on my mind?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Essays, resting after having Covid.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite post?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I think <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2021/12/10-best-non-fiction-books-i-read-in-2021.html" target="_blank">10 Best Non-Fiction Books I Read in 2021</a>. I read some incredible non-fiction books last year and it was fun to look back at those books as well as to think about the books I’m going to read this year. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9c07aGJsV8ioRd3kOjUCgmkoc07r-57-9D0FJfZ8i4Q8rl_78kOlrgzDXJKHy6AmUB7SDy_PFZP5CtVFxlLiNpiYtIjssupl4KCzrSj7uRpFPK8Zrh64evUtAq4XyHUp3zE9XToPNeMTgJl1fWxvJokcqdqakGVfWjaLlodR58WRa-tEiKoCLd2tabA=s1500" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9c07aGJsV8ioRd3kOjUCgmkoc07r-57-9D0FJfZ8i4Q8rl_78kOlrgzDXJKHy6AmUB7SDy_PFZP5CtVFxlLiNpiYtIjssupl4KCzrSj7uRpFPK8Zrh64evUtAq4XyHUp3zE9XToPNeMTgJl1fWxvJokcqdqakGVfWjaLlodR58WRa-tEiKoCLd2tabA=w426-h640" width="426" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Biggest inspiration?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Honestly, enjoying what I’m doing. I’m loving what I’m studying, I’m loving what I’m writing, I’m loving the organising work I’m part of, and the prospect of being able to spend more time doing those things. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Any other favourites?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Having downloaded it while in isolation over Christmas, I am now slightly obsessed with TikTok. It’s becoming a problem. My For You page is now 90% Taylor Swift and cat videos, sometimes both at the same time. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: Calibri;" target="_blank">buying me a virtual cuppa</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2021/12/december-2021-monthly-wrap-up.html" target="_blank">December 2021 | Monthly Wrap Up</a></span></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-74716095873263991942022-01-21T08:30:00.014+00:002022-01-21T08:30:00.175+00:005 Best Fiction Books I Read in 2021<p> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">While my Storygraph has confirmed that I read more non-fiction in 2021, I still read some cracking fiction books too! Most of those were for my degree (particularly for the end of my undergrad), but most of the books I’ve included here aren’t ones I studied (although one is!). I would love to read some more fiction in 2022 (aside from the 1920s detective fiction and Victorian sensation fiction I’ll be reading for my university research), so if you have any novels you think I would like please recommend them in the comments!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-vK8kr-HNbjps8nL5rbBPQfIUVeNs94gDMiEMgnjacrPSjZm8YvhhFCknh2P_lKPuVSonj6toKTCgQPXrGbQ_7Bp0oI4G4REDse-eOK3nmqkY3UaAEJ7Pgrtd3z90uXqoXijim30bhKWUX1LOZiADMS932KKrXqLeKStiOpgRmxl5kSlvhGIU_2PxuQ=s1500" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-vK8kr-HNbjps8nL5rbBPQfIUVeNs94gDMiEMgnjacrPSjZm8YvhhFCknh2P_lKPuVSonj6toKTCgQPXrGbQ_7Bp0oI4G4REDse-eOK3nmqkY3UaAEJ7Pgrtd3z90uXqoXijim30bhKWUX1LOZiADMS932KKrXqLeKStiOpgRmxl5kSlvhGIU_2PxuQ=s16000" /></a></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">1. Home Stretch by Graham Norton</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">This is the first fiction book I read in 2021 and it set the bar high. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Graham Norton’s fiction but I heard lots of high praise for this book and asked for it for Christmas and I could not put it down. I will definitely be reading more by Graham Norton in the future!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">This novel centres around a car crash that happens on the eve of the wedding of two people involved. It then follows those affected 20 years after the accident and truths unfurl. I got through Home Stretch so quickly and could neither wait to see what happened next or guess what was going to happen next. It is written with so much love and I would highly recommend it!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">2. Lady Audley’s Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Ugh, I love this book so much. It’s my favourite of all the books I read in my undergraduate degree – I know, big claim for an English Lit and Politics student but what can I say – and it’s basically the reason I’m doing the research Master’s I’m doing. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">The story is a kind of murder mystery/detective story, following Robert Audley as he reunites with his old friend George then tries to track him down once he goes missing, with revelations coming out as he carries out his investigation. It didn’t feel like I was studying reading this book and honestly couldn’t put it down. Some of the ‘secrets’ weren’t really a surprise to me but I was still gripped the whole way through. There’s a whole lot you can say about prisons and gender in this book and I just love it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">3. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Brit Bennett is great at worldbuilding, and brings colourism to the extreme in a town that has deliberately bred itself so that while Black in their heritage, its inhabitants can are so pale they can ‘pass’ as white outside of the town. The Vanishing Half follows the stories of twins Desiree and Stella as they run away from their home town to New Orleans as teenagers, and then as their lives diverge and they become wives and mothers but nevertheless estranged sisters and daughters. It is beautifully written, heartbreaking at times, funny at times, with characters who seem real. Bennett touches on so many issues such as colourism, classism, access to trans healthcare, hate crimes, and domestic abuse.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">This book has been hyped up so much and it is definitely deserved. I Would highly recommend and can’t wait to see what Brit Bennet writes next! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">4. Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Kawaguchi uses a simple concept (limited time travel no less) to expand on the different characters who use or work in a small family-run coffee shop. The result is honestly gorgeous. This book is absolutely beautiful. It is so simple and so heartbreaking and all of the characters are so gorgeously human and felt so real. It’s short and easy to read, so won’t take long, and it could actually be treated almost like a collection of short stories, just all set in the same place. I’ve not read much Japanese fiction before, but after reading this I certainly want to explore the work of Kawaguchi and other Japanese writers more. I highly, highly recommend if you want something wholesome yet heartbreaking – in a good way!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: large;">5. Olive by Emma Gannon</span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">I was addicted to this book. If I hadn’t had to sleep and work I would probably have read it in one sitting. Instead, it took me 2 days but I was glued to it whenever I had a spare minute (my flatmates can attest to this). I think Olive is my favourite fiction book of the year. Yep, you heard that right. I may have been slightly late to the game, but honestly Olive is SO good. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">Olive follows a group of friends as they leave their university shared house and grow through their 20s and 30s, focusing on a period in their early twenties where families and children are taking centre stage. It is told from the point of view of Olive (you may have guessed from the title) and her struggles around not wanting children in a friendship group where that seems the only topic of conversation. All of the characters are s beautifully written and I absolutely loved listening in on Olive’s thoughts. I have so many friends I want to specifically recommend this book to so if you’re my pal IRL don’t be surprised if you get this as a present from me at some point! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US">What were your favourite novels of 2021?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: Calibri;" target="_blank">buying me a virtual cuppa</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you liked this post you might like: 10 Best Non-Fiction Books I Read in 2021</span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-55185270605401024352022-01-07T08:30:00.010+00:002022-01-07T08:30:00.177+00:0010 Best Non-Fiction Books I Read in 2021<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">2021 for me was definitely the year of incredible non-fiction books. Don’t get me wrong, I read some great fiction too, but it was so so hard trying to decide which titles to include in my top 10 non-fiction this year. I could probably have made a top 20 but who has the time for that. Instead, I thought I’d include my top 10 plus an honourable mentions section – because we all need more incredible books in our lives. All of these are, in my opinion, must reads, just to save me from repeating that over and over again as I discuss each book. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-01v3p1CjX0t-_kzGOl2nhDetHSg9OLmQhdSG4NWznO20xx9QTD98lxAChuptqu0cahWXcZgio6HEsEYP4CS85V8TzJvg6g7ALaiFZt0HKHUNW9B61Y2KHNOF7I1f1SfBabib7_Z18WK-Lo2sru2izFjWJb4JtpViY_RKDmIve58jW3_tXezuZPRzLA=s1500" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-01v3p1CjX0t-_kzGOl2nhDetHSg9OLmQhdSG4NWznO20xx9QTD98lxAChuptqu0cahWXcZgio6HEsEYP4CS85V8TzJvg6g7ALaiFZt0HKHUNW9B61Y2KHNOF7I1f1SfBabib7_Z18WK-Lo2sru2izFjWJb4JtpViY_RKDmIve58jW3_tXezuZPRzLA=s16000" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b></span><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">1. Are Prisons Obsolete? By Angela Davis</span></u></b></span></h2><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b><span lang="EN-US">I’ve read (and listened to) a fair bit by Angela Davis this year and will be making my way through more of her works in 2022 too I’m sure. <br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">If you’re unsure on why prisons (or the police for that matter) are a bad things or kind of get why but couldn’t really articulate it to someone else, this book will help you understand it. Are Prisons Obsolete? breaks down a complex and daunting topic and makes it actually okay to understand. That’s what I love about Angela Davis: that although she is an academic, her writing is accessible and understandable, rather than deliberately vague and elitist in language. She looks at who is most affected by the prison system, the origins of the prison industrial complex, what the prison industrial complex is, how it intersects with other justice issues, how it is upheld culturally and economically globally. A game-changing read. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b></span><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">2. Consumed by Aja Barber </span></u></b></span></h2><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b><span lang="EN-US">Consumed is the book I was most excited to get this year. And I was not disappointed. Aja has created an incredible and comprehensive guide to consumption’s climate impact and its colonial roots.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">There is so much of value in Consumed, from both Aja and the many experts she brings in to comment on the topics the book covers. Some topics are particularly pertinent and need to be discussed, such as the issue of the words ‘poor’ and ‘rich’ and who constitutes each especially in the Global North. Aja focuses on fashion and clothes consumption here but also expands to look at the macro picture of climate justice and how capitalism and colonialism combine forces to create the climate crisis. This would make such a great present for anyone who wants to learn more about sustainability!</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBeXtsYW2cutyaBtvi1q2lG_ynG9i-vdGqWsAjswD3c-KqFYR3cZQiLP18fdIwLNfMRVGaqWT1qwtPeM-tEMYZQSZZQgRPYK3kPJt3qx_KTRfw2REpKdkQqf8Kml1s4WdMBetklJtkHYfixh2AUj8X30SzxTjGHOfTDvo4QLiekqdPIjOhgiIeWInQCw=s3024" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBeXtsYW2cutyaBtvi1q2lG_ynG9i-vdGqWsAjswD3c-KqFYR3cZQiLP18fdIwLNfMRVGaqWT1qwtPeM-tEMYZQSZZQgRPYK3kPJt3qx_KTRfw2REpKdkQqf8Kml1s4WdMBetklJtkHYfixh2AUj8X30SzxTjGHOfTDvo4QLiekqdPIjOhgiIeWInQCw=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b></span><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">3. We Are the Weather by Jonathan Safran Foer</span></u></b></span></h2><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b><span lang="EN-US">Ugh this book gave me a crisis about the climate crisis. I might have read it too quickly and made that panic and anxiety worse by doing so, but it is quite an addictive read (and I literally had nothing else to do as I was on holiday visiting my grandparents and isolating having been pinged at the time. All I did was read books in the sun, it was great). Be prepared to be slightly overwhelmed with lots of climate facts being thrown at you by this book, especially in the middle. It is intense, I won’t lie to you. But it does get sandwiched between deeply personal narratives that show what is really at the heart of climate justice – personal stories and caring. If I met Jonathan Safran Foer in person we might have a debate about effective solutions (he focuses on just one quite a lot in this book and think that one solution is part of a coalition of many strategies), this book is certainly motivating.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikODtPhj99bK0s-zfj-EFmcS-A1Uotv7uEqHyoShl8s1CP9-_E6yB86hID0kZfRUbZ2e7l-jAJwErk31f-r0DVGBvq9zWzfVfyjoGxUE3WcvQMVKm1XI0wZ2bXF2A8zFXGfLPlDkoY3mPLB44Lf5sD2N8xtiubMLnduEirZkyJr2xOaPQnGBhlNvQnrw=s752" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikODtPhj99bK0s-zfj-EFmcS-A1Uotv7uEqHyoShl8s1CP9-_E6yB86hID0kZfRUbZ2e7l-jAJwErk31f-r0DVGBvq9zWzfVfyjoGxUE3WcvQMVKm1XI0wZ2bXF2A8zFXGfLPlDkoY3mPLB44Lf5sD2N8xtiubMLnduEirZkyJr2xOaPQnGBhlNvQnrw=w399-h400" width="399" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">4. Make Bosses Pay: Why We Need Unions by Eve Livingston</span></u></b></span></h2><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b><span lang="EN-US">Part of the ever-incredible Outspoken series but Pluto Press, this book taught me so much about how unions have been attacked and disempowered in the past century and how they are fighting back in a work environment of increasing casualization and gig-work. </span><span style="background-color: white;">She also goes into detail on how union issues intersecting with all other liberation/justice movements that are so urgent right now. Gender, racial, migrant and climate justice are all workers’ issues and workers’ justice is a gender, racial, migrant, and climate issue. They cannot be separated and is one fight - </span><span lang="EN-US">all injustices are so deeply linked. <br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">It left me feeling so fired up and energised in the fight for workers’ rights, as well as better equipped to take a stand against that disempowerment through understanding of its history. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4D8NEuz64TWQ1o72odoiQtUJnXfk55AV3ZVXloNFuDWPqUSd2bxtClhs6SjB-BRhUWmIrkUn8Xoo_N95FMqGs3x7wtFjdgeTds5IZYtfGuGkJDf8Xa39sWDjGYJImE5ETb36nzz7omnIUkpglMOdMKbksVJpzgZ1XDeb-i3uOrwcRH3zpUwB5qiTAcg=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4D8NEuz64TWQ1o72odoiQtUJnXfk55AV3ZVXloNFuDWPqUSd2bxtClhs6SjB-BRhUWmIrkUn8Xoo_N95FMqGs3x7wtFjdgeTds5IZYtfGuGkJDf8Xa39sWDjGYJImE5ETb36nzz7omnIUkpglMOdMKbksVJpzgZ1XDeb-i3uOrwcRH3zpUwB5qiTAcg=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b></span><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">5. We Need to Talk About Money by Otegha Uwagba</span></u></b></span></h2><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b><span lang="EN-US">This book is a fascinating unpicking of our society’s relationship with money and how that intertwines with other justice issues such as patriarchy and white supremacy. Part memoir, part essay collection, Otegha reflects on her experiences of money growing up attending private school and Oxford as a young Black woman living in a council house, as well as looking back on her early experiences in the workplace before her self-employment. We Need to Talk About Money includes insightful commentary on the Girlboss (and its roots in upper/middle class white supremacy), the commodification of feminism, how we internalise capitalism, and the beauty tax. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2bm3GldlVKzfgrx3WSWyy5TFTKJ0cAE06APBBNrUorlxYljE7sTz1zvfOhxvqzfbvLaJKM7ax8gyxn8T3f1OV4QKnE9Q4nGnbb3eF4HO54mC60YsK2hfw86IpYi7H3CK6uwPahXdvhkbLckRjHHPIMvua_ZWpnZ0o1tpaShS1rAkTgxlfZCNNQ47_Jg=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2bm3GldlVKzfgrx3WSWyy5TFTKJ0cAE06APBBNrUorlxYljE7sTz1zvfOhxvqzfbvLaJKM7ax8gyxn8T3f1OV4QKnE9Q4nGnbb3eF4HO54mC60YsK2hfw86IpYi7H3CK6uwPahXdvhkbLckRjHHPIMvua_ZWpnZ0o1tpaShS1rAkTgxlfZCNNQ47_Jg=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b></span><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">6. Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde</span></u></b></span></h2><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b><span lang="EN-US">This collection of essays is an iconic, if not legendary, work of Black feminist writing. There is so much in there, it is so rich, and so amazingly written. It’s also not a book that can really be read quickly. It’s one that needs to be savoured and taken slowly, read in chunks to be processed properly. I read it for a feminist book club I ran last academic year and I know it’s one I’m going to go over again and again. I learned so much from Audre Lorde in these essays and will continue to learn whatever I can from her I am sure. There’s so much to say about Lorde’s works, there’s no way I can cover everything in a short paragraph. Favourite essays of mine include Poetry is Not a Luxury, The Transformation of Silence Into Language and Action and The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2jwcG47sJBej3_wkYNn6YMVJlQVkci5osvE1CwmEVPEB-iqKyQOB-gxL38H0pO_-koR9bb86lodIPteEgD5nejscIhu0PfG0suXOFA9nvJ-qLwCPbBm3W8Qd0nyVtL6qQ2GaELtDPBk8sSl5LZs3LZbeMk1SUD_BrohDRCiQpXKMwpkGh7XrC4J1iWw=s3015" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3015" data-original-width="2274" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2jwcG47sJBej3_wkYNn6YMVJlQVkci5osvE1CwmEVPEB-iqKyQOB-gxL38H0pO_-koR9bb86lodIPteEgD5nejscIhu0PfG0suXOFA9nvJ-qLwCPbBm3W8Qd0nyVtL6qQ2GaELtDPBk8sSl5LZs3LZbeMk1SUD_BrohDRCiQpXKMwpkGh7XrC4J1iWw=w301-h400" width="301" /></a></div><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b></span><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">7. Loved Clothes Last by Orsola de Castro</span></u></b></span></h2><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b><span lang="EN-US">This book should be read in combination with Consumed. They genuinely make such a great pairing and feed into each other so well. While some things in this book weren’t new to me (they might be to you!), I did learn a lot about specific fabrics and production practices that was really valuable to my understanding of sustainability in fashion, as well as learning about new DIYs and upcycling ideas to week out the lives of garments we love! It’s full of so much love, hope, and joy for clothes and for the fashion industry, whilst equipping the reader with tools for change.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmtpbMmqwqaMh6uhtf9hvx9WCHvqLBFoleEOsOLjmKXDfPiXTfc5y7kh0R1r2MHVMgIKqUz8_ukcL8pe3RWxhhkFIvbTxITbqy6JksWLrbJOXcU4MmtgiSD8d_ycgYor5xVOCEyYTsAQqyd7e0coQ-5EI1Za0dhmya0w3WokaqyCJGo_sXX2IwHNXtSQ=s3024" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmtpbMmqwqaMh6uhtf9hvx9WCHvqLBFoleEOsOLjmKXDfPiXTfc5y7kh0R1r2MHVMgIKqUz8_ukcL8pe3RWxhhkFIvbTxITbqy6JksWLrbJOXcU4MmtgiSD8d_ycgYor5xVOCEyYTsAQqyd7e0coQ-5EI1Za0dhmya0w3WokaqyCJGo_sXX2IwHNXtSQ=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><br /></u></b></span></div><div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">8. Those Who Can, Teach by Andria Zafirakou</span></u></b></span></h2><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b><span lang="EN-US">This is potentially my favourite book of the year. I know, that’s a lot to say about a book, but wow it really deserves more hype (I genuinely haven’t seen it talked about outside of one podcast episode where I first heard about it). A combination of memoir, exposé, lesson in teaching, and political manifesto, Zafirakou looks back over her teaching career from her first days leading a classroom to the day she won the Global Teacher of the Year Award, and what her life has been like since. As someone who is also a teacher outside of the formal education system, I found myself relating to many things she was saying as well as learning a whole lot. I finished this book in a day and it left me with so much hope.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3ArpUUofyZ9yl_DrG-zlKMMWrQHlKBJ4lh5fO6M1SyBHYKU7rYcj3_BujkpZ_99Fx9ddyPLMeNyFFgSQNCmccRQydp4jg-YQYWMANGGdeCEaF-MjShbwr_5lPg_j6RhbpBWiTXzyqdw0Yut4yHJmFI_lKhnHzkD3QJlk6oIE7jQjVjAZlVEIBxqqZEw=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3ArpUUofyZ9yl_DrG-zlKMMWrQHlKBJ4lh5fO6M1SyBHYKU7rYcj3_BujkpZ_99Fx9ddyPLMeNyFFgSQNCmccRQydp4jg-YQYWMANGGdeCEaF-MjShbwr_5lPg_j6RhbpBWiTXzyqdw0Yut4yHJmFI_lKhnHzkD3QJlk6oIE7jQjVjAZlVEIBxqqZEw=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b></span><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">9. What White People Can Do Next by Emma Dabiri</span></u></b></span></h2><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b><span lang="EN-US">This book is one of the most insightful and impactful books I have ever read. I made so many notes and had to take many breaks just to let some of the things I read in it sink in. I also know it is a book I will be re-reading for a very long time to come.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Emma Dabiri goes through the construction of race and whiteness and how capitalism is at the core of racialization and white supremacy. She explains everything in such a comprehensive and concise way, and so many paragraphs and sentences are so impactful I had to keep putting my book down to just think about them for a little bit before continuing reading. Emma also reflects on anti-racist activism in its forms today, especially looking at how it is entwined with capitalism, individualism, and performativity, and how we need to move beyond that to achieve coalition. A must read (especially if you posted a square on Black Out Tuesday and haven’t done much since).<br /></span><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgz29MkuiAmrZSWufcIMCKpVT0tXRQccfPmU7E4KMXA99ub6K1WZUkJmaAmNmM944n49Bao4dyQEGE2WFeArs6IwU0uGNPhi8yKQboOKycabmJ9xzHH5enLfOdGmlaBqYq3h0V-3-mGQIdFpI5KF3D-yV5hNecXAgN0bUqxpzjeVCEugljK6nZdKVEL2A=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgz29MkuiAmrZSWufcIMCKpVT0tXRQccfPmU7E4KMXA99ub6K1WZUkJmaAmNmM944n49Bao4dyQEGE2WFeArs6IwU0uGNPhi8yKQboOKycabmJ9xzHH5enLfOdGmlaBqYq3h0V-3-mGQIdFpI5KF3D-yV5hNecXAgN0bUqxpzjeVCEugljK6nZdKVEL2A=w300-h400" width="300" /></a></div><br /></u></b></span><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">10. A Curious History of Sex by Kate Lister</span></u></b></span></h2><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b><span lang="EN-US">People who know me in real life know I get really nerdy about sex education and sex history, and just generally facts about sex. It’s so fascinating, and there’s so much that we just aren’t taught in mainstream education. Kate Lister brings us through so many aspects of sex history, from vulvas, penises, sex toys, bicycles, and the creation of Viagra…there are so many fun facts! It’s also one of the funniest books I’ve read this year – Kate’s writing is a joy to read. <br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">There are also so many amazing images which make readng this book in public all the more fun as passersby will likely get ambushed with a close-up image of a Victorian vulva. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjK4XAaQcsxOhLQzdzByU1idIy2H8kq6G_5_ZcTAMsq3Cseeb5-zGFjF8SORjDMMy-JlMHtPK5UfXhaNopInoMgp9lJYSpymtT5Lah4n7txjJm03gPma0usuiglttXpo9Ysy9QHm-j1jVA4Xv2HKC-yX2OLewr8tmQx0bp0biXQ4x6tb_T6jOTEusZX-Q=s750" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjK4XAaQcsxOhLQzdzByU1idIy2H8kq6G_5_ZcTAMsq3Cseeb5-zGFjF8SORjDMMy-JlMHtPK5UfXhaNopInoMgp9lJYSpymtT5Lah4n7txjJm03gPma0usuiglttXpo9Ysy9QHm-j1jVA4Xv2HKC-yX2OLewr8tmQx0bp0biXQ4x6tb_T6jOTEusZX-Q=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b></span><h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">Honourable Mentions</span></u></b></span></h2><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u><span lang="EN-US">I Wish I Knew This Earlier by Toni Tone<br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion by Tansy Hoskins<br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">I’m Afraid of Men by Vivek Shraya</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US">Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Davis</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></span></div><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: Calibri;" target="_blank">buying me a virtual cuppa</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2021/08/ipcc.html" target="_blank">25 Ways to Take Climate Action After the IPCC Report</a></span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter<br /><br /></a></span></div></div></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-70006021730634393202021-12-29T08:30:00.001+00:002021-12-29T08:30:00.168+00:00December 2021 | Monthly Wrap Up<p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">December, you have been stressful.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDLlyXt-jRquy76TYMY4c-XwSFinUKUS2ba34D2T9F5nII0DE7oi05_pyh4pjWZxqMCWMUtwT_twJ9juFfTUuadKfIWxRrOQ5kaZnLvaTevZ15x5uEyUO0C9gDJAmYLRTvI36yTZzNSGcOuDMLlzhg4YEVBAE1GC50NrpaGZKs7NuIaxL_NH-Z5qpukA=s1434" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1043" data-original-width="1434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDLlyXt-jRquy76TYMY4c-XwSFinUKUS2ba34D2T9F5nII0DE7oi05_pyh4pjWZxqMCWMUtwT_twJ9juFfTUuadKfIWxRrOQ5kaZnLvaTevZ15x5uEyUO0C9gDJAmYLRTvI36yTZzNSGcOuDMLlzhg4YEVBAE1GC50NrpaGZKs7NuIaxL_NH-Z5qpukA=s16000" /></a></div><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite part?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I started off the month well by taking part in Remake’s last Community Call of the year, as one of many ambassdors sharing our experiences campaigning for a fairer fashion industry this year. Later that week I attended Remake’s press conference launching their 2021 Accountability Report to the world! It was my first ever press conference and I learned a lot listening to Becca Coughlan, Ayesha Barenblat, and Elizabeth Cline discuss the report and what went into making it. The findings of the report will be featured I many of the articles I write for Remake in the future! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">December was also a time to celebrate friends’ birthdays, with karaoke and a British Icons themed party back to back. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I was also part of another Green New Deal Rising challenge team this month. This time <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CXlUQghjji1/?utm_medium=copy_link" target="_blank">we went to speak to Tim Farron</a> in Newcastle. Our conversation was encouraging, with Tim saying he was 90 per cent sure he would support the GND bill, however we are yet to hear confirmation of his support.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I continued the Green New Deal theme with a talk on the topic with Newcastle Feminist Society. I really enjoyed giving the talk and discussing climate justice issues with the group of attendees – I’m so looking forward to running more climate events next year! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">In the middle of doing lots of life admin and work for my uni deadlines, I managed to get my booster vaccine. Despite much stress and hand sanitiser, I ended up testing positive for Covid on Christmas morning (great timing, I know). So I’ve been masked up ever since Christmas, staying 2 metres away from my family wherever possible, with all windows and doors open and lots more hand sanitiser. Just your average Christmas!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7ES1GrCPSQqgFKnVOerwSQVczImAqq7mt6t-ZWc6O2LdJTpexQge6EVjeAYiCxHQ6tmtcneb03GRxZktJZ9U0xu08pOy-_TQMcKDUboEnrETipmz7IZtdr0hq0QS8oOZjaecmvbhXq0am0ZTI8cqEs89epPx3Sch0h2XKMrjXX9gbCDDWSb3D8sZA8Q=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7ES1GrCPSQqgFKnVOerwSQVczImAqq7mt6t-ZWc6O2LdJTpexQge6EVjeAYiCxHQ6tmtcneb03GRxZktJZ9U0xu08pOy-_TQMcKDUboEnrETipmz7IZtdr0hq0QS8oOZjaecmvbhXq0am0ZTI8cqEs89epPx3Sch0h2XKMrjXX9gbCDDWSb3D8sZA8Q=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Best read?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">After being recommended it by friends, I read <u>I’m Afraid of Men by Vivek Sharma</u> which is incredible. Vivek discusses her relationship with men throughout her life, both romantically and elsewhere in her life, particularly in men’s behaviour to her as a brown trans woman. It is brilliant and I highly recommend reading this book with a friend to discuss (or have it as part of a book club!) – it’s one that needs discussion afterwards I think. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I then finished reading <u>The Novel and the Police by D. A. Miller</u> for my degree. I have lots of thoughts although I’m not sure if this is the right place for them, I also need to figure them out a bit more before I write on them. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I read <u>Angela Davis’ Freedom is a Constant Struggle</u>, which is a short but impactful read. It’s a collection of essays, interviews and speeches by Angela Davis on the interlinking topics of Palestine, Ferguson, prison abolition, feminism, and more. She explains things so concisely and accessibly it is a joy to read Davis’ writing. I can’t wait to read more of her work. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I then read <u>Olive by Emma Gannon</u>, which I absolutely adored. Check out my upcoming Best Fiction Books of 2021 post for more of my thoughts on this book. But yes, I could go on about it for days. Read it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I’m currently in the middle of reading <u>Aurora Floyd by Mary Elizabeth Braddon</u> and <u>How to be an Anti-Capitalist in the Twenty-First Century by Erik Olin Wright</u>. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh36zalXCGOrSSOWgf0Yu0aa2HKiQtmA2NCsZBdedtW0HUDPdWQ0yiQMRZPDP1MSH3h8bNWrPHxnrFqQwOvUDUmJL_SRpfJXddQF6_aeyGEIBa9ELYxksPEMHFW0lisUZnIASBd3eCecFHI7JZ3TJdWP_MpHS7F3yC18AP24FJETI20US2B0eISrvrnWA=s3024" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh36zalXCGOrSSOWgf0Yu0aa2HKiQtmA2NCsZBdedtW0HUDPdWQ0yiQMRZPDP1MSH3h8bNWrPHxnrFqQwOvUDUmJL_SRpfJXddQF6_aeyGEIBa9ELYxksPEMHFW0lisUZnIASBd3eCecFHI7JZ3TJdWP_MpHS7F3yC18AP24FJETI20US2B0eISrvrnWA=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite listen?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I’ve not been listening to many podcasts in December which is slightly odd for me I think. Instead, I’ve had about three albums on repeat. Those albums have been Between Us by Little Mix, Red (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift, and 30 by Adele. My gals have had me covered! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite watch?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I finished watching New Girl, and ten got fully into the swing of crappy Christmas romcoms. I’ve practically watched every one available on Netflix. I watched Dash and Lily, The Holidate, Last Christmas, The Castle at Christmas, The Princess Switch films, The Christmas Prince films, Noelle, among others I’m sure. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I also watched the BBC 3 dating and dancing show I Like the Way You Move. I got through the series really quickly and I’m looking forward to the net series! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Outside of the Christmas film extravaganza, I also watched Ophelia, a retelling of Hamlet from the point of view of the character the film is named after. I knew the story of Hamlet before but had never actually seen it before, and now after watching this film I want to see a staging of Hamlet. It was a nice chill watch when I was quite tired and needed some characters to get attached to. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Obviously on Christmas Day and the days surrounding, I watched all the Christmas specials under the sun. That’s what this time of year is for!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I also rewatched the final season of my old favourite, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The point in the show is so comforting and I absolutely adore. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">The day before this is pubished, I finished watching A Very British Scandal, which I thought was very well put together and certainly as a lot to say on the prevalence of the sexual double standard and the stigma around female pleasure. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieEPW62QThBJ7gsMGdVm4BnQixs5iIFg9GqxiwVQy1R9N0_ffdRZKQvVq_s7VM0Clrj1T-F8uEN-gvdaYXGHqSSNhb5tREU2TFsIH1IG1R1JeF4rzFwWHJtVZtpnS42Jgg_wbK9b-Bi597P9v0Mg-5HuLPO5wQpsd-pV5LTRwQgpVudxAoSGdMn7DxRg=s1800" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1215" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieEPW62QThBJ7gsMGdVm4BnQixs5iIFg9GqxiwVQy1R9N0_ffdRZKQvVq_s7VM0Clrj1T-F8uEN-gvdaYXGHqSSNhb5tREU2TFsIH1IG1R1JeF4rzFwWHJtVZtpnS42Jgg_wbK9b-Bi597P9v0Mg-5HuLPO5wQpsd-pV5LTRwQgpVudxAoSGdMn7DxRg=w432-h640" width="432" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5690810/" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">What did I learn?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Oof, I’m not sure. Some coincidences in life are actually hilarious. I need to make my schedule more sustainable so I don’t burn out. The usual I guess?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">What’s happening next month?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">First of all, I’ll be c</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">oming out of isolation and trying to make sure I rest after Covid. I’ve also got two university deadlines in January and the beginning of February so those and resting are my priorities. And to be honest, apart from those I’m not sure exactly what else will be happening. I should be celebrating a few friends’ birthdays as well as my friends’ engagement, but we’re awaiting news of potential restrictions in January. The suspense of restrictions leaves what work I’ll be doing and events I’ll be going to in the New Year hanging in the balance, as with everyone else in England. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">What’s been on my mind?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Trying to find time for rest and sleep, getting everything done I need to before I went to visit my family for Christmas, and Covid stress. A lot of Covid stress. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite post?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2021/12/10-organisations-to-donate-to.html" target="_blank">10 Organisations to Donate to This Holiday Season</a>! I loved highlighting some organisations whose work I am so in awe of and believe in. Please consider donating to them outside of the holiday period, regular donations and all year round donations help so much.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzLRZKeMdVCj34l73LRFZ7BaFmoygKlsH-Q6gL53qZIho3WVRfxH-JDYE_THg7FXNOoBIUKYSxPgI03HvLL0cRbqbmNt19sOhvRKSuKJXBCy8RMMUcnxoH_rEM0Veg3Y-ZMsw9PWiI7VMBYtGXTt68XzePLoxYhTQDJIUqqqELheGLF3EHvoza5taVwg=s1500" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzLRZKeMdVCj34l73LRFZ7BaFmoygKlsH-Q6gL53qZIho3WVRfxH-JDYE_THg7FXNOoBIUKYSxPgI03HvLL0cRbqbmNt19sOhvRKSuKJXBCy8RMMUcnxoH_rEM0Veg3Y-ZMsw9PWiI7VMBYtGXTt68XzePLoxYhTQDJIUqqqELheGLF3EHvoza5taVwg=w426-h640" width="426" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Biggest inspiration?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Putting together an <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CX8gS1LKyvH/?utm_medium=copy_link" target="_blank">Instagram reel of 2021 highlights</a> was actually really (or should I say reel-y?) comforting to me. It’s so easy to be so pessimistic when looking back on the past couple of years and think every second has been shitty, and don’t get me wrong there has been plenty of shittiness, but there has also been a heck of a lot of good bits in there too, and a lot of hope. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Any other favourites?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Do leftover roast potatoes count? </span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: Calibri;" target="_blank">buying me a virtual cuppa</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2021/12/november-2021-monthly-wrap-up.html" target="_blank">November 2021 | Monthly Wrap Up</a></span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-59901219650438486982021-12-17T11:48:00.001+00:002021-12-17T11:48:06.433+00:0010 Organisations to Donate To This Holiday Season<div><span lang="EN-US">Christmas is just around the corner (literally next week) and gift guides have flooded blogs everywhere. It is also the time of year consumption and waste get thrown into overdrive, which we know isn’t great for ourselves or for the planet. There is so much pressure to buy loads of things for people that they most likely to do not need and might not actually want or use, so a donation is a plastic-free, waste-free gift that will likely mean a lot. I love receiving donations as presents, they’re so special especially if they’re for a cause you’re particularly passionate about. I’ve picked a range but many of the charities and organisations I’ve featured here do focus on refugee solidarity, which seems fitting as the Christmas story is one of a child refugee after all.</span></div><div><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSRkJ1Toz4pZ6hCaibqS7yiEgX0vvlMnMA0u7uYPJTgh1OMauSjCskDQksplyUqwa7PoTElMtxUaYFyOHqRmgEhYMv5sckv9oTQVx-ZY4XfT_7MAQxIcyYggywEj512eAe5NFOvj9dgJvE57o33GBaVevHSyoELZypjmR6mC3goz_l3ipkst27g_P-ZA=s1500" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSRkJ1Toz4pZ6hCaibqS7yiEgX0vvlMnMA0u7uYPJTgh1OMauSjCskDQksplyUqwa7PoTElMtxUaYFyOHqRmgEhYMv5sckv9oTQVx-ZY4XfT_7MAQxIcyYggywEj512eAe5NFOvj9dgJvE57o33GBaVevHSyoELZypjmR6mC3goz_l3ipkst27g_P-ZA=s16000" /></a></div><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></u></b><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">1. <a href="https://www.giveyourbest.uk/howtogive" target="_blank">Give Your Best</a></span></span></u></b></h3><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">As the first online catalogue of donated clothing where refugee and asylum seeking women can shop for free, Give Your Best combine slow fashion with refugee solidarity. Rather than just being handed whatever clothing is available, Give Your Best gives displaced women back their agency when it comes to clothing choices, as many people will flee their homes with only the clothes on their back. They also focus on items such as maternity clothes which may not have been needed when people initially fled their homes. So far over 500 women have shopped with Give Your Best, an incredible number that will likely on further grow. You can donate your clothes to Give Your Best, but also some of their newly made t-shirts and fundraiser prints would also make great Christmas gifts! If you want to learn more about how Give Your Best runs, <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/17P98qjJt8Jb7H-KP-HK4Aq9AnPT9IxWI/view" style="color: #954f72;">check out this guide</a>. </span></div><div><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5ssQ5EL3aUAFu0PmECZh2aWe9ZykdK-DqvdE_CMasbna_pdxsCPOv5SdXlpVmvSZq6iAZ6DeGlxwvIlByWmPDqo3kkzrfNzX85vP9Fb5rAXwYEkVC1xPYsHFSalUS2II3utwsgW1vhNAORpBmoAJCYCcB9Oh_gTymooQFOSyC704of1mhAEImPveukQ=s1832" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1832" data-original-width="1832" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5ssQ5EL3aUAFu0PmECZh2aWe9ZykdK-DqvdE_CMasbna_pdxsCPOv5SdXlpVmvSZq6iAZ6DeGlxwvIlByWmPDqo3kkzrfNzX85vP9Fb5rAXwYEkVC1xPYsHFSalUS2II3utwsgW1vhNAORpBmoAJCYCcB9Oh_gTymooQFOSyC704of1mhAEImPveukQ=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.giveyourbest.uk/meet-the-team" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">2. <a href="https://actions.bloodygoodperiod.com/d/festiveperiod/?freq=single" target="_blank">Bloody Good Period</a></span></span></u></b></h3><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Bloody Good Period are a London based organisation which aims to support refugees and asylum-seekers facing period poverty. They distribute menstrual products for free in London and to organisations support menstruating refugees and asylum seekers all over the UK. But this is only part of their work. Bloody Good Period also seek to tackle menstrual and sexual health stigma so that conversations around periods are normalised, to be a part of making change when it comes to the treatment of people who menstruate, and to make education on sexual and reproductive health more accessible.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">BGP have run several amazing campaigns over the years, including Blood Good Employers which seeks to change the way workplaces are run so that people who menstruate are not at a disadvantage to people who do not. They also run the campaign Decolonising Menstruation in collaboration with Decolonising Contraception, which you can learn more about <a href="https://www.bloodygoodperiod.com/post/decolonising-menstruation-an-introduction" style="color: #954f72;">here</a>.</span></div><div><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgy-aVZn7zUCFHgFejjpEIJC52geJ4Jim98AGGxivJ_-YP1UrYAxjINHviSVnoxsBg-XLKJePgSbvZs0aBr3B89iBz5WY2TqffFs36bN6E3Dr0ydR8gp_v2ZMlKdNAssuI6HW1upNLdwJiCmOVCHd8lm0tDbJ1bUccWlfdiOQP084rsUUYtKI5EGs0P2A=s1440" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1440" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgy-aVZn7zUCFHgFejjpEIJC52geJ4Jim98AGGxivJ_-YP1UrYAxjINHviSVnoxsBg-XLKJePgSbvZs0aBr3B89iBz5WY2TqffFs36bN6E3Dr0ydR8gp_v2ZMlKdNAssuI6HW1upNLdwJiCmOVCHd8lm0tDbJ1bUccWlfdiOQP084rsUUYtKI5EGs0P2A=w400-h225" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.bloodygoodperiod.com" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">3. <a href="https://remake.world/giveyourvalues/" target="_blank">Remake</a></span></span></u></b></h3><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">If you’ve seen me anywhere online before, you will have most likely heard about Remake. I have a lot of love for Remake as an ambassador and as a writer for them. Remake do a lot of amazing work, including being at the forefront of the Pay Up Fashion campaign which began at the beginning of the pandemic after brands refused to pay for ready-made orders, pushing for the passing of the Garment Worker Protection Act in California, and putting pressure on brands to renew the Bangladesh Accord into the International Accord and ensuring garment workers globally have a base-level of health and safety at work. <br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Remake are currently on a fundraising drive with a campaign called #GiveYourValues, which is a modification of their phrase Wear Your Values, which relates to having a slow mindset relating to fashion. They are aiming to raise $100,000 by New Year’s Eve, which, if achieved will be matched with an additional $100,000 by the Martini Education Trust. This is an incredible opportunity or Remake to kickstart their 2022 and giving the campaigns and advocacy work next year and extra boost.<br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">This money will go towards working with garment worker unions, communicating with and putting pressure on brands, running campaigns, paying writers (like me!), raising awareness of the labour and environmental crisis within the fashion industry, and pushing for justice to finally be achieved from the fallout of the pandemic on garment workers. It’s safe to say it will go a long way. </span></div><div><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhweKlNacstacGTLyvf0bxLVn4wK6iOwKL7JBq35ugkf0kF-0NQ_R9_WTg1YVkZp9E2NIC8p3UjEDNW_eha36ut_ad-D9UZnnsf0jzevewJPjGYc3Hsg9PQRTwChzqEKZb_LhGIHfM1DmRUpjakyNWQCt1Qt88WJ9NTTu0dxfBRXSFSQrSK5YRiuAdh-Q=s1080" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhweKlNacstacGTLyvf0bxLVn4wK6iOwKL7JBq35ugkf0kF-0NQ_R9_WTg1YVkZp9E2NIC8p3UjEDNW_eha36ut_ad-D9UZnnsf0jzevewJPjGYc3Hsg9PQRTwChzqEKZb_LhGIHfM1DmRUpjakyNWQCt1Qt88WJ9NTTu0dxfBRXSFSQrSK5YRiuAdh-Q=w400-h300" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://remake.world/stories/news/martini-trust-pledges-to-match-remake-donations-through-the-end-of-the-year/" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">4. <a href="https://www.calaisappeal.co.uk/coming-soon-03" target="_blank">Calais Appeal</a></span></span></u></b></h3><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">This year, <a href="https://corporatewatch.org/choose-love-why-is-the-charity-funder-quitting-calais-this-christmas/" target="_blank">Choose Love are withdrawing funding from most organisations they previously supported working in and around Calais</a> to support asylum seekers (except 2 organisations supporting unaccompanied children) for reasons that aren’t particularly clear. This will have a devastating blow to so many people. Normally I would suggest donating to Choose Love as they make it so easy and support such a wide range of services and support networks for asylum seekers and refugees all over the world. However, this year your donation will likely have more impact going towards those smaller organisations, groups and services directly. <br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Calais Appeal fundraise to support 7 grassroots organisations working in Calais to support forcibly displaced people. They also shares expertise, resources and collaborate to provide emergency materials for people stuck at the border. Members organisations include Calais Food Collective, Collective Aid, Human Rights Observers, Woodyard, Refugee Women’s Center, Refugee Info Bus and Project Play. With Choose Love withdrawing funding, Calais Appeal is vital to keeping these projects going. No donation is too big or too small to create and maintain cross-border solidarity. </span></div><div><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6yBkoSHH-hT0-NsIw_bnV96DCOkJTPfuCwh1BwHQZ66u-ey8Dl4pYQVWM4Av1BjkXG5qB8ZQ5HTFzhTls2h-xihlaNR2dQVG1rA6GhjlRErS-L2aoThFe7bfYAUfOwfghumh895ocqefyRFvdo2dpG2udQ_N-wGyaRCE-ZvoQBAOPXiwXQlARAchehg=s1149" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="767" data-original-width="1149" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6yBkoSHH-hT0-NsIw_bnV96DCOkJTPfuCwh1BwHQZ66u-ey8Dl4pYQVWM4Av1BjkXG5qB8ZQ5HTFzhTls2h-xihlaNR2dQVG1rA6GhjlRErS-L2aoThFe7bfYAUfOwfghumh895ocqefyRFvdo2dpG2udQ_N-wGyaRCE-ZvoQBAOPXiwXQlARAchehg=w400-h268" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.calaisappeal.co.uk" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">5. <a href="https://www.gndrising.org/support/" target="_blank">Green New Deal Rising</a></span></span></u></b></h3><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Green New Deal Rising are a grassroots movement of 16-35 year olds working to implement a Green New Deal in the UK. In the past few weeks they have run a fundraising campaign to get 200 people to donate an hour’s wage to the movement every month, providing a solid base to enhance the work they’re doing and ensure a Green New Deal is at the forefront of the political agenda in 2022 and beyond. That target was smashed over a week before Christmas and a new goal of 300 regular donors has been made. <br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Despite only being in existence for 4 months, Green New Deal Rising has achieved so much and got the Green New Deal onto the political agenda with a bang. You might have seen some of their viral videos on social media challenging politicians over their climate actions. These have included talking to Rishi Sunak (two times), Keir Starmer (also two times), and Nicola Sturgeon among many, many more. Next year, Green New Deal Rising are hoping to up their game and deliver bigger and more noticeable actions which will only be able to happen if they have the necessary funding. This funding is so vital to getting more and more young people involved – it allows for travel, resources, and even accommodation for certain actions to be paid for, making participation so much more accessible. </span></div><div><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGPyAofrxlwxr8n6KyIcluvQVCMU2fl3kIKfB6DgfD6tm0_wq4OwY1DAY3OTodUWmlQKtpDGV3bRsSRMj_9uKyVDX7nGSra_hpyngHjYtynaD31L2XPmb8zn1SBWF555kvG62V6xU4N_4aYTfpWXeguSKs6hCEgf2f9XhYzlikZw_PwZMJbU9dO2cfRw=s2048" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1462" data-original-width="2048" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGPyAofrxlwxr8n6KyIcluvQVCMU2fl3kIKfB6DgfD6tm0_wq4OwY1DAY3OTodUWmlQKtpDGV3bRsSRMj_9uKyVDX7nGSra_hpyngHjYtynaD31L2XPmb8zn1SBWF555kvG62V6xU4N_4aYTfpWXeguSKs6hCEgf2f9XhYzlikZw_PwZMJbU9dO2cfRw=w400-h285" width="400" /></a></div><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">6. <a href="https://blackmindsmatteruk.enthuse.com/cp/52a0b/donation#!/">Black Minds Matter</a></span></span></u></b></h3><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Black Minds Matter connect Black individuals and families with free mental health services by pairing them up with Black therapists. This is so important for so many reasons and there are people out there much better equipped than me to explain why individuals need therapists from similar backgrounds to them. They also have a load of free mental health resources, run various different events, and by the looks of it, Black Minds Matter have loads more planned for 2022, so help make that happen!<br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">As well as donating directly you can also buy Black Minds Matter merch which are created in collaboration with Black artists and all of the profits go towards covering the cost of therapy sessions. </span></div><div><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTVGbiRnTWBbPDqzk1t01FADnvtJwSHz9TV-Geky1duDMWEvla2QMzu4szZw_X58WxUrDqwS-njh__feQySdqawIDOYkAqtYtYqUM0_W7ITVEv4WgvIu4JnQzdoz65ZqTz996Lr1T9Aws5WSAgVLX-y5RAr1viAgUPgY8mbRnp2rgLas-wCtwzkihDUw=s960" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTVGbiRnTWBbPDqzk1t01FADnvtJwSHz9TV-Geky1duDMWEvla2QMzu4szZw_X58WxUrDqwS-njh__feQySdqawIDOYkAqtYtYqUM0_W7ITVEv4WgvIu4JnQzdoz65ZqTz996Lr1T9Aws5WSAgVLX-y5RAr1viAgUPgY8mbRnp2rgLas-wCtwzkihDUw=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/uk.blackmindsmatter/photos/a.116109156796624/126486435758896/" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">7. <a href="https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/donate/" target="_blank">Mermaids</a></span></span></u></b></h3><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Running since 1995, Mermaids do vital work supporting trans children and their families. Donations maintain helpline services, advocacy for trans rights, fund residential weekends, and to create safe spaces for young people to be around others with the same experiences as them. Mermaids have educational resources for parents of trans children on how to best support their child, resources for trans children to learn more and answer any questions they might have. The statistics around trans physical and mental health are shocking, and it is so important to have organisations like Mermaids exist in order to create those support networks and communities and improve awareness among teachers, parents, healthcare professonals and other support services. <br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Mermaids have faced a lot of ridicule in the press in recent years from high-profile transphobes, so extra support will be so so needed and appreciated. </span></div><div><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglHn7Ja3gK0AqK6xj6KVuPtgL9nBzIbpYZYDYAf4hIUt55ZUw5E5lHFFgx-D5GiHMt3lrNCvO2M5_umTmnqBtXXeOdX0qBgUsRljnbZPyrR3luJTiiAEmVDcZASbVG1vdNNfc9wFd5GFBvYURNTjma_bI31hj7m24NyScunusmzyssLVMrxMAl1uIBag=s1024" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglHn7Ja3gK0AqK6xj6KVuPtgL9nBzIbpYZYDYAf4hIUt55ZUw5E5lHFFgx-D5GiHMt3lrNCvO2M5_umTmnqBtXXeOdX0qBgUsRljnbZPyrR3luJTiiAEmVDcZASbVG1vdNNfc9wFd5GFBvYURNTjma_bI31hj7m24NyScunusmzyssLVMrxMAl1uIBag=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://mermaidsuk.org.uk/news/working-for-mermaids/" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">8. <a href="https://justgiving.com/campaign/NEST" target="_blank">North East Solidarity and Teaching (N.E.S.T)</a></span></span></u></b></h2><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Run by students and graduates, N.E.S.T aims to support, empower, and educate refugees and asylum seekers in the North East of England (and as a result of the pandemic, further across the UK and Europe). <br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">This winter, N.E.S.T are running an appeal for funds to help buy toys for the children who use their services as well as care packs containing items such as underwear, shoes, and toiletries for the whole families. While the initial target has been met, N.E.S.T aways needs more funds and the money will go towards supporting one of the many different projects it encompasses. These include Circus Club for kids, homework support, nursery for toddlers and babies, English language lessons, trips around the North East, working with schools, sports sessions, and more specialist social support. The main aspect of N.E.S.T is not the specifics of the projects themselves, but more the sense of community and belonging that it fosters and allows to bloom. It’s a very special project that deserves all the support possible. </span></div><div><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAAga0N_uzFXirQxAzKwcobjw5XG7vq0JU9i4zyzSADwifg-36EzRO4XykXOTQOV2u2VL03XkKu20YfpCD4eVHX-86qW-kxsCXTcBWEI9srJaQ-y6h-Qyz8-jHN37mkfDw0jnaph3Nlm8uUEMt13ek9CkHcf0gmJR_9WNfU4WsSHIxr0oRUtOL5sOeuw=s500" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="261" data-original-width="500" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAAga0N_uzFXirQxAzKwcobjw5XG7vq0JU9i4zyzSADwifg-36EzRO4XykXOTQOV2u2VL03XkKu20YfpCD4eVHX-86qW-kxsCXTcBWEI9srJaQ-y6h-Qyz8-jHN37mkfDw0jnaph3Nlm8uUEMt13ek9CkHcf0gmJR_9WNfU4WsSHIxr0oRUtOL5sOeuw=w400-h209" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/N.E.S.T.NUSU/" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">9. <a href="https://theor.org/donate" target="_blank">The OR Foundation</a></span></u></b></h2><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">The ‘or’ in OR Foundation highlights choice and therefore agency, and the ability for us to escape the current violent socio-economic system of corporate colonialism we now see dominating the world. The OR Foundation work in the intersection of environmental justice, education, and fashion development, and aim to find and create alternative systems that are kinder to people and planet and push back against the colonial present and past of the fashion industry. <br /></span><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Their aim is to show the path to a Justice-Led Circular Economy and to help us get there quickly through collective and individual actions, holding those in power to account, educational programming and awareness, supporting sustainable independent designers, research and institutional advocacy to get people at all levels mobilized for change. They work in between Ghana and the USA, and have a focus in the Kantamanto Market in Ghana. They have so many different projects and they are all so important – the work The OR Foundation is doing is so exciting and really at the centre of change being created in the fashion industry.</span></div><div><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZCLZHO2_ddsdPJHt8GwWijvC1GeQFKmPhm2el2-9KSeAzG9NwUvkZraZnV6tTRrhkwDKox9i_P-EKt0GTq3eJlu0QDclZzcqSKdJXAI7ke6vUIe3NmV267eJYEANDEsi4KQtYxblDHr0oycdN54iHGH3s1H1KNqIRw3cvq8sLaOC4UMJnOZAMjJaxRQ=s400" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZCLZHO2_ddsdPJHt8GwWijvC1GeQFKmPhm2el2-9KSeAzG9NwUvkZraZnV6tTRrhkwDKox9i_P-EKt0GTq3eJlu0QDclZzcqSKdJXAI7ke6vUIe3NmV267eJYEANDEsi4KQtYxblDHr0oycdN54iHGH3s1H1KNqIRw3cvq8sLaOC4UMJnOZAMjJaxRQ=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/theorispresent" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US">10. <a href="https://theblackcurriculum.com/donate" target="_blank">The Black Curriculum</a></span></u></b></h2><span lang="EN-US"> <br /></span><span lang="EN-US">Started in 2019, The Black Curriculum work to decolonize the school curriculum in the UK and ensure that Black history is no longer left out of British history teaching in schools. They provide teaching training, teaching resources, run educational programmes and a whole more. . Their core aims are to provide a sense of belonging to young people across the UK, teach an accessible and educational Black British history curriculum that raises attainment, and to improve social cohesion between young people in the UK. They also run campaigns to mobile young people and get them involved in political actions to decolonize the British curriculum at a national governmental level but also support students to lobby the senior managements in their own schools to create change in how and what they are taught. </span></div><div><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5k21tqRZeLJHrfk9fDrf3Ub34HUcw4hocDCxYILPaxtKF4QkCa574-35dJ57CG5IDdilLEYSMMhr_CFXla2XJ2nfPC640pWTZyIPRamG5DIkKvoRMIPHQsa7OVV4qTx9XE3WdU8ehzuKUFyNdCXrchhLp0T_UwShNtSTp17GudvB_MusTxT_IwpdxSQ=s400" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5k21tqRZeLJHrfk9fDrf3Ub34HUcw4hocDCxYILPaxtKF4QkCa574-35dJ57CG5IDdilLEYSMMhr_CFXla2XJ2nfPC640pWTZyIPRamG5DIkKvoRMIPHQsa7OVV4qTx9XE3WdU8ehzuKUFyNdCXrchhLp0T_UwShNtSTp17GudvB_MusTxT_IwpdxSQ=w400-h400" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://mobile.twitter.com/curriculumblack" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span lang="EN-US"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: Calibri;" target="_blank">buying me a virtual cuppa</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2021/08/ipcc.html" target="_blank">25 Ways to Take Climate Action After the IPCC Report</a></span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div></span></div>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-7770979115489708682021-12-03T08:30:00.045+00:002021-12-03T08:30:00.182+00:00November 2021 | Monthly Wrap Up <p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">I have been exhausted in November but I have also been pretty happy. I just need to keep forcing myself to physically take breaks and rest.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHeSASCYtdjvsoPtiT3IN8llwJYeQb-joGCEiHnJ-ajHjomJny_N2F00sB_Dwz65mDSxHl0D8KEaj2jqTM6A7wTxB2OJcpljsmOTILBboBo8yXhRDpcissmpPooTGUb7Fgy-L9NeBpKNA/s2048/another+ranting+reader+green+new+deal+rising+cop26+stop+cambo+november+2021.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijHeSASCYtdjvsoPtiT3IN8llwJYeQb-joGCEiHnJ-ajHjomJny_N2F00sB_Dwz65mDSxHl0D8KEaj2jqTM6A7wTxB2OJcpljsmOTILBboBo8yXhRDpcissmpPooTGUb7Fgy-L9NeBpKNA/s16000/another+ranting+reader+green+new+deal+rising+cop26+stop+cambo+november+2021.jpeg" /></a></span></div><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite part?</span></span></u></b></h3><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I continued my new trend of beginning the month with an action by spending four days in Glasgow at COP26 with Green New Deal Rising. It was an incredible few days that will stick with me forever. We painted banners, took part in two marches, danced a lot, rocked matching outfits, and learned a lot from each other. I left extremely physically exhausted and with a cold but with so much energy in my heart and soul. I have so much motivation for what the future holds with GNDR and the rest of the climate movement and what we can achieve. I cannot wait to see everyone again at actions soon! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-IZASOhXtOO0prUOuiBaqNOT1Uuby0LwZHGi5MQZdFS3OouKHqLpL9qEu9zGuR7_dh4BQwHE8h6IAVvAmzm-3oNAHo67vFYi77MFvrhRVkoVlpp9XhUZE-fYzHsZ_cRrOH9TYeQTvTG9D/s856/green+new+deal+rising+cop26+GNDR+learning.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="851" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-IZASOhXtOO0prUOuiBaqNOT1Uuby0LwZHGi5MQZdFS3OouKHqLpL9qEu9zGuR7_dh4BQwHE8h6IAVvAmzm-3oNAHo67vFYi77MFvrhRVkoVlpp9XhUZE-fYzHsZ_cRrOH9TYeQTvTG9D/w636-h640/green+new+deal+rising+cop26+GNDR+learning.jpeg" width="636" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Green New Deal Rising </td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexwwJyTiYW1TgTJKKqIWN3Wq1b-xfTMAATKoA36FYrAHYZlT-2XjRpuvjcpM7pAbfNxW3kQ69jm9y8jdndF5n4cQTUww2qjNMZ6RRrrf5rOg6NB0Ym0MJdx8duPjt06cNGFF7pH76np0b/s750/gndr+pals+generation+green+new+deal+rising.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="555" data-original-width="750" height="474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiexwwJyTiYW1TgTJKKqIWN3Wq1b-xfTMAATKoA36FYrAHYZlT-2XjRpuvjcpM7pAbfNxW3kQ69jm9y8jdndF5n4cQTUww2qjNMZ6RRrrf5rOg6NB0Ym0MJdx8duPjt06cNGFF7pH76np0b/w640-h474/gndr+pals+generation+green+new+deal+rising.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I spent a lot of time trying to rest after COP and to be honest I still feel like I’m trying to catch up on rest from then. I read some more, starting rewatching some old faves, and spent a lot of much needed time by myself for a while. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">The in-person sessions of the refugee support and solidarity organisation I’m involved with started back again in November, and it has been so wonderful seeing everyone in-person again. Seeing both the learners and volunteers again after so long has been so comforting and exciting. I didn’t realise how much I’d missed them until we were back. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I’ve been spending more time working in coffee shops and cafes as well as actually in uni. I’ve been loving the Black Forest hot chocolates and peppermint tea as well as the occasion snack if I’m feeling fancy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">It’s felt quite hard to see my friends lately but I’ve actually managed to see them more than I thought! I’ve been out for cake a few times, tacos and cocktails, as well as lunch with a friend who was up in Newcastle visiting for the weekend! I also went down to Leeds to celebrate my friend’s birthday with an Otley Run. We made it despite Storm Arwen and had a great time dressed up as musical icons.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Right now I’m quite tired again, trying to keep on top of everything as well as taking care of myself. I frankly need more rest, but I’m trying to find time for that wherever possible. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZPOPH9MlVwr4Dt0WFgKtW_A81sfZGbiuM0JxOhTg9KZJxkv4af9EjoLjYYoP2AjGZ5hfZDcKhj16DoFxUDd5x6TOLoeTAp1BmmQCAalIKRFVOR2GOTpNXXuS0RYF2JfPNYEnFUBBFPt-/s750/leeds+otley+run+another+ranting+reader.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="750" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZPOPH9MlVwr4Dt0WFgKtW_A81sfZGbiuM0JxOhTg9KZJxkv4af9EjoLjYYoP2AjGZ5hfZDcKhj16DoFxUDd5x6TOLoeTAp1BmmQCAalIKRFVOR2GOTpNXXuS0RYF2JfPNYEnFUBBFPt-/w640-h476/leeds+otley+run+another+ranting+reader.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Best read?</span></span></u></b></h3><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I’ve read quite a lot this month. I feel like I’ve had a bit for a reading slump for the best past few months – basically since uni and work started picking up again after the summer – but I think I’m getting back into my groove now. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I finished reading Are Prisons Obsolete? By Angela Davis on my train to Glasgow and I can just say it is a wonderful and insightful book that I want everyone to read. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Another book I want everyone to read! This may be a theme of this month’s book section… Consumed by Aja Barber is an accessible, nuanced, and intersectional analysis of the modern fashion industry – its roots, how it damages most people, how we view consumption and wealth, and how we can take action to tackle the inequalities embedded within the system. If you’re looking to learn more about fast fashion and sustainability, start here and pair it with Loved Clothes Last by Orsola de Castro while you’re at it! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBSNH9nB8uPnc5Fw4VnjsO3OL8HFjmQ5GONymd3UtlbRyJosW7OTBHokoH599M37XDL1quKTu2cQ8aEMv-TgWiMVjmA1UFYpLOJFHIhA8EudpnLfH6UMoziEoe8PkexaWo01PB-q2Rn2b/s2048/aja+barber+consumed+another+ranting+reader.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUBSNH9nB8uPnc5Fw4VnjsO3OL8HFjmQ5GONymd3UtlbRyJosW7OTBHokoH599M37XDL1quKTu2cQ8aEMv-TgWiMVjmA1UFYpLOJFHIhA8EudpnLfH6UMoziEoe8PkexaWo01PB-q2Rn2b/w640-h640/aja+barber+consumed+another+ranting+reader.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I then read Make Bosses Pay: Why We Need Unions by Eve Livingston which is fantastic. I couldn’t put this book down and got so involved in what Eve was writing. It is essential reading for anyone who works (i.e., everyone) and particularly young workers. It got me so energized and pumped up about workers’ rights. But hey, what’s new? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCsHmETIZmmeXmEmc4oTS7418KMFjmGNHrA0VOAzDCODPsWEzE1Vp0NfnCmd0_hxJ-tvsab4B8jovaTd6x9YMjfhPtWlRtSFzSTsJBPZzyZo_PvVdDyFv7qjZee34eUVo_Ji0s3vAMRzN/s2048/make+bosses+pay+why+we+need+unions+eve+livingston+pluto+press+outspoken+another+ranting+reader.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVCsHmETIZmmeXmEmc4oTS7418KMFjmGNHrA0VOAzDCODPsWEzE1Vp0NfnCmd0_hxJ-tvsab4B8jovaTd6x9YMjfhPtWlRtSFzSTsJBPZzyZo_PvVdDyFv7qjZee34eUVo_Ji0s3vAMRzN/w480-h640/make+bosses+pay+why+we+need+unions+eve+livingston+pluto+press+outspoken+another+ranting+reader.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I read The Law and the Lady by Wilkie Collins, which will be the first book I write an essay on as part of my master’s. It features one of the first lady-detectives who is of course determined to clear her husband’s name from the charge of killing his first wife (spoiler, he is apparently innocent but somehow I’m still not convinced). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I’m currently two-thirds through Behind Closed Doors: Sex Education Transformed by Natalie Fiennes, which is a gold-mine. There is so much information in there, from graphs to stats and fun facts, and my sex-ed/history nerd self has been loving it! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite listen?</span></span></u></b></h3><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">It has probably not escaped your notice that there have been several new releases in November. First up, Red (Taylor’s Version) rocked the world. Red is probably my favourite Taylor Swift album and it was so exciting to hear those songs in a new way, as well as to get obsessed with the songs from the vault from that era. The Very First Night is such a good dance party song. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">30 by Adele also came out and it is glorious. Honestly, glorious. It’s so well written and is just brilliant. But then again what else would we expect from Adele? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I’ve also been listening to Between Us by Little Mix which also came out in November, especially the new tracks included on the album.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">The Good Omens soundtrack has become one of my new albums to listen to while working. It’s also getting me very excited for the new series! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite watch?</span></span></u></b></h3><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I’ve been watching The Americans but have had a bit of a break to rewatch New Girl for the 15<sup>th</sup> time. It’s getting a bit sad at this point. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">What did I learn?</span></span></u></b></h3><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">So much through my time in Glasgow with GNDR that I don’t feel like I can fully express.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">What’s happening next month?</span></span></u></b></h3><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">The taught part of my postgrad finishes, so from then it will just be me and my supervisors and me trying my best to have some kind of structure in my life. And I’ll be visiting my family for Christmas (potential lockdowns allowing)! I’m really looking forward to spending time with them as it has been about four months since I last saw them in person. I’m also buzzing to give my cat a massive squeeze! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I’m also going to be a guest on <a href="https://remake.world" target="_blank">Remake</a>’s December Community Call – look forward to chatting with any of you who will be attending! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">What’s been on my mind?</span></span></u></b></h3><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Frustration at our government, as always. And just trying to get everything done I guess. Hoping that I’ll be able to get back home for Christmas with any more weather or coronavirus issues. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite post?</span></span></u></b></h3><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Definitely <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2021/11/where-was-fashion-at-cop26.html" target="_blank">Where was Fashion at COP26?</a> I put a lot of time and effort into this piece and it was valuable to me to write to go over the fashion events at COP and reassess where we’re now at. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhet5S8Q9RlpknACUEzV808mHxy8knDjtVdQNS7_yG14vs0L5UD3Klp6crQf7HbLF7HRrefWkV0F1hwSseCGQJpaAc1vAdNKkGUZC6K_XVfCpGJa7IWY9HH_Q_boqXgR1jf0WUrDBY2rssy/s1500/where+was+fashion+at+COP26%253F+glasgow+climate+conference+2021+another+ranting+reader.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhet5S8Q9RlpknACUEzV808mHxy8knDjtVdQNS7_yG14vs0L5UD3Klp6crQf7HbLF7HRrefWkV0F1hwSseCGQJpaAc1vAdNKkGUZC6K_XVfCpGJa7IWY9HH_Q_boqXgR1jf0WUrDBY2rssy/w426-h640/where+was+fashion+at+COP26%253F+glasgow+climate+conference+2021+another+ranting+reader.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Biggest inspiration?</span></span></u></b></h3><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Honestly, COP. Not the actual event. The governments and officials there can do one frankly. But the people I met and spent time with there are part of GNDR gave me so much energy. I’ve never really had an experience like it and trying to describe it to people has actually been quite difficult. I came home from Glasgow with so much energy, so much joy and so much motivation. The outcomes of the formal conference may not have been inspiring, but the people all around the city were that and so much more. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPbJ0UfmitqdiAKQ66YcpCdtWxQ3joFtct5nGcUjnNUsox7o84H01d3ooY_wtLYVkysjR8mpDVJxBTr6WgnUS5HA02gMbSH4N1tynNnk6vJgvVHIhcVqNHfoVF-G3S4kTa7jHc9JUMmO8/s2048/green+new+deal+rising+cop26+not+going+anywhere+protest+another+ranting+reader.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1462" data-original-width="2048" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPbJ0UfmitqdiAKQ66YcpCdtWxQ3joFtct5nGcUjnNUsox7o84H01d3ooY_wtLYVkysjR8mpDVJxBTr6WgnUS5HA02gMbSH4N1tynNnk6vJgvVHIhcVqNHfoVF-G3S4kTa7jHc9JUMmO8/w640-h456/green+new+deal+rising+cop26+not+going+anywhere+protest+another+ranting+reader.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Any other favourites?</span></span></u></b></h3><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I managed to crack a few tricks with my spinning plate this month and I’m not sure I’ve ever been prouder of myself (yes, and that includes when I finished my degree). It feels like I’ve been trying and failing and doing tricks with my plate for so long (several months) and now I can’t stop doing them. I may be slightly obsessed and have found a new procrastination method… <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-yfocp7NC1KGgGg3lA1VLImgzFO-1qDy61Tm9vuiSjq-nTfUr7a-K3rQqadINnbNtqCi1NQTu5iMJNI9cQEhrqQmd7jeA8Zawo3o1Xlcru41zxdyOqCdtcUb5mgRDYMV3HAedwyKDj4ZN/s627/spinning+plate+trick+circus+another+ranting+reader.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="478" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-yfocp7NC1KGgGg3lA1VLImgzFO-1qDy61Tm9vuiSjq-nTfUr7a-K3rQqadINnbNtqCi1NQTu5iMJNI9cQEhrqQmd7jeA8Zawo3o1Xlcru41zxdyOqCdtcUb5mgRDYMV3HAedwyKDj4ZN/w488-h640/spinning+plate+trick+circus+another+ranting+reader.jpeg" width="488" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: Calibri;" target="_blank">buying me a virtual cuppa</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2021/11/october-2021-monthly-wrap-up.html" target="_blank">October 2021 | Monthly Wrap Up</a></span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-88755767735596437022021-11-26T08:30:00.038+00:002021-11-26T12:26:49.470+00:00Where Was Fashion at COP26?<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">By now, we all know that COP26 was a failure. It feels almost astounding how little it managed to achieve apart from the extent to which it highlighted our world leaders are the major climate hypocrites that they are.</span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5c0814d3-7fff-bb27-0ad1-fd92692c03d2"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But where was the fashion industry in all this?</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbrYEmYYuNayixPa_6KclXzn_7PrFArOMgEjik-pFE7BP9bADBKh0Dso2jrYh7Rr3NsxFQyx6rNMFgr-YD2BlVEKifhsY9yNDz_NERyrCAI52SLCpcGz4y-jlORrevkcGWKIv1-MU76Do/s1500/where+was+fashion+at+COP26%253F+glasgow+climate+conference+2021+another+ranting+reader.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCbrYEmYYuNayixPa_6KclXzn_7PrFArOMgEjik-pFE7BP9bADBKh0Dso2jrYh7Rr3NsxFQyx6rNMFgr-YD2BlVEKifhsY9yNDz_NERyrCAI52SLCpcGz4y-jlORrevkcGWKIv1-MU76Do/s16000/where+was+fashion+at+COP26%253F+glasgow+climate+conference+2021+another+ranting+reader.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At the entrance of the Blue Zone, where all the politicians and official representatives attended and took part in events, panels, and talks, the fashion industry was centre stage with an exhibition created by Sustainable Fashion Scotland Beira and ZWD. This installation, titled <a href="https://www.generationofwaste.com/" target="_blank">Generation of Waste</a>, consisted of eight caged pillars highlighting the textile waste created at each stage of a garment’s life cycle, from design all the way through to its end-of-life. Acting as a parallel to the way national growths and economies are often measured and displayed with these pillars acting as a bar chart together to highlight the urgent need for degrowth and the full extent of fashion’s waste problem. And it is a big waste problem: 144 million tonnes of textile waste generated globally every year. That’s enough to fit 2975 Hydro buildings (COP’s venue).</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not only have Generation of Waste put fashion’s waste crisis directly in front of high-profiled COP-delegates from around the world, they have also been sharing more detailed information on their website (which was linked via a QR code on the exhibition) and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/generationofwaste/" target="_blank">social media platforms</a>. For example, did you know that $5.6 million worth of textile waste is generated globally every year as a direct result from the distribution of clothes and that that is the equivalent of employing an additional 400 garment workers in the USA every year? Or can you imagine if the money used to manufacture those clothes in the first place was instead used to play the workers who made them a decent living wage? So many problems would be solved. The figure of <a href="https://www.fashionrevolution.org/usa-blog/how-much-garment-workers-really-make/" target="_blank">only 2% of garment workers worldwide being paid a living wage</a> could be radically transformed if brands took ownership of the waste crisis and pumped the money they spend on clothes that ultimately end up in landfill into the wage packets of their workers. The solution are there waiting for us, we just need them to be set in motion.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJ2B8yPBNAv9FHyAplos-PKw1_eNt6Vpwc_yST5c6aY9JBwgqsBOJVqEh6tdXPo5maf5Ce5MQQSwrFq4QdIqI1T_6UzhpaTTDsxfyTijUKcVOv3CKsOad6EPGEXUwH7OKUghYxCgaq52Z/s2048/Credit_+Lateral+North.+SFS+Generation+of+Waste+COP26+Install20211023-27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkJ2B8yPBNAv9FHyAplos-PKw1_eNt6Vpwc_yST5c6aY9JBwgqsBOJVqEh6tdXPo5maf5Ce5MQQSwrFq4QdIqI1T_6UzhpaTTDsxfyTijUKcVOv3CKsOad6EPGEXUwH7OKUghYxCgaq52Z/w640-h426/Credit_+Lateral+North.+SFS+Generation+of+Waste+COP26+Install20211023-27.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: Lateral North</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The <a href="https://www.fashioncharter.org/chapters/looking-ahead#looking-ahead-what-s-next" target="_blank">UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Change Progress Report</a> was also launched with updates from its original 2018-iteration at the conference. This pledge signed by +180 brands (notably not by major-offender brands like Boohoo and Shein). One significant part of the pledge includes a commitment for brands to reach net-zeros no later than 2050 and to half their emissions by 2030. As George Harding-Rells highlighted in<a href="https://www.facebook.com/2301238266601112/videos/230270739076766" target="_blank"> a recent panel with XR Fashion Action</a>, a lot of brands who have signed the UNFCCC have done so as a means to further greenwash themselves. We see the same brands who time and time again are signing these voluntary agreements but in reality making very little change. Yes, you guessed right, the H&M Group have signed it but are still producing clothes at an astronomic rate. What we’ve not seen with these voluntary commitments is major offender brands like <a href="https://directory.remake.world/boohoo/" target="_blank">Boohoo</a> and <a href="https://directory.remake.world/#/item/https_www_shein_com" target="_blank">Shein</a> showing any willingness whatsoever to even try to lessen their environmental impacts – and they’re the types of brands we desperately need to be doing more. He also pointed out that many of the signatory brands have made their own net-zero claims in previous years and have done very little to demonstrate their actions are aligning with such commitments, especially around degrowth. If clothing production has more than doubled in the past 15 years, then we need drastic collective action to prevent production rates from escalating even further, let alone reducing them. Even if all the clothes were made using the most sustainable fabrics possible, it would all mean nothing if we continue to produce our clothes at such a high rate.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On the same XR Fashion Action panel, Bel Jacobs looked at the broader greenwashing net-zero pledges allow throughout all industries and government, as a term and commitment which is there to make people feel better about themselves while still emitting carbon at the same or similar levels. We don’t need any more net-zero pledges for 2030 or 2050, we need as little carbon emitted as possible, as soon as possible.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There were also many less formal events organized by grassroots groups all across the city, from information events and open studios, to clothes swaps and mending workshops. Fashion Revolution also had bloc at Global Day of Action March on the first Saturday of the event and were present in the main venue. We know that big fast fashion brands aren’t going to give us the solutions, but the people who were connecting and organising in the outskirts of the venue are the ones who give me hope and energy and who are the ones from whom change will come.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">At a recent XR Fashion Action panel event it as highlighted that ‘while some elements of fashion had a large presence at COP, the industry’s enormous reliance on fossil fuels is being consistently ignored by our global political leaders and corporations’. Somehow, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-59277788" target="_blank">COP26 was the first time that the need to put an end to fossil fuels was formally and explicitly recognized by world leaders</a>. Yep, somehow they didn’t think to recognise that at the first COP in 1992. Seems pretty obvious to me but we move. Congrats to world leaders for just managing to realise that fossil fuels are bad. Pat on the back for you.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What we need now is the delegates with power at COP26 to take that now-formal need to dismantle the fossil fuel industry into action – implementing and enforcing legislation around both the fossil fuel and fashion industries and severely limiting how much polyester is manufactured (if any) by fashion brands, as one of the most popular fabrics currently used that just so happens to also be made plastic aka fossil fuels. At COP, this supposedly came through <a href="https://textileexchange.org/trade-policy-request-cop26/" target="_blank">Textile Exchange Trade Policy Request</a> through which over 50 fashion brands and textile companies called on national governments to take action to encourage the use of environmentally-friendly fabrics and materials, with a particular push against polyester. There is no doubt that we need to cut out polyester from our lives. The fashion industry at the moment uses over 700 million tonnes of oil to go towards the production of polyester – that means there’s more oil used for the production of polyester in fashion than Spain uses as an entire country. However, like the UNFCCC, workers and the people (mostly women) at the heart of the fashion industry are not mentioned. They need to be at the forefront of change.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We have seen time and time again governments ignore calls from campaigners to create change and enforce better workers’ rights standards and take a meaningful stand for the planet. The UK Government has refused to take action in preventing the exploitation of garment workers several times, most recently with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jul/12/priti-patel-criticised-for-blaming-cultural-sensitivities-for-leicester-covid-19-spike" target="_blank">Priti Patel claiming that the reason there wasn’t any intervention in the Boohoo sweatshops in Leicester was because of the fear police would be seen as ‘racist’ if they did</a>. Over a year before those allegations came to the mainstream news, the Government failed to implement policy suggestions made in the <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmenvaud/1952/1952.pdf ">Environmental Audit Committee’s Fixing Fashion report</a>, published in February 2019. Action then could have prevented further exploitation of marginalised garment workers in Leicester at the very beginning of the pandemic.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In order for true impact to be had on the global stage, governments need to be taking climate justice issues seriously on the domestic level. Host states cannot be preaching about their apparent climate leadership while time and time again proving they are not committed to taking meaningful actions themselves. Fashion needs to be discussed more prominently in conferences like these, and workers’ rights need to be at the forefront of negotiations. The next COP should prioritise unions of workers in previously colonised countries and the voices of indigenous people who are most affected by the climate crisis instead of allowing fossil fuel companies to perpetuate their greenwashing as the largest delegation in attendance.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: Calibri;" target="_blank">buying me a virtual cuppa</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2021/10/my-experience-with-nonewclothes-and.html" target="_blank">My Experience with #NoNewClothes and Slow Fashion Season</a></span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-42494144282914981182021-11-10T08:30:00.007+00:002021-11-10T08:30:00.180+00:00What is SB62 and Why Is It So Important? | Slow Fashion Simplified #3<div><span style="font-family: inherit;">SB62, otherwise known as the Garment Worker Protection Act, is a piece of Californian state legislation which was signed into law on 27<sup>th</sup> September of this year. You might have heard it mentioned by various different campaigning groups such as Remake or Fashion Revolution, or in publications such as Vogue. It is a ground-breaking piece of legislation which puts the welfare of garment workers in California at its centre. But what actually is it and why do we keep banging on about it?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpROgXmVMasVyG5opd27dQaQZaInHalo6XFSIPxnvm20ncVSpHEvt6V2O9_UkXwx9mIjeK_AzTI3CMVsjr2VzeULVMhSQCekUqzYXn5BdVP6F-8fkJp_zzepMIxYqiCrKhP-lE4qUXLEZb/s1102/what+is+sb62+and+why+is+it+important+title+image+another+ranting+reader+slow+fashion+simplified+garment+worker+protection+act+2021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1102" data-original-width="735" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpROgXmVMasVyG5opd27dQaQZaInHalo6XFSIPxnvm20ncVSpHEvt6V2O9_UkXwx9mIjeK_AzTI3CMVsjr2VzeULVMhSQCekUqzYXn5BdVP6F-8fkJp_zzepMIxYqiCrKhP-lE4qUXLEZb/s16000/what+is+sb62+and+why+is+it+important+title+image+another+ranting+reader+slow+fashion+simplified+garment+worker+protection+act+2021.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><u>What changes will it bring?</u></b></span></h3><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p> <br /></o:p>There’s a whole lot of stuff in the Garment Worker Protection Act. More than I can cover in this blog post (check out this article among several others on SB62 published by Remake). There are several key things to highlight however that can be looked at in 3 key areas: fair pay, transparency, and accountability.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>One of the main aspects of the Garment Worker Protection Act is putting an end to the piece rate pay system. According to organisations such as Remake, some garment workers in California were being paid as little as $2.68 per hour. As a result of SB62, those same garment workers will now be paid at least $14 per hour. That is such a massive difference and will have such a huge impact in so many ways, especially as the vast majority of those workers are from minoritised ethnicities, are women, and are immigrants. <br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>The bill also enforces increased transparency and accountability for brands operating in California. This includes an emphasis on joint-liability for brands and garment manufacturers for the welfare of their garment workers and any discrepancies which occur. This means that brands operating in California can no longer pass off the blame for human rights scandals onto the factories they have outsourced to, claiming they apparently had no idea these things were occurring in their supply chain. SB62 forces brands to take action and take responsibility for the exploitation their wealth is created from. <br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>SB62 also provides more powers to the Labor Commissioner in California, allowing them to exercise more direct oversight of the brands operating in the state. This in turn holds brands further to account, provides them with someone who can enforce some consequences for when action is not taken, and also forces them to be more transparent about what exactly is going on in their supply chains.<br /><b><u><o:p><br /></o:p></u></b></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><u>Who is responsible for it?</u></b></span></h3><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p> <br /></o:p>The Garment Worker Protection Act didn’t come into being overnight. It was made possible from <a href="https://remake.world/stories/news/brands-that-support-the-garment-worker-protection-act/" style="color: #954f72;">huge coalition of activists</a> from all over the world and from many, many different organising groups. <br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>These have included activist groups such the Garment Worker Center, Remake, United Students Against Sweatshops, Fashion Revolution USA, and the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility. Californian politicians like Maria Elena Durazo have also been at the forefront of championing this bill, and different ethical California-based brands such as Reformation and Christy Dawn and lots of everyday people wanting to see a change have been part of making it such a success.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>This coalition of change makers has been working on pushing for this bill for a long time. I remember SB62 being mentioned during my first ever Remake Community Call back in September 2020. It was then introduced to the California state senate on 7<sup>th</sup> December 2020 – yes, that was around 10 months from its introduction to the senate until the Governor signed it into law. That’s a lot of time and effort into making this happen. <br />For many there was also months if not years of work before the bill was even introduced to the senate. Different forms of the bill had been introduced or conceptualised before but had not passed or gained as much traction as SB62.<br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Campaigners for SB62 faced lots of opposition from big fashion brands to whom the bill represented a cut to their profits as it directly targeted the system of exploitation their businesses are based on. <br /><o:p> <br /></o:p></span><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><u>But this only affects garment workers in California, right?</u></b></span></h3><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p> <br /></o:p>Nope! Well technically yes. This piece of legislation only covers garment workers in California. But that is still over 45,000 people who will have their standard of working and living significantly increased as a result of this bill. If it only affected those people, it would still be a massive win. <br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>However, it is a piece of legislation that will likely get replicated in a kind of domino effect across other U.S. states and in other countries around the world. We are yet to see the full effects this piece of legislation could and will have. As I’ve already mentioned, organisers have spent a long time pushing for this bill to be passed, and it was a great moment of celebration for everyone involved. Not only is this bill something to now celebrate, but it is something which I think has galvanised and motivated lots of people to act. Thousands of people emailed in to Californian legislators and to Governor Gavin Newsom about the bill from all over the world. They’re not going to stop there. <br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Alongside the renewal of the Bangladesh Accord into the International Accord weeks before, the passing of SB62 shows a whole lot of potential and successes. It acts as an example that these wins certainly can be achieved and are more than possible – and that is certainly motivating for future change. <br /><o:p> <br /></o:p>Legal reform is by no means the end of the fight for a just fashion industry, but changes like the Garment Worker Protection Act are pretty good starting points. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: Calibri;" target="_blank">buying me a virtual cuppa</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2021/08/what-do-we-mean-by-greenwashing-and.html" target="_blank">What Do We Mean by Greenwashing and Woke-Washing? | SFS #2</a></span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p></o:p></p>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4580029934219970502.post-8298865103962631332021-11-01T08:30:00.016+00:002021-11-01T14:03:42.286+00:00October 2021 | Monthly Wrap Up<p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">I don’t really know how I’ve felt about October. Parts have been great but there have also been parts where I’ve felt quite anxious and felt myself slipping a bit. But hey, we move, and I’m still getting into the swing of managing my uni work alongside everything else so I have plenty of time to figure things out.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAcyEdGo5xQ9boBVLqRwOic_kyEXDklQ8ZEWkoria6-u0jtr8jeBO_EXTGBXtyT6Ko8gdC870W-Gr0bKvAPVg60UBcxdQC0h_imIExRnQYX1SSEsjF73s8JsjF6O_eepWoY2KibTMauL_/s2048/literary+and+philosophical+society+another+ranting+reader+newcastle.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqAcyEdGo5xQ9boBVLqRwOic_kyEXDklQ8ZEWkoria6-u0jtr8jeBO_EXTGBXtyT6Ko8gdC870W-Gr0bKvAPVg60UBcxdQC0h_imIExRnQYX1SSEsjF73s8JsjF6O_eepWoY2KibTMauL_/s16000/literary+and+philosophical+society+another+ranting+reader+newcastle.jpeg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite part?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I feel like every month now I begin with some kind of protest or action, and I won’t lie I’m here for it. I started October with a protest outside a new H&M store opened up in Newcastle’s Eldon Square Shopping Centre with a few pals, photographed by my friend and flatmate Jude. It was my first time organising an action like this by myself and outside of a wider organisation like Green New Deal Rising, so it was a bit intimidating but I think we had a pretty decent impact. People around us looked at our placards and listened to what we were saying, the store took notice (turning up the music they were blasting when we started speaking), and we got some more notice online too. It was also great to do something like that with my friends Fi and Harriet, and for Fi to crack out their Captain Greenwash outfit again and wear it proudly in public!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52qwU7ENvrhWyK1c5W1Asne-BX1ghB9u94GgM2oVyEuQlItYYASiyV2wpA50XJC6F5OEfPFN838qZmeIfPFI86_MfkxVIFEMQF6TthNizZmqYqm52ta1EBDZKitVFSKT3RHfyeG5BIGoJ/s1600/hm+greenwashing+another+ranting+reader+eldon+square+store+opening+2021+climate+protest+newcastle.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52qwU7ENvrhWyK1c5W1Asne-BX1ghB9u94GgM2oVyEuQlItYYASiyV2wpA50XJC6F5OEfPFN838qZmeIfPFI86_MfkxVIFEMQF6TthNizZmqYqm52ta1EBDZKitVFSKT3RHfyeG5BIGoJ/w640-h426/hm+greenwashing+another+ranting+reader+eldon+square+store+opening+2021+climate+protest+newcastle.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">October is also my birthday month! I had a party the night before my birthday. It was Taylor Swift themed, as I turned 22 (still proud of that theme) and it was just so lovely catching up with people I’d not seen in ages, and to spend time with people I care about in a larger group (even if I was very stressed about Covid testing beforehand, but we were all fine). My birthday itself was quite uneventful. I caught up on Strictly in bed hungover, got a bagel for lunch from my fave Dot Bagels, and had a very tasty meal cooked for me by my flatmates in the evening. It was also my flatmate Meg's birthday a few days ago so October is a big birthday month for our house! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">My friends and I have had a few more film nights, and it makes me so happy. Without all having uni or being on society committees together anymore it’s not as easy to see each other, but regular film are a great of making sure we see each other frequently. We’re also going to see Rocky Horror together for Halloween and I am so excited! By the time this post is out it will have already happened but I cannot wait. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I've also been trying out new places to work now that we're allowed to be in public spaces again. I've been exploring different cafes (both ones I already know and ones that were new to me) and other public spaces around the city.</span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcUcRtFLyaIKjA16WrKYp3UAVOMjeYWV7bbAwWQRoMxLUUQOorjE462zk2fXN0UDd8D6Nc9rZ5JLJPb7sngL95nvZAYDrpZ11Ish4m7QOL61330Bgg0xj4fPt1lOEE4IcgwdpOJF-yPVZ/s2048/sweet+potato+soup+heaton+perk+cafe+another+ranting+reader+vegan+newcastle.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1950" data-original-width="2048" height="610" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPcUcRtFLyaIKjA16WrKYp3UAVOMjeYWV7bbAwWQRoMxLUUQOorjE462zk2fXN0UDd8D6Nc9rZ5JLJPb7sngL95nvZAYDrpZ11Ish4m7QOL61330Bgg0xj4fPt1lOEE4IcgwdpOJF-yPVZ/w640-h610/sweet+potato+soup+heaton+perk+cafe+another+ranting+reader+vegan+newcastle.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">And I couldn’t not mention my new hair! I’ve been wanting to go ginger for a long time, and I finally got my hair done not long after my birthday. I had a wonderful afternoon at the hairdressers. I felt awful for coughing a fair bit after having a really bad cold because I was paranoid people would think I had Covid (PCR confirmed it wasn’t) but apart from that I was so chilled. I had lots of peppermint tea (which has now become a slight obsession), read some of my book, sat in very comfortable chairs, and had the luxury of someone else sorting out my hair. I was so zen when I got home. I absolutely love my hair ginger too. Itmakes me feel so confident, and I actually feel more attractive as a ginge? Never underestimate the power of hair dye. </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguggivoKRq-WipU0x2WUQ0DvfEWV1mKaNW8Xj5DXQcDuHfC0-sSg67XttpSEYdiyKk7CFO6Tk8L93RY9Qtesd1uV4EDYI4tBEagIEnGZvuPWzXba64xbnXinUA5DSiTL2_N5gANYqYV4u/s2048/me+again.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguggivoKRq-WipU0x2WUQ0DvfEWV1mKaNW8Xj5DXQcDuHfC0-sSg67XttpSEYdiyKk7CFO6Tk8L93RY9Qtesd1uV4EDYI4tBEagIEnGZvuPWzXba64xbnXinUA5DSiTL2_N5gANYqYV4u/w480-h640/me+again.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Best read?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">At the beginning of the month I read We Need to Talk About Money by Otegha Uwagba, which is incredible. Otegha’s writing is so intelligent, thought through and accessible, I will never get bored of reading her writing. There are so many interesting points of discussion in this book, from the #GirlBoss and commodification of feminism, to discussions on her early career, finding healthy working environments, and the beauty tax. Please read this book! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I then read The Haunted Hotel by Wilkie Collins for my degree. On the same day I finished The Haunted Hotel, I read most of and finished I Wish I Knew This Earlier by Toni Tone. This book is one I feel I will go back to many a time, and felt like a bit of a call out at many times, but in a good way. I genuinely want someone to whack me around the face with this book if I‘m ever being silly about a romantic situation or ignoring red flags again. Likely, genuinely, if you want common sense discussions on love, relationships, breakups, and even self-love, read this damn book, it’s very short too which helps. I felt this book in my chest.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I am currently read Consumed by Aja Barber which is as insightful as I thought it would be. You never know by the time this blog post is published I might have finished it already, but wow it’s brilliant and explains things so succinctly. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I am also at the beginning of The Law and the Lady by Wilkie Collins, which is the next book I am reading for my degree. I am also reading Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis also for my degree, but which is a book I have been wanting to read for a long time. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq13PVEPx22jq6465mEbNgHabvFMTqrX0zQ3T73TUa3X4wEH4zJJJE4iNcXJD9yeUFg3ariHwkQpx_WxesGZpdqIMyU1CUanPIz28X7jhyphenhyphenaLgD7Gf0wkIc8wqNUAMf4MM03UnGzXQMMvDu/s2048/aja+barber+consumed+another+ranting+reader.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq13PVEPx22jq6465mEbNgHabvFMTqrX0zQ3T73TUa3X4wEH4zJJJE4iNcXJD9yeUFg3ariHwkQpx_WxesGZpdqIMyU1CUanPIz28X7jhyphenhyphenaLgD7Gf0wkIc8wqNUAMf4MM03UnGzXQMMvDu/w480-h640/aja+barber+consumed+another+ranting+reader.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite listen?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I finally caught up on the bonus episode of Aurelia’s podcast featuring Aja Barber, which I absolutely loved. I always love earing Aja speak. I’ve also been loving the new series of the Yikes Podcast and All the Small Things (which also features an episode with Aja). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite watch?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">The bes thing I’ve watched this month has undoubtedly been Joe Lycett vs the Oil Giant. It is so funny, on topic, and to the point, I absolutely loved it. It was so wonderful seeing greenwashing and climate action being highlighted by a mainstream media platform for once in a positive light, and directly challenging what such a big corporation is doing. I hope Joe Lycett does more programmes like these in the future! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I have been watching some of the regular weekly shows that are back now, like Strictly, Bake Off and Drag Race. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I rewatched some of my comfort watches, including Ghosts and New Girl, and I’m now working my way through The Americans. I’d watched some of The Americans before ages ago but I can’t remember why I stopped watching it then, but I’m thoroughly enjoying it now.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKK1gFneoZP0Q5d7KYYMLGKFP8-0iMJCf85w5YVyrW06n3z_tdlfpi8XWxa2g6QZVO1wHUE2Vl1h4JuHb9B8gUR__h9gPkn7fQRK3auJnvytc1vtu-O7VWMbectuCMRAFs7Ym6xAoEXv0/s1024/joe+lycett+vs+the+oil+giant+shell+.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="1024" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqKK1gFneoZP0Q5d7KYYMLGKFP8-0iMJCf85w5YVyrW06n3z_tdlfpi8XWxa2g6QZVO1wHUE2Vl1h4JuHb9B8gUR__h9gPkn7fQRK3auJnvytc1vtu-O7VWMbectuCMRAFs7Ym6xAoEXv0/w640-h360/joe+lycett+vs+the+oil+giant+shell+.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.channel4.com/programmes/joe-lycett-vs-the-oil-giant" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">What did I learn?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I can organise things effectively, people do appreciate my work, and things can take time to figure out. Also that my criteria of what makes an adult is paying council tax. Yes, I’m now officially an adult. </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">What’s happening next month?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Lots of conversations and events happening around COP26 and doing more of my degree! I think I’m going to take a bit of a break from direct actions and protests after COP, just because I know it will be good for me to take some time to rest and focus on my other work/projects. And then I can come back with more energy later on, or maybe even in the New Year (I do know it is a massive privilege to be able to take breaks from activism though).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">What’s been on my mind?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I guess just making sure I’m keeping on top of everything. No area of my life is particularly overwhelming at the moment but there’s just lots of little things happening that I feel I need to navigate better. I’ll figure it out. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Favourite post?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">I always find my ‘Me at…’ posts interesting to write. They can be quite personal, and the writing process can be quite different from other posts as it can entail a lot of inner reflection and looking at how I’ve progressed and changed in the past year. They’re certainly valuable to me but can feel a bit weird physically writing out. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">One of my other posts, Why You Should Join Green New Deal Rising, is another one I loved writing. I love being able to share the joy I feel about organisations and people doing amazing things. I love being a part of GNDR so much and want to spread the word and the love I have for it, as well as to make us more effective by mobilising more young people to take action for their futures. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRE-ykA08jdhP33bdb-xDwcI3Sv5A6ZD1s7DIX4rFsrhccbxSZj2iRCASRcwvADyGVbjPTzwqMgc7qovjKjELyvkQJQEjGZ51EQlilL90f49MIz566Be5wM7auGRg_bGCKNjMzhD27tktT/s1500/why+you+should+join+green+new+deal+rising+gndr+another+ranting+reader+climate+action.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRE-ykA08jdhP33bdb-xDwcI3Sv5A6ZD1s7DIX4rFsrhccbxSZj2iRCASRcwvADyGVbjPTzwqMgc7qovjKjELyvkQJQEjGZ51EQlilL90f49MIz566Be5wM7auGRg_bGCKNjMzhD27tktT/w426-h640/why+you+should+join+green+new+deal+rising+gndr+another+ranting+reader+climate+action.jpg" width="426" /></a></div> <p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Biggest inspiration?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Watching Stop Cambo’s Instagram live of their action at TedxCountdown action against Shell’s CEO was so inspiring to me. It was so energizing watching as Lauren spoke to Ben Van Beurden and called him out for his greenwashing and evil tactics against climate action to his face. It was so impactful, so moving, and so motivating. This is what we want to see more of! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdloN2bJgRRcHzZHWhRFla4-RzHHcfZeoUml8unPa1Jr7bzX52cUoWfFR-6suLxTpDb051wVpzg6aA7RnYA-21OgnySiswG8hX3dOSyjJ_yhpT824l28C_UPGLGnhIlRqEsn6EXKmWX6ow/s2048/shell+stop+cambo+action+tedxcountdown+no+more+oil+keep+it+in+the+ground.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1366" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdloN2bJgRRcHzZHWhRFla4-RzHHcfZeoUml8unPa1Jr7bzX52cUoWfFR-6suLxTpDb051wVpzg6aA7RnYA-21OgnySiswG8hX3dOSyjJ_yhpT824l28C_UPGLGnhIlRqEsn6EXKmWX6ow/w640-h426/shell+stop+cambo+action+tedxcountdown+no+more+oil+keep+it+in+the+ground.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.stopcambo.org.uk/updates/stop-cambo-activist-confronts-shell-ceo-live-at-ted-climate-event" target="_blank">Image source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><u><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: large;">Any other favourites?</span></span></u></b></h2><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Peppermint tea! As I mentioned earlier, I have been drinking a lot of peppermint tea. It’s keeping me going right now. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">A perhaps unexpected favourite is my new laptop stand I got from IKEA and the wireless keyboard I was given by my parents. I wouldn’t have thought before actually use it that my stand and keyboard would be helpful to me, but now I’m never going back. I think it is actually helping my posture looking higher up at my screen, and I feel more professional having a proper keyboard and mouse set up on my desk – even if that might sound a bit silly? </span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you like my work and have learned something from it, please consider helping support me (so I have more time to write posts and articles like these!) by </span><a href="https://ko-fi.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: Calibri;" target="_blank">buying me a virtual cuppa</a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you liked this post you might like: <a href="https://www.anotherrantingreader.co.uk/2021/09/september-2021-monthly-wrap-up.html" target="_blank">September 2021 | Monthly Wrap Up</a></span></span></span></div></div><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><p class="Body" style="border: none; font-family: Helvetica; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="font-family: helvetica;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: calibri;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></div><div style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><div style="margin: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-family: inherit; font-kerning: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-kerning: none;"><br /></span><a href="https://instagram.com/anotherrantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Instagram</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/people/anotherrantingreader-13353467" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Bloglovin'</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> | </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/jemimaelliott1/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Pinterest</a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> |</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><a href="http://twitter.com/arantingreader" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></div></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Jemimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09556690917762759713noreply@blogger.com0