It's been a bit quiet on the blog. I'm in the midst of preparing a few months off of work to simply hike, climb, run, write, and more. So yes, yes, you can be expecting loads more content over the next few months. This will also be a welcomed break away from the city as we move our base from Ōtautahi / Christchurch to the Lake Wanaka / Lake Hāwea region during that time. Excited I am :)

But before we dive deeper into this new, next chapter, let's catch up on the last few weeks of reading....

I've read a few books over the last couple of months. But this time, there is only one recommendation. This is because not every book I pick up to read is one that I would wholeheartedly recommend to others. Whether or not I end up recommending a book here doesn't make it good or bad. Not at all. It simply means that I enjoyed reading a book or it moved me so much that I want to shout into the world "You've got to read this!"

Well then, here comes my favourite for July / August:

Blonde Roots, by Bernardine Evaristo

Ever wondered what this world would like if two sides in a point of human history had been switched around? This book does exactly that. What if it hadn't been Europeans enslaving Africans but the other way around? What would be normalised and / or justified instead, what would racism look like and how would it be ingrained in society? What if black was white was black?

The novel describes the life of an English woman, taken from her family as a girl, put on a ship to the New World to be enslaved. We follow her trying to escape back into freedom.

I've mentioned before that I just recently discovered Bernardine Evaristo and she quickly became one of my favourite authors. I adore her writing style and choices of topics to write about.

I think empathy and compassion are two of the greatest emotions we can feel and express as humans, not only towards our specimen but other beings as well. I'd go as far as saying that they are and will remain essential for us in surviving today's challenges as a species.

One way we learn and practise empathy and compassion is by telling and listening to diverse stories, non-fictional as well as fictional, like this one.

This way we are able to imagine ourselves in the position of another being. Reflect on the consequences of our individual, as well as, collective actions, behaviours and habits.

So yes, this is definitely a perfect "You've got to read this!" example of a book.

Just a wee reminder: The titles of the books are also affiliate links (where available also in German). If you click on a link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. You will support me with this but don't worry, the price of the book remains the same for you.

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