I read a lot, eagerly consuming books as fast as I can download them. Anything and everything, I’m not a fussy reader.
Of course, I have my preferences – I’ll choose Urban Fantasy over a mystery, and a mystery over literary fiction. I love my kindle, I love the Book Depository, I’m never happier when I stumble across a book sale, or second hand books being given away.
So when Anita Heiss published her Black Book Challenge, I expected to have read at least a few of the books.
No.
Not even one, I’m ashamed to say.
It’s ridiculous, because clicking links and reading synopsis after synopsis, they are amazing books one and all. But because I rely on discount books, word of mouth recommendations and things I find in second hand stores, I’d missed every single book on the list.
This is my challenge for 2014 – to read at least 20 of the books on the list, possibly more depending on finances. Because they’re not mass market paperback, they’re not cheap, but I’m treating every single book as an investment.
With information coming out about plans to change the school curriculum, and the way history is taught, I feel it’s important my children have access to stories which tell of what happened when England invaded Australia, and the atrocities which followed over the next two centuries.
It’s a dark history. Shying away from it, and refusing to teach our children the truth about how our country came to be won’t change what happened. And frankly, history is schools is already woefully inadequate, and Aboriginal history is even worse.
I’m hoping by the end of the year I will have learned more, found new favourite authors, and gathered together a collection of books I wish to read and read again.
“when England invaded Australia” my oh my. you should have lived in a place where invasion actually took place.
And You could atone and go and live in the NT. After all you have benefited greatly from the evil English and their civilisation.
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