basically discusses a variety of problems australia experienced with the introduction of non-native species and how we addressed them
- two types of shbasically discusses a variety of problems australia experienced with the introduction of non-native species and how we addressed them
- two types of sheep fleece - inner soft outer coarse - how much of the worlds wool - especially for clothing - australia produces (bc of the merino sheep) - so many cool and interesting areas of science - research into diseases to kill rabbits - importance of dung beetles! breaking down cow dung so it doesn’t poison the soil - how different countries have dung beetles suited to different dung - dung beetle = scarab = sun god in ancient egypt l ...more
loved this collection - maybe my favourite short story collection that i’ve read?? so many stories i wish we had full/longer stories for though 3
favouloved this collection - maybe my favourite short story collection that i’ve read?? so many stories i wish we had full/longer stories for though 3
favourites - the fermi paradox is our business model, the cartography of sudden death, the super ultra duchess of fedora forest, clover, a temporary embarrassment in spacetime, the time travel club
my thoughts on most of them: (about half? the collection i'd already read in Even Greater Mistakes: Stories) - the fermi paradox is our business model - 4/5 - everything i love in a space story. and a v interesting business model lol - as good as new - already read. meh - the cartography of sudden death - 4/5 - i keep thinking about this after reading it which i think is a good sign! - six months, three days - already read didn’t love which seems to be an unpopular opinion! - clover - already read, loved - intestate - didn’t really get it - the master conjurer - interesting exploration about fame etc but not my vibe - the unfathomable sisterhood of idk - such a cool/interesting concept !!! wtf at stacia tho. mary is a good friend!! - the day it all ended - interesting! idk how i fully feel but i like it hah - rat catchers yellow - already read but i swear some of these stories are slightly dif from the other anthology i read them in?? or maybe bc i’m rereading?? but i liked this better this time. maybe i should reread the others too lol - the super ultra duchess of fedora forest — adored this - finding a purpose without work, found family, fun names, how to get on with others even though you dont always agree/aren’t perfect etc - margot and rosalind - too short to properly get into but i loved the idea (The iceman laughs, not entirely at Margot. “Believe me, there’s nothing worse than being both immortal and intelligent. Imagine the boredom! Plus you start to ask questions, and the worst thing about questions is that sometimes, they have answers.”) - victimless crimes - weird - stochastic fancy - interesting concept re democracy! - rager in space - found it interesting re outgrowing friends and reinventing self but the ending fell flat lol - palm strike’s last case - found this very interesting - drugs, hard decisions, humans trying to live elsewhere - i’ve got the music in me - interesting looking at the idea of slippery slope laws, laws where everyone says aren’t dangerous but are etc. - fairy werewolf v vampire zombie - hated both times i’ve tried to read it now haha not my vibe - suicide drive - parent relationships, how people aren’t black and white. confused about the end and what the suicide drive actually was lol...more
essential reading for anyone living in so-called australia.
could have easily been a very boring read but was written in a way that makes it very engagessential reading for anyone living in so-called australia.
could have easily been a very boring read but was written in a way that makes it very engaging and easy to read.
extremely eye-opening learning more about aboriginal approaches to food, land management, living etc. - and all the ways this knowledge/practices were ignored/destroyed. i hope we as a country begin to recognise these more.
wilson writes young people so well, i just know she would’ve been my comfort author like cathy cassidy was as a kid (i wonder why i never read any jacwilson writes young people so well, i just know she would’ve been my comfort author like cathy cassidy was as a kid (i wonder why i never read any jacqueline wilson?? maybe she wasn’t big in aus??). i appreciated the POC rep and how she handled some really tricky topics well - domestic violence, cancer, growing up too fast etc etc. could have lived without the fatphobia though (love u aunt barbara) and didnt ~love~ how harpreets mum was portrayed.
another pleasant surprise - wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as i did and i can see why it's marketed as a classic YA/NA aussie coming of age. lanother pleasant surprise - wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as i did and i can see why it's marketed as a classic YA/NA aussie coming of age. loved all the characters and their complexities ...more
did quite enjoy this book but not giving it a ranking as i recognise there were a lot of harmful tropes/representations
i think the book did do a good did quite enjoy this book but not giving it a ranking as i recognise there were a lot of harmful tropes/representations
i think the book did do a good job of addressing complex issues though - family (and the mum being viewed as the villain), class, friendship. the portrayals of transness weren't totally awful but i do wish it had been done better, especially given it is the central theme of the book...more
read in one sitting. i will always love cathy cassidy.
i wasn't sure if i'd enjoy her as much now i'm an adult but this book reminded me of why i treasread in one sitting. i will always love cathy cassidy.
i wasn't sure if i'd enjoy her as much now i'm an adult but this book reminded me of why i treasured her books so much as a kid/young teen - because she portrays young people with so much care and compassion.
i guessed the twist pretty early on, but still loved this book and seeing the growth of eden and ryan <3 ...more
4.5 loved this!! i so enjoy getting to see more of doctor whos side characters
in order of preference: 3. The Triple Knife by Jenny T. Colgan - really 4.5 loved this!! i so enjoy getting to see more of doctor whos side characters
in order of preference: 3. The Triple Knife by Jenny T. Colgan - really explores the impacts of ashilldr's immortality, v sad 2. The Fortunate Isles by David Llewellyn - thought the plot twist was quite fun! reminds me of the recent ncuti episode 1. The Arabian Knightmare by James Goss - fun little story - i liked the story inside of stories 4. The Ghosts of Branscombe Wood by Justin Richards - i actually enjoyed reading this and further seeing the impacts of ashildr's immortality, but for some reason im ranking it last haha idk maybe bc it felt not much happened? ...more
3.5? fun but nothing special - enjoyed this more than i was expecting though slay - especially given i’ve not seen classic who and am not a fan of sca3.5? fun but nothing special - enjoyed this more than i was expecting though slay - especially given i’ve not seen classic who and am not a fan of scary stuff haha (it wasn't actually scary like the title makes it seem haha)
was also fun seeing some returning villains (toymaker, carrionites, the family of blood), donna, throwbacks to other episodes (martha/shakespeare) ...more
i've been following jennifer on instagram for several years and even through her captions etc i knew she was an incredible writer, so when i saw this i've been following jennifer on instagram for several years and even through her captions etc i knew she was an incredible writer, so when i saw this book at a local neighbourhood house to raise money for the the indigenous literacy foundation, i thought it justified breaking my book-buying ban!
jennifer writes so beautifully, in a way that makes me feel calm and at peace, but also so many different emotions, especially about what it is to be human, both the mundane and the messy. the fact that some of these are set in australia/melbourne makes them feel even more special.
the only reason i didn't give it 5 stars is because there weren't any stories/characters i could truly connect with/relate to.
favourites - we got used to here fast, peaks, eternal father...more
“But refugees shouldn’t have to be exceptional to get our protection. No one expects that of you in return for your freedom and safety.”
expected this “But refugees shouldn’t have to be exceptional to get our protection. No one expects that of you in return for your freedom and safety.”
expected this to be pretty average but really enjoyed it!! a short little book that covered so much more than i expected - part memoir/history of the ASRC, but more about self-development/growth, the experiences of refugees, and politics
there were a few moments where he felt a little preachy.holier than thou but he balanced it with his honesty i suppose. also appreciated the acknowledgement of women’s and first nations specific issues
also loved all the suggestions - for self-love, being a better ally as a man, to help in causes, improve the community, how CEOs can change their workplace etc - they felt realistic, achievable, practical! some things i specifically want to do: look into volunteering at ASRC, community garden, donating blood, intergenerational programs, visiting/writing to refugees, see if there are more ethical supers i can join
parents and family - how much parents sacrifice for their children/families - i will never be able to fully appreciate this sacrifice/love - nor how it influences these parent/child relationships, sense of obligations etc - the daily consistency of his dad buying him that scorched peanut bar ??? its really the little things sometimes - “My mum…No one has loved me more and yet at the same time created so many issues for me.” (and the quote i saw in a tiktok slideshow once that made me sob…. “and your mom is the person that has most deeply hurt you but your mom will not let anyone else but her do the hurting”)
we all just need some basic empathy for others - “The cold, hard truth is that people really don’t want to leave their homes unless they have to. They don’t want to say goodbye to their family, community, culture and friends, and to start all over again in a foreign land where so often they are greeted with suspicion, racism and resistance… This is what is so often forgotten in the debate about refugees, that it’s just a birthright lottery and nothing more.” - “If everyone who talks about ‘helping our own’ actually did just that, we wouldn’t even have a homelessness problem. As a society we invest so much time and energy into not helping people by raging against people who really do care. What a waste. People need to be valued and helped back on their feet. You can never help by asking people who are barefoot to lift themselves up by their bootstraps.” - “Love uplifts us. It is the scaffolding of our humanity. It provides sanctuary to the oppressed because it sees them as human beings in need of welcome. Love asks, What would I want if my family knocked on the door of a stranger seeking refuge from harm? What would I want for my children for whom I had sacrificed all that we had known to bring them to safer shores? Love asks, If I were to lose my job and become unemployed, would drug-testing me rehabilitate my hope of a new beginning? Would being punished for my poverty make me more willing to give back to society? Love asks, If I lose my way and break the law, is locking me away with no regard for my own lifetime of trauma the best way forward? Love asks, Once I have served this sentence will I be a citizen ready to contribute and assimilate, or will I be filled with anger and hurt and take that out on my community again?” - “No one wants to be a burden, a problem, an issue, a target for people’s rage, anger and bitterness. And by that I’m not saying that people aren’t accountable for their actions or that they’re perpetual victims; of course people have agency and choices and need to be held responsible, but it is not always that easy or clear-cut. It assumes that there is an even playing field for all, that there is an equity and equality of opportunity to contribute, participate and succeed. The truth is there is not.”
failure and self-improvement and self-love - love the phrase ‘fail forward’: “And I think we often miss this moment and retreat back into old habits when instead we need to let go and ‘fail forward’ – to see the opportunity of failure to reflect, learn and grow – so at least there’s some progress.” - importance of being open and letting people in and trusting them: “Allowing yourself to be loved means letting people decide for themselves whether to love you, not you doing it for them. “ - “I know it’s hard to let your long-held patterns and the past go. It’s because you then have to face the grief of the life not lived. And with it the realisation that it could have been different so much sooner. The grief is often too much to let in, so we double down on the status quo. Forgive yourself and know you could not have come to this point sooner as you were in self-preservation mode.“ - “So take a moment to consider that if we own our failures with perspective, patience, forgiveness, reflection and kindness, we open ourselves up to the most incredible opportunities for growth, development and success. How can we ever truly fail if we’re just honouring ourselves, our journey, our voices and trying to live an authentic life? The short answer is that we cannot…The truth is, though, that in not taking action, in not taking risks, we have already paid the highest price. That price is our own happiness.”
learning more about the ASRC was so interesting! - i’d heard of the ASRC but didnt know a huge amount about it - definitely keen to learn more/get involved - “It was that simple: we saw a need and we did something about it, with no excuses. ..It didn’t matter if we lacked the resources or know-how, we learned by doing. The greater risk was in not helping, the greater risk was someone dying or being sent back to their home country to be tortured.” - ASRC started as a class TAFE project!!! - doesnt accept any govt funding - easy as asking for help sometimes - people want to help!! (all his examples of the public exceeding what they needed when he asked e.g., funding, supplies)
our government sucks - “And John Howard rode our fear and ignorance all the way to another convincing election win, while refugees have been paying the price ever since.” - “The government and these law firms had cut corners because they thought no one would care about these human beings. That’s how injustice becomes endemic – it relies on the apathy and indifference of people not to care enough to stand up and be counted. And that’s what our government continues to rely on when it comes to its abuse of refugees.” - “To be neutral in times of injustice is to be complicit with it. Indeed, Desmond Tutu once said, ‘If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.’ Neutrality is for those lucky enough to engage in debates around human rights as abstract conversations rather than real life-and-death challenges. If we choose not to protest, choose not to speak out, we’re more than just a bystander, we’re an enabler. Oppression thrives on our collective silence, apathy or indifference, but it cannot prosper when we refuse to cooperate.” ...more
loved the explorations of friendship and family, figuring out who you are, imperfect characters, ace and disabled rep, the little roman4.5 loved this!
loved the explorations of friendship and family, figuring out who you are, imperfect characters, ace and disabled rep, the little romances, men needing to do more to be good allies etc <3...more
i enjoyed this! only not a 5 stars bc i didn't totally fall in love with the characters - but they're 17 year olds very different from me (im a 24yo wi enjoyed this! only not a 5 stars bc i didn't totally fall in love with the characters - but they're 17 year olds very different from me (im a 24yo white lesbian who doesn't have adhd or autism) so i think that's to be expected and i think this book would be absolutely incredible for anyone who does identity more similarly to these characters (i mean still worth reading anyway, but my point being, my rating isn't a reflection of the books quality)
i loved all the great rep in this - neurodivergence, queerness - including trans, non-binary, and poly rep, and people of colour
as with felix, i loved how kacen lets all of their characters fuck up and be messy/imperfect/make mistakes - but also still be loved, have emotional maturity etc. and i enjoyed the explorations of these themes and how to call people out/in, hold people who do harm accountable whilst allowing them to grow etc etc (though at times, i think the YA-ness of this got to me)
also liked the acknowledgement of the pandemic/BLM throughout!
(also a slay for me - i got this book from a book outlet v cheap and it came with fun sprayed edges and is signed!!) ...more
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