Personal finance and book clubs

The biggest transformation 2020 brought to my personal life, other than the introvert and OCD lifestyle that comes with a global pandemic, was putting my finances first - along with practising hand-lettering and drinking more water. I have worked out how much I am spending on regular expenses such as bills, transport, healthcare, occasional haircut and leisure and, I gotta admit, I am moderately pleased with the total, as these are things I deem fundamental for my physical and mental wellbeing.

I have been a member of a well-known audiobook service for a very long time. I’m talking years, way before Australia! And I actively consider this a big part of my leisure budget for mental wellbeing and self-fulfilment. I can easily listen to an audio-book while doing other things, which is great and works for me, but it has been an on-and-off relationship.

Some may call it a relation-shop!

As it happens in my worst nightmares, I am deeply afraid of being unprepared on an educational level and answering ‘I can’t remember, must have been in high school’ to the question ‘What’s the last book you read?’ would wreck me.

Of course, this monthly subscription fee is not the cheapest, I’ve often tried to cut it out of my expenses but I always seem to come back to it. So I jotted down a pro-con list:

PRO- audiobooks work for me better than books
CON- it’s a fixed expense every month (not too much but definitely more than not reading)
PRO- as a member, all books are discounted and sometimes there are freebies
CON- my bookshelf looks empty and I can’t refer back to my favourite quotes
PRO- I can return a book and get my credit back
PRO- I don’t need to worry about heavy tomes on rainy days
PRO- I don’t have to go to the library or to a physical store
PRO- no need to spend money on a book I end up not liking

I used 2020 as a ‘test year’ to truly assess the actual weight of these points for my personal lifestyle and attempted to listen to at least one book per month.

In 2020 I have read (well, listened to) 17 books and here’s the wrap up:

Finance:
As I said, 2020 was the year of monetary revolution and I listened to a few books that put me in this mind-frame. 'Think and grow rich' - Napoleon Hill, 'The side hustle' - Nick Loper, but I should definitely add 'The barefoot investor' – Scott Pape, to this list even though I only have a physical copy of it. I would recommend the latter to anyone who’d ask - or didn't ask!

British comedy:
Along with the occasional live stand-up comedy, I have listened to 'How to be champion' - Sarah Millican, 'Perfect sound whatever' - James Acaster, 'It's not me, it's you' - Jon Richardson. I always enjoy seeing them as guests in British TV comedy shows and listening to their audiobook did not disappoint!

True crime:
One minute I am watching a Netflix murder series, next minute I am deep into human organs trafficking documentaries on the dark side of Youtube. It seems just right to expand the scope to audiobooks: 'Behind closed doors' - Sue Smethurst, 'Secret Slave' - Anna Ruston. If you’re into morbid stories these are for you.

Friends’ recommendations:
Most of my friends back in Italy are teachers and they are ‘hip’ and ‘on the ball’ when it comes to young adult short novels. So I asked them for some titles for my 2020 mission and boy did they deliver. 'The bunker diary' - Kevin Brooks, 'We have always lived in the castle' - Shirley Jackson, 'Skellig' - David Almond, 'The power' - Naomi Alderman. Haven’t loved all of them, I guess the order I’ve listed them here is exactly how I’d rank them. 

A jump in the past:
There are books that are in your heart because of the circumstance they came into your life. Twilight is one of them. This year, I listened to the same book but from Edward’s perspective, and it is exactly as boring and cheesy as it sounds. But it’s such a comfort-book! 'Midnight Sun' - Stephenie Meyer. Then I decided I needed to be mentally pampered by oddly evil stories: 'Hans Andersen's fairy tales' - Hans Christian Andersen. Beware, and let me tell you, Disney is lying!

Actual novels:
I should probably have started with these since these are the only books I shouldn’t be ashamed of listing! 'The blade artist' - Irvine Welsh, 'The summer that melted everything' - Tiffany McDaniel, 'The testaments' - Margaret Atwood, 'Delirium' - Lauren Oliver. This last one is the first of a young adult trilogy a’la Hunger Games, so it’s not for everyone, but the other three are perfectly splendid! Gold star rating.

All in all, I think the pro’s outweigh the cons of maintaining my audiobook membership as seeing titles accumulate is very rewarding and knowing I am actively engaging with literature makes me feel a better human being. I already have a long list of books in my 'to-read' list and I intend to follow my own example by reading/listening to at least a book per month. If you'd like to tag along with your own titles, please reach out and join me! 

I’d like to conclude by saying that if the unnamed audiobook service ever decides to sponsor me, it would be one of the pinnacles of my blogging career.

So, what’s the last book you read?



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