Convenience Store Woman – Sayaka Murata

‘A convenience store is a forcibly normalized environment.’
Sayaka Murata

Convenience Store Woman is a wonderfully original and quirky book about a 30 year old woman who (much to the horror of her friends and family) still works the same shop job she has worked since her early twenties and (even more horrifyingly) she enjoys it. Keiko lives for the store, it gives her life purpose and helps her to become part of the “machine of society”.

I have worked in various customer service roles and personally I found the idea of being taught how to great customers and learning welcoming phrases to “shout from the top of our lungs” horrendous. But Keiko absolutely loves being taught how to speak and how to interact with customers. It was a completely new perspective for me and one that forced me to reflect on how ultimately because I hate working jobs like that I’ve never really understood the colleagues I’ve worked with who enjoy it. Don’t get me wrong I have worked with wonderful people and had a lot of fun at work, but that has definitely always been in spite of the job rather than because of it. The monotony of jobs like that, the constant fake enthusiasm you have to show customers, the lack of autonomy and the knowledge that you are just a faceless cog in the company machine, I absolutely hate it and this book helped me to re-evaluate this.

I also enjoyed the criticism of a society that won’t let people be happy if they’re not conforming to its standards of happiness – which of course should only come through progressing a career or getting married. Although I don’t believe that in the UK we have adopted this to quite the same levels as the book implies about Japan there is definitely a tendency to judge people based on the job that they do, and to see people who have worked the same job for too long (even if they enjoy it) as “failures”. I also really enjoyed the way Keiko “adopts” fired store employee Shiraha, feeding him and allowing him to stay in her bath, just so her family stop badgering her to find a husband and lets them believe that she is “normal” – I’m going to file that idea away for the future! The book was full of witty and absurdist humour; “he’d downgraded me from store worker to female of the human species” that makes it a delight to read.

It was a bizarre and wonderful book and provided some good food for thought on the way society treats those who are actually perfectly content with their lot as somehow defective for not striving for more (be that money, or husbands, or career progression). Ultimately Keiko decides that she is a Convenience Store Woman, that is her identity and that is where she is happiest and she is going to pursue that no matter what those around her have to say about it.

The Spy who Came in from the Cold – John le Carré.

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold has been on my reading list for so long that I don’t remember why I wanted to read it in the first place. It is the classic of the Cold War spy genre, but I have read very little Cold War fiction, and Espionage/Thriller books are really not my go to genre. Le Carré’s exploration of the ethics (or lack thereof) of the two opposing governments who will justify any action, no matter how heinous, in the name of national security makes for some very gripping twists. I think I enjoyed thinking about the book more than I actually enjoyed reading it.

This cup of tea was £2.65! I was in London but honestly, bring on the revolution!

This book is almost entirely bereft of female characters, and the very few women in it are bland stereotypes; the mistress of Reimeck who Leamas believes has fatally betrayed
him, the evil spinster librarian (life goals to be honest), and Liz the nice but naïve love interest. Apparently Liz, a member of the communist party in England, is supposed to represent the innocence of those who are ideologically that way inclined without knowing the reality of life within the Soviet Union. However, (with apologies to my GCSE English teacher) unless someone comes at me with a sign saying “THIS IS AN ANALOGY” I do mostly just take books at face value, I disliked Liz for being such an idiot and Le Carré for writing basically the only female character that way. It is a book that I think would improve with re-reading, it certainly has layers and I imagine there’s a lot that I missed the first time around, but there’s just too many other exciting unread books already on my list.

One aspect that I did really enjoy is the gritty, realistic, and ultimately senseless depiction of espionage. Full of bitter men, who have spent their whole lives lying and killing for a cause they’re not sure they even believe in any more. It makes a nice change from the dashing, debonair Bond-esque spies usually depicted in movies. The main character, Alec Leamas, spends the first half of the novel drinking copious mounts of alcohol and punching grocers in the face as he builds up his story as a man screwed over by the agency he has risked his life for.

I do also think that the ending of the novel was incredibly satisfying and I very much enjoyed the plot twist and moral dilemma this presented for the main characters (you’ll get no spoilers out of me). I am glad I have read it, and John le Carré is an excellent writer, but I don’t think I’ll be jumping back into the world of spy novels any time soon.

Talking to My Daughter: A Brief History of Capitalism – Yanis Varoufakis

“The economy is too important to leave to the economists”.
Yanis Varoufakis

So it seems I am currently alternating between Fantasy and books about Capitalism. Although that in itself could turn into a discussion on how fantasy books reflect the realities of our world back to us. But we will try to stay on topic. A Brief History of Capitalism was a wonderfully easy to understand overview on how our society became the market driven beast it is today, beginning with the decision of feudal lords to exchange peasants for sheep as the English wool trade took off. Varoufakis explains all his theories with easy to follow analogies and despite being an economist himself he is refreshingly dismissive of others of his ilk.

It is an excellent book and I found two aspects particularly interesting. Firstly, a reminder that in our market dominated society there is a tendency to view everything in life as part of a financial transaction. Even though often the things that truly give our lives meaning are not part of any market transaction at all, things like volunteering and friendship and walking in the sunshine. Varoufakis also points out that the addition of a monetary value is often actually a detriment to these things that give life meaning. For example, people are less likely to donate blood when they are being paid to do so, as being given money negates the preferential “feel good” experience of donating freely.

Secondly, I found his distrust of the market’s ability to prevent climate change well-reasoned and a real call for action. Companies work to make a profit, that is always going to be their ultimate goal, and although I think it is important to “vote” with your money and to try and support companies that are more environmentally friendly that is always going to be an incredibly undemocratic and inefficient way of doing things. The vast majority of people will only get one “vote” and others will literally get billions.

Our individually wrapped string & tag tea bags are produced in this format so we can service our foodservice (sic.) customers such as cafes and restaurants. It can also come in handy for our customers who like to take their favourite tea on the go…

That being said, we are aware that this format does not suit the needs of some customers due to the additional packaging. We would like to assure you that environmentally sustainable products and packaging are extremely important to us and we are currently working with out suppliers to find suitable alternatives.
Twinnings Consumer Services

In light of this I thought it was very interesting that I got a reply this week to a letter I wrote to Twinnings about their packaging (be the change – am I right?). According to Twinnings at least, it is all about the customer’s “need” and why should my “need” (to have recyclable or even better no packaging) be given more weight than other customer’s needs (to take their teabags on a picnic). I think this ultimately just provides an excellent point on why much larger scale change will be needed to combat climate change, albeit demonstrated in a very small way. And I suppose I shall have to try and become a woman of my word and find a more environmentally friendly company to get my tea bags from. Well, they never said it would be easy.

The Final Empire – Brandon Sanderson

I have been meaning to read something by Brandon Sanderson for such a long time. He is such a prolific fantasy author and as I have read a lot of the other ‘classic’ fantasy books; A Song of Ice and Fire, Lord of the Rings, The Kingkiller Chronicles and The Wheel of Time (although I didn’t get nearly far enough into this series to read Sanderson’s final three – my twin assures me they were very good) it seemed a little unfair to have left him out it for so long. Luckily I have a wonderful friend who has lent me the entire Mistborn Trilogy, of which The Final Empire forms book one. It is a proper tome of a fantasy book which was perfect as I have spent over 8 hours on the train this weekend. Also, it is so wonderful to start reading a series that has already been completed!

Yes that is a bamboo travel mug, thank you for noticing.

Brandon Sanderson is a very compelling author, and the magic system or ‘allomancy’ which flows through the book is wonderfully simple and original. Although trying to explain it to my mum on the tram did earn me a few strange looks. “Yes mum, they burn metal in their stomachs”… “No, it doesn’t hurt them, they do it with their mind”.

I haven’t read a fantasy book for a while and reading The Final Empire reminded my why I love the genre so much. The plot centres around two Mistborn (people who have the ability to burn more than one metal) in a world ruled by the immortal Lord Ruler. The Lord Ruler dominates his nobility who in turn enslave the Skaa (a peasant class formed of the descendants of those who did not support the Lord Ruler in the days before the Ascension). Kelsier, the only survivor of the Pits of Hathsin (isn’t that a great name!), and Vin a Skaa street thief, become part of a crew working to incite rebellion amongst the Skaa people and overthrow their oppressors. It is basically a fantasy Spartacus. I loved it.

Sanderson is excellent at world building, and allows his reader to slowly discover its history and society on their own. His characters are diverse and interesting, and are able to grow and develop as the book progresses. The ending of the book had me gripped, and as soon as I get off this train I shall be reading the next installment.

The Gender Binary in Interwar Europe and America.

Pigments & Stardust

Today I want to start a mini series of posts based on my undergraduate dissertation topic: the gender binary in 1920s-30s Europe and America. ‘Gender Binary’ here is defined as the classification of gender into two distinct opposites – masculine and feminine. So we might as well dive in with a little introduction to the context and then briefly introduce the artists I’ll be delighting you with.

“All the world’s a stage, and all men and women merely players in it.”

– As you like it, Act II, Scene VII.

The 1920s -1930s across Europe and America was an era of great change in gender dynamics. This was especially so in France, as arguably the French Revolution of the eighteenth century influenced the rise of first wave feminism that manifested itself in the suffrage of the nineteenth-century. Women gained greater economic independence in the interwar period as many working-class women…

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Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism – Kristen R. Ghodsee

Under the capitalist system women found themselves worse off than men, because, as Capitalism made a slave of the man, and then by paying women through him, made her his slave, she became the slave of a slave, which is the worst sort of slavery
Bernard Shaw

Kristen R Ghodsee’s Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism – And Other Arguments for Economic Independence is an expansion on her essay for the New York Times under (almost) the same name. Having a whole book to work with allows Ghodsee to ground her premise, both with personal testimonies and independent studies. The basic idea is that capitalism focuses so heavily on placing a monetary value on things, that even basic human requirements like love and friendship become part of a financial transaction. Socialist policies, policies in which society as a whole assumes responsibility for caring for those in need, through government funded childcare, disability benefits, parental leave, and socialised health care allows the people who would otherwise have to step in to fill these gaps (the majority of whom are women) more freedom. By freeing these women, by giving them independence and making them less reliant on the goodwill of a man to provide for them, so that they can fulfil this role as a carer, people form relationships based on mutual respect, and affection – and so have better sex. But also, dare I say it, more importantly, better lives!

I was a history student so I know that the world can change in the blink of an eye, however, I was also born a fair few years after the fall of the Berlin wall. I have lived my whole life in this world dominated by Capitalism, and the belief that this is the only economic method that “works”. I think the theory that prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union, Capitalist nations worked hard to protect its people from the true ruthlessness of Capitalism is a really interesting one. Now there is no longer a viable alternative, we are allowed to feel its full effect, the gap between rich and poor increases dramatically, unions and workers rights are forgotten, and the millennial “snowflake” generation becomes crushed under insane house prices, increasingly unstable jobs, and huge university debt. Earlier this year Anne Helen Peterson wrote an excellent essay for Buzzfeed ‘How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation” which resonated deeply with many people who felt that life had just become an ever-growing list of tasks to be completed. It’s not enough to have a job, what about your side hustle? Capitalism, to borrow from Labour MP Tony Benn, borrowing from Oscar Wilde, “measures the price of everything and the value of nothing”.

Ghodsee’s book is a welcome reminder that things can change, that the economic system which governs our lives is not inflexible, nor is it as boring or “natural” as those who benefit most from the status quo would have us believe. It is a system in which the most important thing is profit, and if that comes at the cost of humanity’s happiness (and future – we shouldn’t forget that capitalism is also destroying the planet) then that to those at the top, is an acceptable transaction. As pointed out in an article by The Guardian on ways to lead an anti-capitalist life in our capitalist world, many of the things that give our lives meaning, the things we do for free and out of love, the time we spend with out families and friends, not consuming, or producing, or exploiting, just simply being, are in there very essence anti-capitalist.

Ghodsee finishes her book with an call to arms and a reminder to us all. “Reclaim your time, emotional energy, and self-worth from the reductive logic of capitalism. You are not a commodity.”

Links to articles:

‘Why Women had Better Sex Under Socialism’ K. R. Ghodsee, NY Times https://nyti.ms/2uQli6s

‘How Millenials Became the Burnout Generation’, A. H. Petersen, Buzzfeed, http://How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/annehelenpetersen/millennials-burnout-generation-debt-work

‘ From freecycling to Fairphones: 24 ways to lead an anti-capitalist life in a capitalist world’, J. Harris, The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/dec/10/from-freecycling-to-fairphones-24-ways-to-lead-an-anti-capitalist-life-in-a-capitalist-world

The Lawrence Browne Affair – Cat Sebastian

The earl dropped the ax long enough to strip down to his shirtsleeves. That couldn’t be necessary, given the chill in the November air. But on another, purely aesthetic level, it was quite, quite necessary for this man to take off his clothes whenever the spirit moved him.
Cat Sebastian

This was my second foray into the world of Cat Sebastian’s glorious Turner series. The Lawrence Browne Affair‘s cover is thankfully a lot more public transport friendly than The Soldier’s Scoundrel.

Maybe not that public transport friendly!

A lot of people have written about the idea that Romance as a genre is unfairly maligned because it is mostly written for and by women. Lindsey Ellis’s excellent YouTube video; An Ode to the Romance Novel is actually how I first discovered Sebastian’s work. Despite being the most successful of all literary genres there is a sense that romance is not as intellectual, or as well written as other genres, and the idea that most people read it purely as escapism, or for fun, is seen as a valid criticism. This annoys me for two reasons. Firstly, the thought that a book being easy to read or enjoyable is a bad thing seems pretty crazy to me. Life is too short to painfully struggle through books you’re not enjoying just because someone has decided they are a “classic”. One Hundred Years of Solitude represents way too many hours of my life that I am never going to get back, I may have miscounted but I think the number of Aurelianos in that book reached twenty two!

Secondly, there are plenty of incredibly well written romance novels, you have to look no further than the queen of the romance novel herself, Jane Austen for some absolutely beautiful prose. And let’s face it, it is hardly like other genres are without their own appalling books, I have read some truly awful fantasy books in my time. Yes, there is a guaranteed happy ending, but when you read an Agatha Christie you also know that at the end there will be a dramatic twist before Poirot or Marple or whoever reveals the true culprit and that doesn’t spoil your enjoyment of the plot. Anyway…

The Lawrence Browne Affair is very much a character driven romance. The titular character is a wonderfully eccentric Earl with social anxiety who has convinced himself that he will one day fall prey to the madness that has stalked his family, causing him to hurt those around him. He has therefore isolated himself in his castle, building a telegraph machine and enthusiastically chopping wood in one memorable and gloriously indulgent scene (see above). Enter Georgie Turner, a con artist with a heart of gold, posing as his secretary in order to escape the London mob leader he has double crossed. And if that doesn’t sound like a wonderful book to you, then I don’t know what would.

I really enjoyed it, and finished it in two evenings using it as very enjoyable procrastination. The book is not going to change the world, it shouldn’t have to. It is very well written, immensely readable and a lot of fun. What more could you ask for in a novel?

From Me to You – U. A. Fanthorpe & R. V. Bailey

I turn over pages, you say,
Louder than any woman in Europe.

I don’t really read much poetry (although after this book that might change) but my housemate recommend it to me and it sounded so beautiful I had to buy it. From Me to You is a collection of love poems Fanthorpe and Bailey have written to each other. Their poetry explores an understated and practical love (“There is a kind of love called maintenance, Which stores the WD40 and knows when to use it”) built on fond exasperation and deep friendship.It is an honest kind of love, and both women are aware of each others and their own faults.

Fanthorpe and Bailey met as teachers, working in the same school and worked together for 7 years before realising they were deeply in love. None of the poems in the book are attributed to either author and so their relationship truly feels like one of equals.

The poem Piano Duet actually reminded me a lot of my relationship with my twin. It is such a cute poem with the two characters gently mocking each other as they painstakingly make their way through some Mozart.

This is the final verse of one of my favourites, Elegy for a Cat.

Haunt us still, dear first-footer,
First to live with us, first to confirm
Us as livers-together, you who took us so simply
For granted, translator of life into
The vernacular of love,
You who saw love, where innocent others
Saw only convenience.

Easy Chunky Knit Scarf – with a slightly fancy edging

Knitting is the saving of life.
Virginia Woolf

If there is anything that would greatly improve my life it would be the ability to read and knit at the same time. But alas. Still I have had great fun making this scarf.

It is a beginner’s garter stitch scarf (this means that every row is knitted with the knit stitch) in its most basic form. I made it using 7mm needles and two strands of DK yarn so it is very quick to knit, and comes out wonderfully soft and chunky. I just picked all my favourite colours from my stash and alternated them with two rows of grey. The scarf is 35 stitches across and as long as I can stretch from my fingers to my toes (a very scientific method).

The only think that makes it a little bit special is the way I started each row. Normally, if you’re just knitting each row, you will end up with a bumpy edge. But what I did instead was slip the first stitch (putting it on to the other needle without knitting it) then put my yarn over and knit the rest of the row as usual. I’ve taken some hopefully helpful pictures to demonstrate.

Take your yarn to the back (through the middle of your two needles).

One of my favourite things about knitting is that when you start a new project you never know where your life will have taken you by the time you finish it. Each project is a beautifully stitched journal entry. For example, when I started this scarf I was unemployed, but now I work in a call centre…

the long way to a small angry planet – Becky Chambers

So someone is on a bit of a sci-fi binge. Although this book and Shattermoon could not be more different. Shattermoon was very much plot, plot, plot, with no time for explanations and character development that happened on the run. The long way to a small angry planet is much more of a “day in the life” kind of book. Not much happens, but the lives of the characters are so interesting that you don’t mind just coming along for the ride. It reminded me a lot of my first year cultural anthropology lectures, learning how all these different alien species live and function together and how their individual societies have evolved.

I think one problem with this writing style, is that although I enjoyed learning about the eclectic mix of characters, from Ohan the Sianat Pair Navigator to the lovely Dr Chef with a baffling number of limbs, I never felt as though I grew to know them. Judging by the book’s numerous glowing reviews I am sure this was not the same experience for everyone, but I just wasn’t emotionally attached to any of them and I didn’t feel invested in the outcome of the protagonists’ mission. Having said that, creating wormholes in space is a pretty exciting job.

The book is a gentle one, that rather lovingly explores the concept of creating your own family and not worrying too much about them being your own blood (or even warm blooded). The strong bonds between the crew members are touching, and the care they show each other is heartwarming. Chambers has turned a stereotypical cold and sterile spaceship into a loving home. I very much enjoyed learning about the politics and cultures of the Galactic Commons. I thought it presented some interesting theories on how alien societies would function if they did have to work together and deal with each others’ very different perspectives and values. The way the novel addressed the different gender identities of its characters was also very innovative but sometimes all this talk of “xyr” identity just felt a little bit too Tumblr.