April 2023 Reading List

Although fiction it was an interesting thought experiment on what would happen if on your birthday everyone forgot who you were. Starting from scratch is hard as you have to re-introduce your place in the world. And for all of your possessions to be gone.

I enjoyed reading How to Be Remembered but I was constantly picking holes in his ideas.

Stevie is an Australian photographer that works with couples getting married in the Australian bush. She always knows one of the people getting married so she is treated like a guest at these weddings. But she is a bit lost. She kind of fell into photography and she isn’t sure if this is her true calling.

The story describes a lot of drinking at these events, which is a bit irksome. In recent years we have learnt more about how alcoholism is rife in the country (see work of Sober in the Country) so I hope in the future authors take note of this and tone it down a bit.

I listened to it as an audiobook and the female voice did a great job but the male one didn’t come off quite as well.

Narrated by Cameron Robbie and Cassie Howarth, it runs for 10 hours and 47 minutes.

After reading The Christie Affair in March I wanted to read some of Agatha Christie’s work so why not start with her most popular book – Murder on the Orient Express.

I thought I hadn’t read any of Christie’s work, but as I started reading it all seemed very familiar. I must have read it before I started using GoodReads.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I kept on imagining the actor who played Poirot in the TV series – David Suchet. He is forever Poirot for me.

I did have trouble keeping track of all the characters as they were introduced and interviewed. And like always I had forgotten who the murderer was. But that is my usual trouble.

I read this on my Kobo, then listened to it as an audiobook.

I’m still on the lookout for books about business marketing and this was one that had been mentioned a few times in other books (can’t remember which ones).

It’s the idea that people respond more to stories, especially when they, the customer, is the hero. So as a business, you need to show empathy for their problem, and then be the guide with a plan and a call to action that leads them to success. All through the narration of a story with a simple and relevant message.

I had a few favourite quotes:

If you confuse, you’ll lose.

Donald Miller

Leaders who care more about changing lives than they do about selling products tend to do a good bit of both.

Donald Miller

Highly recommend!

Narrated by Donald Miller, it runs for 4 hours and 56 minutes.

The second book from Shaun Bythell about running a Second Hand book shop in Scotland (I read the first one in March). More of the same interactions with his wonderful sense of humour.

An enjoyable read.

I borrowed Craft Inc from Overdrive which was the 2011 version. Some information is out of date, especially when it comes to technology.

Overall it contains some handy information when it comes to starting up a craft business:

• Be confident
• Treat it like a business
• Start slowly, think about the small details
• Create collections of various prices, purposes and production
• Bread and Butter items should require little labour
• Pricing is perceived value
• Marketing with lookbooks, social media, press kits, and press releases
• Sell via online shop, Etsy, Retail Show, Consignment, Retail Store, and Trade Shows

I’m sure there are more up-to-date books than this one, but the place I am getting a lot of information about running a craft business is through the Made Urban website and their books (see March reading list).