Hello out there in this reality that seems to fall more and more into chaos. I have stopped asking how you are, even though I still care. And I always send out good vibes every day to all of you. I will start again, but everything feels so overwhelming at the moment that we maybe do not want to know how we feel.

I had courageously posted a reading list for 2020 on “The Bee Creates“. Little did I know how this year would pan out. And we are not even half way through. Hell, what else is going to come????

On Tuesday, I felt slightly bad that I did not post a black picture and abstained from social media in solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement. It somehow did not feel appropriate. However, I posted Daryl Davis’s story on Good News Tuesday, who as a black musician, tried to understand those joining the KKK. I am still gobsmacked.

But I felt I needed to do more than just a post on my blog and some ranting and retweeting on social media. We don’t have much money, so donating to a #BlackLivesMatter charity wasn’t an option. Then I remembered my reading list. I knew that this is one thing I could change to show solidarity and, most of all, learn something about the experience of racism. So I decided to switch to black and BAME authors for the rest of the year. I am also going to make my future reading lists more diverse.

I am currently reading several books which I won’t chuck out of the list, but the rest is changed.

Here is my

Goodreads Goal: 52 Books

These are the books I already read:

Read/listened to so far

1. Bramblestars Storm – Erin Hunter
2. The Memory Tree – Linda Guillard
3. Secret of the lost Stones – Melissa Payne
4. Two hearts Unspoken – Tamara Ferguson
5. Norse Mythology – Neil Gaiman
6. The Secret Commonwealth – Philip Pullman
7. Two Hearts Surrendered – Tamara Ferguson
8. Lords and Ladies – Terry Pratchett
9. The 39 Steps – John Buchan
10. Dark Matter – Michelle Paver
11.  The Kingdom of Copper – S. A. Chakraborty
12.The Gods of Mars – Edgar Rice Boroughs
13. City of Brass ~ S.A. Chakraborty
14. The Door Through Space – Marion Zimmer-Bradley
15. The Reluctant Dragon – Kenneth Grahame
16. The Double-Decker Dead – EM Kaplan
17. The Magicians Sire – Linda G Hill
18. The long Cosmos – Pratchett, Baxter
19. A Princess of Mars – Edgar Rice Boroughs
20. The Vine Witch – Luanne G. Smith
21. Lyra’s Oxford – Philip Pullman
22. The Abandonned – Rysa Walker
23. Chocolat – Joanne Harris
24. A Bad Birdwatchers Companion  – Simon Barnes
25. Bump Time Meridian  – Dough Cooper
26. Life on Earth – Sir David Attenborough 27. Cosmic Quest – Heather Cooper

28. Marriage Unarranged – Ritu Bathal

29. Grand Union – Zadie Smith

30. Americanah – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

31. Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine – Gail Honeyman

32. Children of Blood and Bone – Tomi Adeyemi

33. Manifest your Desires – J. Hicks

34. The Age of Magic – Ben Okri

35. Children of Virtue and Vengeance – Tomi Adeyemi

36. Of Thee I sing ~ Barack Obama

37. The Moon is also a Star ~ Nicola Yoon

38. Brown Girl Dreaming ~ Jacqueline Woodson

39. How to be an Antiracist – Ibram X. Kendi

40. Salvage the Bones – Jesmyn Ward

41. The Underground Railroad ~ Colson Whitehead

42. Between the World and me ~ Ta-Nehesi Coats

43. Little Leaders – Bold Women in Black History Vashti Harrison

44. Homegoing ~ Yaa Gyasi

45. Mindfulness for Health – Vidyamala Burch, Danny Penman

46. Astrophysics for young people in a hurry ~ Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Currently Reading/ listening to:

• Is This Why Africa is? – Marricke Kofi Gane
• Singing in the rain – Rachel Kelly
• 365 Days with Self- discipline – Martin Meadows
• Life Coaching for Dummies – Jeni Purdi

And these are the books I have planned for the rest of the year:

• The Devil that Danced on the Water – Aminatta Forna
• We should all be Feminists – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
• The Water Dancer – Ta-Nehisi Coates
• Freshwater – Akwaeke Emezi
• Well-Read Black Girl: Finding our Stories
• Becoming – Michelle Obama

It might not be much that I am doing here, but at least I am doing something. And learning, understanding and challenging to read other authors in your favourite genre is a first step to change.

Will you join me?

Happy Sunday despite everything!

Please remember you rock no matter where you come from, your believe, your skin colour or whatever some people think might keep us apart!

I am fundraising for McMillan and you can still donate here ( until January 2021) and download Bees McMillan Coffee Morning German Christmas Download (PDF file) (no it’s not in German but about German recipes and Christmas  ) here:

My goal is 200£ and so far you brilliant people have donated 10£. Thanks!

Just one more thing before you go: The hospital that is treating me is fundraising for a dedicated breast cancer unit which would allow some same-day diagnosis and better premises for patients and staff.

Please, if you can spare a little money hop over to their Just Giving Page and give as little or much as you can. Or share the page on your social media. So far the campaign has raised about half the amount needed: £418,648 of £800,000 (October 2020).

Your support means a lot to me! Thank you very much.

Thanks, my dears, for staying with me until the end. I appreciate your presence. Please stay safe, stay kind and remember that you rock!