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After two years of intense studying for my MSc Sustainability I have recently rediscovered a love for reading for pleasure and intrigue as opposed to reading specified texts for academic purposes! Although I do definitely prefer reading factual books over fiction. It’s taken me a while to find my reading mojo again, but I am very glad that I have.

I am a fan of a good old-fashioned book over a kindle or e-reader, although I can see the environmental benefits of the latter option, there’s just something about the feel of a paper book that I can’t part with quite yet! If you have the same love of books as me then there are some ways that you can make your reading habit more sustainable.

I tend to look for second hand books, either online, in a charity/thrift store or by borrowing books from friends and family. If I cannot find a book through these methods, then I choose to buy new books from a local independent bookshop or through a website named Hive. This website supports local and independent bookshops by sharing a percentage of their sales with them. So, once you have chosen the book(s) that you would like to buy you are able to select a bookshop of your choice to support through your purchase.  

The book that got me back into reading was Caroline Lucas’s Honourable Friends? – Parliament and the fight for change. This book was written and published in 2015 so I was slightly late in reading it, however I actually think that this made a more interesting read as I was able to reflect on the real success or failures of the hopes and aims that were expressed within the book. Whether or not you align yourself with the political aims of The Green Party, this book simply gives an honest and detailed account of what happens behind the doors of parliament and gives some really interesting ideas of how we could modernise our political system to make it more reflective of the world that we are living in now instead of being bound by traditions from previous realities.

Off the back of finishing Caroline Lucas’s book, I kept on theme and delved straight into the Extinction Rebellion Handbook- This is not a drill. I read this in its entirety in just six days because it was such an interesting read. Rather than a series of lengthy chapters this book is made up of lots of short articles, often just a few pages which makes an easy book to dip in and out of. It’s a perfect book to read on a commute to work for example. Once again, even if you do not align with the Extinction Rebellion movement, I’d recommend reading this book as it details the global climate crisis from a range of perspectives and also offers really practical ideas of what we can do to help as individuals.

Now I am reading Inheritors of the earth- How nature is thriving in an age of extinction by ecologist and evolutionary biologist Chris D. Thomas. This book has been lent to me with high praise from a work colleague. I am only about thirty pages into the book but its already proving to be a mind blowing read. It views our natural world from a perspective that I have not previously considered and its incredibly refreshing and thought provoking to read. I am looking forward to getting stuck into the rest of this book in a comfy chair with a hot drink!

What are you reading at the moment? Have you got suggestions of books that you think I might like to read? Let me know by leaving a comment below!

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