Episode Transcript
TBU58 TBU Challenge - How we're Tracking
[00:00:00] Rowena: Hello and welcome to Two Booked Up. I'm Rowena Mabbott, and today we are talking about one of my favorite subjects, reading, and more specifically, how are we tracking in the 24 for 2024 reading challenge. With me is my biz bestie and co host extraordinaire, Shelley Tonkin Smith.
[00:00:20] How are you, Shelley?
[00:00:21] Shelley: Hi, Rowena. Yes, as we all know, you're a prolific reader who also loves a challenge and a checklist. It's been a few months since we last checked in on our reading, so I'm very excited to have this book chat with you and of course our lovely listeners out there. so much for So as a quick reminder, the 24 for 2024 reading challenge adds more purpose and variety to our nonfiction reading choices, which makes our reading life more enjoyable.
[00:00:50] Rowena: Yes. And as you'll hear in this episode, there is still time to play along with the challenge. But our core aim is number one, to inspire you to read more, and then number two, to read more widely.
[00:01:03] Shelley: And of course, sharing some of our favorite fiction and nonfiction books that we've each read since we last talked about this back in May. So stay tuned for plenty of inspiration and engaging book discussions heading your way.
[00:01:22] Welcome to Two Booked Up, I'm Shelley Tonkin Smith,
[00:01:26] Rowena: And I'm Rowena Mabbott. We're two well read best friends.
[00:01:30] Shelley: and now you are an honorary member of our book club. We're going to fast forward you to the mind blown and mic drop parts of those business and personal development books that are probably on your must read list.
[00:01:43] Rowena: Because as busy, multi passionate working parents, we know how hard it is to find time to read. But we also know how much you love learning, growing and making a difference in the world.
[00:01:54] Shelley: So treat yourself to a bit of bookish conversation, whether you've read the book or not.
[00:01:59] Rowena: With your two friends on Two Booked Up.
[00:02:02] Shelley: Alright, so how is the reading challenge going? if you are, just joining us today for the first time, just to remind you that we created this read more in 24 challenge to make our nonfiction reading more fun and more diverse. So the challenge itself has 24 categories of books.
[00:02:27] So there's a category, for example, a classic or an audio book or a Southern Hemisphere author. Or something a little bit more frivolous, a book with a pink or red cover. And the goal is to encourage you to explore new authors, books, and jenres, and have more fun really with your reading. So if you want to learn more about the Reading Challenge, you can go and listen to episode 39, where we launched it, and then in episode 46, where we shared what we'd read in the first half of 2024.
[00:03:02] So now we're going to share what we've been reading in the sort of latter half of 2024. We haven't quite finished 2024, but, this is our updates.
[00:03:12] Rowena: And of course, the other part of the challenge is just to read more. So as well as having diversity, we love to read more. That's the whole idea. And everything counts. Read for what you need. Now, Shelley, I think this is pertinent for you because since we last discussed this, you've completed a learning in depth challenge, which involved a ton of reading and research.
[00:03:36] Shelley: yes, I, I was reading AI, I was reading academic articles, I was reading books, I was reading all sorts of things and it was so much fun. And for sure, all of those things counts in this reading challenge. I even read a picture book. in pursuit of learning in depth. And so I have added that as one of my quick reads, which we'll share in a minute.
[00:03:58] So just a reminder, also, we're on the back half of 2024. So if you want to join the Two Booked Up Reading Challenge, you still can, because you don't have to read all 24 books. You could decide to half it and read 12 books, or what we love doing is putting one book into multiple categories.
[00:04:18] Rowena: Another thing I would say is if you are wanting to join the challenge now after listening to this episode, remember you can add into the checklist all the books you've already read for this year. So all the books that you might've already read or they all
[00:04:31] Shelley: Go and have a look on your Kindle or on your Goodreads, maybe you've tracked them there,
[00:04:35] Rowena: on your library card.
[00:04:37] Shelley: that's what I have to do.
[00:04:39] So let's get into the actual book chat. And Rowena, I think we'll start with you. Can you give us an update on how you've gone so far with the reading challenge since, May?
[00:04:50] Especially now that we are in this last quarter of 2024. Can you believe it?
[00:04:55] Rowena: Ah, yes, I can believe it. And it is kind of scary. All right. So let's, as you say, let's get into the book chat. So I have read more nonfiction that actually fits within the challenge list. And now everybody knows if they've listened before that I love to read and I love what I read.
[00:05:11] So the specifications within the challenge list encouraged me to read more diversely than I might otherwise have done, which does make it actually challenging, no pun intended. So in terms of a tally, I've read more than 24 nonfiction books, but I've only just completed the challenge list in the past couple of weeks so I'm going to share with you the nine books I read per the challenge since we last discussed this in episode 47, when I'd read 15. So here we go. And I'm going to tell you which category they were because some of them are switched around a bit too, which is another thing, which of course you can do when you make the challenge your own, you can read a book and then realize that you put it in the wrong category and move it around.
[00:05:48] So number five. was by an author you admire, and I read Come Together by Emily Nagoski. This is the follow up to Come As You Are, which is a book about, and this book, Come Together, is about maintaining the sexual connection in long term relationships, which happens to be one of the most misunderstood subjects of all time, which is why she wrote the book.
[00:06:07] Number six, a classic, Bird by Bird by Anne Lamotte. It's on writing and the joys of being a writer. And it was gifted to me from Shelley and I absolutely
[00:06:15] Shelley: Yay, I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
[00:06:17] Rowena: yes. And I could have put that in the category of a book that you were gifted, but I put it into classic. So number 10, business theme, The Confidence Myth by Helen Lerner.
[00:06:27] She's a successful CEO and board exec in the USA and shared her insights that as women, we actually misunderstand what confidence really is. And then she goes on to explore that. Number 11. The 2024 new release. The book was called Life Skills for a Broken World by Dr. Hohona Guha. Based on the title, I'd hoped that the book would be really interesting, but it actually didn't captivate me.
[00:06:53] But I did finish it. , I pushed through and so therefore it counts and it's on the list. Number 16. You own, but haven't read. And I read The Mask of Masculinity by Lewis Howes. Now I've owned that book since 2017, but I only read it this year and it had been on my TBR list for seven years. I think that could be a record.
[00:07:13] I am happy to be corrected if someone else listening has a book on their list for longer than seven years. , Lewis shares his own story and countless insights gained from interviewing a range of men. So it was quite interesting. Number eighteen one word title. Ikigai by Hector Garcia and Francesc Mirali. Mirali.
[00:07:31] Chosen at the airport. Ikigai, I think that's how you say it, is the Japanese word for a reason to live or a reason to jump out of bed in the morning. It's where your needs, desires, ambitions, and satisfaction meet, a place of balance. And finding one , is linked to living longer. So quite an interesting read.
[00:07:47] Number 19. Popular book you've never read. Dear Dolly by Dolly Alderson. The book is Answers She Wrote as an Agony Aunt, and it was written with compassion and humor. And I enjoyed this so much more than the one I shared earlier in episode 47, which was called 4am., This one was actually very funny and really nicely written and very entertaining.
[00:08:05] Number 21, we are book everyone is talking about, Hidden Potential by Adam Grant. And I'd wanted to read this book pretty much since it came out. And it shares how anyone can rise to achieve greater things. , And then the final one, my ninth book, or in the checklist, it was number 23, Reread a Favourite, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.
[00:08:25] It was so good. I remembered so much from the first time I'd listened to it, and I listened to it again, and it didn't disappoint at all. I loved it. So now listeners, Shelley knows, and I'm sure some of you may have picked up, I actually have reviewed each of these and a whole lot of other non fiction and fiction books on my website in my monthly What I've Been Reading posts, which I've been doing all this year for the year of 2024.
[00:08:48] So if you'd like more information about any of those books, you can simply visit RowenaMabbott. com forward slash blog.
[00:08:55] Shelley: Yeah, great, so then you get all the books that Rowena has been reading and her Honest analysis of each of them, which is awesome. But yes, well done. You've finished the challenge and it's overflowed into the rest of your reading life, but yes, I think just trying to piece into the puzzle of the challenge. Sounds like it's been quite fun for you, Ro.
[00:09:16] Rowena: It has been, and it, but it has actually been quite challenging too. So I think I want to acknowledge that the challenge is just that it is a challenge.
[00:09:22] Shelley: Yes. Well, great. So go and sign up for Rowena's What I've Been Reading log of her books that she's been reading. But now I want to know out of those nine books that you've mentioned, which one has been your favorite? And can you tell us a little bit more about that one?
[00:09:38] Rowena: Sure. It was easy to choose. It was Hidden Potential, The Science of Achieving Greater Things by Adam Grant. So, as I said, I wanted to read this book since it came out last year in 2023, and I was delighted when it became available through the library, and it really didn't disappoint. I've enjoyed Adam Grant's earlier works, and this one, is very . engaging, and it reveals how anyone can rise to achieve greater things. And it changed the way I think about my work, about how I do my coaching, my parenting, and how I shop in the world. And I love that the key message is the true measure of your potential is not the height of the peak you've reached, but how far you've climbed to get there.
[00:10:20] And that is pretty much the essence of his, of the whole book. But there's of course, lots of research, lots of data, lots of amazing stories. So if you're a leader, a parent, a business owner, someone who supports others, or if you love learning about what makes us tick, I would thoroughly recommend this book.
[00:10:35] It's really good.
[00:10:36] Shelley: lovely. I, and I've seen it at the shelves in our local bookstores here in South Africa. So I think that's definitely going onto my TBR list. I also love, Rowena, I just wanted to say from your previous list of this idea of your anti library of these books that you've got that you, you hadn't read yet.
[00:10:54] And I was reading the other day of how having an anti library, i. e. books that you have in your house that you haven't read is actually very healthy for you because it actually makes you realize that there is always more to learn and you've seen those books there and you go, you know what, nobody knows it all and I don't know it all and there's always more to learn.
[00:11:13] So I think that's also some of the delights of this reading challenge and perhaps links to that. Hidden potential that that she talks about now in, in Adam Grant's book of, yes, just this, this hidden potential that's in, in each and every one of us to learn to grow and to develop. I think it's super exciting.
[00:11:33] Rowena: Yeah, I think you would love it because I know how much you love learning. And I also love your reframe because I was looking, as you were saying, that I was looking behind myself here at my bookshelf and I have an entire section of all the books that I've purchased or been given that I'm yet to read.
[00:11:46] And now instead of feeling guilty about the fact that I haven't read them, I can say, no, there's future potential of amazing things that I will learn. And that feels so much
[00:11:54] Shelley: I love thank you. That's lovely.
[00:11:56] Adam, give you permission to acquire more books.
[00:11:59] Rowena: Cool. Yes. Not that we needed that, but anyhow, moving Yeah,
[00:12:03] Oh dear. That's a whole nother conversation about confessions of a book purchaser. Maybe we'll have to do like a separate podcast episode about that at
[00:12:12] Shelley: but now we know it's an anti
[00:12:13] library.
[00:12:15] Rowena: correct. And we've got a name for it. It's , So Shelley, before we get too silly, I'd love to hear what nonfiction books have you been reading?
[00:12:23] Shelley: Yes. So, as we mentioned in the beginning, my nonfiction reading has also been flavored by my learning in depth cohort that I was a part of. And my topic that I researched was exploration. But you could take that in any direction you wanted to. And I ended up doing a lot of research around ocean exploration and exploring on our oceans and using the oceans as like the way to explore and then actually exploring the depths of the oceans which is fascinating. So this took me down a road. For my first book is in the category of memoir. I read Shackleton, My Father and A World Without End. By Daryl Bristow Bovee, so he is also a South African, so we could fit this into the Southern Hemisphere author category as well, but he reflects on his relationship with his father through the lens of Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic expeditions, and he intertwines It's his personal history with this adventure of exploring the Antarctic. And so was this exploration of fathers, failures, and some deeper things of pursuits of meaning. And yeah. It fitted in with this idea of exploration of these uncharted territories.
[00:13:45] So that was my first one. Then in the category of a quick read was also inspired from my oceanography exploration. And so that's category number nine. And that book is called Ocean Speaks, How Marie Tharp Revealed the Ocean's Biggest Secrets. And that is by Jess Keaton and illustrated by Katie Hickey. And this is a beautifully illustrated picture book. I love a picture book biography. And it tells this inspiring story of Marie Tharp, the pioneering cartographer who mapped the ocean floor and really changed the world's understanding of the oceans. It's obviously a quick read being a picture book, but very impactful. And. What I loved is that it celebrates this curiosity and perseverance of women in science. She was working in a very male dominated world back in around the 50s and she made these incredible discoveries, but she wasn't allowed on the ships. So she had to just rely on the data that was coming back and she made these amazing discoveries.
[00:14:51] Then the next one is The Plan, Manage Your Time Like a Lazy Genius, of course, by Kendra Adachi. So this was recommended on Kendra's own podcast, the Lazy Genius Podcast, and she offers a really practical approach to planning that balances ambition with compassion.
[00:15:10] My next book is in category number 17, and this one is my South African book.
[00:15:16] It is by a South African, and it is called Place, South African Literary Journeys. And it's a travelogue written by an author called Justin Fox. And he delves into all the landscapes, histories, and people of Southern Africa through the lens of classic South African literature. Southern African Literature.
[00:15:40] So it kind of got the balance of a bit of literature and fiction with the non fiction. It was lovely. Then the next one was, the category was a book with a pink or red cover and that is category number 22. And bizarrely, the name of the book with the pink or red cover is called The Blue Machine, How the Ocean Works by Helen Chersky.
[00:16:05] And this is another one of my oceanography, actually the key oceanography book that I read. She unravels the wonders of the ocean as a massive interconnected system that affects life on earth in profound ways. And what I loved about it is it's.. Combined Science and Storytelling, and There's so much curiosity and told in a very beautiful way.
[00:16:29] And then I've put onto our list, Drive the Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink, because that fell into category 23, re read a favorite. And that one we discussed in our last podcast episode. And this was one of my favorites and I needed to revisit it for the podcast. So it worked out really well that it could fit into our 24 for 2024. and if you haven't listened to the last episode, I'd recommend you do.
[00:17:00] In Drive, Pink explores the surprising truth behind what motivates us, revealing that autonomy, mastery, and purpose drive this performance into the future. In an intrinsic motivation kind of way. And finally, I'm going to add on one from Rowena's list from last time, The Power of Content, A Simple Framework to Achieve Content Clarity and Confidence. And that's by Mel Daniels. And that falls into category number 24, a self published book. So that one, we also interviewed Mel about the power of content. You can go back. We'll link to that episode where Mel shares about her practical, no nonsense guide for business owners looking for an impactful content strategy.
[00:17:43] So you can hear it straight from Mel about the book, which I really enjoyed and also would fit into a quick read category as well
[00:17:50] Rowena: or into author from a Southern
[00:17:52] Shelley: There
[00:17:53] There
[00:17:53] Rowena: we go
[00:17:53] Or do we have female author
[00:17:55] Shelley: We do have a female author, I believe. Yes, that's number
[00:17:57] Rowena: There. So if, yep, so we could tick off maybe four, maybe even five categories with
[00:18:03] Shelley: book.
[00:18:03] I love it. Recommended on a
[00:18:05] podcast.
[00:18:07] Rowena: Oh, tick that one off too! So Shelley, these are fantastic books. And I love that there's a theme here because of your learning in depth study.
[00:18:16] , all the different things about ocean and exploration, and also quite a lot of focus on the Southern Hemisphere as well, which is also a little sub theme if you like. So fantastic combination of books. And I suspect that you are now our go to expert for all things ocean and exploration.
[00:18:32] Shelley: I, I now know how much I don't know, which is sometimes
[00:18:36] more awesome.
[00:18:37] Yes.
[00:18:38] Rowena: So of course I need to ask, and I suspect I know the answer because you are a little bit of a fangirl of this particular author, but I'm going to ask anyway, which one is your favorite and why?
[00:18:50] Shelley: you're right, The Plan by Kendra Adachi. This is the culmination of the Lazy Genius way, the Lazy Genius Kitchen, and She's written the plan for women. It's time management for women and most time management systems, unfortunately are, are written by men. Most of the books are written by men and they are prioritizing things like optimization and you need to be great.
[00:19:21] And there's this service in the now to an imagined future. But, she asks the question, what if that's not your goal? What if, what if you had to shift around your goal and just be a human, a really great human here and now, today so, and, and to live wholeheartedly and with compassion and kindness. So I love the message.
[00:19:45] And I feel like it's a message that a lot of our listeners will, will need to hear in pursuit of productivity and personal development and all these things that we like to talk about. I think Kendra challenges us to build in kindness, build in compassion and Still get lots of things done, be ambitious, care about things, but do so within this framework where one of her quotes is it's, it's more important to learn how to pivot than to learn how to plan.
[00:20:18] And she actually uses the word plan, P L A N, as an acronym. for four sort of aspects or steps in planning. And that is P for prepare, L for live, A for adjust, and N for notice. And it's not really a cyclical process. It's, she actually pulls from each of those letters of the acronym. to help teach this new way of looking at time management.
[00:20:47] And she's got quite a few references to Oliver Berkman's 4, 000 Weeks, which we've discussed on a previous podcast. So, so many of my, authors that I admire were coming up in the same book. And you know what I loved, Ro, is at the end of the book, the third part of the book was pep talks. So it's like, when you're feeling overwhelmed, it's like, Emergency, go, you know, when you're feeling overwhelmed, here's your pep talk.
[00:21:14] And it was just a one page of pep talk. Or it's like when your people are getting on your nerves and it's like, yes, Okay, go and read the pep talk. And it's
[00:21:22] that
[00:21:23] Rowena: perfect for parents of all teenagers everywhere.
[00:21:25] Shelley: yes. So it's, she's, it's just. Got so much realness to it and and so much practicality and she's famous for her big sister energy.
[00:21:36] And that really comes through in the book. So obviously highly recommend. The book comes out on the 8th of October. So it will be out by the time you are listening to this podcast. I got the pre order and so with that I got a kind of advanced copy. So yes, clearly, fangirl.
[00:21:55] Rowena: I love it. I think it sounds fantastic. And I love that it is basically pulling together a whole lot of different books and different strategies, I guess, that she has been talking about and sharing over the last few years in her previous books, but also books that we've talked about
[00:22:10] on this podcast. and it sounds like, there's maybe even elements that could be part of the Tranquility by Tuesday in there as well around adjusting and living for the now and making the most of now, not some distant goal, which is very much the message in Laura Vanderkamp's book as well.
[00:22:26] So fantastic.
[00:22:27] Shelley: links up there.
[00:22:28] Rowena: to add that. Yeah, lots of links. I'm going to add that to my book to be, I can't even say it now, to be read list. Oh,
[00:22:36] Shelley: And what about, what about your fiction reads, Ro?
[00:22:40] Rowena: Oh, well, I had one that I was going to share, but then I realised it was a memoir. And so it didn't qualify as fiction. So I had to go back to the drawing board. I'm going to just share one because as I said, you can check out my What I've Been Reading for a load more recommendations of books that I've loved this year and since we last shared.
[00:22:56] So the one I'm sharing is one my sister lent me actually, and it's called The Husbands by Holly Gramazio. So when I visited my sister and she lives in another state. She actually lent me this book and she suggested I read it. Now, she rarely recommends a book, so I tried it and I enjoyed it immensely. I was laughing out loud, the premise is hilarious which always helps.
[00:23:18] So, basically, one night, Lauren, the main character, finds a strange man in her flat who claims to be her husband, but she's not married. And all the evidence, from photos to electricity bills, suggests he's right. So she's kind of
[00:23:34] freaking out
[00:23:35] Shelley: Okay.
[00:23:36] Rowena: and then she realizes that her attic creates an endless supply of husbands for
[00:23:43] her.
[00:23:43] So when she gets sick of one, she just sends him back up to the attic and then a new one comes down. So, so she cycles through quite a lot of husbands. So it's a fabulous premise and so much fun. And as I said, it actually made me laugh out loud, loud a lot. And because I was reading it in paperback form, I was reading it in bed and my husband was, my husband was getting very annoyed about me, wr laughing out loud.
[00:24:08] And I thought, yes, if I had a magic attic, I could just send you back upstairs,
[00:24:11] But yeah. Fantastic, fantastic premise and a lot of
[00:24:14] fun. And a quick, a fairly quick read because it's good
[00:24:17] Shelley: Yeah, one of those page
[00:24:19] Rowena: nothing too. Yeah. Yeah. You just want to keep finding out like, what's she going to do?
[00:24:23] Is she going to keep this husband? How long is he hanging around for? Does this one last more than five minutes? Is he going to last a day? Like, you know,
[00:24:31] yeah. So Shelley, on that, what fiction have you been reading?
[00:24:34] Shelley: Well, you know, I'm always reading, reading aloud to my boys. And so lately we've been reading, we're on to Penderwick's At Last, which I'm kind of sad because it's the last book in the
[00:24:44] five
[00:24:45] book series. Yes. Um, and just loving it. They've gone through all those sort of generations of the family, have Kind of had a chance to be the main character in the books.
[00:24:55] So that's been amazing. That is by Jeannie Birdsell. And then we also on to book six of Harry Potter. It's Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. We have started that one recently. So those are.
[00:25:09] Oh, it's getting so exciting. And Garen's actually racing us. He listened to an audio book on his way flying across to the United States.
[00:25:18] And he listened to the one whole audio book that helped him to break up the flight. And he's now, he's now chasing us to catch up. He said, ah, he's going to catch us on the Half Blood Prince. So, but I
[00:25:31] have.
[00:25:32] Rowena: Cause he's not competitive at all.
[00:25:33] Shelley: not at all. So now I'm having to match Stephen Fry, because that's who
[00:25:42] reads the audiobooks. tall order.
[00:25:44] indeed.
[00:25:46] Luckily, what I have been reading myself, and this is also an audiobook format, and it has been read by Faith Moore on Storytime for Grownups. It's a Podcast. But what she does is she reads classic literature. And as the title of the podcast suggests, Storytime for Grownups, she reads it as if I was reading to my boys.
[00:26:10] So you pause every now and then, she pauses to give a little quick note on what's happening in this classic literature. You know, often as modern readers, we don't get the references or the language seems too highfalutin. And she gives you those quick little notes without detracting from the story.
[00:26:28] Thank you. So right now I'm listening to Pride and Prejudice, haven't finished that, but before that I listened to Jane Eyre and I cannot recommend it highly enough. So Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronsey and I read this book in During my university years when I was studying English literature and didn't think much of it, to be honest, I thought, hmm, you know, what's, what's this on about the lady in the attic and all this, I didn't, it didn't grab me at all.
[00:26:58] But it happened to be Faith's favorite book of all time, yet she did find that she always struggled with classic literature, and she grew up in a household of authors and very well read people, and she always felt a little bit, like, lesser than, that she didn't appreciate classic literature as much as she probably felt she should.
[00:27:20] And she realized as she You know, I think as she started appreciating more classic literature herself, she realized we just need, all just need a little bit of a helping hand and that classic literature can be accessible to all of us if we just have that help in hand. And so that's why she started the podcast and she has done that.
[00:27:40] Totally converted me to Jane Eyre. Just absolutely love the book and then her summer sessions afterwards when she did some literary analysis of the book itself and really dived into the book. And as she says, often in a college class, you start with all the, all this analysis before you've actually gotten to know the characters and the story and what's going on within the book.
[00:28:01] So I love that. approach. And I will again leave a link to Storytime for Grownups in our show notes, so that if you wanted to, you could go and right back to the beginning and listen to Jane Eyre, or she's currently, if you want to do it like a real time and you're more into Jane Austen, you could do Pride and Prejudice at the moment.
[00:28:20] Rowena: I love that, Shelley, and I think that you've hit the nail on the head there, perhaps Faith has as well, the idea that Classic literature has a, well, I was going to say, it definitely has a sense that it is. difficult to access. And there's, there's a lot of, expectation that we should enjoy certain types of books because they're classic or they're famous.
[00:28:40] But as you said, the language can be prohibitive where it's not an easy to read thing, or the writing feels antiquated where they say, you know, a sentence just keeps running on and running on and words are used in a way that we are not familiar with. So the fact that she is making it accessible and enjoyable It's brilliant.
[00:28:57] I also love the audio method because personally, I just love an audio book. I think an audio book should be with you at all times, whether you're walking the dog or driving the car or whatever else, an audio book's ideal. So the fact that this is a podcast, which means you've got pause points where you can think about it,
[00:29:14] Shelley: Yes, yes, yes. And in between, what I didn't mention as well, in between she'll take questions about the previous podcasts, chapters that she's read, and then she'll answer the questions. She'll start the next podcast with answers to those questions. And she's also very good about not giving away spoilers.
[00:29:30] So yeah,
[00:29:32] Rowena: Nice. And that's good for anybody who, love of learning, anyone with curiosity or love of learning as strengths like you are very strong in both of those. This is an ideal way to tackle perhaps some of those classic books that otherwise have felt too
[00:29:44] Shelley: yes, a hundred percent.
[00:29:47] Rowena: Brilliant. Okay. So, Shelley, I believe it is time for our listeners to choose their own adventure.
[00:29:54] So can you give us two options for actions that our listeners could choose to take after this episode?
[00:30:00] Shelley: Yes, well, I think today is easy because we've given you the challenge. It's out there. And so option one, really, it's not too late to play along. Download your copy of the 24 for 2024 reading challenge. And for a quick one, go and see which books you've already read. Slot those into categories and have a little bit of fun with it for this last little bit of the, of 2024.
[00:30:23] So option two is So I've chosen some classic literature.
[00:30:28] My, my challenge to you is just to diversify your reading. Try one book that's out of your comfort zone. Maybe it's a new author, a new genre, or just something different from your usual choice, maybe that someone else has recommended to you. Just add that little bit of spice, little bit of diversity into your reading life.
[00:30:48] It makes things super fun and you just. Makes reading, reading an adventure, since this is Choose Your Own Adventure.
[00:30:56] So Ro, we've just been chatting about all of the books we've been reading, but we always end off the episode with sharing what we're reading.
[00:31:04] And I think you've always got some books on the go. What are you reading right now?
[00:31:09] Rowena: I do have a couple of books on the go. I have an audio book, but I'm going to tell you about the one I'm reading because it is my next novel. No More Simon Says by me, Rowena Mabbott. It's the next book. I know, it's so exciting. It's the next book in my single in Sydney series. So Avoiding the Friend Zone that was published last year was the first book.
[00:31:29] And this is the second. And this one features Penny Hunter. Kate's Good Friend. So I'm in the re reading stage of editing and so I feel like I've been reading my own work for weeks. Luckily, thank goodness, it is getting better with each round of reading and editing. So that's what I've been doing and it will be available if all goes well.
[00:31:49] on Amazon and probably on Apple Books in a few weeks, a few weeks after this episode airs. So you'll need to keep an eye on our social media and also maybe on my website if you're interested in seeing the launch date for that, the publication date and grabbing yourself a copy.
[00:32:04] Shelley: Excellent. No more Simon Says. Well, you know, we love series in our household for sure. So I'm, I'm so excited that you're continuing the story that you started in avoiding the friend zone
[00:32:16] and expanding it out into a series.
[00:32:19] Rowena: yeah, so it's a different
[00:32:20] story, but it's perhaps the same,
[00:32:23] Shelley: it's the
[00:32:23] same
[00:32:24] Rowena: world.
[00:32:24] Shelley: huh. I think that's the way to
[00:32:26] Rowena: talk about it. Yeah, it's a couple of, couple of years later. So set in 2002, Kate appears in it. So Kate's still in there and, but it's more about, it's much more about Penny this time. So it's Penny and her friends and her
[00:32:38] Shelley: Lovely.
[00:32:40] Rowena: So Oh, super cool. All right. So as Rowena says, keep an eye out on our social media links. We're going to share those at the end of the episode. Sign up for Rowena's newsletter, cause you'll also be able to get the information about the launch date for the book there as well, when it's .
[00:32:56] Shelley: on Amazon and hit the shelves as it were.
[00:32:59] Rowena: Correct.
[00:33:00] Correct.
[00:33:01] Shelley: with that, we're going to wrap things up today, but really we'd love to continue the conversation. We'd love more book recommendations. You can connect with me on LinkedIn. I'm Shelley Tonkin Smith, and you can learn more about my copywriting business over at shelleysmithcreative.
[00:33:17] com. That's where I share a lot of things about writing with AI, about getting your tech stack ready for your business, your website, and all the tech tools. And Ro, where can listeners find you?
[00:33:29] Rowena: You can find me at Rowena Mabbott on Instagram or visit rowenamabbott. com for everything about my coaching services, , what I've been reading, the books that I've written, and you can also grab your free guide to fall back in love with your job. And of course, remember to visit twobookedup. com for show notes with the links to all the books we've mentioned and to download the 24 for 24 reading challenge PDF for free so that you can play along.
[00:33:55] Like we said, it's not too late. I'm Rowena Mabbott, encouraging you to have fun with your reading.
[00:34:01] Shelley: And I'm Shelley Tonkin Smith. We'll see you in two weeks time for another episode of Two Booked Up.
[00:34:10] Piccat Studios: This was edited by Piccat Studios. For all your editing needs, email cat@redcometlabs.com. We are experienced in Descript and Final Cut Pro.
