nickel and dimed: undercover in low-wage usa by barbara enrenreich

In this thought-provoking read, Ehrenreich asks the question: "can you get by in the land of the free on the minimum wage?" She takes on cleaning jobs, retail, nursing work and waitressing - often simultaneously - and the answer is a resounding no. The biggest obstacle seems to be the prohibitive cost of housing - she makes barely enough to cover the rent for short-term housing or a motel room, let alone to save up a sufficient amount for a deposit for her own place. Together with the physical exhaustion of working 7 days a week, Ehrenreich shows that such a life is unsustainable - if it can be called a life at all.

While a bit heavy for the holiday season perhaps, I found this book really fascinating. It was recommended to me by a lecturer, along with Elisabeth Wynhausen's repeat of the experience in Australia, Dirt Cheap: Life at the Wrong End of the Job Market. If nothing else, it will make me treat those who form the backbone of the economy just that little bit better - after all, there but for the grace of God goes I...

Note: this book is available in the US under the title, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America

secret life of backpackers by barry divola

Being the type to turn my nose up at anything less than a Conde Nast reviewed establishment, I found this to be a fascinating glimpse into how the other half travel. Divola tackles the so-called "ant trail" - the well-trodden backpacker path from Sydney to Cairns, and meets some hilarious and interesting people on the way. Two experiences stand out in the book for me - firstly his night with a group of extremely drunk Irish backpackers (because he diligently records their conversation sound for sound - e.g. "foorty books fer the tuxi. We got screwed cos a'you") and the toilets at a tropical Queensland town, labelled "mangoes" and "no mangoes". There are great insights from those who have lived in the popular backpacker haunts such as Byron Bay and Airile Beach about how their hometowns have changed (or not) over the years, as well as the chance to see Australia (or at least a very small part of it) through the eyes of someone who stumbles off a twenty-hour flight, crams themselves into a undersized coach seat aboard what is affectionately known as "the dog" (as the most popular coach service among backpackers is Greyhound) and risks life and limb by swimming with stingrays, plunging off towers attached to an elastic cord and ingesting more alcohol in a month than most people would in their entire lifetimes. It almost made me want to give backpacking a go. For a few milliseconds or so.

under the paw: confessions of a cat man by tom cox

Having to sit still for long stretches at a time (to aid the recovery of my recently operated on knee) has allowed me to return to one of my best-loved pasttimes - reading. One of my favourite book genres is cat-related biographies, which I know wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. For those who are into feline tales, this is a recent offering by a Englishman who has owned (or has been owned by?) 12 cats to date. As Cox rightly points out, there are many books about cat-loving women - but not that many about cat-loving men. And surely there are men out there who love cats, considering how many pet cats there are in the world?

I would rate this book up there with other cat-related books such as Dewey: the Small-Town Library Cat who Touched the World by Vicki Myron and Autobiography of Foudini M. Cat by Susan Fromberg Schaeffer. Thoroughly enjoyable and well-observed, I especially liked the cast of minor characters such as Cox's Dad, who always speaks in CAPITAL LETTERS. A Christmas gift idea for a cat-loving friend, perhaps? (Therese, that's not a veiled suggestion from me!!)

See Tom Cox's blog here, starring everyone's favourite acrobatic cat, Maru :)