Biography, Autobiography, Memoir discussion

The thread of authors that do crazy things for a year.I am not sure if A J Jacobs started the genre, but he did write about three of them.

The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible
The Know-It-All Where he read the entire Encylopaedia Britannica
The Guinea Pig Diaries: My Life as an Experiment

Others I have come across...
The Year of YesAuthor said Yes to everyone who asked her out on a date
Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping Year of saying no to buying things
Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen This one got turned into a movie... Julie cooked Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking for a year

My challenge to anyone..read a book about a year of whatever, and discuss whether you could do the same thing for a year...?

I don't remember the name but it was about a year of buying nothing from China. It's almost impossible these days. I went to our local Dollar General and, excluding food and medicine, couldn't find one thing that wasn't made in China.

Found it!

A Year Without "Made in China": One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy

This one looks pretty interesting:

A Year Without Underwear: Exploring the World on a Bicycle

Not really a book about how to go a year without underwear. It is actually a travel memoir.

The other book was The Year without a Purchase: One Family's Quest to Stop Shopping and Start Connecting
But it was not technically because they were allowed to buy food. Consequently they expanded in their waistlines instead of cluttering the house.

I want to try this one Year of No Garbage: Recycling Lies, Plastic Problems, and One Woman's Trashy Journey to Zero Waste
I don't know if I could do it or whether I would have to have to dig a little landfill in my backyard or start insulating the roof of the house with old clothes.

I would have to live alone in order to try any of these since my husband is unlikely to be on board with trying any of them.

As for living the Bible as literally as possible I don't think that can happen, since it depends on which part you're trying to live! Before the law? During it (how can you if you can't go to Jerusalm for all of the feasts, and and will you really tithe?) After it in the NT? I probably haven't mentioned that I have a BTh but have done enough research to have earned more degrees if I'd been inclined to.

Also, I know someone who recently joined the Twelve Tribes so even though the author wouldn't be that off, I'm a bit off of that sort of stuff at the moment! I'm visiting her to see for myself since many of the media shows I've seen are not well done and clearly manipulating data, but I am not interested in it since the valid interviews have told me more than enough to know to avoid it, but even without that the first red flag (among others) is that you are asked to give them all of your assets and you aren't paid. BTW that is not literally how Christians lived at the time they claimed they did.

Karin wrote: "I would have to live alone in order to try any of these since my husband is unlikely to be on board with trying any of them.

As for living the Bible as literally as possible I don't think that can..."

I think AJ Jacobs was Jewish already, so that helped. I know Orthodox Jews have ways of keeping mitsvot (sp?) even if they don't live anywhere near Jerusalem, they do find little loopholes i.e when they don't work on the sabbath, they just get others to work and do things so they don't have to (but not by directly employing them) and they will put little marker stones around where they live so that they don't break any rules.

Selina wrote: "I want to try this one Year of No Garbage: Recycling Lies, Plastic Problems, and One Woman's Trashy Journey to Zero Waste
I don't know if I could do it or whether I would have to ha..."

That sounds interesting. My husband works for a garbage company so I don't think he would like it if everyone stopped having garbage!! Because of his work, I am probably already familiar with the recycling lies and plastic problems. Our garbage goes to a burn plant that makes electricity from garbage, so I like to think that at least we are not filling landfills, but I'm not sure if this is any better for the environment due to emissions going into the air.

What about this one

My Year Without Matches: Escaping the City in Search of the Wild

I don't think single urbanites do well outside of the city. They have to adjust to a lot more...

High Sobriety: my year without booze hard if you are an alcoholic, easier if you don't drink in the first place

My Year Without Meat shouldn't be that difficult nowadays.

How does this one compare to A J Jacobs?

To Be Perfectly Honest: One Man's Year of Almost Living Truthfully Could Change Your Life. No Lie.

Koren wrote: "Found it!

A Year Without "Made in China": One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy"

My mum wouldnt' survive without her rice, but a lot of food is now grown and manufactured in Thailand these days. I think even NZ lollies are now made over there, like Minties and Jaffas and Pineapple lumps. I'm like since when has our own homegrown brands started being outsourced? Well its been going on since 1984 when import restrictions ceased and the economy was deregulated. Before that, if you wanted any type of imported goods, there was a huge tariff. I remember campaigns about 'Buy New Zealand made' and that's all kind of stopped now thanks to stores like The Warehouse. My local mall has about 10 $2 shops all selling the same things from China.

My mum used to work in a souvenir factory and they'd get all their goods from China but just label it with a New Zealand theme. Oh the irony.

Selina wrote: "Karin wrote: "I would have to live alone in order to try any of these since my husband is unlikely to be on board with trying any of them.

As for living the Bible as literally as possible I don't ..."

Oh, then it was old testament law, and I think that rabbis came up with workarounds for going to Jerusalem when Jews were scattered.

A friend of mine hated it when she lived in a town where, among the many Jewish people, an number of Orthodox Jews would cut through her yard to walk to the synagogue on the Sabbath, but she was paying a mortgage and fences are expensive. I guess they don't mind trespassing even if it's illegal here.

Selina wrote: "

My mum wouldnt' survive without her rice, but a lot of food is now g..."

She'd have to be able to have her own rice paddies or find someone in NZ who had them if they exist. There are farmers now growing rice in Canada, at least in BC and one of the maritime provinces; I'm not sure about anywhere else.

When I was a child Canadian and American souvenirs were made in Japan when that was cheap! Now they are usually made in China and I refuse to by them because they aren't true souvenirs, IMO.

Karin wrote: "Selina wrote: "

My mum wouldnt' survive without her rice, but a lot of food is now g..."

She'd have to be able to have her own rice paddies or find someone in NZ who had them if they exist. There..."
No never seen them. Australia has them. I often think we could have rice paddies with the amount of rain we get here. But no it's all dairy and sheep.

Selina wrote: "Karin wrote: "Selina wrote: "

My mum wouldnt' survive without her rice, but a lot of food is now g..."

She'd have to be able to have her own rice paddies or find someone in NZ who had them if the..."

Is it true that NZ has more sheep than people?

Karin wrote: "Selina wrote: "Karin wrote: "Selina wrote: "

My mum wouldnt' survive without her rice, but a lot of food is now g..."

She'd have to be able to have her own rice paddies or find someone in NZ who ..."
uh..yes but the ratio of sheep to people is declining...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/202...

Could do this one

Year of No Sugar

I can only find the Year of No Garbage: Recycling Lies, Plastic Problems, and One Woman's Trashy Journey to Zero Waste on e-book...lol

It's written by the same author Eve Shaub. Will she run out of things to say no to?

She's also written Year of No Clutter and these are called 'stunt memoirs'.

Roald Dahl wrote about the last year of his life
My Year

I did not know that...

I've read this one Back to the Land. A Year of Country Gardening

I think country born people don't adjust well to city life (they know they only there for work) but city people find a more uphill battle adjusting to the country side if they didn't grow up with it because looking after a farm requires so much more than just running a household, renting or looking after an apartment that you can lock and leave.

Country farmers aren't scouring the cities for labourers! Besides then they'd have and feed and house them and they don't want too many setting up camp on their farms.

I think its rare that people actually garden their farms, as farming practice and gardening is not an easy mix. You either can do it all or you don't and get someone else in to manage your farm and then just say you own it. It's the same with many rich city gardeners pay someone else to do it. I've always felt that was a status thing and so many people seem to judge you on the size of your garden.

For most people a vege patch and flowers and a hedge is enough to handle on their own. I've always found it a bit weird about all this talk of 'garden rooms' when most city people only have ONE backyard and can't go dividing their property into many different rooms of gardeny delights there's only so much you can do with a rectangular patch surrounding your house. Don't expect a Versailles! Except for Lynda who can because she edits NZ Gardener and married a man with 40 acres. (Have been to her garden, it's great when you have the room!). Also she came from country stock herself apparently, so planting 500 tulips is a doddle.

Selina wrote: "Karin wrote: "Selina wrote: "Karin wrote: "Selina wrote: "

My mum wouldnt' survive without her rice, but a lot of food is now g..."

She'd have to be able to have her own rice paddies or find some..."

That's sad, I looked it up and the population of sheep in the USA--about 1/5 of yours--is also on the decline, most likely for the same reason (wool demand dropping).