I dig reading challenge

After thinking about it for a while, I have decided to join the I dig reading challenge as set up by Katharine Owens at her blog The Insect Collector. I have been planning to write about books I have read and the reading challenge offers a setting in which to present these posts. This means that I will mainly write the posts in English, although some of the books will be written in Swedish without translations into more common languages. It might feel a little awkward, so I might also end up writing about Swedish books in Swedish and English books in English. (I'm quite sure, though, that I'm not going to write anything in French although it happens that I read books in French.)

As for the donation part of the challenge I have had mixed feelings about that. I have always had difficulties with charity (I realise I'm making quite a big leap between different but related ideas here). I think the state, based on taxes, should provide for those that cannot afford what they or their children need, through subsidies in a regulated and formalised way to make it less arbitrary than it is when organisations or individuals offer support to people in need of assistance. That said, I know well that the world does not look like that. Every state would not or could not give subsidies to all of those in the population who are in need for it. Usually, in this context, we think about poor countries in the so-called developing parts of the world. But there are also countries, like Sweden, where the people have elected a government that cuts the costs for subsidies to people being ill, unemployed, etc. So far, I am not aware of any increases in organisations supporting people in need in Sweden. I guess that as long as possible people manage through family and friends. After that, there's the social authorities. But I have seen initiatives before Christmas, from different parts of the country, where individuals could contribute with a Christmas gift for a child or youth that would otherwise stand without, something that I haven't observed before in this way.

In summary, there are organsiations that work towards goals I sympathise with, be it basic needs as food, clean water, or sanitary solutions; environmental goals; microloan financers (like Kiva); or activities for children and youths (as Berättarministeriet here in Södertälje, just to mention one), which totally or to some extent depend on donated money. So, as long as the world looks as it does, I will continue to donate to organsisations of different kinds - and thus I can as well make it visible. During some periods I read a lot, during others I read nothing at all, and I actually have no idea about how many books I read in a year. So, the donated amount may be subject to change, but for now I'll donate 2$/book I read.