Shelf Reflection is a monthly series where we explore the bookshelves and reading habits of our featured First Book Club authors.
This month’s reflection is from Rawah Arja, whose debut novel The F Team (Giramondo) is our September pick. Read Ellen Cregan’s review, and stay tuned for more on our podcast later this month!
What are you currently reading?
I am almost finished reading Please Don’t Hug Me by Kay Kerr, about an autistic girl named Erin who writes letters to her brother Rudy about everything going on in her life. It’s a great book and deals with how to finally let go of the expectations people place on you and give yourself a go.
Borrowed or bought?
I was very lucky because I shared a stage with Kay at the YA Showcase in Melbourne at the end of 2019. We were both new to the YA scene and both debut authors, so it was really nice to have read the book knowing how amazing Kay is. I believe in supporting the arts industry and independent bookstores, so I purchased the book. (Editor’s note: Revisit our podcast interview with Kay Kerr, and Kay’s Shelf Reflection!)
What kind of reader are you?
I must say that because I joined the reading scene later in my teenage life, I read around 5 books at a time, which isn’t the best idea because I always mix up my characters. I only read books once. I have too many to catch up on!
I wish I was one of those people that colour coded my books and put them in alphabetical order, but that’s not me. If it fits on my bookshelf, then so be it.
I love to read in my backyard laying under my mulberry tree. I like to be in and around nature. It’s where I’m most calm and at a peace. I’m not sure if it’s a ‘thing’, but I have this habit of watching clouds. I know that may sound a little strange but I love finding shapes and different cloud creations when I lay on the grass in my yard. It’s like I have my own slideshow of morphing clouds!
What does your book collection look like?
I wish I was one of those people that colour coded my books and put them in alphabetical order, but that’s not me. If it fits on my bookshelf, then so be it.
I like to own everything and anything—I must say though, I love hand me downs, especially from my dad. They have this smell that takes me back in time and makes me feel as though I was there when the magic happened. The books I’ve owned for the longest time are Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta and Does My Head Look Big in This? By Randa Abdel-Fattah.
What’s one book you found critical to the writing of your own book?
As crazy as it sounds, I never liked reading as a teenager and would much rather spend my time hanging from trees or digging up imaginary treasures in my backyard. Yes, even as a teenager I lived in my own imaginary world since I couldn’t find it in books. Actually, come to think of it, I still do, except I enjoy reading now.
Even as a teenager I lived in my own imaginary world since I couldn’t find it in books. Actually, come to think of it, I still do.
I often found books boring and had to fight to keep my eyes open. The words on the pages were to small and worst of all, there were no pictures! Who reads books with no pictures? It was only after my English teacher recommended a few books like Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta or Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah that I began to see pieces of myself in books. I no longer had to worry about the endless negative news stories constantly reminding me that I was always going to be guilty by association, simply for being Muslim. Even though it sucks that those negative stories still exist, I now have a way to escape the real world when things get tough for me. Books are now my light in times of darkness.
If you had to pick one book to live in for the rest of your life, which would it be?
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is an all-time favourite of mine. I used to open my own wardrobe and hope that I would somehow magically travel to a new world, particularly because the real world often didn’t accept me—that being a female in the Islamic faith. It still excites me that books can be a place to escape to and be yourself. I wonder what the Ice Queen would do if she saw a young Hijabi woman wondering around the snow? Hmm, now that would be interesting as a new character!
The F Team is available from your local independent bookseller.
