Page 22 - IFV_Issue 7_2022

Book Reviews

Set on You Cloudmoney: Cash,
BY AMY LEA Cards, Crypto and
A gym nemesis pushes the War for our
a fitness influencer to Wallets
the max in this steamy BY BRETT SCOTT
debut romantic comedy Cloudmoney is a captivating
that TikTok readers can’t tour of the world of money
stop talking about! that also asks the most
Curvy fitness influ- important questions about
encer Crystal Chen built our future.
her career shattering The reach of corporations
gym stereotypes. After into our lives via cards
a recent break-up, she and apps has never been
has little time left for men, instead finding joy in the gym greater; many of us rarely use cash these days. But what we’re
– her place of power and positivity. Enter firefighter Scott told is natural and inevitable is actually the work of powerful
Ritchie, the smug new gym patron who routinely steals her interests. And the great battle of our time is for ownership of
favourite squat rack. Soon, sparks start flying. the digital footprints that make up our lives.
As the ultra-competitive foes battle for gym domination, Cloudmoney tells a revelatory story about how the fusion
the last thing they expect is to run into each other at their of big finance and tech requires physical cash to be replaced
grandparents’ engagement party. And, in the lead-up to by digital money underpinned by the banking sector, or
the wedding, Crystal discovers there’s a soft heart under ‘cloudmoney’. Diving beneath the surface of the global
Scott’s muscled exterior. Bonding over family, fitness and financial system, Brett Scott uncovers a long-established
cheesy pick-up lines, she just might have found her person. lobbying infrastructure waging a covert war on cash. He reveals
But when a photo of them goes viral, savage internet the technical, political and cultural differences between our
trolls put their relationship to the test. Are they strong different forms of money, and shows how the cash system has
enough to get through it? been under attack for decades, as banking and tech companies
Amy Lea is a Canadian bureaucrat by day and promote a cashless society under the banner of progress.
contemporary romance author by night (and weekends). Cloudmoney takes us to the frontlines of a war for our wallets
She writes laugh out loud romantic comedies featuring that is also about our freedom. It asks the most pressing
strong heroines, witty banter, mid-2000s pop culture questions: Who benefits from a cashless society and who gets
references, and ‘happily ever afters’. left behind? Is the end of cash the end of true privacy? And is
Recommended Price: R215.00 our cloudmoney future closer than we think?
Recommended Price: R350.00

Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?
BY DR JULIE SMITH
Drawing on her years of experience as a clinical psychologist, Dr Julie Smith’s first
book is a must-have handbook for instantly better mental health.
Filled with secrets from the therapy room, Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?
offers simple advice, effective strategies and powerful coping techniques to help
readers stay positive and resilient no matter what life throws their way.
It’s written in short, bite-sized entries, in Dr Julie’s warm and informal style. A reader
can turn straight to the appropriate section depending on the challenge being faced
- and immediately find tools to help. From managing anxiety, dealing with criticism
or battling low mood, to building self-confidence, finding motivation or learning to
forgive yourself, and much more, this book tackles everyday issues that affect us all
and offers easy, practical solutions that might just change your life.
Recommended Price: R330.00

20 • Issue 7 2022 • The Villager