A friend gave me Bus Stops and Bicycles: A handbook for Single Ladies after we chatted about this post. Written by a 20 something Christian girl from Melbourne, it’s about to become my top recommended book on singleness.
The author starts by describing a bus stop, where everyone is waiting for something. Often the single life is characterised by waiting for the ‘bus’. But there’s another option: riding a bike! You might get sweaty, tired, or have to change clothes, but there’s a freedom to it and most of all, you’re going somewhere. The point is not that bikes are better than buses but that moving is better than standing still.
This book is not a theology of singleness, but it does tackle a few theories associated with singleness, particularly in the 6 myths the author refutes:
- Marriage is a right
- I’m a damsel in distress
- A man will complete me
- If I was married I wouldn’t be lonely
- The grass is greener on the married side
- I’m not a proper adult
Her section of how to combat Satan’s lies about singleness is also excellent. The uniqueness of this book, though, is its practical suggestions about living a full, happy life as a young single woman. Things like:
- Tips for overcoming loneliness
- How to keep smiling for an entire wedding
- What to do with sexual desire
- How to handle insensitive remarks
This book is kind of like a more practical version of Singled Out but written by a single who is 10 years younger, Australian and a bit more funky. It’s short, humorous and joyful. Because its author is a single woman, she can sympathise, bring rebukes and make suggestions that sound hollow coming out of a married woman’s mouth. She still holds out hope for marriage and she doesn’t paint singleness as the best thing ever but her book celebrates single women and encourages them to be both strong and gentle, empowered and gracious, hopeful and purposeful.
Categories: Woman Written by Tamie
Tamie Davis
Tamie Davis is an Aussie living in Tanzania, writing at meetjesusatuni.com.
Meet Jesus at uni 
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