Hungry Heart

A Story of Food & Love

Author: Clare Finney

Publisher: Aurum Press

Available: 13^th June 2024 in Paperback & eBook

Thank you to Anne Cater, Random Things Tours and Aurum Press for my lovely gifted copy and for having me on the blog tour for this book. My review is based on my experience of the book and any thoughts expressed here are solely mine alone.

Book Details:

A soul-searching memoir for foodies everywhere. Let award-winning food writer Clare Finney take you on a passionate exploration of food and love From family feasts to comfort food, first dates to office cake; how does what we eat define us, and the relationships we have with others?

In Hungry Heart award-winning food writer Clare Finney investigates the role that food plays in modern society, exploring how eating unites us in varied ways throughout our lives. Starting with her own childhood spent in her grandmother’s hotel kitchen, she reflects on the food that has shaped the person she is today, through the lens of fourteen memorable recipes.

Think of the dance of culinary courtship entailed in dating. Or the funeral foods that remind us of the connections between life and death, Finney examines the power of food and drink to attract, bind and define us—and of course, its power to divide and repel.

Packed with transformative stories from the heart, this book may just change your relationship with food, dining and mealtimes. At a time when our relationship towards what, when and where we eat has become increasingly complicated, Hungry Heart is a feast. It’s an honest, heart-warming account of humans breaking bread together and what that really means.

My Thoughts:

There are some books, that I fall instantly and completely in love with, the moment I start reading them and Clare Finney’s Hungry Heart, is the perfect example of such a book. Reading it, is heavenly, just like a cold glass of champagne on a summer evening or that first sip of good strong coffee on a morning. This is a book, that feels familiar and comforting and at the same time, is entertaining and inspiring and the more I read, the more I adored how considerately and cleverly Clare has curated it and, just like a tub of Ben & Jerry’s One Sweet World, this book is impossible to put down, which probably explains why my copy might now have a few smears of peanut butter on it! Hungry Heart is undeniably delicious, and it is one of my favourite reads of 2024! So now you’ll have to get a copy and find out why for yourselves, won’t you!!

As far as I’m concerned, Clare has written a literary foodtopia, a divine abundance of food related vignettes, with emotional ingredients, pinches of historical reference and sprinkled with the heady spice of psychological examination and mixed into medley of memories. What I admired about the compilation of the book, was that Clare shared her own personal relationship and memories relating to food as well as sharing the constant love affair or battles with it, that her various friends also have. Food, is the archetypal love/hate relationship, especially I think for women who are under the most pressure societally in terms of their physicality. I mean, who can resist a mini cheddar or 50, topped with primula cheese spread or warm aromatic sausage rolls, that are simultaneously soft and crispy and one is never enough or the glide of a gooey chocolate brownie, filled with gems of fruit and nuts…OK that might just be me and given that I am short and round…you can see I have opted for the lover of food side of the relationship.

But as much as we adore the moment we bite into these delightful morsels…for many,  that moment of bliss is often tainted with a sense of reproach or guilt soon after, whether it be an internally perceived failure of self-control for being unable to resist sweet treats, or the knowledge that this moment on the lips, will add more layers to your hips and will probably result in some level of physical torture (aka exercise) to balance the indulgence! Food is so often a symbol of love, of care and of solace and these and other emotional connections are shared so beautifully and vividly by Clare within each chapter.

The main ingredients of this book, aren’t solely focused on the wonderful different types of foods we enjoy but the correlation of our favourite or most hated foods, with various personal and social experiences; from sharing a family meal, to not being able to countenance eating a roast chicken, because it reminds you of the dissolution of your family (divorcing parents) to the packed lunch you share with your bestie, when the halving dairylea lunchables, chipsticks and wagonwheels is as important as expressing teenage angst over your weight, your looks, school, that boy or the unfathomable, unreasonable behaviour of parents!

The breaking of bread, the sharing of a meal; the environment in which you under take your food journey; from greasy spoon café to a Michelin starred restaurant. The atmospheres, be it the clinking of crystal glasses or the cries of excited children when presented with a happy meal and its hidden surprise. The undiluted importance of food community, sharing with others be they, friends, family, work colleagues or guests at wedding reception, creates an impression and shapes us, societally, intellectually and emotionally. Food, whether it be the eating of it, or the preparation of meals is an undiminished factor of all our lives, it can open conversations, it can provide frames of reference, it can be a gateway to finding common ground. In expressing both the positive and the negative connotations and connections in her book Clare, has made me really consider the importance of all these elements and has encouraged me to be more mindful and appreciative of them going forward.

Fundamentally, I think Clare is suggesting that we all have hungry hearts; hungry for love, for acceptance, for happiness, for welling being, for relationships, for family and that food on its own, cannot fill the sometimes empty spaces in our hearts, but the relationships food community in all its glorious variety can, does and will continue to do so.

Hungry Heart is comfort food in literary form, a reading recipe for appreciating the banquet of life. This is an exceptional, entrancing and enriching read, it will satisfy your emotional intellect and tantalise your taste buds (so make sure you have plenty of snacks to hand when you read it). I absolutely LOVED it and I hope you do too…

Happy Reading Bookophiles…

About the Author:

Clare Finney is an award-winning food writer – Fortnum and Mason Food Writer of the Year 2019 – and author of The Female Chef, which won Fortnum and Mason’s Debut Food Book Award in 2022. Born in London in 1988 and unhappily educated at an all girls school, she spent large stretches of the school holidays in her grandparents’ large hotel kitchen on the south coast.

There, food and love were inextricable; yet it wasn’t until after university that she fell in love with food writing itself, whilst working for Borough Market’s magazine. Today her food journalism appears regularly in the Guardian, the Evening Standard, delicious magazine, Vogue, the Telegraph and the iPaper, amongst many other titles. She writes about sustainability, food and relationships, producers, food and feminism, trends in food culture, and cheese. IG: @finneyclare

Please do read some of the other reviews available on this blog tour.

Dorothy

Author: Neil Rathmell

Publisher: Valley Press

Available: 18^th May 2023 in Paperback

Thank you to Anne Cater, Random Things Tours, for my gifted copy and for having me on the blog tour for this book. My review is based on my experience of the book and any thoughts expressed here are solely mine alone.

Book Details

“One evening

when they are sitting quietly together

she breaks the silence

and starts to talk”

Dorothy tells the complete story of a Yorkshire woman, in verse, from her birth early in the last century to her death in the first years of this. Like so many of her generation, she lived a life both ordinary and extraordinary; shaded by grief, troubled by family dynamics, and restricted by the realities of class, location and gender. Hers was a life where survival itself, the simple act of continuing, was a victory to be celebrated – but one where the reminders of why we continue, the blinding moments of sunshine when the clouds part, were that much sweeter because of it.

Tender and insightful, harrowing and uplifting, Dorothy is a stunning act of empathy from a son towards his mother. Her story, told through the author’s assured, unpretentious verse, is both specific and universal enough to resonate with all who encounter it; to challenge some, heal others, and leave a lasting impression on the world Dorothy came to love.

My Thoughts:

I don’t know about you but when I hear or read the word poetry, I am immediately transported back to my school days and the process of critical analysis required to pass GCSE and A level English exams, where the elegance and eloquence of poems that we studied was shredded in favour of placing the authors inflections and intensions into neat little boxes for examiners to mark! Poems are a realm of literature, that many readers overlook, for a myriad of reasons; for some it is incomprehensible, for others it isn’t an easy form of entertainment in the same reading a story is, for some it is considered outmoded, a relic of our literary past consigned to the purview of dusty Professors in hallowed academic halls!

It is my belief that Neil Rathmell has, in his book Dorothy has obliterated these old morays. This book is clearly a labour of love, both of literary verse and of a loved one. I have never had the pleasure of reading a book constructed like this before. It is a biographical ode, melodious and melancholic, modern and masterful, recounting an ordinary and yet extraordinary life in versatile verse.

Dorothy is a unique reading experience and one I believe you should certainly try. I was amazed at how fluid it was to read, the language used is descriptive, evocative and sublimely simple. Neil has made his ode, easy to comprehend and the story of Dorothy’s life, her trials, traumas and triumphs come to life as you read, her thoughts and reactions too, are unequivocally Yorkshire, succinct and at times resolutely emotionally blunt, especially concerning her marriage and tragic losses, yet you can feel a sense of the woman and her expressions.

One of my favourite parts of this beautiful book, is Dorothy’s journey to India for her 90^th Birthday, now this is an epic voyage and one I am personally familiar with, as my brother-in-law is a British Indian and when he married my sister, we all travelled to India for their wedding, and this is not a journey for the faint hearted. I loved that Dorothy was courageous enough to undertake this voyage of discovery, considering her rural roots and that she had never really been anywhere before. Neil’s description of her acceptance of such new experiences on this adventure are vivid and poignant and they brought a tear to my eye, and this wasn’t the first or last time, I had to reach for a tissue while reading and I loved the presentation of a baked potato!

Dorothy is a modern mini Iliad, it is intimate, original and impressively wrought. This is unlike any book you will ever read (unless you are a devoted classicist). I am in awe of Neil’s ability to make poetic verse, so accessible and easy to absorb. I absolutely loved this book and Dorothy’s story, and I am grateful to Neil for re-introducing the concept of verse into my reading sphere. This book will not suit everyone but my goodness, it deserves to. For me, I believe this is a literary experience not to be missed and I do hope you buy a copy for yourselves and see what you think for yourselves!

 Happy Reading Bookophiles

About the Author:

Neil Rathmell was born in 1947 and grew up in Yorkshire. He read English at Jesus College, Cambridge. His first novel, The Old School, was published by Faber & Faber in 1976. His short fiction has been published in literary magazines including Ambit, Prole, Popshot and The Penny Dreadful. His plays have been produced by youth theatres and amateur drama groups in the UK, India and the Czech Republic. After a career in education which took him to Cheshire, County Durham and Shropshire, he  is now back in Yorkshire enjoying retirement with his wife, Jaspreet.

Please do read some of the other reviews on this blog tour.

Secrets of The Deep

The Mermaid Chronicles – Book 1

Author: Marisa Noelle

Available: July 2023 in eBook & Paperback

Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/51jyaph

Thank you to Dave at The Write Reads and Marisa Noelle for my lovely, gifted copy and for having me on the blog tour for this book. My review is based on my experience of the book and any thoughts expressed here are solely mine alone.

Book Details:

CORDELIA BLUE IS AFRAID OF WATER .

CORDELIA IS ALSO A MERMAID.

Determined to face her fear, Cordelia enters the ocean for the first time since her twin brother was killed and learns she is from the oldest bloodline of mermaids. Entrusted with a magical relic, it us up to her alone to break an ancient curse and free the mermaids from the water.

But the selachii – mysterious shark shapeshifters – also have their eyes on the relic. As tensions increase between the mermaids and selachii, Cordelia doesn’t know who to trust. Forced to choose between love and race, she doubts every decision and the intentions of those around her.

Trusting her head will lead to a path of betrayal, but she might just get her family back. If she chooses her heart, the mermaids may stay cursed to remain in the ocean forever.

My Thoughts:

Now before I share my thoughts with you today on Marisa Noelle’s first book in The Mermaid Chronicles Series – Secrets of the Deep. Which will involve, a cornucopia of fantastical elements, including a sexy shark boy, mesmerising mermaids and a mysterious relic. Sounds tempting, doesn’t it?

I have to tell you that when the very lovely Marisa, sent me, my copy of her glorious book which is kindly signed as well, she also included a set of magnificent bookmarks, each one relates to one of the books in this series. For those of you who don’t know this about me, I am a bookmark addict, I have no shame about this, I love them. I usually match bookmarks to the books I’m reading, and I have pots of them scattered all around my little house.  Just in case, I need one, because, I do not condone the bending of book pages or other reprehensible or scandalous means of holding your place in a book when reading but that’s just me, what you chose to do with your books, is of course up to you! So, a huge thank you Marisa for sending them and I’ve popped a picture of them here so you can see why I love them, and I can’t wait to read the rest of this series!

Let me tell you a little about Book 1 – Secrets of the Deep. No matter how old I get, I can’t resist a fabulous fantasy novel, with a strong heroine, a brooding hero and a series of trials for them to face but this is the first one I’ve read that focuses specifically mermaids and I have to applaud Marisa’s exceptional knowledge on the subject as she weaves this magical tale. This is Cordelia Blue’s story or Cordy as she likes to be known, she is feisty and young woman with gumption! However, as you will learn, her life hasn’t been without tragedy, as her mother and brother died in a violent shark attack, which she witnessed! This has had a serious impact on her life and particularly on her reaction to water! Prior to the attack, Cordy never felt more at home than when she was in water, she loved to swim but now, she can’t bear it, she has a deeply ingrained fear of being immersed in water, it is no longer a place she feels safe and yet deep inside, she still maintains a longing for the ocean but at this point, she is doing her best to fight this feeling and avoids getting wet at all costs, she can’t even take a bath, her fear is so overwhelming!

Despite all that’s happened and the fear that lurks in Cordy’s mind, she is admirably supported by her friends, Maya and Trent, who do everything they can to lighten the load and I loved the friendship dynamic between them. The trio are starting their Senior Year and are filled with expectations for the year ahead and Cordy get’s a blast from the past, with arrival of Wade Waters, the one boy, who Cordy had a serious crush on, when she was 13 years old and it seems those feeling hadn’t dissolved in the mists of time and Wade and Cody reconnect and boy do they move fast…I maybe showing my age here!!!

Meanwhile, Maya embroils Cordy and Trent in her endless fixation on all things Mermaid related, stemming from her belief, that she saw one, when she was a child and she is now becoming an expert in Mermaid lore and in her quest for information gathering, she purchases a tome, called ‘The Mermaid Chronicles’ but finds it hard to get to grips with! What she has gleaned is information on a long-held dispute between the mermaids and another species know as the Selachii, who are Shark shapeshifters!!

Things seem to be going along swimmingly (sorry couldn’t resist the water metaphor) for Cordy until, while watching Trent taking part in a surfing competition, he falls from his board but doesn’t re-surface, well you can imagine Cordy’s reaction to this dramatic turn of events. Yet, her desire to protect/rescue her friend, overrides her fear of the water as she dives into retrieve him….when she does, a metamorphosis occurs, Cordy can’t kick her legs…in fact her legs have morphed into beautiful red tail!!!! I confess, this wasn’t a surprise, but I did enjoy how, Cordy discovered her true nature or at least began on the path to this discovery, however this is not the only revelation, a date with Wade, brings further drama to this tail! But of course, I don’t do spoilers, so if you want to know any more, you’ll have to read the book and find out!!

I have been immersed in Marisa’s mermaid magic, I love how imaginatively and intricately she has thought out the character relationships and the dynamics between the mermaids and the shark shifters and I am intrigued to see all the plotlines, weave together and occasional diverge. This is a fantastic opening book to a series, it is enthralling, engaging and exhilarating read and I can’t wait for more and it is a delightful escape from reality. I hope you enjoy reading it, as much as I have!

Happy Reading Bookophiles…

About the Author:

Marisa Noelle is the writer of middle grade & young adult novels in the genres of science-fiction, fantasy, horror & mental health including The Shadow Keepers, The Unadjusteds Trilogy (The Unadjusteds, The Rise of the Altereds, & The Reckoning), The Mermaid Chronicles – Secrets of the Deep, & The Unravelling of Luna Forester. She is a mentor for the Write Mentor program that helps aspiring MG & YA authors.

With dual citizenship, Marisa has lived on both sides of the Atlantic and uses settings in both the USA and UK as inspiration for her novels. When she’s not writing or reading or watching movies, she enjoys swimming. In the pool she likes to imagine she could be a mermaid and become part of some of her make-believe worlds. Despite being an avid bookworm from the time she could hold a book, being an author came as a bit of a surprise to her as she was a bit of a science geek at school. She lives in Woking, UK with her husband and three children. You can find her on Twitter @MarisaNoelle77, TikTok @MarisaNoelle12, or her website www.MarisaNoelle.com

TOXIC

Author: Helga Flatland

Translated by: Matt Bagguley

Publisher: Orenda Books

Available: 23^rd May 2024 in Paperback, eBook & Audiobook

Thank you to Anne Cater, Random Things Tours  and Orenda Books for my gifted copy and for having me on the blog tour for this book. My review is based on my experience of the book and any thoughts expressed here are solely mine alone.

Book Details:

 When Mathilde is forced to leave her teaching job in Oslo after her relationship with eighteen-year-old Jacob is exposed, she flees to the countryside for a more authentic life.

Her new home is a quiet cottage on the outskirts of a dairy farm run by Andres and Johs, whose hobbies include playing the fiddle and telling folktales – many of them about female rebellion and disobedience, and seeking justice, whatever it takes.

But beneath the surface of the apparently friendly and peaceful life on the farm, something darker and less harmonic starts to vibrate, and with Mathilde’s arrival, cracks start appearing … everywhere.

My Thoughts:

Toxic by Helga Flatland has flummoxed me from a book blogger’s perspective, as I really didn’t have my initial reactions to this novel. Usually when I’m reading a new book, I can tell quickly, whether or not I will love the book or not and I often have a sense of my thoughts about it, within the first 5 to 10 chapter, but not this time! This time, I had to wait and digest the story before me, however what became very clear as I read on, is that this is a novel, that is uncompromisingly potent, perplexing and pernicious from a psychological standpoint and it draws you in and then proceeds to prod and poke at your mind, which is rather addictive!

The best way, that I can describe Toxic to you, is that it is a marmite onion…I know, I can hear you saying, what on earth does she mean? This is a book of many subtle, sinuous layers, that unpeeled as I read (hence the onion comparison) but it is also like marmite, in that, it is a novel that in the best way will divide readers into two camps, those who love it and those who don’t. This in my opinion is not a negative perspective, books that provoke strong reactions are the best kind of read, I believe, because they stimulate my brain and provoke me into patterns of ricocheting thoughts regarding the construction, context and content of the tale unfurling in my hands. Toxic is…psychologically taught, emotionally tantalising and intellectually teasing and unfailingly tenacious, this is a book you really should add to your library, as it is not to be missed!

The story is revealed in alternating chapters from the viewpoints of each, of the main protagonists, which provides us readers, with the past and the present of each character. Mathilde is a substitute teacher, isolated, lonely, stubborn, oblivious, she has lived in an urban environment for all of her life. She is seemly perfectly ordinary, she doesn’t exactly live life to the full, she gets on with it, until she falls into an affair with 18 year old student Jakob (he makes all the moves on her and seems to control the trajectory of their liaison) but strangely she doesn’t rebuff him (as most teachers would, knowing that despite the fact he is technically an adult, their relationship would be deemed ethically/morally wrong!) This factor doesn’t come into play for Mathilde, it is like she can’t comprehend why anyone would object to their ‘relationship’…they are legally, after all two consenting adults! This reaction is juxtaposed with her increasing frustration and rage at Jakob, who having gone off to University, seemingly has no more need of her, despite earlier implications that their relationship was to be more permanent and you can feel her desperation rolling off the pages and if I’m frank, I loathe Jakob, he’s not an innocent in this scenario despite our deep seated beliefs that the teacher/student relationship has been violated by Mathilde!

In contrast is Johs view point, he is a quiet, calm and thoughtful man; a musician specialising in playing and teaching the fiddle while also helping his mother and brother Andres (who suffers from varying degrees of anxiety) out on their family’s farm, the land and farm has been handed down through the generations to their Grandfather, then their mother and now the brothers; their Grandfather overshadowed the brothers , with a domineering attitude towards everyone, he is only concerned with his farm and his fiddle and is almost pathological about how the fiddle is played and the music and the old folklore connected to them, and he seems to favour musical tales, that are mostly about the subjugation of women, in fact his whole attitude to women, made my skin crawl and his treatment of his family is fairly poisonous too!

Eventually Mathilde and Johs stories overlap, as Mathilde’s affair is uncovered, the Covid pandemic takes hold of their worlds and Mathilde, decides to leave Oslo behind for a more rural existence, although it seems a rather random decision, I did wonder if this choice was her, literally running away from the tribulations of her affair and her rage and disappointment at Jakob’s behaviour! You will have to form your own opinions on this, I think!

Characteristically what I found, fascinating was Mathilde’s interactions with the brothers, who find themselves drawn to her and she more other worldly than the other women in their sphere and to me, Mathilde seems to know intrinsically how to emotionally manipulate them and the ramifications of this, has an impact and I found I had a clear idea of what might happen next but Helga is very clever in disguising the trajectory of the revelations and the results but obviously if you want to know to what I am referring to you’ll have to read the book and find out, won’t you!

One of the standout features of this book for me, is how Helga through the interpretations of her cast,  examines how family expectations, intimate relationships, and self-deception shape the identities and choices of each character, and how they cope with the consequences of their actions.

Helga’s book also skilfully plays with the conventions of storytelling, as her characters often narrate their own versions of events, sometimes contradicting or omitting details that would reveal their flaws or motives. I was left to question the reliability and the truth of these narratives, and to wonder what other secrets are buried beneath the surface, resulting in me having more questions than answers by the end of the novel and I am still cogitating on some elements even now!

As I reflect on my time reading this book, it’s title Toxic seems to be superbly pertinent, as in modern terms a toxic person or relationship is defined by qualities of being very harmful or unpleasant in a pervasive or insidious way and within a relationship this can be expanded to include a continual pattern of emotional harm, disrespect, and manipulation potentially leading to deteriorations in mental and emotional health and I will leave it up to you to decide, if this marries with the content of novel before you.

Toxic’s genius is that on the surface, everything seems ordinary and benign but when you delve deeper into the story, you begin to understand this is far from true. The cast of characters is almost unspeakably flawed (and that is putting it politely) and their convictions are challenging, and I believe Helga has designed her book this way, to provoke her readers into active thought, leading us to assess and analyse our personal opinions regarding the themes of morality, ethics, culpability, social gendering, so be prepared to have your thoughts provoked!

Happy Reading Bookophiles…

About the Author:

Helga Flatland is one of Norway’s most awarded and widely read authors. Born in Telemark, Norway, in 1984, she made her literary debut in 2010 with the novel Stay If You Can, Leave If You Must, for which she was awarded the Tarjei Vesaas’ First Book Prize. She has written six novels and a children’s book and has won several other literary awards. Her fifth novel, A Modern Family (her first English translation), was published to wide acclaim in Norway in August 2017 and was a number-one bestseller. The rights have subsequently been sold across Europe and the novel has sold more than 100,000 copies. One Last Time was published in 2020 and also topped bestseller lists in Norway. Helga lives in Oslo.

Please do read some of the other reviews available on this blog tour.

HERA

Author: Jennifer Saint

Publisher: Wildfire/Headline

Available: 23^rd May 2024 in Hardback, eBook & Audiobook

Thank you to Anne Cater, Random Things Tours and Wildfire/Headline for my gorgeous, gifted copy and for having me on the blog tour for this book. My review is based on my experience of the book and any thoughts expressed here are solely mine alone.

Book Details

 When the immortal goddess Hera helps her brother Zeus to overthrow their tyrannical father, the ancient Titan Cronos, she dreams of ruling the world at his side. But as they establish their reign on Mount Olympus, Hera begins to see another side to Zeus, a side just as ruthless and cruel as Cronos was. She was clearly born to rule, but does that mean perpetuating a cycle of violence and cruelty that has existed since the dawn of time? Will assuming her power mean that Hera loses herself or can she find a way to forge a better world?

Often portrayed as the jealous wife or the wicked stepmother, this retelling captures the many sides of Hera, vengeful when she needs to be but also compassionate and most importantly, an all-powerful queen to the gods.

My Thoughts:

When I became aware that Jennifer Saint, had a new book on its way, I was filled with a sense of excited anticipation and foremost in my mind, was the question, which mythological woman, will Jennifer re-imagine now! So, it is my great pleasure today, to be sharing my thoughts on her new book Hera. Queen of the Gods, daughter of a titan, sister-wife to the power, philandering and plotting Zeus. Hera is the anthesis of a complicated character and Jennifer has done a masterful and magnificent job of blending the known with the imagined. I have huge admiration for Jennifer’s prestigious knowledge of the classical world and the myriads of gods, goddesses, heroes and monsters that all provide meat to the literary bones of her books. Hera is an arresting mythological adventure, vivid, vicious, vengeful and victorious in spirit, tone and trajectory. I know, I am not alone at not being able to put it down!

One of the elements that I really appreciate with all of Jennifer’s books, is that she does a stellar job of putting her leading lady, very much in context, with Hera we are provided with the foundations of her life, the dramatic experiences that have shaped her, that have stoked her soul fire, that elucidate the key relationships in her life, with her siblings and her offspring. What I found to be a fascinating concept, was that no matter how powerful a position Hera believes she’s in, she is not immune to tragedy, disappointment or being disillusioned. I found Jennifer’s construction of Hera to be original and dynamic, on the one hand, Hera is clever, calculating and considered but on the other petulant, pedantic and poisonous, especially when crossed or when she believes she has been!

While reading, the idea that Hera is the embodiment of every woman, came sharply into focus for me. Because we women, be we modern or mythological, are multifaceted, never just good or bad, matron or crone, virgin or whore…by articulating the variety and often contradictory nature of Hera’s actions and reactions, we see the many sides of her and possibly appreciate the many sides of ourselves. Nobody is just one thing, Hera is made up of many parts and in a time and place, where women had no power, she is quite remarkable in fighting her corner and she makes no bones about how she maintains her position and I suspect some readers may consider her unlikeable for the darker side of her personality. Personally, I think Jennifer’s characterisation of Hera is intricate and inspired and have to congratulate Jennifer on making her so tangible and relatable with just the right amount of wicked…I am definitely going to be channelling some Hera vibes, next time I need to, although, I will resist the temptation to wreak absolute carnage…maybe!

Hera for me is elegantly constructed, eloquently written, engagingly imagined and exquisitely potent and dramatic, it is like reading a mythological version of the 80s television series  Dynasty, plot lines filled with tension, dynastic battles, revenge, intrigue, love, lust and at the heart of the story, a Queen, a Goddess who refuses to conform to what was expected of her and instead, comes out fighting, which I adored. I revelled in the experience of having Hera, come to life in front of me as I turned the pages of this book and of all of Jennifer’s books to date, I think Hera’s story is my favourite. I hope you enjoy reading about her, as much as I have and if you are new to classic history and mythology, this novel, would be a fantastic introduction to the genre.

Happy Reading Bookophiles…

About the Author:

Jennifer Saint grew up reading Greek mythology and was always drawn to the untold stories hidden within the myths. After thirteen years as a high school English teacher, she wrote Ariadne, which tells the legend of Theseus and the Minotaur from the perspective of Ariadne – the woman who made it happen. Ariadne was shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year in 2021 and was a Waterstones Book of the Month, as well as being a Sunday Times bestseller. Jennifer Saint is now a full-time author, living in Yorkshire, with her husband and two children. Her second novel, Elektra, and third novel, Atalanta, were number one Sunday Times bestsellers.

 @jennifer.saint.author – http://www.jennifersaint.com

Please do read some of the other reviews available on this blog tour.

Being With Cows

How Grief Became Gratitude

Author: Dave Mountjoy

Publisher: Bedford Square Publishers

Available: 23^rd May 2024 in Hardback & eBook

Thank you to Anne Cater, Random Things Tours and Bedford Square Publishers for my lovely, gifted copy and for having me on the blog tour for this book. My review is based on my experience of the book and any thoughts expressed here are solely mine alone.

Book Details:

 An intensely transformational story of how grief became gratitude in the presence of a humble herd of cows. Being with Cows details the incredibly moving story behind the tragic death of one man’s brother and how his personal quest for inner healing came to him unexpectedly on his organic farm in the French Pyrenees. An intensely powerful yet heart-warming story, Being With Cows is an antidote to the stresses, strains and suffering of modern life. Through a deeply tangible sense of gratitude, it tells of how tragedy can be overcome through the healing power of nature.

My Thoughts:

One of the greatest joys of being a reader, is opening a new book and beginning a journey of discovery irregardless of the genre of the book. Each first page I read, never fails to transport me to a different, time, place or experience. With some of my favourite reads, there is always a very strong initial reaction to the words I am reading, a sensation of recognition, of satisfaction, of comfort, a feeling of anticipation.  This was exactly my reaction to Dave Mountjoy’s book Being With Cows, although I think this feeling now has a title, I had got my #Cowfulness on!

I had been pondering for a couple of weeks now, on how to describe Dave’s book to you because it is a marvellous mixture of memoir, mindfulness and metamorphosis revealing and revelling in the power of bovine benevolence or #Cowfulness, which is a genius tag and is the perfect descriptor for this beautiful bovine centric book.

In all honesty, I didn’t know exactly what to expect, when I began reading it but what struck me was how personal, poignant, perceptive and poised this book is. Dave paints vibrant pictures of his emotions and environment, with his words. I loved his bravery in being so open and honest regarding his life experiences and the gamut of emotions various situations wrought on him and his family. I also have to say, his wife Diana, sounds like a remarkable, resilient woman and deserves just as much praise and admiration because, I am not sure that I would have been able to handle the circumstances she found herself and her family in, so I just wanted to personally acknowledge her important role in this book.

The undoubtable stars of this read are the Cows be they Galloways or Castas, each one has their own distinct personality (which Dave lists by name and character traits towards the end of the book, I personally have a soft spot for Paula)  and some of them, at least, initially could certainly be a tad feisty but despite this, they also bring calmness and a soothing serenity by merely being in their presence. Dave’s book is full of stunning illustrations as well, so you’ll get to see for yourselves some of this cast of cow characters. What ultimately fascinated me the most, was the sentient and symbiotic bond between Dave and his herd and the powerful impact that this connection had for him and subsequently others, to the extent he decided to make this connection experience a possibility for all, by offering Cow Retreats. Which I think sound like an inspired idea!

Being With Cowes, is a joy to read, it is compelling, charming and cathartic and I think everyone needs a copy, as nobody should be without some Cowfulness in their lives. This book is a treasure and if you enjoy reading a book, that stands out from the crowd, then this is the book for you. Thank you, Dave, for sharing all things Cowolicious with us your readers, I loved your book and I hope many for my fellow bookophiles, will too!

Happy Reading Bookophiles…

About the Author:

Dave Mountjoy is a cattle breeder, the founder of Being with Cows Retreats and father of two slightly wild young boys. He is inspired by living in dedication to quietness, to acceptance and the understanding that behind the rough and tumble of everyday life, the unchanging presence of Love seeks only to guide us back into the lasting peace of the Heart.

Please do read some of the other reviews available on this blog tour.