The Marmalade Diaries

I don't write too many reviews these days. I might post something in my Instagram/Facebook stories  but I couldn't not review this book. 

I saw it on display at the library I work in about a month ago. I may have got over jubilant while talking to a workmate about it.  I loved this author's last book The Gran Tour and was hopeful this book would be just as good. It's better! 

Ben writes this book in diary format and it covers the period of October 2020 to August 2021. Ben, 35, needs a place to live and Winnie, 85, needs someone to help her around the house, lighting the fire each morning, cooking some meals, running general day to day errands.

There are a few brief observations about the Covid 19 pandemic but that is not the focus of the book. I love the conversations between Ben and Winnie and the observations Ben makes of everyday life. At the start of each month Ben writes about an event in Winnie's past. 

I laughed a lot and I cried.

There's a lovely part in the book where Winnie tells her granddaughter who's holidaying in Italy how important it is that she "take it all in. Anything beautiful. Anything at all''. 

I've been on a roll this year finding some great books to read but this would easily be the best I've read this year. I did not want it to end. Look forward to Ben's next book.

 

One Ordinary Day At A Time

 

The cover of this book first caught my attention while on display at the library I work at. I turned to the synopsis/blurb on the back of the book and saw the name "Gail Honeyman". That was enough for me to pick it up and start reading.

Honeyman is the author of one of my favourite books Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and any other book that mentions this title or the author's name usually makes me want to read said book. I reckon Gail Honeyman should start charging royalties for the number of times a book is compared to hers... but I digress.

To be honest as much I enjoyed One Ordinary Day at a Time by Sarah J. Harris I was in two minds about whether to review it. It does have some strong themes which are difficult to read about but they are not the sole focus of this book.

The two main characters are Simon Sparks aka One Star Simon and Jodie (whose surname is never mentioned). They've both had difficult upbringings which have shaped who they are as adults. Jodie has a young son Zak and is trying to find work. She gets a job at Prince Burger where she meets Simon. The chapters alternate between Simon and Jodie and there are several other characters in the book who have 

had influences on the pair - some good, some not so much.

I couldn't stop reading this book and may have spent several hours in one sitting reading it. There are a few twists and turns in this book and one that took me quite by surprise. I had absolutely no idea it was coming. 

There are a lot of good messages in this book. Here's a few.

• Never judge someone on first appearance/meeting   
• You can move on despite your past
• Friendships are important
• Don't take people for granted

Well written and easy to read, this book has some funny moments and also some heartbreaking moments. It's a story about the development of a beautiful friendship. I loved both of the main characters and I reckon Simon and Jodie will stick with me for some time! 

Annie Stanley All At Sea

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. My first book for 2022. Here I go with my Eleanor Oliphant references again but if you loved Eleanor you will love Annie Stanley too. 

It has been a while since I've written a review. Last year I struggled to find any good books. To the surprise of one of my workmates I only read (finished) eight books in 2021. So much for completing my Goodreads 25 books challenge for that year.  I did start many more but just couldn't get into them. In December I found this book while shelving some books in the library I work in and thought I'd give it a try. I loved it!

Annie Stanley's father dies and she decides to take off on a trip with his ashes around shipping areas in Britain. Why? Her father loved listening to the shipping forecast. She meets different people along the way - some from her past, some from her present and some strangers. It explores relationships whether it be friendships, family or those of the romantic kind.

There are some great lines in the book including one from Annie - "Sometimes unfinished business has to stay... unfinished. You can't write "The End" on every chapter of your life''.

 A light and oftentimes funny read. I loved Annie and I reckon you will too.

 

The Four Winds

“Sometimes when I close my eyes I swear I can still taste the dust.”

I couldn’t decide whether to review this book. There is so much I want to say. The Four Winds is only the second book by Kristin Hannah I’ve read. I was drawn to her books after watching the Netflix TV series Firefly Lane based on her book with the same name which I have also since read. What a show but I digress…

The Four Winds is Hannah’s latest book based on the catastrophic events of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s and it had me from the beginning. As soon I took it off the Holds shelf at the library I work in I was transfixed. Like, I was reading it as I went up in the lift to the third floor staffroom for my tea break.

I’m not a fast reader and will normally just read for 30 minutes and then do something else. With this book I would sit for an hour or two and just want to keep reading.

The flow of the book is easy. The characters are well developed and I liked the protagonist Elsinore (affectionately known as Elsa) Martinelli. It's 1930s America and after dealing with the rejection of her family, Elsa finds a man, a new family and home. But then their land and home is hit by the Dust Bowl and Elsa has to decide whether to leave and head for California to find a better life for her and her two children – a move made by more than three million Americans.

I don’t want to give too much more of the book away but what I like about these kinds of books is 1) the history lesson and 2) the insight you get into what life would have been like for many trying to escape the conditions of those times.

This is a sad book but there were times when I did smile - the small moments of happiness for this woman and her two children which are sprinkled throughout the story. One that comes to mind is when Elsa gives her daughter Loreda a library card for Christmas or when a hairdresser offers to cut Loreda's hair for free. Such small acts of kindness which meant so much to this family and something we can all keep in mind when thinking of others less fortunate.  

A gripping read from start to finish.

Dear Reader

I'm feeling a bit blogged out at the moment but I couldn't let this book pass me by without giving it a heap of praise.

Books about books, reading, bookshops and libraries are among my favourites and Dear Reader by Cathy Rentzenbrink is a detailed read about how books have helped her.

In it she talks about her love for books which started from a young age. She talks about the books she read as a child, some of which I have fond memories of too. I remember reading one of her favourites The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 and 3/4 by Sue Townsend and being excited that there were more books to follow.

She talks about the books she read as a child which may not have been suitable for children's eyes. I  remember having Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews taken from me I think when I was 11 or 12. I'm grateful for that now because I can't believe how depressing that book is.

Cathy gives a short synopsis of each of the books she writes about and a few of the chapters cover topics like fictional diaries, orphans in books, books set in pubs, series books and books about books and booksellers. Part of the book I loved the most was reading about her experiences as a bookseller working for a few bookstores including the flagship Waterstones store in London's Piccadilly.

Cathy talks about family life and the death of her brother Matt several years after he was hit by a car. She writes about her relationship with her brother in her memoir The Last Act of Love but in this book she talks about how reading helped her cope with her brother's accident, the several years that followed when he lay in a coma before his death and then after.

This is a must read for all bookworms or any reader who loves books about books!

Nala's World

 

Since getting our dog Dollar nine years ago I've developed an interest in animal books and this one would be among my favourites. I really didn't want this book to end, it was so good. 

In September 2018 Scottish man Dean Nicholson headed out to cycle around the world.  On December 10 that same year he came across an abandoned and unwell kitten on the side of the road in Bosnia. He named her Nala, nursed her back to health and a beautiful friendship began. 

Nala was Dean's travelling companion. Everywhere that Dean went, Nala went too, either tucked around Dean's neck or in a special carry case in the front of his bike. Over the next year and a bit they journeyed together through various places including Montenegro, Albania, Santorini, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Serbia and Hungary.

Dean posts a video on Instagram of his first meeting with Nala which was seen and picked up by the animal stories website The Dodo.  One day Dean's Instagram account had 3000 followers, the next day 150,000 followers. He now has more than 850,000 followers on Instagram and his YouTube channel has had more than 8 million views.

Dean posts his travels on social media and has used his presence on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube to raise tens of thousands of dollars which he's donated to various charities including animal shelters. People who follow him on social media make special trips to wherever Dean and Nala are just to see the feline star.

I can't express how much I loved this book and while Covid-19 may have halted some of their travel plans, I hope that when they are able to travel more extensively Dean will write another book.

Five out of five stars for this fantastic read.

Footnote: For anyone wanting to follow Dean and Nala's adventures, their Instagram account is @1bike1world and Facebook page is 1bike1world.

   

 

 

Tiny Pieces of Us

 

Have you ever thought about being an organ donor? If there is any book promoting organ donation, then Tiny Pieces of Us is it 

Nicky Pellegrino's latest book Tiny Pieces of Us is, from what I can tell, quite different to her other books. I admit I haven't read any of the others but from what I know about Pellegrino, who lives in New Zealand but was born in Britain, she generally writes about Italy and food. Italy only plays a small part in this book.

The main character is Vivi Palmer, a journalist working in London for a tabloid called The Daily Post. She had a heart transplant and seven years later discovers her new heart came from a teenage cyclist Jamie who was hit by a car and died.

Jamie's mother Grace also chose to donate her son's liver, lungs, pancreas, corneas and undamaged kidney. After Grace and Vivi meet, Vivi uses her journalistic skills to search for the other organ recipients. Grace wants to know what the recipients have made of their lives thanks to her son. The story also takes a few unexpected turns.

There are a number of characters in the book but not so many that it becomes confusing. Part of the book I liked the most was the development of each character. I too was intrigued to know about each organ recipient and what they had made of their lives. 

A great read. Definitely four out of five stars.