The Book Post – February

I’m writing this from a hotel bar in Blenheim. We’ve just finished tramping (that’s Kiwi for hiking) the Queen Charlotte Track and parts of me still aren’t moving as freely as they normally do. I am, however, accompanied by a glass of the local vino (Villa Maria’s Pinot Gris) so all is good with the world.

But we’re not here to talk about that – we’re here to talk about books … and here’s what’s been on my bookshelf since the last time we spoke about books.

Escape To The French Farmhouse by Jo Thomas

The Blurb:

Del and her husband Ollie moved to a beautiful village in Provence for a fresh start after years of infertility struggles. But six weeks after they arrive, they’re packing the removal van once more. As Del watches the van leave for England, she suddenly realises exactly what will make her happier…a new life in France – without Ollie.

Now alone, all Del has is a crumbling farmhouse, a mortgage to pay and a few lavender plants. What on earth is she going to do? Discovering an old recipe book at the market run by the rather attractive Fabian, Del starts to bake. But can her new-found passion really help her let go of the past and lead to true happiness?

My Verdict:

I went a tad mad and put heaps of Jo Thomas’ books on reservation from the library at Christmas – and they all came in together … which meant I didn’t have time to read them all before I had to return them when we went on holiday. Heavy sighs. Anyways, this one is set in France (tick), has some baking in it (tick), and involves an antique recipe book (tick) and lavender farm (tick).

The Kamogawa Food Detectives, by Hisashi Kashiwai (translated by Jesse Kashiwai)

The Blurb:

Down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto exists a very special restaurant called the Kamogawa Diner run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare. Customers who can find the hidden diner are treated to an extravagant meal, but it’s not the main reason for visiting . . .

The father-daughter duo have started advertising their services as ‘food detectives’, capable of recreating a dish from their customers’ pasts that may well hold the key to forgotten memories and ongoing happiness.

From the widower looking for a specific noodle dish that his wife used to cook to a first love’s beef stew, the restaurant of lost recipes provides a link to the past and a way to a more contented future.

My verdict:

I stumbled across this one as a recommendation in a previous What’s On Your Bookshelf (#thistlesandkiwis – was it you?) and as it sounded so much like something I’d love I immediately placed a reservation on it at the library. Spoiler alert – I loved this quick read. It’s one of those books that’s just … nice. One of those books that makes you feel as though all actually is okay with the world – or at least that it could be.

The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner

The Blurb:

Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary’s fate is jeopardized when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking a string of consequences that echo through the centuries.

Meanwhile in present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, running from her own demons. When she stumbles upon a clue to the unsolved apothecary murders that haunted London two hundred years ago, her life collides with the apothecary’s in a stunning twist of fate-and not everyone will survive.

My verdict:

Not to give anything away, but since we visited Chelsea Physic Garden I’ve had a Philly story involving natural poisons bubbling away in my brain. This, then, was the perfect read for me. It’s also one of those books that I enjoyed but which, judging from Goodreads reviews, others didn’t … and that’s okay. To be honest I preferred the chapters set in the 18th century more than those set in the present – at times the connection seemed a tad tenuous – but even so this was an entertaining read.

Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies

Emily Wilde is good at many things: she is the foremost expert on the study of faeries; she is a genius scholar and a meticulous researcher who is writing the world’s first encylopaedia of faerie lore. But Emily Wilde is not good at people.

So when she arrives in the hardscrabble village of Hrafnsvik, Emily has no intention of befriending the gruff townsfolk. Nor does she care to spend time with another new arrival: her dashing and insufferably handsome academic rival Wendell Bambleby.

But as Emily gets closer to uncovering the secrets of the Hidden Ones – the most elusive of all faeries – she also finds herself on the trail of another mystery: who is Wendell Bambleby, and what does he really want? To find the answer, she’ll have to unlock the greatest mystery of all – her own heart.

My verdict:

It was the cover that drew me into this one first … like the fairies under the mushrooms stories I used to make up when I was young. While this is told in a dry almost academic way through the use of Emily Wilde’s journals, it’s still fantastically whimsical and was a lovely book for me to read when out on track in nature. Oh, and the author lives in Vancouver Island – something I had to remind myself to tell Donna, our co-host.

Published by Hachette, this one qualified for a couple of the prompts on the 52 Book Club list.

A Home From Home, by Veronica Henry

The Blurb:

Dragonfly Farm has been a home and a haven for generations of Melchiors – arch rivals to the Culbones, the wealthy family who live on the other side of the river. Life there is dictated by the seasons and cider-making, and everyone falls under its spell. For cousins Tabitha and Georgia, it has always been a home from home. When a tragedy befalls their beloved Great-Uncle Matthew, it seems the place where they’ve always belonged might now belong to them… But the will reveals that a third of the farm has also been left to a Culbone. Gabriel has no idea why he’s been included, or what his connection to the farm – or the Melchiors – can be.

My verdict:

My favourite read of the month this one, told from multiple viewpoints, begins with a tragedy, is full of family secrets, goes from the present to the past, to the present, to another past, and back again … yet it all works. Besides, it’s largely set in Somerset in an apple orchard and I was always going to fall for that particular spell.

Secrets of Starshine Cove, by Debbie Johnson

The Blurb:

Cally, a devoted single mum, is stretched thin between caring for her clingy mother and her day job as a hairdresser with an always sympathetic ear. When her life in Liverpool is suddenly upended, she grabs her son Sam and jumps in the car to drive south. Searching for a tiny speck of a village she once visited as a child, they nearly give up when a storm hits, only to unexpectedly stumble across it: Welcome to Starshine Cove.

Amidst the welcoming – if slightly mad – locals, Cally finds some unexpected new friendships. But as the year draws to a close, she faces a tough decision: she and Sam can’t stay here forever, and the future looks a lot less jolly back home…

My verdict:

Okay, so we had a lengthy layover at Wellington Airport in between flights yesterday – long enough for me to finish this one and update my post in time to make the link-up.

I love everything Debbie Johnson writes and this was no exception. I’m under the spell of Starshine Cove and can’t wait for the next instalment. By the smallest of margins, my book of the month.

Non Fiction

The Wild Silence by Raynor Winn

Nature holds the answers for Raynor and her husband Moth. After walking 630 homeless miles along The Salt Path, living on the windswept and wild English coastline; the cliffs, the sky and the chalky earth now feel like their home.

Moth has a terminal diagnosis, but against all medical odds, he seems revitalised in nature. Together on the wild coastal path, with their feet firmly rooted outdoors, they discover that anything is possible.

Now life beyond the Salt Path awaits and they come back to four walls, but the sense of home is illusive and returning to normality is proving difficult – until an incredible gesture by someone who reads their story changes everything.

A chance to breathe life back into a beautiful farmhouse nestled deep in the Cornish hills; rewilding the land and returning nature to its hedgerows, becomes their saving grace and their new path to follow.

I began reading this one just before we were about to commence a long walk ourselves – The Queen Charlotte Track – and I couldn’t help but draw comparisons between us and Ray and Moth. We were doing our walk the posh way – with comfortable lodges, flushing toilets and restaurant meals – they were staying in tents and eating instant noodles. They completed challenging walks that were actually quite dangerous with massive packs on their backs – we carried our lunches and I swore each time there was yet another F#$%k$n switchback around the corner. Yet we had one thing in common: the understanding that time spent in nature is the ultimate in self-care, even when it does challenge you.

Cookbooks…

Over the last month or so I’ve been cooking extensively from these two cookbooks I received for Christmas. The reviews will be posted on BKD in the next week or so.

2024 Reading Challenge Update

This year I’m participating in the 52 Book Club Reading Challenge. Here’s how I’m going so far …

Your turn…

Deb, Donna, Sue, and I would love you to share what you’ve been reading…the linky is below.

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