Book Synopsis:

Struggling to comprehend the shocking death of his teenage daughter, Ben Goldsmith finds solace in nature by immersing himself in plans to rewild his farm.

In July 2019, Ben Goldsmith lost his fifteen-year-old daughter, Iris, in an accident on their family farm in Somerset. Iris’s death left her family reeling.

Grasping for answers, Ben threw himself into searching for some ongoing trace of his beloved child, exploring ideas that until then had seemed too abstract to mean much to him. Missing his daughter terribly and struggling to imagine how he would face the rest of his life in the shadow of this loss, Ben found solace in nature, the object of a lifelong fascination. As Ben set about rewilding his farm, nature became a vital source of meaning and hope.

This book is the story of a year of soul-searching that followed a terrible loss. In an instant, Ben’s world had turned dark. Yet, unbelievably to him, the seasons kept on turning, and as he immersed himself in the dramatic restoration of nature in the place where it happened, he found healing.

In God is an Octopus, Ben tells a powerful, immersive and inspiring story of finding comfort and strength in nature after suffering loss and despair.

My Review:

God Is An Octopus is an emotional, raw read that I found very fascinating and comforting.

The story follows Ben from the day of his daughter’s tragic accident and then through the following months. As someone who has lots a baby herself I found the first few chapters quite poignant and raw to read about. Ben’s grief is almost palpable and a lot of the things he describes are things I remember thinking or feeling after we lost Christopher. In a way this was comforting too as it made me work through everything that happened and realise I wasn’t alone in feeling as I had.

Ben’s exploration of nature and rewilding of his garden was very interesting to follow. I confess I didn’t realise how much the countryside had changed due to human activity and it was sad to realise how little things that we’ve done, like cutting back hedges, has affected the wildlife. I liked following his progress in this and seeing how it helped him.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it to others to read. I read it as part of a group and a few people were put off by Ben’s privilege as he obviously spends a lot of money on his garden and takes a long time off work. This wasn’t a factor for me though, maybe as I didn’t realise who is was until halfway through the book , but I just saw him as a dad who has sadly lost his child.

Huge thanks to Tandem Collective for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has lost someone or has a friend who is struggling with their grief at losing someone as I think it would be very helpful.

About The Author:

Ben Goldsmith is a British financier, philanthropist and environmentalist who has been at the forefront of campaigns for more rewilding in Britain and Europe.

Ben founded and chairs the Conservation Collective, a network of locally-focused environmental foundations.

Ben is the Chief Executive Officer of Menhaden, a London-listed, sustainability-themed investment company.

Ben is also a Trustee of the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), one of the world’s largest climate change focused philanthropic funds.

Ben served from 2018 until 2022 as a Non-Executive Director of the UK Government’s Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs.

Good morning everyone. I’ve been trying to be very good and not get too many books. However I couldn’t resist these.

⭐More Than A Woman by Caitlin Morgan
⭐As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
⭐I Brought A Mountain by Thomas Firbank
⭐The Bear And The Nightingale by Katherine Arden
⭐ Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

Most of these I got from work but I did buy Lemon Trees and The Bear And The Nightingale as I’ve been very intrigued by them since I saw them come into the shop.

Today is my day off so I’m planning to meet a friend and read some more of the fabulous Fourth Wing this morning before going into my kids school this afternoon to hear people in my daughter’s class read.

What was the last book you’ve bought?

More Than A Woman by Caitlin Morgan

A decade ago, Caitlin Moran thought she had it all figured out. Her instant bestseller How to Be a Woman was a game-changing take on feminism, the patriarchy, and the general ‘hoo-ha’ of becoming a woman. Back then, she firmly believed ‘the difficult bit’ was over, and her forties were going to be a doddle.

If only she had known: when middle age arrives, a whole new bunch of tough questions need answering. Why isn’t there such a thing as a ‘Mum Bod’? How did sex get boring? What are men really thinking? Where did all that stuff in the kitchen drawers come from? Can feminists have Botox? Why has wine turned against you? How can you tell the difference between a Teenage Micro-Breakdown, and The Real Thing? Has feminism gone too far? And, as always, WHO’S LOOKING AFTER THE CHILDREN?

Now with ageing parents, teenage daughters, a bigger bum and a To-Do list without end, Caitlin Moran is back with More Than A Woman: a guide to growing older, a manifesto for change, and a celebration of all those middle-aged women who keep the world turning.

As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh

A year ago, before the revolution, Salama watched her brother marry her best friend, Layla, and wondered when her own love story might begin. Now she works at the hospital – helping those she can, closing the eyes of those she can’t. Layla and her unborn baby are all Salama has left.

Unless you count Khawf. But he’s a hallucination; a symptom of the horrors she’s seen. Every day he urges Salama to leave. Every day she refuses.

Until she crosses paths with Kenan, the boy with the vivid green eyes, who wants to stay and risk his life for everything Syria could be .

I Bought A Mountain by Thomas Firbank

Written on the eve of the Second World War, this memoir tells the remarkable story of how 21-year-old Thomas Firbank decided on impulse to purchase a 2,400-acre hill farm in the rugged, inhospitable mountains of Snowdonia, and how he and his wife struggled to build it back into prosperity.

The book became an international bestseller, selling over half-a-million copies worldwide and pioneered the genre of ‘good life’ rural escape literature. This new edition is introduced with a foreword by the award-winning nature writer, Patrick Barkham, and includes an afterword by contemporary Welsh sheep farmer, Dafydd Morris-Jones.

I Bought a Mountain is a thrilling human tale of tragedy and triumph, as well as a portrait of a lost era when farming was a communal endeavour, offering precious insights into conservation and sustainability relevant for today.

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

I knew our family reunion wouldn’t end well. But I didn’t expect murder.

Maybe I should have known better. After all, everyone in my family is a killer. My parents, my siblings, my in-laws . . . even me. The deaths weren’t all deliberate, of course. Accidents happen.

So when a body is found in the snow, it’s clear it’s the work of a Cunningham. But which one? And why?

I’ll give you one clue: it wasn’t me.

But a piece of advice? Never trust a Cunningham . . .

The Bear And The Nightingale by Katherine Arden

Beware the evil in the woods…

In a village at the edge of the wilderness of northern Russia, where the winds blow cold and the snow falls many months of the year, an elderly servant tells stories of sorcery, folklore and the Winter King to the children of the family, tales of old magic frowned upon by the church.

But for the young, wild Vasya these are far more than just stories. She alone can see the house spirits that guard her home, and sense the growing forces of dark magic in the woods. . .

Atmospheric and enchanting, with an engrossing adventure at its core, The Bear and the Nightingale is perfect for readers of Naomi Novik’s Uprooted, Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, and Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials.

Good morning everyone this week on Two For Tuesday I’m featuring the two Mike Gayle books I’ve been sent recently.

I absolutely love Mike Gayle’s book and I highly recommend them to anyone who hasn’t read them yet. His writing is just beautiful and he always writes characters that you can’t help but fall in love with. They are always emotional, heart warming stories that stay with me long after reading. I’m therefore hugely excited to read A Song Of Me & You soon.

Huge thanks to the tagged publishers for my copies of these books.

Have you read this author ? What was your favourite book?

The Museum Of Ordinary People

Still reeling from the sudden death of her mother, Jess is about to do the hardest thing she’s ever done: empty her childhood home so that it can be sold.

But when in the process Jess stumbles across the mysterious Alex, together they become custodians of a strange archive of letters, photographs, curios and collections known as The Museum of Ordinary People.

As they begin to delve into the history of the objects in their care, Alex and Jess not only unravel heartbreaking stories that span generations and continents, but also unearth long buried secrets that lie much closer to home.

Inspired by a box of mementos found abandoned in a skip following a house clearance, The Museum of Ordinary People is a thought-provoking and poignant story of memory, grief, loss and the things we leave behind.

A Song Of Me & You

Helen and Ben parted as heartbroken 18-year-olds and went their very separate ways.

Twenty years later, mother-of-two-teenagers Helen is still in Manchester, a part-time primary teacher, stunned by the behaviour of her love-rat husband. In an old T shirt and scruffy jeans, she feels at the lowest point in her life.

And suddenly, impossibly, Ben is standing on her doorstep. Tired maybe, lonely even, but clearly still the world-famous, LA-based multi-millionaire rockstar he has become.

Can you ever go back?

For Helen and Ben, so much has happened in the years between. But just to sit in the kitchen for a while and talk – that would be nice.

Before the world comes crashing in.

About The Author:

Mike Gayle was born and raised in Birmingham. After graduating from Salford University with a degree in Sociology Mike moved to London with ambitions of becoming a music journalist. This didn’t happen however and following a slight detour in his five-year plan he ended up as an agony uncle for teenage girls’ magazine Bliss before becoming Features Editor on the now much missed Just Seventeen. Since those early days Mike has written for a variety of publications including The Sunday Times, The Guardian and Cosmopolitan.

Mike became a full time novelist in 1997 following the publication of his Sunday Times top ten bestseller My Legendary Girlfriend, which was hailed by The Independent as ‘Full of belly laughs and painfully acute observations,’ and by The Times as ‘A funny, frank account of a hopeless romantic.’

To date Mike is the author of twelve novels including Mr Commitment, Turning Thirty and Wish You Were Here. His books have been translated into over thirty languages.

After stints in Manchester and London Mike now lives in Birmingham with his wife, kids, two sheds and a rabbit.

I was tagged by the lovely @portybelle to take part in the #countyourtitles challenge. The idea is to find book titles with one word, two words, three words ect. I’m glad she explained it as I think I’d have been very confused 🤣

1 – Fyneshade by Kate Griffin
2 – The Dive by Sara Ochs
3 – The Witching Tide by Margaret Meyer
4 – Night Will Find You by Julia Heaberlin
5 – A Killer In The Family by Gytha Lodge
6 – The Girl With The Red Hair by Buzzy Jackson
7 – Gwen & Art Are Not In Love by Lex Croucher
8 – There Is A Light That Never Goes Out by David M Barnett

I managed to get to an 8 word title! Can you go higher? I’ve tagged a few people on Instagram who might want to take part but, as always, no pressure.

Have a great Monday!

Book Synopsis:

How do you find love . . . when you have the loneliest job in the world?

This is the story of Gayle and Martin, who fall in love over the course of ten years- over a yearly visit to a tiny, isolated island off the Welsh coast.

Gayle is a teacher and each year she brings her class to the island to see the local flora and fauna, from sea birds to playful seals. Martin, the island’s caretaker and only human resident, lives in and maintains the lighthouse, which opens to the public for just this one day a year.

Gayle is effervescent but feels trapped, while Martin is lonely and isolated. As their love slowly builds over time, they both yearn for the annual field trip where they can finally see each other… Until one year Gayle doesn’t come back, and Martin has to leave his island hideaway to find her.

A romantic, tender love story, perfect for fans of Mike Gayle and Rachel Joyce.

My Review:

I’m a huge fan of this author and always look forward to new books from him. I loved this beautifully written, magical love story that had me reading far to late into the night. It’s going to be a hard book to review as I don’t want to give anything away.

The story follows Gayle and Martin over the course of ten years as they gradually grow closer together. I loved Gayle who I warmed to instantly. It was lovely to see her gradually let go and become the person she was meant to be. Martin was another lovely character who I felt very sorry for as he has a rather traumatic start to the book. He did frustrate me at times which caused me to put the book down for a few minutes while I calmed down but I think this is a sign that I cared about the character. It was beautiful to watch them slowly become closer and help each other through the rough times.

The Island setting was beautiful described so I felt I could really picture it in my mind. I loved that it seemed like another character at times, helping Martin and Gayle in their lives. I’ve always had a fascination with lighthouses (I blame Fraggle Rock from when I was little) and view them as a magical place which seemed fitting in this story where the island definitely has a magical element to it.

This book starts slowly as the author sets the scene but the beautiful story line and fabulous characters soon mean that the reader is thoroughly absorbed in the book. The story goes from being very emotional and heartbreaking in places to being laugh out loud funny in others. There are some bits which need to be taken with a pinch of salt but that’s part of the fun of David’s books in my opinion.

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me onto the blog tour and to the publisher for my copy of this book. If you’re looking for an escapist, magical read then I highly recommend this book.

About The Author:

David Barnett is an author, journalist and comic book writer based in the North of England. Writing as David M. Barnett, his novels include CALLING MAJOR TOM, THE GROWING PAINS OF JENNIFER EBERT, THINGS CAN ONLY GET BETTER and in 2021 THE HANDOVER, to be published in the US in 2022 as SAME TIME, SAME PLACE. In December 2021 he pubished on Kindle the novel NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH. He is also the author of ALIEN: COLONY WAR and the GIDEON SMITH series of steampunk novels. His comics work includes, for IDW, EVE STRANGER and PUNKS NOT DEAD, for DC’s Sandman Universe BOOKS OF MAGIC, and he has also worked for Archie and 2000AD. As a journalist he writes mainly long-form features for the UK press including the Guardian, Independent, Big Issue, Tortoise, BBC Culture and more. He can be contacted via his website davidmbarnett.com or Twitter, @davidmbarnett

Good morning everyone and happy Sunday. I’ve been lucky enough to receive this fabulous looking book post this week.

⭐In The Weeds by B. K. Borison
⭐ Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong
⭐Consumed by Greg Buchanan
⭐ Someone You Know by Erin Kinsley

Most of these are for blog tours and as I’ve read books by these authors before I’ve got high hopes for these ones.

Huge thanks to the tagged publishers for my copies of these books.

Today I’m hoping for a quiet day as I’d like to read more of my book and we’re going over to my mum’s later which is always nice .

What are your Sunday plans?

In The Weeds by B. K Borison

Evelyn St. James isn’t the kind of woman you forget. Beckett Porter certainly hasn’t. One incredible weekend in Maine and he’s officially a man distracted.

So when she suddenly appears on his farm as part of a social media contest, he’s . . . confused. He had no idea that the sweet and sexy woman he met at a bar is actually a global phenomenon: social media influencer Evelyn St. James.

Feeling disconnected from her work and increasingly unhappy, Evelyn is trying to find her way back to something real. She returns to the last place she was happy – Lovelight Farms and the tiny town of Inglewild. It has absolutely nothing to do with the hot farmer she spent two incredible nights with. Nothing at all . . .

In the Weeds is the second book in a series of interconnected standalones following the three Lovelight owners.

Immortal Longings by Chloe Gong

The only way to win, is to survive.

Every year, thousands flock to San-Er, the dangerously dense capital twin cities of the kingdom of Talin, where the palace hosts a set of deadly games. Those confident in their ability to jump between bodies can enter a fight to the death – for the chance to win unimaginable riches.

Princess Calla Tuoleimi has been in hiding for five years, ever since she murdered her parents to free the people of Talin from her tyrannical family. Only one person stands in her way of finishing the job: her reclusive uncle King Kasa. However, she knows he always greets the victor of the games. If she wins, she will finally get the chance to kill him.

Enter Anton Makusa, whose childhood love has lain in a coma since they were both ousted from the palace. He’s deep in debt trying to keep her alive. Which means his last chance at saving her is entering the games and winning.

When Anton proposes an unexpected alliance with Calla, they quickly find their partnership spiraling into something all-consuming. But before the games close, Calla must decide what she’s playing for – her lover or her kingdom. For no matter what, only one of them can walk out alive . . .

#1 New York Times bestselling author Chloe Gong’s adult epic fantasy debut, inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, is a fiery collision of power plays, spilled blood, and romance amidst a set of deadly games.

Consumed by Greg Buchanan

On a lonely farmstead, a 70-year-old woman falls down outside and, unable to move, is consumed overnight by two of her pigs.

It seems like a tragic accident, except the woman was well-known photographer Sophia Bertilak – and inside her house, someone has removed all her photos from their frames, seemingly erasing her past…

The first photo Sophia ever took remains her most infamous: a missing girl who was never seen again. Forensic veterinarian Cooper Allen is drafted in for the post-mortem – and slowly becomes obsessed with the victim, her family, and the crimes she brought to light decades ago.

As Cooper pulls on a dark thread of deception, secrets and lies, she begins to unravel the case – as well as herself…

Someone You Know by Erin Kinsley

SOMEONE KILLED YOUR DAUGHTER. SOMEONE YOU KNOW…

Your daughter isn’t answering your calls.
She’s not replying to your messages.

You rush to her house.
She’s slumped in the basement, dying and alone.

You desperately call for help.
She whispers a single word: ‘pushed’.

Someone is keeping secrets.
And it must be someone you know…

Well this was some amazing book post to come home to today. I’ve heard lots of great things about this author so I’m very excited to read this book, especially as it’s the start of a brand new series.

Huge thanks to the tagged publisher for sending me a copy of this book along with this fabulous tote bag!

Have you read any of the Secret Shanghai series?

Book Synopsis:

The only way to win, is to survive.

Every year, thousands flock to San-Er, the dangerously dense capital twin cities of the kingdom of Talin, where the palace hosts a set of deadly games. Those confident in their ability to jump between bodies can enter a fight to the death – for the chance to win unimaginable riches.

Princess Calla Tuoleimi has been in hiding for five years, ever since she murdered her parents to free the people of Talin from her tyrannical family. Only one person stands in her way of finishing the job: her reclusive uncle King Kasa. However, she knows he always greets the victor of the games. If she wins, she will finally get the chance to kill him.

Enter Anton Makusa, whose childhood love has lain in a coma since they were both ousted from the palace. He’s deep in debt trying to keep her alive. Which means his last chance at saving her is entering the games and winning.

When Anton proposes an unexpected alliance with Calla, they quickly find their partnership spiraling into something all-consuming. But before the games close, Calla must decide what she’s playing for – her lover or her kingdom. For no matter what, only one of them can walk out alive . . .

1 New York Times bestselling author Chloe Gong’s adult epic fantasy debut, inspired by Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra, is a fiery collision of power plays, spilled blood, and romance amidst a set of deadly games.

About The Author:

Chloe Gong is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Secret Shanghai novels, as well as the Flesh and False Gods trilogy. Her books have been published in over twenty countries and have been featured in The New York Times, People, Forbes, and more. She is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she double-majored in English and international relations. Born in Shanghai and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Chloe is now located in New York City, pretending to be a real adult.

You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok under @thechloegong, or visit her website at http://www.thechloegong.com.

Good afternoon everyone it’s been a while since I did a reading update so I thought I’d let you know what I’ve been reading!

⭐Last – Coming To Find You by Jane Corry

⭐ Current – God Is An Octopus by Ben Goldsmith

⭐ Current – A Perfect Golden Circle by Benjamin Myers

⭐Next – Forth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

I’m reading God Is An Octopus as part of the Tandem Collective read-along. I’m a little behind as life is getting in the way but I’m really enjoying it at the moment. As someone who’s also lost a child I’m finding it very comforting. I’m also reading A Perfect Golden Circle which is our book club choice this month. I’m actually leading the book club this month which is very exciting – though a bit nerve wracking too…

I’m then excited to start Fourth Wing which is a book I’ve heard so many good things about.

I’m working today and the kids are going to the balloon festival in Worcester which sounds interesting and hopefully to their reading group if their dad remembers.

What are you currently reading?

Good morning everyone I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this fabulous sounding book recently. I always love books that involve folk lore and that stretch my imagination so I can’t wait to read this soon.

Huge thanks to the lovely publishers for sending this to me.

Do you have a favourite folklore/ fairy tale?

Out 7th September 2023

Book Synopsis:

Twice upon a time – for that is how some stories should continue . . .

Phoebe, an eight-year-old girl, lies comatose following a car accident. She is a body without a spirit, a stolen child. Ceres, her mother, can only sit by her bedside and read aloud to Phoebe the fairy stories she loves in the hope they might summon her back to this world.
But it is hard to keep faith, so very hard.

Now an old house on the hospital grounds, a property connected to a book written by a vanished author, is calling to Ceres. Something wants her to enter, and to journey – to a land coloured by the memories of Ceres’s childhood, and the folklore beloved of her father, to a land of witches and dryads, giants and mandrakes; to a land where old enemies are watching, and waiting.

To the Land of Lost Things.

For anyone who loved THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS and for all readers who enjoy dark, beautifully written fables that explore the heart of the human condition: love, loyalty and sacrifice.

About The Author:

John was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1968 and has, at various points in his life, worked as a journalist, a barman, a local government official, a waiter and a dogsbody at Harrods department store in London. (A dogsbody, for our North American friends, is a ‘go-fer’.) He studied English in Trinity College, Dublin and journalism at Dublin City University, subsequently spending five years working as a freelance journalist for The Irish Times newspaper. He divides his time between Dublin and Portland, Maine; makes regular donations to the wine industry; and keeps a number of dogs in a remarkable degree of comfort.