Micro Review 43

 

Once There Was a Bear by Jane Riordan (Farshore)

Most people who know me in real life know that I am a real Tigger fan, and that Mr Norfolkbookworm has a lot in common with Eeyore) so I was really nervous about this book - I really disliked the authorised sequel about 10 years ago and sequels/prequels/retellings of classic books have been hit and miss with me.

As ever the lure of a new book drew me in and my copy of Once there was a Bear arrived at the library for me just in time for the weekend. 

This was such a delight to read - it was an origins story explaining how Christopher Robin came to own the stuffed toys that accompanied him on his adventures. Each one was just perfect and so in keeping with their characteristics as described by A A Milne in 95 years ago. Even Pooh's hums made me smile.

I really hope that this books does well, it fits in with the originals and even explains how the gang came to live in Hundred Acre Wood.

This is proof that with love and care books can be added to classics but I wish that all of them were as great at this one - and I loved this one all the more because of Tigger's role in the book.

Micro Review 42

 

Still Life by Sarah Winman (Fourth Estate)

This book has been on my radar for quite some time, the pre-publicity led to me adding it to my wishlist a long while ago. Then it was published and *everybody* was raving about it, so in my perverse way I assumed it was overhyped and not something I needed to read instantly.

More fool me - sometimes the hype is right, and when I finally sat down to read this I lost myself in the story for the three afternoons it took me to read.

This is a book that sprawls several decades, including World War Two, and several locations - you'd never think that the slums of the East End could work so well as a setting when compared to Florence but Winman makes this work.

The fortunes of war resonate through the book, and it was nice to see the Italian theatre, rather than Normandy & France, take centre stage. The post war Florence setting opens up other historical events to the plot and I don't think I've read about them before.

In many ways this is a whimsical fairy tale where luck, coincidence and acceptance win through but it is told with such care that it all feels perfectly realistic. It became a world I really wanted to escape into, with a longing to actually meet some of the characters in real life, and yes I did need tissues on a couple of occasions. 

I'm really pleased that I didn't put reading this one off any longer, and it being so good has lead me to read two more books that have been heavily promoted - sadly the curse of the hype returned and both of them made me think 'emperor's new clothes.' The good news is that I've not read any of Winman's other books so I can cleanse my palate with them!

Micro Review 41

 

The Writer's Cats by Muriel Barbery. Ilus. Maria Guitart & trans. Alison Anderson (Gallic Books)

Gifted copy

Following on from my recent review of Muriel Barbery's A Single Rose the kind people at Gallic Books sent me a copy of her new volume  The Writer's Cats- a book about writing, books and cats how did they know it would appeal to me?

As a bookseller I had a love/hate relationship with little volumes like this, especially at Christmas time. They had to be ordered so far in advance and you could never quite gauge the quantities needed, plus the run away best seller was always one that you'd not predicted.

As a consumer I've become very much more of a fan of this type of book, they do cheer you up and there's always so much detail making rereads a pleasure. It is also  nice to have a picture book for grown ups that isn't just 'adult' in nature.

I know several people who this book would appeal to (and who read this blog) so I am not going to review the book in case it spoils any Christmas surprises but this was a delight to read and so whimsically funny that it left me smiling for a long time after reaching the end.

Should we ever get another cat (or 2, or 4) then I'll definitely refer back to this book for name suggestions.

Many thanks to Isabelle and the team at Gallic Books for the copy - the book is published this month and will make a lovely gift for cat loving authors/readers.

Micro Review 40

 

The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield (Quercus)

Read as a proof but I have also bought a signed copy from the lovely Big Green Bookshop)

I don't know, no novels by astronauts for years and then two in the space of a month - this one is aimed firmly at grown ups however!

I liked the premise of this one - it is an alternative history where the Apollo moon landing programme wasn't stopped at Apollo 17 and instead of calming the Cold War it has in fact become rather hot - especially in orbit.

Hadfield has written a fast paced thriller that is shot through with proper space history and accurate portrayals of life in orbit. It is a sensational read and even with my quite deep knowledge of crewed space history learned a lot of new things - and the stuff I scoffed at as being too farfetched to be real often had happened. 

Mr Norfolkbookworm found a few (tiny) details that he was dubious about and my main niggle was some of the words that were put into real people's mouths - however on reflection as this is an alternate history I suppose this could explain it.

The Apollo Murders really isn't my preferred genre of reading, and if I am honest if it hadn't been written by Hadfield (or another astro/cosmonaut) I wouldn't have picked it up but it is always good to read out of your comfort zone and should another Hadfield penned thriller appear I will probably read it!

For fans of space history this is a fun read and a nice companion piece to the Apple TV series For All Mankind.

Micro Review 39

 

The Long Field by Pamela Petro (Little Toller Books)

Review copy supplied by the publisher

The Long Field of Petro's title isn't a literal field, rather is is the literal translation of the Welsh term hiraeth and the book is a meditation on how a place or country can worm its way into your life and leave you 'homesick' for this location.

Unlike true homesickness hiraeth isn't necessarily about your physical home but is more about the idea of place, and while I've not spent any amount of time in Wales to experience the same feelings as Petro there were definitely parts of her feelings that I understood instantly.

Being in lock down in the spring of 2020 and then the winter of 2021 I realised just how important watery landscapes are to me, and until we found local walks that encompassed river scenes I was definitely pining for water in a way that I'd not really experienced before.

Equally in 2017 (and to a lesser extent in 2014) when I got to spend time in the Rocky Mountains I instantly felt a connection and love of the landscape that I'd not experienced before. Since returning to the flatlands of East Anglia I've felt the pull of the mountains in a way that hiraeth as used by Petro can explain.

I very much enjoyed this exploration of Petro's life and hiraeth and pass on many thanks to Little Toller for supplying me with a reading copy.

Inspired by books

 

Squirrel mania!

As children, my sister and I had a lot of the Beatrix Potter books and two stick out as being my favourites - Mrs Tiggywinkle and The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin. I definitely think these two stories inspired my love of squirrels and hedgehogs.

As a sixth former studying geography I went on a field trip to the Lake District and on one day we did climb Cat Bells which appears in many of the backgrounds of Potter's books. We sadly didn't go to any  Beatrix Potter specific locations (and yes even at 17 I was pretty upset we didn't do anything kidlit related - no hunting Swallows and Amazons, or playing Picts and Martyrs either!).

Just recently however I did get to go to Brownsea Island in Dorset to see the wild red squirrels there - and it was wonderful. I didn't want to get my hopes up too high in advance of our trip as you can never predict wild animals but within seconds of being in the woodland we were seeing red squirrels foraging, eating, hiding nuts for the winter and just playing. The were so comical and so much more delicate than the grey squirrels we see daily.

Since getting home again I've re-read Squirrel Nutkin and I am slightly bemused as to why it was my favourite Beatrix Potter story as it is decidedly odd and a little bit cruel. I can only assume that it was the pictures that I liked rather than the riddles. Or perhaps it was Nutkin's rebellious streak... After watching the busy squirrels on Brownsea it becomes clear that Potter definitely spent time watching squirrels before writing and illustrating the book as their mannerisms in real life matched the book wonderfully.

None of the squirrels we saw had parts of their tail missing so I can only surmise that subsequent generations have learned from Nutkin and either bring peace offerings to any owls on Brownsea, or as is more likely - avoid them entirely!