Tag: books

My Novella Is Four – Still Proud!

I know I am not a famous writer or anything like that but I was over the moon to see people write reviews of my first novella when it came out in 2019. Now that novella is turning four years old and I still cherish it.

Just because I can – I decided to share another short extract from, ‘The Fathers, the Sons and the Anxious Ghost.’ Hopefully it will intrigue you.

———————————————————————-

From ‘The Fathers, the Sons and the Anxious Ghost.’

‘Mummm!’

I wished he would give it a rest.

‘Dadddd!’ he went on.

It made me wonder why his mum never answered. I was too busy trying to get knots out of Tess’ hair.

‘What’s wrong now?’ I replied anxiously.

Alfie stormed in with a red face and swollen, angry cheeks.

‘I can’t find my football socks anywhere!’ he announced.

‘Try under the bed,’ I said, trying to remain calm and de-escalate his crossness.

‘Ouch,’ squirmed Tess softly, as I caught yet another knot.

She was always so relaxed. She never let anything get to her. She was ten times cooler than Alfie, whose hot-headedness got him into scrapes left, right and centre.

He stormed out again and slammed the door to his room. I winced and hoped that he could find those damn socks, or we would never hear the end of it. The clock was staring at me and reminding me that we hadn’t got much time left. I went to find Michelle.

The distant noise of a bath filling, coupled with an aroma of scented steam made it obvious that she would not be coming this morning. When we woke up this morning she told me that she had had a bad night’s sleep and her headache was back. Women use headaches as excuses to get out of things, but this was not like her! She always liked to be involved in school-related stuff. She loved the banter between mums. Her favourite thing was pricking her ears up and listening intently for any titbits of gossip that she could soak up from the gaggle of parents who would usually surround her on that packed and bustling playground. Maybe this time she was actually feeling a bit sick. Quickly I realised I should attend to this in a sympathetic, understanding way. After all she had cared for me like a private nurse when I had man flu last Christmas.

‘Are you alright?’ I tried, gently.

She turned off the tap to the bath and opened the window slightly to let out some steam.

‘Have fun today. I bet the assembly goes well.’

I could tell she was not feeling very well. She kept holding her head; sort of wiping her brow as she spoke. I had not seen her look like this for a long, long while. Thinking back, I should have realised this was out of the ordinary for her. Instead of prying further, I left her to it, planting a quick kiss on her forehead and then rushing down the stairs.

Alfie and Tess soon followed and we collected our things and burst out into the driveway, where they ran to the car, Alfie calling shotgun as usual to make sure he got to sit in the front passenger seat. I asked if he had kissed his mum and he simply said the bathroom door was shut. Tess went on to say, ‘I hope mummy gets better soon because I want to go swimming later.’

When we got Tess off to class and I had signed Alfie in, I went to find a seat next to someone I barely knew and sent Michelle a text. Quickly I switched off the phone and tucked my coat under my chair. I gave a slight nod to Matt as he rolled in, just in time. The lights came on and that teacher did the introduction. It did not cross my mind that today was going to turn out so black and dismal and full of anger.

———————————————————————-

Thank you so much for reading this extract from my book. As my novella is now four, I will be finding ways to celebrate with articles and extracts over the summer.

For another book review of mine, have a look at my write up of The Lost Daughter which was a very well written and satisfying novella. Please consider following my blog for more book, film and TV reviews alongside articles about climate change.

 

The Lost Daughter – Book Review

Now that it is summer and I have finally finished writing school reports, it is time to get back to reading. Last week I finished a short book that I started a while ago about a woman with a difficult relationship with herself and her daughters. Here is my ‘The Lost Daughter’ book review.

I will be honest, the thing that attracted me to this book was a picture of Olivia Colman on the front page. She has apparently been in a film version of this and I thought it would be fun to check out the novella before watching her movie.

What’s it all about?

Elena Ferrante is the author of this lovely story, which has been translated from Italian into English. The main character, Leda, is a middle aged woman whose children have gone to live with their father in Canada. Leda teaches English and writes academic papers. Feeling freed up a bit she goes on holiday to Southern Italy for some ME time.

A fascination with a Neopolotan family who are often laughing or rowing by the beach, leads to some friction. Leda finds herself reflecting on her own motherhood, including a period where she ran away from her husband and daughters. She has a mixed bag of feelings towards motherhood and it is interesting to read about her tortured soul.

Strengths

– Incredibly well written in short chapters. Easy to pick up and put down.

– Set near a beach, it is the perfect holiday companion.

– It really makes you think about not taking people for granted. Who knows what is going on in someone else’s head?

In A Nutshell

This story is clever and insightful but there is little action. It is more of a drama, with the internal monologue of Leda driving the story brilliantly.

I was really engaged in the book and love the way it meanders, with a comforting ebb and flow. I can totally recommend reading this wonderful book and now cannot wait to watch the film.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my ‘The Lost Daughter’ book review. For another of my recommendations check out my thoughts on Frazzled by Ruby Wax. Perhaps you might also consider following my little blog for more book and TV reviews alongside environmental articles about global warming.

Frazzled – Book Review

It has been a while since I sat down and wrote a book review post. I have been busy working my way through several great books and they are finally coming to an end. So now you can expect a bunch of bookish posts, starting with my Frazzled book review.

Frazzled- A brilliant book about mental health

As a long term fan of Ruby Wax, I noticed she had some books out and ‘A Mindfulness Guide For The Frazzled’ had been a number one best seller a few years ago. It seemed like a good place to start. So I got myself a copy and read it straight away. Usually if I am reading non-fiction it is biographies I go to. This book is partly personal but is also an exploration of the topic of mindfulness. A uniquely original text.

In A Nutshell

Ruby has completed a Masters in Mindfulness for Oxford University. This book takes us through what mindfulness is and what it meant to her when she struggled with depression.

I remember her famous TV show, ‘The Full Wax’ which used to get 14 million viewers. She would spend time with celebrities up close and personal, chatting and winding them up. I especially enjoyed her interview with Goldie Hawn and the crazy one with Donald Trump where she managed to make him squirm.

This brilliant red book is organised into helpful chapters, such as ‘How our brains work and the science behind mindfulness.’ She also goes into detail about how to introduce mindfulness practices when parenting. She intersperses factual information with her own funny reflections (always shown in a different bold font).

I learned so much about how the mind works from this book. Ruby has a way of explaining things that really grabs me. She is an expert writer and her anecdotes are so personal and funny. It has really opened my eyes to some important ideas relating to looking after my mental health.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed this book. It was well organised and written in a relatable way. The funny moments were balanced with serious examples and I now want to read Ruby’s second publication. I can totally recommend checking out her writing, especially if you are wanting to know more about mindfulness.

Hopefully you were intrigued by my Frazzled book review and will check out one of Ruby’s books. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my article. For another intriguing book recommendation, check out my Apples Never Fall review and maybe consider following my blog for more of the same.