Bookish Me

This lockdown I have been working full time, as usual, but when I’ve had a moment at home, I have found myself engrossed in more books than usual. Not visiting friends and relatives or going out to watch shows and eat popcorn at the local cinema has led to me having more disposable time. As a result, my book consumption has been higher than at any time in my life.

So, in an effort to put my recent reading together, I will refer to three intriguing novels that I have just finished reading. These have all been engaging and were very different to one another.

The Last Anniversary (Liane Moriarty)

I don’t know where to start with this unique book set on an island just off the coast of Australia, near Sydney. Steeped in mystery, the island is a tourist attraction that still maintains a profit many years after an event hit the headlines and started to draw in visitors of a curious nature.

Without giving anything away, it is about a family and traditions, a mystery which reaps rewards and dilemmas of conscience. A new member of the family, Sophie, who used to date the grandson of the matriarch, inherits a house on the island and is fully welcomed into the family (well apart from with Vanessa who certainly holds a grudge). She sees the family and their way of life from a new perspective and opens up a range of feelings amongst them.

Sophie is a likeable main character and allows us to look closely at the relationships on the island. The whole island is gearing up for its annual celebration of the mysterious event that made it famous. Everybody is rocked by what turns out to be a very enlightening evening.

Orfeia (Joanne Harris)

This is a story which is enchanting and steeped in mystery as well as fantasy. If you have read ‘A Pocketful of Crows’ or ‘The Blue Salt Road’ then you will already know how satisfying these stories are. It crosses from our world to the world of Dream and the world of Death.

Instead of a child mourning their parents, this story focuses on a mother who lost her daughter. She has visions of her daughter and is challenged to take on the Halloween King after a journey on the peculiar Night Train.

This type of magical story and the relationship it has to mythology is unique, satisfying and totally sucks you in. Joanne has a way with words which is clever, absorbing and heart-warming. The beautiful artwork that complements the text is a tribute to Bonnie Hawkins and her perceptive skills.

Love, Simon (Becky Albertalli)

This was one of those situations involving reading a book after I’d already seen the movie version. It did not in any way disappoint. The novel added so much extra detail and lovely insights into the character’s feelings as well as introducing me to the incredible narrative skills of Becky Albertalli.

Told by a teenage Simon, who is struggling to come to terms with being gay, it really shows a realistic picture of the conflicts going on when deciding whether or not to tell your family and friends about your personal life. The situations include a party where Simon is drunk for the first time and that classic experience of being part of a school play.

The friendships are supportive but small things can create cracks between Leah, Abbey, Simon and Nick. Everybody has their thing; everybody has their anxieties. Simon has to decide how much he will lose or gain by finally taking the chance to be HIMSELF.

I totally recommend all three of these wonderful books. One is a drama, one is magical and the third is a Young Adult story. All are magnificent in their own way.

Looking Hopeful

So what is there to be hopeful about? Where do we go from here? 2021 is our big chance to not only reset things but also, importantly, to move forward positively. Easier said than done. Having had time to get my thoughts together, I have decided there are two things that are really motivating me this year. One is writing, as I certainly haven’t lost the bug. The other is sharing the love for our wonderful planet and helping to promote ways to reverse climate change. Both of these things are markedly optimistic and require effort.

Having studied geography for my degree and finding it fascinating, it is something that really gathers my attention and travelling to see natural wonders of the planet such as the glaciers of Scandinavia, I have seen for myself just how fragile our world really is. I also know that each one of us is responsible for climate degradation and shrinking ecosystems. I hope that my blogging about this topic can keep it fresh in my readers’ attentions. Perhaps there is a possibility that my writing can reflect the magical nature of our wildlife and scenery and help to get people thinking about just how fragile those incredible elements can be.

Without a doubt I love fiction. Especially contemporary fiction. This year I shall be publishing my very first full novel, which will be in a YA format and explores a range of issues, within a setting of a pair of teenagers who are tormented by a spooky old farm house. The story explores the modern family dynamic and the angst of friendship alongside mental health issues, loss and the impact dementia has on older loved ones. I really hope that my readership are drawn into this story with its layers of struggle, romance and adventure.

Alongside this, I have been writing on Wattpad over the Christmas period about a TV extra who got into a pickle whilst filming a festive movie on the beach in summer, dressed as an elf. This reminded me of my own experience as an Extra, something that I hope to return to in my spare time, after lockdown subsides.

On a departure from this, I have been slowly writing a crime drama set in a Yorkshire village where corruption sits uncomfortably alongside a seemingly laid back community where, in fact, ruptures are gradually occurring and retaliations are definitely ready to unfold.

I hope that everyone can find a positive way forward in these peculiar times. Join me in a world of fiction and share my journey into new genres and narratives that are meant to distract, entertain and make you smirk.

Checking in.

So how is everything going?

It feels as though Corona is never going to dissipate. But hopefully that hasn’t quelled our creativity. We know that life has changed and lots of people are missing the crazy casual lifestyles that we used to enjoy. However, some things may have made a positive impact.

The original lockdowns made us stop and take check of our lives. More people have started to engage with their neighbours. Often these are people we hardly had any dealing with in the past. Some might say we have reinstalled a sense of community. This is one aspect of post-lockdown life which I for one consider hugely beneficial. So many previously lonely or ignored people are now feeling valued and safer, knowing the people that live near them will check on them and show appreciation for them.

One of my passions is making people more aware of environmental issues and it would seem that less people flying around may be having a positive impact by reducing pollution. People have realised that you don’t have to travel to Europe for a meeting any longer as everyone can log in over Zoom instead. This prevents the need for flights and hotels and additional business costs. At the same time it cuts back air miles and the related devastation caused by the carbon emissions high in the atmosphere.

On another note, the ‘new normal’ seems to have brought about even more creativity and many have had to think of different and interesting ways to tell stories, show shows and generally continue to entertain. From drive-through theatre and live comedy to socially distanced filming, the industry has tried hard to combat hazards thrown in its path.

For writers though, it has seen a large audience of home workers with a few extra minutes in the day that once were spent driving to and from work. Apparently this has led to more book sales and a re-emerging obsession with fiction. I hope that this has given some support and reassurance to my friends and colleagues in the literary industry.

So yes….. times are tough. But still, players gotta play and writers gotta write.

Theatre is the one thing I miss most.