Smorgasbord Christmas Book Fair – December Book Reviews Round Up – #Memoir D.G. Kaye, #Romance Stevie Turner, #Fantasy #Fairies Colleen M. Chesebro, #Food #Environment David Moscow, #SocialMedia Alex Craigie

A reminder of the books that I have enjoyed and reviewed during December.

About the memoir

This book is a collection of stories about some of Kaye’s first-time experiences with life’s most natural events. Told through the intimate conversational writing we’ve come to know from this author, poignant personal steppingstones to learning moments are revealed. She encompasses the heart of each matter with sincerity and sprinkled inflections of humor.

From first kiss to first car to walking in the desert with four-inch heels, Kaye’s short coming-of-age stories take us through her awakenings and important moments of growth, often without warning. Some good and some not, life lessons are learned through trial and error, winging it and navigating by the seat of her pants.

My review for Fifteen First Times December 21st 2022

The author has a natural conversational style of writing that draws you in as if she is talking to you personally. Her memories prompt the reader’s own experiences at similar ages, and raises a smile or two at the similarities between girls of a certain age, however many thousands of miles they live apart.

This is particularly true in this collection of stories as Kaye shares episodes from her childhood such as playing in her mother’s stiletto shoes which would fuel a lifetime’s love of footwear, a first kiss, and taking that first puff of a parent’s discarded cigarette.

With the smiles comes the tears, as we identify the moments of loneliness and isolation as a girl becomes a woman without the support needed from a mother, a dysfunctional family life, and the loss of a much loved friend who shared the formative years between teens and late twenties.

At the end of the collection is a wonderful tribute to her late husband, who made her laugh every day and was the first and last love of her life.

D.G. Kaye writes with poignancy but also great humour, which makes these first times all the more delightful and memorable. The experiences are not just relevant to girls growing up, as many are relateable to boys and young men coping with the cultural and social expectations of the day, and finding their way in life and relationships. Take a walk down the memory lane of your own life in very good company. Highly recommended.

Read the reviews and pick up a copy at your local Amazon: Fifteen First Times Universal Link

My review for Falling December 17th 2022

This is a riveting story of how dreams and expectations can be shattered in seconds and how rebuilding your life can be full of twists and turns.

The author has the great knack of exploring human nature with all its complexities in a creative way. She brings the characters to life so well you almost feel you have met them or someone like them in your own life.

You also have to consider how you would react under similar circumstances and it is fascinating to follow the paths Olivia and James follow after their life changing encounter. There are few choices for them it seems and they both carry the weight of regret, guilt, despair and a desire for revenge and atonement. Romance seems highly unlikely to be on the cards for this ill-fated couple, but you can never underestimate the human spirit and its will to survive.

There are some interesting bit players who are woven into their story who push the couple in and out of their relationship, but it is heartening to discover the strength and ingenuity of the human spirit as they towards a better understanding and respect for each other.

A thoroughly enjoyable read with plenty of elements, twists and turns to keep the reader turning the pages to the end of the book. Highly recommended.

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US

My review for Fairies Myths,& Magic II December 15th 2022

This is a delightful collection of poetry, flash fiction and short stories for any time of year but particularly during this festive season.

The collection begins with a wonderful introduction to the Winter Solstice with dates of the other seasonal festivities throughout the year. Also the background to the word ‘Yule’ and its significance in pagan beliefs along with some of the myths that linger on in our modern day celebrations. We also get to meet the winter yule faeries and their interactions with humans.  There are some intoxicating Green Fairies that will certainly encourage you to lose your inhibitions.

A poem celebrating Samhain is followed by a mystical story of a family deeply indebted to an unforgiving faery queen leading to revelations from the past and a desperate attempt to change the future.

This is followed by over seventy other amazing poems and stories that are a mixture of light and dark elements associated with mid-winter around the world. From the author’s home near Lake Michigan to ancient myths of Yule from the Shetland Islands, Ireland, The Mediterranean, Scandinavia, Russia, Italy, Ancient Greece, Germany, Japan and within the Native American Culture. All these legends have a very similar theme running through them.

“Yule personifies the great darkness before the dawn, and before the growing light shines brightly again.”

Towards the end of the collection we are offered further explanations of the twelve days of Yule and the sacred plants, symbols, rituals and crystals associated with the season.

This is not just an entertaining read, it is packed with details about this festive season we all love. Deep rooted within so many of our cultures, it is a magical celebration that crosses different belief systems and differences to remind us of our connection to nature and the seasons. I can highly recommend.

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK

My review for the book December 10th 2022

This is a thought provoking and inspiring exploration of the food we eat, the complexities of the production processes to bring it to our tables, and its sustainability. It also looks at a number of the factors at play including cultural, environmental and political, as well as the demands of a rapidly growing population.

The author during his travels and his foraging missions around the world, shares the fascinating history of the people, the land and food sources available and current day challenges. He also introduces us to extraordinary people making a difference in terms conservation, food production and the provision of water to their local and wider communities, but also raises serious questions about the future.

For crops to grow water is essential, but on the island of Malta, will their efforts to manage the limited water supply be put at risk by the over building and massive increase in population, complacency, swimming pools and a possible rise in sea water?

As the number of those hunting for their food declines in the United States will the funding for essential conservation projects dry up? And is ethical and responsible hunting for food, more humane than mass farming, where animal welfare is not necessarily part of the process?

The book is also highly entertaining, as the reader becomes the spectator, watching the author sourcing the ingredients to create specific meals suggested by his award winning guest chefs. Not an easy task for the film crew following him by any means. For example being waist deep in a river to farm oysters, searching for allusive octopus in Malta, hunting wild boar in Texas and fishing for cigar fish in the South China Sea.

In Kenya there is the search for the sausage tree fruit accompanied with laughing hyenas at dawn and innovative local regenerative agriculture. Garnished with a lifetime inspirational interview with Richard Leakey.

Certainly heading in search of the best pizza in the world resulted in an interesting encounter with a mozzarella maker, having first milked an unwilling water buffalo by hand, then a search for ancient wheat, tomatoes and anchovies.

Many of the ingredients featured, are ones we usually take for granted, and do not necessarily prepare to make the most of their taste or nutritional value. The chapters are an eye-opener and inspiration to regard our food in a far more mindful manner.

There are some wonderful recipes created by the exceptional chefs that prompted this search for ingredients at the back of the book, offering an opportunity to put this mindfulness to good use.

Moscow believes this exploration of how different cultures grow, harvest and prepare their produce is an important part of becoming closer to the food we eat. In contrast to the distance and lack of appreciation for the food production process imposed by shrink wrapped steaks from the supermarket. It also instils an appreciation for the millions of workers who make a living putting food on our plates, often putting their lives in danger in the process every day.

The message I took from this remarkable book is that there is hope for the future of our planet, but there needs to be more action taken to preserve and to find innovative ways to grow the food we need now, and in the future. We have to start taking an individual and collective responsibility to ensure the long term viability of the food providing our nutritional needs.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who wants to have a clearer understanding of the complexities, sustainability and also the wonders of the food on our plates, and also enjoy an adventure story set in some of the more remote and less visited parts of the world.

Read the reviews and buy the book in print and Ebook: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK – More reviews: Goodreads

My review for the book December 3rd 2022

A suspense novella that hits close to home for anyone who shares their life online, particularly if they have celebrity status.

For Emmie Hobson the nightmare has just become a reality. Her reputation as an  author and presenter has taken years to establish, and she is much loved by both parents and the children who read her books and watch her television programme.

The unscrupulous editor of a celebrity focused magazine, works on the principle of not letting the facts get in the way of a good story. Manipulation of events, photographs and hearsay are the weapons of choice, and a total disregard for the devastating consequences of the vitreol, are the spoils of this vicious campaign.

Unfortunately fame is not admired by everyone. There are those whose lives are not as fortunate, who see the glitter, but not the hard work required to reach this level of success, and take great pleasure in bringing that person down.

The story explores the devastation this kind of onslought can bring to an individual, their families and those close to them. It highlights how difficult it is to counter the allegations, especially when those responsible keep throwing more fuel on the fire.

As always the author has a wonderful grasp of human nature and paints a graphic picture of how quickly this kind of online bullying can escalate. The characters are wonderful, and whilst feeling empathy for those being victimised, those who are behind the campaign will certainly infuriate and anger the reader.

It is a cautionary tale for all of us who share our lives online. Is this a sobering read? Absolutely. However, the author has one or two solutions up her sleeves and there are very satisfying moments that will have you cheering for the good guys. And they are out there, attempting to make themselves heard above the noise of the mob.

I can highly recommend to anyone who enjoys an emotion stirring story that carries you along to a well choreographed climax.

Head over to buy the book: Amazon UK – And: Amazon US

 

Thanks for dropping in and I hope you will be leaving with some books.. Have a lovely Christmas.. Sally.