Guest Review: A New Dawn at Owl’s Lodge by Jessica Redland

Could one chance meeting change your life forever?

Zara is at a crossroads in life. While she adores her job as a producer's assistant working on hit TV shows, travelling around the country means she doesn't truly feel that she has a home. With a fractured relationship with her family and unrequited love weighing heavily on her heart, she is torn about what her next step in life should be...

Snowy is hiding from the world. He's devoted his life to home schooling his young son and caring for sick owls at his home, Owl's Lodge, deep in the Yorkshire Wolds countryside. While he's passionate about both, it's a lonely existence and he's starting to question his decisions. But how do you step back into a world you've pushed away for years...?

When Zara brings an injured owl to Owl's Lodge, its frosty, reclusive owner is far from welcoming. Despite hostilities, there's a connection that neither could ever have prepared themselves for. As they discover a shared passion, a new friendship blossoms, but both Zara and Snowy are used to shutting people out.

Can they both find the courage to open up and the strength to move on from their pasts? And what could this mean for their future happiness?

Review: This book is the second in the Bumblebee Barn collection, stories set in the Yorkshire Wolds. It contains many characters and locations that will be familiar to readers of Jessica Redland’s books, not only in this series, but also in her Hedgehog Hollow collection. It was good to be meeting up with them again, but not a problem for those who have not read any of the previous books, who will be able to enjoy this one as a standalone. This book has a lovely, colourful cover which gives a clue to the type of animals the reader might meet within.

The story centres in on Zara, personal assistant to her TV producer friend, Amber. Although she loves her job, she has a troubled relationship with her family who make her wonder whether she should be looking for more out of life. As part of her job, Zara meets up with single dad Snowy, who has a sanctuary for sick and injured owls at his home, Owl’s Lodge. As well as being passionate about owls and nature in general, Snowy is home schooling his 9-year-old son, Harrison, with the help of his grandad. Due to events in his past, Snowy is reclusive, but he realises that some day in the not too distant future he will have to introduce Harrison to the real world and return to his former existence himself. When he first meets Zara, he appears very standoffish and rather formidable, but there is a spark of something else there as well. When they discover a shared interest from their past lives, they gradually become friends and the full story of events that have shaped the way they are now begins to emerge. As they draw strength from each other, it seems that Zara and Snowy may overcome the obstacles that have held them back in the past.

I have enjoyed catching up with Zara and her friends in this book, as well as learning a lot about owls, birds that have always fascinated me. It took me quite a way into the story before I began to warm to Snowy. It was quite heartbreaking to learn of his past, as indeed it was to learn the full extent of Zara’s difficult childhood. The story touches on some difficult subjects, including alcoholism and mental health problems. I admired the way that Snowy cared for his son, but was anxious how Harrison would react to emerging from his sheltered existence into the real world, even knowing the reasons behind Snowy’s decisions. Owl’s Lodge itself sounded a wonderful place to live, with its luxurious house and seemingly endless grounds teeming with wildlife. The author has very kindly concluded the book with a fact file about the five species of owl that breed in the UK. I am already hoping that there will be another book in this series and wondering who will take centre stage next time.

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Guest Review: The Summer Swap by Sarah Morgan

A summer escape

When Cecilia Lapthorne’s 75th birthday celebrations take an unexpected turn, she seeks solace away from the festivities and escapes to Dune Cottage – without telling her family where she’s going.

A new friendship

Lily Thomas, a struggling artist, has secretly been staying in the unoccupied cottage. When Cecilia discovers Lily during a late-night visit, an unexpected bond forms between the two women.

A chance to start over

Then Cecilia’s grandson, Todd – and Lily’s unrequited crush – shows up, sending a shockwave through their unlikely friendship. Will it inspire Lily to find the courage to live the life she wants? Can Cecilia finally let go of the past to find a new future? Because as surely as the tide erases past footprints, this summer is offering both Cecilia and Lily the chance to swap old dreams for new …

Review: I loved the sound of this new novel from Sarah Morgan, one of my favourite writers. A summer in a cottage by the sea would be just the antidote for this wet spring we are having. Sarah’s books always promise a well-rounded story with a range of emotions; this one did not let me down.

This story focuses on the lives of three women: 75-year-old Cecilia; her daughter Kristen; and her granddaughter’s friend Lily. When Cecilia finds life is getting on top of her, she secretly flees her large Boston home on the day of the party that Kristen has arranged for her to stay in the small beach cottage on Cape Cod that none of the family knows about. Just wanting some time on her own, she is surprised to find that aspiring artist Lily has been staying in the cottage, not knowing that it is owned by her friend’s grandmother. Instead of throwing Lily out, Cecilia invites her to stay and the pair strike up a comfortable friendship. Eventually, Cecilia’s grandson, and Lily’s secret crush turns up to check on his grandmother, and the household becomes three. Meantime, Kristen, who is having her own problems and reflecting on her relationships with her absent mother and her husband, also turns up at the cottage. As the summer progresses, can these women find ways to change their lives and achieve happiness in the calm surroundings of the Cape.

I thought this was a wonderful story, one which I read really quickly, so immersed in the lives of its characters did I become. There are so many messages for the reader, with these three women from different generations sorting through the problems in their lives and confronting perceived mistakes. It is a story filled with secrets, but also dealing with so many aspects of life including the effects of grief and misunderstandings, and making choices for the future. I liked the way in which the book was arranged, with each of the women taking turns to tell the story from their point of view. The characters were really likeable, although only when I learned a little of her background did I warm to Kristen. I would definitely have jumped at the chance to live in the cottage by the sea; it sounded perfectly idyllic, if a little larger than what I would class a cottage. Once more, a winner from Sarah Morgan and one I can highly recommend.

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Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I read in The First Half of 2024

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

Here's my list of my favourite reads of 2024 so far!

July 2024 TBR: July Book Releases and other Audiobooks I Want to Read!

 Well June was a tough month for reading, I think I did myself no favours by picking a long audiobook to start with because I read NONE of anything else! So a lot of my summer reading will be catching up on books I didn't read in the first half of the year!

July Releases

June Releases I Didn't Get To

Books I'm In The Middle of (including my nonfiction read)

And just for good measure, a book vs movie read!

Guest Review: The Croucher A Biography of Gilbert Jessop By Gerald Brodribb

Review: Gilbert Jessop (1874-1955) was a cricketer who played for Gloucestershire and England. In his early days he was known for his fast bowling, but it was as a big-hitting batsman that he gained more fame, his crouching stance at the wicket earning him the nickname “The Croucher”. His most famous innings came in the fifth Test Match against  Australia at the Oval in 1902. Needing 263 runs to win, England were quickly reduced to 48 runs for 5 wickets on a rain-affected pitch when Jessop went out to bat. He decided to attack the bowling in his own inimitable style and scored 104 before he was finally out with the score at 187 for 7. His century was scored in only 75 minutes off 76 balls and, to this day, is still the fastest century in a Test Match by an England batsman. The match was still not over, but England’s tail end managed to accumulate the winning runs, with the last pair anecdotally “getting ‘em in singles” to give England a dramatic victory by one wicket.

Jessop’s childhood and his early career as a teacher before breaking into first class cricket with Gloucestershire and Cambridge University is outlined. As well as describing “Jessop’s Match” at the Oval in 1902, the book details his career with Gloucestershire for whom he made his debut in 1894. He took over the captaincy of the county from the great W. G. Grace in 1900, his performances often outshining the rest of the team. His cricketing career was effectively ended following the outbreak of the First World War, but he continued to play and be involved in golf. He also worked as a journalist and writer. At the end of the book is a short statistical section detailing his cricketing achievements, particularly his remarkable fast-scoring feats.

As an informative biography of one of the lesser-known cricketers of the so-called “Golden Age”, and having seen the bat that Jessop used in scoring his famous century in 1902 in the museum at Lord’s cricket ground, I found this to be an interesting and enjoyable book. It should appeal to all cricket lovers.

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Guest Review: Sharpe’s Command by Bernard Cornwell

If any man can do the impossible it's Richard Sharpe . . .

And the impossible is exactly what the formidable Major Sharpe is asked to do when he's dispatched on an undercover mission behind enemy lines, deep in the Spanish countryside.

For a remote village is about to become the centre of a battle for the future of Europe. Sitting high above the Almaraz bridge, it is the last link between two French armies, one in the north and one in the south; if they meet, the British are doomed.

Only Sharpe's small group of men – with their cunning and courage to rely on – stand in their way. But they're rapidly outnumbered, enemies are hiding in plain sight, and time is running out...

Review: This is the 23rd book in Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe series, but chronologically it fits in as number 14, taking the reader back to 1812, long before the battle of Waterloo. For anyone new to these books, the series follows the career of Richard Sharpe in the British army, from his time in India to the Napoleonic wars. A heroic deed led to his being promoted from the ranks to an officer, which has placed him in an awkward position, often disliked in equal measure by soldiers above and below him.

In this book, Sharpe and his band of riflemen are in Spain, having been sent to liaise with a group of partisans and establish the state of a bridge over the river Tagus at Almaraz and its defending forts. This bridge has become key to the success of the French war effort, as the crossing will allow two branches of its army to join together, making a formidable force. Sharpe and his men have to contend with more than the French in dealing with the bridge, principally is the leader of the partisans fighting with them or against?

I have seen a few comments from readers complaining about continuity errors in this book due to its having been slotted into the series. However, setting aside such considerations, I enjoyed this story for what it was - Sharpe and his chosen men doing their bit to defeat the French. It did feel slightly strange reading about characters who I know will die subsequent books, but it was good to see Sharpe again in his younger days and be reacquainted with the trusty Harper, the rest of the band and of course Sharpe’s wife Teresa. There is plenty of action as Sharpe and his small force cope with an inexperienced officer accompanying them as well as the French forces and a strangely unhelpful group of partisans. I hope that Bernard Cornwell still has more adventures to come for Richard Sharpe.

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Guest Review: The Dictionary People By Sarah Ogilvie

What do three murderers, Karl Marx's daughter and a vegetarian vicar have in common?

They all helped create the Oxford English Dictionary.

The Oxford English Dictionary has long been associated with elite institutions and Victorian men. But the Dictionary didn't just belong to the experts; it relied on contributions from members of the public. By 1928, its 414,825 entries had been crowdsourced from a surprising and diverse group of people, from astronomers to murderers, naturists, pornographers, suffragists and queer couples.

Lexicographer Sarah Ogilvie dives deep into previously untapped archives to tell a people's history of the OED. Here, she reveals, for the first time, the full story of the making of one of the most famous books in the world - and celebrates the extraordinary efforts of the Dictionary People.

Review: The sub-title of this book is “The Unsung Heroes Who Created The Oxford English Dictionary”. The author, Sarah Ogilvie, is a lexicographer who has worked as an editor of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). The first edition of the OED was compiled between 1858 and 1928. The aim of its editors was to create a dictionary that not only gave the definitions of the words but also described how they originated and were used over time, using quotations from written sources to provide examples. During this period, the longest serving editor, from 1879 until 1915, was a former schoolteacher called James Murray. The editors realised that the task of tracing words from their earliest sources would require a huge input, so they requested volunteers from across the English-speaking world to send in examples of words and their use in quotations. This crowdsourcing project was made possible following the launch of the uniform penny post and the growth of the railways in the mid-nineteenth century.

There was a total of three thousand volunteers. This book describes a selection of these unpaid and unsung people and also provides biographical details of James Murray. Sarah Ogilvie was aided in her research by her discovery in the archives of James Murray’s address books which contained the names and addresses of these contributors. The book comprises twenty-six chapters which, unsurprisingly for a book about a dictionary, start at the letter A and end at the letter Z. What emerges is an eclectic mix of Victorian and Edwardian characters from across the globe. These people were mostly amateurs who were only too ready to contribute to an intellectual project at a time when many, especially women, were denied access to higher education. There were some unusual contributors, including the daughter of Karl Marx, three murderers and a number of inmates of mental institutions.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading this book, but quickly found it to be a fascinating insight into both the process of compiling a dictionary and also the lives of a wide-ranging mix of the contributors. The author’s enthusiasm for her subject is evident throughout. I did find that a tome written by a lexicographer contained many long words that, ironically, I had to look up in a dictionary (including the word lexicographer: noun - a compiler of dictionaries). As an informative guide as to how a classic reference work first saw the light of day and an insight into some of the characters involved, I would recommend this book.

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