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What We’ve Been Reading Recently
March 8, 2022 | Blog > News > What We’ve Been Reading Recently
Despite the busy and sometimes breakneck pace of The Bookery, we always find time for our reading! The greatest pleasure for us here is getting to share our thoughts on the brilliant books we read, and recommend them to all of you! Below are some of our recent favourites…
At The Very End Of The Road
Phillip Edwards
After years of searching, Phillip Edwards and his wife find their dream property: remote, run down but abundant in wildlife. This book is a unique record of the natural history they encounter on the river, farmed land, salt marshes, mud flats and coastline of this unidentified place in SW England. Written purely as observation, in detailed lyrical prose, Edwards is determined to exclude the personal, human element from the narrative and creates word pictures of what is seen. An extraordinary portrait of a beautiful place.
(Andrew)
Darwin's Dragons
Lindsay Galvin
A brilliant book for children aged 8-12 (and their parents!) is Lindsay Galvin’s Darwin’s Dragons. It cleverly combines fact and fiction as its based on Darwin’s voyage in 1835 to the Galapagos to learn more about animals and evolution. But there is a twist! Cabin boy Syms Covington is washed overboard in a huge storm and stranded on an unexplored island where there are strange creatures with scales and wings. He is eventually rescued and brings back some of the creature’s eggs but no one believes him when he says they are dragons. The creatures hatch but languish… and Syms faces a dilemma as to whether to keep them in captivity to meet a certain death or let them free. Good plot, moral issues, history and imagination!
(Cathie)
The Beresford
Will Carver
By outward appearances, The Beresford is a run down hotel that houses drifters and short term misfits, all under the watchful eye of a seemingly harmless landlady. Behind closed doors though, murder is never far away in this offbeat and darkly humourous thriller that twists and turns – playing with both the reader’s expectations, and the whole ‘murder house’ genre. A highly entertaining read for seasoned crime novel fans.
(Cliff)
The Language Of Food
Annabel Abbs
The writing in this book is beautiful, descriptive and transporting, the chapter headings made me hungry apart from seasoned gruel! I loved Eliza’s strong will and in contrast Ann’s naivety. Ann has never experienced much of the food stuffs or the language that Eliza presents her with, but she is keen to learn and very adaptable. It is a wonderful story of female friendships and fighting back, in a time where women were either servants or wives, these strong women are inspirational. An absolute triumph of a story that engrossed, enraged, and endeared me and I will remember for a long time.
(Karen)
Escape To The River Sea
Emma Carroll
Inspired by Eva Ibbotson’s Journey to River Sea this is an adventure story set in 1946 about a young refugee called Rosa Sweetman, the last child left at a rambling estate in the North of England. Rosa finds herself swept up by family friend, Yara Fielding, into an unforgettable adventure in the Amazon rainforest. Emma Carroll has been called The Queen of Historical Children’s Fiction with good reason, this is a well-researched, action-packed captivating novel, suitable for readers aged 9+, publishing in July.
(Dee)
