Book Recommendation/book review

A STRANGE BEGINNING: A STAND-ALONE Biographical NOVEL (The Lord Byron Series Book 1)

Gretta Curran Brown

“My name alone shall be my epitaph.” — BYRON

This book is a biographical, historical novel and covers Lord Byron’s life from the age of 10 to his early 20s. If you love series such as Poldark and Downtown Abbey this book is perfect for you!

The author has done substantial research on Byron’s life so that makes it all the more worthwhile.

The story starts with 10-year-old George Gordon (Byron) living in Aberdeen, Scotland with his unstable Scottish mother and her servant. He uses his mother’s surname, Gordon, since his father, Lord Byron, had lost all his money and left when he was little, promised to return, but died with debts, leaving his wife and son without much means of support. George doesn’t know about his true English aristocracy yet until later. His mother was abusive physically and emotionally manipulative and his servant sexually abused him. To add to his troubles, Byron was born with one deformed foot for which he gets bullied by other children. Life was miserable for him until the 5th Baron Byron of Rochdale, England, declared him his heir. The requirement was that the boy took the surname Byron in order to obtain his inheritance. When he dies, young George traveled to England as the rightful heir and lord. George from then on lived with his mother and servants at Newstead Abbey, an estate in Nottinghamshire that was the Byron ancestral home. He was sent to the best schools, Harrow and Cambridge, and adjusted to a life of leisure for the first time. From then on he finds himself friends and when he comes back home he falls in love with the girl next door, Mary, though they can never marry as she is promised to another man of wealth and status, yet it is his love for her that fuels all his romantic poetry for the rest of his life.

It is a well-written, fascinating and enjoyable read and I found myself wanting to know more and warmed up to George who is intelligent, steadfast, likable, kind, and humble. I loved learning about his early life and his love for animals and nature and his warm, poetic heart, and to read some of his inspirations for his poetry, as well as his travels abroad to countries such as Portugal, Albania, Turkey, and Greece. I would recommend this book for fans of period dramas, biographies, and fans of Lord Byron’s poetry or poets in general in the late 18^th century.

You can find the book HERE

Book Recommendations/Book Reviews by Natasja Hellenthal

Queen of All (The Jena Cycle Book 1) 

Anya Josephs

“My mother once told me that the Goddess made the Earth round because that shape shows us the nature of the universe. The Earth, like a womb, circles back in on itself, holding us within the warm embrace of Her body. Time, she told me, is a circle too. Everything we lose comes back to us again.”

I was given a free copy from Netgalley to review this book.

The recently-released novel “Queen of All” by Anya Leigh Josephs is an engaging, sweet coming-of-age fantasy read. I was intrigued by the title, the cover and the description so I just had to read and review it!
The story is set in a medieval kind of alternative Earth with kingdoms and heirs and where being Numbered gives one more privilege than for those who are not. It reminded me slightly of ‘The Mist of Avalon’, but for a younger audience or those young at heart with the same kind of old magic. It is told from Jena’s point of view who is fourteen and lonely and lives in the shadow of nineteen-year-old Sisi who is her best friend and the most beautiful girl in the land. They both grow up together in the palace. Sisi is a Numbered and heir and Jena is more of a servant and will follow her anywhere until slowly she comes to understand that her feelings for Sisi have deepened. Despite this, she wants Sisi to be happy. Throughout her journey, she discovers that she has access to the ancient powers of the Goddess and the Earth and uses it wisely.

It is truly beautifully written and the characters well fleshed out. The world-building throughout is excellently done and one can easily imagine being there. The family ties were well described and all the details of their past. At times it was slightly repetitive and slow, but it did not take away from the pace or intrigue. If anything it just amplified the feelings and a book with feelings it certainly is! Those are my favourite reads.

In the end, I had to wipe away a few tears as I was so moved by Jena’s story and her courage, and the maturity she had reached! I was proud of her and really liked her. I can’t wait for what happens in the next book and whether and how she’ll find her mother!

At its heart, it’s a coming of age story and a coming out story and what it all truly means, and about being loyal, devoted, and harnessing and expressing a selfless love without expecting anything back so that it becomes a self-sacrifice. I would recommend this book to everyone who remembers what it was like falling in love for the first time unconditionally and wholeheartedly, even if it’s not reciprocated, and how one can simply lose oneself, but then one day you wake up and start to find yourself!

The book can be found HERE

Book recommendation:

Holocaust Memoirs of a Bergen-Belsen Survivor : Classmate of Anne Frank

(Holocaust Survivor Memoirs World War II Book 9)

Nanette Blitz Konig

“I want to give voice to those who have been silenced and can non no longer share their stories and sorrow.”

I personally love memoirs as they give us insight into not only someone’s life but also a certain period in time. They are important as we can learn so much from people having lived through hardships we might only have heard of secondhand. As we read we can start to imagine what it must have been like and feel deeply connected and relate to the storyteller, but even more so if it’s a true story.

“Unfortunately, even though we often yell, “Never again!” the history of mankind continues to develop into wars -unjustified wars- that seem to forget how valuable life is. And that is why the Holocaust is still a very current topic that must be remembered forever.”

Being Dutch I grew up with Anne Frank’s diary and her story and WWII was still not that far back. My maternal grandmother told me about the bombs that ruined Rotterdam and how she would hide under the table every time during a thunderstorm for years after. My father was seven years old during the German occupation in the winter of ‘44 and my mother was just born. It was the worst and coldest winter and food was scarce as the Nazis blocked food deliveries to the cities. My father used to tell me how bad it was as they would dig up and eat tulip bulbs and suck on pebbles. His mother was carried off to the hospital from starvation symptoms. My mother as a baby was sent away, like some sick or malnourished children were, to the countryside, as it was also safer there away from the bombs as farmers had fresh vegetables and milk. Imagine on top of that you are Jewish and more and more restrictions are applied slowly during the occupation and things go from worse to worse. The hatred and persecutions that were ever-present. It was a time of fear, dread, and uncertainty that stained many lives long after.

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

This is not just another Holocaust book though as Nanette connects the past with the present and tries to warn and even wishfully prevent this from happening again by giving us insight into her life and the horrors she’s endured and seen during the war. This is a must-read witness report along with other stories of survivors of this horrible time in history so the events are never forgotten. If we don’t learn from past mistakes there is a greater likelihood that they will be repeated in the future. She lived in Amsterdam and went to the same school as Anne Frank and knew her personally, although that is not as important a fact as this in more Nanette’s story. Both girls meet again briefly when in Bergen-Belsen, a concentration camp where Jews systematically were being starved to death under the most dreadful conditions. Nanette’s father had a privileged position in a bank. Thus, when it became their family’s turn to get deported, they were not sent to Auschwitz, in Poland, but to Bergen-Belsen in North Germany. But it is not a privilege as we quickly learn, despite that the camp is divided into sections. She explains it vividly through younger eyes and how she quickly has to grow up as a young teenager without her immediate family for support, no way to clean herself, scarce food and water, horrible diseases, lice, the hours-long headcount every morning in every weather condition, and bodies piling up. The lack of freedom, the dignity, and humanity these people were stripped from is almost surreal. Also, at the same time, she has researched the facts well and tries to describe clearly how this all could have happened. in 1933, German citizens had democratically elected a leader who preached that the country should get rid of everything impure…”you cannot fully grasp it because you cannot comprehend that which exists cannot be comprehended…We were living in a fabricated reality without the right to react,” she warns all of us, “Society should be alarmed when ideology becomes so deep-seated that it supports barbarians with such an abominable purpose.”

It’s a story of genocide and survival against all odds. How many of us today could have gotten through the hell these innocent people were trapped in, all because they were Jewish, Gypsies, disabled, or gay?

“I never believed in the superiority of any single being when compared to others, because when we take away our particular aspects as far as culture and life, we all share the same core.”

We follow Nanette throughout her life at the camp and after its liberation by the British.  There were no gas chambers at Bergen- Belsen as the mass killings took place in the camps further east whereby millions lost their lives. Even so, it is estimated that more than 50.000 people suffered and died there due to malnourishment, disease, and mistreatments by the guards. The book is translated from Portuguese as she now resides in Brazil and it is her main language so it makes sense. She does repeat herself slightly throughout the book, but that could be for effect. I was fascinated by her story, her wisdom, and the educational value.

The book can be found HERE

Book recommendation:

The Binding: A Novel

Bridget Collins

“Memories,’ she said, at last. ‘Not people, Emmett. We take memories and bind them. Whatever people can’t bear to remember. Whatever they can’t live with. We take those memories and put them where they can’t do any harm. That’s all books are”

I was so fortunate to have been given this book in its hardcover version. The cover is simply stunning! It really makes you want to read and cherish the book. Especially considered this is a novel about bookbinding they were spot on with the design! The story is just as magical and spell-binding.

‘The Binding’ by Bridget Collins is a #1 bestseller for good reasons and because it’s LGBTQI+ month I am posting my review! It is set in an alternative, rural England in a time much like the late 18^th century, though with magic thrown in.

It’s told in a first-person narrative and follows Emmett Farmer, a young man who is sent to an old, solitary Binder to become her apprentice. Books are forbidden as they all are real lived experiences from real people who, once sold, lose these memories, so they are kept hidden by Binders or sold on the black market and bought by those in power to abuse, torture or used as blackmail to ruin those without money or status. These books become like high-priced vaults. A buyer can go to a Binder to sell their memories or have unspeakable traumatic memories removed. For some it’s a salvation to have bad memories being taken away from you, for others it’s the last resort to be able to pay the rent. Too many visits to a Binder leaves someone hollow inside, emptied of the memories that made them unique and life worth living for.

Emmett learns he will become a protector or these books and turns out to be a gifted Binder. There are many questions raised which kept me guessing and wanting to read on. Why was Emmett rejected by his family and why does a customer called Lucian Darnay look so familiar and why is he so drawn to him? As Emmett learns his new trade and begins to settle in, he makes an astonishing discovery: a book with his name on it.

I absolutely loved this book! It started out like most other young adult fantasy books I’ve read with the reluctant hero versus grumpy teacher, and dark and moody at first, but it is not! The teacher turns out to be a gem and the main character more and more likable as well. There is the forbidden gay relationship twist as well which was tastefully and romantically done. This book is so much more than a coming-of-age novel and can be read by many readers. There are so many mysterious things going on, it makes you turn the pages to get the answers!

It is breath-taking and an absolute gem. The plot is intriguing with the only books in a world being not fiction, but real-life memories and forbidden, the world-building was not overly detailed as this book focusses more on feelings, the characters realistic and the mood of the book intense and wonderful. The writing is simply beautiful. The range of emotions is wide and portrays tenderness and deep affection. I could not put it down and when I did, it wouldn’t leave my mind. To me, those are the best books!

The book can be found HERE

Book recommendation:

The Bees: A Novel by

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“Obey, Serve, Protect!”

This book is one of my favourites! It resolves around the birth, life, and death of Flora 717. She is born into the hive as a humble sanitation worker – cleaning up and removing the dead bodies of her sisters. But unlike the rest, she has the ability to talk and question the meaning of her existence. She is very brave and saves the colony from a deadly wasp attack for example. She is rewarded by spending time in the queen’s calm presence. Soon she is ‘promoted’ to be an important forager and responsible, with her fellow foragers, for bringing in the pollen on which everyone depends.

This was an excellent and thought-provoking read. I loved every moment of it and really found myself identifying with Flora. It is a meaningful addition to the anthropomorphic tradition of books such as Wind In The Willow and Watership Down. Even though those other stories tend to humanise the lives and thoughts of other animal species which can have an important message in itself, it’s not entirely true for The Bees. There is much scientific truth to this story, apart from the dystopian element. These stories are important, with whatever species, as they address human issues such as power, thinking for oneself, and breaking free from the norm and even religion. The Bees does more than all that though. It not only shows the struggle of a single bee with responsibilities to her home while bringing change to a hierarchical community thus bringing her story home to us humans and our society, it also a plausible and well-researched account from the point of view of the bees and their lives as far as it is possible.

The attention to detail in describing the use of scents and pheromones in a bee life was really remarkable as well as the complicated dance ritual they do upon returning to the hive. One gets to learn so much about nature, about spiders and wasps, various flowers, and the impact of deadly chemicals upon the environment.

The description is never oversentimental as to living in a beehive either. From the mating of a drone with the queen (and his immediate death after) to the clearing up of sick bees, to the situation of the colony as winter approaches (surviving drones and older and weaker bees are all thrown out), to the issues that a colony without a queen can face, everything is told in a matter of fact way. Life for bees can be very hard. The story also explains the idea that the colony is the ‘creature’ and that the bees are the cells that make it up. The Hive Mind can override personal thoughts and control their actions.

It has given me so much more knowledge and respect for bees and I look at them differently now.

I genuinely felt throughout the story for Flora while she tried to contribute to the hive in many ways. The author did a great job of ensuring that the bees, while having a personality, kept acting on their instincts and communication as they would in a real hive.

The author has written a really good captivating story which I strongly recommend. If you want to comprehend the life of bees – and enjoy a fascinating page-turning read at the same time – then this is absolutely for you. You will be totally fascinated. The most memorable book I have read for quite a while.

The book can be found HERE