Mandy reviews... 'A Year in Provence' by Peter Mayle

Here's library staff member Mandy with a review of 'A Year in Provence' by Peter Mayle.

Dyma Mandy gyda'i barn am 'The Voices Series' gan Peter Mayle.

There is nothing quite as nice as revisiting an old favourite where books are concerned. It’s rather like catching up with an old friend. And this week my old friend has been Peter Mayle’s ‘A Year In Provence’. It’s a simple book, a monthly account of Peter Mayle’s first year in the Provence farmhouse that he bought with his wife. Mayle shares his experiences and reflections in a gentle and humorous way.  It’s a breath of fresh air as there is no hint or whisper of moaning or belittling.

From the start he’s able to bring to life the tastes, smells, weather and all nuances of life in the southern French Valley through his quiet observations. Like the seasons, he moves seamlessly throughout the year and we get to know characters, become familiar with the house, and discover the beauty of Provence from the comfort of our homes.

Let me start with my favourite: food. Mayle is a descriptive genius and almost always has me drooling as he introduces us to the local cuisine. From the extravagant ‘ ...they were moist and fat and fluffy with a tiny deep nugget of truffle in every mouthful, a last rich taste of winter” to the food of the local peasants ‘there were saucissons spotted with peppercorns. There were tiny sweet onions marinated in fresh tomato sauce. Plates were wiped once more and duck was brought it.’ He becomes almost poetic in places ‘as for the oil, it was a masterpiece, before dinner that night we tested it, dipping it into slices of bread that had been rubbed with the flesh of tomatoes. It was like eating sunshine.’ I want to eat sunshine!

I salivate at these descriptions - even being vegetarian - as he talks about rabbit stew or wild boar pate, it’s all part of the books charm.  But it’s not only how the food is eaten. You become au fait with the ways of truffle hunting, the correct breads to use with each meal, and of course grapes and wine making.

The characters are captured in tender tones, be it Monsieur Menicucci, the local plumber who likes to play the clarinet, and has a bonnet for every season; or Massot, the local hunter, with the cigarette-stained moustache who gives tips on cooking fox and shooting mice that run around the attic. They drop in and out like friends popping in for tea and biscuits, welcome distractions in a world gone mad.

Mayle also observes how the French view the English ‘lls sont bizarres, les Anglasi.’  Be it the French recalling visits to England and the standard of the food they ate there, or the British and their constant upset stomachs! Sometimes it’s nice to view yourself from a different angle, especially a humorous one.

Mayle’s own experiences of British people is also a treat; friends of friends of friends who regard the house like a bed and breakfast but don’t pay any board, drink all the wine and playing havoc with the plumbing! (The British and their upset stomachs.) But even with all this inconvenience Mayle refuses to let it dampen his spirits. How could he? Living in this beautiful landscape, where there the sun is shining and the local vineyards produce your wine for the year, you can dip into the cool swimming pools or walk deep into the forest of the Luberon to explore.  There are the local events such as goat racing around the village, and farmers markets selling vegetables picked from the fields before the crack of dawn. 

If you’ve not read this book, get your self a glass of wine, sit in the garden and discover the south of France from another time. If you have read it, I’d recommend revisiting, it’s worth coming back to this old friend.

Angharad reviews...'The Voices' Series by G.X.Todd

Here's library staff member Angharad with a review of 'The Voices Series' by G.X. Todd.

Dyma Angharad gyda'i barn am 'The Voices Series' gan G.X. Todd.

Fans of Stephen King’s The Stand will love the premise of this series. Set in modern times after an apocalyptic event divides humanity into those who hear mysterious inner voices and those who don’t, two people who are far more than they seem are brought together by a voice. It tells the enigmatic traveller Pilgrim to buy lemonade from lonely teen Lacey as though doing so would fulfil a prophecy. Pilgrim takes its guidance and so begins a long and harrowing journey.

The pair become an unlikely duo; though different, they share a unique bond. They are among the few lucky survivors of the wasteland that is the post-voice world. A place where people kill others and themselves as a result of their inner voices. The voices are dangerous, or so it seems. Where did they come from? What sparked their arrival? Who is the sinister Flitting Man and why is he searching for those who hear them?

G.X Todd creates a bleak and frequently savage world where trusting the voice in your head can lead you to salvation or slaughter. Between the voices and what’s left of humanity’s morals, you’ll ask yourself who the real enemy is time and again.

The atmosphere of this series is like a gust of wind swirling dust down a long backwater road. The setting is really brought to life through Todd’s descriptions. Every character feels authentic, every scene is paced perfectly, steadily. Each book begins as a slow burn, with some seemingly innocuous events only making sense much later in the story when things culminate. This approach works so well within the narrative and there’s some satisfying twists that make the build-up worthwhile. Everything happens for a reason, and incidentally this is also a theme within the story itself.

If you enjoy gritty survival-based stories with a focus on introspection and character development and a huge side of dangerous sci-fiction forces – think Birdbox, The Walking Dead, The Happening and The Last of Us- then there’s a very good chance this could be your new favourite book series. The final book’s expected publication is set for late 2020, so listen to your inner voice and start this series now!

(Books in quadrilogy- #1 Defender, #2 Hunted, #3 Survivors and a fourth to be announced.)

Angharad reviews... Wranglestone by Darren Charlton

Here's library staff member Angharad with a review of 'Wranglestone' by Darren Charlton.

Dyma Angharad gyda'i barn am 'Wranglestone' gan Darren Charlton.

In a post-apocalyptic America, a community survives in a national park, surrounded by water that keeps the Dead at bay. But when winter comes, there's nothing to stop them from crossing the ice.

This is a teen zombie thriller with a setting that is as much a character as the humans, dead or alive. Inspired by the beautiful but harsh terrain of national parks like Yellowstone, author Darren Charlton has spun a twisting tale of terror involving an unlikely protagonist. Peter is a homebody who lacks the skills his wilderness community needs to keep them all safe. When he naively allows a stranger to come ashore one of the islands in their Wranglestone sanctuary, he puts everyone at risk. The community decides he must help Cooper, a boy he’s always watched from afar, herd the dead from the lake before it freezes over. He will finally make himself useful. But as love blossoms, the pair discover a dark secret about the sanctuary’s past, and nothing is as it seems.

There’s plenty of scares, gore and suspense in this refreshing tale of a vulnerable boy in a dangerous world. A perfect for zombie horror fans, and there’s a sequel in the works!

Ghost Wall - Customer Review

During these unusual times we have been working hard to stay in touch with the members of our shared reading groups to find out what they've been reading.  Some have put down their thoughts as reviews that we'd like to share.  Here's Doreen with her opinion of 'Ghost Wall' by Sarah Moss.

Yn ystod y cyfnod anarferol yma rydym wedi bod yn gweithio’n galed i aros mewn cysylltiad ag aelodau o’n grwpiau darllen i ganfod beth maen nhw wedi bod yn ei ddarllen.  Mae rhai wedi rhannu’u barn ar ffurf adolygiadau ac fe hoffem rannu’r rhain.  Dyma Doreen gyda’i barn am  'Ghost Wall' gan Sarah Moss.

This book is set in Northumberland. It opens with a chilling first chapter, expertly evoked, and fuelling our expectation of what might follow. A Professor of Archaeology and his three students have set up an encampment to engage with the lives of Iron Age people. The Professor is particularly interested in the practice of ritual sacrifice at that time. They are joined by a family of three. The father, a keen historian, has forced his downtrodden wife and seventeen year old daughter to accompany him for their summer holiday. The Professor and students sleep in modern tents but the father, insisting that they should be more authentic, compels his wife and daughter to sleep with him in the Roundhouse, which had been built by the students as part of a course on 'experiential archaeology'. They are dressed like Iron Age people and attempt to eat and behave in the same way. Not only do we see Iron Age practices being pursued but we also observe the psychological and physically abusive relationship of the father towards his wife and daughter.

I found this book an interesting but disturbing read, building on the suspense right up to its conclusion.

Staff review - The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey

Here's library staff member Angharad with a review of 'The Animals at Lockwood Manor' by Jane Healey.

Dyma Angharad gyda'i barn am 'The Animals at Lockwood Manor' gan Jane Healey.

When Hetty Cartwright is charged with the safekeeping of The Natural History Museum’s mammal collection during its evacuation to its temporary home at Lockwood Manor, she believes the biggest threat to the precious taxidermy animals is the destruction of war. But as pieces begin to mysteriously vanish, only to reappear all over the manor, she begins to wonder if the rumours of ghosts and curses surrounding Lockwood are true.

The premise of this book is very much in the same vein as The Silent Companions and The Miniaturist, so if you enjoyed the mystery (and creepy moving objects) elements of those books, I would recommend this one.
What sets The Animals of Lockwood Manor apart however is its romance, which is a conscientious depiction of a sapphic relationship during the difficult period of the 1940’s, where war, class and patriarchal obstacles stand between women and their dreams.

Though at its heart a gothic romance, with a few dark events and buried secrets revealed later in the story, The Animals of Lockwood Manor carries a lighter tone than some of its predecessors, so for if you’re looking for deeper chills, this is maybe not the right tale. Mystery-lovers hoping for something a little more eerie won’t be disappointed however.

Circe - Customer Review

During these unusual times we have been working hard to stay in touch with the members of our shared reading groups to find out what they've been reading.  Some have put down their thoughts as reviews that we'd like to share.  Here's Olivia with her review of 'Circe' by Madeline Miller.

Yn ystod y cyfnod anarferol yma rydym wedi bod yn gweithio’n galed i aros mewn cysylltiad ag aelodau o’n grwpiau darllen i ganfod beth maen nhw wedi bod yn ei ddarllen.  Mae rhai wedi rhannu’u barn ar ffurf adolygiadau ac fe hoffem rannu’r rhain.  Dyma Olivia gyda’i barn am  'Circe' gan Madeline Miller.

‘In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power--the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.’

Madeline Millers’ Circe gives a powerful voice to the goddess of magic and daughter of the sun Helios. As a plot device in Greek mythology – most notably her infamous spell in Homer’s poem of turning Odysseus’ men into pigs – it is refreshing to read a magical and heartfelt recount of Circe that explores a woman’s perspective in a predominantly male collection of myths.

Circe is foremost a beautifully written story about self-transformation and adapting from strife, as we develop an understanding of the alternative side to the jealous and vindictive goddess. Miller tactfully touches upon themes of family outcasts, female rivalry, motherhood, love and loss; and it is so authentically written that you will feel like you are making spells with Circe in her cobbled floor cottage, sailing the seas with her on one of her iconic journeys, and prowling Aiaia with her familiar lion.

“I had been cold and stern for so long, carved with regrets and years like a monolith. But that was only a shape I had been poured into. I did not have to keep it.”

As a Latin and Greek teacher, Miller’s knowledge of the Titans and Olympians is extensive and fresh as she weaves the story in and out of the well-known myths and legends with a fine gold thread, and invites us to suffer Circe’s injustices and triumph with her as she becomes a powerful sorceress in her exile. The writing is so vivid and illuminated that I felt like a part of Circe’s long life and was reluctant to leave her at the end. I highly recommend this unique novel of the unsung heroine. 

John William Waterhouse - Sketch of Circe, 1911-1914

Girl, Woman, Other - Customer Review

During these unusual times we have been working hard to stay in touch with the members of our shared reading groups to find out what they've been reading.  Some have put down their thoughts as reviews that we'd like to share.  Here's Doreen with her opinion of 'Girl, Woman, Other' by Bernadine Evaristo.

Yn ystod y cyfnod anarferol yma rydym wedi bod yn gweithio’n galed i aros mewn cysylltiad ag aelodau o’n grwpiau darllen i ganfod beth maen nhw wedi bod yn ei ddarllen.  Mae rhai wedi rhannu’u barn ar ffurf adolygiadau ac fe hoffem rannu’r rhain.  Dyma Doreen gyda’i barn am  'Girl, Woman, Other' gan Bernadine Evaristo.

'Girl, Woman, Other' by Bernardine Evaristo is a worthy winner of the Booker prize,  which she shared with Margaret Attwood . Interestingly she writes with no full stops. In the book we meet many diverse, colourful characters, who are linked in different ways. The story covers various issues of gender,  race and class. It leads to a satisfying conclusion but some may ask what happened next. I think this book can be enjoyed by any age and not necessarily just by women.