Tag Non Fiction

ThePower of Trees: How Ancient Forests Can Save Us If We Let Them by Peter Wohleben @Peterwohlleben @RandomTTours @brownlee_donald @greystonebooks #nature #climate #science #bookreview

yvonnembee 8 Comments

I am delighted to share my review of The Power of Trees: How Ancient Forests Can Save Us If We Let Them by Peter Wohleben. This is a fabulous book and one that made so much sense to me. After reading this book I immediate went and bought he previous one.

My huge thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for arranging my paperback copy of this book from the publisher Greystone Books.

In the follow up to his Sunday Times bestseller, The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben compares tree planting to battery farming.


‘In clear, vivid prose with impeccable reasoning, Peter Wohlleben makes a compelling case that almost everything we do in modern forestry management may be dead wrong. What should we do instead? Let the wisdom of the trees quell our human arrogance, heal the forest and restore our sweet, green world’


Sy Montgomery, author of How to be a Good Creature and The Soul of an Octopus
TREES CAN SURVIVE without humans, but we can’t live without trees. Even if human-caused climate change devastates our planet, trees will return—as they do, always and everywhere, even after ice ages, catastrophic fires, destructive storms, and deforestation. It would just be nice if we were around to see them flourish.

The Power of Trees is forester Peter Wohlleben’s follow-up to The Hidden Life of Trees, a Sunday Times bestseller that sold millions of copies worldwide. In his latest book, he is dismissive of token gestures in terms of tree planting. Just as he compared forest trees to ‘families’ and urban trees to ‘street urchins’ in his first book, in The Power of Trees he uses equally powerful metaphors to compare tree planting to battery farming (‘Switching to fast-growing species and breeding trees for desired traits brought results like those achieved by factory farming: individuals ready for harvest at a young age, all with a relatively uniform carcass weight.’). However, he also joyfully describes trees determination to survive, describing seedlings breaking through the earth where you least expect them, as ‘stalwart tree children’.

This latest work is as fascinating and eye-opening as it is trenchant in its critique: on the one hand, Wohlleben describes astonishing discoveries about how trees pass knowledge down to succeeding generations and their ability to survive climate change; on the other, he is unsparing in his criticism of those who wield economic and political power—who plant trees exclusively for the sake of logging and virtue signaling—even as they ruthlessly exploit nature. The Power of Trees is a love letter to the forest and a passionate argument for protecting nature’s boundless diversity, not only for the sake of trees, but also for us.

MY REVIEW

I am someone who loves being outside in my garden. It is a mix of fruit, veg and flowers and over the past 5 years, I have been planting trees to make my little plot as diverse as possible for the wildlife in my piece of Cornwall, UK. I have always been someone who likes the outside and living where I do I am close to nature as I live at the edge of a village. Surrounded by farmland, small areas of trees and also the coast. Reading The Power of Trees has opened up more ideas for me and there are little steps I can make in my own garden to do my part in helping the trees.

This is such a fantastic book to read, it is so informative. Yes, it is a bit science-based in places but not too much so. The author takes us through the evolution of trees, a slow natural process, and how this compares to how people try to manage a similar thing. Trees have adapted and changed over millions of years. There is fossilised evidence of plants and trees, so it does beg the question… how do we know more about the evolution of a species so different to ourselves. The fact that trees are the lungs of the earth makes it obvious that without them we would not survive.

The author tells how exasperated he gets when he comes across managed forests, these are planted for profit and are a single species. This means if there is a problem the whole forest can and does suffer. Rather than the diverse trees that have gradually made their homes and know how to work with the environment, managers believe they are better at doing it. they are not.

By removing the stalwarts of the older forest we are interfering and making the same mistakes over and over again. Scientists have been shouting for many years about how human progress is hindering the natural process. When you look at various documentaries, read articles online or just have a look with your own eyes, you can see that things are changing.

So why then do those in politics, who are backed by the money men prefer not to listen to what is backed up by years of research and study? It’s obvious, it’s all about the money, the profits and the financial gain.

As a gardener, I am aware of how carefully choosing the right plants to put in my garden. But it is becoming more difficult to work out what will do well in a particular growing season as the climate is so changeable. So how on earth can anyone work out what the climate will be like in 20 or 100 years times?

The author discusses many other things in this book and rather than paint a bleak picture he does offer hope. That we can change and see how beneficial the trees that have grown for hundreds of years actually know what they are doing, after all, they have been doing it for far longer. Trees are able to adapt to their surrounding, as is all plant life if it is in the right place at the right time.

The author has laid out this book in such a good way. He shows arguments from different groups, shows research and studies from people around the world and laid it down in the pages of his book. It makes sense, a couple of times I was a little lost in the science, but there really isn’t that much. It is such an informative read and one that as soon as I picked it up completely had me hooked. As soon as I finished this one I bought his previous book, The Hidden Life of Trees.

If you have any interest in nature and the environment, if you are a gardener, a person that likes being outside, or someone who likes to sit under a tree on a sunny day to have a coffee, then this is a book you might enjoy. I adored it and I have taken so much from it that I can actually use and therefore it makes it a very important book. An amazing book that I would absolutely recommend.

About the Author

PETER WOHLLEBEN is one of the world’s most notable foresters and a passionate advocate for tree conservation. Wohlleben lives in Germany, where he manages an ecologically conscious forest and runs an academy for education and advocacy. His books are bestsellers around the world. He speaks fluent English and will be In the UK 22-24 April 2023 to launch the book at the Cambridge Literary Festival and at The Linnean Society in London and available for further Interviews.

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Queens of the Underworld: A Journey into the Lives of Female Crooks by @CaitlinDavies2 @RandomTTours @TheHistoryPress #nonfiction #truecrime #womeninhistory #bookreview

yvonnembee 4 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for Queens of the Underworld: A Journey into the Lives of Female Crooks by Caitlin Davies. There are many books around about male criminals, so it was a great book to read that focused on women. I can honestly say after reading this, they should have their own books because my goodness some of the women were evil!

My huge thank to Anne at Random Things Tours for arranging my paperback copy of this fabulous book from the publisher The History Press.

Robin Hood, Dick Turpin, Ronnie Biggs, the Krays … All have become folk heroes, glamorised and romanticised, even when they killed. But where are all the female crooks? Where are the street robbers, gang leaders, diamond thieves, bank robbers and gold smugglers?
Queens of the Underworld reveals the incredible story of professional female criminals from the 17th century to today. From Moll Cutpurse who ruled the Jacobean underworld, to Victorian jewel thief Emily Lawrence and 1960s burglar Zoe Progl, these were charismatic women at the top of their game.
But female criminals have long been dismissed as either not ‘real women’ or not ‘real criminals’, and in the process their stories have been lost. Caitlin Davies unravels the myths, confronts the lies, and tracks down modern-day descendants in order to tell the truth about their lives.
‘A riveting dive into the criminal underworld and the women who queened it there’ – Helena Kennedy QC

‘A rollicking account of all kinds of crime committed by women, who have not only been forgotten or ignored, but who put their male counterparts to shame’ – Julie Bindel, The Spectator

MY REVIEW

There are many books, documentaries, films and online features about crime. When you look many or most are about the men in the world that commit those crimes. Women are mentioned but they are often thought of as trophies, a bit of fluff or an accomplice. Most of the time they are not seen as the masterminds behind the crime or the gangs that are involved.

The author takes several women who, over the centuries, committed crimes that would have been serious, dangerous and downright shocking. They may have sweet angelic faces but beneath this veil, there is a shrewd and often deadly woman.

These women are mostly from around the London area and the author gives details about the women, their crimes, families, what made them stand out, when they were caught and how they then passed out of sight and mind. In some respects, you could say that these are the most notorious but are they the Queens of the Underworld as there are so many accounts that have been lost? There is also something else to consider… what about those who have not been caught!

The way women are seen in society plays heavily in this book and from the early accounts women are seen as not having any reason to be educated in any form as they are there to look after the home, and the children and maybe do chores or cleaning for others or they are prostitutes. They are not deemed worthy of being able to handle the intellect to plan and carry out a crime. Even in the modern day and at the turn of our century women are not classed as the worst of the worst. This mantle of the worst criminal always seems to go to the men.

Are women who commit crimes wanting to be seen in the same respect as their male counterparts or are they looking to make a statement? Or is it because they are responsible for raising and providing clothing and food for their children? There are mentions of women of different ethnicities, social classes and backgrounds to give a well-balanced mix. It has been difficult for the author though to find the information and gather all the details she would have liked. Again this is something where the male criminal has another advantage as such, there are so many more books and theories and documentaries about them, and you find yourself sifting through to find the women.

This is a fabulous book and I do like how the author links and then at times comes back to the women she has already mentioned. From pick-pockets to armed robbers and swindlers to contraband smugglers the author takes the reader on a journey through history. It is a fascinating book and has made me realise how little I know or have been aware of as regards women and crime are concerned. It has opened my eyes and it is a book I would definitely recommend.

About the Author

Caitlin Davies is the author of six novels and eight non-fiction books, many of which have a criminal theme. The Ghost of Lily Painter was based on the true story of two Edwardian baby farmers, while Bad Girls: The Rebels and Renegades of Holloway Prison was the first comprehensive history of Europe’s most infamous female jail. It was nominated for the Orwell Prize for Political Writing, 2019.

Caitlin is a trained teacher, who started her writing career as a human rights reporter in Botswana. She currently works as a Royal Literary Fund writing fellow at NHS Kent & Medway.

Queens of the Underworld tells of her journey into the lives of female crooks from the 17th century to today. Her upcoming book, Private Inquiries: the secret history of female sleuths, to be published in October 2023, reveals the true tales of female private eyes from the 1850s to the present. Caitlin trained as a private investigator as part of her research, but wasn’t nearly as observant as she hoped she’d be.
 

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Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues by Jonathan Kennedy @TransworldBooks #nonfiction #science #history #NetGalley #bookreview

yvonnembee 2 Comments

I am delighted to share my review of Pathogenesis: A History of the World in Eight Plagues by Jonathan Kennedy. I read it back in January this year and it was such an interesting one to read. Charting the history of humans and how plagues also followed.

My huge thanks to Transworld Books for accepting my request to read this title via NetGalley.

Publication Date – 18th April 2023

According to the accepted narrative of progress, humans have thrived thanks to their brains and brawn, collectively bending the arc of history. But in this revelatory book, Professor Jonathan Kennedy argues that the myth of human exceptionalism overstates the role that we play in social and political change. Instead, it is the humble microbe that wins wars and topples empires.

Drawing on the latest research in fields ranging from genetics and anthropology to archaeology and economics, Pathogenesis takes us through sixty thousand years of history, exploring eight major outbreaks of infectious disease that have made the modern world. Bacteria and viruses were protagonists in the demise of the Neanderthals, the growth of Islam, the transition from feudalism to capitalism, the devastation wrought by European colonialism, and the evolution of the United States from an imperial backwater to a global superpower. Even Christianity rose to prominence in the wake of a series of deadly pandemics that swept through the Roman Empire in the second and third centuries: Caring for the sick turned what was a tiny sect into one of the world’s major religions.

By placing disease at the center of his wide-ranging history of humankind, Kennedy challenges some of the most fundamental assumptions about our collective past—and urges us to view this moment as another disease-driven inflection point that will change the course of history. Provocative and brimming with insight, Pathogenesis transforms our understanding of the human story.

MY REVIEW

Pathogenesis = the source of disease

This was a brilliant book to read and it was one that took me through the history of the world from the emergence of humans through to the present day.

Starting at the beginning the author tells how humans were hunter-gatherers, they would move and travel. It was when they settled that disease began to make itself known. As people lived close and began to cultivate the land, and breed animals this closeness was something that encouraged any pathogens, diseases, viruses or plagues to multiply. As people from different areas and regions began to mix then so diseases would travel. One group may be immune to a certain strain having built upon their immunity over time. Coming into another group may not have had the immunity and so things were able to spread.

Using the history of the world and how humans moved and travelled is a great way to understand how diseases or plagues were able to travel. History has shown how some indigenous populations were wiped out due to European travellers bringing in diseases. Where the Europeans had built up an immunity over time, indigenous peoples were coming into contact with it for the very first time. The results were deadly.

As humans have gradually spread, become more industrialised and shaped the earth then so plagues and diseases have also changed. Being in closer contact with animals has allowed some pathogens to change and they have made the jump from infecting animals to humans. Many people think of the Black Death when the word plague is mentioned. The bacteria Yersinia Pestis is responsible for the plague, it has been around long before the 1348 or 1665 outbreaks. The bacteria has been found in the DNA of ancient humans from the neolithic age.

AS people have moved and adapted then so have the bacteria responsible for plagues. As we are freer to travel then so are the bacteria. The recent pandemic has shown our generation how quickly a plague can move and we are constantly being told of new strains of Covid. We also live in a world where certain antibiotics are not as effective for treating bacterial or viral infections.

Using history as a way of showing how people lived, worked, moved and developed their knowledge and understanding of the world is a great way of showing the history of plagues as well. One evolves alongside the other and this is a book that is easy to read and understand.

The author has done a brilliant job and I really found this book amazing to read. I learnt so many things and also understood certain things a lot more. Laid out well and referencing things that I knew of was a great way of laying out history and plagues.

THis is a fabulous book and if you enjoy reading history, about plagues, deaths, living conditions and the general history of the world and its people then I do think this is a book you would really enjoy. I did and I would definitely recommend it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jonathan Kennedy teaches politics and global health at Queen Mary University of London. He has a PhD in sociology from the University of Cambridge.

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Forgotten Women by Zing Tsjeng @misszing @RandomTTours @Octopus_Books #nonfiction #womeninhistory #TheLeaders #history #bookreview

yvonnembee 2 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today of Forgotten Women by Zing Tsjeng. This is a brilliant non-fiction book that I adored.

My huge thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for my spot on the Blog Tour and for arranging my gorgeous hardback copy of this book from Octopus Books.

Forgotten Women reaches around the world and its history to rediscover, retell and reinstate the lives of over 190 important and significant women. From Neolithic times to modernity, Zing Tsjeng has traced the women who have shaped their age and revolutionised society.


In this book lies the strength, lives and sacrifices of women who have refused to accept the hand they’ve been dealt and have changed the course of our futures accordingly.

MY REVIEW

This is a fabulous book that I have been reading over the past few weeks. The book focuses on women that have left their mark on history and have yet, to be forgotten over time. To be honest, there are a lot of people to who this has happened, but it is great to see a book that focuses on women. When history books mention great discoveries, inventions, observations, works of art, philosophy or any other sector, it does tend to focus on men. This does make sense as for so long in history women were seen as inferior, they were supposed to be humble and often not taught to the same educational level as their male counterparts. When you think of women who have made their mark and are mentioned or taught about in schools, there are very few compared to men.

This book is laid out in 7 chapters, the women mentioned have been categorised into these chapters-
Campaigners
Mavericks
Revolutionaries
Trailblazers
World Changers
Truth Tellers Visionaries.

The rogue in me automatically flicked through to the mavericks! Starting with Hatshepsut (c,1508-1485 bc) and finishing with Leticia Parente (1930-1991) takes you through centuries of history as well as around the world. Women from Egypt, Georgia, Mongolia, China, The US, India and many more countries are mentioned.

Each of the chapters is so interesting and whether you go through this book page by page or flick back and forth you will definitely find yourself becoming absorbed. I know I did! This is a book that is educational and enlightening. Great for fans of history in many subjects. Even though for many, many years women have worked and researched to enhance themselves, they were often seen as trouble makers, witches, bad mothers or wives or simply disillusioned, they still pursued their interests. Thank goodness they did as they have gradually paved the way for women today to have access to education and be able to choose and forge a career for themselves.

Some will see this as a book about feminism, but I see this as a book that shows how our world and opinions have changed. This is not the case in all countries around the world, but women have more support now to make that stand.

This is such an interesting book on an educational and historical basis. It is enlightening and I found so many people who I had never heard of before. This is very accessible and one that I have loved reading and will continue to pick up and re-read. I would definitely recommend this, it is excellent.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Crazy Busy: keeping sane in a stressful world by Thijs Launspach #selfhelp #timemanagement #bookreview

yvonnembee 3 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today of Crazy Busy by Thijs Launspach. I am not a big fan of self-help books but occasionally I do pick them up, it is good to stop and remind myself to clear my head once in a while.

Abolish stress. Rediscover joy. Replenish your energy.

In Crazy Busy acclaimed psychologist Thijs Launspach examines why we often work ourselves to the bone and what we can do to prevent this. He explains how to cope with stress and create more peace and calm in your life. He draws on the latest scientific knowledge, the methods used by experts and the stories told by those who have learned the hard way what stress can do to both body and mind. All to provide you with the answer to the question: how can you free yourself from a life of stress?

A full diary and no time to think; the feeling that you are always playing catch-up and never quite hitting the mark: our lives today are almost invariably crazy busy. Being busy is one of the hallmarks of the modern era. But the pressure is taking its toll on us.

The number of burnouts has risen dramatically over the past ten years. In fact, it has now reached epidemic proportions: approximately one in seven of all workers suffers badly from stress or has been forced to take a break from work because of stress-related complaints. And even if you don’t reach the actual burnout stage, stress can still make your life a lot less enjoyable.

Why are our lives so hectic? Have we all become workaholics? Why are we so susceptible to FOMO (the Fear Of Missing Out)? And most importantly, what can you do to cope with the stress in your life and prevent burnout?

  • Do you find yourself rushing to get things finished more than once a week?
  • Do others often offer you well-intentioned advice on ‘how to slow things down a little’.
  • Do you ever suspect that the stress you feel prevents you from being as happy as you would like to be?
  • Are you more addicted to your smartphone than you would care to admit? Is it the first thing you reach for when you wake up in the morning?
  • Do you often find yourself longing to stop and take a break from it all?

If your answer to one or more of these questions is ‘Yes’, then this is the book for you.

MY REVIEW

With lifestyles getting busier it is often overlooked how much our heads work overtime. Often forgetting to take a break from screens, TVs tablets and other electrical gadgets. Taking time to turn off and focus on ourselves is something that is essential to our well-being and helps our mental health.

This book is laid out nicely and in a non-preachy way. I like how the author gives alternatives to everyday situations. I think many of us have found ourselves scrolling through the channels looking for something to watch only to find ourselves watching an old favourite. How much time is wasted trying to find something to watch when we are inundated with so many choices?

Using this book to point out the obvious is great, sometimes we are not aware of the obvious and so using a book is oftentimes a great way of stopping and taking notice.

While reading through sections of this I found myself nodding in agreement with some of the situations that the author points out. It comes back to recognising patterns and being aware of the obvious.

I like this book and it is one that can be dipped in and out of or read cover to cover. Insightful and helpful and one I would happily recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Thijs Launspach (1988) is a psychologist and author. He teaches at The School of Life Amsterdam, is a trainer and keynote speaker on stress and burnout and writes a weekly column for a national newspaper in the Netherlands.

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Strangeways: A Prison Officer’s Story by Neil Samworth #audiobook #nonfiction #bookreview

yvonnembee 2 Comments

I am still catching up with reviews from the end of last year. Today’s review is for Strangeway’s: A Prison Officers Story by Neil Samworth. I listened to this from Audible and what a brilliant book it is to listen to.

Neil ‘Sam’ Samworth spent eleven years working as a prison officer in HMP Manchester, aka Strangeways. A tough Yorkshireman with a soft heart, Sam had to deal with it all – gangsters and gangbangers, terrorists and psychopaths, addicts and the mentally ill. Men who should not be locked up and men who should never be let out.

Strangeways is a shocking and at times darkly funny account of life in a high security prison. Sam tackles cell fires and self-harmers, and goes head to head with some of the most dangerous men in the country. He averts a Christmas Day riot after turkey is taken off the menu and replaced by fish curry, and stands up to officers who abuse their position. He describes being attacked by prisoners, and reveals the problems caused by radicalization and the drugs flooding our prisons.

As staffing cuts saw Britain’s prison system descend into crisis, the stress of the job – the suicides, the inhumanity of the system, and one assault too many – left Sam suffering from PTSD. This raw, searingly honest memoir is a testament to the men and women of the prison service and the incredibly difficult job we ask them to do.

MY REVIEW

WOW! I have been listening to this audio version and it is such an amazing book to listen to. The author tells his story as he worked in prisons and especially his time at Strangeways in Manchester as an officer. The narrator is amazing and his voice is perfect for this style of the book.

Samworth tells how he joined the prison service, the roles he had, his upbringing and right the way through until he left. There are some really awful stories and what he has seen and how he has dealt with the many people he has come across. He comes across as a tough bloke, but also fair. He has had some dangerous run-ins with inmates and injuries he has suffered.

He has seen problems with the prison service over the years and he does mention how he has suffered from PTSD, this is something that I imagine is rife among staff in this service. The people they are mixing with are criminals, some are highly aggressive, drug dealers, and gang members, some are psychopaths and then some are just evil. He explains how prisoners use various tactics to incite riots or to get out of their cells.

When I first saw this title I was interested to get a first-hand account of what it is like to work in a high-security prison. I know there are TV shows, but I wanted something a bit more and this book definitely gave me that. A chance to get behind the scenes in a no holds barred style of the book. There are many TV shows and documentaries about prisoners and criminals but there is very little about the officers.

This is a tough book to listen to but my goodness it was addictive. This is one for those who like to learn more about people and their jobs. Tough, gripping, sombre and one I would highly recommend.

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Pandora’s Jar: Women in the Greek Myths by Natalie Haynes #ancientgreece #myths #legend #nonfiction #audiobook #bookreview

yvonnembee 3 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for Pandora’s Jar: Women in Greek the myths by Natalie Haynes. I saw this title on Audible and as I do love hearing about myths from all around the world I decided to give this one a go.

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The Greek myths are one of the most important cultural foundation-stones of the modern world.

Stories of gods and monsters are the mainstay of epic poetry and Greek tragedy, from Homer to Virgil to from Aeschylus to Sophocles and Euripides. And still, today, a wealth of novels, plays and films draw their inspiration from stories first told almost three thousand years ago. But modern tellers of Greek myth have usually been men, and have routinely shown little interest in telling women’s stories.

Now, in Pandora’s Jar, Natalie Haynes – broadcaster, writer and passionate classicist – redresses this imbalance. Taking Greek creation myths as her starting point and then retelling the four great mythic sagas: the Trojan War, the Royal House of Thebes, Jason and the Argonauts, Heracles, she puts the female characters on equal footing with their menfolk. The result is a vivid and powerful account of the deeds – and misdeeds – of Hera, Aphrodite, Athene and Circe. And away from the goddesses of Mount Olympus it is Helen, Clytemnestra, Jocasta, Antigone and Medea who sing from these pages, not Paris, Agamemnon, Orestes or Jason. 

MY REVIEW

I do like stories and tales from the times of Ancient Greece. I think it was watching films such as Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans, then as I got older reading stories and watching documentaries and now listening to audiobooks.

The author brings together her knowledge of this topic and she definitely knows her stuff. She narrates her own book and she has a nice voice to listen to.

She tells of the women that have appeared over time that many of us will already know about, and there are some that I hadn’t heard of. These are ones that have been forgotten about or didn’t have such an important role in history according to more male-dominated figures. As I listened to this book I realised I knew far more male figures from mythology than I did female. The author does suggest that historians such as Aristotle and Socrates and writers such as Ovid are men, so focused more on the strengths, adventures, toils, and victories of their male heroes. Women tended to be scorned rather than revered, and Medusa is a prime example of this, and when I listened further the author went on to tell of how women had been used, abducted and blamed. The author does give a more balanced view of women in history, rather than being the victims they are shown their own rights and show their own strength. The author does use modern references to give a present-day example using songs from pop culture, literature and art.

This is a really interesting book to listen to, there are loads of historical fact and obviously a lot about myths and legends from the days of the Greek heroes. This is a book that provides a good discussion and isn’t one that tries to rewrite history, it does give opinions and thoughts to help bring women into the forefront and away from the patriarchal stereotype. It is one I really enjoyed listening to and one I would happily recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Natalie Haynes, author of THE FURIES (THE AMBER FURY in the UK), is a graduate of Cambridge University and an award-winning comedian, journalist, and broadcaster. She judged the Man Booker Prize in 2013 and was a judge for the final Orange Prize in 2012. Natalie was a regular panelist on BBC2’s Newsnight Review, Radio 4’s Saturday Review, and the long-running arts show, Front Row. She is a guest columnist for the The Independent and The Guardian. Her radio series, Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics, was first broadcast in March 2014.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

The Royal Art of Poison by Eleanor Herman Narrated by Joan Walker #audiobook #audible #nonfiction #history #bookreview

yvonnembee 2 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for a brilliant audiobook. The Royal Art of Poison: Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most Foul by Eleanor Herman and narrated by Joan Walker. This is a title that I adored, I admit it was the narrator Joan Walker that I was looking for as I had recently listened to another book narrated by her. She is a fabulous narrator and one that I will be keeping an ear and eye out for in the future.

The story of poison is the story of power. For centuries, royal families have feared the gut-roiling, vomit-inducing agony of a little something added to their food or wine by an enemy. To avoid poison, they depended on tasters, unicorn horns, and antidotes tested on condemned prisoners. Servants licked the royal family’s spoons, tried on their underpants and tested their chamber pots.

Ironically, royals terrified of poison were unknowingly poisoning themselves daily with their cosmetics, medications, and filthy living conditions. Women wore makeup made with mercury and lead. Men rubbed turds on their bald spots. Physicians prescribed mercury enemas, arsenic skin cream, drinks of lead filings, and potions of human fat and skull, fresh from the executioner. The most gorgeous palaces were little better than filthy latrines. Gazing at gorgeous portraits of centuries past, we don’t see what lies beneath the royal robes and the stench of unwashed bodies; the lice feasting on private parts; and worms nesting in the intestines.

In The Royal Art of Poison, Eleanor Herman combines her unique access to royal archives with cutting-edge forensic discoveries to tell the true story of Europe’s glittering palaces: one of medical bafflement, poisonous cosmetics, ever-present excrement, festering natural illness, and, sometimes, murder.

MY REVIEW

This has been a fabulous audiobook to listen to. I will mention the narrator first though. Joan Walker is a narrator I have only recently come across and I have to say she is brilliant. She has a very soothing voice and I am just able to relax as she tells of the poisons that the author has compiled into this book.

This is a history of poisons through the centuries. From way back when to the modern day and taking in all the varied, various and macabre ways of discovering if you have been poisoned and also the treatments over the centuries to find an antidote. After listening to this I am so glad I live in the age of today rather than a few hundred years ago.

I will say that this isn’t a book you want to listen to while you are eating your lunch! Especially if it’s the sections dealing with how royalty and noble persons would guard against poisoning, well how the medics at the time would. Using mummified human remains for example to ward off ill effects is just a very basic thing that was used.

This is so interesting to listen to and it follows a natural progression of medical discoveries and treatments over the centuries. From basic herb lore to cutting-edge laboratory discoveries this book includes a lot.

There is the obvious historical and medical interest to be found in this but also if like me, you are also a fan of crime fiction then this is also a great listen.

The author obviously knows her stuff and it does come across in the narration. I think this is where the narrator and author have been well matched as I think both enjoyed writing and reading this book as much as I did listening to it.

This is one of those books that is ideal for curious minds as well as those with a fascination for the macabre world of poisoning. It is a series of snapshots through history that documents how effective a good poison cold be. It is something that has changed monarchs, rulers and important decisions, and as we know it is still in use in today’s world.

If I had to sum this book up I would say it is fascinating and an eye-opener. It is one I would definitely recommend.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

New York Times best-seller Eleanor Herman’s new non-fiction book, The Royal Art of Poison: Filthy Palaces, Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicine, and Murder Most Foul, is set to come out in June 2018. Think royal palaces were beautiful places to live? Think again!

Herman offers a rare combination of skills for a historian – her research is intensely scholarly, yet she writes the story in a colorful, witty manner. “History is so fascinating that it never has to be presented in a boring way,” she explains. “These were flesh and blood people, just like you and me, facing war and plague, falling in love, living among splendid art and gut-wrenching poverty. Sometimes people ask me if I plan to write novels. And I say, with all the things that really happened, who needs to make stuff up?”

Eleanor, a New York Times bestseller, has also written Sex with Kings (a history of royal mistresses), Sex with the Queen (a look at queens’ love affairs), Mistress of the Vatican (a biography of an influential papal mistress), and a four-part YA fantasy series on Alexander the Great, called The Blood of Gods and Royals.

Eleanor is a frequent commentator in the media about royal scandals, and has hosted episodes for The History Channel, the National Geographic Channel, and America: Fact vs. Fiction. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Eleanor graduated with a degree in journalism from Towson University, studied languages in Europe, and for thirteen years worked for NATO’S Nations & Partners for Peace magazine. She is married and lives in McLean, VA with four very demanding cats

ABOUT THE NARRATOR

Joan Walker is a hugely experienced, extremely versatile professional voice artist. Her range extends from crisp concise technical narration, to inventing the perfect character voice for a bubble blowing elephant. It’s a voice that can be funny, friendly, sexy, warm, authoritative…or more.

As well as appearing in over 500 plays on BBC radio, Joan has voiced countless TV and radio adverts, read copious talking books some of which have won awards including the Golden Earphones from AudioFile USA plus the American Library Journal Best Audio of 2016, narrated an array of documentaries, created voices for animations and video games and is the voice of audio guides in some of the greatest art galleries and museums in the world.

Following a degree in maths and psychology Joan taught maths for 2 years to earn enough money to send herself to drama school. She did a 1 year post graduate diploma at Welsh College of Music and Drama, qualifying in July 1983 and starting her acting career immediately as part of the rep at the Dukes Theatre, Lancaster.

Her career includes theatre, television, film, lots of radio drama and poetry, much commercial voiceover work, talking books, narration for galleries and museums, and most recently a world tour of Mamma Mia! Lycra, platform boots and Abba songs for a whole year. Bliss.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

Go Here Instead – The Alternative Travel List by D. K. Eyewitness #nonfiction #travel #bookreview

yvonnembee 7 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for Go Here Instead – The Alternative Travel List by D. K. Eyewitness. D. K. Witness are a well-known publisher of travel guides, and D.K is known for their many other non-fiction books. Their titles are often found in most non-fiction genres and are a good intro to topics and interests.

Bursting with beautiful photography, this alternative bucket list takes some of the world’s best-known sights, experiences and destinations – everything from over-visited national parks to crowded museums – and reveals more than 100 fascinating alternatives.

Planning a trip to Rome’s Colosseum? Why not try the ancient amphitheatre in Nimes instead. A visit to the Grand Canyon is on everyone’s bucket list – but how about adding Namibia’s spectacular Fish River Canyon to yours? And while Japan’s cherry blossoms are hard to beat, the seasonal display of hydrangeas in the Azores is just as beautiful.

Featuring expert advice and practical tips, Go Here Instead will open your eyes to a wealth of new, and more sustainable, travel ideas. We’ve organized the book by types of trip, so whether you’re a wannabe art critic, an outdoor adventurer or you’re into your history, this epic bucket list has an alternative adventure for you. So, why not give Machu Picchu a break and travel beyond the crowds. Go Here Instead: The Alternative Travel List is your ticket to the trip of a lifetime.

Inside Go Here Instead: The Alternative Travel List you will find:

– 100 entries each focusing on an alternative to a well-known destination/sight/experience
– Stunning photography throughout with colour-coded maps and chapters
– Stylized locator maps pinpointing the alternative sights, experiences and destinations.
– A beautifully designed gift book that showcases inspiring alternatives to the world’s most popular sights, experiences and destinations.

MY REVIEW

I love to travel vicariously and especially to other countries. I don’t have a passport so reading books and looking at photos is the next best thing. I know it isn’t the same as actually being there in person though.

This is a lovely hardback book and it is great for perusing through, discovering new places and learning new things. This book is laid out in sections after a brief introduction it then goes on to the sections –

Ancient & Historical Sights
Festivals & Parties
Great Journeys
Architectural Marvels
Natural Wonders
Art & Culture
Captivating Cities

This is then followed by the INdex and the Acknowledgements.

Let me give you a couple of examples –
The alternative to Everest Base Camp in Nepal is to visit Annapurna in Nepal.
The alternative to the Sagrada Familia in Spain is to visit the Cathedral of Rio de Janeiro.

From these two examples, you can see that not all the alternatives are in the same country. Now for some who are planning visits to certain countries, I could see this being a bit annoying, but for me, it makes it really interesting. It is showing me other places that have similar features, conditions, terrains or architecture.

Each page has a photo that shows a particular feature of the place mentioned. These are clear and look great as they are accompanied by basic information about the area, region or history. There are suggestions for other similar things for further research or reading as well.

I really like how this is laid out and it makes a great book for flicking through. I think this is more of a coffee table book and it would make a great talking point for people that have actually travelled or those that want to compile a wish list. While I may not have a passport I do have a bucket list of places I would like to see if money were no object.

Lovely book, with loads of information and one I would happily recommend.

ABOUT D.K. EYEWITNESS

At DK Eyewitness, we believe in the power of discovery. We make it easy for you to explore your dream destinations. DK Eyewitness travel guides have been helping travellers to make the most of their breaks since 1993. Filled with expert advice, striking photography and detailed illustrations, our highly visual DK Eyewitness guides will get you closer to your next adventure. We publish guides to more than 200 destinations, from pocket-sized city guides to comprehensive country guides. Named Top Guidebook Series at the 2020 Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards, we know that wherever you go next, your DK Eyewitness travel guides are the perfect companion. 

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx

The Secret Life of Fungi by Aliya Whiteley @aliyawhiteleypr @alisonmenziespr @eandtbooks #nature #nonfiction #autumn #bookreview

yvonnembee 6 Comments

I am delighted to share my review today for The Secret Life of Fungi by Aliya Whiteley. Autumn is a wonderful season and it is ideal for those of us who like to go foraging for mushrooms. I only ever pick the ones that I know are safe, so tend to stick to puffball or field mushrooms.

My huge thanks to Alison Menzies for getting in touch about this book and sending me a wonder paperback copy from the publisher Elliott & Thompson.

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Fungi are unlike any other living thing—they are almost magically unique. Welcome to this astonishing world. . . 

Fungi can appear anywhere, from desert dunes to frozen tundra. They can invade our bodies and live between our toes or our floorboards.  They are unwelcome intruders or vastly expensive treats, and symbols of both death and eternal life. But despite their familiar presence, there’s still much to learn about the eruption, growth, and decay of their secret, interconnected, world.

Aliya Whiteley has always been in love with fungi—from her childhood taking blurry photographs of strange fungal eruptions on Exmoor to a career as a writer inspired by their surreal and alien beauty. This love for fungi is a love for life, from single-cell spores to the largest living organism on the planet; a story stretching from Aliya’s lawn into orbit and back again via every continent.

From fields, feasts and fairy rings to death caps, puffballs and ambrosia beetles, this is an intoxicating journey into the life of an extraordinary organism, one that we have barely begun to understand.

MY REVIEW

This is a brilliant little book that delves into the murky world of Fungi. The author has a wonderful way of expressing her interest in this subject and it makes it very interesting reading. Last year I read a book by Suzanne Simard, Finding the Mother Tree, this book went into a lot of detail about the way fungi connect the trees. In The Secret Life of Fungi, the author, Aliya Whitely explains how fungi are part of our everything. It survives in the most surprising of conditions and environments. There is a lot more to fungi than the mushrooms we see in fields, on trees or on decomposing vegetation.

This book is set out in quick sub-chapters, with three main chapters entitled – Erupt, Spread and Decay. A simplified version of a lifecycle.

As the author makes her way through the chapters and subchapters she gives examples of research, observations and discoveries over the years. This introduces the reader to the basics of this far-reaching and unstoppable organism and follows it to the ends of the earth and beyond.

This would fall into the Science and Nature genre and to some extent, this is what it is. But rather than being all science, symbols, maths and other undecipherable, this book keeps to the basics. It makes sit a very easy-to-read book and the journey the author guides the reader on is like an adventure of discovery.

There are dangers to foraging and there is a section that describes some of the symptoms. Also going into details about how harmful spores can be spread and nature’s own way of dealing with them. Often the strands of fungi, or mycelia, have a symbiotic relationship with another plant and so it continues its lifecycle. It can be easily spread and there has been evidence of fungi in the International Space Station.

Not just confined to being eaten, this can be used for health and medicinal cures and treatments, just think of penicillin as an example. The other side of this can also be the strain that can cause pneumonia or Valley Fever and have devastating results.

Wherever you are in the world you will be near some type of fungi. You probably won’t even notice it, you may not see it, but it’s there.

This was a really interesting book and the author has a real passion for her field and this is evident in her writing. A cracking read that took me by surprise in a very good way. This is a relatively quick read at just over 200 pages, and if you like nature, the natural world and being outside then this is one that you would probably really enjoy. Very accessible and totally absorbing I soon discovered time had passed by as I was busy reading this one. I would definitely recommend it.

After finishing this book I decided to go out into the garden and explore. I knew there were some fungi and I hunted for more. This is what I found.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

(www.aliyawhiteley.wordpress.com / @aliyawhiteley)
Aliya Whiteley is inspired by how fungi and humanity share the world. She grew up
in North Devon where she developed an early passion for walking and observing
nature. She writes novels, short stories and non-fiction and has been published in
places such as The Guardian, Interzone, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and in
several anthologies. Previously a magazine editor, she has written about the natural
world for Mental Floss and in her fiction. Her novella, The Beauty, was shortlisted for
both Shirley Jackson and Sabotage Awards, and depicts a future world in which a
fungus interacts with humanity to create a new form of life, leading readers all over
the world to send her photographs and articles relating to mushrooms.
She walks with her dog through the woods and fields around her home in West
Sussex every day, taking inspiration from the hidden worlds around her.

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Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx