Through the Letterbox - 5th February 2024

 I thought it might be fun to begin this 'through the letterbox' posting as a regular feature. In it I will highlight some of the books which have entered my home this week. This could be because I have been gifted or borrowed a book, purchased one or have something new on my kindle.

Receiving books is always thrilling. I always get excited at the prospect and I thought it would be fun to share that joy with you.

Have you had any exciting books arrive on your doormat/kindle this week? I would love to hear about it.

Green: The Story of Plant Life on our Planet by Nicola Davies

This tree doesn’t look like it’s doing very much: it just stands there in the sunlight, big and GREEN. But this tree is busy... Starting with the secret workings of a tree, this book transports readers billions of years into the past; back to the moment when plant life first appeared on our planet. Covering its evolution, the steady emergence of fossil fuels and the extraordinary communities of plants around the world today, Nicola Davies and Emily Sutton combine essential biology with a powerful message – a call to protect the most precious colour on Earth ... GREEN.

The Aziola's Cry by Ezra Harker Shaw

Love, tragedy, and the pursuit of literary greatness intertwine in a tumultuous journey that defies societal norms and tests the resilience of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and Percy Bysshe Shelley.

In the year 1814, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, a gifted teenager born into a family of literary brilliance, falls deeply in love with the youthful rebel, Percy Bysshe Shelley. Defying societal conventions, they embark on a daring escapade, accompanied by Mary's step-sister Claire, leaving behind their respective families and Percy's wife and children. However, their journey proves to be far from an idyllic romance, for it is fraught with tumultuous challenges.

In their quest for freedom and expression, Mary and Percy immerse themselves in experimental notions of free love and join forces with the enigmatic and infamous Lord Byron. Amidst these thrilling encounters and adventures, the young lovers are confronted by heart-wrenching tragedies that test their resilience and resolve.

Driven to elude the strict laws of England, which threaten to separate them from their own children, Mary and Shelley embark on a nomadic existence, wandering through the captivating landscapes of Italy while constantly evading their haunting past. As their circumstances become increasingly dire, their shared passion for writing emerges as the sole lifeline that binds them together. Through their literary endeavors, they become each other's guiding force, ultimately crafting timeless masterpieces that will etch their names into the annals of literary history.

The Brilliant Brain by Dr. Roopa Farooki

Every second of every day, something is happening in every tiny bit of your body, from the top of your head to the soles of your feet... And if you think of your body as a machine, your BRAIN would be the control room – with billions of buttons for all kinds of incredibly important jobs.

With words by medical doctor and writer of acclaimed memoir Everything Is True, Roopa Farooki, and pictures by award-winning artist Viola Wang, this book explores how different bits of the brain work and (just as importantly) how they work TOGETHER... As well as sharing handy tips for looking after your brain!

The Raven's Mark by Christie J. Newport

Meet Beth Fellows, a Preston detective haunted by her mum’s murder when she was only four. She’s a driven woman with a heart of gold.

A stranger came into our home, strangled my mother to death and left me sitting alone with her body. What happened to my mum is the driving force behind every major decision I’ve made since . . .

Now Beth faces the hardest case of her career: Rose Danes’s throat is cut, her body discarded on a council estate. Seared into the teenage girl’s skin is the image of a raven.

Six years ago, another girl was attacked. The victim, fourteen-year-old Celine Wilson, barely survived and was left brain-damaged in a coma.

THIS GIRL ALSO HAD A RAVEN BURNED ON HER BODY.

Why wait six years to strike again?

Then Beth receives a mobile phone from the killer — with a warning that he will hurt those closest to her if she tells anyone.

She’s talking to a dangerous predator but nobody knows. Not her team. Not her partner. No one.

The Absolutist by John Boyne

September 1919: Twenty-year-old Tristan Sadler takes a train from London to Norwich to deliver a clutch of letters to Marian Bancroft. Tristan fought alongside Marian's brother Will during the Great War. They trained together. They fought together.

But in 1917, Will laid down his guns on the battlefield and declared himself a conscientious objector, an act which has brought shame and dishonour on the Bancroft family.

The letters, however, are not the real reason for Tristan's visit. He holds a secret deep within him. One that he is desperate to unburden himself of to Marian, if he can only find the courage. Whatever happens, this meeting will change his life – forever.