Women in Lockdown - Ed. by Wayfinder Woman #bookreview

 

This beautiful and by turns, poignant, powerful, sad and amusing book you hold in your hands came about by accident. It is the culmination of an unexpected and topsy turvy 18-month journey into, through and, we hope, beyond the Covid-19 pandemic that swept the globe...

***

The Blurb

When the UK entered lockdown in the Spring of 2020 a call went out from The Wayfinder Woman Trust for ordinary women's voices to be heard so that they could feel supported, connected and valued. They asked women to communicate their hopes, fears and experiences of the pandemic so their stories could be told.

Now experience these extra-ordinary women's responses in this unique collection of stories, poems, diary entries and artwork, sometimes poignant, sometimes humorous and often uplifting. Their voices will not be forgotten but live on for future generations in this inspiring book.

My Review

Recently, I was fortunate enough to meet Laura Murphy when she came to speak at my Women's Institute meeting. Laura is the founder of The Wayfinder Woman charity and she was fascinating to listen to. So, I am very happy to be writing a short review of this book, which they have published.

The book is full to the brim with the writing, artwork and photographs of women in lockdown. The artwork in itself is testament to the talents that we women possess. For many, lockdown gave women the opportunity to express themselves creatively in a way that they perhaps had not had time to do before. The artworks appear in several medias; painting, textile and photographic. There are several inspiring examples in the book.

The writing is in many different forms also. Prose, diary entries, poetry and even as the minutes taken during a meeting. The writings portray the frustrations and challenges they faced. However, there are many that saw the time as an opportunity to put in place the things that they had been putting off.

The collection of experiences has been well put together and it was interesting to read how other women coped with the lockdown situation. You will find the good and the bad portrayed here, all of which were fascinating to read.

Book Details

ISBN:  978 1838102210

Publisher:  Thought Centre Publishing

Formats:  Paperback

No. of Pages:  202

Purchase Link

Wayfinder Woman

About the Wayfinder Woman Charity

Wayfinder Woman is a charity run by women for women. They are an organisation that provides support and resources to women of working age who need help.

Their vision is to empower every woman to live a life of confidence, skill, and strength to create the life that she desires.

Their mission is to have a positive social impact on the women and communities they serve. Their purpose is to give women access to the resources, networks and assistance they need to build and maintain their lives.

You can find them at:

Website

Instagram

Facebook

(book courtesy of The Wayfinder Woman)

(all opinions are my own)

The King of Kazam by Jen Hyatt and Cassandra Harrison - Question 8 #readalong #blogtour

Question 8 in our Read Along of The King of Kazam

Question 8 in the Kids Zone

Q What flavour of chocolate would you like?

I wouldn't fancy eating any of the ones that the King does. My favourite flavour would be chocolate mint. Yummy!

Question 8 in the Adult Zone

Q  Is there anything you would want to rescue from your home if escaping from a poo deluge?

The first thing I would rescue would be my husband and my dog.  After that I would grab the box of family photos as they are irreplaceable.

The King of Kazam by Jen Hyatt and Cassandra Harrison - Question 3 - #readalong #blogtour

Question 3 in our Read Along of The King of Kazam

Question 3 in the Kids Zone

Q  What would you like to add to this playground?

Something that I would like to add to all playgrounds is a floor surface made of cushions. That way there would be no more scraped knees, or worse, broken bones in the case of a fall.

Question 3 in the Adult Zone

Q  If someone were to build a tribute to you, how would it look?

It would probably be a huge mound of books, with some knitting needles poking out. And of course, it would have a statue of a dog sitting on the top.

The King of Kazam by Jen Hyatt and Cassandra Harrison - Question 2 - #readalong #blogtour

Question 2 in our Read Along of The King of Kazam

Q The King has lots of ducks. What animal would you like to keep if you were king?

I already have a dog but I would love to keep sheep. I love their wool and I would spin it and knit it into  cardigans for everyone I love.

Question 2 in the Adult Zone

Q How do you keep your ducks in a row?

I write everything down. My memory is hopeless so if I don't make notes about things I forget them almost instantly.

I would love to hear your answers to these questions.

Don't forget all proceeds from the sale of this book are going to support the charity 

Trussell Trust

If you were wondering why I have changed the layout of these posts it is because the previous way would not display correctly on a mobile phone. I hope you like it.

The King of Kazam by Jen Hyatt and Cassandra Harrison - Question 1 - #readalong #blogtour

 

I am so excited to have both an adult and a children's question for this read along.

Question 1 in the Kids Zone

Q What Would you Like to Rule?

I would make a rule to make all people kind to one another.

What about you? I would love to hear what your children think.

Question 1 in the Adult Zone

Q This book supports The Trussell Trust.  Is it important to you to donate to charity?

I like to support local charities and here are some of my favourites. They all do such valuable work and it's worth checking them out.

Raystede - Giving Animals a Better Life

St. Wilfrid's Hospice

The Children's Respite Trust

And not forgetting...

The Trussell Trust

Book Purchase Link

Jen Hyatt

(#AD)

(book and media courtesy of Love Books Tours)

(all opinions are my own)

The King of Kazam by Jen Hyatt and Cassandra Harrison - #readalong

Welcome to my first ever read along.

Why have I chosen to go for this book as my first time you may well ask?

The answer is simple; all proceeds from the sale of each book will go to The Trussell Trust, supporting their incredible work in fighting hunger. They are an anti-poverty charity and community of food banks. They work together to ensure no one in the UK needs a food bank to survive, while providing food and practical support to people left without enough money to live on. 

I'm sure you will agree that this is a very worthy cause.

So why not grab a copy of this book and join me in the read along which will be running for the next few weeks.  There will be questions for both adults and children so this is the perfect opportunity to share this reading opportunity with your little ones.

Please keep an eye out for my blog posts.

Purchase Links

Jen Hyatt

Waterstones

For more informtion about the Trussell Trust you can find them at:

The Trussell Trust

(book and media courtesy of Love Books Tours)

(all opinions are my own)

 

The Appeal by Janice Hallett - #BookReview

 

To Olufemi Hassan and Charlotte Holroyd.

Dear both,

As discussed, it is best you know nothing before you read the enclosed. Please bear in mind:

1. Only a limited number of emails, texts and messages could be recovered, so correspondence is not complete.

2. It is, however, broadly chronological.

3. I've included various extras - i.e. newspaper clippings, social media activity and other sundries - in the pursuit of context.

4. If I come across anything else of interest I will forward it to you.

***

ONE MURDER. FIFTEEN SUSPECTS. CAN YOU UNCOVER THE TRUTH?

There is a mystery to solve in the sleepy town of Lower Lockwood. It starts with the arrival of two secretive newcomers, and ends with a tragic death. Roderick Tanner QC has assigned law students Charlotte and Femi to the case. Someone has already been sent to prison for murder, but he suspects that they are innocent. And that far darker secrets have yet to be revealed...

Throughout the amateur dramatics society's disastrous staging of All My Sons and the shady charity appeal for a little girl's medical treatment, the murderer hid in plain sight. The evidence is all there, waiting to be found. But will Charlotte and Femi solve the case? Will you?

***

This was one of those books which I could hardly tear myself away from. It is an incredibly clever book and written in a unique style as it is written in the form of emails and text messages throughout, with the occasional newspaper clipping thrown in.

Initially, I was daunted by the number of characters, all of whom are suspects of the crimes which are committed. However, there are occasions whereby the two characters who are working their way through the correspondence, Femi and Charlotte, write out a list of who is who and the reader is able to peruse these also and keep track.

Along with Femi and Charlotte, as readers, we are also enlightened little by little of what has gone on here. It is a journey of discovery as opposed to a traditional crime/mystery novel. This made me feel almost as though I was one of the characters involved in the uncovering of the crime. A uniquely intelligent format in which to present the book.

This was a refreshing and thrilling book to read as it is completely different to the usual crime format. There may be other books out there written in a similar style but I unaware of any.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a puzzle, or who enjoys a murder mystery. 

ISBN: 978 1788165303

Publisher: Viper

Formats: e-book, audio and paperback

No. of Pages: 464 (paperback)

About the Author:

Janice Hallett studied English at UCL, and spent several years as a magazine editor, winning two awards for journalism. After gaining an MA in Screenwriting at Royal Holloway, she co-wrote the feature film Retreat. The Appeal is inspired by her lifelong interest in amateur dramatics. Her second novel, The Twyford Code, will be published by Viper in 2022. When not indulging her passion for global adventure travel, she is based in West London.

(author photo and bio. info. courtesy of Viper Publishing)