I hope that you all enjoyed Christmas and the New Year. December seemed to go by so quickly and now it’s almost mid-January.
For me, December was a month that flew by between a mixture of social obligations and chores. Now, a confession- I didn’t make my reading goal to read 100 books in 2023. If I’d chosen to add books that I hadn’t enjoyed, I could easily have reached the target. I prefer not to do that, and simply because I don’t enjoy a book, it doesn’t mean that someone else won’t enjoy it.
Sadly, I only managed to read 95 of my self-prescribed 100 books.
She -Merchants, Buccaneers and Gentle Women: British Women in India by Katie Hickman.
The first British women to set foot in India did so in the very early seventeenth century, two and a half centuries before the Raj.
Women made their way to India for exactly the same reasons men did – to carve out a better life for themselves. In the early days, India was a place where the slates of ‘blotted pedigrees’ were wiped clean; bankrupts given a chance to make good; a taste for adventure satisfied – for women. They went and worked as milliners, bakers, dress-makers, actresses, portrait painters, maids, shop-keepers, governesses, teachers, boarding house proprietors, midwives, nurses, missionaries, doctors, geologists, plant-collectors, writers, travellers, and – most surprising of all – traders.
As wives, courtesans and she-merchants, these tough adventuring women were every bit as intrepid as their men, the buccaneering sea captains and traders in whose wake they followed; their voyages to India were extraordinarily daring leaps into the unknown.
The history of the British in India has cast a long shadow over these women; Memsahibs, once a word of respect, is now more likely to be a byword for snobbery and even racism. And it is true: prejudice of every kind – racial, social, imperial, religious – did cloud many aspects of British involvement in India. But was not invariably the case.
In this landmark book, celebrated chronicler, Katie Hickman, uncovers stories, until now hidden from history: here is Charlotte Barry, who in 1783 left London a high-class courtesan and arrived in India as Mrs William Hickey, a married ‘lady’; Poll Puff who sold her apple puffs for ‘upwards of thirty years, growing grey in the service’; Mrs Hudson who in 1617 was refused as a trader in indigo by the East Indian Company, and instead turned a fine penny in cloth; Julia Inglis, a survivor of the siege of Lucknow; Amelia Horne, who witnessed the death of her entire family during the Cawnpore massacres of 1857; and Flora Annie Steel, novelist and a pioneer in the struggle to bring education to purdah women.
For some, it was painful exile, but for many it was exhilarating. Through diaries, letters and memoirs (many still in manuscript form), this exciting book reveals the extraordinary life and times of hundreds of women who made their way across the sea and changed history.
400 pages, Paperback.
My Review
A fascinating and well-researched book on a topic that has until now attracted little scholarly interest. The women endured a lengthy sea voyage only to be thrust into both an unfamiliar and hostile environment. That so many thrived and survived seems almost miraculous. For some, it provided them with opportunities they could never have imagined. While for others it took their health and families.
The Paris Cooking School by Sophie Beaumont.
The Australian Women’s Weekly Great Read ‘there is a freshness and vivacity to this cooking school novel that is utterly beguiling.’ –The Australian Women’s Weekly Life rarely serves up the perfect dish, but second chances are always on the menu . . . There’s nothing quite so beautiful as Paris in the spring; and when you add in the chance to learn the French way of food, in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere, who can resist? Not Gabi Picabea or Kate Evans who have come from Australia to Sylvie Morel’s Paris Cooking School. Both are at a crossroads, and learning to cook the French way in Paris, far away from all their troubles, seems like the perfect escape. Still bruised from a shocking betrayal by her ex-husband, Kate is trying to find a new place for herself in life, and emotional peace, while French–Australian artist Gabi is struggling with a crippling creative block. Meanwhile, Sylvie is facing challenges of her own – a mysterious harassment campaign against the school and a reassessment of her relationship with her commitment-shy lover, Claude. For each of the women, that extraordinary April in Paris will bring unexpected twists and transformations that will change the course of their lives.
A delectable novel about love, hope and the consolations of the perfect strawberry tart, The Paris Cooking School is a treat for the soul.
My Review.
The book is a love letter to Paris, you will feel that you are there, walking beside the Seine. My mouth was watering while I was reading as each week both delectable recipes and food ideas were discussed. It was easy to identify with all three women as they faced their personal challenges. Not forgetting about Nina, a most adorable fictional dog!
Crossing the Bridge by Nancy Cunningham.
Can two wounded hearts find peace in a time of war?
1944. Widow Poppy Guilford is fighting to save her farm, the one thing tethering her to her husband – and the legacy promised for their young son. But a devastating secret from her husband’s past threatens to derail her struggle to save the property and keep her son by her side. Former soldier JB Beaton’s wartime injuries and personal losses have left him with scars, both inside and out. Believing he’s too damaged to be the father his son deserves, he leaves him with his sister and takes on a job as a farmhand, far away from the city and his failures. Poppy, battling the elements and the heartache of her husband’s secret, finds the new farmhand is never far from her thoughts, and JB’s world is thrown into disarray by one of the most beautiful and capable women he has ever met. Neither can battle the surge of attraction they both feel. In a small town where gossip reigns, will they surrender to duty or follow their hearts?
367 pages, Kindle Edition Expected publication January 1, 2024
My Review.
Such a poignant and atmospheric book, which takes us back to wartime Australia. It reminded me of the Australian TV show The Sullivans. Set in the era of austerity, of make do and mend, and far more conservative behaviour than we see today.
In a small town where everyone knows everyone Poppy Guilford is a topic of speculation. Surely, she can’t keep managing the farm on her own. The town has decided on a suitable candidate for Poppy.
Then, JB arrives to help on the farm. He admires Poppy’s handling of the responsibility and workload of the farm. He’s far from perfect and has his own demons. Yet he’s drawn to Poppy and she to him. Their relationship could be a small-town scandal.
I received an Advance Reader Copy through Net Galley
The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
The Keeper of Stories meets The Lost Apothecary in this evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets.
‘The thing about books,’ she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’
On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found…
For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives.
But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems.
My Review.
The title was what initially drew me to this book, and it was such a delightful read. The characterisation and the dilemmas each faced made me speed through the book, eager to learn what was next. Then I would go back to read a passage again as it contained so much information. The story always came first, but there are many references to things literary. A top pick for me and I was sorry to leave Martha and Henry behind without a completely resolved happily ever after.
The Truth About Elephants: Seriously Funny Facts About Your Favorite Animals by Maxwell Eaton 111.
Did you know that an elephant’s tusks never stop growing?
Did you know that elephants can sometimes purr like giant cats?
And that they use six sets of teeth throughout their lives?
Impress your friends and teachers with these facts and more in The Truth About
Elephants, a wildly entertaining (not to mention hilarious) nonfiction picture
book offering everything you want to know about this majestic animal.
My Review.
I’m reading to learn more about elephants and this book is full of useful and surprising facts. That’s my top research tip when studying an unfamiliar topic- it’s to start with children’s books. There are all the basic facts in an easy-to-understand format.
Elephant Dawn: The Inspirational Story of Thirteen Years Living with Elephants in the African Wilderness by Sharon Pincott.
In 2001, Sharon Pincott traded her privileged life as a high-flying corporate executive to start a new one with the Presidential Elephants of Zimbabwe. She was unpaid, untrained, self-funded and arrived with the starry-eyed idealism of most foreigners during early encounters with Africa. For thirteen years – the worst in Zimbabwe’s volatile history – this intrepid Australian woman lived in the Hwange bush fighting for the lives of these elephants, forming an extraordinary and life-changing bond with them. Now remote from Robert Mugabe’s rule, Sharon writes without restraint sequentially through the years, taking us on a truly unforgettable ride of hope and heartbreak, profound love and loss, adversity and new beginnings. This is the haunting, all-encompassing story we’ve been waiting for. Powerfully moving, sometimes disturbing and often very funny, Elephant Dawn is a celebration of love, courage and honour amongst our greatest land mammals. With resilience beyond measure, Sharon earns the supreme right to call them family.[The book includes 32 pages of colour photographs.]
392 pages, Kindle Edition Published May 25, 2016.
My Review.
Like Africa itself, this book is beautiful and yet ultimately heart-breaking. Immerse yourself in what it is like to live in Africa and to be passionate about their wildlife when it appears that few others care. To fight the same battles again and again, over access to land, and to water. Feel helpless as shooters can pick off protected species. Face constant threats and intimidation, all in one of the most tumultuous periods of Zimbabwe’s’ history. A brave book and an enlightening one.
Royal Animals: A gorgeously illustrated history with a foreword by Sir Michael Morpurgo by Julia Golding, Emily Sutton ( Illustrator)
A beautifully illustrated history of royal animals in Britain from 1066 to the present day, with a foreword by Sir Michael Morpurgo.
Why do the three lions on the British crest look so much like leopards? When did the first elephant set foot on British soil? Was there really a polar bear who fished in the River Thames? Full of astounding facts and amazing true animal stories, delve in to discover royal giraffes, elephants, spaniels, parrots, ravens, pelicans and, of course, Queen Elizabeth II’s corgis. Royal Animals is engagingly written, with artwork from Emily Sutton, the illustrator of Everyone Sang, William Sieghart’s poetry collection. Emily is also the illustrator of Paddington creator Michael Bond’s Castle Mice series. This fascinating exploration of 1000 years of royal animals is written by Julia Golding, the author of The Queen’s Wardrobe, illustrated by Kate Hindley.
My Review.
A total delight to look at and to read. Any animal-loving child should enjoy it. For the purposes of my research, there was only a two-page spread, but that was informative.
And now in January, it’s hot, far too hot. So what better excuse to curl up with a good book? So wherever you are and whatever you are and whatever your climate- Happy reading.
Sonia Bellhouse- Author. 