Summer is the season of downpours. The wind makes branches go flying through the air. And when the rains come in the night, taking the internet connection and light with it, there is nothing to do but enjoy a good book by candle light.
Lucky for me I was given a few really interesting books for Christmas and a handful of zines too. I plan to write individual book reviews about each of the novels in the Hive Book Club very soon. But, as of yet, I haven't quite finished any of them. Instead I present to you a tour of the books piled up on my bedside table.
From the Broken Earth Trilogy ....
Comes the 2nd book of the series by N.K. Jemisin. I reviewed the first book "The Fifth Season" several months ago which had left me on a cliff hanger as i awaited to be reunited with my family's bookshelf in California. There lay the 2nd and 3rd of this trilogy and as soon as I returned home for the holidays I spent my nights getting back into the story.
While the first book switches between three different timelines and perspectives, this book has only just two and for some reason I wasn't able to really connect with the new point of view we are introduced to. It makes sense for the story but, has it feeling a little less dynamic, a bit flat when compared to the first. I got about halfway through the book and took it with me as I traveled North to see some friends in Washington on New Year's Eve/New Year's Day.
But, when I arrived there I was gifted another book that quickly gained my attention....
Where herbalism and mysticism meet ...
This book was a bit of a surprise. While my close friend Daisy was getting ready to head out for our walk in the forest I was browsing the books in her beautiful, plant-filled library. I came across a few books by a local writer Corinne Boyer on her bookshelf. This one in particular grabbed my attention and I flipped through the pages to find a chapter after chapter of folklore and herbalism about a dozen or so common (and often maligned) plants.
Thistle, burdock, and of course the bramble (blackberry bush) are plants that have been with humans for centuries as medicine and also as central points in folk tales of all kinds. Some of these tales I had a bit of familiarity with already (I do have a blackberry tattooed on my arm after all!). Others were completely new to me and I love to read a chapter at night to guide me into the dream realm. Expect a full review of this book in the Magick Community very soon!
And lastly, the book that I had had on my to-read list for nearly a year ...
If you are familiar with the Netflix show "Shadow and Bone" then you have already met a few of the characters of this book. Kaz, Inej, and Jesper all play a roll in that tale (though I myself have yet to watch the show). This book is all about them plus Nina, Matthias, and Wylan - a group of teenagers who are grouped together by Kaz to break into and hopefully out of a high security prison in the most hostile of climates.
There is so much to love about this book, starting with the maps and illustrations in the first few pages and continuing on into the depth of the characters, the mystery, and the cute little romances too. Despite being nearly twice the age as the target audience, this Young Adult novel was exactly what I needed to bring some excitement into my internet-free nights on the homestead.