Grow Your Own Medicine by Ava Green

 

Released today, this book Grow Your Own Medicine is well worth a read. Unfortunately I can't find a website to link to for either the author or the publishing company, but if I ever do, I'll update the post. 

This is a very in-depth look at growing your own herbs. It is written in a very friendly, upbeat tone and you come away feeling ready to get started on digging that garden!

The book covers everything you need to know. It starts with a brief history of herbalism, then goes on to talk about soil types, hardiness zones and climate, garden design, tools you’ll need, growing  from cuttings and seeds, making compost, dealing with diseases and pests and general guidance on growing, harvesting and taking care of your herbs. It is full of tips and tricks the author has learned throughout her journey with herbs, and she clearly knows what she is talking about.

In addition to showing you how to grow and harvest herbs, the book contains information on 21 different herbs. For each herb you learn how to propagate, it, common growing problems, medicinal uses, safety (as some herbs can be dangerous in high doses or unsuitable for those with certain medical conditions and pregnancy), how and when to harvest, and culinary and other uses. Some herbs have a recipe included for things such as infused oils, food dishes, cough syrups and sweets, and herbal sachets. It would have been nice to have a recipe for every herb, rather than just some of them. 

There are no photographs of the herbs but there are clear, detailed illustrations that give an excellent idea of what each herb looks like, and also what different plant diseases and pests look like. I felt the illustrations really added to the book and, personally, I think they were a better choice than photos would have been.

It is a little unusual in that there is an option to access information on 32 more herbs via a QR link, leading you to a pdf that is external to the book. The reason given for this is that it helps to reduce printing costs, which is a fair point, however not relevant for ebooks. I wonder if these extra herbs will be included in the ebook? Also, a web link would be useful for those readers who do not have smart phones.

Overall, this is a comprehensive book about growing herbs and I learned a lot. I would have liked more information about using the herbs as I feel this would have made it a more complete volume, but I understand the author is currently working on more books so perhaps this will be in an upcoming book. This is a book about growing herbs after all, and nowhere does it say I am going to learn about using them, so I feel this book more than adequately fulfils its promise to its reader. If you want to learn about starting your own herb garden, you will not go wrong by starting with this book, and I suspect you will be referring to it for quite some time before you feel the need to move on to another!

With thanks to Netgalley, Ava Green and Kate Bensinger for providing an advance copy of the book in return for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Hatched by Sharon Wallen

 

It was a pleasure to read and review this book, Hatched: How Nine Little Chicks Cracked My Shell by Sharon Wallen.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It is all about the life lessons taught to the author by her chickens, and how her life changed when she put these lessons into practise. It is a quick, heartfelt read and really well-written, and it was easy to relate to the emotions she was feeling as the book progressed. She is very open and honest, trusting the reader to travel along with her on her journey, rather than standing in judgement on her decisions. It is the kind of book that I will pick up and read again - it is short enough to be read in an afternoon and leaves you with a warm feeling when you have finished.

Ms Wallen’s authenticity made this book a joy to read. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to be gently guided towards some valuable life lessons at the same time as reading a genuine, from-the-heart memoir of a woman discovering light during a dark time in her life. I’m really looking forward to the sequel, to find out how she fared in the next part of her life.

With thanks to Netgalley and Sharon Wallen for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Winter

 

Winter

I'm warm and snug,
watching white whispers fall past my window.
It's all quiet, calm, peaceful;
a hush descends.
The world is white,
Winter has arrived.

Photo by Mekht on Unsplash

Writing from the Heart

I wrote an email to my local council today, bemoaning the fact that, in collecting our recycling, some of the plastic had blown out of their lorry and is now littering our beautiful valley. I have asked them to send someone to pick it up but I doubt they will. In collecting the recycling they have done what they are paid for. It is unlikely they will do any more than that.

I quickly typed the email, getting everything down while I had what I wanted to say clear in my mind. When I read it back I was surprised at how eloquent it was, with just a few typos to correct and not much else. I realised that the reason it had come out so well was because I was writing about something that I felt very passionate about. I was writing from my heart. I wasn't subconsciously self-editing, I was just writing exactly what I needed to say at that time. And I was able to produce a short piece of writing that I was pleased with. I know it was only an email, but everything we write can teach us something about who we are, so that means everything we write is potentially incredibly important, even an email to the council!

I have been reading Of Arcs and Circles by Marc Peter Keane (review coming soon) and here is a man who writes from the heart. Everything he shares is infused with his insights, thoughts and feelings. His passion for what he writes, namely nature and Japan, comes through clearly. It makes his book a joy to read and I am itching to get back to it. My hope is that one day, I will be able to write with as much passion and feeling as Mr Keane, and I am buoyed by the fact that everything I write, even letters of complaint to the council, brings me closer to that unlimited well of wisdom that gets tapped whenever we write from our hearts.

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

A Simpler Life by The School of Life

This review is for A Simple Life by The School of Life. I thought it was interesting that the actual author of this book is not credited, just an organisation. Inside the book it says it was designed and typeset by Ryan Bartaby, so perhaps he wrote it. Knowing the work that goes into a book, I always like to see the author acknowledged, even if the book is part of a wide-ranging series or published by an organisation more well-known than the author.

According to the website, 'The School of Life is a global organisation devoted to teaching you how to lead a more fulfilled life. We offer insights in the key ingredients of emotional well-being: how to form good relationships, identifying a satisfying career, minimise anxiety, acquire confidence and connect properly with friends.' Sounds good.

I have to say that after reading the beautifully lyrical words of Yrsa Daley-Ward, this book initially felt dry and written almost like a thesis. But as I kept reading I got used to this author's style of writing and quickly got into the book. The lesson here is to always give something a chance; our first impressions are not always correct.

This book is all about simplifying your life but it is not just about decluttering. In fact, this is barely mentioned. Instead, it goes much deeper than that, into more nuanced areas of life such as how to be yourself rather than what society tells you to be, dealing with frustrations in your relationships, the cult of ‘busyness’, and a look at the human tendency to want what we don’t have. All this, and much more, is presented in a way that consistently stays true to the theme of moving from unnecessary complexity in our lives towards effortless simplicity.

Packed full of information, this book is written in easy to read, straightforward language that gets to the point quickly without waffle. It contains plenty of colour photos that serve to effectively illustrate the author’s narrative. I felt the book could have been improved by including actionable instructions or journal prompts at the end of each chapter but this is just personal preference and did not take away from my enjoyment of the book.

This is a self help book that encourages us to ask ourselves why we do or feel certain things; to look within to find out what we really want and to question how we feel about different aspects of our lives. I recommend this book to anyone interested in a deeper look at simplification but particularly if you are feeling a little overwhelmed and lost and want some down to earth guidance on how to live a simpler life.

My thanks to The School of Life and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own.

Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'The How' by Yrsa Daley-Ward

For my first ever book review on Netgalley, I chose this book, 'The How' by Yrsa Daley-Ward, published by Penguin, release date 11th November 2021.

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I want to start by saying how much I loved this book. It is self help, yes, but not written in the same dry way as many books of this genre are. The author writes from her own experience and this makes her advice and guidance feel more authentic and enables a deeper connection with her reader. There is passion in the lyrical way this book is written and I felt she was writing from her soul directly to mine. Everything I read resonated with me on some level; reading it felt like coming home. A truly unique book.

This is not a book to read quickly in one sitting, nor a book to lose yourself in for a few hours. Each chapter is full of wisdom and insights and I often found myself pausing to ponder on what I had read and how it applied to me and my life, as well as what I was learning. At the end of each chapter there are journal prompts that help you take what you have read deeper and further; a valuable way to absorb and implement what you are reading. 

The general theme of the book is the idea of looking within to find your truth rather than looking outside of yourself and becoming what others tell you to be. Topics and ideas covered include enjoying the journey rather than focusing on the outcome, finding your own joy, prioritising time for the important things, belonging, coping with depression, and finding stillness so you can hear your soul’s message. She also writes about death and dealing with grief in an incredibly deep and sensitive way and I would recommend reading this if you are going through grief yourself.

Overall, this was a beautifully written book, straight from the heart of it’s writer. Thank you, Yrsa Daley-Ward, for these words and guidance - I shall definitely be buying my own copy to put on my bookshelf so I can dip in whenever I like. I only wish I could buy it in hardback!

Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A New Project

As part of my recent live writing hour with Beth Kempton, I decided to choose an oracle card from my 'Sacred Destiny' deck and journal about what it had to tell me in response to the question 'What do I need to know with regards to my writing?'

I pulled the 'Fulfillment' card and initially took it to mean that I need to make sure that I feel fulfilled with what I am writing; to make sure I only write from my own heart rather than trying to write like someone else. Good advice.

The little book that came with the cards told me that pulling this card is a good omen for starting a new project. A project is something I have been considering for a while because I want to give my writing some direction rather than journaling about my day and not much else. So this was interesting.

I recently joined Netgalley, a site where you get ebooks free to read in return for an honest review. As an aspiring author myself I thought it would be a good idea to start reviewing the books I read, not only as a benefit to the author but also as a way to help me to digest the books better - it is too easy to read a book then quickly move on to the next, failing to absorb the lessons contained in the first book.

So perhaps reviewing books will be one project that I could begin to explore. I do have a few other ideas but they are so undeveloped in my mind that writing them down might leach the magic away from the mere whisper of a thought! I shall post my book reviews here on the blog as well as on Amazon and Netgalley. Hope you enjoy them!

Beginnings

Photo by Matthew Sleeper on Unsplash

It has always been a mystery to me. What do you write in your first blog post? It is such a new, clean slate, much like opening a new notebook and trying to come up with something deep and intelligent with which to decorate those first pages.

I have started several blogs in the past, always to fall at the first hurdle. What to write. So this time, I am  going to write... something, and hope that is enough to get me started on this adventure that is writing for an audience, creating in a public space instead of just in my journal.

What are my plans for this blog? Well, to be honest, I'm not sure yet. I've learned that when you try to push something and force it to become something it just isn't ready for, disappointments happen and failures ensue. 

But I have also learned that when you wait for a perfectly formed entity to appear in your mind before acting, you never do anything. So I am here, showing up to write my blog posts, with no expectations or plans, just a desire to write and share.