My review:????

The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien; The Places that Inspired Middle-earth by John Garth is a beautiful book about the places that Tolkien drew inspiration from for his Middle-Earth.

There’s information about Tolkien’s family and background that he has drawn on for his stories, so if you’re a Tolkien fan, then this is going to be a book you’ll enjoy a lot!

The Worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien; The Places that Inspired Middle-earth was published on 9th July 2020, and is available on Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

You can follow John Garth on Twitter, Facebook and his website.

I was given access to this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Quatro.

My review:????

Connect; Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends and Colleagues by David L. Bradford and Carole Robin is a book about how to communicate better with your loved ones.

There are examples of pairs of people who have issues, and how they try to communicate.  The authors then break it down to show the things they do incorrectly, and those that they do well.  They give suggestions, so that you as the reader are learning how to explain your feelings to another person.

This was a really interesting book, with suggestions like ‘when you do x, it makes me feel y’, which is something I’ve seen elsewhere, and has other ideas, and is aimed at you using it as a workbook, complete with the suggestion of writing a journal as you go through it.

Connect; Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends and Colleagues was published on 4th March 2021, and is available on Amazon, Waterstones and Bookshop.org.

I’m afraid I couldn’t find anywhere you can follow the authors.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin.

My review: ????

Metropolis: A History of Humankind’s Greatest Invention by Ben Wilson covers the vast history of cities, from the earliest city, Uruk, through the ages, looking at different cities and how cities have impacted humans and the world around us.

The way Ben Wilson tells the story is really enjoyable, with a city being focused on for a certain period, and highlighting a certain feature.

There is a little mention of Coronavirus at the beginning of the book, which was obviously added as many people are moving out of cities currently, trying to escape the close proximity with others who could spread the disease.  But the push and pull of people in cities is covered in this book.

I enjoyed the way it’s written, and how Ben Wilson brings the history and cities to life.

Metropolis: A History of Humankind’s Greatest Invention was published on 24th September 2020, and is available to buy from Amazon, Waterstones, and your local independent bookshop.

I’m afraid I couldn’t find a link for you to follow Ben Wilson!

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Vintage.

My review: ?????

I Am Not Your Baby Mother by Candice Brathwaite is about being a Black mother in Britain, but it is more than that!  It’s about the experiences that Brathwaite had, such as giving birth to her daughter, Esmé, and how no one listened to her when she said something felt wrong afterwards.  It’s about how Brathwaite and her husband, Bode, started making plans to leave London when they found out she was pregnant with a boy.  It’s about how white being a mummy blogger has been.

I’ve been following Candice Brathwaite on Instagram for a while now, and have enjoyed how she talks about different things, loved her bright style (she’s been on Lorraine a number of times to talk about style), hearing about her life, and watching things like her Instagram Live (now IGTV) interview with Stuart Lawrence, brother of Stephen Lawrence.

You don’t need to be a mother in order to read and enjoy this book.  Brathwaite has such a way with words that you’ll be chortling at her descriptions, and tells things with such honesty that it’s a great read.  As she says a couple of times, this isn’t an autobiography, this is focused on motherhood as a Black woman, and this focus keeps you on track, whilst covering a range of topics.

I Am Not Your Baby Mother was published on 28th May 2020, and is available from Amazon, Waterstones and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Candice Brathwaite on her website, Facebook and Instagram. 

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The Modern Cottage Garden by Greg Loades is one of those books that you pick up, read a bit, and then want to share with someone the things you have learnt!  In my case, my husband has heard me extolling the virtues of this book.

It goes through cottage style, but then it also gives you ideas for planting, shows you plants in containers, again with suggestions, and there are so many photos of plants!

This really has been a joy to read, so much so that I’ve added it to my Amazon Wishlist as a hardcopy as I think having this book to go through, go back and re-read various sections, and to use the guides for what to do in each season would be great! 

Greg Loades also shows you his mostly container garden, from when it was empty of plants, to so much growth, which really shows you that he practices what he preaches.

The Modern Cottage Garden was published on 20th July 2020, and is available to buy from Amazon, and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Greg Loades on Twitter and Instagram.

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Timber Press.

My review:????

And Now For The Good News… :To the Future with Love by Ruby Wax looks at different things like education and food to see what the good things are that are coming, or are here already, just not in a big way, yet.

Ruby Wax compares the difference between schooling in China and Finland, such as in China where mental health issues bring shame to families, versus in Finland where they discuss how stories make them feel and why people do things.

There is also some suggested apps, and a mindful meditation to do with your phone where you chuck it out of a window, off a cliff, into the sea, your choice.  And that sums up the book.  It’s written with a playful tone but is there with a serious message.

Ruby Wax is public about her struggles with mental health, and so has been writing books to help others, and started Frazzled Cafes, which during Covid-19 is hosting online support meetings, and pre Covid-19 hosted in person meetings.  Maybe it will again.

And Now For The Good News… :To the Future with Love was published on 17th September 2020, and is available to buy from Amazon, Waterstones and your local independent bookshop.

You can follow Ruby Wax on her website, Twitter and Facebook.  

I was given this book in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin Books.

My review: ????

Monarchs of the Sea by Danna Staaf was a really interesting look at cephalopods, their evolution and development.

I didn’t know a lot about cephalopods before I started this book, but as it says, there’s 500 million years of history, and it really does have a look at how they have changed over time!  

I’m not planning on getting a pet octopus in a tank, but it showed what amazing creatures they are!

If you enjoy science and natural history books that are well written and will explain things to you, then this is a great book to dive into!

Monarchs of the Sea is being published on 15th September 2020, and is available to buy on Amazon and Waterstones.  I’ve found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

You can follow Danna Staaf on her websiteand Twitter.

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, and so my thanks to NetGalley, and to The Experiment (the publishers) for this book.