The Princess's Direst

I bet you thought it was safe here.  I bet you thought that it would be easy to hide on a little book blog like this.  Well, I'm sorry folks.  You thought that only the cinema was dominated by Star Wars incarnations, but, like the many-tentacled Sarlacc, I'm afraid the popular space adventure's long, elasticated reach has made it into this little corner of the internet too.  I have finished reading 'The Princess Diarist' by the late Carrie Fisher.

'The Princess Diarist' is sub-titled 'A sort of memoir...' and that's a fairly accurate description.  Unlike her other autobiographical work, it's dedicated to her relationship with the character of Princess Leia, Fisher's on-set affair with Harrison Ford and the unexpected impact of the worldwide phenomenon that Star Wars became and continues to be.  The book's name comes from it's inspiration; a collection of journals that the 19-year-old Fisher wrote while filming the original Star Wars film in 1976.  'The Princess Diarist' is Fisher's reflection on her most famous role, how actor and character became almost indistinguishable in the popular imagination and the highs and lows that come with having such a huge hit so early in your career.

Simply Wander-Full!

Ah, the glorious days of summer are upon us!  Which is why I've been hiding indoors, listening to the audiobook version of '21st Century Yokel' by music journalist and writer Tom Cox.  Well, you don't want me getting sunburnt, do you?

Released by the innovative, crowd-fund publisher Unbound, '21st Century Yokel' is as genre-defying as it is lovely.  Part-memoir, part-travel book and part ode to the British landscape, it meanders through tales of creatures and countryside, family and folklore to weave a charming narrative that you just want to wrap yourself up in.  Cox uses gorgeous, lyrical language to capture the important places, pets and people in his life with humour and optimism.  From his native Nottinghamshire, via Devon, Derbyshire and Norfolk, '21st Century Yokel' takes the reader on journey that is both laugh-out-loud funny and deeply thoughtful, but never, ever dull - especially if his Mr Cox Senior is around.

Feathered Fiends?

Earlier this week, I finished 'The Story Keeper', the second novel by Anna Mazzola. If you want moody Gothic with a heroine coming to terms with herself and her past, you've come to the right place!

September 1857: Audrey Hart escapes a miserable home life to the Isle of Skye, pursing her dream of becoming a folklorist.  As well as stories of fairies and magic, she comes to seek the truth about herself, as this is where her mother died in tragic circumstances.  Audrey enters the employ of the reclusive Miss Buchanan and struggles to earn the trust of the local people, scarred by the unkindnesses of the Buchanan family.  Everything changes when Audrey finds the body of a young, local girl washed up on the shore.  While she suddenly gains acceptance in the community, she also finds herself part of something more sinister.  Can the mythical Sluagh, the spirits of the dead in the form of flocks of black birds, really be abducting the young women of Skye, or is something more Earth-bound - and more terrible - at work?