26a by Diana Evans *** Found in Honiton station .

26a

Trigger warning: This book contains child abuse and death.

This book starts at the end...that is the end that comes from the beginning.

Set in Neasden in the 1980s, it had a sentimental feel for me as a child of the '80s. The references resonated with me and my childhood/teens. 

26a is many stories in one, from the struggles of 15 year old Ida in Nigeria to the intense-yet-precious relationship between twins Bessi and Georgia Hunter.

This book was a 'creeper' - it was a sluggish start, but once into the complex world woven by Diana Evans it gripped me and I really couldn't put it down. And then I found it a hard world to come away from. The Hunter family became part of my life for some time after. I often find myself thinking of them to this day.

It is safe to say that the characters created by Diana entered my heart in a deep way, they mattered to me!

Without giving too much away, I would like to add that the perception and description of depression in this book is insightful, and possibly curious. But certainly heartfelt. 

I would recommend this to anyone. (though please check the trigger warning).

If you are reading this on a train, beware of part 2 - There were tears (mine), more than once.

Be prepared, bring a hanky. 

Well that's it for now, as always please leave your comments below. Tell me what you think about 26a, leave it in a station, and let us know where. 

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Killed at the Whim of a Hat - Collected at Axminster station

Killed At The Whim Of A Hat

By Colin Cotterill

Book Cover Judgement: If I am honest everything about the cover said British Colonialism, which was almost enough to make me ignore it. But there wasn't much on the shelf, and the book review is not about just reading good books.

In the first few pages there is a map, now call me a sucker, but I have a theory, almost every good book that I have read has a map in the cover...(please feel free to prove me wrong on this one, I do like to be proven wrong occasionally... along with being right of course!!).

So at this point I am a little more intrigued.

First 'chapter' was headed with a George Bush quote, I am starting to feel a little uncomfortable right here, because I am no Bush fan, and I am not sure if this will be politically focused or taking the satirical path. (To be fair I am not 100% of their relevance to the book, and I kind of ended up ignoring them).

This book is part of a 'detective series', though this is the only one that I have read. Dropped straight into the dry heat, in the dusty fields, the first chapter had me interested,thougg felt a little stereo typical, and I disliked 'Old Mel's' thoughts on the nephew, at this point I felt sure of a predictable story. 

But the first twist told me to stop all assumptions and to read on to be impressed. 

I was sceptical when I discovered that the lead character (Jimm Jurree) was a woman (written by a man), but to be totally fair I think he did it justice, and occasionally I even forgot it was a man who was really the narrator!!!!

Not to mention the invention of the character Sissi, Jimm's Transexual sister who I felt was written with some feeling. I adored her, as well as the rest of Jimm's family and the many other characters of depth. 

Jimm's younger brother, so vulnerable and gentle, that he struggled to fit the gender stereotype as a man.

It seemed to me that Cotterill challenged a few stereo types in this book, and it was rather refreshing. I really enjoyed this read, but struggled to put it down.

A full bodied and believable picture was conjured of the village and towns of the setting. I could smell the fish, and hear the mopeds, I could feel the stifling humidity and sense the bustling in the city, for an author that is a true art, and for transporting me to another world in such a way I would like to thank Mr Cotterill!

Great for: Long train journeys, with not too many changes (you may get so sucked in you may miss your connection!).

This book will be left in Basingstoke station today.
26th April 2018.
It will be in the box in the waiting room in-between platforms 2 & 3.

As always, feel free to add your comments if you have read it. Please share the blog with others who may find it useful

***Book Fairies Special*** The Villa by Nora Roberts

The Villa by Nora Roberts
Royal Cornwall Museum
BOOK FAIRIES special.


Sometime earlier this year, we were away in Cornwall. We fancied some museum time, so headed to Truro to the Royal Cornwall Museum - http://www.royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk/

As a Cornish born woman, who has a rich Cornish heritage dating back to the 1600s, with ancestry of;  miners, sailors and dairy men, the museum was fascinating. I was surprised by the many minerals and metals found in Cornwall as well as other intriguing history from around the world, and I urge anyone who is heading Cornwall to check it out. A warning from my boys though, if you are not keen on taxidermy, avoid the children's area.

Anyway this is a book review, not a museum review!!!

So we were enjoying the museum, when I saw that a book wrapped in green ribbon had 'appeared' upon the bench in one of the upper galleries.

Upon approach, I noticed the Book Fairies Sticker, and the instructions to take and read. I was pretty excited by this find, so of course obliged.

When we arrived home, I look up Book Fairies to see what it was all about;

Book Fairies

It is a fantastic idea, so I was even more excited to have been lucky to have found one.
I posted a thanks to my 'fairy' on their facebook page.

So, the book;

                                             
The Villa by Nora Roberts

Not a book that I would normally pick up, and the blurb on the back did not tell me much.
In fact within the first few pages, after some pretty derogatory remarks about a female character, her children and the baby at the breast, I very nearly threw the book in the bin!!!
But for you, I persisted.

The story was interesting, it was clear that the author likes, and even looks up to strong women, and yet these women have not to have female traits in order to be strong. I found this, coupled with the authors extreme negativity to all things 'motherhood', very hard to read.
It was as though she was trying to approach from a feminism point of view, but has kind of missed the point entirely.
The male characters, are extremely forceful, even the 'love interest' guys, who are offered to us as gentle creatures, but as soon as any romance is involved, become forceful and controlling.
I feel that this may be purely to satisfy the authors own fantasies, since almost all of the 'good' male characters are written like this.

There are some great manipulative characters (by great I mean well written), and they really make the book. They are creepy, hateful and you just know they are up to no good! I feel that these characters have had the most attention to detail, which is a shame, as other characters deserved that depth.

As a romantic novel, it is a bit 'Take a Break' for my liking, I would have preferred to have seen some variation in the male characters.

As a strong woman novel, it is not my kind of thing, I did however really like the main female characters, interestingly I find Sophia's Mum to have the most feminism depth, purely because she does what she chooses.

As a 'whodunnit' kind of novel I found it really good, very easy to read, and that was most captivating.

As a teen, I would have loved many of the characters, in particular Sophia.
The book centres around a wine villa and vineyard, and if you ever wanted to learn about wine production this book will teach you a thing or two, and if you didn't...well I am afraid you will.

A great read, you may have trouble putting it down in amongst train connections, but your journey will certainly go past quickly.

If you have read the book, please add your own comments below.

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I will update when the book has been placed at a station.

Life & Soul of the Party by Mike Gayle - Salisbury Station

This is the other book that I picked up at Salisbury Station.


I liked Mike Gayle books as a teen, they were simple and a little like life, and always a really easy read. The blurb didn't sound terribly intriguing, but then I opened the cover.

Written on the Title page was the kind of message which makes me smile, (and also inspired me to start this blog).

"Hey, my name's Yiota,
I picked up this book at the train station before heading off to a festival. Save yourself the trouble this book is shit. X"

Then below in slightly different pen
"The only constant thing in your life is change. Athena 2016"

After I chuckled, the first thing that came to my mind was;
'Seriously, who has time to read books at a festival???' And then of course I had to check if Yiota was right.

Turns out Yiota was indeed correct.

This book is about a few 20- something couples growing up (or not) together. It certainly took me to my 20s, but had the familiar surface scratch of Mike Gayles books. It doesn't delve deeper, the characters are predictable, and 2d.

If you like those sort of books, OR if you like to prove people wrong, then check out this book, when I deposit at a station. (will update with what station it has been placed).

UPDATE:  This book has been left at Reading Station, on a bench on platform 2. If you read it, don't forget to comment. And please share. 

Don't forget to subscribe and share. Oh and if you have read it, please share your comments below, I would love to know your thoughts.

Until next time!

Shanghai Baby found in Axminster Train Station.

Shanghai Baby by Wei Hui

I picked this book up at Axminster Train Station (surprisingly!)
I had heard of this book, mainly because it was banned in China when it was first written. But I was busy being 'young free and single' when it came out, and somehow it never made it onto my read list.

This is a love story...or many love stories perhaps.

The main character is Coco, a young writer in Shanghai. Coco left journalism to work as a waitress, this is where she met Tian Tian.
Tian Tian is an artist, and rather a lost soul, like an abandoned child, he is intriguing, fragile and yet brave. He loves deeply and completely, but he is impotent, they overcome this, and find that they have a love like no other.

But for Coco, is it enough?

Coco is outgoing and ambitious, she likes to dance, and talk. She wants to write, but is afraid.

When you go on this emotional journey with Coco, you will meet the eclectic range of vibrant characters that are her friends and acquaintances, some will make you laugh, others will make you cringe and some you will just want to get to know.

This story builds a pretty hedonistic view of Shanghai life, the characters have a likable depth, and unless you are as cold as ice, it will pull your heartstrings at least once.

This was definitely one of those books that I was disappointed when it ended.

Definitely a recommended read. :) :) :)

I will Update when I know what station I have dropped it into.

UPDATE :  This book has been left at Basingstoke Station. It was left in the box in the waiting room between Platforms 2 and 3 in a box marked 'Basingstoke book share'.  

Annie May's Black Book. Salisbury Train Station.

So, I picked this book up in the middle of a long journey with my family.
The bookcase in Salisbury Train Station is in the Waiting Room. If you have a big gap in your journey, it is well worth dropping in.

Sadly when I went pickings were slim, but I had just finished the book that I had brought with me and it is rare that I get a chance to read, so I picked up two books as I wasn't sure that either would catch my attention.

 Annie May's Black Book by Debby Holt.

I picked this book up for one main reason, and that is that the author (Debby Holt) is from Bath, and having lived in Bath for 14 years I felt that the local connection may keep my attention.

Annie is an acting coach, in Bath. She has a Black Book in which she records the name an offence of anyone who has ever done her any wrong...anyone! I found this little insight into the character witty and intriguing, and in a way I was expecting a far more quirky character because of this.
Her biggest offender, of course is the man who jilted her seventeen years ago, and that has kind of led onto her being a commitment-phobe. But in a twist of fate, 'that man' ends up moving just around the corner. Can Annie learn to forgive? Or is the Black Book just too important?

The first interaction in this book is between Annie and her sister Lily, who happens to be getting married. I love the relationships between all three sisters in this book, and indeed the family as a whole. They were a very believable family, but due to Annie being 'happily single', her sister getting married,  and her parents quizzing her about anyone 'special' in her life, I just couldn't help feeling a little sorry for Annie during that first part of the book.

Without giving too much away, I found the twists fairly predictable, but I think that it satisfied something in my, it was how it should have been.
I did enjoy the book as a quick and easy read. I guess what I really engaged with was  the locations around Bath, which were all there at a time when I was going out, which I like to dub as TimeBC (before Children).

My main criticism is that when a female character is written as 'happily single', more often they turn out not to be so happy. I feel that this isn't a fair representation.

Overall, it is a great read to put down, so you can read it when you have short bursts of reading time.

I will Update when I have dropped at a station.

UPDATE:  This book has been left on the bookshelf at Axminster Station. It is in the ticket office, which is only open until 6pm.

Bye for now!!!

The Unmumsy Mum Diary

I admit, this isn't a train station book. It was in fact a gift.
Not a book that I would have brought myself either (because I judge books by their covers - shallow, I know... but as a biblophile covers do matter to me).

So I was given this as a gift on my last tutorial.
(I can't tell you how many times this book would have been a saviour in those years).

The book was easy to read (in between refereeing the kids- which is just as well, as I almost certain that the author wrote whilst often in that same dilema).

If you have ever felt like a crummy mummy or less than perfect, if you observe the Facebook posts of your friends and feel that your half term has been as soggy as a digestive in weak squash.
Then this book is for you. A delightful glimpse into Blogger Sarah Turner's (aka The Unmumsy Mum) life as a Mum and wife.

I didn't find her unmumsy at all, she was possibly...normal. And I guess this is what makes the book such a great read, (for me as a mum at least). Not just the parts about parenting toddlers (which sadly feels too long ago for my liking), but also the parts about having a relationship (yeh right), whilst being a busy mum.

 I snuck away and read the odd bit here and there, only the kids would find me, because I was crying with laughter. Thanks Gill. ;)

Anyway, I have currently loaned the book to a MINOAL (a mum in need of a laugh), so when she returns it, I will update with which station I left it.

Bye for now.