BOOK NOOK; HEX by Jenni Fagan

 

"...you must learn not to have those around you drink your energy. I have learnt the hard way. As a child I used to give away light like it was nothing. Those without it would fill themselves up with all that good energy like I was an eternal font. The purest light attracts the most impenetrable darkness."

I have been saving this book for the autumnal equinox and the beginning of the dark season. It is a very quick read, more of a novella than a novel and I read it in a couple of hours. It is the story of a conversation between witches.  Iris is a modern day witch in Edinburgh in August 2021. She uses channeling and astral projection to travel back five hundred years to visit the prison cell of Geillis Duncan who has been convicted of witchcraft.  In her time, it is the beginning of December and the night before her execution. 

If you have watched the TV series Outlander, then you will already be familiar with her name, but you might not be aware that Geillis Duncan was sadly one of the historical women who was caught up in the North Berwick witch trials in the sixteenth century.

In Hex, the author Jenni Fagan, has attempted to give Geillis a voice - a voice that was unjustly silenced by her accusers all those years ago, because as Fagin says in the book;

"A woman's voice is a hex. She must learn to exalt men always. If she doesn't do that, then she is a threat. A demon whore, a witch - so says everyone and the law." 

The novella reads as one long conversation between Iris and Geillis. It draws you in from the very start and weaves a web of dread around the reader as the hours to execution are counted down, chapter by chapter.  It explores not only the hysteria behind the witch hunts of that time, but also the male greed which perpetrated them. It also looks at how and why such witch hunts are still in play today, although we no longer refer to them that way. However, most women have felt the hairs on the back of her neck prickle when a strange man walks behind her on a dark street.  For make no mistake about it, women are very much still being hunted by men who think that they are entitled to do so. 

I have read lots of books about the witch trials, but I particularly liked this one because it also acts as a social commentary on modern crimes against women and the men who commit them - even those men in uniforms designed to protect us! In this work of historical fiction, recent news events seamlessly find their place, such as two murdered sisters being 'selfied' by male police officers, or the female participants of protest marches highlighting violence against women being beaten down, by yet more police officers! 

When did the police stop being on our side? Were they ever on on our side really, or have we, as women, just been collectively gas-lighted on a massive scale by men who think a uniform protects them rather than us, and now their mask is beginning to slip? 

Historically the safety of women has always been neglected. While as human beings we have the same right as men to walk through a park or down a street without coming to harm, sadly this isn't a right that we feel we can exercise. From Jack the Ripper in White Chapel, to the Yorkshire Ripper in the 1980s, to a young women walking home through London last year, being murdered by a policeman who tricked her, and whom she automatically trusted due to the office he held which she had been taught to respect, women frequently come to harm while simply going about their business, trying to live their lives.

We stick to brightly lit areas; we park as close to the shops as we can manage, we don't fill our cars with petrol after dark unless we have to, we lace our house keys through our fingers as we walk down the street. We watch, we look, we listen, we wait and see - and still we get raped and murdered for the crime of going out alone. Isn't this just another form of witch hunt?  I don't know about you, but I'm so drained and worn out and exhausted by it, not to mention bloody angry!  

I know I'm not alone. There are millions of angry women out there right now, not knowing who to trust, or even who to call when they are in trouble, because now we know that the goods guys could just as easily be the bad guys, but in the best disguise ever!  

"It's just one bad apple" they say, and at first I believed them, but as more and more comes to light - in the Metropolitan Police, in my local police force, even in the Red Arrows FFS! - it seems that is not the case at all. The bad apples are many and they are infecting those around them. The policemen we once turned to for safety, have now turned on us.  The perverts are now injecting us with rape drugs on the dance floors in pubs and clubs! How are we expected to defend ourselves against that?! The would-be rapists are so blatant, they run off wearing disco-shoes that light up in the night, having no fear of being caught, or of what the consequences will be if they are caught.  It all feels so hopeless and until society begins to teach men and boys not to attack, women and girls will always have to de-fend for themselves.  Suddenly the witch hunt feels very real. 

Jenni Fagan's Hex weaves all of this together into a cohesive whole, as Iris and Geillis discuss the collective plight of women, where power is denied them all down the centuries and men are, consistently, the enemy predators at large.  And people wonder why I'm single!  

This is fantastic book for book clubs and reading groups as there are so many discussion points for exploring the lasting effect of the witch hunts on modern society and if we have learnt anything at all from the past. It is also the kind of book that men should be pinned down and forced to read! However, the question it left me with was this one.  How much longer will men continue to get away with murder? And rape? And child abuse? And violence against women in all its disgusting shades of a bruise on her face?  

They might not be hanging or burning us anymore - but the witch hunts have never really stopped, have they?  This is because men indoctrinate themselves into believing they can treat women any way they like, and get away with it, because they feel that they are entitled to treat us that way. As Iris tells Geillis just before she is moved to the gallows;

"I would like to reassure you that five hundred years from now the fine line of misogyny no longer elongates from uncomfortable to fatal, yet I cannot. It's a form of brain-washing isn't it? When you dared look at those men around you, what did you see?

They all thought they were right.

In everything.

At all times.

What woman could question that?

A dead one!"

xxx

BOOK NOOK; Chinook Crew Chick by Liz McConaghy

 "We had pilots who could work out the square root of a jam jar but couldn't take off the lid"

As soon as I heard that this book was coming out I knew that I wanted to read it. I have never read a military book from a female officer before and I was eager to get my hands on this one.  Luckily I was sent an ARC (Advance Reader Copy) and so I have spent most of the night reading it in one sitting. 

It is quite a page turner and I couldn't put it down. I love the writing style, which is extremely accessible. The author is very informal and her work reads like a girly chat over a glass of wine, where she tells you all about her adventures, heartbreaks and triumphs.  

Sometimes military books can have quite a condescending tone, an I'm it, you're shit sort of vibe, but happily Chinook Crew Chick isn't like that at all.  The author draws you into her world with humour and a degree of self-deprecation which just makes her seem all the more charming.  

These lighter moments are essential because the book covers some very dark topics. As a memoir it doesn't have any real self-help techniques contained within its pages, which are the type of hybrid military books I usually read, but it is nonetheless very inspiring and I still feel that I got a lot out of it.

The main thing that I have taken away from reading this book is an insight into what happened in Afghanistan when the Chinooks were sent out to pick up wounded soldiers. I know soldiers who were on operations over there and it helped to give me a clearer picture of what they experienced, both when bringing back a wounded comrade (who is now living his best life in the Highlands!) and also when bringing back a fallen friend who hadn't survived. 

This kind of insight is invaluable to me if I am to be a good friend to my soldiers, but it's not the kind of thing I could ask them about for fear of triggering bad memories.  The author has equipped me with another piece of the jigsaw puzzle, so I have a better understanding of their time there. It may seem like a small thing, but being able to picture the situation they were once in helps me to understand them a little better.  Who knows, it might even have been Gloria Stitz herself who picked them up! In some ways, I hope that it was as she seems to be the type of person who would have made the journey easier for them, with her kindness and humour.

Speaking of humour, some of my favourite parts of the book made me laugh out loud, including when the author is hanging head first out of a helicopter with only a bit of a strap to keep her from plummeting to the ground and she had to radio her boss to come and haul her back in! Also the vomiting on his boots too - probably not the best way to impress your boss! And Gloria. I admit, it took me a minute, but yes, Gloria caught up with me and I laughed my head off. 

Chinook Crew Chick is both a funny memoir and a sad one. War always leaves its mark on the soldiers who fight it. Often we cannot see these marks and the wounds are invisible to the eye, but they are no less real.  If anything, an invisible wound can be more difficult to cope with because you cannot simply point to it and say "Look, I'm injured and I'm still suffering", so the help isn't always forthcoming when it is needed.  

I know from personal experience that the NHS are useless when it comes to handling PTSD, so there is little help in society for ex-servicemen and women.  Personally I believe that there should be greater levels of aftercare for ex-military personnel, which should be overseen by the MOD. I think that they should train battalions of counselors, in the same way that they are happy to train armies of human fighting machines. That way the help will be on hand when it is needed. If the MOD were to handle it then people wouldn't have to rely on charities to fill the gap in mental health services. Then again, I have also heard it said that 'the MOD couldn't handle a f**king pan', so maybe that's just a pipe dream!

Another aspect of the book which touched me deeply was when the author was writing of her own darkest hour.  I remember studying suicidal ideation during my psychotherapy training and I have to say that the author has done a fantastic job of describing the dissociative thought process which can lead someone down the dark path to suicide.  The logical thought process, cut off from all emotion, is starkly illustrated in the book, as is the example of how easy it is to just fall through the net of those who have a duty of care to protect, such as doctors, pharmacists and counselors. When will those in power learn that under-funding and overstretching these services really does cost lives? No-one should be allowed to fall through the net. No-one who reaches out for help should be sent away with a handful of leaflets and promises of a referral that can take months to action. 

So obviously there are trigger warnings that come with this book, because topics of war, battle trauma and suicidal ideation are all covered.  Having said that, Chinook Crew Chick is a fabulous page-turner and I have really enjoyed reading it. I am grateful for the insights it has given me as I can now be of better help to my soldier friends. I hope that the author will go on to write more books, particularly the military self-help books I find so useful. I am certainly happy to have been given the opportunity to read this one.

Books like this are so important because you simply never know how much good they will do once they have been set free into the world. You just have to trust that those who need it, will find it and that it will make a positive difference.  

I for one am very glad that Liz McConaghy lived to tell her tale.

BB Marie x

AD; This book was sent to me by the publisher for the purposes of review. It will be released on 30th September 2022 and is available for pre-order now. 

BOOK NOOK; Reading the Queen

 

"The Queen hails from the generation in which stiff upper lips were the norm."

I was in London last Friday for the long-planned lunch meeting with my publisher.  It went well and it was a very enjoyable engagement. However, the death of our Queen cast a long shadow over the whole of London and it was impossible to be there, just three days before her State Funeral, and not feel emotionally moved by the experience. I'm glad that I was in London during the official mourning period though, as it helped to process what is a seismic shift in British history. 

On my return to Yorkshire, I soon discovered that I had picked up an unexpected souvenir in the form of a bad cold, brought on no doubt, by the stroll we took along the River Thames to look at HMS Belfast, the war ship museum.  So I have spent the last few days resting, curled up with a regal book or two, reading all about Queen Elizabeth II.  

What Would HM The Queen Do? by Mary Killen is a light hearted look at Her Majesty's resilience and forbearance. It offers bite-sized nuggets of wisdom and social conduct for all occasions, so that you need never be caught out in public.  This little book explains some of the tricks the Queen used to navigate an often tedious lifestyle of small talk and polite chit-chat. Simple strategies are presented and explained - such as how standing close to the entrance at a party means that you greet everyone politely, without the risk of being cornered by the local bore, as the surge of guests behind him sweeps him away from you almost at once. Genius! 

This book also offers budget friendly tips on how to host a country house party, or how to attend Ascot without breaking the bank, so that you can experience a taste of the high life if you wanted to.  There are also insights into the Queen's more personal life, such as what her morning routine would have looked like and how a sudden 'power cut' can be orchestrated to break the ice at an uncomfortable social gathering, because darkness helps people to speak more freely.  Sadly, there is nothing in this book about her secret handbag language, but perhaps that is because it is the worst kept secret in Britain! Everyone knows that the Queen used her handbag as a kind of semaphore to communicate with her staff.  Still, I do think that this topic deserved an honorable mention.  What Would HM The Queen Do? is a flippant take on royalty and the perfect antidote to all the doom and gloom of the past week or so. It is very short book and one that  you could easily read over afternoon tea. So far so frivolous. 

On the other hand, Elizabeth & Margaret by Andrew Morton is a much more serious biography of the royal sisters.  I was drawn to this book because I can clearly recall all the scandal that accompanied the release of his earlier book, Diana; Her True Story, which I have read and enjoyed very much. I have been besotted with Princess Diana from the age of seven, but I remember my grandmother always spoke quite fondly of the Queen and her younger sister, Margaret, as they were the iconic princesses of her youth. 

In this book Morton explores the dynamic of this sisterly bond and how it was forced to change and evolve once Elizabeth became the heir to the throne, because let's not forget, that she was the daughter of the 'spare' who became king, rather than the daughter of the man born to be king. Were it not for Wallis Simpson, we would never have had Queen Elizabeth II. 

Here we get to see a more intimate view of the royal sisters, from their earliest childhood as relations of the King, through their change of circumstances when their father takes on the Crown following his brother's abdication.  As you might expect, it was a fairly glamorous life - the kind of life that people born to wealth and privilege tend to enjoy. Even during the war years, when the sisters were 'evacuated' they only went as far as Windsor Castle, though I doubt if sleeping in the dungeons during air raids was much fun. Imagine the spiders! Still, they were kept within the bosom of the Establishment, among people who had to defer to them as Princesses and just a half hour drive from their parents at Buckingham Palace, rather than being sent far away to strangers as most evacuees were. 

It is well known that the Queen refused to let her sister Margaret marry the man she originally fell in love with. I remember my Nan telling me that Princess Margaret had had her heart broken when she was a young woman.  The reason behind that decision however, was never explained to me and I have often wondered why the Queen said no, causing her own sister so much unhappiness.  The real reason for the refusal was an old law regarding royal marriages, which dated from the 1700's! In short, the Queen had no choice but to refuse. Her hands were tied by the weight of her responsibility to the Crown. 

This is just one of the revelations that Elizabeth & Margaret holds within it's pages. As it follows the sisters through their lives, mistakes and all, it tells a familiar tale of love, devotion, jealousy and the odd spat that happens between all siblings.  They were two very different women, with Margaret being rebellious and Elizabeth dutiful. How much of this is a direct result of their place in the line of succession, and how much was their natural personality traits, we will probably never know, but this biography is certainly worth reading. 

If you are tired of hearing all about the Queen's death, maybe tailor your reading to studying her life instead, with these books. We can learn so much from her example, if we are open to her teachings.  Enjoy and remember to always wear your invisible crown - Queen Elizabeth would approve! 

BB Marie xxx

ONCE UPON A DREAM; Music School!

 

"All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument plays itself"

Johann Sebastian Bach

This time last year I was looking forward to my MA Graduation.  I had finished classes and I just wanted to relax for a while after years and years of studying.  However, this year I found that I have really missed all the back to uni buzz and the anticipation of a new academic year.  I have missed the learning experience.  

So I decided to bite the bullet and do something I have dreamt of for years. In short, I enrolled in Music School!  This has been at the back of my mind for a very long time. In fact, it was something I always wanted to do as a child and never quite got around to it, but as the signs of autumn start to appear and all the students return to their lectures this month, I knew I wanted to return to a learning environment.  

Music school seemed like the perfect solution! I couldn't have wished for a more perfect autumn day to begin my musical studies, as the rain poured down and the sun occasionally broke through the clouds, sparkling upon the turning leaves. I love the sound of rain as I drive - the swish of the tyres, the sweep of the wipers and the steady patter of the raindrops landing on the roof of my car.  Somehow, driving in the rain feels very cosy.  Driving through the rain to my first piano class felt like an exciting new adventure!

I've been trying to teach myself to play the piano for some time now and while I can pick up a melody fairly quickly and play by ear quite well, I don't read music so it all tends to fall apart as soon as I see the dots! Also, when teaching yourself, there is no-one there to correct your mistakes or stop you from falling into bad habits. I knew that I had gone as far as I could on my own and that I would need professional tuition if I was ever going to progress and begin to master my instrument.  I've had a beautiful piano for years now and it deserves to be owned by someone who takes it seriously. 

I knew that I wanted to approach my music in the same way that I approached my other studies - with an open mind, a willingness to learn and the commitment to put in the time and effort required to succeed.  I couldn't have taken music classes when I worked at the vets as the job dominated my life outside of university, so I just didn't have the time, energy or flexibility to take on anything else. Learning any kind of musical instrument takes commitment. You have to set aside time to practice the fundamentals and develop your skills.

I also want to learn more about musical theory too, as I have been fascinated by this topic since I read the novel Wintersong, which is crafted on the framework of the author's extensive musical knowledge. I want to dive deeper into this aspect of music, learning a bit about the history of music too as I go, in addition to learning to play the piano, so attending a professional music school seemed to be the best option. I can learn about the history, theory and performance aspects of music in one setting. 

I have just returned home from my very first class and I'm really happy with how it went. My tutor seems nice and I think that I will get on well with him. He isn't going to let me get away with playing by ear though. Already he has given me music to learn that I have never heard before, because he composed it himself, so I must learn to read the music! I immediately respected him for this. I tend to like tutors who can see through my bullshit and who don't let me get away with anything, but who call me out in a kindly way, for my own benefit. I definitely feel like I clicked with him.  He seems cool. 

I think that I will begin to work my way through the levels of study, as if I were to sit the Grade exams, even though I only play for myself at present. Adopting this approach means that I could then potentially take the exams along the way if I wanted to. However, it is very early days and there is a lot for me to learn - a new way of reading, a new vocabulary and musical syntax, maximizing my natural musicality, as well as the performance aspects of actually playing the instrument - so I don't want to put too much pressure on myself.  I was nervous enough in the first class! I'm not used to playing in front of anyone and I do hate being watched. It makes me so nervous. I was the same when I learnt to drive. But if I want to progress and learn from my tutor he has to watch me play so he can guide me and correct my mistakes.  I'll never be comfortable being watched though, as the stage fright is too acute. 

I really enjoyed the class and I felt such a surge of joy afterwards, because I am finally making another one of my long term goals a reality.  Walking back to my car, with new music to learn in my old satchel, I felt like I was walking on air.  I was so happy and I can't wait for my next class!

It was fantastic to be surrounded by other creative people too, and while they are musicians not writers, there was still a sense of camaraderie between us. They know how it feels to struggle with a new project when the Muse isn't playing ball. They know how it feels to have a new piece completed and ready to release.  That kind of shared experience and mutual understanding is priceless. 

It also feels good to be learning something new again and to be taking the study of music seriously. I'm glad I finally have the guidance I need, because now I have specific exercises and techniques to learn, new pieces of music to study and practice each day, and a new routine of piano practice and music lessons to enjoy.  I'm a student again, only this time, I'm a music student. 

So tonight, as the rain gradually subsides, I'm going to make a cup of hot chocolate, light the candles on my piano, set up my new music and begin to practice, using the skills I have learnt today. It will be a lovely way to spend a cosy autumnal evening and I plan to make this a part of my daily routine. I may never be able to play like my idol, Amy Lee, but I'm going to give it my best shot, starting right now. If music be the food of love, play on! 

Bright Blessings

Marie x

 

BOOK NOOK; The Once and Future Witches by Alix E Harrow

 

"...her daddy said women were like hens, flocking together and pecking at one another, and Juniper didn't want to be a hen..."

As summer wanes there is the first breath of autumn in the air, so it is time to retreat indoors, preferably with the company of witchy books.  I've had this book for some time, but I wanted to wait until I could give myself up to it entirely.  I took a few days off from my own writing and crept into the fantasy world of New Salem and The Once and Future  Witches - Bella, Agnes and Juniper. 

This book is a melting pot of feminism, literature, Authurian legend, folklore, fairytale, mythology and politics, which the author has stirred together in a big cauldron, thereby creating a totally unique novel.  Here we have the suffragettes that we all know from history, with the Pankhursts making a cameo appearance, yet in this novel they are not only fighting for the right to vote, they are fighting for the restoration of witchcraft.  The sisters are natural witches who want witchcraft to take up its rightful place in their society, giving women back their goddess given power.  It is a dangerous task and the city of New Salem where they live was built upon the ashes of the witches they executed in old Salem.

The story is told from the perspectives of the three sisters and this does lead to a certain amount of head hopping in that you just get used to one character, when the viewpoint changes again.  

I also wonder if there isn't just a bit too much crammed into the story.  Although it works as a cohesive whole, there is a lot in this novel and I am not convinced that all of it was necessary. For instance, although I understand that this is a feminist book, I'm not sure why the author felt the need to turn all great writers of the past into women, so we have a Charlotte Perrault instead of the fairytale anthologist Charles Perrault and the Sisters Grimm instead of the Brothers Grimm.  I'm not sure that this was needed and it seemed quite clunky.  Diminishing or appropriating the accomplishments of men from the past does not lift women higher! So I didn't like that part. 

There also seems to be a trend for lesbian sub-plots in publishing at the moment, with many new titles having an obligatory gay female character, or at least one who is open to sexual experimentation. I feel that this is being driven by the diversity band wagon, rather than the authenticity of the books, or even of the authors themselves. It makes me wonder how much of it is being suggested to authors by publishers in an effort to keep up with social trends. This novel is no different and again, I didn't really like it. I'm not sure what it adds to the witch story and even though I liked the character of Bella, I'm not remotely interested in reading about her lesbian crush! 

On the whole though, The Once and Future Witches did draw me in and I enjoyed the overall plot and the storytelling.  It is very nicely written and as I said, it is completely unique in it's approach to historical witchery.  It just wasn't the book that I was expecting.  However, I'm sure young millennial readers will love it, as it ticks all their politically correct boxes! 

Happy Reading!

Marie x

AD: This novel was sent to me by the publisher for the purposes of review. It is available now in digital and paperback formats.