I picked this book up in 2024 with the intention of using it for weekly walks during 2025. With mum becoming ill again at the end of 2024 and not returning to her normal self I was so focused on her health that I totally forgot about my intention to do the walks one week at a time.

I was reminded of the book recently during my walk leader training at Attingham Park. One of the ladies on the course recommended this book and Annabel’s follow up book, The Walking Cure. Since then I have dipped in and out of the book but haven’t yet read it cover to cover. I have also purchased the follow up book which I will read after I have finished reading this one.

I have decided that I will approach the book differently than I had originally planned. I will address all the walk ideas as the mood takes me rather than in chapter order and not necessarily ‘One Week at a Time’.  Colouring is another of my hobbies (also neglected recently) so I will colour the chapter heading pictures as I go along.

My first walk from the book was today; ~Week 48~ Walk Hungry.

I will be writing about this walk soon.

Synopsis from the book cover:

Churches are all around us. Their steeples remain landmarks in our towns, villages and cities, even as their influence and quthority has waned. They contain art and architectural wonders – one huge gallery scattered, like a hanful of jewels, across these isles.

Thoughts:

The book meanders through through Britain exploring churches and sharing their history, art, nature and people. It was lovely to revisit old gems and see them through the eyes of others and learn new things about them. I was also introduced to new churches that I am tempted to visit. After my recent visit to Southwark Cathedral I returned to the book to re-read Peter’s experiences of the Cathedral, he is right; the Cathedral is an oasis of calm in contrast to the hustle and bustle surrounding it.

Synopsis from the book cover:

Born a girl to parents who expected a boy, Jihad grows up treated like the eldest son, wearing boys’ clothing and sharing the finanacial burden of head of the household with her father.

Now middle-aged, Jihad tells her daughter a story from her life each night. As Maleka prepares to leave home to attend university abroad, her mother revisits the past of their Palestinian family, tenderly describing their life in exile in Kuwait and her own experiences of love and loss as she grows up.

Huzama Habayeb weaves a richly observed and affectionate potrait of a family displaced from their homeland, and of the women at its heart: women with too much to do, too many mouths to feed, and too many thwarted dreams. Told with humour and poise, this is a story of the love and betrayal that pursues Jihad and her family from Kuwait to Jordan to Dubai.

Thoughts on the book:

The female protagonist in this novel is a second generation refugee who was raised in Kuwait. The book explores a series of memories that build to give an overall view of Jihad’s life. I enjoyed that the chapters were themes rather than in chronological order. We know that Jihad and her daughter are safe and we are slowly learning the trials and tribulations that led to them being in that eventual place of safety and security. Despite the serious story of a displaced refugee there is a lot of humour in the book.

I would recommend this book. It is a difficult subject matter but I found it easy to read. However many others in the ShelterBox Book Club struggled to read the book and some of the group were unable to finish reading it.

Synopsis (from the book cover):

Bestselling writer Bill Bryson’s brilliantly readable biography of our greatest dramatist and poet William Shakespeare is updated to mark the 400th anniversary of his death.

Examining centuries of myths, half-truths and downright lies, Bill Bryson tries to make sense of the man behind the masterpieces. In a journey through the streets of Shakespeare’s time, he brings to life the hubbub of Elizabethan England and a host of characters along the way. Bryson celebrates the glory of Shakespear’s language – his ceasless inventiveness gave us hundreds of now indispensible phrases, images and words – and delights in details of his fall-outs and folios, poetry and plays.

Stitching together information from a vast array of sources, he has created a unique celebration of one of the most significant, and least understood, figures in history – not to mention a classic piece of Bryson.

Thoughts:

The book exposes how little is known about Shakespeare, even the pictorial images we know him by might not represent his true likeness. These images are based on three original artworks, two af which were painted years after his death. Bill Bryson writes at length about society in the Elizabethan era bringing it to life but was unable to find many facts about Shakespeare himself.

This book served as a reminder that we should do our own reasearch rather than accept what is presented to us as fact.

Synopsis from the book cover:

Ziya Bey has six months left to live. From his mansion on Farewell Fountain Street, the Ottoman aristocrat plans to tie up some questionable business affairs and say goodbye to the people he cherishes. He hires Artvin, a disillusione professor with a troubled past, to assist him. Intrigued by his employer’s mysterious household. Artvin spends the days uncovering Ziya Bey’s turbulent life story.

The two men become bound together as they reveal dark elements from their pasts. But when Ziya Bey releases Artvin from his duties sooner than expected, Artvin inherits a spiral of violence he cannot control.

In this gripping ride through the streets of Istanbul, two men learn one another’s secrets. But can either of them learn to live with themselves?

Thoughts on the book:

The book is promoted as a thriller but I would categorise it as mystery. The mystery which is teased throughout the book is revealed at the end was a surprise. I enjoyed the discriptions of Turkey and the interactions between Artvin and Ziya Bey.

The chapters are structured in a way that compelled me to read just a little bit more…

The stay at home and working from home policies due to Covid 19 led to lunch time dates with Mr C with his TV choices. One of the later choices as we came out of the lockdowns was the rebooted Dr Who starting with Christopher Eccleston. We avidly watched all the episodes of ‘New Who’ leaving me with a nostalgic feeling and memories of the original episodes.

I sought out the old episodes on the internet to find some of my childhood memories, enjoying my journey back through time. Some of the original video footage no longer remains but the audio tapes still exist allowing recreations through original photos and animation.

For the 60th anniversary of Dr Who the original episodes were published on Youtube, along with this book. The words from the back of the book describe it better than I can:

Six decades may only be a handful of heartbeats to a Time Lord, but for Doctor Who it’s the adventure of several lifetimes. Evolving over 60 years, the world’s longest-running sci-fi TV show has gifted us a universe of menacing monsters and unforgettable heroes. You might even call it a ‘Whotopia’.

Now you can roam free through the Doctor’s dimension as never before in this special commemorative book for Doctor Who’s diamond anniversary. Join all the Doctors as each tells their own story. Learn about their legions of legendary allies – and hear from the monsters’ own mouths about what makes them tick. Find danger on alien worlds and threats here on Earth in all eras. And explore the gadgets, robots, spaceships, computers and mind-blowing creations that crowd the never-ending corridors of Whotopia.

This book was a Christmas present and I have enjoyed dipping in and out of my ‘Geeky’ nostalgia.

This book is a labour of love with recipes, lovely dialogue along with memories and helpful tips for tweaking recipes.

The book is a joy to read and the recipes we have tried have been delicious.

Synopsis (from book cover):

When Covid-19 hit the UK and lockdown was declared, Mike Matthews wondered how his historic four-star hotel would survive. Then Shrewsbury Council called. The British government had launched a programme called ‘Everyone In’ and 33 rough sleepers needed beds. The Prince Rupert would end up taking in more than 100 homeless people for over a year – many of whom had spent decades on the streets.

This is the astonishing account of how the hotel owner, manager and accountant and their unlikely new guests spent months locked in together and wound up transforming each other’s lives.

Review:

As we get to know the homeless people who were temporary guests at the Prince Rupert Hotel, I found the book is heartwarming, uplifting and sad in equal measures

Many of the homeless were traumatised, addicts or suffered with mental illness. We learn of their struggles and how some were able to lift themselves up to a better life whilst others were unable to break from their addictions.

The compassion, and sometimes frustration of the three hosts to the homeless shines through as does the generosity of the local people and businesses.

I thoroughly recommend this book, it gives an insight to how these ‘rough sleepers’ ended up sleeping on the streets and why some of them even when given opportunities are unable (or choose not to) to change their situation.

Photo courtesy of ShelterBox Book Club

Synopsis from the book cover:

In 2002, three young women with no business degrees, no formal training, and nothing to lose founded a fiercely independent bookstore. At the time, nothing like Diwan existed in Cairo. Culture was languishing under government mismanagement, and books were considered a luxury, not a necessity. Over the next decade, these three women would contend with censors, chauvinists, critics, one another and many people who said they would never succeed in establishing Diwan as Cairo’s leading bookstore.

Frank, fresh and very funny, Chronicles of a Cairo Bookseller is a portrait of a country hurtling toward a revolution, a feminist rallying cry, and an unapologetic crash course in running a business under the law of entropy. Above all, it is a celebration of the power of words to bring us home.

Thoughts on the book:

This was my first ShelterBox Book Group read and of three books on offer for the club vote this wasn’t my first choice.

I found the book engaging and like that it is structured in topics rather than chronological order. This reveals the problems with setting up the bookshop and expanding the business in context with other life experiences, allowing the story to unfold throughout the book.

I learned more about the culture of Egypt and the difficulties of three women starting and running a business in a patriarchal society. One of the passages in the book describes how a man wanted to do business with the company but refused to shake Nadia’s hand…

The author, Nadia portrayed herself as an unlikeable person and there is a lot of unnecessary swearing in the book which detracts from the narrative. The way Nadia treated her staff was inconsistent, she admonished and deducted pay for small misdemeanours of untidy book displays whilst letting those thieving from her to get off with paying back what they stole. Was that because the thief was male?

I Loved reading about the conversations between Nadia and her driver, although, sadly they eventually parted ways.

Would I recommend the book?

YES