Wine, Food, Karma & Paradise...

 

The Guests - Nikki Smith (Publication date - 21 May '24)

A holiday in the Maldives is a once in a lifetime experience for many. With perfect weather, 5 star service, perfect surroundings and people striving to create environmental efficiency for a better future – what could possibly go wrong? Ego’s, self-preservation, resentment, illness, wealth (profits) and pride, that’s what. There were so many people looking out for themselves that you never really knew who deserved whatever happened to them. Then again, life is rarely straight forward. What a delicious Maldivian rollercoaster.

 

Karma - Boy George

He’s a very strong character, defiant, a determined force, with a laissez-faire/pacifist attitude that was such a contradiction, which has made him the icon he is. But that is the intrigue isn’t it. Listening to him via the audio book added such an interesting edge to an already packed and vibrant memoir - flawed, funny, softly spoken yet fierce in his assertions. The audio book even treats you to some new music!

I feel well and truly schooled on someone I never knew I knew so little about and no, he’s not for everyone, but then again, that would involve being very bland.

 

Piglet – Lottie Hazell 

Just when you think everything is going to fall into place, everything that you have strived for can implode unless you’re willing to forgive and forget. But as much as we want to, our subconscious/central nervous system has a way of telling us that no, this is not ok, I am not ok. The way Piglet shows this unravelling was delicate and earth shattering at the same time. Covering the element of family dynamics when moving away and the repercussions of ‘being other’, how you are perceived and treated, or why you wanted to have that separation/different route in the first place. A powerfully juxtaposition of belonging and being lost, and how we fill those gaps that are in-between.

I also ended up using this book similarly to scrolling Pinterest, adding to my Tesco basket as I worked my way through… Buy here.

 

The Bordeaux Book Club – Gillian Harvey (Published on 15th March '24)

This is exactly what I needed. Teenage malaise, relationship fragmentations, book chat and wine. It was very relatable! Books aren’t just about entertainment and learning, but connections too. The Bordeaux Book Club combined how we can connect through books and start subjective discussions around classics and contemporary work while also offering a space to understand each other more, share a passion for understanding each other.

Sometimes the family we have is what we choose or what presents itself.

 

Fancy some more books?