Happy publication day!

Annet Shaap's novel is published in the english language, translated from the dutch, today and I could not possibly not recommend this book! It is quite obvious why this debut novel has already won 4 awards including the best Dutch children's book of the year for 2018.

I loved the premise of it, mermaids, pirates, lighthouses, monsters.. which is why I requested it from #Netgalley in the first place. And it did not dissappoint. In fact, it suprised me on how well the author weaved in some very important topics all the while keeping it middle grade friendly in without simplifying them. Trigger warnings to be inserted here are child abuse and neglect.

Very atmospheric setting, quite a darker and sadder story than I expected but beautiful nonetheless, clever character development and just stunning illustrations! Annet Shaap is known in the Netherlands especially due to her illustrations skills and one can clearly see why! I thought the translation was beautifully executed but I would gladly re-read this in Dutch as I always love reading books in their original language if possible. So a Middle Grade book like this sounds like it fits like a glove for that as my Dutch is quite dusty!

Loved the main character called Lampie and I felt like I wanted to hug her so many times throughout the story which examines the sometimes darker side of human nature that is weary about the 'different' and 'unknown'. Very important to have these books nowadays when these matters have become all the more relevant and prominent and I hope it continues that way in all possible genres and target groups.

Thank you Netgalley and Charlesbridge Publications for sending me the eArc in an exchange for an honest review.

#spoonfulofhygge #ofsaltandshore #netgalley #happypublicationday #publicationday #bookpublicationday #charlesbridge #annetshaap #middlegrade #middlegradebook #2020books

 

   | I do not have much to say about this one.

Representation? Great!
Important to have such a rep out there seeing as I have personally never read another book about drag queens? Yes!

But other than that it was a very flat read to me.
I did not understand the need for this to be written in verse apart from some extracts towards the end of the book.
The characters did not seem to have depth nor did the age correspond to their actions in my opinion. Especially around the teenage years of 15. That made me not connect at all. (that is different than saying if I related to any of them)

Overall I found it quite superficial whilst trying to cover a lot of topics at the same time but not successfully such as racism, the black movement, coming out, mixed race and coming of age story.

I know I am in the minority here but, as always, my reviews are honest and I try to reason why I loved or hated or meh-ed a book. 

And then it is another day, and another, and another but i will not go on about this because no doubt you too have experienced time.’ 

 

‘Cushions for the strong, chairs for the weak. ‘You should stay’ she always tells me, but I never do. Not sure where to sit.’ 

 

‘Young person worry: What if nothing I do matters? Old person worry: What if everything I do does?’ 

 

I am sure you have seen this book around as it was shortlisted for the 2020 Women’s Prize and was published in February this year. 

 

This is not a conventionally written book and thus probably not a book for everyone. Weather is written in the form of scenes of vignettes, little fragments, observations, thoughts that may seem random, undeveloped at first but the more you immerse yourself into her writing the more you get familiar with the context of it all which is actually more significant than the actual plot or the characters. Although funny at times, there is definitely an underlying undertone that is climate anxiety which made this book, for me at least, quite dark and hard to read. It was hard because climate anxiety is something I have started to personally experience for a few years now and the fact that the privileged North is still continuing with Business as Usual can make me frustrated and sad daily to this day. 

 

Weather is written in the midst of wobbly political environment, where climate crisis is a reality for everyone and we experience all the ways from small to big they affect everyday life. The preparations before the end the world, the conversations, the thoughts, the discussions; everything is connected to the crisis and yet not always in a direct way which makes it all the more disturbing as we already experience similar patterns right now 

 

The book is honestly confusing in the beginning. I did not get the flow of it until maybe about 1/3 in when I realised what the author’s focus was. I can tell you that this is about a librarian who is working closely with Sylvia, a professor who hosts a podcast called Hell or High water. The protagonist is married to Ben with whom they have a kid named Eli. She also has a brother who is going through some drug issues. But all of that will not give you the slightest grip of what weather is about as they all seem secondary to the matter at hand which is why the title is so fitting to this story. 

 

Despite, its dark undertones and very reflective prose that one has to pause to let it sink in, I do intend to re-read it in the very near future and I felt that the moment i finished reading the last sentence. Now that is some powerful writing right there. Seemingly effortless initially, but that is so far from the truth as I keep thinking about it everyday. I would love to talk to you about it if there is anyone else who is up for it. 

 

Thank you for reading! 

It was good I read this one. Living in Sweden I have tried to read many different books about delivering a baby and this one hit in the mark when it comes to mental health and being mostly mentally prepared for what is to come. The main point of this book is to exercise on managing your fears around delivery as this can help both your mind and body not to be overwhelmed when the time comes. A bit too hippie-ish at times and a bit too long when her points were already conveyed but I overall recommend it for moms and partners out there if they want to read more about this topic and what they can practically do to be prepared and most importantly what to do when at the hospital.