Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World

31st May 202026th January 2023 by Stephen | Leave a comment

Rachel Ignotofsky. Hachette. (128p) ISBN 9781526360519

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World

I asked for a reading copy of this as I was intrigued by the cover art work, it looked so beautiful. I am also highly interested in shining a light on women that have been hidden from history, either through the roles that they were allowed to have in society and/or by the conscious actions of men in their lives.

When the book arrived I was really pleased with the quality and beauty of the illustrations on the cover and couldn’t wait to get it home to explore it. It is a lovely hard-back edition that really shows of the graphic quality of Rachel Ignotofsky’s work.

On opening the book this passion for quality and detail shine through, the paper is good quality and the colours shine out making the whole a wonderful experience to look at.

The book is broken down into small biographies of 50 important women in various scientific fields, with the left page having a cartoonish portrait of the person being written about with a few key points and a stylised background themed to their specialism. The right hand page then continues the biography with some key facts around the edges of the page with a core of information.

This worked well as before I knew it I had read the book, so there is not too much information to digest but just the right amount really. The most time consuming part of reading this book? Well, it was going back and forth on the illustrations looking at the rich detail.

I am in love with this book and will be using it in our half-term readings as our theme is space and science as I got a lot of interest from parents of young girls when I mentioned this book.

Looking forward to getting a copy of Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World to my niece as I think all girls should have a copy of this book to show what can be achieved and to encourage them not to let anyone tell them otherwise.

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Leonard and Hungry Paul

20th May 202026th January 2023 by Stephen | Leave a comment

Ronan Hession. Bluemoose Books. (245p) ISBN 9781910422441

Leonard and Hungry Paul

Amazingly I’ve had a copy of Leonard and Hungry Paul sat on my bookshelf for ages, I’ve always loved the premise of it, but for one reason or another I never quite made it past chapter one though I loved the voice in it.

I picked it up again recently and a book more suited to the period I couldn’t dream of.

A period in the lives of Leonard and Hungry Paul is explored with tenderness and understanding, their pasts are explored to help explain their presents and we are treated to two initially similar people but whose internal lives are very different.

Both are going through periods of change, in the case of Leonard his mother has died and Hungry Paul’s sister is about to get married. Both have to deal with these changes and both deal with them in their fashion.

I could really see a lot of myself in Leonard with his inner monologues and doubts, and I’m sure so many others will see themselves there as well.

Hungry Paul copes in a brilliantly different way, with great depth and a clarity of thought which surprises.

I was enchanted with the writing and the characters and there was a thought which stunned me, and stopped me in my tracks

“Solitude and peace lose their specialness when they no longer stand in contrast to anything.”

this to me explained my own feelings about what is happening to me during the lockdown, I’m usually a solitary person, not anti-social but I’m happy in my own company. This has changed during this period as I have no choices, I can’t go out and sit in a cafe and listen to people, I can’t say hello to regular customers and pet their dogs. It is all solitude and peace now.

I was so happy to read this book at this time, it has made a special place in my heart and will always be a book I can return to for comfort and solace.

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Lockdown Children’s LitFest

15th May 202026th January 2023 by Stephen | Leave a comment

Today was my turn to be interviewed by Catherine Miller for Lockdown Children’s LitFest.

Where I apologise for the lack of beard, lockdown just had it totally out of control and it needed tamed, it will be back to it’s full bushiness soon enough.

We chat about children’s books in general with a few recommends from me, a talk about book prizes, I give away my two most visited independent bookshops and lots more.

I do get a bit passionate here, but that’s how I feel about books.

If you can’t support with a monthly subscription a tip at my Ko-Fi is always appreciated, as is buying things from my Ko-Fi Shop.

You can always email me on contact@bigbeardedbookseller.com with any suggestions.

Cult Writers

3rd May 202026th January 2023 by Stephen | Leave a comment

Ian Haydn Smith. Frances Lincoln Publishing. (144p) ISBN 9780711250642

Cult Writers

After recently reading The Short Story of Film by Ian Haydn Smith this popped up for request on Netgalley so I jumped at the chance to read it.

Cult Writers: 50 Nonconformist Novelists You Need to Know continues with the short format biographical form and continues it well.

Here we read about fifty novelists who’ve built up a cult following and since they are cult writers you have heard of them, but the short snippets of information give a great pocket biography of the authors that though succinct is informative.

I’m really enjoying this format of group biography as it’s the perfect bedside book, dipping into a couple of chapters a night before falling asleep is great and has no pressure, though it can be misleading and you can get pulled into reading a lot as they are so fascinating.

Great artwork from Kristelle Rodeia complements the text so well.

Another great book from Ian Haydn Smith which has really added to my TBR.

If you can’t support with a monthly subscription a tip at my Ko-Fi is always appreciated, as is buying things from my Ko-Fi Shop.

You can always email me on contact@bigbeardedbookseller.com with any suggestions.