Hi folks, I mean to have this posted actually for Samhain, but last week didn’t play nice.

This book tag is a celebration of Samhain and Beltane – a bit of something for everyone.

Samhain

1. Samhain is the celebration of endings and mortality. What is your favourite last book in a series?

I haven’t finished a series for a while, which means Obsidio is up for this one. It’s not the strongest of the three Illuminae Files books but it’s still lots of fun.

2. Samhain is also the celebration of new beginnings. What is your favourite first book in a series?

I could have picked so many books for this prompt, but I thought I’d break out The Calculating Stars (the third book in this series is due out in the US in a few months!) I really love this alternate history which pays homage to the women mathematicians who were launching rockets into space back in the 50s.

3. At Samhain the veil is at it’s thinnest, allowing spirits to cross over. What’s your favourite creepy book?

Do I really need to say anything about this one?

Beltane

1. Beltane is the festival of the coming of the summer months. What’s a great summer read?

For me a great summer read is one that I read in summer. However, you can feel the heat seep off the page in this coming of age/cli fi book. I’m still not sure how I feel about this one – it’s given me a lot to unpack.

2. Beltane is also a celebration of The Great Rite and is a popular time for handfasting ceremonies. What’s a book you love that celebrates love.

This wasn’t what I was thinking of when I wrote this prompt but it’s so appropriate. The Old Lie is a treatise against war and the human destruction that it brings. It is also a tribute to all forms of love – romantic, the love of family, the love of your culture and traditions and the love of country. If you haven’t picked up Claire Coleman yet I would strongly encourage you to do so.

3. Beltane celebrates the beauty of nature. What’s a book about the natural environment that you’ve enjoyed?

Sadly I don’t own a hard copy of this one. I listened to it on audio and it was lovely to have Robin Kimmerer read me her words. This is a beautiful book about looking after the land and how much better things would be if we used Indigenous farming practises and respected the Earth rather than trying to strip her for everything we can.