Hello, I'm Hazel Butterfield and this is Get Booked for Women's and Men's Radio Station. Here on Get Booked, we love talking to authors and book enthusiasts about new releases, going into detail about the topics covered, the inspiration, the mental health and wellbeing elements, and just opening discussions and offering support via the incredible writing community out there. Come and join us for the next hour, get involved, and if you want to catch up on a preview shows, you can at womensradiostation.com/shows/getbooked, and it's up on our SoundCloud too. Now today on the show, we have the book blogger Books with Hens, so a whole show waxing lyrical about a variety of books to whet your appetite. Henna, thank you so much for joining us on the show. Thank you for having me, I'm so excited. Me too, I just want to talk about some— I mean, it's a slightly different format to some of the shows. We quite often have an author and we chat on, chat about their latest release and books that they've done in the past and the process, and today we just get to talk about so many different books and just talk about our love of books and writing and basically top up everybody's TBRs. Yes, that's what I love to talk about. That's all I ever talk about if I get the chance. Me too, me too. It's a good job that I have this show because otherwise all my friends would be like, "Yeah, yeah, we get it, you like books." But no, I do, I do absolutely love reading and I'm a huge fan of writing as well. And I love just hearing from other people what they've been reading as well, especially indie authors. And with you working for HarperCollins as well, you must come across some pretty incredible new books books out there. To kick off the show, why don't you tell our listeners a little bit more about you? Yeah, that's great. So I, as you mentioned, I work for HarperCollins. I actually work in the education department, so Collins Reference, Collins Learning, but it doesn't stop me from getting my hands on all the new books that are coming out from HarperCollins, so I'm really lucky about that. Very. A perk of the job is honestly to get proof copies before they come out, so I basically decided to start a Bookstagram because I had all these books from work themselves and also my own books that I bought, and I just thought I'd review them and share the love for them, really. And that's how my work and my hobbies all tie into one. It's quite a nice community out there, especially when you're reviewing, because although it's nice to read and then tell people what you think of the book, It is invaluable to authors out there if they don't get reviews, if they don't get people mentioning their books. And I do stress this a lot to all of my listeners. If you do want to review a book, put it up on Amazon because that is the bread and butter, especially to indie authors, isn't it? Yeah, 100%. Like if, if you don't wanna, you know, start an Instagram, for example, for it, Amazon, you know, Goodreads, there's, Waterstones, you know, there's so many different, um, book, you know, bookselling places that will love your review, even if it's just a line or two, you know, authors will always see it and it'll big up their book. So that's like, like you said, it's the most invaluable thing to do. And all those interesting cookies out there, they kind of recognize the words and help put out the recommendations to people as well. I always, I always find it incredible how when you get those cheeky emails from Amazon going, this book is out, maybe you'll like it, and I'm like 'Oh, they've got it spot on! I would like that one!' Yeah, how do you know? And it's because they're picking up on the kind of the genre and the words that are used, aren't they? Yeah, completely. It's so interesting to see that. But yeah, that's what I've learned across my journey too. Yeah, and it's just, I think it's nice to support each other as well. And I mean, social media can be interesting at the best of times, but I find like the writing community on Twitter and Instagram, it's really kind kind of sweet and supportive, you know. You've got, you've got certain people kind of showing you how to do contouring and they're just like, oh my God, I can't get this right. Whereas with books, you know, anything else on social media, it's all a bit critical. And with books, everyone's just like, oh my God, I love you. No, I love you. Oh my God, you should try her book, she's brilliant. It's like, it's like the nicest place to be. Yeah, it's so wholesome, I think, as well. It's just everyone's getting involved with sharing it. And actually, if you do just share a tweet about a favorite book you've read and tag the author, just by chance, a lot of the time, you know, the author does respond to you and they take the time to really like appreciate the review that you're sending and the recommendation you're sharing with the world. They do, yeah, I love that, I really do. I mean, one of the reasons that I actually do this show, I tend to, I tend to try and get as many indie authors as possible because it's so hard out there, there's so many books and it's just trying to, it's, it's so much easier for somebody who has 200,000+ followers, or, you know, they're already semi-famous, and which is why you get famous people who have— who aren't particularly writers releasing books and doing well, because they've already got the promo there. And it's nice to kind of just help and support each other. Just because somebody's famous doesn't necessarily mean they're a better writer, it just means they have a better platform. Exactly. It's, um, and just to the regular listeners, my voice does sound a little bit different. I did lose it last week, um, so I do sound a little bit more husky than usual. So what I'd like to know, I've been having a look at books with Hen, so H-E-N, and just to have a look at what you have been reading, and do you have a particular favourite genre? Um, I would say yes. So I, I tend to lean towards the mystery thriller type of books in general, but yeah, but I'm not, I'm not a massive fan of gore, so I can't read books that are super gory. But I just love the mystery. I love trying to guess who's done what, what's going to happen next, and I think those are the books that I tend to gravitate more towards. But actually, one of my goals for the year on my Instagram is to read more fantasy, for example, because I think, you know, it's important to read different genres because you never know if you'll like a book until you try something, you know, if you try a few from that genre. But yeah, so mystery and thriller is my number one, I think. Yeah, I mean, I'm quite similar. I love a domestic noir. I love that term, domestic noir. It's just like there's somebody living next door, but what are they actually really up to? Yeah. That's probably one of my favourite. And although I asked you your favourite genre, I think what's interesting to point out now is people don't actually fit into a genre as easily these days. Sometimes they kind of, they cover about 6 different genres. So although you are trying to get into fantasy, the fantasy could actually be set, you know, 3 years ago and actually is a little bit more close to the bone than what normal fantasies would have been assumed to have been. So it's good to kind of try out new things that in the past you've not been so into, because everything's always evolving. Yeah, 100%. I also— you can find that with particular apps such as Goodreads and Storygraph, which actually mark what type of genres that particular book falls under. And actually you can see it's so diverse. You can have it, like you said, you can have a mystery, but it also be fantasy, and then that ties two into one. So it's important to branch out and not just stick to a specific genre, I think. But Yeah, I think it depends on the, the other elements as well. I, I'm, I'm generally— I've not even read Harry Potter, so I'm sure there's lots of listeners right now saying, what? But I just— Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, it's just not my bag. And I did actually have, um, a fantasy novel put to me, and— but it had a really dirty sense of humor, right? I absolutely loved it. And sometimes it just works, right? Yeah, completely. I think you just have to give it a go, or like, you know, read the plot. If it sounds like something you'd like, go for it, and if you don't like it, it doesn't matter, you know, there's always another one out there. There is, there is indeed, and you, again, you won't know unless you try. Do you have a particularly favourite author out there that you're kind of— you can put alerts on, can't you, on Amazon and Waterstones and whatnot, or even on their own social media feed that when they've got something to say you find out about it. Is there a particular author out there that you're semi-stalking? Well, I would say I have two particularly, right, like in this, in like at the moment, in this present time. One's called Madeline Miller. I don't know if you've heard of her, but she— it's more, her books are more on Greek mythology, so quite specific, but they're like retellings of the old, you know, the old Greek mythology stories that we already know or have learned about at school, but it's more like a retelling about maybe a particular part that didn't get enough attention. So, you know, there's a character maybe in there who's portrayed as being quite evil or villainous, and Madeline Miller kind of spins it and tells a different story about that particular character. And I thought that that was super interesting because you're bringing, you know, you're bringing books that— or like tales that were told God knows how many years ago, to the present day and having like such a big following. She's really become so popular and my alert has been put on and I think she's actually just releasing a new book, so it's worked out really well. I'm just having a look at it now, The Song of Achilles, Galatea, Ariadne. Do you know what this is? Are you a fan of Jane the Virgin? Have you watched that on Netflix? Yes, I love Jane the Virgin. Well, I was watching an episode last night, it's in season 4, where she's actually, she's got writer's block and they've they turn around to her and say, "Why don't you write the same story but from a different perspective?" And that's quite similar, isn't it? It's just kind of finding a different way to tell the same story. Yeah. So that's kind of an interesting kind of link there. But I really like that because I'm a huge fan of when friends of mine say they don't understand why someone's doing something to them, or they don't understand a particular situation, why their ex is behaving this way. And I kind of say, yeah, you know, instead of just putting yourself in their shoes, why don't you kind of argue as if you are in their position? And it's a great way to get— to gain a better perspective, isn't it? And actually just to find a different side to a story, because everybody's life and everybody's story is different depending on— Yeah, I think— yeah, I think that's a great link to make, because I think that's part of why I love the book so much, or why I love retellings in general so much, because you're hearing the other side of story. You still may not, you know, feel the same empathy or sympathize with the characters, but it's so interesting to learn where they may have come from and their background and the struggles they've been through. So I think that is why I like them a lot. And similarly, like you said, with Jane the Virgin, it can crop up as well. I think it's a really interesting, relatable thing to have in, you know, the arts. Yeah. I mean, I, I, when I got into Jane the Virgin, obviously it wasn't, I didn't realize it was more about, it is about writing as well. Yeah. And I I just love kind of absorbing that. What's the other one as well? Have you watched Younger? Oh no, I haven't, but that's been on my list to watch for a while. I mean, that is completely to do with publicists and literary agents and publishing, and then having the kind of millennial spiel into it, and just— it's incredibly interesting how the slightly higher echelons work as well, especially in New York, and when you're expected to sell a good million copies, which is interesting. But I am loving— there's a lot of programmes out there that are really popular that are all about publishing. It's just bonkers, isn't it? Yeah, I think the book world is really making its mark now, and I think, you know, lockdown and COVID and all that has had a lot to play with that because what are you meant to do in your time? And actually books are there to help with that, take you to another world, make you not think about, you know, staying inside and lockdown and all that. Living another life, appreciating somebody else's perspective, especially with the mental health elements as well. I think one of the joys of books is that, you know, whether it's fiction or non-fiction, it's reading about a different perspective and understanding a different story, and I think a lot of people have wanted to do that to understand a bit more, and they've finally had the time to do it. I mean, how many— how much did we hear before, before even COVID was around, that people say, "I love to read, I just don't have the time"? Yes, 100%. I heard that so much as well, and actually I think I was also— even though I've loved books and I've always loved reading, I always felt like I didn't have enough time to actually sit down and appreciate, you know, the book that I'm reading to the full extent until now, really. I've found such a shift over the last year of how I read and the way, you know, and just reading habits in general. And I think you'll find there's a lot of people that either had a lot of time on their hands to write that book that they just didn't have time to write. And there's also different consumptions as well. I mean, Audible has gone through the roof because people had to go out on these walks every day. Well, they didn't have to, but it was the only thing they could do, so everybody wanted to. And whether it's because you want to shut the incessant noise of the kids that have been stuck in the house with you for the last, you know, 6 months or whatnot, especially in deep lockdown, you know, it was podcasts and Audible went through the roof. I mean, I don't think I could actually specify which I prefer most. I mean, I love being able to read on my Kindle, I love having a proper book and not actually having the distractions of notifications coming up. But, you know, it's quite bizarre for me to, to go out for a walk longer than 10, 15 minutes and to not have my earbuds in and to be listening to Audacity by Catherine Ryan or Shuggie Bain. Or, you know, if I go to the gym, I've always got a book on. It's not music. And, you know, I've got 3 books going at any particular time. It's— that's something I've always read a lot, but this has been so much more since lockdown because it was my way of wanting to consume more literature. There was none of the reading on the public transport while going into work or hiding in a café because you weren't allowed to do any of these things, and now it's just, you know, I'm consuming them in so many different ways. And actually, which is your favourite? Favourite way of reading a book, or consuming a book, should I say? Yeah, I think, I think my favourite way is like with a physical paperback or hardback book, but I completely agree with everything you've said because I actually, I bought a Kindle just before everything, you know, the pandemic started because I was doing my commute and I was travelling to, to and from work and it was like a 40-minute tube journey and bringing, you know, bringing a paperback or a hardback book sometimes is not the easiest when you're already lugging your laptop around. So I bought the Kindle, and actually it didn't take me too long to get used to it, and I absolutely love the Kindle as well because it's just so easy. It also tells you how much, you know, how much percentage you've read of the book. So you still have that same idea as like with a physical book, you look at it and you're like, oh, I'm about halfway through, and you know, it's nice to see the progress you're making. But actually the Kindle also has that function, so you know, you don't lose too much between it other than the physicality of it. So that was a really good investment that I made. But also, like you said about podcasts and books, you know, like Audible, for example, I only started getting into that because of my walking as well. And like, when you walk for an hour, what are you meant to listen to? And I just found actually there's also a lot of celebrities, you know, there was a time where celebrities were rereading like parts of Harry Potter and they put it on Spotify, for example. So it made it accessible to a lot of people. And I think that that's a medium which I will definitely continue, you know, consuming books through. But that's probably the one that I've touched on the least at the moment. But I definitely will start going on more walks and listening to it that way. The only thing I will warn you about with consuming books through Audible, especially when you're listening to something quite funny, you're that person walking down the street giggling to yourself. And it happens a lot to me. Yeah. And once you get going, I mean, I generally walk with my dog, so it either looks like I'm having a bit of a giggle with my dog about something, or it's just I mean, I look a bit crazy, and let's be honest, it's not completely too far off the mark. But no, it is good. Do you write as well? I actually write poetry, but I've never really written, you know, I don't write stories or books, but I've always loved writing poetry, and that's about the kind of area I stay in. But I absolutely love it. It's another way of expressing how I'm feeling. You know, and, you know, trying to relate to people. So I just picked up a love for it really a few years back and just kept going at it. But yeah, I think writing is just— it's invaluable. It doesn't have to go anywhere. It can just be for yourself. It can just be about ordering your own thoughts or exploring what's going on in your head and putting meaning to it for yourself. Yeah, completely. I love that. I mean, I do stress to some of my friends, I mean, I write, I write blogs, I've written my own book, which I haven't got published yet, but I am working on it. I only actually finished it last Tuesday. But oh wow. But you know, I say to friends, oh, you know, you should write. Like, yeah, yeah, yeah, but we don't really want people to read what we've got to say. I'm like, no, it can just be to yourself, you know. You can just have a diary or scribble things down or, you know, have a bit of a a brain dump before you go to bed. So yeah, in there being overwhelmed with thoughts, just write it down, order your thoughts, and it's, it's incredible. But it doesn't have to go anywhere, or even, you know, yeah, typing it up and then just, just leaving it in a little folder somewhere on your laptop or your iPad. Yeah, I think often you have like so many tabs open in your head almost about like, you know, your work life, your home life, like all these stresses and stuff, that sometimes you do just need to, like you say, do a brain dump. And it, you know, it can come out in like just bullet points, a little diary entry, like you said, or like you can take it further if you really want to and like develop on it. But it's just such a cathartic process, I think, writing in general. Yeah, completely. There are some excellent books out there as well on, on kind of how to reprogram your brain and the benefits of writing in terms of— we're getting We're so used to typing and doing everything electronically, and it's using a different part of our brain. And if we don't keep on utilizing the other part, you know, we— it won't be as effective. So it's good to remind ourselves that the actual physical benefits of writing as well, getting a pen in your hand and actually doing it, so that we don't all look like we've got doctor's handwriting. And so I want I want to talk about, I know you're doing the 2022 Challenge and there's a couple of books on there that I want to talk about, but I'd like to hear about some of the latest books that you've read that you'd like to recommend to our listeners. Oh, that's an exciting question. Is it? Yeah, I don't even know where to start. Well, I just finished reading a book called Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados. It's quite a millennial-based book, I would say, or like millennial experiences. So, you know, for someone in their 20s, it's quite— it's like the most relatable thing I found. Um, and, you know, it's about young women having fun without consequences, just living their best life, you know, just living their best life with not having that fear and, um, anything like that attached to it. And it's all about, you know, just being young, relatable, making mistakes, but also learning from them. So that was a really, really good book that I'd recommend, and it's, it's not necessarily plot-driven, but it's character-driven, character-driven, and I think that that's also quite important sometimes because you want to see the character development. You want to see someone maybe that has parts of your personality in that character, and then they develop into someone else, and I think it's just really important reading about, yeah, reading about character development. It's so, it's so good to see yourself in a character, or maybe not see yourself in a character and understand that there's a different person out there. And this was— Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think what's interesting is I've read quite a few books recently where, yes, something's happening and something's happened to the character in the past, but there's no big crescendo, there's no great death scene, there's nothing where it all goes completely all over the place. It's just following a journey, and yeah, I think it's just quite real, and I like it. And sometimes you kind of go, oh, wait a minute, I'm at about 90% in this book, and it doesn't look like something crazy is going to happen, but it doesn't have to, because life isn't always like that. Sometimes life is just a little bit up and down, and we're just trying to figure things out. Yeah, 100%, and I think that's what we're seeing, more books coming out about just a journey, or, you know, being part of the character's journey. And actually, that's quite nice to read next to something that may be very plot-driven twists and turns. So I think it's nice to have a balance of both types of books, really. I do. I like to switch it all up, so I kind of do something that's a bit more, say, memoir or self-help-esque, and then I go into something that's comedy and I want a good old laugh. And then I'll go on to like my kind of favourite domestic noir and kind of move it all. I kind of alternate it like that, or depending on what's going on in my interesting little brain, I kind of know what I need next, and if I haven't got that in my TBR, I'll just put it out on Twitter and say, "Right, I need this, this, and this. Who can recommend something that's going to suit me?" And then you'll just get flooded with, "Try this, try this, try this," and I like that, I like that. Yeah, so, so Happy Hour, I like that. And that's Marlowe Grenados? Yeah, yeah, yes, I'm just going to look at that now. What else have you been reading? I have two more that I actually would like to bring up. One's a non-fiction one actually, and I think, you know, I don't tend to read a lot of non-fiction and I want to try and read more of it, but I think I just personally like the idea of, you know, escaping to a different world, which is why I gravitate more towards fiction, but this non-fiction book is called She Speaks, and it's a collection created by Yvette Cooper, who's an MP. But it's a collection of speeches from women all over the world, and it's just so inspirational, it's powerful, and it gives you a confidence boost. So it's one of those books that you always want on your shelf that you can, you know, dip in and out of just, you know, if you're having a bit of a low day and you want, you know, some confidence, or you want a bit of a boost, you want to feel a bit more inspired, then you pick up this type of book. And, you know, you could read a speech given by, you know, the greatest, you know, the greatest women from all over the world, like Michelle Obama, Greta Thunberg, Boudicca from like many years ago, you know. Yeah, it really documents from way back in history to the present day, and I think anyone can find a really inspirational speech in here just to give them a bit of a pick-me-up. And I, you know, that's really good for mental well-being as well, because sometimes you do need that. You do need a bit of a boost. And if you can't necessarily get it from someone around you, always turn to a book. You know, people put their, people put their time and effort into a book that makes you feel good or makes you feel inspired. And I think that this is a great one to have. So I recommend this to everyone. I love this, and I've not come across this, and I'm going to have to get hold of it because although, you know, women are out there, they're making themselves heard, every now and again someone just tries to bring a woman back down again. And it's just a bit of a reminder of the incredible things that can happen if we allow our voice to be heard. And again, we just need these reminders every now and again. We all have dips, men and women, and we just need a reminder of what is out there, what is incredible, What's been said and you know how you can channel your inner beast, you know, your inner tiger. I love that. I'm just— Yeah, 100%. Yeah. Add it to your list. I'm adding it to my list. The thing is, as I, as I chat to all my guests on this show, I do, as I'm doing it, I do have my iPad out and I put them all up because, you know, I suspect you're quite a bit younger than me and I don't know what your memory's like. But, you know, things can, things can disappear really quickly. Before you know it, the dishwasher has sounded and I've gone and done that and I've forgotten what I need. It's really bad. And I thought, what am I saying about women? But, you know, it's just we get so distracted. So as soon as I see something that I want, it gets put in the basket. Now, She Speaks is now in my Amazon basket. I've done it. I love that. I know, but I got a feeling I'm going to be buying quite a few copies because it's one of those ones that you want to give to your friends as well, isn't it? It's really good. 100%. I actually got this as a gift from my sisters, um, for a birthday, and I just think it's one of the best gifts you can give. I love it. It kind of— I know it sounds really bad, but I kind of feel like it needs to be one of those ones that you keep by the side of the toilet as well, just so, you know. Yeah, yeah. Toilet read. And that's not slight against it, it's just, you know, things to read while you're in the loo. Oh, I love that. And what's your next one? Oh yeah, my last recommendation. I'm only about a quarter of the way through it at the moment, so it's kind of an ongoing read. It's called Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth. It is quite a chunky book, I'll just let you know in advance, it is 600 pages, so I know that it may not, it may not appeal to quite a few people, but it's one of those books where I went, I read the first chapter and I was like, this is absolutely the book for me. Um, it's all about mystery, gothic fiction, um, intense love, so it has pretty much everything you can throw at it in this book. Um, it's a mystery within a mystery. Um, so it's so exciting to be on the whirlwind with this particular book. Um, and it's just about bad heroines because it's quite an interesting concept. Yeah, it's quite an interesting concept because a lot of the time you see obviously like really great heroines in books, um, but sometimes you want to relate to that heroine and you're like, where are the plain heroines that are not, not always 100% good, you know, have a bit of you know, have a bit of bad in them, but I think it's such an interesting concept to grab and write this great story on. So I recommend it so far, especially because it's grabbed me right from the beginning. But I'll also end up reviewing this soon on my Books with Hen. So if it does sound of interest, definitely go check out my full review when I've finished it. But at the moment, I'd love to, like, recommend that to everyone. I'm just having a look at it now, and interestingly, I'm coming towards the end. Of Katherine Ryan's Audacity, which is a very funny book. Yeah. I absolutely love her to pieces. She's so straightforward and she just doesn't care what other people think. She just gets on with it. And I will need a new audiobook, and this does actually come on Audible, so it's— Oh, great. Yeah, so I'm gonna add it onto there. It's gonna be brilliant. Because that's the kind of thing that I would like to be listening to while walking around on the streets. Give people another reason to think that I'm a little bit bonkers, really. But I love that idea as well because, you know, we're not all perfect. It's completely unrealistic. And sometimes we do incredible things and occasionally we just mess life up a little bit. Yeah. But that's normal and it's acceptable. And, you know, sometimes I do slightly worse things, but, you know, life's up and down. I love that whole concept and I've not heard of that So thank you so much. Yeah, 18 hours and 27 minutes. Oh gosh, wow, that's up there with Barack Obama's book. Wasn't that like 19 or 20 hours or something? I think it was something like that, and I have yet to tackle that one, but I'm just trying to get through this big one first. Well, I must say, um, for Barack Obama, I think you should always do that on Audible. I mean, he could have just spent 20 20 hours just talking about his Tesco shopping list and I would have listened. He's got the most incredible voice and when he swears you feel like Dad has just said something. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I definitely bumped that up my list then. Yeah, but it is, because it is so big, especially with these slightly bigger ones, I think it is better to consume them via audiobook Yeah, because— yeah, I agree, it can be a little bit too much sometimes. I did actually do Will Smith's book through audiobook. Oh, okay. Yeah. How did you find that? I mean, I think there needs to be a warning to not read it via book because he sings on the audiobook. Wow. And he's like, he— when he's talking about things that have happened and when they've put a riff together and when him and Jazzy Jeff were first starting to produce music and then they came out with the rap for Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and yeah, singing it. And then when, when he's talking about how his grandma used to get him to sing in church, he's singing what he used to have to sing and how terrible it was and you would never get any of that. And he sings and he raps and he relays conversations from different family members, and none of this you would get if you were just reading the words off the page. And there was so much, so many different layers to it on audiobook that 100%, you just, I just, I don't think, I think I'd be quite disappointed if I'd have read it rather than listened to it. Yeah, well, I think, yeah, I think you're right then. I think there should be something in the description that tells you that you must, you know, you must listen to this as well as reading it because, you know, that's so rich with realness and humanity. I guess that's what comes out of it. It's like you're listening to an actual conversation that you're having. It's— you're part of the conversation that these celebrities, you know, are telling. And I think that that brings another level of relatability to it. Well, it's like a 20-hour intimate podcast where they're just talking to you. There's nobody else even involved and you just say, wow. Yeah, no, absolutely incredible. But that, but you, do you know what? That is gonna be my next audiobook now, Plain Bad. I love it. And the kind of people that have been reviewing it as well. I mean, there's, there's little snippets there from, from Oprah as well. I mean, if it's okay for her, I mean, I'll give it a go. And it's, um, I've been reading some incredible books out there at the moment. Some of them, I'm quite lucky that I get books before they've been released as well, so it means that I can, I can read them, review them, and help people figure out what to get before they're even out. They can get them on the day that they're released. And also, there's, there's so many books out there that I've read recently that I just know they're not getting people buying their book anywhere near as much because they're an ex-GP who, you know, they've retired slightly earlier and they've written the book, and so social media is not really their thing. And what they have to say is incredible, and it helps people have a bit more compassion towards the NHS or understand a little bit more about suicide. So, you know, just a parent whose child unfortunately has taken their life, you know, you get all these books, and they're not getting anywhere near as much promo and kudos, and they're just incredible. And I think you'll find, you know, a lot more book reviewers like yourself, you get hold of these books because people are, you know, they really want you to review them to help them boost their figures. And that's, that's what's the beauty of some of these independent book reviewers like yourself. We, we have access to some incredible reads out there. Yeah. Whereas books that people hear about from people with bigger social media followings, they're all, you know, in the Sunday supplements and going out on, you know, Marie Claire website and whatnot, because, you know, they've already got a leg up a little bit. So I must stress, people, go, go and find your book reviewers out on Instagram and Twitter and see what they've got to say. And there's going to be some absolute gems out there. Bit of a quick reminder, Books with Hen, go and check it out. You're on Twitter and on Instagram, aren't you? I am. My Twitter is just my name, so @hennasandhu, and my Instagram, as you said, is Books with Hen. Yay! So there's one, there's one that I've read recently called My Husband's Fiancée. Have you heard about that one? Oh no, I haven't. It's by Wendy Owens. 'Would you like your husband's fiancée to start visiting you in prison when you're in prison for killing your husband's mistress?' Oh! That's an interesting one, isn't it? Life is complicated and we often have ulterior motives for doing what we do. My Husband's Fiancée is a delicious mix of intrigue, dysfunction, heartbreak, and love. Oh, and a bit of murder too. A bit of a domestic noir. Um, so I absolutely love that one. That one's just actually recently released. Now, have you heard of Jason Wagner and his book Manic Man? Ah, yes, I have actually. I think I've seen it pop up on my timeline. So he actually came on the show just before Christmas. He lives in Canada and And so you haven't read it yet, have you not? No, I haven't read it yet, no. Oh, it's just, it's absolutely everything I love about the power of a book, how we can learn from our mistakes and share experiences, start conversations, challenge perceptions, and question the whole, you know, who am I? Just because, I mean, Manic Mamet is about Jason, who has bipolar disorder 1, but that's not necessarily who he is. Not everybody with bipolar 1 is the same person. So we have to— it helps people explore who they are, and although they have a particular label, it is not the be-all and end-all. And just showing how in sometimes these things can accentuate who we are, they can develop who we are and make us unique in the most positive positive way, or when we're faced with something, when we're faced with adversity, we can help other people to understand or help to overcome. And this is the beauty of books, isn't it? You know, helping each other learn a bit more about ourselves. Completely. I'm just jotting these down now to bump up my TBR list. Well, I had a good old chinwag with him for Get Booked, and he's great actually. But just the way he writes the whole manic stage, his major manic stage that actually got him diagnosed with bipolar 1, and you're sitting there going, Jason, you're making another mistake. Why can't you see you're in the manic? You are kind of rooting for him. And then, you know, when whatever goes up must come down. And in the book, he's just, he's talking about what happens afterwards, but kind of warning people, you know, that if you do find out you've got bipolar 1 and it's through chronic stage, the depression will come, but this is how to help it. And to help, you know, at the end of the day, if you're armed with information, knowledge is power. It can help you overcome what you're going through, can't it? 100%. That sounds brilliant. It's a really good book. I absolutely loved it. Um, there's so many. I mean, if you pop onto hazelbutterfield.com, there's various book reviews up on there. Um, there is one that I— I mean, I don't know about yourself, do you drink at all? Yes, I do. Aha! Well, there's a fantastic book that I read recently called Leslie Miller, and it's called Alcohol Reconsidered. And again, this is what I love. It's about— it's not about giving up alcohol like everyone seems— they seem to say, you know, it's, it's not good for me, that's it, I'm completely and utterly out. She talks about how she drank too much to deal with, you know, possibly going out and socializing, or dealing with parenting, or dealing with COVID We all drank a bit too much much during COVID And she talks about, you don't have to give up, you've just got to understand your patterns a bit more and make healthier, more informed decisions. If you want to go out on a ridiculous night out on Saturday, you know, make better decisions throughout the week or do something to make yourself feel better. You know, it's all about a balance and creating a balance, and we're struggling with balance at the moment because we see everything out there, we see everybody smashing everything out the park. It's not necessarily real what we see on social media, but we're striving to do anything and everything. And Alcohol Reconsidered: Education for Moderation, the main author is Leslie Miller, and she's collaborated with Catherine Kell Clarke. And it's just, it's not preachy, and it's great, and it's honest, and it's talking about You know, just pointing out the things that we sometimes know already. Yeah. About the day-to-day. Exactly. Stuff that, you know, but you know, it's, it's good to hear it in a different way. And you know, it's not like, it's like you said, it's not an extreme. It's not, you have to cut it out of your life completely, but it's just someone telling you from a different perspective, I guess. Yes. Yeah, completely. And, and it's a different way. There is. So many people out there who, who have different ways that work for them, and it's nice to just hear alternatives where we can find things that work for us. You know, in many books similar to Alcohol Reconsidered, they're kind of, kind of autobiographical, kind of self-help. There could be 10 excellent points that they talk about, and 2 or 3 may work for us, but that's 2 or 3 more than what we had before. Yeah, exactly. I love that. And yeah, so there's lots and lots out there. My Child and Other Mistakes by Ellie Taylor, that was hilarious, and I did that one on Audible because her voice is absolutely fantastic. Do you know who Ellie Taylor is, the comedian? Yeah, I know who she is. Yeah, I think she's brilliant. And then, isn't she? And is there anybody on the planet left that hasn't read The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearce yet? Well, I haven't actually read it, but I've used it the other day. I bought it the other day, so I better get on it. Yeah, it's so interesting. I mean, I follow her on social media because she's so humble. She's just— she's written this book and she was just hoping somebody would pick it up, and then Reese Witherspoon goes, this book is fantastic. Then everybody else goes, wow, wow, wow. It's now been translated into, what, 50 50 different languages or something. Yeah, it's crazy. And she's like, "I just wrote a book." Like, you know, it's like, it's everybody's dream to write their first book and somebody to turn around and say it's fantastic and everybody, you know, buys it all over the world. But that's extremely rare that that ever happens to debut authors, especially those that aren't famous. And it's just happened to her, hasn't it? And she's just all just sitting there going, "Yeah." Angst eyes, cheers Reese Witherspoon. And, um, but yeah, I don't know if you follow her on social media, but she's quite funny. She's just like, yeah, this— I just still don't really know what's happening. So I've written another book because I got told I had to because the other one was really good. But no, I absolutely love that one. Um, and there's so many more out there at hazelbutterfield.com. Now you've got a 2022 challenge, haven't you? Are you something like 7 of your 50 50 in. Is that about right? That is true, yeah. So I, I set my book challenge at 50 books. I did do it at 52, so, um, one every week I aimed for before, um, and I did enjoy doing that, but I decided to do 50, so 2 less, because sometimes I felt like at the end of your challenge you're not really reading for the purpose of reading, you're reading to meet a goal, and I didn't want that to happen again. So I, I kept it 2 less, and actually This month has been such a great reading month. I think, I think January is all about beat the backlog, you know, the books that you bought a year ago, half a year ago that are still sitting on your shelf that you haven't read alongside your brand new like Christmas present books. Just picking up the ones that have been on your shelf for a while and actually enjoying those first maybe, or alternating between the two. So that's what I've been doing, trying to get through the books that I picked up last year, and then also dipping into one or two of the new ones that I bought. I do love a challenge, but there's something about a whole year when there's so many different books coming out and you go, well, I've got to read that, I've got to read that. Yeah, it kind of is locking yourself in. Are you allowed to swap books in and out? Uh, 100%. I think, I think it's— I mean, you're a grown-up, so you can make your own decisions. All for myself. Well, I made that rule for myself because you're right, there's there's so many great books that come out, you know, spring, summer, like they bring out different books, particularly for the season, you know, sometimes you want the summer good vibe feel, and you may not have that on your shelf already, so you look to what's out there at that time, at that time and place, and that's what you pick up, and that's what you read, so I think it's important to be able to change, change which books you want to read, so that's all part of the fun journey. Well, yeah, I mean, I've added 2 to my TBRs in the last 20 minutes, so yeah, completely. Well, we're running out of time a little bit now. A couple of things I like to ask all the guests on Get Booked, because women's radio station and men's radio station, we're very well-being focused and just trying to look for the positive in life. And I like to ask for 3 top tips on good mental well-being. What are the 3 things you turn to when you need a little bit of a pick-me-up? I think we've probably said it during this show, but a change of scenery, I think, is my number one. It's just the most, the easiest and the most important thing to do. So whether that's, you know, walking outside with someone, having a helpful, or if you're by yourself, like you said, or walking your dogs or something, put on a podcast. I think podcasts have become such an important factor in mental well-being recently because I listen to Table Manners, which is like a show about food. It's funny. It has celebrities on it come and tell their stories. But then you also have shows like Happy Place, which are specifically designed to talk about mental well-being and the struggles that people have had. So I think, you know, there's a podcast out there for everyone. That's Fern Cotton, isn't it? Yeah, Fern Cotton. Yeah. And I think that there's great ones out there that make you feel like, make you have a boost when you're out and about in nature. I think it's really important. We must remind our listeners then that obviously all the shows, once they've aired, yeah. That particular week here on women's radio station and men's radio station, they get uploaded to the SoundCloud, so they could listen to a Get Booked show, a past one, couldn't they? 100%, that's what I did, that's what I did actually. I listened to one of the shows because I found it on SoundCloud, and it's a great, you know, you can just download it and it's great, it's a great option to have when you're walking out and about. Yeah, isn't it, Jas? Thank you, I like a quick promo. Yeah, so getting out, a change of scene, I think is absolutely fantastic. And just consuming something to kind of cheer us up or help us learn something new. It's to do with productivity as well, isn't it? Yeah, exactly. And then the other 2 tips I would say is one, I know this is quite easy to say, but read before you go to sleep or, you know, try not to watch something before you go to bed or look at your screen. And I know everyone says this, but I've only actually really tried it properly in the last year because I had trouble sleeping and I decided to put my phone away at about like half, half 9, 10, and just sat there and read for an hour before I went to bed. And I think it makes such a difference to your quality of sleep as well. And sometimes you don't realise you're tired or you don't get that quality of sleep. And I think just making that small change is really helpful and I've seen it work. So that would be one of my top tips as well. Well, the thing is, I know that that would work and I don't do it. I'm terrible. I sit there, I've got my book I've even got my little book light that attaches to the top of my book so I don't have to get up and turn the light off or anything. And then I just go, "But I just want one more episode of Jane the Virgin," and it turns into two. And the thing is, I'm sitting there, I'm a grown-up, and I know it's not gonna get me off to sleep properly, and yet if I read, within 20-30 minutes I'm completely snoozeland. Yeah, I think it's one of those things that you just I started to put my laptop, which is where I watch most of my shows, I put my laptop on my desk so it's further away from my bed. And then I know I just have to read. And even though I love reading, like you said, it is still a struggle because you're just like, oh, I could just watch another episode. But actually, if you make the effort and just try it out and see if it helps with your quality of sleep, I think you will see a difference. So that's just one recommendation I'd give. That's a very good one. Thank you. That's right, and the last one is a bit of a weird one, but I would say if you need a bit of a pick-me-up, or you know, you just want to feel a bit better, I think do something you know you're good at. So for example, like whether that's, you know, a puzzle, whether that's like the physical puzzles, or like a crossword puzzle, a word search, Sudoku, like something that you know that you have enjoyed in the past and that you like doing. I also, I sew in my spare time, so I sew like funky pillows, book pouches and stuff. So, and I know I really enjoy it and it just keeps your mind occupied on something in particular. So you don't have all these thoughts running in your head. You're focused on one particular activity. And also it helps if you know you're good at it and if you enjoy it, because it does give you that confidence boost, I think, because some people say learn a new skill if you're feeling a bit, you know, or like learn a new hobby or like, you know, start a new hobby and it's like, Sometimes you don't know if it will work for you and sometimes you just need, you know, comfort and something that you love doing and something you're good at. Yeah, if you're feeling overwhelmed and a little bit confused and possibly a little bit anxious and down, yeah, I get it, it's good to go out there and learn something new but sometimes you want your comfort zone and just know, you know, go for a run because you know that you can do that. Exactly. Or, you know, I think it's so powerful to know what boosts you, whether it's watching comedy or whether it's writing a letter to a friend or something like that, something that you know that you're, you're good at, or that just gives you what you need. And that's fantastic, finding out, knowing what you're good at to remind yourself that, because we're not good at everything. No, all of us anyway. No, no. I love that, I really do. That's a fantastic idea. And I did— I, I quite often say that to my friends, very, very similarly, you know, if they're a bit down, I'm like, you know, you really like this kind of music, just play it really, really loud and blast it until it kind of reprograms your brain and just know what's going to boost you. I love that, brilliant. Yeah. And something else as well that I'm, I'm This— people are quite happy to talk about what people are doing wrong on social media. They talk about people in politics who they don't necessarily like, or they're complaining about what somebody in the public eye has done, um, when it's probably just been written by somebody who just wants to sell papers. But I like to talk about people out there in the public eye who are smashing it out the park, who are really good to watch because they just make you feel good about life. Who would that person be for you? Who do you think is just a great person to see in social media or to see on TV? So I think there's one person that comes to mind immediately, and they're actually, um, a person on YouTube. So they have a following of about, I think it's like nearly 400,000 subscribers. So quite, you know, quite in the public eye. Not, maybe not as much as like a celebrity that you've seen, you know, in the news, but they're enough on social media to have a presence. And, um, this woman called MK Fit is her YouTube channel, but she actually created these dance style workouts during lockdown because obviously we couldn't go to a gym, you know, we couldn't really go out, and walking was the only thing we could do, um, that she created these dance workouts on YouTube and they're all free and they were all themed. So there's a theme called like Happy Mood Booster or a Mamma Mia theme. I'm just looking at it now. 25-minute HIIT dance workout to Mamma Mia. Love that. Yeah. And she's a certified personal trainer. So, you know, that everything she's putting out there for free is, you know, is quality assured. But I tried it and I've absolutely never gone back. This is one of the only forms of exercise I do, and it just is a good dance. Like, there's no, there's no fitness, you know, stereotypical fitness moves in there. They're all about disguising those, those moves and like working your, you know, your abs, your sides, your legs, all in the form of a dance. And it just, you absolutely let go, and I think it brings so much, so much good vibes and, you know, serotonin to you. So I really, I really would shine a light on her, and she always has a mantra called like, wrong and strong, and fake it till you make it. And it's just so encouraging because you see someone who is, you know, who is quite fit and is a PT, but then, you know, you watch her also sweat and, you know, get tired, and you're just like, oh my gosh, someone like me. And I think she's doing a lot of positive things out there, and she's doing it for free because it's all on YouTube. So yeah, I would say definitely check her out. Gives you so much confidence, good vibes, and you know, it removes embarrassment and any shame that you may feel from like working out or anything like that. It's just good fun. She's actually got one here where she's quaffing a glass of red wine. Yes, a dirty hip! Yes, you can also do that. You can drink wine while you have it. This is what I mean, it's like, it's so fun. This is really good actually because I needed an online workout for a bit later because, because I've had a I cough, I haven't wanted to go into the gym because although I've tested negative, I don't want to be that person coughing and spluttering next to somebody who's doing a workout. And I just think it's not fair, it makes people feel a bit uncomfortable. And, you know, it doesn't matter if other people want to do it, but it's just I kind of feel a bit self-conscious as well. So I'm trying to do online workouts, and one that I quite often do, it's similar to her, but she's, she's called MadFit. So she's not as funny as Watch MKFit looks like she would be, but she does like 3 and 4 minute workouts to whatever's in the charts and it's brilliant. But I do like the idea of— it looks very tongue-in-cheek, MKFit, you know, '80s Jane Fonda and a Disney Hakuna Matata kind of— I love it, absolutely fantastic. Well, there you go, you've sorted my whole day out, my— and you've popped up my TBRs. Um, I love it. I must say, thank you so much, Hannah, for joining me today on Get Booked. It's been fantastic, and I do hope everybody goes over and checks out your book reviews. And yeah, I've loved having a good old chat, and I hope all of our listeners have found plenty to keep them positive and happy and being able to have a bit of a throwback girls' night out workout. Thank you so much for having me. You're very welcome. Enjoy the rest of your day, and thank you for joining us on Get Booked for Women's and Men's Radio Station. Just another couple of quick reviews of books that I've been absolutely loving at the moment. Another one is Helen Fields with One for Sorrow. I absolutely loved this regardless of how utterly brutal it was. One of those books that really gets you thinking about right and wrong and how the lines are never that clear. A cacophony of emotions regarding injustice and loss, how humanity can be scary, wonderful, and earth-shattering, often simultaneously. Our first responders that lay quite a bit of the groundwork of this story are incredible, but they are only humans. Humans make mistakes with devastating consequences. Such a good read. Just a quick reminder, that is One for Sorrow by Helen Fields. And another one that I've read recently, Five Days Missing by Caroline Corcoran. What would make a new mother want to leave her newborn daughter and disappear for 5 days? Sometimes we have to fight what we think is ultimately important for our future safety and our sanity, no matter how crazy that may make us look. But what if you're consumed with an uncontrollable psychosis? Can you trust yourself? How How much do we know about ourselves and how do we know when to trust ourselves? This is a fantastic book, kind of domestic noir, as I said earlier in the show, one of my favourite genres of exploring that very topic. Five Days Missing by Caroline Corcoran, just brilliant, absolutely love it. Right, you have been listening to Get Booked with me, Hazel Butterfield, for Women's and Men's Radio Station. You can catch us every day of the week at 5 PM at Women's Radio Station and every Tuesday 4 PM at Men's Radio Station. I absolutely love having new guests on the show, so please do get in touch with me at hazel@womensradiostation.com, or you can pop onto my website at hazelbutterfield.com and get in touch with me via there or through my various social media platforms. And maybe you've got a book that you're about to release or has been released and you want to chat about it and wax lyrical about your favorite authors and the joy of reading and writing. We'd love to have you on the show. Or maybe like Henna, today's guest, a book reviewer, you would like to come on and chat about all the books that you have been loving and help support our fantastic authors out there, spread the word of all the brilliant stories there are out there, works of fiction and non-fiction. And if you're just looking for a little bit of a suggestion, pop on to my blog at hazelbutterfield.com. Thank you so much for listening and enjoy the rest of your day. And don't forget to check out our fantastic schedule at womensradiostation.com and mensradiostation.com.