The Secret Life Of Cows - gentle musings

The Secret Life Of Cows is a series of observations made over many years on Kite's Nest Farm where author, Rosamund Young, lived and worked with cows, sheep and chickens. This book focuses primarily on the lives of the cows - of which there are many generations. When the Youngs started to really observe their cows, they realised that each had their own character and was very much an individual, with their own preferences for other cattle and indeed humans. They have friends, they like to play, but above all, they like to eat. The farm is a great advert for looking after livestock in a way that allows them to exhibit their natural instinct for when they want shelter, when they want food and what type of food they want, when they need help from humans ... and when they just need to be left alone. For anyone who has an interest in animals, this is a book that you will enjoy. I would have preferred more of a narrative thread rather than the bitesize chunks that don't really link with each other. This made for a disjointed read. So, more of a coffee table book in my opinion - something you can pick up and put down over a long period of time to absorb short musings on all things bovine. It's gentle, takes no time to read and may change the way you think about cows when you next see one in a field.

POPSUGAR Challenge 2018 prompt 26: A book with an animal in the title.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 140 print pages.
Price I paid: free, this was a present.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, unabridged audio CD, ebook.

The Night Circus - magically dangerous

Ever wondered what the world could be like if magic was real? Well, in The Night Circus, we get a little taste of such a world. At heart, this book is a love story between two characters (Celia and Marco) who are trapped at an early age into a deadly competition by two "gentlemen" who have, for an interminable amount of time, been debating about which type of magic is the superior. Each child is trained in the different magical methods and, after many years, the results start to appear in the form of The Night Circus - a mysterious circus that only opens after sunset. Now grown up, they each create different attractions in the circus and also start to influence and adapt each others creations. They become aware that they are competing with each other, but cannot help but fall in love - even before they really know who the other is. Their world is full of interesting people - from the performers in the circus, to the audience, some of whom become ardent followers (Les Reveurs). The circus gets bigger, and more people become unwittingly embroiled in the competition, and Celia is the one who starts to really feel the strain of holding all the magical elements of the circus together. When she and Marco discover that the competition can only be won by the death for the other, they desperately try to find a way out. Author Erin Morgenstern has created a story which has a fairy tale quality. At times dreamy, and at others dark, the action weaves around time and space which can leave the reader (well, this reader) a little discombobulated. There is a lot to take in and I am sure I missed things, or didn't quite realise the significance of an event at the time. Full of fascinating characters and imaginative scenes where the magic takes centre stage, there is much to admire about this book. And apart from the odd sense of confusion, I did enjoy The Night Circus - but I think I might have enjoyed it even more if it was told in a more linear fashion.

POPSUGAR Challenge 2018 prompt 8: A book with a time of day in the title.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 656 print pages.
Price I paid: free, borrowed from library as an ebook.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.