Does it put you off when you see a sticker on a book cover proclaiming it has won a literary prize? I’m guessing it doesn’t for most people or the publishers wouldn’t do it, though my book group always groans when we see the Booker Prize Winner sticker, even if we end up loving the book.

However The Mermaid of Black Conch, which won the more accessible Costa Book of the Year 2020, is now out in paperback, and is well worth a dip into.

A fisherman called David waits for a catch off the island of Black Conch in the caribbean. Instead of the expected red snapper, he is surprised by a mermaid, red skinned with black hair hanging with anemones and conch shells. They seem to have an instant connection and they meet at sea many times until by mistake she follows a different boat.  The mermaid is captured by American tourists who treat her like an animal and plan to exploit her.

David rescues her and slowly gains her trust as she metamorphoses back into the woman she once was before she was cursed. But she is spotted by one of her captors and curses don’t disappear…

I love books like this which make you wonder – how did the author think of that? From the title I expected a timeframe at least a couple of centuries back like the legends that inspired the story, but instead it is set in 1970’s, just close enough to be in living memory for many readers but far enough away to have perspective.

The same originality is shown in the way the tale is told three ways – by the narrator, in excerpts from David’s diary, and from the poetic inner voice of the mermaid herself which is beautifully written and gives a way into an otherwise difficult to reach character with little language.

The painful, difficult transformation back into a two legged woman is also brilliantly captured, as is the complicated relationship between the island’s past and future, encapsulated by relationship between Aycayia, the descendant of Victorian Anglican clergy and owner of most of the land, and Life, the poor local boy she has known from childhood who is the father of her child.

It’s a bittersweet story, but imaginatively told, and well worth spending time with over a cup of coffee.

The Mermaid of Black Conch by Monique Roffey ISBN 978-1-529-11549-9 £8.99

We love Seep. They make excellent biodegradable household essentials. We cannot recommend them enough. The Seep Natural All-Purpose Loofah Cloths and Sponge with Loofah Scourer, part of a new range of compostable and plastic-free household essentials here to help. 

Seep Sponge with Loofah Scourer

With over 80% of common sponges being made from virgin plastic, which can’t be recycled and with estimates that a massive 600 million sponges are thrown out every year in the UK, it was a no brainer for Seep to offer an alternative. 

The Seep sponge is quite frankly, the best-looking sponge on the market! Made with entirely renewable materials like wood pulp and natural loofah fibres it is highly absorbent, long-lasting and durable. They also require less soap due to the natural fibres of the loofah and create more suds than other plastic based options. 

Being 100% compostable, when it has reached its lifecycle (typically one month), the entire sponge can be placed in a kitchen composter or garden compost bin where it will naturally start to break down. 

Seep Sponge with Loofah Scourer – RRP £9.50 for a pack of 4

 Also…

Nothing screams summer like picnics in the sun. Seep is here to make cleaning up as simple as possible with its plastic-free, biodegradable and compostable bin liners.

The Seep bin liners are the brand’s latest addition to the range. Coming in a handy 30L or 10L roll, the compostable, biodegradable liners are a high quality, gentle on the planet option. The bases of the liners have also been reinforced to prevent annoying leaks.

Seep Compostable Bin Liners.  30L – RRP £8.00 for 25 bags per roll / 10L – RRP £4.00 for 25 bags per roll

What’s also awesome about our bin liners is that they are made from one of the best bio polymers on the market – taking less than 8 weeks to break down in a composting facility. If they are used for normal household waste and disposed of in landfill or an incinerator, they are still better than their traditional plastic counterparts since they don’t release microplastics or toxins.

Joffe Books’ Book of the Week, sounds fantastic. Get THE UNIFORM, a first-rate crime thriller debut by Jodie Lawrance!  99p/99c

Helen Carter has just landed her first case as a detective: a murder in an abandoned cinema. A mysterious clock-like symbol is drawn on the wall . . . in blood.  Stranger still is what the killer left behind: the business card of an ex-cop.

Since being promoted from WPC, Helen is having trouble making her mark in the male-dominated Edinburgh CID, working under Inspector Jack Craven. He’s not happy about having a woman on his team. Witnesses won’t talk to her, her colleagues don’t take her seriously.  And now a body turns up in a sweet shop with a pocket watch shoved in his mouth.

The clock is ticking to stop a serial killer.

The Night Hunter     by Caro Ramsay    99p/99c

Elvie’s sister, Sophie, is missing. She went out for a run — and never came home.

Then one night when Elvie is driving home, a body of a young woman crashes onto an oncoming car. Where has she been this whole time and why was she running for her life?

Elvie teams up with Anderson and Costello to find out what happened to Sophie and the other missing girls.

The Bisley Wood Murders by Biba Pearce  99p/99c

Katie is missing. Her pink backpack is found weighed down in the local reservoir.

Time is running out to find her, but strangely the disappearance has a striking resemblance to another unsolved mystery from twenty years ago.
It seems a killer has been haunting the area for years — can Detective Jo Maguire bring them to justice?

The Taste of Murder by Brian Battison

Out now 99p / 99c

DANGER LURKS WHERE YOU’D LEAST EXPECT IT . . .Someone’s contaminating the food in the local supermarket.Shards of glass are found in the baby food. Bleach in the bottles of ginger ale.  Can Detective Jim Ashworth stop the ruthless criminals before they harm anyone else?

I do think smell is the least appreciated sense, and yet, how it can change our mood or even our physical state. An unpleasant whiff can ruin our day, whereas an unexpected waft of sweet flowers can raise our spirits and bring us joy. An aroma can conjure up a childhood memory, or the image of a loved one in a flash. Not surprising that fragrances have been used since ancient times.

I was blown away by ARRAN Sense Of Scotland beauty products, so I didn’t need much persuasion to road-test their home fragrances.

ARRAN Sense Of Scotland is a family-run company, which began as a small soap-making business in an old dairy farm for Brodick Castle and has created vibrant, evocative scents for three generations. Despite having grown significantly, it’s held true to its island heritage.

What I love about ARRAN Sense Of Scotland is that somehow they bottle the wildness and beauty of the Isles. Their fragrances are quite different and distinctive, with depth and bite. As their hair products make your hair smell of a walk in the mountains, their home products bring those mountains right into your home.

I chose to try Jasmine and Philadelphus (I remember my mother calling it Mock-Orange Blossom – as a child I’d bury my nose in it for hours just to inhale the sweet smell). Both pack a surprising punch for such delicate white flowers.

I was not disappointed. Even as I opened the beautiful presentation tube of the Reed Diffuser, the fragrance hit me, as if I’d walked past a flowering bush.

Everything about ARRAN Sense Of Scotland exudes quality and thoughtful design. The glass bottle and extra long reeds create elegance and style – staying fresh for up to six months.

For a burst of aroma, the Room Spray, also beautifully presented in matching glass bottle is perfect when unexpected guests arrive.

And after a trying day you can enjoy real hedonistic pleasure, with a good book, a glass of wine and an ARRAN Sense Of Scotland beautiful pure white candle within a pretty glass holder – calm and comforting.

ARRAN Sense Of Scotland bring you the whole experience and I love their idea of using different fragrances in different rooms.

Just Grapefruit – mood-boosting citrus for any room, it uplifts, refreshes and rejuvenates.

Bergamot And Geranium – brings the outdoors in, for open plan areas and hallways. Keeping you motivated and energised, it’s great for a home office too.

After The Rain – as featured previously in Frost, a fresh, floral scent reconnects you with nature. Rose and sandalwood are soothing and stress-relieving, thus it works well in your lounge or bathroom.

So experience different moods in different rooms with a combination of ARRAN Sense Of Scotland reed diffusers, room sprays and candles – a novel way to enjoy a staycation in your own home perhaps?

By Dr K Thompson, award-winning author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope: Getting through breast cancer – by a doctor who knows
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01A7DM42Q http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01A7DM42Q
http://faitobooks.co.uk

Note: These articles express personal views. No warranty is made as to the accuracy or completeness of information given and you should always consult a doctor if you need medical advice.

A vegetarian for over thirty years, I must confess to suffering from FOMO (FEAR OF MISSING OUT).

Back in the old days, the only place to get a burger, was a Wimpey Bar and they did not offer takeaway.

Then along came McDonalds and Burger King, to join Kentucky Fried Chicken (now better known as KFC,) and soon no high street was complete without one, or all three. Friends would wax lyrical and have long conversations about the relative merits of each. Everyone it seemed had their favourite. I would listen in silence because there was nothing for me, the lone vegetarian, and even the advent of the Beanburger felt like an after-thought.

How times have changed, Vegans and Vegetarians are now so mainstream that most food outlets are clamouring for our attention, so I was delighted to be invited to taste the menu of Ready Burger, based in London’s Crouch End.

Fortuitously, I took along a younger colleague, who is exactly the market that Ready Burger is seeking to attract, and an aficionado of all things Burger.

Ready Burger opened in Park Road, Crouch End in May 2021, and if the constant queue of eager customers on the night I visited is anything to go by, this will be the first of many. Already plans are advanced to open in Finchley Road, followed by other venues in London and beyond.

Ready Burger presents a 100% plant-based menu offering a compilation of the world’s most popular burger favourites and classic sides at everyday prices, with inclusivity at the core. It is this inclusivity that appeals to vegetarians and vegans, people who care for the environment, and people who only eat Halal or Kosher meat.

The staff at Ready Burger are warm, friendly, and clearly passionate about their menu. Customers seeking advice are given time and as much information as they need to order, but from my tasting of the entire menu (I know, I know, I suffer for my art, but you’re worth it.) You really can’t make a bad choice, as it was all delicious. My colleague assured me that the food on this menu more than matched the more well known high street offering and we both raved over the careful seasoning of the fries and the chicken nuggets. Special mention to the vegan bacon and ‘cheese’ in my Cheeseburger, vegan cheese is notoriously difficult to get right, but Ready Burger have done it and then some.

Oreo Swirlee, is a tasty soft whip, providing a welcome desert and an utter steal at £0.99p. I can see why Ready Burger is so popular.

The brand is believed to be the first value driven, fully plant-based, quick service restaurant on the UK high street and Ready Burger’s signature ‘The Ready Burger’ (£1.99), is thought to be the only plant-based burger of its kind on the market for under £2.

A Ready Burger uses 70% less water to make than its beef burger counterpart. It also emits 92% less greenhouse gas emissions than a beef burger and requires 93% less land to produce.

The Crouch End Ready Burger is now open for collection via a hatch and digital order point kiosk, with a full menu of flavoursome plant-based burgers alongside classic sides, with premium and saver choices, as well as a range of premium value meals. Options range from; The Saver Menu Ready Burger (£1.99), to The Big Ready (£3.59), to The Chicken Challenger (£4.29), to the Saver Menu Double Cheeseburger (£3.39)

Ready Burger serves 100% plant-based fast food at affordable prices, using high quality proteins to create great tasting versions of the world’s favourite fast food, burgers and classic sides.

FOMO no more for yours truly, I will be heading back to Ready Burger whenever I need my fix of fast environmentally friendly, vegan food.

Ready Burger is now open at 16 Park Road, London, N8 8TD, open Monday – Sunday, 12 noon – 12am.

https://www.readyburger.co.uk/