Read all about it - North Wales Magazine

Autumn is officially here, so if you needed a good excuse to snuggle up in front of the fire then read on…

North Wales is a bit of a literary hot bed at the moment. From books written in the region during lockdown, to memoirs of a local adventurer, there is a huge choice of local books to be had. Whether you are into fiction, autobiographies or a factual tome that increases your local knowledge then read on for some wordy inspiration!

FROM ABERSOCH TO CHEQUERED FLAG

‘From Abersoch to Chequered Flag’ is the sequel to ’24 Heures Du Abersoch’. Bryn, Gareth and Helen are still chasing their shared dream of competing at the Le Mans 24-Hour motor race and bringing motor racing to their home village of Abersoch on the Llyn Peninsula. Both ‘journeys’ have their successes and near disasters. Bryn’s crash at Sebring in Florida, Gareth’s brush with the German police and Helen’s near collapse while racing at Spa in Belgium. Back in Abersoch, they battle to persuade the locals and County Council officials that, despite turning their village into a race track, the pub will open, keep-fit classes can still meet, cows can get milked and residents of an old peoples’ home can play bingo. Moving between Abersoch, America and Europe, ‘From Abersoch to Chequered Flag’ follows their hilarious on-and-off track exploits in pursuit of that final chequered flag.

ART FOR WALES

Founded in 1992 to advance public education in and appreciation of the arts by the public display of fine works of art, the Derek Williams Trust now works in close cooperation with Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales, collecting post-19th Century fine and applied art and both purchasing art for its own collection – curated by National Museum Wales – and supporting the Museum in its purchases. In ‘Art for Wales’ author David Moore surveys how Williams’s bequest has acted as a catalyst towards the display of modern art in Wales and enabled the funding and development of a collection of real significance for residents and visitors to appreciate. David Moore has worked extensively for museums and galleries in Wales and was curator of Brecknock Museum and Art Gallery between 1992 and 2004, where he established an extensive and well-supported programme of exhibitions focusing upon Welsh artists.

HOME BY SEVEN

‘Home by Seven’ is the true story of a North Walian woman’s solo journey to ride all seven continents on two wheels. Welsh girl Steph Jeavons ran away to see the world. She wanted to see the sunset from every angle. She wanted to see an orangutan and a baobab tree. She wanted to become the first person to circumnavigate the globe and ride a motorcycle on all seven continents – and to sing karaoke on the way. Steph’s cravings for escapism manifest themselves in many ways throughout her life. The book begins in her late teens where she finds herself in prison by the age of 20. She knows there is a whole world beyond that razor wire just calling out to be explored. Two decades later, and armed only with a stern tone of voice she reserves for naughty dogs, drunk Turks, Iranian taxi drivers, semi-conscious British soldiers and Saudi truckers, she rides her trusty steed Rhonda the Honda solo around the world, to the highest, driest, wettest, hottest and coldest corners of the earth. This is a powerful and honest memoir written from the perspective of a liberated single woman taking on the world with a dogged determination to complete her mission at all costs. ‘Home by Seven’ is told with honesty and wit and from a unique perspective.

THE GREAT GARDENS OF WALES

‘The Great Gardens of Wales’ is a beautiful new book written during lockdown, with a foreword by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. Created by garden writer and broadcaster Tony Russell (who lives and gardens on the slopes of the Moelwyn mountains in Snowdonia), The Great Gardens of Wales features 50 of the finest gardens in Wales and uses evocative text and stunning photography to portray each one. “I began to write the book pretty much as soon as the Covid 19 restrictions came into force and gardens across Wales were forced to close just at the start of their busy spring season,” said Tony Russell. “I realised this was going to be devasting for many gardens, because they rely on income from visitors to enable them to maintain and look after the gardens. As the lockdown continued, news started to emerge that gardens were really struggling and there was a danger some would never fully recover. The problem is you cannot simply mothball a garden, like you can a gallery or museum, and wait for the time when visitors return. A garden is a living, dynamic thing and needs constant work to stop it from being overrun by weeds, as well as constant watering in times of drought (as we had this year throughout the spring) to stop plants from dying.” The author Tony Russell hopes the book will encourage people to begin visiting Welsh gardens once again.

FROM THE WELSH BORDER TO THE WORLD

Language extinction on an enormous scale has been occurring for over a century and has sped up dramatically in the last two decades. “From the Welsh Border to the World: Travels in Minority Languages” revolves around travels through the world’s most linguistically diverse regions, taking a comparative approach to the contemporary status of minority languages in the post-web world.