Hi Readers! I hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend!

We were treated to some beautiful sunny weather, perfect for walks and cups of tea al fresco, and spent the weekend with friends, family, in nature and on our house hunt! Still not found anything so far, but have to keep reminding ourselves that we’ve only been looking for a fortnight!

So this weekend I decided that after reading some super heavy and long books recently, I really wanted to read something quite different in style, and also in length.

One book that has been on my shelf for waaaay too long is this unusual, unique read.

LANNY, BY MAX PORTER

Firstly I think this is one of the most lovely understated looking books I have on my shelf. The leaf is gorgeous, I love the lettering on the spine, and the ribbon bookmark is a traditional touch. This is also one of my signed books, yay!

So Lanny is a short read, coming in at just 215 pages. It is set in a village just outside of London (but close your eyes and picture any leafy village and you’re there!) and follows the life of Lanny, a little boy who is ‘unusual’ and creative in nature, his parents, ‘Mad Pete’ and of Dead Papa Toothwort, who has awoken from the woods, listening to every single person who’s reside in the village.

This is a story of relationships, friendships, mentoring, community, creativity, art, life and imagination. It’s the story of a boy who goes missing, but it’s also really not about that at all. It is folklore, it is imagination, it is spirituality, it is gossip.

It is creative, lyrical, whimsical, observant and poetic.

I honestly wouldn’t describe this as a novel as its not really your traditional ‘novel’ at all. Yes there is a beginning, a middle and an end, there are characters and there is the village setting. But this is very much a campfire story with some pages wrapped around it. It changes the way it is written three times, from character chapters, to quote form to uninterrupted paragraphs. It is such a complete breath of fresh air.

‘Say your prayers and be good too, or Dead Papa Toothwort is coming for you…’

CAN’T PUT IT DOWN RATING: 4/5

I personally found this a very easy read and was quite happy to get lost in the author’s imagination, but I can understand why some people would find this difficult to gel with. The book has some interesting text and beautiful quotes, but it is not your traditional story. It is however, a great escape and takes you back to using your own creativity, which I loved.

I absolutely loved the nature of this story and the creativity of the author. What a refreshing piece of literature, and I must applaud for crafting something so fresh and interesting. I can see this book being studied as part of the English curriculum at some stage, because of how much could be discussed about what passages could mean or why the author chose the characters that they did and the motives behind style changes and how that added to the tale at that point.

However, many things were left unresolved and characters were a little shallow. Also, the book may be about Lanny, but not once did we hear his thoughts!

Interested to hear your initial perspective on this one. Is it for you? Why?

RRP: £12.99

WASHED DOWN WITH:

Well, what else would you wash Easter eggs and books down with, than CREAM EGG TEA!! Did I really just say that, is that a thing? Yes, Yes it is!

This wonderful seasonal blend from Bird & Blend (www.birdandblendtea.com) is chocolatey, creamy and fruity – full of black tea and chocolate nibs!

I followed their recipe card for a tea latte, and threw on some mini marshmallows. Yep thats right.. MARSHMALLOWS AND TEA. It was EPIC. I am converted.

May I also add that they sent me a little handwritten note wishing me a great easter, a fabric badge, two tea samples and a recipe card. It was an absolutely lovely touch and I’ll be sure to be ordering more from them. In terms of the tea I really enjoyed the flavour – chocolate tea is however a little bit of an acquired taste.. Mr P&P took a sip and recoiled, so take that as you will!

I hope that you all enjoyed Easter with your families, I’d absolutely love to hear from you about what you are currently reading and what more you’d like on the blog. So feel free to drop me a comment below, or hit me up at @papyrusandpeppermint on Facebook or Instagram, you can find out my live updates of what I’m up to, reading, eating and drinking (of which there are many of those things hahahaha!).

Until the next Chapter,

Emma, X0