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Morgan Sheppard (1036 KP) created a post

Aug 26, 2026  
Two standalones from the Story Hearth catalogue that sit inside the same understanding — that magic hides in the ordinary world and passes to its recipient through readiness rather than seeking.

Hiraeth — Ellis Clarke has carried an unnamed longing her entire life. A visit to Beddgelert and a meeting with Luke Maddox, a Guardian of Wales who is considerably more than he appears, begins to suggest the ache has always been for something specific. A paranormal romance steeped in Welsh mythology and the particular quality of belonging finally found.

What a Latte Books — A book appears in Laura's shop that has no right to exist. It keeps disappearing and returning. Its story mirrors her own life in ways that shouldn't be possible. A contemporary magical realism romance about following an enchantment you can't explain toward something you haven't let yourself want yet.

Both waiting for the reader who arrives at exactly the right moment.

Hiraeth — Payhip: https://payhip.com/b/Ec5xk / Universal: https://books2read.com/Hiraeth2021

What a Latte Books — Payhip: https://payhip.com/b/H3Yak / Universal: https://books2read.com/WhataLatteBooks

#Contemporary #MagicalRealism #Romance #Wales #BookLove #Bookish #Reading
     
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Morgan Sheppard (1036 KP) created a post

Aug 28, 2026  
It's #FolkloreFriday 🌾🌕

The final Folklore Friday of August, the full moon tonight, and the last sheaf standing.

Welsh and Celtic harvest folklore understood the spirit of the crop as a living presence that retreated before the reapers into the final standing grain as the harvest progressed. By the time the field was almost done, everything it had accumulated through the season resided in what remained. The cutting of the last sheaf was a ritual moment — who cut it mattered, what happened to it mattered, and the customs that grew around it across different regions of Wales reflected a community that understood its relationship with the land as reciprocal and ceremonial rather than simply practical.

The corn dolly kept through winter preserved the spirit of the harvest until spring. The Hag of the Harvest carried an honour that was also a responsibility. The last sheaf held the wisdom of the whole season.

A fitting end to a month of accumulated wisdom, upstream journeys, and hazel nuts falling into sacred pools. The harvest is in. 🌾🌕

#FolkloreFriday #WelshFolklore #WelshMythology

https://discord.gg/gQfzqBRNns
     
The Survival Game
The Survival Game
Nicky Singer | 2018 | Dystopia, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Global warming from a child's perspective.
I know it's necessary to have differentiation between the age groups for the protection of those who are youngest, but in this case, knowing that this is a child's/ young person's book, may put adults off reading this - and that would be a shame. All of the themes in this novel are very current. Set against the backdrop of a global climate disaster, we see how the displaced are treated: in a word, badly. We see the devastation that global warming wreaks, and the terrifying journey that a 14 year old girl, Mhairi Anne Bain (Mab, for short, which is interesting, as she is a symbol of freedom in Shakespeare and Mab Darogan in Welsh folklore was someone who was prophesied to come and save the Welsh from the English by forcing them out, as the Scots have forced the English out in this story, I suppose. Don't ask me how I remember this kind of information) makes on her own from the Sudan to the Isle of Arran. On her journey, she meets a young boy who doesn't speak, and she finds herself feeling responsible for him. I think he gives her some hope and a reason to keep going, to be honest. She decides to take him home with her, but of course, it isn't that easy.
Everything in this novel is plausible - the way in which Scotland and other countries decide how to control population, global warming and its consequences, and the resultant mass movement of people affected by drought and flooding.
I really enjoyed this: Mhairi has a very mature voice, as would any child who had seen and experienced what she had, and she is believable. We don't see all of the horrors she experiences, but they are alluded to, which is probably a very good idea when children are going to be the target audience. To be honest, there are a lot of adults that really don't want or need the gory details.
This is a timely novel, and one that is important to read. I could see that there would be a lot of discussion arising from this book in a classroom.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book to read and to give an honest review.
  
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