Literary Quote of the Month

"A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies," said Jojen. "The man who never reads lives only one." - George R.R. Martin, A Dance With Dragons

Monday, March 8, 2010

Memoir Monday... Chickens, Mules and two old fools by Victoria Twead.

Pack up your Bags... and head for a little mountain getaway with Victoria Twead!

Perhaps if Joe and Vicky had known what relocating to a tiny village tucked in the Alpujarra mountains would reallybe like, they might have hesitated...


They have no idea of the culture shock in store. No idea they will become reluctant chicken farmers and own the most dangerous cockerel in Spain. No idea they will be befriended by an 85 year old spliff-smoking sex-kitten or rescued by a mule.


Life is never dull as they embark on their Five Year Plan.


At the end of five years they must decide. Will they stay or return to the relative sanity of England?


Vicky and Joe’s story is packed with irreverent humour, animals, eccentric characters and sunshine.


Chickens, Mules and two old fools by Victoria Twead is a funny, laugh out loud, amazing adventure! All it took was another rainy day in Sussex England to break Victoria's resolve... approaching retirement, her & her husband Joe's children were grown and scattered and there was nothing really holding them back from going to parts unknown- or at least to parts that were warm & sunny! As it happened, both happened- Victoria whose love of Spain drove her to needle her husband (just a bit) to agree to try living in a nice spanish village, where the weather was always sunny and the people were always friendly. They compromised on trying it on for 5 years, after which they would decide if the village life was for them. But vacationing and living in parts semi-known are a bit different, but at least it would be warm and beautiful!


Victoria can tell a great story! This book was a joy to read! When you open the book it's as if Victoria is sitting down with you over a cup of coffee chatting about what funny things happened on the way to Andalucia. Her warm personality floats off the page and you are hooked to keep reading. Victoria's writing is wonderful, funny, and entertaining! And as if the story wasn't enough, there are spanish recipes sprinkled through out the pages. (and the one for gazpacho looks deelish!)


Read what culture shock means in Andalucia and laugh out loud while you do! Hey, you'll even learn about Chicken Dust Baths! And I wouldn't want to forget to mention you'll also be introduced to some "cutely" named chickens with some big personalities! You can read more about Victoria, read a sample from the book, and even enter to win a copy of Chickens, Mules and two old fools for yourself at Victoria Twead's website! I want to thank Victoria for my copy of her book! I won my copy this past December in her monthly giveaway and I couldn't have been happier! Chicken, Mules and two old fools certainly put a smile on my face!

10 comments:

Mystica said...

Your review on this funny, heart warming story is so good that one would want to either buy the book or go follow Victoria and Joe.

Elisabeth said...

What a great introduction to a book I had never heard of! Thanks!

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

This tile and book description are too funny. Never heard of it, but sounds like it could pull anyone out of a funk...LOL

Rob said...

I have a pet mule so the title grabbed my attention (I plan to enter the author's giveaway too; fingers crossed!). The book description reminds me a little of, "Hit By A Farm: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Barn," by Catherine Friend.

Victoria Twead said...

Thank you so much for the lovely review, Suzanne. I'm so glad you liked 'Chickens' and DELIGHTED that you won it on the monthly raffle.

Victoria

Suzanne Yester said...

Hi Mystica,
I would love to visit Victoria & Joe too! :) I'm sure it would be so much fun! And the book is definitely a fun read!

Hi Elisabeth,
It's always nice to be able to share books that aren't big mega hits (yet). I'm glad I was able to give you a glimpse of Victoria's book!

Hi Diane,
Just listening about the chickens will put a smile on your face, but the whole book is fun. And an adventure that I'm sure a lot of people would love to pack up and do!

Suzanne Yester said...

Hi Rob!
A pet mule! That is just so interesting! Would love to hear about adopting your mule. I hear they are very nice pets.
And thanks for sharing Catherine Friends book! I will definitely check that one out!

Michele said...

I just had to read this book after reading your great review. It was light and fun and I loved all of the characters.The perfect read to escape the rainy weekend.
I love the idea of house swapping!

Victoria Twead - An Old Fool from Spain said...

Thank you for reading 'Chickens', Michele! So pleased you liked it, and house swapping is definitely a fun, cheap way of taking a vacation. I thoroughly recommend it!
Victoria

Lorna Penfold said...

Hi there,
If you enjoyed Victoria's book, I think you might enjoy my book Seriously Mum, What's an Alpaca? Here is the link http://smarturl.it/SeriouslyMum If you would be interested in reviewing my book, I can send you a copy by email. My email is lornaalpacaselsol@gmail.com and my twitter is @AlpacaBook
Alan

FSB Media Book Blogger Directory
my read shelf:
Suzanne's book recommendations, favorite quotes, book clubs, book trivia, book lists (read shelf)
First To Read
Reviews Published
Professional Reader
Challenge Participant