During The Edinburgh Book Festival held last month in Charlotte Square, Edinburgh, I spent a lot of time browsing the amazing book store held neatly to the left as you walked through the main doors.  I spent many an hour, much to the annoyance of all the staff although they never admitted it as much, sitting crossed-legged oblivious to the world around me as I selected my next purchases (if I could suggest adding shopping baskets at the door that would help my arms next year, but maybe that’s just me being greedy).

Anyway, two books that I have devoured since my literary shopping expedition have made quite an impression on the small grey matter that resides above my eye-brows.  When it comes to other religions and the do’s and don’t’s of radiation that is.

An eclectic mixture of genre’s but areas that I now know much more about since I opened the fresh, white pages and started on my new adventures:

The Friday Gospel’s by Jenn Ashworth: I have always wondered about all the other religions out there, what they do compared to mine, how/what they worship. This book gave me an immediate insight into the Latter Day Saints and the Mormon community. From the off, you are thrown into the lives of a Mormon family, each chapter depicting the life of one its members as if you were reading their life story. I had no way of knowing how the book would progress but Jenn provides so much to keep you interested, you read on. The thrilling twist at the end, serves as a macabre big-bowed ending and I read the last page glad to see justice had prevailed.

Visit Sunny Chernobyl – Adventures in the World’s most polluted places by Andrew Blackwell: this has to be one of the most interesting factual books I have ever read. Ranging from a visit to the radioactive wasteland of the once thriving Chernobyl community to the Amazon rainforest.  A roller-coaster ride of the all the places you want to visit but didn’t think you could or should. Your bucket list will never be the same again!

So, the next time you are browsing your favourite book shop or considering your next kindle purchase, try something a little different to what you normally read, take a step into another realm that you wouldn’t normally consider…I dare you!