This review is provided as part of the Virtual Book Tour hosted by Zooloo’s Book Tours which runs 15 – 28 September 2025. Follow along, using the links provided on the Book Tour Schedule.
My thanks go to Lynn Farley-Rose, Esmarelda Publishing and Zooloo’s Book Tours for including me on this book tour and providing a digital copy of this memoir to read and review.
As always, this review reflects my honest thoughts.
About the book
Lynn grew up believing that saluting magpies could keep bad luck at bay. But after a string of disasters—illness, financial ruin, divorce—she’s forced to admit: the magpie magic isn’t working.
At rock bottom, she turns to a lifeline—a list of treats and adventures she’d always meant to try but never quite got round to. As she slowly ticks them off, what begins as a quest for distraction becomes something deeper.
A train rattles across America. Flamingos flap. Secrets surface. There’s clifftop terror. And step by step, old fears, inherited wounds, and superstitions begin to loosen their grip—creating space for forgiveness, of herself and of others.
How I Learned to Stop Saluting Magpies is a funny, thoughtful memoir about letting go, moving on, and inching—slightly suspiciously—toward joy.How I Learned to Stop Saluting Magpies by Lynn Farley-Rose
Published 16 July 2025 by Esmarelda Publishing
Who is Lynn Farley-Rose?
While working as a research psychologist, Lynn Farley-Rose became fascinated by how people cope when things get tough.
Her first book 31 Treats And A Marriage is a personal account of reconnecting with life after unforeseen calamities, and in The Interview Chain she talks to remarkable people about things that help to make the world a kinder and more connected place.
Lynn grew up by the sea in Devon, and then lived in London until a move to rural Sussex resulted in a complete change of lifestyle. At one point she was responsible for the welfare of thirty-two animals and eight species including her four children. She now lives in Hampshire and loves her adult children but has no pets.
Please take a look at Lynn’s blog to find out more… treatsandmore.com
My Review
This isn’t the type of book I normally pick up, but I’m really glad I did. How I Learned to Stop Saluting Magpies felt less like a formal memoir and more like sitting down with a friend who’s willing to be completely honest about the good, the bad, and the ridiculous. Lynn has been through some really tough times, but she manages to share them in a way that’s humble, forgiving, and often funny.
I especially liked the whole idea of her list—the little adventures and long-delayed treats she finally gives herself permission to try. Some of them made me laugh, others had me wincing in sympathy, but all of them showed how even small steps can help you move forward. There’s something very relatable in the way she writes about superstition too; I think most of us have a few rituals we cling to, even when deep down we know they’re not really helping.
It’s an uplifting read without being sugar-coated, and I came away with the feeling that change doesn’t have to happen all at once. Sometimes it’s enough to just take the next small step.
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