Rachel´s Random Resources: Mandarin Road by Ann Bennett

I am very careful in picking up historical fiction novels, but once I am falling for an author, I may just keep following up with all of their titles. As for now, I´ve read already two novels by Ann Bennett, and couldn´t miss discovering her newest one, Mandarin Road. 

Bennett remains in the Asian realm, with a stand alone novel with a dual timeline. Set between North Carolina and Vietnam, with Nicole embarked on a journey to meet her long-lost sister. Following the death of her beloved father, she tried to reveal the secret life of his father, during his dispatch in South Vietnam.

As in the case of the other books by Bennett I had the chance to read, the historical timeline allows the presence of individual characters. The impressive historical background is not intimidating, but rather allows the characters to develop and tell their own stories. They influence and shape, without dominating. 

It was an enjoyable well-written book about a very emotional topic handled with care and empathy.

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own

Random Things Tours: A Death in the Gym by Patrick Hardy

Josh, a part-time personal trainer, part-time private detective, is tasked to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a young lady, 20 years prior. But it seems the crime stories are following him as at the same time a crime was committed at the gym where he is training. As his discrete investigations unfolds, there are way too many signs coming to close from home. Would Josh succeed to properly interprete the messages?

A Death in the Gym by Patrick Hardy (himself also a certified personal trainer, in addition to being a qualified lawyer) is nothing close to a cosy crime. Although at the beginning there are separate stories, ordered chronologically, shared by characters that may have no connection to each other, in fact there are so many fragments matching each other.

I may confess that I was not sure what to expect from this novel, but it was clearly worth giving a try. The plot is eventful and the twists are carefully placed, exactly when you expected them less. The fact thaat we, as readers, have no idea where the story is heading to is a very welcomed feeling for a crime mystery and in my case it worked very well by keeping me interested in the next 

A recommended read for a long summer evening. I´ve read it in one sitting and I didn´t regret it.

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own

Random Things Tours: The Colour of Home by Tammye Huf

The history of race in the USA raises so many questions and paradoxes. I keep wondering how was it possible to maintain the segregation politics for such a long time. Black Americans fought for the USA during WWII, however, their dedication and sacrifice did not challenged automatically the overall politics of discriminations against them.

This topic appears in the well-written The Colour of Home by Tammye Huf. The book starts in 1941 in a segregated Florida, where three Black boys enlisted to fight in the war. Faced with those circumstances, Cora will marry fast, but her heart will always long for the man who loves - other than the one who marries. Four years after, they return back home, changed by the experience of the war. They are changed, and their new grasp on life - and death - are about to change Cora´s life as well, in ways there is no point of return any more.

The writing is of an exquisite beauty, with an extraordinary finesse of describing places and feelings, human beliefs and challenges. As a reader, you belong to the story and what happens to the characters cannot leave you indifferent: you connect with them, you want to be their friend or to warn them. It is such a magic ambiance created by Huf´s writing that I rarely encounter in books published lately.

At the same time, the historical and social context is also reflecting through the different perspectives of the characters, a technique also relevant for the story and characters complexity.

The Colour of Home was an exceptional literary surprise from an author I hope to have the chance to read more soonn.

The cover deserves a special mention as well, for the nostalgic tones and atmospheric outlook.

Rating: 5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own.

The Healing Season of Pottery by Yeon Somin translated by Claire Richards

 

Feel-good stories may differ from one language to another because such feelings are usually culturally defined. I am reading and reviewing many books belonging to this genre, however the authors and stories do belong to the European/North American realm. This week though, I decided to make a difference by discovering a raising star of the Korean literature Yeon Somin, whose local bestseller The Healing Season of Pottery was translated into English by Claire Richards. 

After an extended amount of time - count months - of inactivity following her unemployment, the scriptwriter Jungmin discovers accidentaly Soyo Studio, a pottery workshop. Intrigued, she is starting a year-long experience of learning to use clay and build her own pottery, while reconnecting with and revisiting episodes from her professional and personal past life.

Jungmin is often ´basking in her loneliness´ and and the healing - hers but also of other participants - is slow, as slow as the process of learning to properly use the clay. The reactions between the characters, and how their small community is building is by far the most important part of the story, as it opens up to a very different dynamics compared to what I am used with. 

My knowledge about the innner and social life in South Korea - was confirmed again after reading this book - is extremely limited hence my difficulties in grasping some interactions, including of Romantic interest - between characters. 

From the point of view of the book construction, I had the feeling more than once that the characters are lacking any complexity. It is understandable that they were limited by the choice of location - the pottery workshop - and their own loneliness, but did not see any reason why they are lacking any depth as humans.

Clearly I need more information and contacts with the Korean culture, and the feel-good novels may be a direct way to get to know the people and their wishes. I will be back hopefully with more topics soon and The Healing Season of Pottery, despite its shortcomings, opened up an interesting door for me.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Rachel´s Random Resources: Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse by Sue Moorcroft

With the vacation wind blowing on all sides, all my thoughts are on Italy right now. The more I read Itallian and thinking about Italy, I don´t see any better place to wind down after a very busy full year of work. My plans are not 100% confirmed, but there are always books to keep the passion alive.

Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse by romantic bookselling author Sue Moorcroft brought into my weekend not only a beautiful story, with realistic characters, but also the dream of ...an Italian guesthouse at Lake Como.

Jade is managing together with her grandmother Mairead, a cosy lodging, and everything looks like picture perfect. The death of her beloved grandmother will bring though a lot of dramatic and traumatic changes into her life, as she may discover that she has two sisters that, among other things, are part of the inheritance. As she is navigating her new challenges, there is also an old flame that seems to be back into her world. How could she cope with so many new situations at once?

This book, the first part of a trilogy, is a very sweet and relatable read. Particularly the characters are so real that you may forget that in the end you deal with the work of imagination. It also made me think a lot about how life can change suddenly, from one day to another, in ways impossible to fathom.

An inspiring summer read.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own

Rachel´s Random Resources: A Wordsmith´s Guide to Authentic Dialogue by Elizabeth M. Hurst

As a reader and occasional writer I find dialogues the most important part of a novel. Without them, the story is missing the backbone. When they are lacking proper crafting, the entire story is compromised. 

A Wordsmith´s Guide to Writing Authentic Dialogue by Elizabeth M. Hurst whose advice for writers I had the chance to share previously, is aimed at helping to understand the dynamics of  dialogue and practice it correctly. As in the case of the book dedicated to building the plot, the reader is invited to practice through exercises and to expand their knowledge through further reading.

In this book, you will learn about tools, techniques, strategies that can, among others, fill the gaps between what is said and what is meant. ´Dialogue is a crat shell, not a personality trait´. Therefore, be patient and do not expect to have your dialogues ready in the first draft. It may take much longer until your dialogues reveal the essence of your story or novel.

The examples mostly refer to the British English, but you clearly apply the information to US English or any other languages as well. The value of the information shared is universal.

A Wordsmith´s Guide to Writing Authentic Dialogue is a very useful and well-organised guidance for preparing the interactive part of your novel. You can read it chapter by chapter, and carefully apply its advice.

Rating: 5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own

The Yahoo Boys by Carlos Barragán

´If I´m sorry, how I gotta get money?´

A single mother of three, the mother of Carlos Barragán attempted to find new love again. Through a dating app, she ´met´ a love interest that proved to be a scam who wanted her money. Barragán is using this personal experience to document an overwhelming phenomenon of dating scams, that I had the chance more than once to touch upon and share through nonfictional and fictional accounts. 

The Yahoo Boys. Real Life  with the Love Scammers of Lagos (Yahoo boys because of the email provider usually used by the scammers) is the result of the author´s experience of months living and talking with the scammers. Mostly young men - but also few women - they mostly operate individually, driven by the need of a glamorous life, where success is weighted by the power of pursuing white victims. 

Barragán offers an unique insight into the world and mind of people involved in scamming. Although the victims´ stories are playing an important role in the story, the reasons and ways of acting of the actors is more relevant. For both sides, there is a certain depth of the loneliness that Barragán is aptly outlining. It is a cruel world and although it is possible to stay afloat and avoid turning on the wrong side, sometimes it may be just easier.

This book is an important investigation in the world of scams, a reference for any further discussions on the topic. It reads both as a real crime story and a testimony of contemporary life. Some of the stories shared are so sad that sometimes needed a break in-between to collect my thoughts.

Rating: 5 stars