´Green Horses on the Walls´

 

Reading poetry is a completely different experience than, for instance, reading a novel. Reading poetry follows a different mindset, requires a different (astute) attention and an opening of the heart that needs a special diligent education.

All being said, reading poetry is always for me an extra effort of the mind. All day round I am busy reading, mostly books, any kind of books mostly, but poetry and (since a couple of months) fantastic literature not always. This always is often vanquished by my genuine curiosity towards the written word. I used to joke many years ago, in another life, that my weakness is that I cannot stand the view of a book without devouring it. It was always like this and it will always be. 

But I approach poetry carefully, with distance, as it may happen when meeting someone who may know more about you than even yourself. The gates of poetry are gates of the heart filtered through the rationality of juggling with words. The heart with its mathematical inclinations reshapes and reignite worlds and this is what poetry does. For me at least.

I was not stranger to Cristina A. Bejan works as I previously wrote an academic review of her excellent monography of ´Intellectuals and Fascism in Interwar Romania´. A difficult topic shaking fondatory myths and mythical creatures of post-communist Romania. Anyone writing so clearly and bravely about such a topic is a very courageous person and I want to know more about her.

Her multi-awarded collection of beautiful poetry Green Horses on the Walls is lucid, direct, personal and, again, courageous. You need courage to expose yourself through poetry. People write memoirs those days, but poetry is THE revolutionary revelation of oneself. A collection of poems written in the last ten years, she writes both a historical and personal testimony. Her life, through her family´s encounters with bad angel of history, is part of the long duration, but in the end, it is she, through her own experience and voice, shaping all those elements - global PLUS personal - into a poem. 

In her poetry, it is the historian, the woman, the voice of the diaspora - who actually did not stop talking Romanian, rather the opposite, as she adds Romanian words into her poems - the girlfriend, the betrayed woman. You see, poetry is so versatile...Labels are derisory, she rightly concluded in one of her poems but meaning can be decanted from everything, especially the wrong sides of (personal) histories.

At the end of the volume, she elegantly and impeccably translated from Romanian into English two very different yet strong voices of the history of European poetry: Nina Cassian and Ana Blandiana (who recently turned 80). 

As I said before, poetry does have a beginning but reading it and fully grasping its meanings and feelings does not end. Therefore, I will continue adding to my world the intellectual wanderings shared by Cristina A. Bejan in her Green Horses on the Walls.

Rating: 5 stars

Disclaimer: Book kindly offered by the author, but the opinions are, as usual, my own

The End of the Neapolitan Saga

After My Brilliant Friend, it took me some time to continue reading the rest of the much praised Neapolitan Saga. Meanwhile, I´ve read her two other novels by her and a much more interesting collection of short personal accounts, my favorites in fact, because it makes both her reading and concepts much clearer. As I was not extremely impressed by the first book, especially after acquiring an accurate understading of her mission as a writer, I expected to have a better reading experience with the rest of the trilogy. That proved to be only partially true.

The Story of a New Name

The second installment, The Story of a New Name followes Elena and Lila in their 20s. They may fall in love with the wrong men but at this age, such mistakes are not important at all. For Lila, marriage is a way to get out of poverty, as dictated by the society look on women in the post-WWII Naples. Elena is about to start her writing adventure, while continuing her education. 

In certain respect I´ve started to feel like belonging to the realm of the story and the Ferrante´s empathic storytelling drew me in, although not necessarily very much impressed by the story in general. The literary take is outlined by fine social observations, better reflected in the mentions about language and ´´the dialect´. 

The Story is mostly a journey through coming of age, in a very sexually competitive way between the two which I personally not clearly acknowledge/accept/appreciate.

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay

I love this title and will never give up the temptation of reading a book with such a title. For me, it is the most elaborated book from the entire trilogy, also because although it maintain the ´human´ part of the characters and their wrong choices of men, do have an amplitude which encompasses a more diverse take which touches upon the world of a writer, his/her sources of inspiration and how this inspiration translates - and at what extent - into the literary work. The literay construction is fine and all the details seam together in an entincing way.

The ending is also open and encourages to start immediately the next book in order to see the continuation of the story. 

The Story of the Lost Child

Unfortunately, my adventure ended bad as The Story of the Lost Child was unbearably soapy. That kind of experience when one does not understand why a character is made to look so bad. Elena, the educated successful writer is caught into a shameful sentimental entaglement - not because he is married with another person, but because she accepts to be treated like the second wife. Were all the men in Naples disappearing? The tone - both of the book and the characters - is aggressive as well, strident even.

There is one particular part of the book which I really appreciated as a great example of writing: the moment of the earthquake described from the point of view of the effects on people who were experiencing it, but also from the point of view of the characters. 

I don´t remember when was the last time when I dedicated my time reading/listening long trilogies. Getting to know The Neapolitan Saga was a special experience for me, especially as it is such a rare novel focused on women and women only, and told from the point of view of women, and women only. It sounded sometimes artificious and there is the drama part which is not of my liking but the writing is good and the literary qualities of Elena Ferrante are definitely worth experiencing it.

I had access to the trilogy in audiobook format, read by the actress Eva Mattes, translated from Italian into German by Karin Krieger, both of them offering a passionate unique rendition of the books that compensates once in while the lack of interest caused by just a written page.

Random Things Tours: A Dream of Duplicity by AM Gautam

 

A Dream of Duplicity by Bangalore-based A.M.Gautam the inaugural published work by Aesthetic Press is a complex novel creatively knitted of several literary genres. The different layers of the story unfold slowly, with unexpected twists and revelations changing completely the mind of the reader. 

The story takes place in Landour, in the North of India. Aayan is a recluse painter emotionally entangled to Kalpana, the twin sister of a dropout writer, Kanya, who opened a pizzeria around his corner. Everything looks very innocent until the rhytmicity of the creative loneliness of the characters is shaken by details outlined more and more strongly until the end of the story. 

The story has an unique sensorial touch, the result of an intimate knowledge of human tensions and expectations. As a reader, until the end, I kept repeating myself what it is supposed to happen? The information shared is controlled and it is up to the writer himself to control the pace and the content of the story. 

Interestingly, A.M.Gautam is using the inspiration of various genres melted in an unique way to provide a surreal-like reality. There is romance, and fantasy, with an erotic touch and cruel thriller and a bit of horror added to the mix. Overall, a well written intellectual mystery. 

I did not expect anything happening in the story in the end, and this is a good sign, as it turned the reading into a curious exciting experience. The diversity of genres do have a downside as well, which means that the pace is not always in sync with the expected inner rhythm corresponding to each literary path. Thus, certain discrepancies and disbalances of the story. For instance, almost near the end, the monotonous predictable pace from the beginning is becoming almost chaotic, under the high pressure of the last minute turn of events. 

A Dream of Duplicity is a mind-challenging novel minutiously created taking the reader on an outstanding intellectual journey.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

Book Review: Monschau by Steffen Kopetzky

If someone would have recommend me two years ago a book built around a smallpox outbreak in the 1960s in Germany, my answer would have been a very polite decline. The realities of the last two years changed the interest and made such topics more relatable. It makes pandemic stories bearable at a certain point.

Monschau by Steffen Kopetzky was favorably mentioned in my bookish feed several times last year and hurried up to acquire a copy. Given my newly discovered pleasure of reading novels in German, I couldn´t miss such an opportunity to delve for hours into the language and from this point of view, my expectations were happily meet: the story is well written, both in terms of the construction and of the language fluency.

Set in what to use to be the district of Monschau, close to the border with Belgium, in the Eifel region, the action is taking place in the 1960s. A new generation, born at the end of the war is about to reclaim its present, while the old ones, involved for different reasons and at different extents into the Nazi machine, reclaim its right to ignore their past. The ambiance of those times is well represented both factual and from the sociological point of view.

Inspired by real facts - among others, the factory mentioned in the book still exist and produced various high-precision temperature measurement tools - it brings into the literary realm complex situations that are more and more addressed lately. The unassumed responsibility for the then German recent past was not an easy acknowledgement process. 

The pandemic part of the story is also inspired by historical facts, but in many respects it sounded too familiar to be distinguished from the current era pandemics. Personally, I did not feel and noticed any difference in terms of health decisions and approaches.

However, this was less bothering than an aspect that completely diminished my interest into the book: the love story between the young Greek doctor Nikos and the rich French-educated Vera. The two of them are predictably supposed to fall in love, but we are made believe that in fact this was meant to be even before they ever meet. Their behavior and personalities do not suggest it, unless the author himself insists that they are a couple and the sentimental part of the story is solved. The exclusive fictional part of the story is so clumsy and awkward that it completely diverted my attention from the rest of the narrative.

Pitty for my expectations, but a win from the point of view of the language. Hopefully my next German read will be more rewarding from the literary point of view.

Rating: 3 stars

The Passive Vampire by Gherasim Luca

 

My attraction to surrealism relies not only to the fact that it reinstates the dream into the everyday realm, beyond the Freudian paradigm, but it also exposes the limits of theory. One needs every scrap of oniric rememberance to explain and survive the reality. Dreams are not an escape, but the gnoseologic complementary of life.

Gherasim Luca belongs to a generation of Eastern European/Romanian/Jewish surrealism of French orientation that communicated with their French/Western counterparts as full partners of literary dialogues. The avant-garde creativity of Tzara, the complex visualisations of dreams by Victor Brauner - one of my favorite painters ever - or by Jules Perahim were in sync, trendsetting not trendfollowing - as in the case of many other intellectuals genres that were copied and pasted in the local context - the big movements of ideas. Unfortunately, even nowadays, this intellectual bubble is less known and studied in Romania. 

Gherasim Luca was born Salman Locker and signed under a couple of alias such as Petru Malcoci or Costea Sar. He experienced pogroms and mounting local antisemitism, but also the trauma of the 1940 earthquake. Between 1940-1947 he was member of the Romanian Surrealist Group. He left Romania in 1952 and moved to France where he was until the end of the 1980s an apatride. For his visual and literary collages he collaborated with Max Ernst, Jean Arp or Paul Celan. 

The Passive Vampire - Le Vampire Passif - is his first text wrote directly in French, and was published in Romania in 1941 at Editions de L´Oubli, a local edition house. It is a relatively short text, which includes 18 photographs.

Critically reviewing a surrealist book is like trying to theoretically evaluate a dream. When one says a dream is good or bad it is not the aesthetics that matters but the feelings we wake up with in the morning. The surrealist writing is shocking and waking up, because it may take place within some recognizable parameters twisted to challenge mental habits. 

In the case of The...Vampire, the logic and theoretical reasons are magnified until their grotesque nullifies any kind of logic. Theory is a delirium that only the surrealist voodoo games can ransom. Reading is an exercise of accepting to lose control only to return back from the dream with a fresh free mind(set). 

Actually, I don´t need selfhelp books any longer; please give me more and more surrealist imaginations.

The Soul of the Vegan Nigerian Kitchen

´Nigeria is essentially a melting pot of distinct cultures striving to co-exist and bound by a shared history.´ 

I love to pair my fictional encounters with consistent cultural knowledge. Before two years ago, I was priviledged to often travel on beloved literary destinations all over the world therefore deepening my local and personal feeling about places often described in books. Among this extra-sensorial way to feel a book and a national literature, food plays an important way due to its personal insight into the everyday life and tastes of a cultural and ethnic group. Through food one can communicate without words sharing stories and personal experiences. Food stories are direct ways to the soul of a person. Better than ´wearing your heart on sleeves´ is, I think, sharing your real soul in a warm plate of food. (Personal note: I am not an outstanding cook, but promise to prepare all my meals with a lot of good intentions)

But when travel is limited - hopefully not for too long - learning through cookbooks is a compensatory solution. Cooking recipes from around the world, learning about spices and new names of vegetables and fruits was my secret delight for the time spent in confinment for various - more or less Covid-related reasons.

If you follow my blog, you may notice that I love Nigerian literature but unfortunatelly my food-related knowledge is more than limited. Given that we are talking about a country of 206 million people, the biggest in Africa, I was appalled by the lack of proper Nigerian dining in my part of the world where I am living. Of course, I´ve heard and even tasted jollof rice, but the experience was isolated from any other real touch. For instance, about the specific spices and specific meals of different cultures living in the country.  But what a blessing social media is, as it allowed me to connect with an extraordinary kind and enthusiastic cultural ambassador: Tomi Makanjuola, author of the inspiring and mouthwatering blog The Vegan Nigerian.

Author and food educator, Tomi´s last book reunites an unique selection of 100 Classic Recipes with a Plant-based Twist. I was lucky enough to be involved in testing - more or less successfully - few of them, and it felt like opening the door towards a secret world of textures and flavours that reading only couldn´t fathom. 

In addition with sharing traditional Yoruba meals she grew up with, she also introduced the reader to dishes from regions of Nigeria she never tried before. Although finding ingredients and original products may be a challenge - however, online orders are possible and if you know what to ask for, finding some of them can be possible, especially in Asian stores - the experience of trying those recipes is rewarding both for the body and the soul. 

The book includes - for the curious and less knowledgeable - an explanation of various ingredients used which in itself is an introduction to a lifestyle and way of understanding the world. The spices are more than additions to the plate, but do have extra health and everyday life qualities. As adapted to the vegan lifestyle, the Nigerian recipes brought to you by Tomi Makanjuola do take into consideration sustainable lifestyles and healthy eating, reaching out to a wider audience conscious about food choices.

The recipes are well written, matching both the need for accuracy so important in preparing a recipe, and the simplicity of directions. The information is well structured, affordable both to the hobby cook or the experienced restaurant chef. A must read and try to all multicultural food lovers around!

Interview with Tomi Makanjuola

Shortly after the book was launched, Tomi was generous enough to spend some time answering my questions about Nigerian food and its flavours, as well as her personal insights about what does it mean to be a food writer.

Photo credit: https://www.vegannigerian.com/

WildWritingLife: How did you decide to write a cookbook?

Tomi Makanjuola: It's been a dream to write this cookbook for as long as I can remember. A few years into running my blog The Vegan Nigerian, I could see that there was potential to create a comprehensive cookbook that would introduce readers to the best of vegan Nigerian cuisine. The timing to finally bring this idea to life felt right this year.

 

WWL: Why Vegan Nigerian recipes?

TM: I am Nigerian, and was born and raised there, so I have cultural ties to this type of food. I wanted to introduce more people to the beauty of our meals, whilst challenging Nigerians to approach our food from a plant-based perspective.

 

WWL: What brings your book new in terms of food writing in general, particularly Nigerian food?

TM: My book shows that Nigerian food is diverse. It provides readers with a deeper understanding of the food culture and a deeper knowledge of what we eat and how we eat.

 

WWL: What are your sources of inspiration for food writing? Can you recommend a couple of useful resources in this respect?

TM: I'm inspired by a lot of the food bloggers I follow online; those that are able to weave in personal anecdotes and family stories to bring their recipes to life.

 

WWL: How would you describe vegan Nigerian food, to someone who has never tried it before?

TM: Nigerian food is wholesome and tends to be quite rich. For main meals, we commonly consume one-pot stews or soups, with a side of starchy food such as rice, cassava, millet, sweet potatoes, yam (all cooked and prepared in various ways).

 

WWL: What are your favorite vegan Nigerian recipes?

TM: My favourite Nigerian meal of all time is pounded yam with egusi stew. I also love jollof rice with plantain, which is a classic. A recipe that I discovered recently (whilst doing research for the cookbook) and fell in love with is Miyan Taushe - a pumpkin and vegetable soup that is eaten mainly in the northern parts of Nigeria.

 

WWL: What would be a very affordable and easy Vegan Nigerian recommendation?

TM: Jollof rice is one of the most affordable dishes you can make. It's rice cooked in a blend of tomatoes, onions and red peppers, seasoned with dried thyme and curry powder. Although the ingredients are simple, the taste is magnificent.

 

WWL: What were your biggest challenges while writing this book?

TM: The recipe testing was probably the most challenging part. I tend to cook without measuring the ingredients, but in this case I had to be more painstaking, keeping track of every little thing I added and the quantities. 

 

WWL: What is your advice to someone with a love for food that may be interested in sharing the love in written words?

TM:  Just go for it and keep practicing. Don't be afraid to write using your authentic voice or to share meaningful stories, as this is how your passion for food can be best conveyed. 

 

WWL: What are your next writing plans?

TM: I have so many ideas in mind! I think it would be fun to write a cookbook focused solely on desserts made using Nigerian ingredients.

Random Things Tours: After the Rain by Lucy Dillon

There are difficult times: politically, financially, personally. After two years of pandemics, we need to go beyond fears and re-discover the sense of community stolen from us by the distance requested to avoid becoming a victim of the virus. Hence, the world needs more inspiration about how to get back to living the life again, and books - together with movies - are important in catching up with life and humanity in general.

After the rain by bestseller writer Lucy Dillon is not a pandemic kind of book but it does cover topics that may be common to our post-pandemics world: how to deal with abandonment and loneliness, how to find comfort in the quietness of your home, and your trustful pet and maintaining an interest in life after losing beloved parents. 

Tara Hunter is one of those therapists very good in her job of helping others but in the wrong position to help herself. This is why maybe therapists are in need of their own therapists when in need thereof. But for Tara, there is so much to cope with, no matter the professional background: her mother died, her boyfriend almost ghosted her, her twin brother is far away in the US. Then, her father is returning in her life unexpectedly and out of the blue and at work, a charming highly qualified Dr. David Dalloway entered the stage as a new counsellor and he does have an extra sensorial power: mindreading. (Gd forbid to have to deal with such an individual anyway).

There is a lot of rain and a bit of storm too into the story, but there is always hope after the rain. Although as in the case of weather patterns, there is a high degree of predictability of what may follow next, also After the rain is predictable - although with some interesting twists - although overall enjoyable and well written. More than any other characters in the book, Tara is humanly relatable in her fragility and longing to be part of the community and connect with other creatures - including her pet.

This book was my first by Lucy Dillon but would be curious to explore soon more by this empathic author. 

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

Random Things Tours: Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi

 

War after war, we are becoming used with crisis and conflicts. Humans usually do have a limited attention span, but the permanent trauma we are exposed to through media and amplified online effects may limit it even more. Which is tragic when we think about the fate of the people depending at a great extent of the general sympathy in order to survive. Some conflicts may be sent into oblivion until something significant occurs, while others are moved into the forefront. A tragical game of chess having at stake destinies.

Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi is a lengthly documented complex book set in Afghanistan and US. It starts in 1978, in Kabul when the then little Sitara Zamani suceeds to escape in the middle of a coup affecting his family. Escaping to the US with the help of an American diplomat, she is building a new life and identity burrying under her Afghan past. Until one day, the man that saved her - while her family, because her father was the right hand of the progressive president Sardar Daoud, is killed - returns in her life. A successful oncologist with a completely new life story, she longs to return to Afghanistan to discover the latest pieces of the puzzles of the life she left behind. 

A story about belonging and building home(s), Sparks Like Stars has an evocative tone, but equally exposes the characters to complex decisions and moral choices. But first and foremost is a book about individual destinies shaped by random political circumstances. Sitara would have had a beautiful happy life if not the dire political circumstances in the 1970s in Afghanistan. For those still wandering how comes that this country is going through such a traumatic episodes, it is a reminder that, in fact the roots are deeper in time.

I liked how the perspective changes from the little girl Sitara to the successful adult woman Sitara, with a genuine authenticity that makes the character relatable and the story itself closer to the reader´s soul. Although it is a work of historical fiction, this book helps to better understand the general context of the situation in Afghanistan, particularly regarding the women´s fate. 

Nadia Hashimi is an unique sparking storyteller who refuses to abandon her complex identity in order to sound less complex, therefore relatable and acceptable for the greater public. By not giving up her story she is paving the way for more diversity and real cultural representation in the literary realm. Voices like hers do acknowledge though fiction the complexities of the Afghan file and further nurtures voices that waited for so long to finally return to the home of their minds.

Rating: 4.5 stars

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

´I Am Writing You from Tehran´

 

...not me, of course, but Delphine Minoui, French-Iranian journalist who spent ten years in Iran reporting for various, mostly French-speaking international media. Je vous écris de Téhéran/I am writing you from Tehran is a memoir written as a series of letters Minoui is sending to her late grandfather, a patriot who did not accept any compromise either with the Shah or the mullahs. 

Busy covering different kind of assignments, while trying to escape the obsessive surveillance system and the offers of collaboration with the many intelligence units of the regime, there is a part of herself which reveals during those times. A part which she is struggling to not leave behind, spiritually at least, while she is leaving Iran, at least for now. 

In a curious emphatic way which reminded me of a similar book about Iran by Tara Kangarlou, Minoui is interesting in going beyond the sensational appearances often portrayed in the international media covering this part of the world. The most important characters of her memorialistic writings are women - women refusing to give up, women victims of men, women going to prison but still not giving up of their countries. There are not famous women - although I would have expected at least few noticeable brave women I admire - but maybe/hopefully they will really take the lead one day in Iran. But Minoui wants to know and understand more and thus she dares to explore the mind of the religious establishment as well, including one of its fierce enforcers, the basiji. She goes to Qom, the centre of religious elites, or meets with the nephew of the disgraced ayatollah Montazeri or with Hossein Khomeini, the nephew of the ayatollah with the same name.

Books like Minoui´s - that I had the chance to read in the original French language - allow to see and understand the nuances and the many differences but also to extend the borders of imagination trying to figure out how things could change in the future and in what direction. It is a testimony, one of the many that may help at a certain moment to figure out the big puzzle of a mysterious world.

Rating: 4 stars

Random Things Tours: Otter´s Coat

 

A Cherolachian (Cherokee and Appalachian) re-interpretation of the Aesopian fable of the Tortoise and the Hare, Otter´s Coat by Cordellya Smith is a smart read for children aged 5 to 7. Exactly that kind of age when the selfawareness is increasing but naughtiness may be the easy way to survive both in the world of adults and peers. 

The Rabbit, a smart guy, hears about a fancy coat the Otter got and set up a plan to get it out of him. He does, with poise and cunning but nevertheless the owl caught the move and disgusted hurries to fly and share the horrendous affair to the other animals in the forest. Who decide to punish him because he deserves it.

By balancing the act of the hare with a social sanction of the outlawish behavior, the reader, small reader ready to break the rules no matter how, that no matter how smart you are, there are common rules that should be accepted. Stealing someone´s coat, no matter how jealous you may be, is not an acceptable behavior. Also, intelligence is a gift but without ethical limitations can easily turn into anti-social poison.

Although joyful and appealing to children, Otter´s Coat is a thoughtful book that can easily turn into a topic of conversation with your little ones. Trying to explain what and why happened and why this is not a recommended behavior can be useful for the next social experiences of your child. 

In addition to the story, the vibrant colourful illustrations by Blueberry Illustrations do keep the children connected and interested in the story. The little readers do have also an extra task: finding on each page the chipmunk hiding where you expect less. 

The book offer to pre-school and first grade children and their parents, teachers, educators etc. the opportunity of a discussion about acceptable behavior and learning how to contain toxic feelings. It´s useful without being lecturing with eye-catching illustrations and smart ideas - the good kind of smart, of course.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Book Review: Charif Majdalani Last Oasis

 

A Lebanese archeologist with deep knowledge and connections on the black market of stolen artifacts is requested to coordinate a possible sale of objects of art in Iraq. It happens in 2014, when the country, altogether with Syria, was on the forefront of the Daesh - Islamic State - conquest. When people were trying to survive, who really cares about archeology anymore, but this was not the case in reality. A network of black market for looted artifacts was used to channel money out and from the terrorists, but also benefited the various global interlopers of the art market.

The character of Lebanese author whose works I had the chance to previously review on the blog Charif Majdalani´s Last oasis - Dernière Oasis - that I´ve read in the original French language - is first and foremost a meditation about history and its agents. The characters and events explained in the book are set to demonstrate the randomness of historical occurences. The events that are taking place in pure randomly do change the course of history, but there is no general pattern or laws the historical events do eventually follow.

The archeologist´s mission is aborted after the general who requested his presence was killed. Five years after, he is trying to find out who betrayed them and why, and what happened with the treasure of artifacts he was promised. His reluctant meeting with the general´s daughter, with whom he had a random flirt under the pressure of the exceptional conditions he was under, will partly clarify the unknown rest of the story.

What I really liked about the book besides the slow paced story, was the permanent meditation about history and its agents, by creating events aimed to demonstrate and illustrate a philosophical premise. It reunites historical thinking with literary imaginations using journalistic and recent history realities and contexts. The final result is a thoughtful meditation on human life and its limited free choices.

Rating: 4 stars 

Random Things Tours: River Clyde by Simone Buchholz translated by Rachel Ward

 

Crime stories - krimi - are a beloved genre within the German speaking realm and there are plenty of excellent authors among the favorites of the public. However, the outside world rarely know about them given the linguistic limitations. After all, according to the latest statistics, there are only 130 million humans in the world speaking German.

Therefore, translations are an excellent way to introduce to a wider audience less known authors with an extraordinary art of writing. As, for instance, Simone Buchholz made known to the non-German audiences by the hardworking (fleißig, in German) Orenda Books. The latest translation by Rachel Ward, River Clyde is a serious game changer for the genre, due to the unique writing and the well chosen turns of the story. 

State prosecutor Chastity Riley - a character in other books by Buchholz - is going to Scotland aiming to trace a personal episode, while inspectors Stepanovic and Calabretta are investigating a wave of ransom attacks in Hamburg - Buchholz homecity and one of my favorite destinations for short trips in Germany - that threated to escalate into a violent internal conflict. There are many references that would have been better understood if I had read more from the series, as I missed probably a couple of details that were not part of the current story. 

The dialogues are the backbone of the story and through them both the story and the characters reveal. The writing story is unique, especially for a thriller, with a very creative and literary touch. Last but not least, the chapters do inspire the reader to creatively imagine whatever he or she may expect from the story in the making and even in the end the final spin belongs to the author, it is worth trying it. 

The urban environments where the story is taking place - Hamburg and Glasgow - are brought to life in a very personal intimate way and this interest for urban details is another unique literary touch.

I was pleasantly surprised in many ways by River Clyde as it shows how much freedom the writer has when writing a thriller. The choice of the genre is not a limitation and a punishment, but encourages the writer to be him- or herself and create its world of choice that only in the end, maybe for advertising and categorisation purposes, should have a name. But as it happens in a big smart family, there may be many individual members. 

Rating: 4 stars

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

A Perfect Political Thriller: While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams

I cannot remember exactly the reason why I decided to pick up from my local library shelves While Justice Sleeps. Maybe because I´ve watched some interview with democrat politician and activist Stacey Abrams once or some presentation of the book...But definitely, I am interested in politicians and public personalities in general writing books although I am aware that few of them only actually write the books. My interest is the result of the curiosity towards the approach of different topics that usually reflect a political stance. I may have other less noteworthy reasons as well. But again, all were soon forgotten as I advanced through the book.

Set on the background of a Supreme Court crisis, when one irrascible and difficult yet libertarian Justice Wynn is suddenly in incapacitated. Suddenly he fell in a coma shortly after he assigned power of will to his faithful talented assistant Avery. But Avery has some skeletons in her closet, and the Justice as well and it seems that the minutiae o the arrangement planned by Wynn are not mean to resist the test of the political circumstances. Among others, president Stoke, a grandomaniac patriot (sounds familiar, isn´t it), who is interested to obtain a favorable decision regarding an interesting merging of biotechnology companies. 

And those are only a couple of details only, as the story is becoming more and more complex as the narrative develops, and surprising twists are changing completely both the course of action and the understanding of the events. 

Stacey Abrams is not only a fine observer of the political games in Washington DC, but she knows both the law and the very complicated mechanisms of power. Equally, she planned the book in the smallest details both in terms of the very serious research in very disparate topics as constitutional law and biotechnology, but also in building up a story developing in chess moves. The idea of creating biogenetic weapons developed to target religious groups based on common ancestry is only one of the many excellent twists introduced into the conversation. 

Although the topics brought into discussion is upgrading the complexity degree of the game they don´t sound unrealistic. It is not only because they may have a ´Made in America´ kind of stamp, but because it moves within knowledgeable timelines and details.

Stacey Abrams is a great political storyteller. While Justice Sleeps is her first novel released under her name and hopefully she had in the making more such intellectually entertaining books. 

Rating: 4.5 stars

Short Stories Book Review: Good Citizens Need Not Fear by Maria Reva

Set in Ukraine, shortly before and shortly after the end of the USSR, Good Citizens Need Not Fear by Canadian author Maria Reva is set around a tenement building. Characters and events mentioned in one story may return as an allusion or an acknowledged fact a couple of stories later, aspects which may require the reader to pay more attention in collecting details.

The location of the book is Kirovka, a small town in the Dnipropetrovska region, but although many of the inhabitants of the block of flats where the actions are taking place rarely leave their own compound, there are winds of change in the air: there is a McDonald´s inagurated in Moscow and young people are more interested in purchasing Western rock vinyls, produced in the black market by one of the residents. 

What stays, and actually survived no matter how many changes took place, are the grotesque reactions of the bureaucracy and the absurd habits of the secret police. This is the tragico-cynical part of the stories. But there is also, the humour which makes the survival mood bearable: from the patriotic bravery of sending a fake candidate to the Miss USSR beauty pageant to the surprise of finding out that the street do you live does not exist for the local authorities - enough to be considered non-existent for the rest of the Soviet Republic. 

The events described in the book do resonate with many of the stories usually set during those times, and common to a certain way of behaving as humorous Homo sovieticus, but it does have many relatives in the post-communism realm as well, sometimes preserved until our common era. 

The writing is focused sometimes more on the characters and less on the circumstances, although two or three stories are more focused on building up the story. Indeed, not all stories are equal, but the fact that they are cut together to belong to a wider context made those relative disbalances bearable and les relevant literarily. 

Sadly, Ukraine is going through a heartbreaking drama right now. There is no end to the cruelty of humans against humans and political circumstances may just facilitate it. The Ukraine of Reva´s short stories may have been long gone, physically annihilated by the absurd power of tanks. I wish I wanted to laugh more and be less distraught while reading it. But, more than half of the pleasure of reading was poisoned by the thought of the carnage of an absurd war. Like any war.

Rating: 4 stars

Random Things Tours: Tug of Love by Jo Austin

 

Jo Austin writes not only as a mother, a woman, a daughter, but her story of ´life, love and loss´ is a testimony of a woman building her own path. Despite all odds, and chronical illness and challenging mental health issues. 

As Jo Austin mentioned at the beginnig of the book, ´having a mental illness is not a choice´ and the same goes with any kind of illness. Definitely, in the case of the mental illness the signs are not clearly visible and therefore more difficult to explain and understand. Austin takes her time to share her story slowly, on a very simple yet empathic tone. Her life journey, like everyone´s is a journey of pain, struggle, misunderstanding, heartbreak but also love and finding herself. Indeed, one may think what exactly is the reason to share such a story, not necessarily heroic and exceptional, with the rest of the world. The reason is its normality and the way in which everyday people can find themselves reflected into the story. 

Personally, I was very interested in her account on her life with OCD, as I haven´t seen too many memoir-like testimonies in this respect but the book is not about this specific aspect of her life therefore I may understand.

The book is kindly written, with an empathic way of connecting and remembering people, with many personal details. Reading it, gives strength to many readers, particularly women and mothers of children with special needs and themselves in a delicate mental situation. 

Rating: 3 stars

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

Random Things Tours: The Killing Kind by Jane Casey

 

Comparing books does not necessarily bring too much to any of the books involved in the comparison. As in the case of people, it is better to consider each and every one of them as an individual, original work created by very individual writers. However, there may be a classification of books which may meet your personal criteria. Some are good written, with a complex narrative brought to life by outstanding equally complex characters. Some aren´t.

The Killing Kind by Dublin-based Irish writer Jane Casey is probably one of the best thrillers I´ve read in the last months. One of a kind of a book, actually. At the first sight, it has quite an easy to grasp story. Ingrid Lewis is a barrister who defended successfully John Webster, accused of stalking women. But once he is out of jail, strange things are about to happen. Very bloody strange things.

What I particularly appreciated about this book is the moral/ethical and nevertheless human entanglement of the characters, particularly when it comes to make a choice between their human feelings and their professional credo. A barrister should guarantee equal representation to everyone, including proved criminals. But what can you do when it is almost sure that you can be his next victim? Therefore, Ingrid Lewis is not only a well defined literary character, but raises very human questions that usually a well written thriller shares. What is a crime but an ultimative human decision ignoring moral and everyday ethic values most societies are based upon? A good writer of this genre may suggest to the reader some different angle and perspectives on a very dramatic topic.

The Killing Kind is realistic and original, as it outlines complex everyday episodes in their human relevance. Thus, following the story is like being faced with a door into the dilemma and choices of a barrister who is dealing with a very dangerous - and killing - kind of situation. In real life, there are no black and white situations and the ambiguity of the circumstances described in the book resonate with the way in which often life enfolds. 

The book has very tensed and emotional moments that determine the reader to stay with the book until it is over. Altough completely thrilled and emotionally drained by the story, I am very happy to have been offered the chance of discovering a new author. The Killing Kind is her first standalone novel, but I am sure that the series are at least equally suspenseful and interesting as this one. 

Rating: 5 stars

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

Random Things Tours: Karma and the Art of Butter Chicken by Monica Bhide

Monica Bhide is an inspiring storyteller. Her food articles do say as many stories as her beautiful novels and poetry. And I can´t resist a beautiful story of life, love and being alive. Karma and the Art of Butter Chicken  is an emotional book with tasty recipes and an entincing cover created by the inspiring photographer Simi Jois. 

I am more than honored to be part of the online literary event organised by lady protector of good books, Anne Cater  dedicated to this book, sharing my latest interview with Monica, whose kind and generous presence is a gift and a blessing.

The interview was made in writing.

Monica Bhide, personal archive

“How can I make a difference? I am only one person!”

WildWritingLife: What was the inspiration for your book?

Monica Bhide: “How can I make a difference? I am only one person!” I would hear this refrain from so many people and specially from my own self! When things were hard or I would see someone in need, I tried to help but then always added – I am just one person, what can I do. 

 

Then, I met Chef Jose Andres. This book is dedicated to him – his selfless work in the creation of DC Central Kitchen and the World Central Kitchen inspired me to start looking at life in a different way. Here was one man making such a huge difference in the world  - he just did it. He didn’t ask for permission or look for the absolute and perfect solutions, he marched on every single day and managed to change the world. 

 

I began to wonder what it is about this man, an ordinary man, like the rest of us, what is it about him that he is succeeding where so many of us have failed. What is it that motivates him? What makes him not give up?

 

At the same time, I had becoming increasingly interested in the Buddhist way of life and their apparent appreciation and love of life, while at the same time having an amazing focus and peace.  Years ago, I fell really ill and needed major surgery. A dear friend, who was in Tibet at the time, sent me a scarf blessed by a monk and I am convinced, it was my faith in that blessing that helped me heal and guided my way. 

 

The two experiences have shaped so much of my thinking and gave birth to Eshaan –  the protagonist in my book, who wanted to change the world but struggled. He learned during his journey that to change the world, the drive needs to come from inside and not outside. 

 

Eshaan has many faults, many weaknesses and many misgivings, in other words, he is human. But, he does have one thing that makes him stand out and be different – he genuinely believes that he has been put on this earth to make a difference and the only question he needs to answer is how. There is nothing as powerful, they say, as a motivated and focused mind. 

 

A well researched book

 

WWL: How long did it take to write it?

MB: It took well over two years. I researched a lot for this book. I traveled to many places in Delhi, visited monasteries and followed the work of many philanthropists to create this little fictional world. 

 

Planning in the smallest details 

WWL: How does your writing process take place?

 

MB: I am not a very disciplined writer – though I try to be! I wrote the book in small blocks at a time. What helped me most was creating detailed profiles of the characters. I created a deep profile- their backstories, their voting preferences, their fears, bad habits, good deeds etc. This helped me understand how they would behave in different situations. I learned a lot from this process! I am now applying it to my new novel in progress. 

 

Just write... 

WWL: How do you fight writer's block?

 

MB: Great question! Whenever I get stuck, I forget about the book and just write – I journal, I write about a good memory, I write about a bad meal, I write about a sunrise or a dying flower. This usually helps me get back on track. When I can't think of what to write next in a scene, I generally find leaving it alone for a time works. I leave it for a week and then come back and work on it. One thing – I never NOT write. If I stop writing (which I have done in the past), it is very hard to get the momentum going again. So I find it is better to write any nonsense (it can be edited or deleted) than to not write at all! 

 

Powered by Hope, an inspiring Project 

WWL: What did the pandemics time meant for you as a writer? 

 

MB: I was afraid when it all started. Scared, worried, uncertain about what is coming. I certainly wasn’t prepared for the torrent of roller coaster of emotions that I felt, much less the messages I was getting from my friends, family, and readers. I was still nursing my wounds of my twenty-three-year-long marriage ending, a heartbreak that I had not been prepared for, and the resurgence of my chronic pain issues, financial problems, and, well you name it. 

 

I found myself on the other end of long phone calls, walking friends through some gentle guidance and meditation to accept what was happening so that we could calm our chaos and deal with the situation.

 

I knew I had to do something. So I created these short sound bites, Powered by Hope, to help my friends and readers deal with this surreal time in our lives. Their goal is to offer gentle stories, hope, and self-care for all of us. I offer listeners a different perspective, as our world faces a “new normal” and we learn what it means to be physically distant, yet connected as humans at our very core. At the end of each audio bite, I offer listeners the chance to put my reflections into practice, and lead them on a uniquely crafted and specialized guided exercise to calm and center the mind. The guided exercises allow people a moment of reflection, the opportunity to pause and think about their lives.

Here is the link - https://monicabhide.com/powered-by-hope/

 

New books in the making

 

WWL: What are your next writing plans?

 

MB: I am working on a children’s book and a love story! 

 

Finding out what you love

 

WWL: You have a very inspirational journey of following your writing dream against all odds? What would you say to someone who, like you, struggled being in a non-writing place but longing to become a writer? 

 

MB: I think the key is finding out what you love to do and then doing it consistently, with focus and purpose. It sounds so cliché, I know, but that has been my experience. I love to tell stories and I try to stay true to that – whether it is writing stories, recording audio bites, even on my Instagram posts I try to tell short tales. 

 

I had a vision to become a storyteller and I try my best every day to stay true to this. 

 

The three factors that have worked for me in making this vision a success - focus, passion and persistence. Notice that I don’t use talent as one of the factors. I believe that tenacity trumps talent every time.

 

It pays to be persistent.  If you are going to do this, whatever you decide “this” is, be persistent in pursuing your goal. Learn as much as you can about your field and then learn some more. Every business has its highs and lows and it takes persistence and sometimes sheer willpower to keep going on days when everything is going wrong. My father would often say, “It’s easy to be a good manager when everything is going right. The real managers are ones who shine in the face of adversity.”

 

Passion creates energy and people will sense this energy within you. Passion shows people you care about what you do. Passion for me is what my personal brand is all about, it’s what makes me who I am and is the distinction of my brand. This distinction that is “the difference that makes the difference” is driven in my opinion by passion. 

 

Finally, focus is critical. There are plenty of distractions around. I find that when I have to write a piece on deadline I will find seventy six reasons to clean my kitchen at that very moment and not write. There are plenty of distractions, self created and otherwise. The key is to keep your focus each day and take constructive steps towards your vision.