The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour: The Light Between Us by Elaine Chiew

 

A romance spanning time, South-Eastern Asian history, beautiful writing of a story out of time. Those are rarely character features of a debut novel that one can encounter once at a time. The Light Between Us by Elaine Chiew, published by Neem Tree Press met all those criteria, and a couple of extra more. 

From the very beginning I may confess that my literary taste buds for time travel, especially when it involves some supernatural connections - except djinns, I do have a weakness for djinns - but in the case of this book, the serious research and the story itself allows this element to slide as a mythological encounter. I´ve felt like it does not alter the sense of the story, but rather allows the reader to access a different literary dimension.

While doing some archive and historical research about Singapore, photographer and archivist Charlie Sze-Toh receives a letter from a famous local photographer who lived in the 1920s. Through some photographic plates, a conversation enfolds, leading Charlie to an unknown world of fear and anguish, fearing the Japanese Occupation. 

In a very dynamic yet symbiotic way, the timelines from both eras do offer a generous space for expanding and explaining the narrative. From the family issues Charlie is facing - vaguely but necessarily justifying the associationl of the book with Crazy Rich Asians - to the carefully curated details of the life in a Japanese brothel in Singapore in the 1920s, the book has so many narrative twists that do keep the reader involved in the life of the characters, no matter how unlikely their involvement may sound like. 

I deeply enjoyed reading The Light Between Us. This book only made me nostalgic for South-Eastern Asia and the trove of inspiration that lies there deeply hidden still waiting to be discovered and storyfied. 

Rating: 5 stars

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

Random Things Tours: Four Seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley

 

Although my time spent in Japan meant mostly work, very hard work, I also had the chance to travel around the country, at least once to Tokyo. Big cities are fascinating, of course, but living there, life may be unbearable: human relationships are hard to make and maintain, the daily expenses are hard to cover therefore more work is required to pay the basic costs of life.

Flo, the American translator assigned the role of the main character in Four Seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley is going through a complicated existential crisis. Her relationships is stuck, her life does not make too much sense and she is slowly developing a deep hate towards the city. It´s how you feel when you do not find your place any more.

Her life is about to change as she is randomly finding a book in the subway that she is decided to translate. An old book about an old lady from a small town, sharing her grief and determination to dedicate her life to her grandson, while maintaining a small coffee place. This literary meeting between a translator and a long forgotten book will change her, showing her a direction and sense of life she may have forgotten.

I haven´t read in a long time a story within a story kind of book. Books do have power and have the strength to change lives and everything happening in this story, although wrapped in the veil of fantasy, makes sense. I also appreciate that the main character is a translator, and her relationship with written words she is translating is portrayed as a transforming experience. Translators are rarely featured as book characters, which adds just a new merit to the book.

Four Seasons in Japan is a recommended read to anyone looking to find beauty in one of the places where most probably it is always easy to find: in the pages of a book. Days after reading it I still feel its touch of beauty in my life.

Rating: 5 stars

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

Short Stories Collection: Universal Love by Alexander Weinstein

Short stories, on a love-related topic and dystopian settings may sound as a very entertaining reading possibility. I am very reluctant about anything Sci-Fi and dystopic adventures, unless it is highly executed and this was what I was expecting from this collection. Which was not honestly the case...

Universal Love by Alexander Weistein was published in 2020 and I´ve read it in 2024. In the last four years there have been many evolutions in the field of social media and virtual reality - Artificial Intelligence-everything being one of them. However, many of the stories, populated with humans sometimes interacting with half- or fully robots or robotic characters, do look like placed in a vintage Second Life, experiencing avatar sex and getting caught in virtual war games, going through the same drama of real time war. There are also some characters programmed to behave in a specific way through a chip or a chip card.

Although the longing for human relations and physical contact in real life is a human, emotional experience, I personally expected a higher sophistication of the narratives. The stories are missing that vital impulse that may attract even someone not usually consuming such genre. My challenge of reading something out of my comfort zone failed this time.

Rating: 2.5 stars 

Blog Tour: Bay of Thieves by Megan Davis

 

If one things about the South of France, particularly Côte D'Azur, thieves is the last word that may come to mind. Is as you think about Switzerland and you cannot think about anything but expensive cars and watches and walking on paved streets over secret bank vaults full of enough money to feed 3 or 4 lifetimes full of dreams. Dream on, if you are a naive person...

But if you are not, than you may enjoy Bay of Thieves by Megan Davis. Two smart and charming lawyers, Vanessa and Kate do have an easy to grasp job description: make the rich not only remain rich, but grab more and more money without being bothered. The more complex the task, the higher the reward, of course.

It is a world of high corruption and aggressive behavior, that may not spare anyone. Are the two women able to tolerate such situations and if yes, for how long? And as the crimes are getting more and more intense, both murder and financial corruption, they may be faced with a choice.

I am particularly interested in stories of corruption involving moral choices on the main characters, therefore this book suited me very well. The two characters - their motivations, challenges and moral choices - are by far the most interesting part of the story, and followed them with the same excitement I will dedicate to a thriller movie. It seems that the background and the actions are fit for them, to give them the chance to grow and develop both as humans and characters. They are very much relatable and one of my favorite achievements of this book.

Although this was my first encounter with Megan Davis, and was not sure what to expect - was definitely tempted by the smart description of the topic - my curiosity was rewarded and I will without a doubt include this author on my list of literary interests.

Rating: 4 stars

Rachel´s Random Resources: The Perfect Home by Natasha Boydell

Weekends are for me the perfect time to read psychological thrillers, because only on the interval between Friday evening and Sunday I am able to fully focus on my book(s), instead of splitting my time between extensive work projects, family chores and obligations and in general, many other activities that may disturb my already distorted focus.

The Perfect Home by Natasha Boydell was a serious candidate for my bookish weekend, and I am grateful for being able to read it now instead for any day of the week. As the book starts, we are slowly slowly introduced into an ambiance of suspense and it is very hard to abandon the book until you will know the end.

The book is exploring a theme that I´ve seen used in many successful psychological thrillers: it is set in a relatively middle class environment, in the midst of an elegant neighbourhood where you expect the least criminal behaviour. However, beauty and wealth does not guarantee the absence of crime, as not the social status determines the exposure and inclination to crime. Hence, the role of psychological crime writers to explore the gaps and the hidden truths behind the good looking people and their luxury homes.

Westford Park is such a microcosm and we are informed from the very beginning that we are about to deal with the disappearance of a teenager girl. Covering 12 months, we are slowly introduced into the story, back and forth, and particularly the residents of the area and their secrets. A tempting game that Boydell is playing in a very unexpected way. 

The plot may be limited by time, location and characters, but the characters do make the most of it. Humans, insufferable - not few of them - deeply caught into the maze of lies to recognize the truth and their responsibility. Too selfish to acknowledge their responsibility. 

It was my first time reading Boydell but would definitely try to follow up with more of her books. The Perfect Home was a flawless introduction to her writing.

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 Book Tour: The Winter Killings by Wes Markin

Although I am extensively reading crime novels and I am constantly discovering new authors and titles, I am far from covering all the best writers around. For example, Wes Markin, a well established author I was not familiar with until getting to read The Winter Killings. The book belongs to the Yorkshire Murders series but can be read as a stand-alone. 

From the very beginning I was impressed by the opening, a dramatic rendition in verses that announces an unexpected crime story. Expectations largely meet as the plot does not leave the reader too much time to breath. What else to expect from a crime novel?

DCI Emma Gardner is challenged to trace the case of a myterious human skull discovered in a pub. The most unlikely discovery in the most unlikely place. As the list of speculations is closing, she may be faced with a terrible truth: the skull may belong to her beloved colleague DI Paul Riddick, disappeared without a trace for a while already. 

The setting - seasonal and geographical - plays a particular role in this story and adds layers of mystery to the crime investigation. Particularly the winter offers the ambiance and the details enriching the plot. As for the plot itself, it has so many turns and twists leaving open any possible outcome until it really happens.

I fully enjoyed The Winter Killings and most probably will be delighted to return to this author soon, maybe when the winter will set in. 

Rating: 4 stars

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

Knife by Salman Rushdie

Fanatics never give up. They may change their mind and use the previous murderous energy for hoperfully better aims, but if they don´t you better take them seriously. They will take all the time in the world to achieve their goal. Goal which in most cases involves destruction and crime. 

Salman Rushdie is one of the best storytellers of our times - the late Paul Auster was another. I regularly review his new books on the blog and there are still some of them I haven´t yet time to do it. The Satanic Verses upsided down his and other people in his entourage lives. Showed him the limits of human empathy and the treachery of political promisses. In the biographical Joseph Anton he describes very well his disappointments and harassments of a life on the run. On the run against the fanatics.

He moves to the US, leaving the compromise-friendly UK, and kept writing beautiful books. He started to enjoy the simple things in life, like going to a restaurant, meeting friends in the open, taking part to literary events. This is where he was on August 12th, 2022. While taking part at a literary discussion organised at Chautauqua Institute, New York, a 24-year old fanatic stabbed him multiple times, in a religiously motivated attack that almost claimed his life. Rushdie was able to recover and wrote an account of his time fighting for his life, and the afterwards: Knife. Meditation after an Attempted Murder - I had access to the book in the German translation by Bernhard Robben. 

The book alternates detailed notes about what and how the attack took place, the medical procedures he underwent - among others, he lost one eye - and meditations, although short, about life´s ends and ovec. Especially love, which is relatively a new topic compared to previous writings - fictional or not. His multi-talented wife Rachel Eliza Griffiths, a writer, poet and visual artist, gave him the strength and the love to survive. Such energies help you jump in fire, and as someone who went through a life threatening medical emergency, I know how important guardian angels are to stay alive. 

Maybe some may expect from Knife - whose cover itself deserves the highest praise - a deep conversation about philosophy of life and death and other fluffy intermezzi people who never had the experience of being a survivor assume it comes into question in such situations. But being a survivor is the greatest story one has to tell. A story that will survive fanatics, I am more than sure about.

Rating: 4 stars

Random Things Tours: Terrible Humans by Patrick Alley

 

We are living in a world of terrible humans, but this is nothing new under the sun. This is the way of the world and it will always be. What can be different, from a generation or a century to another, is the committment of other humans, less terrible, to not allow evil to take over the remaining good part of the world.

Nowadays, journalists do play a very important role in exposing the terrible humans to the world. Terrible Humans by Patrick Alley co-founder of Global Witness, an initiative aimed at supporting transparency and sustainability across the world offers a couple of case studies featuring individuals dedicated to moral or financial destruction at any costs. Without forgetting however those who are stubbornly fighting to take them down.

The special cast of humans include mercenaries, oligarchs, thugs and mafiosi. They are many and bold hence the determination of journalists and investigators to take them down. No one is invincible and part of them being terrible is also the (des)illusion they are high above the law. 

I´ve found the reports interesting as information, although I was relatively familiar with some cases. What really interested me though was the hardwork of people trying to reveal their real face and risks to the society. 

If you feel that nothing can really make this world better, and you feel overwhelmed by the bad news about terrible humans, this book may restore the hope in a better future, because no bad deed may remain unpunished. It may also encourage journalists to keep doing their honest work, because their work really matters for the good rest of the world.

Rating: 4.5 stars

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

Random Things Tours: Daughters of the Nile by Zahra Barri

I am completely against the condescendence displayed towards debut authors. Someone´s first published book may be as telling and important as any other further writings by an author. With this mindset, I was delighted once again to have my assumption confirmed, Daughters of the Nile by comedian, author and blogger Zahra Barri has the strength of a confirmed literary voice. Adding debut to the novel does not make any difference from the point of view of the overall value of the book.

A multi-generational women story, starting in Paris in the 1940s and continuning until the early 2000s in Bristol, the three women from Bin-Khalid family do write their own stories of independence and sexual liberation. A phenomenon too much considered through Western eyes and ignoring contributions of women like Doria Shafik, a fierce Egyptian feminist that is a role model for many advocates of women rights.

Shafik´s inspiration for the characters of the book has a special historical meaning.The women characters however, enjoy their full literary independence, through the stories they are telling and their unique flavor of life. They are forced to take decisions that may change their lives, but they are active within a larger family and social relations, they may relate to. 

The complexity of the situations and the characters are approaches with humour and a certain easiness that makes the reader comfortable faced with so many important issues. It allows to build up a space allowing the reader to better understand the situations presented while taking stances for or against specific characters.

Daughters of the Nile reads as a saga, revealing identities and challenging ready-made narratives. First and foremost though, it develops alternative queer and feminist histories through intriguing characters. I can only hope the author will continue her literary investigation of the topic and will keep sharing more such stories.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Random Things Tours: Narcoball. Love, Death and Football in Escobar´s Colombia by David Arrowsmith

 

The ongoing football championship in Europe, is the right moment to thing a bit more beyond the competition itself. I am far from understanding too much about the rules and the game in general, but I can see the other implications of this popular game: from national branding to political prestige, football operates sometimes like a drug to masses and elites as well.

In case of Colombia, football tells literally a drug story. Narcoball. Love, Death and Football in Escobar´s Colombia by half-Colombian, UK-based film producer David Arrowsmith offers a fascinating insight into Escobar´s obsession with football. At the height of his fame and wealth, the narcoterrorist wanted to support and win through football, a domain offering him the perfect drug he was lookinng for: money and power.

Well documented and focused on facts and biographical details, Arrowsmith is able to convene in a relatively short amount of pages, both Escobar´s adventurous life, as well as his times, the changes taking place within the football´s arena in Latin America and abroad. It´s an extraordinary efffort of concision and precision, as it offers a non-dramatic, facts-fuelled story where history meets journalism.

Narcoball is a recommended read to anyone curious to learn more about the - sometimes - bloody history of football and some of its dangerous puppeteers. Beyond those dangerous stories, football remains a sport worth watching and passionatelly answering our need for show and fair-play.

Rating: 5 stars

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

First memories of Maryse Condé

My recommended way to understand the works of an author, is to start with his or her autobiographical stories. Although it is not enough to fully graps the meanings and symbols, sometimes it helps to understand certain references and mentions.

For a long time I wanted to explore more Carribean/Antilles-based authors, and the late Maryse Condé was on the top of the list. I collected some of her books from my French Institute library and only needed some further motivation to start. It comes this weekend, as I went in one sitting through her childhood memories: Le coeur à rire et à pleurer - A laughing and crying heart (I am fully responsible for the translation).

I had access to the original French-written book, which has many local créole insertions, some of them explained at the end of the book, which gives a note of authenticity to the book. The short stories unfold chronologically, from her first memories until the rebelious teenage years.

She was born in a middle class family, strict, admiring the French administration and France where they used to spend the holidays and send the children to learn in their teenage years. The memories shared in the book are aware of her special upbringing, but curious about going beyond the set social boundaries. She watches the world through her children eyes, non-judgemental, just taking note of the world. This authentic, unaltered voice makes the story relatable and the reader curious to keep exploring the writings of this author. Which I will do right away, in the next days.

Rating: 4 stars

Brotherless Night by V.V.Ganeshananthan

With so many ongoing regional conflicts ongoing, and many other just waiting for a spark to ignite, it is not wonder that fiction books featuring conflicts, although taking place remotely in time, do enjoy a high popularity. Literature prepare us to understand and survive a conflict and I may long for a significant book about any major conflict of the modern world.

Brotherless Night by V.V.Ganeshananthan was recently announced as the 2024 winner of Women´s Prize for Fiction. Written by a woman, told by a woman voice, it convenes from a personal experience the tragedies of the Sri Lankan civil war. 

Sashi, the storyteller, is a young woman who is growing up as a person and professionally - a doctor that learned most of her practice by threating victims of the war - during the peak of the conflict. Her own personal drama, of loosing brothers to the conflict, reflects the ways in which wars do affect individuals, their dreams and aspiration, how it hijacks their life. 

It is compassion for every creatures - Sashi´s account of how Henry the dog was reacting during the intense fire exchange is one of the most emotional episodes about animals during wars I´ve ever read - that makes this relatively long book relatable. It unites people from all over the world, then and now, who ever experienced a war, no matter how ´just´ and ´random´ it is.

I had access to the book in audiobook format, read by Nirmala Rajasingam. Interestingly, both the voice of Sashi and the creator of her, do have Tamil connections, which gives to the book a high note of authenticity.

Rating: 4 stars

Books in Romanian: Râsul by Dorina Rusu

The last time I´ve read a book in Romanian was more than one year ago, and it was a nonfiction book - a book about contemporary history. My last encounter with Romanian literature in Romanian was probably many years ago, but faithful to my New Year´s Resolution, I am trying to make time to discover new authors and titles. The easiest way to my heart is through short stories and I inaugurated my new season of Romanian literature with a collection of 12 short stories by Dorina Rusu, Râsul - The Laugh.

Rusu, who was a journalist after the fall of communism, published the book in 2018. Although independent, the stories do have a common character denominator, Otilia, who is playing different age roles. The prose is alert, short, descriptive enough to introduce us to the ambiance of the book, concise in dialogues nevertheless leaving the reader with a strong impression. 

Maybe some stories do have an autobiographical note, but which writer will not be inspired to write (also) by his or her life experiences.

The contemporary references do belong to the timeline where the stories are set: miners - a social category called by political authorities of the time to attack the urban, educated members of the opposition - among others, and a destitute poet who was desperately trying to get back into the public sphere.

The stories do have a special social footprint, which always suits well a short story, a favorite take for me, because I believe in the power of stories encountered while doing journalistic field reports. 

Râsul opened my appetite for more contemporary Romanian literature, including short stories, hopefully soon.

Rating: 5 stars

La Liste de Mes Envies by Grégoire Delacourt

What would it be when nothing is left on your wishlist? When you already got enough money to purchasee that bag and travel to that place...?

La liste de mes envies - in my free translation, My wishlist - by French author and once advertisert Grégoire Delacourt explores this issue of sudden wealth. Jocelyne lives in a small French locality, married with Jocelyn, with two children who left the nest few years ago already. She is owning a small haberdashery and writes a blog sharing tips about related hobbies. 

Everything changes as after playing lottery for the first time, and wins a pot of 18 million and a bit. But as she is still reckoning the overwhelming luck and is making list of what she will do with the money, something happens that will take her out of the comfort zone and change her life for ever.

It is a short book, easy as structure and with easygoing characters, but does touch upon capitalism-relevant questions and explores our purchase patterns and the genesis of our daily desires. It also has an ambiance of non-Parisian France which is worth mentioning and understanding.

As for now, the book was adapted for the stage.

Rating: 3.5 stars 

Random Things Tours: Vengeance by Saima Mir

´This was a new world, one where women could be equals and women of colour at that. There were different modes of thinking, talking and operating now´.

Ever since I´ve read The Khan, I was expecting a continuation. Vengeance, featuring crime syndicate leader Jia Khan, a woman on her own terms, is a long awaited new installment, with an equally fascinating character and an unexpected tightly weaven web of events. 

A more mature and reflexive Jia Khan, with the same stubborness in refusing to conform in a world where everyone is expecting her to react in a specific, role-assigned way, is threatened by unknown enemies. Is about her, her own position or the crime entreprise she is skillfully managing. Are we faced with a serial killer or those crimes do hid a message for the queen of crime?

The story sets slowly. With the highest precision, Saima Mir does not leave anything behind, and all the personal details of the characters - from their personal history to clothing description - as well as the grander historical and social observation allows a full immersion into the story. You may feel that you are actually there, where the action of the book takes part, and I am not only talking about England. It is like we, as readers, we are watching from behind a glass wall, being partaken every episode of the story.

Such a construction requires a high precision and control of the story. No detail is out of place, and the suspense concerns not only the chain of events, but also the behavior of the characters. Even the many intermezzos outlining feminist messages and thoughts about the role of women in conservative societies, do make sense for the sake of the story, not as random reflection on a contemporary issue. 

One of the strongest assests of this book is the deep knowledge of human nature, those seismographic fine lines defining a character reacting in different situations. I particularly loved the very normal mother attitude of Jia, taking her son to a Jirga meeting, because no other available relative to babysit him. If I would be the queen of underworld, would do exactly the same, how else one is expected to deal with challenges that are writing the future of the same child as well?

Although it may be considered a continuation of The Khan, Vengeance can be easily read as a stand alone book, as there are provided more than enough context information. 

After reading this book, in one long sitting, I just wanted to breath deep and close my eyes, thinking for a bit longer about the story. A recommended read for anyone looking for nonconfirmist and stereotype-free women characters. 

Hopefully, will not need to wait for another three years until Saima Mir publishes a new book.

Rating: 5+ stars

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

Random Things Tours: Sandwich by Catherine Newman

 

Which modern progressive woman haven´t feel at least once sandwiched between obligations, responsabilities, society expections, couple requirements and many many other pressures. It´s a rich and generous sandwich, indeed, unless it is eating your most beautiful years.

Rocky, the main character of Sandwich by Catherine Newman, is spending a well deserved family vacation. Seven days that may look as a riddle and a competition of secrets, or rather things that were not shared. Rocky has behind her two decades of managing a family estate while taking care of her parents, preparing children for life and maintaining a relationship. But now, everything may go slowly theoretically. 

This holiday looks like an opportunity to reunite with herself, reconsider her own role and aims in life. And, as usual in such dramatic moments, it is not easy to ignore the tears and the laughs. 

I really loved both the situations and the characters, as well as the deep understanding of women in Rocky´s situation. I am convinced many women may recognize themselves in her and maybe reading the book is a step towards understaing oneself. In any respects, it is an intelligent book.

Last but not least, the book cover is worth our praise and appreciation, for the creativity in convening the right visual representating of this beautiful book.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Rachel´s Random Resources Book Tour: The Love Hack by Sophie Ranald

It´s summer - in European terms, of course - and what else can suit better the upcoming holidays plan than a lovely book about love. I do have a sweet tooth for romance and no matter how idealistic and sugary some books may sound like, I will never refuse myself the pleasure of spending some good time in their company.

As I started to read The Love Hack by Sophie Ranald, I didn´t know exactly what to expect. It was my first time reading this author, therefore, there may always be some bookish risk involved. However, the book is well structured, entincing and with a cast of complex and sometimes complicated characters.

A columnist for a women´s publication, Lucy is working at an online agency. She loves her work and secretely her heart is longing for love too, But she burned herself once and spending her scarce free time on her own may safe her heart. But once the charming Ross is becoming her co-worker, her heart doesn´t want to hear about survival and it tempted to try again. Should she stay or should she go - or run? Maybe there are some AI-driven solutions to help her.

It was my first time when I encountered AI references in a novel and it makes a lot of sense, because Artificial Intelligence is playing such a big part in our lives nowadays. I personally liked Lucy, as she is a full of life and humour kind of person, and her character largely corresponds to her age, time and assigned professional background.

I also liked how the author considered both the characters and plot development which makes the story relatable and enjoyable. Either if you are looking for some positive love story inspiration or you just love romantic stories, The Love Hack is a recommended read. 

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

The Eternal Audience of One by Rémy Ngamije

I don´t remember when I´ve laugh so much reading - to be more precise, listening - a book, but from now on, The Eternal Audience of One by Namibian-born Rémy Ngamije is a book to remember.

I had access to the book in audiobook format, narrated by Michael Boatman. It is not random that I mention this before I even start talking about the book, because in the case of the audiobook, particularly this audiobook, the voice and style of the narrator is almost everything. As the book has plenty of dialogues - online and in the ´real book´ of the story - the talent of the narrator has tremendous influence on the reception of the book.

Told in the cadence of an old story, The Eternal Audience of One is a novel of coming of age of a young man, Séraphin, a global soul in a world looking to throw him in boxes. Born in Rwanda, he flew for Kenya and feelt at home in Cape Town, where he studies law, but not keen in becoming a lawyer. He is clumsy, sometimes his relationship with women are awkward. his sex and financial encounters are often ridiculous. But who cares at this age, and his friends are the same, why be afraid he may be anti-social, after all.

Giving to Séraphin an authentic voice, the book also explores social rifts and political dramas, identity and longing. My only big regret for the book is that the plot is not necessarily going anywhere, as it mostly focus on the character development, and at least after the first half of the book one may expect more from the story.

Rating: 3.5 stars 

Rachel´s Random Resources Book Tour: Neptune´s Secret Code by Genna Rowbotham

´And remember, it´s OK to be scared of things, but running away from them can make them frightening than they actually are´.

With summer holidays just arround the corner, your little curious one may be very keen to discover some new reading adventures, Neptune´s Secret Code by Genna Rowbotham, illustrated by Terry Cooper is a recommended read for the summer, with some interesting life lessons as well.

With her parents on a business trip, Hannah is sent for the summer vacation to her aunt in Cornwall, who lives in a house by the sea. The vicinity is a source of unrest and fear, as it reminds her of a traumatic episode from the past. But what about if she may stop thinking about the past and overcome her fears. An adventure underwater, where she is getting to know a friendly mermaid and Neptune himself, may change her mindset and motivate her to be more than her fears.

Neptune´s Secret Code is a relatively short book - less than 100 pages - strong in dialogues and skillfully illustrated by black-and-white graphics. The alternance between text and images may add subtext, especially when the most of the story is unfolding through dialogues. The exchanges between characters may keep the young reader connected to the story.

Rating: 4 stars

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

The Pull of Stars by Emma Donoghue

Once in a while it happens to read books that I hate from all the possible respects. Seldom, indeed, but it happens nevertheless. Or better said, it happened again.

I have a reserved relationship with the books by Emma Donoghue. I was not embracing the enthusiasm of those clapping their hands for The Room, but I´ve found The Wonder fascinating, although at a limited extent. However, The Pull of Stars, a 1st person account of a nurse working in the middle of 1918 flu pandemic in Dublin was hard to read, almost insufferable. 

The book was written in 2018-2019 but published in 2020, when the world was facing a different pandemic. If I would have not know the time of the writing, I would have bet that in fact it was written in a hurry in 2020, as it sounded very much as an unfolding pandemic story. This is because probably the ambiance was dark and dungeon-like and definitely describing the medical limitations at the time, but the mood and medical insights, including the wearing of masks, was so 2020. 

The nurse, Julia, is observing everything, sharing it in a first time person, expressing herself in short sentences. The frequency of ´I´s is overwhelming and it does not add anything to the story, creating sometimes the feeling of a very basic, school-composition like kind of writing interventions.

The only part that I really found interesting was dedicated to some medical procedures but I bet such informations can be easily learned from proper medical sources.

I hope The Pull of Stars is my first and last bad book experience for this year. I do have another book by Donoghue on my TBR and probably will read it again, but maybe it will be better.

Rating: 2 stars

Random Things Tours: The Continental Affair by Christine Mangan

Books set during train rides, do have their own vintage touch. Agatha Christie or Russian novels kind of touch, depends which geographical direction you look at. Although long inter-country train travels are back in fashion, at least in Europe, mystery novels set in trains need apparently more time to be published.

Until then, old settings written with a contemporary outlook may also help.

Like, for instance, The Continental Affair by bestseller author Christine Mangan. I´ve heard about Mangan before but did not have the chance yet to read her Tangerine, a bestseller turned into movie. Sometimes, I may be interested in reading the book after the bestseller, as it may show a different writing style, more relaxed and self assured, once the writer´ status officially confirmed.

Set in the 1960s, on the roads from Granada to Paris and Belgrade to Istanbul, The Continental Affair is the book of the apparent encounter between two apparent complete strangers: Henri, a former gendarme in Algeria, and Louise, a fugitive from England. They both do have a past they want to escape, but they may have to stay close, for all the wrong reasons.

It is a book for the well-travelled, the curious and the patient one. No matter what assumptions we make about the characters, only by the end of the novel it will be clear what we can think about them. Each detail of the circumstances is very important for the general understanding. Despite the fine character development, Mangan is also an excellent painter of travel ambiances and world, which recommends the book equally to the wanderlust reader.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Random Things Tours: The Code of the Vavasors by Jonathan Pinnock

People who know me well are familiar with my passion for mathematics. Although my professional life and mathematics do not meet at all, except maybe when I need to prepare my long overdued tax returns, I am often spending my time delved in equations and mathematic riddles, a habit I acquired during my school years. Another passion of mine is, besides learning languages, reading. Reading about mathematics, nonfiction books, it´s happening sometimes. But a mathematical mystery? Hard to imagine...

Apparently, there is still a chance to fuel my passion and the super eventful and unexpected mathematical mystery written by Jonathan Pinnock rewarded largely my love for literature - particularly mystery - AND mathematics.

The Code of the Vavasors is the story of a curious couple - Tom and his ex, Dorothy - decided to crack a code that apparently was developed by two deceased twins, the Vavasors. A code hidden on chips embedded by two lamas who belonged to the twins. I can´t stop laughing every time I am reading this uneven combination of events and you should too. Their adventures will end up to a secret gathering of...surprise...mathematicians who seem to die mysteriously, maybe because cracking a code is a life-and-death kind of encounter?

Full of humour, yet realistically and mathematically researched, The Code of the Vavasors may be a bit challenging if you are not a big fan of codes and numbers, but it may make you suddenly feel in love with them. The human mind can create so many beautiful association, and the one between mathematics and life is definitely one of them.

Recommended to any lover of mathematics. Good news, it seems that Pinnock wrote more mathematics-inspired book so you may excuse me while I am having my well deserved dose of numbers. 

Rating: 4 stars

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

Orenda Books Book Tour: Toxic by Helga Flatland translated from Norwegian by Matt Bagguley

 

Long time no Orenda Books reviews, but they have been definitely very busy publishing a bunch of new titles. Some of them I will probably review soon on my blog in the next week. One of my latest read comes from a geographical area with a high concentration of talented writers of mystery and psychological thriller: Norway. Like in the case of Iceland, it seems that no matter how much authors from this country I am reading, there is always another ´bestseller´ writer I never heard about.

This time, I got to know Helga Flatland, whose Toxic was translated into English by Matt Bagguley. Flatland seems to be a well received writer, both in the country and abroad and I am glad to have been discovered her and share my opinions about her book with my readers. Toxic was sold in more than 180,000 copies and translated in several languages. 

Once a teacher in Oslo, Mathilde got involved with a student, therefore had to leave her job and city, trying to find herself in the middle of the countryside. At the farm, she joins a nice family, Johs and Andres, deeply immersed in the life outside the urban areas, including through their passion for folktales. But as we expect in a psychological thriller, there is more to this welcoming family than daffodils and pure air, and once we are getting to know more about the characters, their history and their environments, big wounds appear. 

The timeline of the book is taking place on the onset of Corona pandemic, which adds more strains of mystery to the story. 

The novel enfolds through the shared viewpoints of Mathilde and Johs, which builds up the tension step by step, leading the reader farer than ever expected.

I may confess that people chosing to live in remote areas are always a rich source of inspiration for psychological mystery. In the case of Toxic, both the ambiance and the characters do contribute to the building of the chain of events. I observed Mathilde with curiosity, as she is a mystery for me, of the kind that you really don´t understand what and why is she doing. She reacts obsessively sometimes - especially in the relationship with the young student, Jakub -and is unpredictable. I´ve found very hard to like her, but still interested in her story.

Toxic offers a very engaging reading experience, and I refused to abandon the book until the end. The ambiance is sometimes claustrophobic and haunting, but it´s what we expect from a psychological novel, isn´t it?

Rating: 4.5 stars

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

Random Things Tours: Ghosts of the British Museum by Noah Angell

During my travels, I am always trying to save some time for visiting local museums. In a nutshell, one can revisit historical fragments and periods of time, and learn about the local history and the cultural profile of a country. However, all those museums are in fact built with an intention - the choice of artifacts, texts and stories shared - as usually subsidized by state institutions. People who are deciding the final form of the texts are the results of certain school of thought and institutional footprints that are not innocent either. 

In Ghosts of the British Museum, Noah Angell is deciphering the colonial traces left in the institutional structure as well as internal planning detail of the Museum. His main interest though is to hear stories about the ghosts, imagined or real, encounters with the super natural world of artifacts, including human remains, exposed and brought here against their will. Maybe longing - if you believe in ghosts - for their far away homes they were took - or stolen - from. Bad memories can be as hunting as real ghosts. 

Through interviews with people directly involved at different periods of time in the regular operations within the Museum, Angell is trying to identify the sources of unrest and unusual encounters, while re-writing at the same time institutional histories and identifying perspectives.

Most probably, after reading this book, and some other reflections on the colonial history and the ´ghosts´ of museum artefacts, particularly in Europe, I will never look in the same way at the museums, British or other. 

Noah Angell is a seasoned artist and writer who works with oral inter-generational and social communication, such as storytelling and songs. 

Ghosts of the British Museum is a very provocative yet necessary book and it opens up so many different takes on museum history. Most probably it helps my own researches into identity, history of mentalities and historical representations.

Rating: 5 stars

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

Ostkind by Arne Kohlweyer

Set in Berlin during the years following the reunification of Germany, Ostkind the debut novel by screenwriter and film director Arne Kohlweyer is a written as a diary of a 9 to 10 yo young boy Marko Wedekind. 

As the author himself, he grows up in the Hohenschönhauser part of Berlin - where once was located a Stasi prison and a large garden colony. His mother was during the GDR times a philosopher, his father a Marxist-Leninist teacher, turned into a messy taxi driver.

From his school bench, he is noticing the new colleagues whose families relocate from the West, fell in love with some, and learns to deal with the sudden sickness of his mother and the lies the adults say to ´protect´ him. 

Marko has humour and observes the world with the eagerness of a detective. His voice is well defined and relatable - as the mother of a young boy almost the same age, I may recognize the temptations and interests in his voice.

It is a relatively short book, easy to read, using a lot of typical vocabulary for this age and part of Berlin. I would rather see this book as a comic or even as a film. 

Although it does not have a new take on growing up during those times, it adds qualitatively to the bibliography of books set during the post-Unification years. Reading Ostkind was not a waste of time, but rather an intermezzo between some dense reading I am planning for the weekend.

Rating: 3 stars