Rachel´s Random Resources: Murder in the Tuscan Hills by T.A.Williams

A murder is the last encounter one may expect to have in the paradise-like setting of the Tuscan hills, but when it happened, retired DCI Armstrong and his smart canine companion Oscar had to cut short their uneventful relaxation time dreaming about the freshly harvested grapes. The body found near a prestigious winery could have been a hit-and-run accident, but it may be a little bit more than that. A mission for the curious duo that may shake a bit the happy-go-lucky mood of the place.

Murder in the Tuscan Hilly by bestseller author and Italy-passionate T.A.Williams is a smartly-paced cosy mystery, with an interesting duo, that are working perfectly in sync to solve the case. The additional personal note to the story, with Armstrong facing someone from his past while trying to solve the mystery, contributes to an important layer into the story development. Expect some delicious tasty references, but also some eventful Mafia and gangster-like mentions. 

It is a riddle kind of story, with clues spread through the story, although it is relatively hard to bet on a solution or another for solving the crime. Which makes the book even more challenging for the crime-solving mind. As tasty as a glass of Chianti.

Although we are dealing with a serious crime that should be solved as soon as possible I loved how the author developed as well the ambiance and other secondary characters, such as the members of the local community. 

It was my first book in the series, and it was easy to understand the book and the characters without any further connection. However, I would be more than happy to continue my journey  with Amstrong and Oscar, preferable around the Tuscany as well. 

Rating: 4 stars

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

Random Things Tours: The Cleaner by Mary Watson

She is supposed to be invisible, left alone with her chores and politely ignored with her modest appearance and her foreign accent. But Esmie is not just a humble cleaner, entrusted the keys of the houses and ready to fill up her duties. She is a woman with superpowers. Actually, one of the strongest superpower: revenge.

The Cleaner by South-African author Mary Watson takes us to a very elaborated story of revenge and class priviledge, a journey across the social division lines of the Irish bourgeoisie. Revenge and social disparities may be a good match for a novel, but in the context of a psychological thriller it acquire a completely new meaning and I love how the author explores this unique angle. 

The main character, Esmie has a very intriguing profile and through the story development, we are able to seize her qualities and shortcomings in various ways. The story construction is very minutious, particularly in building the tension, that may lead us to expect an even more spectacular ending. I didn´t feel so, but nevertheless, the tensed twists and change of perspective in the book were equally valuable.

The Cleaner is very atmospheric as well, with so many specific details that do allow the projection of a specific environment and social standards, so important for the overall understanding of the book.

This is my second book this year with a cleaner character playing a key role in the story and I find interesting such a recent interest in this particular professional category. In Mary Watson´s book I liked how Esmie is a mirror of the inner conflicts and tragedies of the families whose homes she is expected to clean. Some dirt though, will never be cleaned.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Le rêve du jaguar/The Jaguar´s Dream by Miguel Bonnefoy

The beauty of storytelling overpasses any other literary beauty. One beautiful sentence is not enough. One beautiful paragraph is not enough. But a story that takes me to the wings of dreams, that´s what I am looking for. 

Le rêve du jaguar/The Jaguar´s Dream by Miguel Bonnefoy was my favorite book I´ve read in January. It was that kind of moment when I just focus on anything else, not necessarily because I was expecting some spectacular revelations, but because I just wanted to be in the story, to be shared its mystery.

Set in the Venezuelan port of Maracaibo, it has from the very beginning the tone of a magical story, in the vein of Garcia Marquez. Antonio, an orphan found on the stairs of a church by a mute woman, growing up on the streets and initiated to life in a brothel, will become Venezuela´s most important doctors. Alongside with Ana Maria Rodriquez, his doctor wife, they will navigate the changing waters of Venezuela´s politics and recent history. The personal events enfold in the global panorama with the elegance of butterfly wings.

I´ve read the book in the original French language and was an extraordinary choice allowing me to sip the poetry of the words and the poetic background of the story.

Bonnefoy, born in Paris in a Venezuelan-Chilian family, confessed in some interviews being inspired by family stories, Antonio sharing common features with his own grandfather. 

As I started the year with many beautiful books in French lined up, I cannot wait to share more stories that break the everyday lives into sparkles of magic. I feel more than grateful for the chance of being able to read and review such novels.

Rating: 5 stars

Die Sanftmütigen by Angel Igov translated into German by Andreas Tretner

 

Last year, I´ve promised myself to discover more Bulgarian authors, but in over a year I only had the chance to read Theodora Dimova, in a French translation. It is not easy to find quality translations from Bulgarian, also due to the relative limited number of translators. However Germany does have a slightly different situation, with a culturally active Bulgarian Institute in Berlin and a highly sought after translator of Bulgarian literature into German in the person of Andreas Tretner. 

Thus, my great chance to get to know a young author, university teacher and publicits, Angel Igov, with an interesting creative portfolio, approaching a topic that is rarely talked about in some Eastern European countries: relationships with Nazi Germany and the Jewish citizens and the People´s Trials in the first years of the communism. 

The Meek - translated into German as Die Sanftmütigen from the original Krotkite in Bulgarian- is a relatively short novel, with a clear focus on the sudden change of political circumstances and human behaviors. 

It is a time of metamorphosis when simple people were given power and chose to use it radically. Those people, the meek ones, exist in every dictatorship. The circumstances bring them to the upper echelons and they will never disappoint. They will do their best to convince everyone and themselves that they were really worth the trust. Sounds a lot like the new converts to belief who hurry up to judge and accuse the older brethen into faith for a less orthodox pathway. 

The predominant voices from The Meek are those of the instruments of power, the new voices of the people. The victims of the purges are mentioned but as in real life, they have no way to pledge their cause, being taken over by the wave of the revolution. However, there is no empathy expressed towards the victims either. 

The predominant legal language, with a high degree of official vocabulary - for the non-native German readers, the holders of C1-level knowledge will feel relatively comfortable - is circumvening the territory of the revolution, the new classes divisions and the balance of power represented by the Communist People´s Court. 

I´ve found the angle and the topic very interesting, and only opened my appetite for more Bulgarian literature. Luckily, I got another two titles that will review soon.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Rachel´s Random Resources: The Soulmate by Rona Halsall

It was supposed to be a love story. One unlucky girl, ´a magnet for unfortunate events´ accidentally met her soulmate. He, a romantic looking for love, playing love songs met his soulmate. Love at first sight, do you believe in?

However, the reality proved differently. Mark, the kind and selfless piano player proved to hide a dark merciful soul. While Holly, always on the run, had the profile of the perfect victim for abusive men looking to control her at any price.

The Soulmate by best selling author Rona Halsall takes the reader to the most unexpected thrilling journey from Scotland to the beautiful Wales. Approaching very sensitive topics such as violence against women, parental abuse and mental health, it is playing so many tricky games with us, the readers, that at the end of the book you are left completely confused. 

The story unfolds as a game of masks that are switching from one stage of the story to another. The naive musicians that selflessly followed Holly trying to save her from an violent and controlling boyfriend was in fact a cute psychopats whose only real true friend was a parrot. Holly may be a victim, but her ambiguity may be confusing and her flaws irritating. Mark´s mother was indeed abusive, but does it excuse his game of playing God with her?

The Soulmate not only tells a story with spectacular twists and unexpected changes of situations, but also compells us to answer fundamental questions about life and the train of things - or rather their distorsion. Big questions rarely receive THE answer, but stories may challenge our minds to keep thinking about fundamental life&death choices.

A book to remember and an author would be happy to come back soon.

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: How to Get Away with Murder by Tam Barnett

 

A journalist with a partly failed career, far away from the place where everything happens, with an average boyfriend and some strategically placed journalist enemies, Kelli Amari is far from living her best life. Oh, and there is also a serial killer whom she visits in prison and develops some unorthodox obsessions about her. She is obsessed by real crime, but does that information serve any practical mean?

As corpses are started to be discovered around her place, the big question cannot be avoided: is she the one who can get away with murder?

How to Get Away with Murder by Tam Barnett is unexpectedly hilarious. The last one can expect in a crime novel, right, but it suits very well the character and the story, and especially the voice of the main character. 

The local curiosity and obsession with searching for the culprit may take tragi-comical turns, an example of both provincialism and limitations of the human nature. Thus, in addition to the search for the key of the crime, we are at the same time offered an exposure of a more generic nature that has to do  with the human nature in general.

Barnett has an original voice and ideas that makes a difference in the literary landscape of crime writing. I was delighted to discover the book and spend time in its company, as made me think about how many options there are to write a crime novel, including by using the best of dark humour for challenging the ready-made ideas about writing crime novels.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Rachel´s Random Resources: The Student by H.M.Lynn

A struggling student, Francesca is trying slowly to reach her dream of being a writer and independent woman, one ghostwriting at a time. After the death of her parents, she desperately tried to put her past aside, and start anew. For a while, the illusion of safety persisted. Until everything changed, after being offered a generous contract by a bizarre client with a secret identity. He communicates with her via a distorted voice on an app, but there is something else that is worrying her more and more: his ideas do match her own life stories and secrets. Again, who is this person? And is Francesca in any danger that this time she may not escape.

The Student by H.M.Lynn is a gripping fast paced and page turner of a psychological thriller. The tension builds up step by step, one shocking revelation at a time, completely confusing the reader about the possible outcome. Would she survive? Does she have any power to avoid the unavoidable?

As a character, Francesca is human, oh so human, nevertheless very relatable as a character and human being. Personally, I expected the end of the story to really make my own idea about herself and it was a good decision as helped me to give her a chance for reconsider her actions.

The Student is the book waiting for you for the first February weekend. Too catchy to forget too fast, an emotional roller coaster with a story that may keep you awake late at night. Recommended to lovers of psychological thrillers interested in stories with a main woman character.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Corylus Books Blog Tour: Nightingale&Co by Charlotte Printz translated by Marina Sofia

 

I love books set in Berlin as it allows me to connect with the city´s stories. And if Berlin doesn´t have enough stories to share, tell me one single city who does it more?

As a rule, I do read books by German authors in the original but Nightingale&Co by Charlotte Printz was an exception. After enjoying the impecable translations from Romania by Marina Sofia, Corylus Books offered me the chance of a fresh German translation she translated, again, flawlessly, seizing the richness of meanings and direct sarcasm of the Berlin-based characters and their colourful dialect.

Set on the backdrop of the Berlin Wall and the post-war life accommodating the new harsh social and political realities, Nightingale&Co has mostly women characters. After the war, with men dead or in prisons, there were mostly women who played an important role in the everyday life and therefore, the book reflects properly just another historical fact among many others that were instrumentalized in building the events.

Carla, the force behind the detective agency Nightingale&Co inherited the company after the tragic death of her father. With a mysterious half-sister who appeared suddenly into her life - that she is not naive to do not have some doubts about - she may create a very interesting dynamic that may help solve some cases, but also get a different insight into a reality on the move. 

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the book, and the historical context that may even include some iconic cultural references as Billy Wilder turning in Berlin, at Brandenburg Gate. Some very mundane references to my beloved Charlottenburg district were more than relatable for me as it matches my own researches about this part of the city.

I will really want to come back to those characters - and please, more of the charismatic mess of aunt Lulu - soon, and if Marina Sofia will continue the translation, will make again another exception from my exclusive German reading menu.  

Charlotte Printz is the pseudonyme of a former TV ediror and one of the founders of Munich Writing Academy. 

Rating: 4 stars

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

Rachel´s Random Resources: Dolos by L.H.Fox

I am always very happy to read books using the unfolding realities of the everyday world as a canvas. We are living complex times and integrating fragments of this ongoing reality only makes more people more aware of the changes.

Therefore, my high interest to read a book that is using a motive inspired by cryptocurrency. The ways in which this type of currency is affecting economies and economic behavior all over the world are not fully known, but the changes are already happening. 

Following the tragical death of his parents, a brilliant but sometimes awkward undergraduate of the prestigious London School of Economics, Sebastian Locke is getting involved in a global conspiracy. If he will be able to crack the code he may even help the world from a catastrophe threatening the world. 

Fast-paced and full of events that take the reader through the intricate maze of the digital maze, Dolos, the debut novel from L.H.Fox may be a work of fiction but the imaginary framework is not fully deprived of elements of reality. There are questions surrounding the rise of digital economy which may be challenged in this book, and so is the ways in which power - absolute power - can be achieved through the infinite possibilities of the digital underworld.

Dolos is first and foremost an adventurous book with conspiracies and catastrophes luring around every corner, but it also challenges gently but firmly our old conceptions about world and its rules. An interesting read, nevertheless.  

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

Random Things Tours: The Last Days of Kira Mullan by Nicci French

Crime stories can be written in so many ways, and the most successful ones do always reveal important knowledge about human nature and humans in general. The Last Days of Kira Mullan by bestseller author Nicci French made me think a lot about the burden on mental health but also how is the best way to interact with people affected by it.

Shortly after suffering a psychiatric episode that leaded to her hospitalisation, Nancy started a new life with her partner Felix. A Victorian home with new neighbours may help her get back to normality. Only that once someone went through such a mental health challenge, very often the closest relatives and friends may be often concerned with keeping the person under scrutiny which may often lead to a repeated episode.

The dreams of a quiet life ended once Nancy´s neighbour, Kira Mullan is found death in a suspected suicide. As Nancy just met her the day before, she is not accepting the official variant and therefore is trying to investigate the situation on her own. Felix is worried and reacts in ways intended to protect her, but being overprotective takes away Nancy´s power of taking control over her life.

As the investigation Nancy is following is getting into strange and unexpected details, I was pleased to follow her own evolution as a person able to overcome her fears and insecurities. Her own journey adds an important layer to the story, which reveals interesting takes on mental health and healing. The dynamics between Nancy and Felix do play an important role in creating various tensions and introducing some unexpected twists into the story.

The Last Days of Kira Mulan by Nicci French is a book that needs a longer time to be processed and I am glad I had the luxury of time to read it within a longer amount of time. There are still so many ideas that will love to share a bit later so will definitely update the review in the next days as well.

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: The Man She Married by Alison Stockham

´Maybe she really was still dreaming, and some weird melodrama was playing out while she slept´.

After a terrible accident, Beth wakes up in Cambridge. It is 2024, but the last she can remember is 2019, when she was still living in Australia, was single and ready to travel the world. Now, it looks that she has a husband, she has no idea who he is. 

The Man She Married by Alison Stockham, an author I had the chance to review before, has a haunting premise. What happens when one´s lost his or her memory. Only the idea of it makes me shivering. But in Beth´s case, the main character of the book, it may have to do to more than an accident, as the so-called husband Rob, that she cannot remember at all, may be a bizarre and maybe dangerous too presence into her life.

I was fascinated by everything related to the memory loss and the eventual recovery, and the twists of the story amplified already the tensions following the search for the truth. From the intempestive beginning, we know that something is brewing, but as we are approaching the end, there are more questions than answers.

Nothing is accidental in the story, and from the very beginning the reader feels challenged to make presumptions. Both physical and emotional details, particularly at the beginning of the book, do create an ambiance of confusion and expectations, that we are unsure where it will actually lead to.

Through the main male character Rob, Stockham portrays the perfect image of a narcissistic psychopath, and as a reader, following the torture and manipulations he exerted over Beth were excruciating. The cruelty of Beth´s everyday life is only balanced by the admirable women solidarity, offering comfort and support during horrible times.

The Man She Married is a dark journey alongside the pathways of memory and manipulations. It may warn us to be careful who we trust and why is important to trust oneself´s intuition when everyone tried to convince you the opposite. In any case, it is a book to remember.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Random Things Tours: Bambi, the audiobook on Audrey App

 

I paid attention to the relevance of Bambi as a book for adult audience only very few years ago, when I´ve read an extensive critical approach on the work of Felix Salten, the author of the book that was the insipration for the popular 1942 Walt Disney film. Like everyone else, I only knew about the movie, not even thinking that there is more than that to the story.

Initially, it was the book: Bambi. The Story of a Life in the Forest published in 1923 by Salten in German. Salten, an Austro-Hungarian Jew born in Budapest, like many other Jews from this region were fascinated by the Viennaise culture and did his best to be part of the local elites - he even changed his name from Siegmund Salzmann to the more ´chic´-sounding Felix Salten. Even when those elites were openly obsessed with the annihilation of Jews. Thus, the story of Bambi abandoned in the wild forest after his mother was killed, may be a parable of the fate of Jews during the difficult times following the WWI. 

But there is also something else about Salten that made me think lately: Salten was not only a lover of animals, but also a hunter. There is a deep contradiction splitting often the personality of a passionate - not occasional hunter: they love animals but they listen to some imperatives that may make them believe that by killing the animals, they contribute to the natural balance of the ecosystem. Many years ago I had some acquintance who was a hunter and had the chance to listen to this argument over and over again. I am still not convinced about its rationale.

The Bambi. The Story of a Life in the Forest that I finally had the chance to have access to was the latest edition translated by Jack Zipes, published by Princeton University Press. What was special about it was the audiobook version, available on Audrey, an audiobook app publishing classical literature books. Therefore, I had not only the priviledge of getting to know the real story, but to listen to a very special version, animated by the unforgettable voice of Peter Marinker.  

In addition to the content, the app offers various details and annotations on each chapter that enrich the reading experience, offering historical and contextual background to the story. I´ve found this part very useful for going deep into the details of the novel, and it even have pictures to illustrate various species. 

The world of Bambi the book is unkind, cruel and merciless. In reality, wild animals aren´t cute and ife in the forest is no Rousseau-ist paradise fantasy. It is the survival of the fittest which is rulling. It is a very naturalistic yet relatable key although there are also some hilarious moments, as the squirrel always referring to his cousins.

Bambi is a novel about education and training, about learning how to react to the world, mostly a hostile environment, a so-called Erziehungsroman. One of the most cruel yet important lesson Bambi learns is how to be alone, to restrain from sharing too many feelings with and dependency from the others.

Last but not least, it is also an avant la lettre ecological story, displaying the dramatic consequences of the interaction between human and animal worlds: trees are destroyed chasing away the animals, killing and destruction.

Better late than never, I am happy I was finally able to break the Disney fantasy into the little pieces of the animal world. I ended up loving it more than the cartoonish version. 

As for Audrey app, will definitely try to explore more classical books soon.

Rating: 5 stars

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

Rachel´s Random Resources: The Paris Chapter by Victoria Walters

 

Some cities are hard to not use them as a background of life-changing situations. Some cities are made for hope, some cities are made for disaster. And then we have Paris.

A book that has ´Paris´ in its title it´s automatically catching my attention and it rarely goes wrong. 

The Paris Chapter by bestselling author and blogger Victoria Walters it´s a sweet and spicy romcom about how to get back in touch with yourself, through self-love and realistic expectations. The pure act of love starts from oneself. Only after reaching this level one can really expect finding love, the real one.

Tessa is a romantic writer going through the worse stage of her life. Cheated by her boyfriend, going through writer´s block, unable to believe in love, she follows her plans of spending some time in Paris, as planned before the crisis. Only that she is doing it alone, and while dealing to a bucket full of incertainties. 

But the city of love - although very much a city of singles as well - may surprise her, offering the chance of a new beginnings with the charming Ethan, a chef with whom destiny wanted to share her Airbnb. 

What I personally loved a lot in this story is how as the lovestory evolves, so the doubts alternate with the temptations of attraction and the darkness of fears. Realistically, it is how one may build a strong relationship: a bit of everything, nothing more, nothing less. As in a tasty recipe.

For lovers of Paris and anyone looking for some tasty love stories, The Paris Chapter is more than a book. It can be use as an inspiration for thinking about relationships, past, present and, who known, the much better ones we are always worth waiting for.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

Rachel´s Random Resources: Coming Clean by Andy Howden

 

Maidens as characters playing a main role in the development of a story are becoming very frequent presences of the writing world. It normalizes the fact that the job someone practices for different reasons, mostly of dire financial nature, do not affect the ingenuity of people doing it. They may be brilliant brains, just not blessed by a trust fund or some financially supportive family. 

Coming Clean by Andy Howden is an unexpected story of political intrigue and clash of ethical values. After some unhappy events, Veselina decides in 2015 to start a new life in the beautiful England. She ends up as a maid for a famous politician with a brilliant future, but entangled in an affair that may destroy his chances. From a humble maid, Veselina could play a different role, of a historical importance even. But is she able to face the truth although this may affect her life too?

I like the ethnical dilemma the characters are facing, as well as their assigned hard choices between temptations and responsibilities. Despite being a work of fiction, it made me think more than once about everyday situations, including at the political level.

Coming Clean is an enjoyable yet provocative read. Recommended to clever readers that are interested in more than action and facts, but ready to share some thoughts about resonsibility and misjudgements.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Rachel´s Random Resources: Murder on the Menu by Katie Marsh

Do you remember How Not to Murder Your Ex? Bad Girls´ Detective Agency sounds familiar? If yes, I am happy to share a good news with you: the girls are back. Katie Marsh´s latest, Murder on the Menu is out and it has a riddle for you to solve. If you are just new to the book, it doesn´t matter because the book can also be read as a stand alone but most probably you will be tempted to get to know the girls better.

The ladies won this time a holiday to a remote island. So remote that if the weather is bad and...surprise...a crime is committed, it takes around 12 hours to the police to reach the place. Although decided to have a good time and enjoy an exquisite menu offered by chef Valerie herself, they will end up switching too soon to full detective mood. What else could they do when not one, but three corpses are in their way in less than few hours. 

I couldn´t leave the book down until the end, trying to play with different suppositions that were as changing as the weather conditions outside the fancy island resort. As in the case of the other book from the series I´ve read, I appreciated at what extent personal details about the characters do balance well the story, so we can get to know the characters better and even have our own opinions about them. The three main women characters are bubbling and smart, each their individuality but completing each other.

If you are looking for a whodunnit with an unexpected twist, Murder on the Menu is your perfect companion. Just keep in mind to cancel everything you scheduled for the next four hours because it seems almost impossible to abandon the book otherwise.

Rating: 4 stars

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

The Black House by Yusuke Kishi

 

A cult psychological thriller in Japan, The Black House - that I had access to in the French audiobook version La Maison Noire, translated by Diane Durocher and read by French-Asian actor Hao Ting - is a haunting novel exploring the darkness of a criminal mind.

The main character of the book who is also the storyteller is working in the insurance field, in Kyoto. Faced with a bizarre request for life insurance, he ends up being caught in a complicated game of crime and psychopatic games lead by a woman who cannot be stopped for even killing her own son for getting money. She will go so far that will directly threaten the insurance agent and his girlfriend who will barely escape being murdered after a brutal kidnapping.

The story evolves slowly, with the gruesome part taking place in the last quarter of the book, after many intermezzo dedicated to human psychology and the extreme temptations of the relationships between insurance clients and the promise of money. Although some local bureaucratic references may work as smoking mirrors, distracting you from the real story, there is something dark in those insurance procedures that deserves more attention from crime and thriller writers.

The exploration of social context and the genesis of criminal minds is by far the most interesting part, although it occurs in a way too theoretical, split from the proper narrative.

Overall, it was a challenging reading experience, and would be interested in exploring not only more books by Kishi but also more Japanese crime writers.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Random Things Tours: A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power

Three generations of women, three dolls. From the 19th century onwards, the destinies of those three women were connected with the destiny of indigenous groups and their different take on their everyday life and their identity struggles.

A Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power is a very emotional book about inter-generational empowerment and traumatic experiences. Sissy, Lillian and Cora do have, each of them, a doll awarded super powers. They do wisper messages of strength and may protect them during terrifying moments. 

The action of the book is taking place through eventful centuries for the indigenous people, faced with massacres and the forced enrollment in boarding schools where they were supposed to leave their cultural identity and traditions behind. However, despite the temptation to get caught into the nets of historicism, Power is going beyond the context, creating a story that, similarly with the nesting dolls, it enfolds following its own literary narrative. 

The book is both emotional and informative, revealing the complexity of women relationships but also their healing power. Reading this book, I realized how important is for a community to have their voices represented and storified, in order to make a larger audience aware of their history and identity.

A Council of Dolls was longlisted for the National Book Award and the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. 

Mona Susan Power is enrolled member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.

The cover of the book, using traditional Indian motives, it is also worth a mention.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Random Things Tours: How to Speak Punjabi in Brampton by Onyeka Nwelue

I am passionate about languages as much as I love reading and reviewing books with a multicultural, diverse topic. A book with the title How to Speak Punjabi in Brampton by polymath Nigerian author Onyeka Nwelue, whose books I had the chance to previously review, caught then automatically my attention. Because, even though I consider myself very versed in languages (some of them, at least) I have no clear idea about Punjabi. 

However, this book is less about teaching and learning languages, but more about living in languages. Or rather what happened when your family is paying you a visit with your arranged wife in toe, but no English skills. 

Balminder Jagvir Singh is a lecturer at a University in Canada, but his parents are not fully happy with his situation. He needs a wife, this bookish lad, therefore, they are coming to him, convinced the time has come to get married. As they arrive in Brampton, in the province of Ontario, they may not be completely lost, thanks to the numerous Punjabi community there. As they navigate the cultural differences and misunderstanding, they do offer a living example of what does it mean to live in between cultures and languages.

With a lot of humour and empathy, Nwelue challenges the reader to figure out the details and everyday challenges of multiculturalism. Also, the references to Punjabi culture and language are important for a better overview of this community.

I really enjoyed the book and I will add it to the collection of readings on relevant cultural and diversity-related topics.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

Black Sunday by Tola Rotimi Abraham

Set in Nigeria from the 1990s onwards, Black Sunday, the debut novel by Tola Rotimi Abraham is a succession of short installments from the life of siblings struggling to survive in Lagos. Born in a poor family, with their parents suddenly disappearing and showing up years after, for all the wrong reasons, the siblings do go on with their lives growing up and trying to overcome their social and financial limitations.

Each of the siblings are given a voice thus each story is written from an individual point of view, but the twin girls are given a larger space. Somehow, their stories do rarely interwin, until following separate pathways, with the boys´ perspectives being brief and more self-centered than in the case of the girls.

The tone is usually neutral, almost the same for all siblings, which is a shortcoming, as I was expecting an individual voice at least for each of them. The dialogues and parts related to social realities though do compensate for this shortcoming, which may be normal for a debut novel.

In fact, each of the siblings´ perspectives may qualify for an individual portrait and I personally see the potential of this book for a film, short film including. 

I did enjoy reading the book and the author has a real talent, especially for portraying social contexts and dialogues. Nigeria has such a great and unique pool of authors, especially women, therefore I was delighted to add Tola Rotimi Abraham to my list of Nigerian authors to watch.

Rating: 3 stars

Rachel´s Random Resources: Murder at Raven´s Hollow by Louise Marley

 

I love to follow up beloved crime series. Murder at Raven´s Hollow by Louise Marley is the latest from the series that I devoured last year, one after the other. Set in an English village, it features a small yet always surprising set of characters. From hidden family secrets and curious rich ladies, there is so much to discover in such a small place. Definitely, it contradicts the assumption that villages, especially English villages, are all about quaint uneventful daily life.

The book can be read in any order, and even as a stand alone, but it´s really worth reading all of them. You may just need to come back to this microcosm because there are still so many secrets around waiting to be revealed.

Murder at Raven´s Hollow follows a pattern that I encountered in the case of the previous books, but nevertheless offers enough surprises and twists to keep you engaged until the end. 

This time, it´s DS Harriet March who is faced with deep burried family secrets. And as in other cases, everything starts with an appearance of crime: a skeleton discovered beneath a lovely popular florist store. But when another corpse, this time freshly killed, appears again, it is about time to dig deep beneath her personal stories that may lead to finding the real culprit.

As usual, Marley adds a lot of atmospheric details recreating the local ambiance, and uses generously humour to deter the tensions while preparing for the next twist. Revealing the local human network in such a small remote place made me curious to discover.

I recommend this book, and all from the series, to anyone looking for some local riddle with a Gothic touch. Cold weekends are still long so why not use the time to follow the Raven´s pathways.

Rating: 4.5 stars

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

Random Things Tours: City of Night Birds by Juhea Kim

Art is beautiful and makes this world a better place, but the inner life of people creating arts may be far from being beautiful. 

City of Night Birds by Juhea Kim reveals the cruelty and merciless of the world of ballet. Once a talented and acclaimed prima ballerina, Natasha Leonova lives now from the glamorous memories what what she once was. An injury put her career on hold, opening the Pandora´s box of loneliness and pain.

But she wants to come back and use her talent and strength, although the challenges she may need to overcome are not only her own physical limitations but also the professional inimities and jealousies. It is a world where not talent may prevail, but the strength of overcoming various rivaries between colleagues. 

The story is a back and forth inquiry through times, deeply emotional and nostalgic. It is a story about dreams of a better life, paid with a high price, in a world that brutally rejects failure of any kind. 

Well-researched, with direct references to unfolding political and social conflicts but also to history of ballet and various classical dancing techniques, City of Night Birds is a fine written book where words were assigned a tremendous role in creating glamorous worlds. It is a story so human and emotional which connects arts to any other aspects of everyday life. Because the strongest art cannot exist disconnected from life. And life, in its fullest means conflict, emotions and struggle.

I haven´t read too many books about ballet dancers, especially those belonging to the famous yet feared Bolshoi but it will very hard to find too soon a better writted book than City of Night Birds. 

Rating: 5 stars

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

Rachel´s Random Resources: The Great Race by Sun Chara and Joe Happy-Light illustrated by Daniela Frongia

For preschool children, children who are learning English or just children who love a good story, The Great Race by Sun Chara and Joe Happy-Light, beautifully illustrated by Daniela Frongia is the best companion to spend some good bookish time.

Inspired by Aesop´s fables, it rewrites old narratives for younger contemporary audiences, in a very dynamic, involving way. The little children who are gently told the story by their father before going to sleep are actively taking part to the story, and not only by learning what is the difference between turtle and tortoise...or hare and rabbit. It is a family setting that may inspire many parents to do the same.

Through humourous characters and stories, the reader is encouraged to take stances and figure out what can happen next. Also, there are some good lessons to learn about, regarding respectful conversations and social contacts, empowering, friendship and trusting oneself, no matter the physical strength.

The language is besides the story another reason why one should read this book to their children, grandchildren etc. It adds many new words to their daily vocabulary, and helps using the right word for the right situation therefore recommended for both preschool children and small ones trying to learn English as a second language. In both cases, the entertaining story will keep the children engaged and curious to find out what the events will take them.

The Great Race is the first in series dedicated to Return to Fable Land the sister-brother writing duo wrote and I bet you will return to the stories too. 

Rating: 4 stars

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

Rachel´s Random Resources: Dashiki by Florence Wetzel

 

As much as I love crime stories, I am equally very fond of jazz, but until reading Dashiki. A Cozy Mystery by Florence Wetzel never happened to me to see the two of them on the same page. But there is always a first.

The last person, except her murderer, that Betty Brown/Baseema Baheera met was journalist Virginia Farrell. She just shared with Virginia some exquisite tapes of a gig from the end of the 1950s between Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane. Not afraid, Virginia wants to continue the story, trying to recover the tapes while cooperating with detective Robert Smith from Hoboken Police Department to reveal the truth. Which may lead or may not lead to a bit of romance that may help the reader breath after so much tension due to the intricated ways leading to the truth.

Reading Dashiki - the name of a hit, but originally a word that designates a colourful men´s garment worn in Western Africa that covers the half top of the body  - was an immersive experience into the surroundings and the ambiance of the book, similarly in many respects to the jazz experience itself. The bubbling dialogues do spice well the story, which unfolds in a moderately paced rhythm. 

The characters are hard to forget either, with the detective himself very much into many human psychology after thoughts and his genuine efforts to get back into the dating track despite the delicate nature of his job and the fact that at least for a short while Virginia herself was on the list of top suspects. 

The book is well seasoned with important details of jazz history, displaying Wetzel´s extensive knowledge in this field. And the intrigues going on in an office of a jazz magazine were new music for my ears too.

To be read with a matching jazzy background.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

The Anthropologists by Aysegül Savas

 

From all the books of contemporary lives, focused on the moment and its full existential dimension, The Anthropologists by French-based Turkish author Aysegül Savas resonated the most with how I see some isolated fragments of life. 

Asya - the storyteller, whose name is shared only far into the story - and her partner, Manu, are a young couple started to look for a house of their own. They are both far from their unnamed countries, each from a different country, living in an unnamed city in an unnamed country. She just got a generous grant for documenting daily life, which allows her to contribute to the first house installment. 

Their lives, as presented in the book, do not go through any tremendous drama. They are not from there, but growing native to the place in their own ways. She may regularly have video calls with her ailing grandmother. They have friends, few, not necessarily native.

They are just getting taken by the flow, do have ephemerous daily conversations, and we are allowed to see just a sequence of it. The book can continue for ever, or as long as the protagonists are alive, but we are just cut short from their existential flow. It´s no expectation on the reader´s behalf, just eventually to be there. It´s like you are wathing a movie or some pictures in the exhibition.

I had access to the book in the audiobook format, read by Kathryn Aboya.

The Anthropologists will definitely make into a movie, short- or medium-long, for the diversity of views - like in landscapes - it has. Also, would love to have some time to come back to this author, as she authored others contemporary books before.

Rating: 4 stars

Westend by Annemarie Weber

If I would not be able to read and understand German, as a passionate reader, I would have missed the trove of literature written in German. Although after so many years I feel sometimes that this language is always a work in progress, growing in complexity by the day, I feel so blessed to be able to have access to fantastic resources that go beyond literary significance.

Especially for the post-war years, shortly after or few decades after the WWII, without a good knowledge of the language, there will not be too many sources of information besides A Woman in Berlin which was my first book - read in English at the time - I ever read about life during the Soviet occupation.

Hence, my interest in Westend, a novel by nonconformist West German author Annemarie Weber, published in 1966. Set in the immediate post-war years, it features Elsa Lewinsky, a 27 years old German woman. Her fiancé, to whom she writes diary-like entries, even after the most traumatic experiences of being confronted with the Soviet soldiers, is most likely prisoner of war in France. After her part of Berlin, Westend, near the current area of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, is assigned to the British dominion, 

Weber herself used to work for the British occupation as translator and there may be other biographical details of the author´s matching Elsa´s. 

If one may expect extensive emotional reports about hardship life during various post-war occupations, but in fact we can watch through Elsa´s eyes a matter-of-factly account of a succession of facts built around survival at any price. There is not too much resentment, but also not too much self-reflection. The attempts she does at a larger picture is only through the letters to her fiancé. You can feel the emptiness of the post-war, spaces being filled only by the move towards survival.

The writing is clear, enfolding by itself, with dialogues completed by random reflections creating an intellectual frame for the story. 

I´ve read the book in the original German language but I wish there is an English translation available as well, for anyone interested in post-war German women authors.

Rating: 4 stars

Rental Person Who Does Nothing by Shoji Morimoto

The career of Shoji Morimoto as a ´Rental person who does nothing´ started via messages via Twitter/now-X: people asking him to remind them to cut their nails preparing for sex later in the day, a company during a meal, someone to listen to them. Featured in the Japanese and international media, his experience matches the longing for human vicinity I personally often experience during my travels and year of work spent in Japan.

The book accounting for his interactions is too pretentious to be called ´a memoir´ as it is rather a collection of extended experiences based on his interactions during his various and diverse assignments. Not a basically paid service, but happily accepting payments, Morimoto is driven by curiosity but also by the very human inclination to share company and empathy.

As a chameleon, he adapts to the most direct or unheard of requests, but there is an existential layer to his ´business´: he is filling the immediate reality, he is here and there, one he is needed, without exceeding his mandate - which is to be present. He is not giving opinions, not judging, just taking the tasks and live in the moment.

A person without features, Shoji Morimoto showed in Rental Person Who Does Nothing some ways to reverse loneliness, as well as how important human contact will always remain. A recommended book to anyone trying to better fathom the Japanese mentality but also the human needs in general.

Rating: 3 stars