Orenda Books Book Tour: The Cure by Eve Smith

There is a fascination as old as humankind about life without end and youth at all costs. In her new intelligent dystopian thriller, The Cure, published this month by Orenda Books, Eve Smith opens up a full Pandora´s box of challenging topics and ideas.

The genre is very much out of my reading comfort zone, but I´ve read another book by this author before, and the topic interests me a lot. Plus, I will read without any second thoughts any book published by Orenda. The intellectual reward was as expected.

A vaccine against old age diseases is abusively used for extending life until the biblical 120 - a ´genetic upgrade designed to extend lifespan´. Wishful thinking, but think about the whole world overpopulating the planet and the dramatic consequences for societies and economies. No retirement, no new jobs for the ´younger´ brood. With some long-time psychiatric side effects. 

The Cure exposes all those ideas through a very eventful and elaborated story. Mara and Ruth, two women from very different backgrounds, do have their own personal reasons to stop the perpetuation of this condition. In an unexpected team work, they do put together their information and skills to reach out to the source of the new evil.

I always found the topic in itself fascinating, but after reading the book I got even more ideas and inspiration about it. The dystopian ambiance, although at some extent relatable to our modern pace, is very well described. There are fascinating descriptions with a very strong visual impact, my favorites being related to lab designs, an intricacy of technical details that do make so much sense.

I personally loved that book. My plan for 2025 is to challenge myself to try new intellectual pathways and this dystopian thriller showed me how much creativity and valuable ideas are generated by this genre. It just gives reality a different boost.

Rating: 5 stars

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

Le Barman du Ritz by Philippe Collin

This year so far I had the chance to read fantastic newly published multi-awarded books in French. With no exception, there are extraordinary examples of the strength of French literature and the diversity of topics that do concern the French writers.

Le barman du Ritz by Philippe Collin, whose podcast is a recommendation for anyone interested in recent history commentarries, is my latest read. Built around real characters, particularly Frank Meier, the barkeeper of Ritz hotel during the German occupation, it develops into a story about compromise and opportunism.

Meier, a hidden Jew, was part of some initiatives saving French Jews from Shoah, while cashing generous rewards. Played a neutrality game trying curiously or opportunistically to get into the shoes of some big Nazi representatives hosted in the hotel. Like the leadership of the hotel itself, or some of its illustrious residents, like the notorious Coco Chanel, survived, oblivious or just preferring not to know too much about what was happening in the real Paris. Unable to express his feelings, to get involved in his own son´s life. A lukewarm character. 

Meier is the main character of the book, its voice and main storyteller, either through his own account of events, organised chronologically, or through his diary entries. It is a one-sided perspective, therefore I would be a bit careful to name it ´the big novel of the Occupation´, as the world we see is the one seen from the Ritz precincts. However, took from the perspective of the barkeeper from Ritz, it touches upon a diversity of aspects, moral or survival-related - that do explain the behavior under occupation, particularly the German occupation of Paris.

A novel placed in history revealing stories of everyday life anti-heroes.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Random Things Tours: Hunkeler´s Secret by Hansjörg Schneider translated by Astrid Freuler

Now retired, coping with some unexpected medical problems, Basel inspector Hunkeler is brought back to the real action after a local personality in the banking sector, terminally ill, died suddently. Partially asleep he witnessed the moment of his induced death and due to a game of circumstances, he may get bak on the track trying to trace the culprit. Only to reveal a very selective game of reasons and political and economic conditions that lead to the crime.

Compared to other books from the series I´ve read and reviewed before, Hunkeler´s Secret by Swiss crime author Hansjörg Schneider, translated into English by Astrid Freuler has a predominant end-of-life mood, from the thoughts of the characters themselves to the situations they are facing - depression, medical intervention, terminal illness, suicidal thoughts. 

With his unique eye for detail, Hansjörg mirrors the bourgeoise world of Basel and Switzerland in general, with the long-forgotten revolutionary past of some of the main characters, including himself. Those thoughts generate another cycle of cynical thoughts, as well as his deep lectures about WWI. In the microcosme of Basel, the class of classes and cultures may lead to anti-social behavior and understanding those patterns may help us figure out the crime context, which is unexpected but changes 180 degrees the angle of the story.

The story follows a slow or very slow pace, but although it is short from 200 pages it has some moments of tensions that may just wake the reader up while following Hunkeler´s new passions involving goats, world wars and nature or Swiss soul observation. 

A recommended read to anyone keen to learn more about Swiss less-perfect daily world, and curious about contemporary crime novels in this geographic literary realm.

The cover also deserves a mention, for its simple elegance.

Rating: 3.5

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

Cover Reveal: First Contact, Second Chances by Fay Abernethy

 

Creating a great cover may involve almost the same energy required for writing a book. The choice of colours, design and lettering requires a lot of attention and dedication that together with the story will ultimately lead to the overall success of the publication.

Hence, my interest in taking part to events aimed to display beautiful covers. I am usually accepting invitations for participating to cover reveal virtual events. I like the excitment of being part of a surprise book cover revelation and I am rarely disappointed.

The topic of the book announced by my current cover reveal is out of my reading comfort zone, but the visual presentation is more than satisfying. 

First Contact, Second Chances by Fay Abernethy is the third in the fantasy solar punk series The Shantivira Book. An ex-British officer, captain of the Shantivira is trying to protect the Earth from an alien invasion. But it seems that the Earth needs to take some radical measures, including an uplift and restructuring of the global economy in order to survive. His mission is difficult and put him in unexpected circumstances, such as fighting against cannibalistic space pirates. Sounds like a lot of fun, isn´t it?

The cover offers this mixture between serious and playful, with a predominant yellow and blue match. The graphic is very elaborated, especially the Zeppelin-like space ship. The lettering is taking control of the space at a certain extent, but in a very smooth way. 

For sure, one of those covers that would catch my eye instantly, before ever trying to find out what is the book about.

Many thanks to Rachel for having me for this event.

Random Things Tours: The Blue Alley by PC Cubitt

 

´How we can stand back when we see children in danger?´

Karen Hamm is an academic like no other. Her professional interests in West Africa, particularly Sierra Leone, may encounter the most non-academic circumstances, like for instance ferocious mafia tugs or traffickers of all sorts. As she spots an odd couple in Amsterdam´s airport: a white Jesuit priest with two black children, she not only took a picture of them, but she embarked on a race to save the children from the hands of the predators. An adventure that will take her from Amsterdam to Spain and Morocco and back to her hometown of Yorkshire.

Karen may be naive sometimes, but she is unstoppable and this is a character threat that may make it pleasant to the reader, although some of her mistakes are outrageous. I mean, who really is about to get the tracks of dangerous mafia boss(es) while sharing her business cards to whom happens to be around. But she is lucky and some of her contacts proved to be very useful later. 

The Blue Alley by PC Cubitt is both suspenseful and a literary testimony of the intricated ways of child trafficking and human smuggling in general. It displays the vulnerability of victims faced with the underground support network of the culprits. A thoughtful inspiration, in addition to the breathtaking action.

PC Cubitt is an academic herself with interests in the African continent.

Rating: 3 stars

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

Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women they Destroyed by Maureen Callahan

The Kennedys are considered in the US and worldwide a precious American brand, Especially the couple JFK-Jackie, a dream power team that it´s the representation of wealth, power and prestige. Identified with the modern American spirit, freedom supporter during the Cold War - his ´Ich bin ein Berliner´ said from the balcony of the Schöneberg Cityhall in 1963 remains an important reference.

Being a ´Kennedy´ means belonging to a family who still plays a revered role in the current politics - although Pres. Donald Trump is planning to destroy Jackie´s Rosegarten at the White House; we haven´t heard yet what her nephew, the current controversial Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has to say about it.

But there is another absonded face of Kennedy family: Kennedys - men - as womanizers and eventually as lady killers.

The well documentd book by Maureen Callahan, Ask Not: The Kennedys and the Women they Destroyed puts the myth into question in a very frontal way. From the beloved JFK and his affairs to the other risk lover members of the family, there is no place for doubt about their behavior and aggressive habits. It is also a book about the women who adored them for all the wrong reasons and put their honor and lives at risk for the illusion they promised. Overall, an interesting material for thinking about the many nice clean faces of the predators.

There were few instances when I felt like there are some parts repeating themselves - especially about Jackie - but it is a myth shaking book that deserves the right attention, both from journalists, psychologists and recent times historians.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Götterfunken by Hannes Köhler

Set between different timelines, Götterfunken - it could be translation as Divine Sparks, but also refers to the Beethoven´s Ode to Joy - by Hamburg-born Berlin-based Hannes Köhler is a story of failed youth utopias. 

How far can a revolution go? And for how long, one started, it is still revolution? What deters an anarchist mindset?

A group of young and very young Spanish, French and German anarchists are roaming the streets of Barcelona in the last years of Franco dictatorship. Friendship, love, drugs and anarchy. Those were the times then, but closer to our times, end 1990s, first two decades of the 2000s, they switched sides, adding up to the bourgeoisie that they hated so much.

The novel, very animated and full of recent historical and social details, particularly about Franco´s Spain, is following those destinies, with a back and forth from one timeline to another, which helps to better understand the facts and motivations as well as the sudden changes of destiny.

It is a rare topic, especially regarding Franco´s reign, for the German-speaking literature, and Köhler is offering a generous context that helps understanding the framework of the story. But the focus is however on the characters, especially their motivations and life pathways, through dialogues and cross-memories adding little by little new elements to the story.

Although I enjoyed the novelty of the topic and the approach, I felt like the story is too much forced to be slowed down and the dialogues, although welcomed, do not necessarily lead to next steps. There is a conversational thread that do not lead to any development into the story. In real life, such ´maintenance´ conversations are necessary to build relationships between people, but the story is much shorter than a lifetime hence the frustration I had few time while reading the book.

I just read that Köhler just published a new novel so would be more than curious to explore it too. 

Rating: 3.5 stars

Cover Reveal: The Matchmaker´s Mare by Hywela Lyn

 It is very rare so get to know books where one of my big loves are coming along: horses and Wales. 

The Matchmaker´s Mare by bestseller Welsh author Hywela Lyn will be released soon, but as for now, I invite you to have a look at this appealing book cover. A perfect horse making its way in the midst of an idyllic landscape that it´s half real postcard vibe, half dream-magic mood.

The book follows the story of Megan who after a dramatic heartbreake is moving to the Welsh countryside. As she is getting to know her neighbour, a single dad, with a passion for horses, the sparkle of a possible romance may give her hopes for a new future.

I haven´t read the book yet but the cover has enough hints that may encourage me to do so. And, again, when Wales and horses are together under the same covers, it can only promises a fantastic ride.

Many thanks to Rachel´s Random Resources for the opportunity of being part of this virtual event.

Random Things Tours: Madame Matisse by Sophie Haydock

 

Matisse is one of the modern artists I find the most inspiring, but until reading Madame Matisse by Sophie Haydock, I had no idea about the important women of his life. I am really thankful lately for so many books focused on the women characters from the life of famous personalities, from Einstein to Mahler. It is still so much to document and write about, in order to change and challenge the official narratives regarding women´s roles in histories of all kinds.

A book with passionate characters, not only about their art, Madame Matisse is based on a true story, is a story of betrayal and genuine passion, set in the tumultous world of the tumultous 1930s in France, especially the French Riviera. 

Amélie, Matisse´s faithful wife, Marguerite, his eldest daughter and Lydia, a Russian immigrant who may find a place in his atelier and incidentally in his life. Each woman may nurture at certain extents his imagination, in their different ways. Women who may have their own inimities and experience betrayal and disappointment, however hard to abandon the man they adore or are just fascinated with. The game of passions and intentions between the characters balances or just escalates the tensions in the story.

Well documented both regarding the history as well as the art history, and written with passion, Madame Matisse is a recommended book to anyone in love with arts and literature. In this book, the words and the images are dancing together creating an unforgettable story.

A special mention for the beautiful cover, that promises a world of magic in the Matisse sense, a promise that the content of the book also delivers beautifully.

Random Things Tours: The Convoy by Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse translated by Ruth Diver

Poet and novelist Beata Umubyeyi Mairesse was only 15 when the genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda took place. At that age, many girls from around the world are enjoying their teenage years and all the excitement that comes with. Beata though was fighting for survival, witnessing the brutal killing of people close to her.

30 years after, with a successful life she built in France, she returns to sources and testimonies aimed at recovering those tragic moments. Convoy, translated from French by academic and translator Ruth Diver,  is a dramatic yet necessary account of her experiences and eyewitnesses who were lucky enough to escape.

The Convoy is a true story of inhuman reality, a haunting proof of humanity at its lowest. However, it is so important to share such tragedies with the world, in order to keep the memory of those murdered alive, but also to make people aware of what happens when the rest of the world just watch indifferently.

This is a book very important for any study of genocide in the 20th century, particularly to the case of Rwanda. A recommended read for journalists and historians, but also but anyone who wants to find out more about the Rwandan genocide and deadly conflicts in general. 

This is a book that will haunt me for a very long time.

The Convoy is published in English by Open Borders Press, an imprint of Orenda Books.

Rating: 5 stars

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

Rachel´s Random Resources: You Know the Drill. The Private Musings of a Dentist by Dr. Bill

´(...) I love the act of performing dentistry, but I hate being a dentist´.

I belong to a very special category of people who were never afraid of dentists. And of doctors, in general. I grew up being surrounded by different categories of doctors, and even wanted once to be one myself. Plus, due to some genetically inherited bad teeth, my visits to the dentist´s started very early in life and continued without a pause even since. 

But I rarely gave too many thoughts about how everyday life of a dentist may actually look and feel like. Thanks to the super hilarious memoir of Dr. Bill who wrote You Know the Drill (I wanted to play the rhyme on purpose). The Private Musings of a Dentist I got to learn a lot not only about the everyday cast of characters a dentist may encounter, but also about the medical school structure in England or the apprenticeship system. 

´Anyway, we live, we learn and we change´.

By far, the strength of this book is the humour, particularly when it comes to describing his interactions with his patients and colleagues. How one cannot laugh to tears when reading such a sequence: ´Tamy´s eyes were rolling like a drunk trying to operate a pinball machine´? 

Any aspiring dentist must read this book in order to be tailor his or her expectations accordingly. Also, if you are a frequent visitor at the dentist´s office, you may also learn how to control oneself, otherwise you may anonymously end up in a book.

Rating: 3 stars

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

Rachel´s Random Resources: The Quiet Sister by Alex Stone

 

Two identical twin sisters with a long story of rivalry. Mia and Chloe are in her late 20s and trying to get back in touch after a long period of separation. But life changed them both and Chloe, the ´quiet one´ is decided this time to not allow her sister to destroy her life. No price is too high for this though...

The Quiet Sister by Alex Stone is an interesting take on twins rivalry, generating a suspenseful psychological thriller where the plot is built up by fragments of memories, thoughts and switched personalities. The network of unconfessed guilt Chloe built as a way of psychological survival plays an important role in the main events. 

´Our lives were complete opposites and yet she wanted the same thing that I did: to feel like she mattered´.

The pace is relatively slow, allowing to Chloe - the main storyteller, whose perspective is shared although the facts she referrs to are not obvious at the first sight - to explain herself, especially her reasons.

´I´d always wanted to be Mia so badly, that it had never occurred to me that I might actually miss being me´. The duality and duplicity between the twins is played very well in the story, pushed at the very extreme limits. 

The male protagonists, Scott and Aaron mostly, do play an unclear at the beginning but definitory role in the end. As the story progresses, they acquire the role of game changers in the story, helping at the same time Chloe to recover her own interests and self, and heal from the past trauma.

I´ve read the book with a lot of interest, and my curiosity was rewarded step by step, as new details about the motivations and especially recent history details were revealed. The idea of how childhood trauma and relationships between parents and children shape the personality of the future adults is a topic I am interested in recently therefore The Quiet Sister helped me to better understand such circumstances. 

A recommended read if you are looking for an intelligent take on sisterhood with a psychological mystery twist.

If you are looking to read more by Alex Stone, feel free to check a previous review of her other book I published two years ago on the blog.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

Cover Reveal: Lovers of Franz K. by Burhan Sönmez translated by Sami Hêzil

Set between West Berlin, Istanbul and Tel Aviv, among others, Lovers of Franz K. is a literary mystery and a postumous tribute to the one and only Franz K. Published soon by Open Borders Press, an imprint of Orenda Books, it shows that indeed, even beautiful literature can lead to crime. As usually happens with any idea that it is invested an obsessive passion. 

Until I will be able to present the book - happening soon, no worries - I am honored to be part of the special event of cover reveal of this book with such an unique, unusual topic. 

On the top cover - that it is worth to mention includes the name of the translator together with the author´s - a sepia photograph of Kafka has collage-like add-ons that combine fragments of images with sketches details. It promises some unexpected take bringing Kafka´s personality into the everyday contemporary social and political relevance. Definitely, a catch for someone like me, often buying books for the beautiful covers.

Burhan Sönmez is a Turkey-born Kurdish novelist, currently the president of PEN International. Sami Hêzil  is a translator and teacher of Kurdish language and literature from Northern Kurdistan. 

If I convinced you to purchase the book, here is the link including the bookish websites distributing it: https://geni.us/PAh7ra

Rachel´s Random Resources: Candlelight Dreams in Cosy Cove by Abbey Hicks

When Beth met Jacob none of them was thinking about second chances. Beth, trying to survive a very dramatic breakup, was decided to dedicate her time and energy to her cute artisan candle shop in Cosy Cove. Jacob was visiting on assignment, documenting a story for his newspaper. But love doesn´t need a date, and the rest is just history.

Candlelight Dreams in Cosy Cove is the soothing kind of story you need to restore your trust in love stories. Definitely, some stories may end up badly, but so are some novels too. Some others though, do bring the peace of mind and new chances. 

I firm believer in second, third, fourth...no matter how many... chances, I enjoyed not only the positive note of the story, but also the tension that follows such unexpected encounters. Beth´s fears about being able to fully love again and the risk that notwithstanding comes with opening up to another person. Jacob, on the other side, may put in balance his career that may be affected by the switch to a very small and uneventful place.

Sweet but realistic, Candlelight Dreams in Cosy Cove is a story about taking chances, betting for love and even may offer some comfort, at least between the pages of the book, to even the most sceptial among us when it comes to love´s need in one´s life.

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 Wild Date Palm by Diane Armstrong

 

Set in the onset of the WWI, in the Ottoman Empire, The Wild Date Palm by Australian bestseller author Diane Armstrong is at the same time a historical and spy novel, with a predominant strong and inspiring character. 

Shoshana Adelstein witnesses the Armenian genocide. The cruelty that destroyed so many lives and the complete indifference of the world around, made her think about that maybe the Jews will be next. Instead of being taken over by fear, she decides to do her best, no matter the price and the sacrifice, to save her community. Therefore, supported by her brother and her lover, she set up a spy ring whose aim was to help Britain the win the war.

Based on a true story - the siblings Sarah&Aaron Aaronsohn from Zikhron Yaakov -, the beautifully written and well-researched story wraps the reader into the world of fantasy, showing a dedication that may inspire us, especially nowadays. Shnoshana is a woman with a passion and a timeless dedication to her people, but despite her overwhelming passion, she is able to see practically and boldly what can be done to nurture it. 

The characters as well as the story itself do weave a story of timeless inspiration.

The book´s cover also merits an extra remark: the mosaique/pointillist-style that looks like a stanze from the desert during a sand wind, reflects properly the ambiance of the book as well as the uncertainty of the situation the characters are constantly facing.

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 Night Shift by Gemma Rogers

 

A book by Gemma Rogers is always an event that keeps me awake late in the night, and The Night Shift is no different. It offers a highly emotional and suspenseful journey, in a cat-and-mouse kind of game that it´s hard to put down.

Nina is working at a self-storage to cover the fees for her studies. It is an easy quiet job, as she is able to do some university work while at her shift. But this Friday is different, as soon as a mysterious man with a big suitcase entered the premises of the Storage Queen. An encounter that may change her life for ever. An unexpected plot which may keep the reader in a permanent state of wonder what will follow next and if this next may be the last.

Survival is the key-word of this locked room thriller. The situation is presented from different perspectives allowing the story to be magnified on different angles. The personal details of the characters, like for instance Nina´s medical condition, may add some extra suspense to a story which is already a race against time. 

Rogers is no stranger of turning an average everyday context into a source of nerve racking suspense, and The Night Shift is an example in this respect. I may reckon that somehow in the middle of the novel I felt that the pace slowed down a little bit, after a very dramatic start, but the suspense re-amplifies towards the end.

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: The Bookseller by Valerie Keogh

My love for books comes in different shades and from different locations. Bookshops are usually the perfect setting for starting a new life or a new love - or both - but this time, the action of a psychological thriller was set in a bookshop. A very first for me.

Valerie Keogh is a regular author featured on my blog, and each time the topics and settings are different, however, each book offers through the main woman character a different psychological depths. 

After killing her partner in an apparent self-defense act against constant abuse, Helen Appleby is freed two years into her 4-year prison term. She is decided to close a chapter in her life and start anew, opening her very own bookshop. Her future may look bright but is her past really out of her life for good? 

The story sets slowly, and although from the very beginning we are offered some hints about the psychological background and traumatic upbringing of the main character, there is nothing that may prepare us for the denoument and the page-turning set of events.

The dark mood taking slowly control of the story is also generated by the moral confusion that the reader may deal with: particularly in relationship with taking one´s life. Indeed, the trauma is unbereable and the abuse may push anyone into the darker corners of the mind, but is there no other escape than inflicting an even bigger trauma to get freed?

The author spares no details that may on one hand relate the experience of the places described, and on the other hand on the changing sands of Helen´s mood. Permanently doubting herself and assuming hidden intentions to the others, she may naively be caught up in a net of misplaced trust that in the end however will operate in her interest. 

Helen, always late to make that call, a victim of her father´s abuse, may even violently wish to have a normal life. First though, she may allow her to get cured by all those small lies, perhaps remnants of a self-defence mechanism she acquired in her childhood. However, although we know a lot of Helen and her psychological torments, it is very difficult to imagine her in flesh and body, which is a relative shortcoming of the book for me.

Constantly, the relationship of the characters with books, that may go beyond the expected hope that books will open the gates to a completely new better world, also puts into question the reasons - wrong or not - we may clinch so much to books. 

I enjoyed both the story and the thoughts in generated and I cannot wait to see how this author will surprise us in her next book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

Social Kill by Fabian Lenk

Inspired by the daily realities and social media lures of the new generation, Social Kill - Gefährliche Spiele auf TikTok/in my free translation, dangerous games on TikTok/- by Fabian Lenk is a Hamburg-based thriller rich in events and with a very dense cast of characters.

The aparent suicide of a TikTok personality, aired live, put into motion a chain of murders committed by a mysterious team with funny nicknames, wearing various 3D masks. Journalists and police are trying to figure out the circumstances, but as the corpses count increases by the day the riddle of the reasons behind the horrendous killings is becoming more and more difficult to solve. 

But the investigative journalist Finn is always one step ahead of his colleagues, due to a well-paid source in the police. Sooner though, this game will endanger his life, leading to spectacular changes of perspective and with an even less expected final verdict.

I haven´t got into the book from the very beginning, as I was displeased by an inaccuracy, or two related to how the social media operates. For instance, ignoring the fact that the live suicide of a famous TikTok-er with 10 million followers did not get into the news before police and classical new outlets started the new day of work was more than irritating. 

However, as expected, I got caught into the story once there were some journalistic references that were accurate this time, and fully relatable. Including the lonely character of Rahmsauer which may be one of the many ´have beens´ made redundant by the new trends and technologies, with an ugly story of alcoholism. 

The fact that the story was based in Hamburg, my favorite city in Germany, also encouraged to continue the story, although the local references are rather scarce. 

Social Kill is a story of intrigue and revenge, appealing to various generational layers, but with some catchy social media and internal political references. Some clumsy on some social media contemporary issues, but with a well elaborated plot.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Orenda Books Book Tour: Small Fires by Ronnie Turner

Two sisters, Della and Lily are forced to refugiate on a Scottish Island, trying to escape the accusations both online and offline of being the murderesses of their parents, viollently killed. There, on the island, they expect to find peace and comfort, to start anew. This is how a ´happy ending´ kind of story goes, but never expect an author published by the lovely Orenda Books to delivery any sugar-coated story of renewal and bright new beginnings.

Instead, there is a violent world, cruel and abusive. Folktales from time immemorial are brought to life, are actually part of the everyday life, shaping the present and psyche of the place where evil has no limit, seems victorious. 

Told in short installments, alternating between a man and woman´s voice, Small Fires by Ronnie Turner is a Gothic tale of old fears and symbolic encounters, with a repeated motive of women being exposed to abusive men. It is an immersion into the black magic of folktales, with a very strong horror dark Gothic thread. Not necessarily the kind of books I am reading, but the good writing and the tensed story episodes kept me involved until the very end of the story.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Orenda Books Book Tour: Son by Johana Gustawsson&Thomas Enger

 

When authors you followed for a long time are teaming together, although you may be sceptical about writing duos, you know that something spectacular is in the air. I´ve followed Johana Gustawsson for a few titles already, and calling her the Queen of French Noir is more than well deserved. Thomas Enger is also a known name for me, as I already reviewed two of his books, also written in duo.

Published by Orenda Books, an edition house that I am always pleased to feature, Son is a joint writing project between Gustawsson and Enger, delivering a nerve-racking novel with a unique psychological depth. 

Son, the title, plays a double meaning. First, it refers to one of the main places where the action takes part, a fjord town in Norway. Last but not least, it connects the life story of the main investigator, Kari Voss, whose 9-year old son disappeared few years ago without a trace. The novel is connecting all those pathways together.

Voss, also known as a human lies detector, with special psychological capacity aimed at reading human intentions, especially when it has to do with identifying culprits. But those powers are put into question by her colleagues, as she is involved in solving the murder of two girls. The case though proves to be more complex than expected, connecting with intimate episodes from her personal history.

Psychologically complex, deeply footed into the world of psychological experiments, particularly the false memory, this book has a very heavy loaded take. It is sometimes hard to make the right distinction between right and wrong, and this uncertainty plays an important role in creating the ambiance of the book. The game of smoked mirrors is part of this ambiance and as a reader, had to take a break once in a while in order to process the new information and possible different directions of the story.

Son is an unexpected story, that needs time to read and understand, but nevertheless a gem of ´Nordic noir´.

Rating: 4.5 stars

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

Random Things Tours: The Holy City by Henry Wise

 

One of the many secret pleasures books may offer is the virtual travel all over the world, from the comfort of your chair, in the most unexpected places. As a devoted traveller myself, I am no stranger to many places off the beaten path, but there are too many to cover up in two lifetimes. 

When it comes to America, the regret of not being able to travel there too often, to feel the many places is compensated only by the chance I regularly have, of reading books placed in those areas. Set in the deep South, Holy City by Henry Wise was a surprising read.

As Will returns to the aptly - with my note on sarcasm - named Euphoria in Virginia County, it was a long time since he last visited the place. But he is well remembered and he may meet some ghosts from his past as well. But this meeting is more than a pleasure ride through the memory lane. The events happening around him, may bring back some situations and people from his past, to whom he cannot be indifferent.

It feels like everything that happens in Holy City is very much dependent of the place and time. It is like the situations cannot be replicated anywhere else. The characters themselves are the results of those circumstances, hence the atmospheric details are very important. 

The key of the crime case may be also related to solving conflicts and events from the past, to which Will is no stranger.

I enjoyed the suspense and the unusual Gothic ambiance, and got easily caught into the web of local intrigue and secrecy.

The book also deserves a special mention, as it convenes in a very appropriate way the floating ambiance of the book, where everything seems to hide beyond a confusing layer of deep burried secrets.

Rating: 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 Slay on Holiday by Sarah Bonner

 

Who proclaimed crime novels cannot be fun? How to Slay on Holiday by Sarah Bonner shows at what extent a story where expect some characters to wake up covered in blood can be also bloody hilarious.

Chloe is spending a once in a lifetime family vacation in the fancy island of Mykonos with Scott. His one and only whose days though are numbered. Numbered because Chloe decided so. But first, let´s spend some great time, quality together together. One last time. Things are completely out of control when the sweet Chloe, who was not blessed with a step-family to come along with, woke up one morning near a corpse covered in blood. 

The story is told from different perspectives, which gives even more depth but also confuses the reader sometimes, as one needs to keep track of different details and contradictions. After all, we have a crime to solve, you know? 

The writing is catching, with a good visual potential, which made me think more than once that I would love to see this story on the screens as well. Add to this the hilarious effects created by various unexpected situations and conflict of personalities. 

I was not very pleased with the ending but as in the novel, some things are not supposed to happen the right way, isn´t it?

I really enjoyed the book and Bonner´s style, therefore, most probably will be tempted to have a taste of the other books she wrote.

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 Best Enemy by Sergio Olguín translated by Miranda France

 

I am always interested in discovering crime writers from the non-English speaking realm, and Latin America, particularly Argentina, always has my heart. Until today, Sergio Olguín was a relatively new name for me, but The Best Enemy, published by Bitter Lemon Press and translated by Miranda France caught my attention. 

From the point of view of the topic, the book uses a couple of motives that may meet the expectations of anyone reading a book set in Argentina: there is corruption, political crime, networks of power leading to far away places - this time the Middle East, curious journalists ready to risk everything for finding the truth. Verónica Rosenthal is that journalist, trying to find out the real circumstances of the death of her editor, apparently victim of a burglary who went wrong.

What The Best Enemy has plenty and this is an unexpected discovery, is the intricated ways of the characters, the impressive cast of characters and the many directions of the action. Some of them may overcharge the story, but overall, it succeeds to coordinate all the many parts of the story and sub-plot.

For me, the book the first to read from the series, but would love to give it another chance to anothr book where I can probably enjoy more Argentinian suspense. Thanks to talented translators as France, the Latin American crime writers are making their glorious way to the world.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

La Manif by Nelly Alard

Romain D. was accidentally caught in the claws of history when he was hit in the head during the manifestations for the labor law in Paris, in 2016. He ends up in coma, will survive but with traumatisms that will follow his entire life. His life, and his parents´ and family, are turning him from an anonymous citoyen into the forefront of media and political imbroglio. 

La Manif - The Protest, in my free translation - by screenwriter, actress and writer Nelly Alard is a story of a young man jumping to fame, for all the wrong reasons, but also of political intrigue and mutual support of institutions, also from all the wrong reasons. 

The details of the story are chiselled with a lot of attention to ambiance and psychological details, delving into specific character traits and personal details and history of the characters. There will be a ´before´ and an ´after´ and this is just because of the act of police violence. 

Elegantly, Alard introduce the contemporary context that most likely in our times more than ever has the potential to jeopardize lives. We may be very close to events, but this comes usually with a risk. Romain´s D. life was shaked to its roots by his curiosity towards the world. The state, no matter where, has its own survival methods and being alone against the system means nothing more than, in fact, you cannot win over the system.

I enjoyed reading La Manif, as it resonates at a great extent to my thoughts about the intersection between private and political realms. As I already mentioned few posts ago, every single book in French I´ve read this year was a pleasure for my curious mind, and I still have some more book recommendations to share.

Rating: 5 stars

Random Things Tours: The New Couple in 5B by Lisa Unger

I have read couple of books by New York Time bestselling author Lisa Unger and will definitely keep reading more by her. I am particularly interested in the everyday suspense and mystery that may surround an otherwise mundane life. 

The Couple in 5B offers exactly this kind of setting. Rosie and Chad are a couple working hard to meet daily ends. But their life is about to change once Chad inherits an expensive apartment in a posh part of New York city. They cannot wait to move and everything looks like a fairy tale, until as expected, things may turn wrong. Unexpectedly wrong.

Rosie is the main narrator and I´ve found her very empathic and relatable. The kind of person that just want to have a normal life and all the exceptional circumstances are shaking her hard out of the comfort zone. She is also very precise in sharing the details and a careful observer of the changing circumstances. Chad, on the other hand, seems very distant and unreliable, kind of dark character in his weakness.

There are two story lines, the other one following the story of another couple that moved in the apartment, early 1960s. At this point, the story is related by the woman from this sub-story, Willa, which gives a predominantly feminine touch to the story. 

The author dedicates a lot of time to give us insights about the characters while introducing various episodes adding more depth but also uncertainty to the story. The supernatural take to the story may make a difference compared to a classic psychological thriller, but it is used in moderate dosis and without too much Gothic kitsch. I personally loved the idea of thinking of houses as more than just real estate investments, seen as carriers of histories and recipients of feelings. 

Reading the book was sometimes like watching Hitchcock-inspired movie, and I really think that this story has also a good movie potential.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Random Things Tours: Dancing on Knives by Joanne Rush

There is so much trauma in our world, and there is no generation spared by the pain of wars. It was always like this and it looks like there is no end to the cycle of violence of trauma. How one can go away of it, succeeding to win over fears and panics, the ghosts of the past always haunting?

Dancing on Knives, the debut novel by Joanne Rush, takes a different take on how present and past can find a way to survive for the sake of a different future. 

Laura, a brilliant student who fled Bosnia during the Balkan wars, fell in love with Adam, a British diplomat that she will follow to his assignment to Serbia. There, he is set to find the war criminal Ratko Mladic, while Laura is spending her time in the capital city of the power that dislocated her and murdered her people. Family figures and episodes of the trauma are coming back to her, mixing reality and past in a fluid persistant way, distorting the reality and almost taking over her control over her own life. Will she be able to start anew and silence the dark legacy of war?

This is a very evocative and important book inspired by traumatic violent events. The wars in former Yugoslavia, a genocide taking place in the very heart of Europe, that no one was able to stop is just another shame for humanity. When I take a break and think about all the many horrors we are experiencing, reading about or directly affected, it just makes me angry. But, on the other hand, being angry is not the solution, as it destroys the future. The figures of the murdered may haunt us, but we need to make first pace with ourselves. 

Laura´s search for meaning may open up new ways to cope with such traumatic events. Dancing on Knives will, for sure, stay with me for a very long time and I am already adding it to my bibliography of books about conflicts and trauma in the XXth century.

Rating: 5 stars

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

Random Things Tours: Runaway Horses by Carlo Fruttero&Franco Lucentini translated by Gregory Dowling

 

The death of a jockey, a long time couple whose passion is ignited in the most unexpected circumstances, with a strength that may go far beyond their imagination. Runaway Horses by the legendary Italian crime writer duo Carlo Fruttero and Franco Lucentini is published by Bitter Lemon Press in a translation by Gregory Dowling. 

Set in Siena, one of Italy´s most beautiful cities, the story is built around Palio, a horse race organised since the Middle Ages. The atmosphere, as well as particular city descriptions add a layer of authenticity to the story.

I promised myself this year to read more in Italian, but I couldn´t refuse the chance of this translation, especially after, as usual, reading about the impressive credentials of the translator. Although relatively short - a bit over 200 pages - this crime novel is bubbling with humour, unexpected turns and a course of events that no one may predict. This guarantees a perfect immersion into the story, and an almost direct communication with the characters.

The crime story is integrated into a specific ambiance, with the authors adding a lot of specific histories and details that make you feel the place in a very different way. Enzo and Valeria, the couple founding itself in the middle of the crime, may not be necessarily very relatable, but they don´t let you indifferent either. 

The book may inspire you thoughts that are far beyond the crime setting itself, with meditations about life, power and human behavior in general.

Reading this book I made a not to myself to explore more Italian crime novels, maybe another one from the six works of fiction Fruttero&Lucentini wrote. It promises a lot of good reading time.

Rating: 5 stars

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

Rachel´s Random Resources: From Provence with Love by Alison Robertson

 

In Provence to settle a family inheritance, Laura meets Noah. It wasn´t one of those coup de foudre we may expect to happen in Provence, but a meeting of interests, as Noah is the real estate agent expected to help her set her French business. But love doesn´t wait and so it´s the romance between the two. But once their path separate, Laura keeps thinking if she would rather give up her comfort for giving instead love a chance.

From Provence with Love by bestseller romance writer Alison Robertson is sweet and heartwarming, a book that may plant the seeds of love even among the most sceptical anti-romantic humans. I adored how Laura decided to act spontaneously, opening her up to Noah and enjoying the moments of bliss. Thus she is giving a chance to life to herself and to her own love story.

Sometimes, love appears when we expect less, but we just need to open the door to let it in.

What attracts me additionally to this book is obviously the setting in the beautiful France. I am very well aware that, of course, love can also happen anywhere else and Provence may be overrated, but who stops you from dreaming. The ways in which Provence offers the perfect ambiance and background to the story is enjoyable, without risking to comform to a stereotype - of love and beautiful Provence, of course.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

Les Yeux de Mona by Thomas Schlesser

 ´C´est d´ailleurs cela, l´apprentissage de l´enfance: la perte´.

More than ever, this year I am spending an impressive amount of time reading French novels and it can only get better. The Jaguar´s Dream was a pleasure for the soul, a family story wrapped in the golden threads of the Latin American magic realism. I do have some more books waiting to be reviewed and none of them disappointed.

Les Yeux de Mona - or Mona´s Eyes, translated into more than 30 languages - by Thomas Schlesser is a story of growing up surrounded by the realm of art. Mona, a teenage girl, is suddenly hit by an episode of blindness. Her grandfather, who lost an eye during the incidents surrounding the Chatila massacre in Lebanon, brings her for one year, every week, to visit works of art in different Parisian museums: Louvre, Orsay, Beaubourg. This, instead of taking her to the psychologist, as he promised to the girl´s mother. 

During those 52 weeks, they are watching and analysing together each work of art, which covers a generous timeline from the history of art, from Mona Lisa to Christian Boltanski. The works of art, reproduced on the folding cover of the book, are an opportunity to discover and understand the world, and ultimately herself. 

The author is a historian of art himself, but the ways in which he uses art in the story is far from lecturing, but as a pretexte of the story. Art, brought out of the books and galleries serves as a guidance and way of finding oneself, better understanding the world. Therefore, the encyclopedic take is just a tool to build bridges between different stages of life.

The book however develops into its own story, which is as interesting as the works of art doctly introduced. Mona´s episode of blindness, around which the story is built leads actually to another layer of story. Although we are left in suspense until the end of the story, assuming that at the end of the 52 weeks, something tragic is about the happen, the twist of the story is nonetheless deep and brings to the forefront deep philosophical questions regarding free choice and death. It is also a warning about how powerless we are when talking with children about death.

Les Yeux de Mona, shortlisted for Grand Prixc RTL-Lire, reinvents art as novel narrative tool and brings it as character in a timeless story of love and childhood loss.

Rating: 5 stars

The Write Reads Blog Tour: While We´re Young by K.L.Walther

No matter the age, a young adult novel will always have my heart and my reading time. Besides the reasons that do have to do with ´young at heart´ kind of mindset, it is also a way to realize what is really important for young people from different cultures and countries. 

The 17 something characters of While We´re Young by K.L.Walther are young, but not necessarily careless. They do experience that uncertainty of that age, the pain of being caught between two worlds, none of them kind, feeling being taking away by the wave of changes that are out of control. And what other sign of growing up can be more painful than heartbreak, the separation from friends and the quieries of a heart that will only grow up out of pain? 

Grace, Isa and Everett decide to spend a day off in the hip and delicious city of Philadelphia. I´ve heard so many good things about this city and this book confirms once again that all those things may be so true, hence my sudden desire to finally travel there. They eat all that the city offers the best, have fun and even crash a wedding. The moment is what it really matters and they do the best use of their time.

Although inspired by Ferris Bueller´s Days Off, While We´re Young has its own youngish charm. Personally, I love the title a lot, because it outlines the fast life of the young, when quantity of events and living without looking back is what it really matters. 

I´ve found that the characters may need a bit more development, but it compensates with the dynamics set by the dialogues - a serious strength of the book - as well as the plot development.

While We´re Young is an enjoyable book, with a story and characters to remember.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

The Vegan by Andrew Lipstein

When I´ve read The Last Resort by Andrew Lipstein I felt a certain attraction for the writing, therefore I jumped without too much hesitation and got The Vegan, his latest. I do enjoy once in a while reading about start-up weird stories, and this one promised an extra reading entertainment.

The character of the book Herschel Caine - on the way of Cohen - is part of the startup realm as hedgefund built around algorithmic trading, and suddenly had a sudden realization that he can communicate emotionally with random animals. First a dog, afterwards a red panda. He purchased for himself two anoles and turned into a vegan. 

It uses the fancy language of hedgefunders and investors, and although the story do have some potential, it didn´t convince me at all. The sentences are long and unrequestedly vague, the fragments of the story do not come together well at all and the topic as such is interesting in name only. It is also predictable and stereotypical therefore, another ´no go´ for me.

I waited until the end, although every other page just wanted to give up and I still haven´t been convinced. Maybe the next time will try to read some few extracts and more reviews before starting to read a book. My experience of the last books was not very satisfying but wait until will finally share some good bookish recommendations. Last week was simply not my week.

Rating: 2 stars

Hohle Räume by Nora Schramm

 

Today I continue my never-ending journey through the world of contemporary German literature. 

Hohle Räume - in my translation, Hollow Spaces - by Nora Schramm is just another book about family and daughter´s emancipation. Helene visits her parents but what looks like a normal Christmas family visit turns to be a moderately painful acknowledging of moderately estranged family life.

If in the case of many contemporary books written by authors with a migration background it is recurrent to mention a criminal past and the complete teenage alienation, before refugiating in some artisty habits or even professional endeavours - my latest example is Als wir Schwäne waren by Behzad Karim Khan that writes well but insists in following a stereotype that as every stereotype eliminates a big chunk of reality; not all immigrant children are ending up in prison or as drug dealers and even in Neukölln who is by the way very gentrified people may do Abitur and go to law school - for the books written by German authors, expect to find a divorce-driven family and children refusing to have any contact with their parents. Love is alienating, parents are alienating, the separation is easy but during the year during which people are supposed to keep being married before separating they are haunted by unhappy holidays and sexless years. That´s why I love German crime stories much much more.

In Hohle Räume Helen is also faced with the divorce of her parents. Her father has an affair, her mother fell down the stairs and needs to hospital. The Pflegeschwester - in Germany one can partially adopt someone else´s children if the social services notice that their natural families are unfit to educate them - disappeared. She has her own life - in Berlin, where else ? where her mother wants to relocate too after divorce - in her countryside place of birth everything stays the same.

During the reading we are just brought from one hollow space to another, wandering through the memories and family stories. 

While the story development is minimal, the turns of the sentence and their structure is interesting, probably the only elements of the book that may really shake my interest once in a while.

I´ve read many appreciative reviews of the book and the book is not bad if you follow the narrative mindsets, but I will keep looking for more fiction that may really light my literary fire. Still waiting for.

Rating: 2.5 stars