Random Things Tours: The Inheritance by Kate Horan

How does is feel to receive a DNA kit as a Christmas present, that you are supposed to use together with other guests taking part at the celebrations? I have my own thoughts about DNA tests and their use, but one thing is clear: scientifically they confirm or reveal family connections that for some, may be really shocking.

The Inheritance by Australian author Kate Horan is built around such an occurrence, using the family ties and a potentially generous legacy as a main element of a plot built mostly around two interesting women: Isobel Ashworth, the potential heir of a rich family who is alone against everyone who either doesn´t take her seriously or openly lied to her; and Meg Hunter, a journalist aiming at uplifting her career, who is trying to investigate Ashworth family. 

The life of the two women may connect not only while Meg is tracing the corruption and the secrets hiding behind the wealth, but also through some secrets their families tried to burry. Both are two well defined strong characters I enjoyed spending time with in the virtual realm of this book.

The Inheritance has a versatile plot idea that grows in the most unexpected ways, with bold takes of legacies, including genetic ones, and how they shape our life and chances.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Rachel´s Random Resources: I Was Watching You by Chris Westlake

Faye, Zara and Heidi booked a detox weekend away in the beautiful Wales. Busy with their personal and professional lives, they want to try to slow down and enjoy their lives differently. Then, they allow a stranger in their cottage. As they returned back home, they are going on with their usual lives. Until they received some worrisome signals that someone watched them that evening. And their dark secret they wanted burried would be probably exposed.

I Was Watching You by Chris Westlake is a psychological thriller hard to put down until the story is over. It starts so matter of factly, so ´normal´ that it´s hard to imagine what it will happen next. And this is exactly what keeps the readers - me included - literally glued to this story. 

The race to understand who exactly wants to reveal their secret and what is hiding behind this attempt. It is a gripping search for the truth while exploring the fine line where guilt and shame intersect with the need of privacy and protection.

The story has so many layers and takes which adds more interest for the reader in addition to the gripping psychological challenge. 

If you are looking for a book to keep you busy at night and the most of the day, this book is a recommended read.

Rating: 4 stars

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

The Lovers by Yumna Kassab

Amir and Jamila may be lovers, but aren´t in love. Education, money, age, social status separate them. They are in a situationship and the shards of their stories are shared in a monologue unfolding over months, into short installments that are touching upon topics beyond their dating. She used to live abroad, they are now in the same place, probably Lebanon, or maybe Jordan.

The Lovers by Australian-based author Yumna Kassab has a dual construction, with the two lovers mostly antithetically exploring their thoughts and feelings. There are some circumstances when it is relatively hard to identitfy at first who is talking, and their thoughts may be completely separated from the love story, adding humanity and context to the characters. 

The Lovers is a relatively short read. Sometimes it shares something very interesting about love and relationships, but the thought is abandoned shortly after for taking a different turn. The short format is limitative in this respect and I wished it had more literary space to explain and extend the thoughts,

A special note for the Art Nouveau-style of the cover.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

Random Things Tours: A Reunion to Die for by K.J.Whittle

A school reunion who went terribly bloody wrong. Some schoolday secrets long burried. More than one vilain that may be looking for revenge.

Fast paced and clever, A Reunion to Die for by K.J.Whittle is a psychological thriller that develops as a game between drunks. Six former school colleagues meet in a pub and indulge in thinking about how the bully of their school years may die. But as in the aftermath of their reunion the bully dies following exactly the plan they were talking about. And now, they have a serious project to take care of: solve the crime.

The story advances at the pace of a puzzle, with a search against the clock. Some pieces may come along, some are completely mismatched, some are just leading us in the wrong direction. Hence, my complete surprise at the end of the story, as I did not see it coming. Which means I was fully satisfied with the solution, because how can I not love a book with an unexpected ending?

A Reunion to Die for was clearly an excellent read to start the week. Well written and eventful it is my recommendation for anyone looking for a smart whodunit where the questions are far more interesting than the questions.

Rating: 4.5 stars

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

The Doorman by Chris Pavone

A story of murder, sex, race and priviledge - not necessarily in this order, The Doorman by Chris Pavone is an intricated story mostly taking place in a high-end luxury building in the posh part of New York City. 

I´ve read other book by Pavone, The Expats as it insidously catches the secrets of a group of expatriates and their illusions. His latest, The Doorman is keeping the same take on the secrets hidden by glamorous creatures, but goes a bit farther on, as all characters, including the doorman and its manager, do have dark spots that they prefer not to share. 

What most of the posh characters do hide, is the average wishes beyond their expensive lives. They may be safe from worrying about the future, but their present is encumbred by failed personal dreams and broken love stories. Overall, they are lonely, in the ways in which rich people living in posh addresses may be. 

Born and raised in New York, Chris Pavone seized the spirit of the city, with its fantastic diversity and extremes that may co-exist. In the book, you may found a gay-closeted tattoed Ukrainian, alongside an eccentric art collector and a greedy military contractor. 

The Doorman is lengthly allowing the characters to explain themselves, we are introduced into their familiar environment. It feels like we have all the time in the world, including for digressions about capitalism and BLM. A bit too much in my opinion because in this way the narrative is out of control confusing the reader: what are we having here? what is the story about? is there any thriller sub-plot we may expect? The latter actually happens, but in the very few minutes of the book, and we may need a couple of further explanations and angles to really understand what happened. The author keps the keys to all those details, anyway.

Althouugh I enjoyed some parts of the writing - especially when describing places and New York ambiance - from the point of view of the story I wasn´t thrilled. The readig advanced extremely slowly and without any pleasure in really getting engaged into its denouement. 

Rating: 3 stars

Bookouture Book Tour: The French Wife by Ann Bennett

I love to stay close to authors I´ve loved to read. Ann Bennett is one of them, and I feel more than honoured to have been offered the chance of reading and reviewing her latest, The French Wife, set in France, is built around the emotional connection between two women that never met, and will never meet in real life: Emma, recently divorced, who after facing a child loss and a painful divorce, discovers in the cupboard of a cottage she just purchased an old photo of a couple. Amelie, portrayed in the photo, survived the Nazi occupation of France, and together with her husband, Bruno, owned the farmhouse. While Bruno used to hid Resistance fighters in the cellar, Amelie is privy to hidden truths that may stay burried.

From one century to another, the two women, both having known heartbreak and deep disappointment, do connect, with Emma carefully tracing deeply hidden histories and details of a life burried in secrets, during hard times. 

Although dealing with very sensitive topics, the author, as usual, is taking the tension through an empathic and emotionally balanced writing. The idea of deep understanding beyond time and historical circumstances requires a well chiselled way of dealing with words. 

The French Wife was a very interesting read, thoughtful and immersive. Given my reading experience with Ann Bennett, I cannot wait to see where her new book will take their readers to. 

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 River Murderers by Colette Kebell

Jack Wood has a reputation of fiercely fighting the bad guys - and eventually, girls. There is no way someone may escape his passionate dedication for rendering justice. However, he is far from being perfect and as one evening, a rebel teenager with a rented gun used several times in multiple murders, his world may get upside down. Far from being a hero, he is brought in the midst of the dark web of lies and corruption. 

The River Murders by Colette Kebell is an adventurous and fast paced story fuelled with energy of all kinds, and hard to put down. The characters, including Jack, are far from being perfect and their character matches the type of the story they are associated with. No matter their social status and profile, their bad sides are rather revealing which may take us to a dark side of life and human soul.

Despite the heavy topic the author deals with, the writing is coming along smoothly. Kebell was an author new for me, and I appreciated her fresh take on a story otherwise challenging in terms of psychological challenges and complexities.

The River Murders is a recommended read for anyone interested in discovering a new author´s interpretation of an adrenaline-fuelled story. 

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

Random Things Tours: Fallowfield by Nicole Swengley

As Rowan, a journalist trying to cope with the death of her beloved father, is trying to research more about Fallowfield Hall, the school where her parents met, she is soon facing a lot of revelations that may contradict the idyllic story she had in mind about the school as well as about her parents. Faced with the new realities, Rowan is going through a dramatic process of reconsidering her parents narratives and ultimately her own identity.

Fallowfield by journalist and author Nicole Swengley is an accidental search for truth, thourgh a well planned and eventful search. The proceedings are impecable, as one may expect from an experienced journalist and I personally enjoyed the realistic process.

Equally relevant is the way in which the author was able to seize the unfathomable ways in which the past - our own, our parents, the projections we have about the others - may be dramatically altered through the revelations of facts affecting us and our family. 

In addition to being a very well written journalistic approach, Fallowfield asks openly questions about identity and approach to the stories we and the other tell about past. It is fascinating and unexpected, hence my curiosity of not putting this book down until I´ve reached its last page.

A recommended read if you love books with journalists´ characters created around a family story well researched and authentic in its approach.

Rating: 5 stars

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

Rachel´s Random Resources: Audiobook tour - Debt Reckoning. Teetering on the Brink by Jack Meyer

 

There is no secret how much I enjoy listening to audiobooks; for my bookish lifestyle, it fills those moments when I am forced to walk or keep myself busy with non-bookish activities. For me, it is also an exercise of concentration, as I am trying to keep track of what is actually happening in my book while busy with other activities that may be distracting.

With great interest and pleasure, I´ve listened lately to Debt Reckoning. Teetering on the Brink by Jack Meyer, a very fast paced political thriller set in the heart of American politics. The starting point of the story is based on a cruel econnomic and political reality: the enormous burden of the US debt. When I´ve read it for the first time, I was really surprised as no one is ever associating political, military and economic strength with debt. After all, debts are for poor people, or?

In the book, US Senator Rick Taylor is trying to find a solution to solve the huge challenge threatening the Nord American life and society. As he is openly taking stance against it, he is faced with a tremendous pressure and life-threatening situations.

I loved the suspense as well as the political tension that made me always feel guilty when had to take a longer break in between listening sessions. A recommended read if you are into books inspired by political dirty secrets.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

Random Things Tours: What We Were Hiding by Jonas Saul

Ben Redfield worked hard to built a life of success and stability. But as a rival is threatening to expose him and put an end to his success, he has no other choice but ask his estranged brother to clean everything as discretely as possible. However, this move didn´t help too much, as apparently the wrong people are starting to dissapear. And his troubles seem to be far from being away.

There are so many ways in which one can build around the idea of burried secrets and this book shows that there are always new creative takes on such situations. 

Ben is far from being a sympathetic character and his relationship with his estranged brother as well as with his parents shows his selfish and disconsiderate, childish even way of being. Ben´s wife, Eliza, is neither likeable. But since when good people make it into good books?

The pace is alert and fast, with short sentences and rapid dialogues. The story is told from different perspectives, allowing to share more details as the story advances, covering the different interests the characters invested into a specific course of action. 

What We Were Hiding is the kind of book you don´t know what to expect for, as the new surprising - not necessarily on the good kind - elements and details about the characters keep coming. It has the tension and the emotion as it guides us through the events and for me, it was good enough to maintain my interest.

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: Dangling by Maura Yzmore

Dangling by Maura Yzmore is a heart-breaking collection of 28 short stories focused on human experiences at the border of existence. In few pages, sometimes even few lines, unforgettable stories are told in different voices with dramatic tonalities. 

The men and women of those stories are people at the end of their dreams or escaping other people´s dreams. There is a special eye that one may need to see humanity in the midst of cruelty or to give a chance of life when life is leaving the body. Some crave alcohol or have alcoholic tendencies or other addictions, while some are looking for transcendental experiences. There are even bodies floating in the air. 

Although the stories may differ in length, the level of precision of the prose is equal. I like how the choice of topics may drive the reader out of their comfort zone, however displays resilience, courage, including by giving up comfronting one´s fears. 

It was a terrific read, in the both meanings of the word.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Cover Reveal: Dreaming of a Scottish Summer by Julie Shackman

I had the chance to review more than one book by Julie Shackman, and I always enjoy the Romantic touch of her stories, set in the charming Scotland. 

The covers of her books are equally appealing, transmitting the same message of feel good and hope, with a pastel choice of colours and a friendly and Romatic lettering. Her latest book, Dreaminng of a Scottish Summer, follows bookish Brooke, who returned to the Highlands for a dream job in publishing. But this new assignment come with some unexpected perks, like working  with the grumpy and handsome Levi. And it seems that her decision to return might have been life changing for more than one reason. 

Dreaming of a Scottish Summer will be released on the 31st of January 2027 and I personally cannot wait to find out all the details of this promising story.  

Many thanks to Rachel´s Random Resources for having me. 

The Trial of Patty Hearst dramatized by Céline Fitzmaurice

I am a big fan of true crime stories, but a dramatized true crime account is nothing to compete with. Listening for 90-minute The Captive Mind - The Trial of Patty Hearst, dramatized by Céline Fitzmaurice and narrated by Sandra Parsons took my back to my time as a child while listening on repeat to various classical stories on vinyl. It was a very energizing experience although the type of story was dramatically different.

Based on archival records, the account is covering the case of the trial of the granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst, Patricia Campbell Hearst, accused of armed robbery fifty years ago. Kidnapped by Symbionese Liberation Army, a far-left militant group in San Francisco, with a life span of two years between 1975 and 1977, she defended herself as acting under duress. 

However, the court proceedings found her guilty, as the ways in which she reacted showed more than a behavior of a ´captive mind´. Was it rebellion against her background? Was it just a weak episode during times of high political and social turmoil in the US and the whole world? It is hard to say and deciphering the mystery of Patty Hearst mind may help understanding similar patterns of behavior of middle and upper class young men and women attracted blindly by ´revolutionary´/anti-social causes.

The Captive Mind is the third installment in the series of Trials of the Century Audiobooks, full-cast audio courtroom dramas from Classic Crime. Count on me for even more such stories, as I love both the format and the topics. 

Rating: 5 stars

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

Orenda Books Book Tour: The Last Tenant by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir translated by Victoria Cribb Elma, Sævar

With the autumn insidiously taking over the city, I am glad for being able to spend more time indoors in the company of eerie books. This time I amm back to the world of Orenda Books, an edition house I am always honored to feature on my blog. 

The Last Tenant by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir translated by Victoria Cribb is part of the Forbidden Iceland series I had the chance to read and review before. Some of the characters, like the team of investigators, are part of the current story this well, which was a great idea giving their character and special way of tracing the crimes.

As usual, the story is following different directions - the terrifying discovery of a mother and an infant, a single woman with her son trying to start anew, the relationship troubles between Elma and Sævar (the investigators team). Through fine psychological observation and turn of events, there is a common denominator to all those directions, that we are invited to discover.

There is an interesting thread underlying the main thriller plot that has to do with family connections and their potential of hope and consuming power. 

The novel is well paced and with a complex structure. From one installment to the other, it only gets better and better, which makes me really curious about what can happen next in the series.

Rating: 5 stars

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

Random Things Tours: Sleuth by Charlotte Langley

 

Two women, with a completely different background and professional interests - one a local detective, the other a YouTube influencer - are trying to find a killer. The disappearance of a teenager in a very small Scottish town puts into motion a strange chain of events that may reveal not only terrible secrets, but also a secret life of a place where looks like nothing ever happens.

Sleuth by journalist Charlotte Langley is a very engaging and shockingly unexpected with so many social and even sociological details that are intertwined with the purely procedural details. The small village setting is a challenge for the writer, but also allows a lot of creative freedom when it comes to building a very interesting, twists-rich story.

The characters are equally interesting, but clearly the two main protagonists are taking the main stage. Both do have a strong personality and interesting stories and secrets and their interactions are clearly setting the tone and direction of the story.

It was a very tensed and twisted read, and I am really glad for being able to add another talented thriller writer to the list of author of this genre to follow.

Rating: 4.5 stars

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

Der Beamte sagte by Herta Müller

 

I am so sorry for not reading too much Herta Müller. Her creative force makes such a difference, both in term of style and language - as the German language was not creative enough. 

Born in the Banat part of Romania, as part of the German speaking minority, she received the Nobel Prize in 2009 on behalf of Germany. Literature may and does have no borders, but in some cases it plays with symbols belonging to the national register. Müller´s experience as growing up in an absurd communist dictatorship is constantly integrated into her literary experience. 

Der Beamte sagte - The officer (as in public official) said - may keep some of those encounter with the authorties that anyone fears in a dictatorship. They are part of the daily nonsense pushing the borders at the reality at its farest limit. Hence, the joy of reading - in the progression of the collage - a peace for each word - that the ´pheasant is walking barfoot´/Der Fasan geht barfuss. What a welcomed contrast to the dried patriotism of the Beamte...

I love the results of the intersection between visual and wordings and this book is permanently encouraging the mind to trust its borderless power, even if it deals with something so potentially harmful as a bureaucrat.

Rating: 5 stars

Horror Date by Sebastian Fitzek

Fitzek is one of Germany´s most successful thriller writers who also tried his literary hands to other genres, like children books or non-thrillers, a couple of them I had the chance to review on my blog in the last years. 

Some of his - horror - books were turned to the stage and had the chance a couple of years back to watch it, and was pleased with the results. The repertoire of German-speaking  thriller and crime writers is too long to mention right now, but not too many of them are translated into English or other international languages. Hence, few had the priviledge of getting known outside the German-speaking realm - unless you are reading my blog, that´s it!

Horror Date is part of a ´non-thriller´ trilogy, to which belongs also Elternabend, a title I´ve enjoyed three years back (although for me, and hopefully not only for me, Elternabend/´parent-teacher meeting´ belongs to the horror register, but well.... And if you ask me, dating may also belong to the same register, anyway.) 

The Walking Date is an online dating portal for people terminally ill. Raphael and Nala were chatting for few times, about literature and books and philosophy, but the day of their set date, Raphael doesn´t feel well and sends his best friend Julius, few weekends from marrying Jessica, instead. What was supposed to be a joke, ended up in a delirious chain of events, with protagonists belonging to the upper rich and famous Berlin society of Zehlendorf/Dahlem, to which the author himself belongs.

Although the story may lag behind in terms of expectations, I couldn´t stop laughing to the creative events happening, mostly hilarious, and some terminally sad too. Enjoyable, but the absurdity may have an end as well.

A recommended book if you are looking for some funny read with a very pronounced - delirious even - creative touch.  

Rating: 3 stars

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

The One Day You Were My Husband by Rosie Walsh

I am no stranger to Rosie Walsh and if I am not mistaken I probably read all her books so far. Her latest, The One Day You Were My Husband, published few month ago, is following the same pattern of suspense and mystery, with unexpected twists keeping the reader engaged and curious.

Carrie, the main character and storyteller used to be a raising surgeon star, intoxicatedly in love with a handsome Swede she married during a ceremony on a beach in Thailand. But as he is brutally arested by the police for alleged drug trafficking few minutes after the ceremony, her world crushed. Few years later, she started a new life with the kind Robin, with whom she has two very active twins. She put her medical career on the side for a while, but she is decided to reclaim her professional life. And as she is about to embark on a new personal and professional path, her past with Johan and Johan himself reappear and there is no way she will not try to understand what happened almost a decade ago. 

The tension is built from the first lines, and until the end of the story we are unable to reach a conclusion. The twists and flow of information is always changing hence any effort towards clarity is vain. Just accepting being taken by the story and accept that anything surprising may happen, but nothing you may predict about.

I´ve enjoy the pleasure of reading this book and it answered by love for psychological suspense focused on wome stories. There were some mishaps in the story though, I couldn´t resist not noticing: like the description of someone as ´smart young woman´  without the mentioned person doing anything smart to prove the description; or the reference to a painting of a ´five-breasted woman´ which I may leave to my honorable reader the option of sharing their thoughts.

Overall, expect a thrilling read, that kept me interested for a weekend and a bit, that I recommend to anyone looking for an escape from the daily hustle, while keeping thinking about honesty, relationships and secret stalkers.

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

Rating: 4 stars

Corylus Books Book Tour: The Butterfly House by Teresa Solana translated from Catalan by Peter Bush

Teresa Solana is one of those surprising literary discoveries that you want to keep close track of her works. Especially for someone so much interested in the intersection of politics, social struggle and individual destinies, following her work is always a pleasure for my brain keen to see patterns and track mysteries.

The Butterfly House, translated from Catalan by Peter Bush, is published by Corylus Books, and as usual, it is always a pleasure and a honor to be part of their literary events. I had the chance to read and review (almost) all of the books they published and I was never disappointed. 

The Butterfly House is a squat building in the district of Vallcarca in Barcelona, where the daughter of a middle class doctor and policewoman is about to fall in love with a nerdy boy in love with science, also escaping his similar - although more ´new money´ social background. But a murdered woman is found challenging the course of love. 

Norma Foster, the main woman character from Black Storms is in a delicate position professionally, as her daughter is entangled with a potential suspect. But for her, the challenges, so elegantly putting the life of almost each of the characters into a different perspective, are of personal nature as well, with her marital loyalty jeopardized by an affair. And she is not the only one facing such questions.

As in Black Storms, it is admirably how smartly Solana is inserting the characters into the social and political entanglement and how many of the current debates in the Catalunya part of Spain are seized through the dialogues and experiences of the characters.

Personally, I´ve felt that the ending was a bit hurried, as I expected more crime riddle delights, but I was clearly rewarded with the concise episodes of the plot and the character development, especially their moral (marital) dilemma. I am clearly in need of discovering more Catalan authors and topics.

Rating: 4.5 stars

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

Rapatriement by Ève Guerra

Annabella, a Lyon-based student and poet, is estranged for her father for over two years, but his sudden death may request not only an organisational effort on her side - repatriation of the body from France - but also to face her own trauma and conflictual relation to him.

Awarded the Prix Goncourt du premier roman in 2024 for her debut Rapatriement - in my own translation Repatriation - the story is mostly focused on the place of memories and their distortion based on incomplete information and manipulation. Destroying one´s child trust in their parents based on manipulation and lies is breaking the becoming adult´s own trust as well.

It has a cruel direct poetic way - the author is also a poet, like Annabella - to cope with trauma, by describing the details of its installments. There is no reflection or critique on this, just the facts that adds on. The prose is taking non sequential turns with poetic notes reminding on the memory flow. 

Rapatriement is a story of daughters and fathers, with a very fine eye for the traumatic impact on mental wellbeing and life decisions. More than any other books, it helped me to better understand its impact only through the dialogues and external observation of the main character, without no further extranous explanation needed.

I felt though that it ends too fast, leaving me with the desire for more - words, story, character development.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Femme du ciel et des tempêtes by Wilfried N’Sondé

After reading and reviewing my first book by N´Sondé, which was very close from home because based in Berlin, I promised myself to read another one by this author, Femme du ciel et des tempêtes. I was interested for two reasons: one in the case of books in French being always the pleasure of reading something in French, the other of opening up the covers of a book without having any idea what to expect.

What I really liked about this book is the elaborated plot, with many fine tensioned episodes. An ancient mummy of an African queen is discovered in the Siberian tundra, leading to a conflict between local tugs interested in post-Soviet merciless economic expansion and a multi-disciplinary team of researchers called in by a local.

There is a lot going on, with various political and personal entanglements, and I loved the political thriller episodes. There is also a magic philosophical train of thought that is shared in the story, which I´ve found less convincing, nevertheless adding some interesting accents to the story.

It was clearly a slow read but well written, with some good thoughts about life and historical responsibility.

Rating: 3 stars

Mating in Captivity by Esther Perel

 

Esther Perel belongs to a world of cultural rafinement and relationship knowledge hard to replicate. I´m following her on various social media channels, I receive her newsletter and I will always think about her wise advice. 

Wise doesn´t mean conform though, as the recommendations she shared to the couples portrayed in Mating in Captivity - the 20-year edition, I had access to in the audiobook format, read by the author herself - demonstrate. It shows the power and the limits of the therapist, as well as the freedom that we may not be aware of that we own in overcoming our own limitations while expanding and honestly acknowledging our desires and uniqueness. 

I think this is a book not only every couple should read and discuss about, but also people looking for a meaningful relationship or at least for understanding why some relationships are simply not worth believing in. 

Relationships are always very hard work, and what we don´t see behind the smiles of a happy couple it´s a lot of work, on yourself, on your own values and personal and couple aims. Sometimes it´s impossible to overcome the differences - hence the need of a couple therapist - sometimes we are too selfish to look deep into the other person needs. But it´s always worth trying a bit more. 

Mating in Captivity may answer many questions but will also let yourself search for the honest answers.

Rating: 5 stars

Heute ist Mittwoch by David Albahari, translated into German by Mirjana and Klaus Wittmann

One of the biggest downsizes of my many literary intersts is that I often ignore the literary realms that used to mean so much to me long time ago. Authors from the Balkans is one of them, alongside with Hungarian authors.

But, step by step, this year I am trying to correct these omissions, aware nevertheless of the amount of literary information I have to catch up - while nurturning my relatively easy interests. 

My latest read - that happened earlier this July - was a short read by David Albahari, Heute ist Mittwoch - Today is Wednesday in my unrelated English translation - translated into German by the duo Mirjana and Klaus Wittman, who are translating from Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian into German. 

Wednesday is the day when the son is taking his ailing father to the checkup for Parkinson´s disease. Once an influencial member of the Yugoslav local administration, a dictator at home, the father is facing his mortality. It is a nostalgic and slow read, with a human perspective, and a philosophical take. It is nothing to like or don´t about this book, it has such a relatable human touch. 

I´ve read somewhere that for Albahari, who died three years ago, the family was the starting and ending point of understanding a society. I haven´t read anything by him - but would love to - and this take is clear in this short book as well. I may agree with it, especially when it comes to social and political interferences, although in other realms, this may not be necessarily true. 

I am having for a very long time a high interest in understanding at what extent we cannot escape the social and political causality, in democratic and non-democratic societies and I am not ready yet to provide a straightforward answer. Books like Heute ist Mittwoch helped me to advance my thoughts about it though.

Rating: 3.5 stars 

Random Things Tours: For Best Results Follow Instructions by Alastair Puddick

 

My friends and sometimes I too, we use a lot AI for daily decisions lately: when to buy, what to buy, is your life experience matching the job you want to apply, what colours are in fashion this season, where to spend vacations, what to do while on vacation...you name it. It feels safe and predictable having AI on your side, saving you from the trials and errors of late times. 

I am not a frequent reader of science fiction, but our times require a different literary approach. I´ve recently read that most of the AI minds nowadays do love science fiction, hence the futuristic take of our daily lives. Hence, my decision to also delve a bit more into the ambiance of this genre. 

For Best Results Follow Instructions by Alastair Puddick, an author I had the chance to introduce to my readers before, offered me a wise combination of thriller and AI excitement, against a philosophical background. 

Tom signs up for a AI Life coach that may help him have an easier life, as the artificial intelligence may take the most important decisions for him. It may be easy, indeed, and taking decisions doesn´t always come smoothly. But what defines us as humans better than our capacity - free will, some may say - to take decisions? In Tom´s case, the situations gets a bit more complicated, as it seems that the AI solution he was so much endeared to may actually act against his very interests.

I´ve got lost in the thoughts about a trend that I signed to willingly and by intellectual laziness. I loved how this book - through thrilling action and humour - may gently remind us about our human conditions, limited, indeed, but still operating within parameters of freedom. Unless, we willingly decide to limit our freedom. 

A recommended book if you are looking to think about AI and its consequences from a literary perspective.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Honey by Imani Thompson

That women can kill for fun, due to boredom or as a revenge, or all at once, it is no scientific wonder. Women can be as good or as bad as the male counter-parts and there is no need of feminist revolution or revelation to acknowledge that. But...it doesn´t mean that one gender or the other is supposed to enjoy a priviledge to kill. In real or literary life. Or that just killing is enough to make life more enjoyable.

Yrsa, the main character of Honey, the debut roman by Imani Thompson everyone is talking about, is initially starting to kill men for the sake of testing her PhD premises. She is a young Black woman, from a middle class family, studying to Cambridge, enjoying brunch with her girlfriends, no pressure to work menial jobs. Some of the men she is killing are exes, men who disappointed her or someone else, random dates. 

As an avid crime reader I would have expected some extra details about really preparing the crimes, and how she fails by being considered a main suspect. The writing flows, with some ideological intersectional snippets I may happen to feel where they are leading, but which I refuse to accept, from a simple non-ideological point of view.  Three years and I am sick to my stomach to digest the idea of ´those who we think are oppressors, are the legitimate tarket of individual violence´. IYKYK.

Seven years ago I´ve read My Sister, the Serial Killer and loved it for the sake of the story, without any ideological embellishments. This is how I love my fiction. 

PS: The cover is from the German edition of the book, and although I´ve read the book in the original English, I couldn´t resist to use this deliciously decadent image. 

Rating: 2.5 stars

My First Book in Portuguese!

Since several years I promised myself to finally advance my Portuguese, this year really happened. This time, I was not only watching some random movie or playing some random Duolingo or eventually advancing my pronunciation via Rosetta Stone, but I´ve succeed reading a book - with the help of a dictionary. 

My random choice - completely random, from a local library - was a very short book by a very prolific author and comedian, Ricardo Artur de Araújo Pereira featuring some random thoughts and anecdotic encounters happening during the pandemic. 

Ideias concretas sobre vagas - which I clumsily translate as Concrete ideas about job openings - is a collection of short chapters with or without a character, with a bit of humour, unequal in the degree of novelty. From my point of view, it was important to be able to read is step-by-step, trying to understand the context and sometimes translating word by word. 

One of the lessons learned from reading this book, from the perspective of language learning, was for the beginning - A2 to B1 - to rather focus on short stories, nonfiction, allowing to understand the short installments, instead of aspiring to read novels without properly following the plot. The relative success with this book encouraged me to continue with the reading, although I still have a lot to improve - the grammar, vocabulary and first and foremost the pronunciation - which right now is horrible, a combination of falsely accented Spanish and Italian intonation; but promise to improve it somehow...

In any case, I can only be proud of myself that this year, I finally kept my promises in terms of language improvement. With few more months from this year left, I can only wish myself to continue with my consistent progress. 

Récits de certains faits by Yasmina Reza

 

I love reading essays because this art of nonfiction is rooted in the literary life of the authors as well. And if those essays to have some drops of true crime, count me in for a long read. 

French playwriter, novelist and actress Yasmina Reza spent time in courts across France, assisting to trials of convincted murderers. With precision and high attention to detail, she focused on the human aspects of the crimes - well, the crimes always involve a human aspect, but in this case it dealt with the deep psychology of the stories - such as the relationships between the victim and criminal, as well as the tremendous role of childhood trauma. 

Récit de certains faits by Yasmina Reza - which I´ve read in the German translation, Die Rücksteite des Lebens, translated from French by Claudia Hamm - is partially an account of those experiences. The rest includes personal stories, memories from Venice, literary encounters. 

Clearly, the crime-related part was the most interesting, in terms of writing and intensity of the story and thereafter thoughts - how prevalent is the evil ? (as in ´evil doing´), how one can explain it? - , but the other accounts do have their own merits as well. 

Personally, I find the idea of taking part to murder trials, and trials in general, very appealing, and as I am writing, I already think about what possibilities are available for outside audience to attend such meetings - given the very strict German personal data protection laws. 

This short collection is a very interesting intimate exploration of human psyche, but don´t expect anything ´mild´ and ´sweet´ about it, but a lot of darkness.

Rating: 3.5 stars 

Astronaut! by Oana Aristide

It is hard to evaluate the amount of trauma one may get while growing up in a dictatorship. Of how getting used to live with fear as the only way of life perverts your self-awareness and trust in the others. How vicious are the lies for a normal mental and moral development. I want to stop now the amount of thoughts overwhelming me when thinking about this topic. With more books based in communist Romania, I may have the chance to talk about it on other occasions.

I better talk more about Astronaut!, the second novel by Oana Aristide instead. Lia is a 8-year old curious girl who loves colours. She notices how colours, including colouring pencils, are disappearing from her world. She is careless with what she talks with people, creating a lot of troubles for her parents. 

It is late 1980s, when the scarcity and repression of the Romanian dictatorship was doubled by a paranoid panic of the repression apparatchiks. Who are not tasked with a special mission: finding the criminal(s) killing various Securitate - communist ´intelligence´ apparatus - informers. Or maybe was rather a bear, or many of them at a killing spree?

Constantin, a policeman who loves stories - to write and read to his son - seems to be apparently untainted by the last jump of patriotic wave, observing the corruption of his co-workers and the kafkaesque bear-hunting. Lia and Constantin may be an unlikely anti-hero characters match, but in a world where people are running from one cue to another unable to figure out what is delivered that time, normality shall be re-defined.

Aristide´s take on the storyline and characters is full of empathic humour, successfully defying the need to lecture or complain. For a long time I felt that the Romanian dictatorship is rarely the pretexte of stories written in English while the Romanian writers are rather focused on the post-communist trauma. Astronaut! showed me that this shift is changing and cannot wait to read and review more such novels.

Rating: 4.5 stars

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

I am training my fantasy muscle lately, as cultivating a creative mind needs a lot of inspiration. The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd included a bit of fantasy, a bit of time travel and a lot of discussions about maps and their (sometimes deadly) power.

The theoretical premise of the book is the existence of phantom settlements, which are fictional places introduced on purposed by maps creators as a way to mark their copyright. This will allow to someone illegally copying a map to be caught, because only the original authors do know where the error was placed. Like Agloe, for instance, a classical phantom settlement placed by map makers, that inspired at least another book. 

The cartographers, a group of maps lovers academics experienced the out of time experience of the place, but its discovery and frequentation will destroy their friendship, and the search for getting back all the possible maps marking the place, as a way to return, will lead to terrible crimes. 

Nell Young, the daugher of the legendary Dr. Daniel Young, and of Tamara Young - who apparently died in a fire involving those maps - will recreate the chain of events leading to a return to the place. When someone unexpected is waiting for them, but especially for her. 

I loved the writing and the moderately paced plot, which seems to not spare any details of the ambiance and historical cartographic information. The fanastic part is tempered, allowing other universally human topics, such as friendship, the risks some may take for the sake of scientific curiosity. However though, I´ve found that the action advanced a bit too cautiously for my taste, with the plot not daring more than expected. More than half into the story, I guessed - right - what will happen next, but stayed for the sake of the story. 

The Cartographers has a catchy yet predictable plot, but it is well written keeping even the fantasy opaque readers like me. It just opened up the readig appetite for more fantasy in the next weeks. Just keep an eye on my blog for my upcoming reviews.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Random Things Tours: A History of Medicine in 12 Objects by Dr. Carol Cooper

We are usually thinking and talking about medicine when we are facing health scares or illness, but what about thinking medicine as part of our general society evolution? There are so many aspects directly connected with its progress, including the fact that thanks to the medical evolutions we are able to live longer nowadays compared to centuries ago.

I grew up surrounded by the fantastic doctors of my family and medicine belonged and still belongs to my daily life. Stories of unusual interventions and unique patients and some of their fantastic survivals kept me company during my own medical episodes. 

I love reading about medicine and doctors, hence my curiosity to discover A History of Medicine in Twelve Objects by Dr. Carol Cooper. Well-written, in an accessible language, while keeping the highest scientific standards, this book is an important contribution to revealing human discoveries. From the beginning of humanity until our times, this book is outlining changes and turns of mentality, through history of objects - like XRay machines, the microscope, the mask or the stethoscope - reflecting our own human history.

A recommended book for the science nerds, with an interest in medical knowledge and very specific episodes of the history of mentalities.

Rating: 5 stars

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

Intimacies by Katie Kitamura

 When I´ve started reading Katie Kitamura´s books, I knew I will return to this writer. 

Intimacies is set in the Hague and the unnamed women character is, like in A Separation, a translator, this time a translator at the Criminal Court in Hague. As an interpreter/translator myself, I recognized the intimacies and distances we are experiencing through and about words. The protagonist is observing and connecting, projecting intimate information she had access to, without judging, just allowing herself the benefit of the moment.

There are the intimacies of people we don´t know, but also other people intimating our thoughts. The private turns public, common knowledge. 

There is no plot in Intimacies, as not all books should follow a plot. It feels claustrophobic sometimes, as we are living in the mind of the main character, we are obsessivelly following her, we intimate her thoughts and life, her lows and insecurities. There is also something deeply impressionistic about this novel, as in the art movement. 

The chiselled prose and thoughtful reflections are extraordinary and would clearly read Audition as soon as possible.

Kitamura, whose book Audition was shortlisted for 2025 Booker is the chair of the jury of the 2027 Booker Prize - rebranded as The Bukhman International Booker Prize.

Rating: 4.5 stars 

The Cupid Index by Sheeva Moshiri

Soraya is young, rich - or at least her family is -, glamorous and with a lot of luxurious activities to do daily. But as a young lady in her last year of her 20s, she is having a big problem - or this is what her mother, Anahita, things she does: she is not yet married. An embarassing situation for her family of well-situated Iranians in LA. 

But as her mother is trying to put her under enormous pressure to get married, Soraya may just decide to take a break from the family drama, starting anew on her own for four months, until when she expects to find ´the one´. Would she succeed/survive?

The Cupid Index by Sheeva Moshiri is a story of dating and breaking in an Iranian-American family, with ridiculous high stakes and expectations. Who would resist a dowry of 1 million dollars offered to the potential husband material?

I will never stop reading dating and romance stories because the ways in which people match and see themselves in a couple - or outside of it - shows so much about the mentalities and the ways in which individuals are expected to fit - or not - the social web. 

I´ve read this book with interest, passion even, but somehow, found the characters relatively plain, tired before being born, although the plot may have some twists that wakes you up. The dialogues do not help too much either. 

I was very excited to read another book about dating and its challenges, but me and this book were not meant to be.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Rachel´s Random Resources: The Little Porto Book Club by Rebecca Raisin

I may confess that I am not a big fan of Porto. First impression was not impressive, and since then, I haven´t tried to come back to correct my opinion, although the travel trends from the last ten years or so are openly contradicting my first sight non-love. However, any city and place looks better if there are books involved. 

The Little Porto Book Club by Rebecca Raisin - a bestselling author I´ve featured before, also with a book with a travel and book-related romance novel - adds bookish mystery and even more love to the city, through the life and adventures of the characters, all in love with books and bookish characters. 

Viviane, a gentle person feeling more at ease in a library than in the company of people that may inspire books, is encouraged by her mother to get a taste of real life which she is doing in a way close to her heart: being surrounded by people at home within the pages of a book. And what happens next may touch to a mystery search, but the story will end up being touched by love as well.

The book is very atmospheric and wraps you in a kind and positive embrace. No wonder that some people may rather live in a book that in the real life. The whodunnit detail adds more complexity to the story, and so does the romance story. It is slow paced, but the local details keeps you focused until the next action happens.

A lovely weekend and summer read for the lovers of books and romantic travel. And indeed, I may give a chance to Porto again, one of those months.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Random Things Tours: The Uskok by George Sand translated by Lynne Forest

This is my second review in less than a day of a book of historical fiction influence set in Venice so maybe the bookish universe is trying to send me a subtle message that I may not be able to grasp it yet correctly. 

The Uskok by George Sand, translated into English by Lynne Forest,  is a novella of love and passion, in a world of uncertainty. A world where some women are becoming more aware of their strengths, taking bold decisions contradicting the expectations the society - the men´s world, that is - assigned to them. Sand, a strong supporter of female independence and a harsh critique of institutional love - as in marriage -  wrote in the 19th century, and Uskok - the name for the Dalmatian pirates - is set in the 17th century. 

The romantic novel - romantic being usually labelled for stories with exceptional characters reacting under exceptional circumstances is offering to the 21st century reader not only a very active plot, but also invites to think about bravery, honor and courage. The voices from times past still have a lot to teach us today.

I rarely read French books in English translations, but my thirst for reading was bigger than my vanity therefore I accepted the challenge. I´ve read George Sand before and I remember how complex is the original French. Therefore, my biggest admiration for the elegant translation by Lynne Forest, who brought to life a linguistic realm that is so far from hours, without altering the original symbolism and historical and fictional register.

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: My Chance to Fly by Samantha Tonge

 

I love romance novels, but some are more - or less - original than the others. My Chance to Fly by Samantha Tonge surprised me not only with the love story, but with the very original way in which this story builds. It showed that in fact creativity has no limits, we just need to push through the borders of our own mental comfort.

Una is a very special young lady, living in London a perfect, drama-free life. She is careful who she may allow into her life and especially how to avoid any kind of emotional complications (to be honest, my right kind of friend in real life). Her perfectly curated existence is endangered though an episode involving a very unique white swallow. Exactly, a white swallow of aves pride.

You may ask where is the romance here?  The swallow leads her - following an impressive social media campaign aimed at locating the bird - to Bavaria, where Konrad convinced her that he saw the precious bird. A bird that may have sealed the destiny of two people that otherwise would never have had the chance to meet otherwise.

And the rest is just history...

I´ve found the story adorable, and the pretexte of it outstandingly unique. It resonates with a very special category of humans, that are lead by destiny in the most unexpected ways in the most unexpected circumstances. If you know, you know...

Rating: 4 stars

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