Camping by Lavinia Braniște

Sofia, a Romanian who left in Spain for 20 years, is approaching her retirement. Living in the camping where she took care of the reception and basic maintenance, she is getting ready to return to her small town in the Eastern part of the country, where her 90-year old father and son are waiting for her. But would she find her place there? Are they actually waiting for her, or for her help? She has no strong friendships left in any of the countries, she spent most of her life working, saving money for purchasing an apartment for her son. 

Camping by Lavinia Braniște is my second book by this Romanian author and my first book in Romanian this year. I may confess that I´ve found the wording a bit awkward, and clumsy, with words that I had to think twice before figuring out what they mean. It may be that my Romanian is sometimes rusty and I seldom read literature, but this is part of my personal linguistic investigation. Also, who may call her son, in the second decade of 2000s, in a moment of anger ´You, communist!´?

As many people having left their home lands and with them, their mother tongue, while not fully acquiding the language of their new country, Sofia is caught in between worlds that none may look closer. Her speaking is mixing Spanish words used for everyday use. My observation as a translator from and into few languages is that there are usually the words relevant for work or bureaucratic conformity retained in the local language and the more you use the less relevant the translation.

Her son, Robert, whom she left with her father when he was four, took him to Spain for a short amount of time before he requested to return, has a different take on life, although with the same result. He is living the moment, trying to work less and earn more, selling the apartment his mother bought to invest in crypto and lose. Sofia, on her side, is actively observing, but is not consumed by the hunger of living more, of challenging her current situation.

The objects Sofia collected, as milestones for her human interactions and her 20 years in Spain, are shipped back home. It is a reminder for the time spent here, they are small memories in her life. Each insignificant souvenir tells a story of an encounter. 

Personally, I was hoping/wishing that Sofia is staying. That in a turn of destiny something happens and she take control of her life and is not coming back. 

Her story is an iteration of many other lifes of individuals, Romanians for instance, who left their countries because of social, economic and politic circumstances. The fragments from Facebook groups of ´Romanians in Spain´ are outlining the interactions in the new country. (Once I´ve watched some posts by ´Romanians in Germany´ and the interactions sounded so similar, almost copied/pasted). They are not heroes, but driven by survival and a normal life refused by their home countries. Some may stay, some cannot wait to return.

Camping was a deeply sad book it will stay with me longer. I hope to read other books in Romanian this year, but need to do a bit of extra research first for finding relevant topics for my daily interests.

Rating: 4 stars

Random Things Tours: Confessions of a Crime Writer by Louise Mangos

One year after discovering Louise Mangos, I am back with her latest: Confessions of a Crime Writer, an ironic take on the publishing industry through the story of a funny and motivated crime writer in the making. 

Socially awkward Nigel has a dream of becoming a crime writer. Decided to go far beyond his sheltered life under the control of his eccentric mother he is planning step by step his literary escape. But instead of focusing on his coming bestseller, he is confronting a completely different reality as he is haunted by unexpected events from an accidental murder to a misuse of intellectual property.

Confessions... may be read as a humorous account but in the end, the tragedy is luring behind the challenges that he and some of his fellow writers are facing when confronted with the complicated requirements of the publishing industry. Publish or die, maybe, but some will really die for being published. Or killed, to be more direct.

This book, as any good book, can be read in more than one way and it is generally a pleasure for the reader. The story alongside with the characters and the philosophical meta-text(s) are coming along seamlessly, 

A recommended read for the writer and the crime lover as well.

Rating: 5 stars

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

Blue Ruin by Hari Kunzru

It was long since I´ve read something by Hari Kunzru but Blue Ruin, the last from the so-called ´colour trilogy´ - which includes also White Tears ad Red Pill, none of them I´ve read so far - come just at the right time. 

We are entering the story at the beginning of Covid, with details about the characters´ masks and their positioning shared from the first lines. Jay, a Black-British once promising rising star of the London art scene at the end of the 1990s, now an illegal food delivery driver, meets his big love Alice, 20 years after he disappearance with one of his art comrades, now her husband. Sick and weak, she invites him to temporarily stay in a cottage near the house where they were temporarily hosted during the pandemic. 

Similarly like in the Decameron, also set during a pandemic, the characters - a gallerist with a penchant for guns and his girlfriend, always on her mobile - are random, although some of them were once part of the same art clique. and their interactions may took, towards the end of the story, absurd turns. 

Jay´s musings about art - as an existential manifesto - are by far the most challenging and interesting intellectually.  The questions that Jay following the train of thought about the artist being the art. The encounter between Jay and Alice, 20 years after is fortuitous but what about if it was part of a life happening project he authored?

I´ve felt at ease in the world of ideas and art-related and artists challenges. Jay´s backstory is very rich in events and ideas, and details about clashes between clase and race, but found the rest of the story - the present tense one - less tied together, as it has a life of its own, but written in a relatively different vein.

I am clearly curious about reading the other parts of the trilogy as well as other books by Kunzru, as both his writing and his repertoire of topics are very appealing for my current literary interests.

Rating: 4 stars

Rachel´s Random Resources: The Book Lover´s Bucket List by Hannah Claire

Books with bookish characters are a delight for my bookish soul. Books talking about bookish challenges with a spice of romance, even better.

The Book Lover´s Bucket List by Hannah Claire is based in Derbyshire and has a very quiet countryside vibe that suits very much people looking for love in the pages of a book. A fnny bet between two people, Gabriella and Zach. One secretly in love with the other. But as their challenge continues, they may find out things about each other that need to be tackled differently as in a book. Indeed, books are fun, but did you try real life?

I really enjoyed the reading, as well as the characters and some of their secrets. I loved the premise of Zach and Gabriella story, that love, real love, is between two real persons, no matter how beautiful the book their hearts can write looks like. This is a challenge many book lovers may encounter, realizing that, in the end, the love means a bit more and a bit less of everything.

As for the cover, it is worth mentioning the artsy calligraphy of the title which is sweetly matching the intense pastel colours of the images. 

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

Quello Che Ti Nascondevo by Marina di Guardo

Due to work and summer-related reasons, my reading slowed down the last weeks, and will keep this pace until the end of August probably. I am operating right now at a bare minimum level, covering mostly my spots of the book tours while spending the rest of my summer days out in the sun - most probably reading and thinking about new projects.

But I still have projects to work on, and one of them is improving my Italian at a highly professional level. A mission partly accomplished this year, with an increasing number of books in Italian that I had the chance to read. 

My latest one was a women-centered thriller, writen by Marina di Guardo, the mother of the famous Italian infuencers Chiara and Valetina Ferragni, herself an active user and consumer of social media: Quello Che Ti Nascodevo/What I was hiding from you.  

One year after the death of his beloved Allegra, in an accident in the mountains, Giacomo uses to listen to her old audio messages. But as he catches the voice of a man calling her ´baby´, his life is shuttered. The more he dives into his wife´s past, the more shocking the revelation of her infidelity. But no matter how disturbing the revelations, he doesn´t stop trying to find him. And as some of the women he dated - as a married man, with a Tinder profile - are also found dead, he is on a mission trying to solve the mystery of their murder.

The reading is suspenseful although some coincidences - too many to count - are weakening the plot. I was caught by the beginning and shocked by the ending. Although the main storyteller is a man, Giacomo, the women do play the most important role in the story: their betrayal, expectations and the violence they often are submitted to. The childhood trauma is alongside the topic of the violence against women are very important topic framed in the story, reflected not only into the history of the characters but strongly motivating their acts. 

From the point of view of the vocabulary, I´ve learned a lot of new slang words, mostly relevant for Milano area where the action is taking part. There may be better thrillers around, but this one resonated with me for the women-focus and modern takes on couple and relationships.

My Italian journey continues.

Rating: 3 stars

Compusive Readers Blogtours: The Kill Switch by Robert Peston

 

As Stela Barnsbury, UK´s (fictional) prime minister suddenly dies during a podcast with famous (fictional) political journalist Gil Peck, he is on a mission to find out the culprit as well as the cause of her death. But as usual in such cases, an easy answer is rarely the right answer, therefore, the journey will take Peck and us, the readers, alongside a race against time that may touch upon very sensitive parts of the political and business underworld.

Maybe we can read something about our future in this case, as the case may involve also some unexpected AI-generated details. Few years ago, this would have been a serious reason to categorize this book as beloging to the science fiction genre. Nowadays though, it is more realistic than ever. 

The reading was thrilling, largely surprising thanks to the very detailed plot. The relatable political layer adds political depth to the narrative. Like the author himself, Peck is a secular Jew, trying to understand the current state of affairs and eventually figure out the next new important society challenge - from pandemics to corporate crime and Artificial Intelligence.

For me, it was the first encounter with Peston´s work. The book is part of a trilogy featuring Peck, and although it can be read without necessarily reading all the books in the row, I am very much tempted to read the other two books as well. 

Rating: 5 stars

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

Rachel´s Random Resources: Escape to the Turquoise Seas by Carrie Walker

I love the feeling of summer, and books set during those - short but intense, for Europe - month are automatically included on my reading list - which is getting huge by the day.

Two rival PR agencies, two pitches, but only one has to succeed. Two enemies that cannot figure out their lives outside their fancy work. A secure work that may be endangered if the pitch is missed. Escape to the Turquoise Seas by Carrie Walker, an author I´ve featured on my blog before, introduces us to two lovely corporate characters, Kat and Leo. Each other´s nemesis caught in a professional fight while cruising Azores, Lisbon and Madeira. And the rest may be just history.

What a lovely place to fight for your pitch...And what funny characters to engage with (although in real life, if they would have our immortal lives, they may have think differently, especially about each other). The reading is engaging, and belongs to a professional world I always love to keep a foot in: highly competitional, glamorous at times, but involving a lot of hard and sustained work.

As for the travel part, I was just taking notes...as my summer plans are always work in process.

A recommended read for a cute rom-com, written with passion in a charming surrounding.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Rachel´s Random Resources: Mandarin Road by Ann Bennett

I am very careful in picking up historical fiction novels, but once I am falling for an author, I may just keep following up with all of their titles. As for now, I´ve read already two novels by Ann Bennett, and couldn´t miss discovering her newest one, Mandarin Road. 

Bennett remains in the Asian realm, with a stand alone novel with a dual timeline. Set between North Carolina and Vietnam, with Nicole embarked on a journey to meet her long-lost sister. Following the death of her beloved father, she tried to reveal the secret life of his father, during his dispatch in South Vietnam.

As in the case of the other books by Bennett I had the chance to read, the historical timeline allows the presence of individual characters. The impressive historical background is not intimidating, but rather allows the characters to develop and tell their own stories. They influence and shape, without dominating. 

It was an enjoyable well-written book about a very emotional topic handled with care and empathy.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Random Things Tours: A Death in the Gym by Patrick Hardy

Josh, a part-time personal trainer, part-time private detective, is tasked to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a young lady, 20 years prior. But it seems the crime stories are following him as at the same time a crime was committed at the gym where he is training. As his discrete investigations unfolds, there are way too many signs coming to close from home. Would Josh succeed to properly interprete the messages?

A Death in the Gym by Patrick Hardy (himself also a certified personal trainer, in addition to being a qualified lawyer) is nothing close to a cosy crime. Although at the beginning there are separate stories, ordered chronologically, shared by characters that may have no connection to each other, in fact there are so many fragments matching each other.

I may confess that I was not sure what to expect from this novel, but it was clearly worth giving a try. The plot is eventful and the twists are carefully placed, exactly when you expected them less. The fact thaat we, as readers, have no idea where the story is heading to is a very welcomed feeling for a crime mystery and in my case it worked very well by keeping me interested in the next 

A recommended read for a long summer evening. I´ve read it in one sitting and I didn´t regret it.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Random Things Tours: The Colour of Home by Tammye Huf

The history of race in the USA raises so many questions and paradoxes. I keep wondering how was it possible to maintain the segregation politics for such a long time. Black Americans fought for the USA during WWII, however, their dedication and sacrifice did not challenged automatically the overall politics of discriminations against them.

This topic appears in the well-written The Colour of Home by Tammye Huf. The book starts in 1941 in a segregated Florida, where three Black boys enlisted to fight in the war. Faced with those circumstances, Cora will marry fast, but her heart will always long for the man who loves - other than the one who marries. Four years after, they return back home, changed by the experience of the war. They are changed, and their new grasp on life - and death - are about to change Cora´s life as well, in ways there is no point of return any more.

The writing is of an exquisite beauty, with an extraordinary finesse of describing places and feelings, human beliefs and challenges. As a reader, you belong to the story and what happens to the characters cannot leave you indifferent: you connect with them, you want to be their friend or to warn them. It is such a magic ambiance created by Huf´s writing that I rarely encounter in books published lately.

At the same time, the historical and social context is also reflecting through the different perspectives of the characters, a technique also relevant for the story and characters complexity.

The Colour of Home was an exceptional literary surprise from an author I hope to have the chance to read more soonn.

The cover deserves a special mention as well, for the nostalgic tones and atmospheric outlook.

Rating: 5 stars

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

The Healing Season of Pottery by Yeon Somin translated by Claire Richards

 

Feel-good stories may differ from one language to another because such feelings are usually culturally defined. I am reading and reviewing many books belonging to this genre, however the authors and stories do belong to the European/North American realm. This week though, I decided to make a difference by discovering a raising star of the Korean literature Yeon Somin, whose local bestseller The Healing Season of Pottery was translated into English by Claire Richards. 

After an extended amount of time - count months - of inactivity following her unemployment, the scriptwriter Jungmin discovers accidentaly Soyo Studio, a pottery workshop. Intrigued, she is starting a year-long experience of learning to use clay and build her own pottery, while reconnecting with and revisiting episodes from her professional and personal past life.

Jungmin is often ´basking in her loneliness´ and and the healing - hers but also of other participants - is slow, as slow as the process of learning to properly use the clay. The reactions between the characters, and how their small community is building is by far the most important part of the story, as it opens up to a very different dynamics compared to what I am used with. 

My knowledge about the innner and social life in South Korea - was confirmed again after reading this book - is extremely limited hence my difficulties in grasping some interactions, including of Romantic interest - between characters. 

From the point of view of the book construction, I had the feeling more than once that the characters are lacking any complexity. It is understandable that they were limited by the choice of location - the pottery workshop - and their own loneliness, but did not see any reason why they are lacking any depth as humans.

Clearly I need more information and contacts with the Korean culture, and the feel-good novels may be a direct way to get to know the people and their wishes. I will be back hopefully with more topics soon and The Healing Season of Pottery, despite its shortcomings, opened up an interesting door for me.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Rachel´s Random Resources: Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse by Sue Moorcroft

With the vacation wind blowing on all sides, all my thoughts are on Italy right now. The more I read Itallian and thinking about Italy, I don´t see any better place to wind down after a very busy full year of work. My plans are not 100% confirmed, but there are always books to keep the passion alive.

Secrets of the Italian Guesthouse by romantic bookselling author Sue Moorcroft brought into my weekend not only a beautiful story, with realistic characters, but also the dream of ...an Italian guesthouse at Lake Como.

Jade is managing together with her grandmother Mairead, a cosy lodging, and everything looks like picture perfect. The death of her beloved grandmother will bring though a lot of dramatic and traumatic changes into her life, as she may discover that she has two sisters that, among other things, are part of the inheritance. As she is navigating her new challenges, there is also an old flame that seems to be back into her world. How could she cope with so many new situations at once?

This book, the first part of a trilogy, is a very sweet and relatable read. Particularly the characters are so real that you may forget that in the end you deal with the work of imagination. It also made me think a lot about how life can change suddenly, from one day to another, in ways impossible to fathom.

An inspiring summer read.

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: A Wordsmith´s Guide to Authentic Dialogue by Elizabeth M. Hurst

As a reader and occasional writer I find dialogues the most important part of a novel. Without them, the story is missing the backbone. When they are lacking proper crafting, the entire story is compromised. 

A Wordsmith´s Guide to Writing Authentic Dialogue by Elizabeth M. Hurst whose advice for writers I had the chance to share previously, is aimed at helping to understand the dynamics of  dialogue and practice it correctly. As in the case of the book dedicated to building the plot, the reader is invited to practice through exercises and to expand their knowledge through further reading.

In this book, you will learn about tools, techniques, strategies that can, among others, fill the gaps between what is said and what is meant. ´Dialogue is a crat shell, not a personality trait´. Therefore, be patient and do not expect to have your dialogues ready in the first draft. It may take much longer until your dialogues reveal the essence of your story or novel.

The examples mostly refer to the British English, but you clearly apply the information to US English or any other languages as well. The value of the information shared is universal.

A Wordsmith´s Guide to Writing Authentic Dialogue is a very useful and well-organised guidance for preparing the interactive part of your novel. You can read it chapter by chapter, and carefully apply its advice.

Rating: 5 stars

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

The Yahoo Boys by Carlos Barragán

´If I´m sorry, how I gotta get money?´

A single mother of three, the mother of Carlos Barragán attempted to find new love again. Through a dating app, she ´met´ a love interest that proved to be a scam who wanted her money. Barragán is using this personal experience to document an overwhelming phenomenon of dating scams, that I had the chance more than once to touch upon and share through nonfictional and fictional accounts. 

The Yahoo Boys. Real Life  with the Love Scammers of Lagos (Yahoo boys because of the email provider usually used by the scammers) is the result of the author´s experience of months living and talking with the scammers. Mostly young men - but also few women - they mostly operate individually, driven by the need of a glamorous life, where success is weighted by the power of pursuing white victims. 

Barragán offers an unique insight into the world and mind of people involved in scamming. Although the victims´ stories are playing an important role in the story, the reasons and ways of acting of the actors is more relevant. For both sides, there is a certain depth of the loneliness that Barragán is aptly outlining. It is a cruel world and although it is possible to stay afloat and avoid turning on the wrong side, sometimes it may be just easier.

This book is an important investigation in the world of scams, a reference for any further discussions on the topic. It reads both as a real crime story and a testimony of contemporary life. Some of the stories shared are so sad that sometimes needed a break in-between to collect my thoughts.

Rating: 5 stars 

Die Kollaborateure by Katrina Tuvera translated into German by Jan Karsten

I am struggling always with keeping straight with my plans, but there is one that I always follow carefully: expanding my knowledge on world authors and literature. Last year, the Philippines was the guest of honor at Frankfurt Book Fair, but my first Filipino author ever arrived on my reading desk only six month later.

Die Kollaborateure - The Collaborators - by Katrina Tuvera was translated into German by Jan Karsten. In a bit over 200 pages, around 100 years of history are covered, shared from the point of view of a family experiencing various events, such as the Japanese occupation to the martial law and the Marcos dictatorship. 

Just before an important surgery, Carlos Armando is rememorating his life, projected against the tormented historical background. Seen from the standpoint of a particular family, the account is more intimate than a simple historical overview, allowing at the same time to discuss concepts like collaboration and complicity, without which individual survival in adverse collective environments is almost impossible.

I´ve found the approach and the context very interesting, bringing up interesting historical facts and moral takes. However, from the literary point of view, I´ve found the book structure as well as the dialogues not necessarily rich. Maybe it was also a result of the translation.

In any case, I am glad to finally be able to include a new country on my literary map, a step that hopefully will be followed by many more.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Random Things Tours: The Nanny by Heather Burnside

 

The Nanny by Manchester-based bestseller author Heather Burnside starts very slowly, introducing the reader to such a homely ambiance that I´ve asked myself few times when the crime is about to lure. Or the psychological suspense. Alex and Amanda are a young family, with a young son that just hired a nanny to take over some of the daily chores.

Few pages later, there is a crime promise luring. Because the nanny, Katelyn, is there for a mission, as she has a past with Alex. A very tormented one, in fact. As she is making her way in the family´s life, her obsession with Alex is taking unexpected turns.

The background stories of the characters, as revealed by the author are interesting and their flaws made them human and relatable. (Although, I would really love to never deal with someone like Katelyn, to be honest.)

What is shocking and twists the dynamics between characters is the simplistic and toxic idea Katelyn has on love and relationships. Alex is a very antipathic character: weak, dishonest, unable to control his reactions and to restrain Katelyn.

Both Alex and Amanda, although at different extents, are hiding their own secrets and blurry past and this web of lies they are entangled to is clearly affecting their relationship. It would have been so easy to just be honest with each other... For the reader, those revelations and twists are keeping the interest high for the next possible evolutions. The relationship between Alex and Amanda looks so empty at times and it´s really hard to figure out what really brought and is keeping them together. 

The episodes regarding domestic violence against women are strong enough to make us aware of the gravity yet everyday normality of such topics. 

As for the ending, it was really worth waiting for it. 

A recommended thoughtful read for psychological crime lovers.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

Random Things Tours: Service by Lauren Mooney

I am very honest with my reading lists, and no matter how FOMO I am - answer: a lot - there are specific genres I am usually avoiding, unless are recommended by people of high literary taste. Hence, I ended up spending some time with a Gothic novel of workplace inspiration: Service a debut by Lauren Mooney. 

To be fully honest, the workplace part weighted the balance in favor of this book. I am my own employer for ever and used with the duress, but from my memories of working in an office, no matter how fancy it looked and was described, the horror genre comes very close. 

Danielle, the main character of Service is in her 30s, broke, hating her job and just broke up with her boyfriend. This may lead to a romantic entanglement, or to some journey of discovering herself or who knows what other positive thinking magic. Danielle of Service though is invited by her glamorous boss, Jeannie, to spend some time in the noble mannor in England. 

But the next step isn´t a kind of countryiside romance or not even an entrepreneurship plan, but a couple of interactions and there is Jeannie, who seems to literally own her. The workplace drama continues, but with a moderate taste of horror. An old mannor will stay an old mannor, after all.

The whole story is a chain of unexpected situations, some explained in a humoresque vein, some just creepy, some both. There are expectations and laugh and mystery too.

There is a certain theatrality of both the setting of the book and the dialogues, which may be because the author herself is a dramaturg as well.

I´ve read the book over the last torrid weekend and it was the most inspired literary choice in a while. It is a debut novel to remember, and hopefully it will not take too long until Mooney will be back with a new novel. The waiting will be worth it, anyway.

Rating: 5 stars

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

Dear Debbie by Freida McFadden

´I am about to cross a line. And once I do, I won´t be able to go back. Then again, this has been a long time coming´.

Very very late, but still here, I am joining the massive readers of Freida McFadden. I am self-diagnosed with FOMO therefore I couldn´t miss it, no matter how much I resisted the temptation, and how many books I have on my TBR - the mountain of books waiting for me is only getting higher and higher, up to the sky and back.

Dear Debbie, is her latest, and felt lucky to get it from my library freshly after the publication. Debbie - a writer of a modest chronicle in a local newspaper. For the rest of her time, she is taking care of her garden - growing way too many poppies - and of her two teenage daughters. Her husband is about to finally request a promotion. 

Suddenly, everything is failing and Debbie is having a very bad day - she is getting fired, her husband resigns, her daughter are facing different issues. Plus, her much awaited photo shooting of her garden for a specialized magazine is cancelled because the neighbour may have a much beautiful rose garden, after all.

And then suddenly as well, people and roses are starting to die. What to expect from a lady who is wearing a dress with blood stains by design. 

The books sets very slowly, with fragments in the story that do not promise nothing good next. Debbie, a coding prodigy, had to leave MIT after being raped, a secret she is well keeping. This episode however shaped not only her next steps in life, but also her connection to other people around her. You may not be born a dangerous psychopaths, but created by your circumstances. 

The crescendo of the revelations is shortly towards the end. There are so many mismatched situations and even people that it´s hard not to sigh in awe. 

Dear Debbie is exploring the forms of a basic human emotion: vengeance, through the story of a very bourgeois and unsurprising lady. Until she isn´t. 

I´ve read the book in few hours, in between my working breaks. The writing and the story may keep you connected, although it´s not the smartest crime writing around. But it was definitely worth trying it, and as long as the TBR allows, would be more than keen to give to this author yet another try.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Cover Reveal: The Twenty Dates by Ko Porteous

 

Will 20 dates save a 19-year old marriage of two people that seems to not have too much to share any more? The Twenty Dates by Ko Porteous promises a lot of fun and thought about relationships at adult age, with some ups and downs and romance in between.

As for yet, I only had access to the book presentation, without reading it, but I am delighted to take part to a virtual cover reveal event. The space is carefully portioned, with a burning red used as a background, with elegantly styled lettering, and minimalistic images. No human portrayed, just two desks presented from the front, opening a couple of questions about to expect in this story.

If this book seems interesting for you, here are the link for purchasing the book, to be launched the 8th of October this year:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Twenty-Dates-Empty-Nesters-Book-ebook/dp/B0H5G54FXK/

https://www.amazon.com/Twenty-Dates-Empty-Nesters-Book-ebook/dp/B0H5G54FXK/

As usual, many thanks to Rachel´s Random Resources for having me.

Le Perfezioni by Vincenzo Latronico

 

Although with less speed as in the previous months, I´ve conntinued this month my Italian reading agenda. This time, I got Le Perfezioni/La Chiave di Berlino by Vicenzo Latronico, a book set in Berlin at the end of the first decade of 2000s. The book was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize and was translated into several languges, including English by Sophie Hughes for Fitzcarraldo Editions. 

As someone who moved to Berlin during the same time, I felt compelled to read this book. The author left Italy at almost the same time - those were the times when I made a lot of Italian friends, brought to Berlin by Berlusconi´s governments, but he is currently back in Italy.

His life in Berlin is reflected in the accurate description of places and events, ways of being and expectations of people the novel - an offline, third person account of the - almost perfect - life of Anna and Tom, Italian creatives, having the best of their life in the city.

Latronice, a member of anti-gentrification collective in Milan, is observing the silent yet radical twists taking place during those time: as Berlin is becoming more international, sought-after, its identity is getting more standardized and the city soulless. The living costs are high and the available apartments dire. The image of the city is turning into an illusion, a projection of what people expect to find here: maybe a smaller or bigger slice of ´home´, a promise of freedom, but at a lower prize.

Anna and Tom may explore other similar ´paradises´: Portugal, Sicily - while turning back and forth to Berlin in their subletted apartment - who may lose an apartment in a city where scarcity is pushing natives out of its urban borders?

The language - for an Italian student - is relatively sophisticated, C1 level and up, in my opinion, but highly literarily enjoyable. The ambiances, including the olfactive moments are very vivid and immersive.

For a contemporary novel set in the 2000s, the show-format, without characters and a proper story, the short length - 136 pages in the original Italian version - suits very well. But exactly this unclear space between essay - on gentrification and spectacle-society we are more and more each day immersed into - and hipster story leaved a space for expectations that wasn´t properly filled.

Berlin is still the hype, even when it is not what it used - or we expected it - to be, therefore, it is still so much to say and in so many different ways. Le Perfezioni uses the commonality of the inspiration, but ends up in many respects mostly as an exercise in imperfection.

Rating: 3.5 stars 

Random Things Tours: The Interpreter´s Secret by Andrew Rosenheim

Cold War may theoretically be over since the 1990s, but its reminiscences and especially behavior patterns are still easily recognizable in the current state of international affairs. As a passionate consumer of international politics, I am always curious about world affairs, although sometimes this curiosity is plainly morbid. 

The Interpreter´s Secret by Andrew Rosenheim, published by No Exit Press is inspired by real events: the meeting between presidents Trump and Putin, with only one interpreter present, who was minutiously searched for possible recordings or notes upon leaving the room. 

The interpreter in Rosenheim´s book is attending an off-the-record meeting with a Russian general, witnessing and translating a terrific arrangement between Kremlin and the White House. But compared to the real interpreter, he saved a trace of the meeting, an accidental recording, the only historical testimony that the event ever took place. 

This recording will clearly define his fate and his life from now on, as the book is evolving into a complex intrigue where corruption of all kind meets high national interests. 

Both the story and the characters are well-crafted and suspenseful. I particularly loved the idea of a professional yet politically uninvolved character being caught in a world bigger than life, and the absurdity of an accident - the digital pen recording the conversation - challenging the simple life for good. 

The Interpreter´s Secret is a meeting of spycraft and literary talent, creating a suspenseful story of corruption, life´s random destiny and also translator´s fate. A recommended read if looking for an intelligent international spy story.

Rating: 4.5 stars

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

Orenda Books BlogTour: Love, After All by Ewald Arenz translated by Rachel Ward

Some books and authors do wait until show up on my reading radar. Although I read at least one book - novel - in German every week, I haven´t discover until now the books by bestseller author and teacher Ewald Arenz. Love, After All, translated into English from the German version - published as Die Liebe an miesen Tagen - by Rachel Ward, it is published by Orenda Books, where other books by Arenz were translated.

As usual, Orenda stands for high literary quality and Love, After All did not disappoint. 

Clara, a widowed photographer, and Elias, a younger actor in his 30s, met in the most unlikely life sequence. Clara did not believe in love any more, and Elias is caught into a problematic relationship. As their connection grows, they are slowly falling in love, but Clara´s working circumstances may break the romance. But as Elias is getting sick, it seems that destiny has a dfferent plans for them.

One of the things I´ve loved the most at this book is the deep humanity of the characters and their circumstances. As a reader, one gets closer to the characters because they are so relatable, with their flaws, indecision and vulnerabilities. The fragility of human existence is told with so much tenderness that thanks to the excellent translation survives through languages´ exchange.

A beautiful and humanly insightful story I will remember for a long time.

Rating: 4.5 stars

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

The Persian by David McCloskey

There is a new generation of ex-CIA analysts who turned into (very talented) spy (what else?) novels writers and them leaving the Agency enriched the choice of topics and settings of spy thrillers. Particularly when the topics they are writing about are burning the first pages of the media nowadays. When politics and politicians themselves are unable to make any sense of literally anything, maybe the ex-analyst can bring the much awaited clarity in a fictional key.

I haven´t read anything by David McCloskey before, but I´ve read some great recommendations about his work. The topic of his latest book - the intelligence war between Iran and Israel - is politically actual and interests me, therefore, I was grateful to have been offered the ARC of The Persian. 

Set between Iran and Israel, it is built around the Iranian Jew Kamran Esfahani´s final confession while in Evin Prison, waiting for his death sentence. Accepting to spy for Mossad for financial reasons, as he was in a professional dead end as a dental practitioner in Sweden, Kam is sharing the details of his recruitment and training, and his contribution to spectacular Mossad operations within Iran. (The meme-famous general Esmail Qaani is also part of the cast).

Although the story has a high percentage of spectacular moves and unexpected twists, the most important parts are actually concerning the human costs of espionage, particularly how simple life of family members can be for ever affected or at high risk. 

The writing is a pleasure for the soul, and it focuses so carefully to the smallest details, from the sound of the street to the colours of the crayons used to write the confession. 

But there is a part that didn´t work for me at all: the ending is way too syrupy for my spy taste. It just left me speechless but for all the wrong reasons.

Nevertheless, The Persian was a tensed, intelligent and knowledgeable read.  

Rating: 4 stars

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

99p. PROMO BLOG BLITZ: The Time of My Life by Samantha Tonge

If you are looking for a good summer read, that is happening in a summery destination, The Time of My Life by Samantha Tonge may be your right choice.  

Currently available for the ridiculous 99p. is about the meeting between two very different women and a couple of secrets. Carrie - 26, she is about to start a completely new life in Greece, leaving behind her old life and selling all her belongings, plus a cat. Eliza, about to celebrate her 75th birthday, is interested in buying everything from Carrie. And this is just the beginning of a story of friendship and many secrets.

It sounds like a tempting book to keep you busy when not busy to enjoy your summer time of your life.

Here is the purchase link: https://mybook.to/TheTimeofMyLife

Many thanks to Rachel from Rachel´s Random Resources for having me for this PROMO BLOG BLITZ.

Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri translated into English by Jhumpa Lahiri and Todd Portnowitz

There are authors that emotionally connect me with my carefree times, when reading and discovering myself through various languages were taking the most of my intellectual concerns - I am still doing it glutonously, but while I am taking much more personal and professional responsibility in other fields. One of them is Jhumpa Lahiri whose works I was reading in the morning only to be ready to discuss with my intellectual friends in the evenings. 

Long after, I followed her testimonies about learning a new language of writing, Italian, that she is using since regularly for writing her new books. My latest read by her doesn´t have anything to do with language, at least not directly, but was written in Italian: Roman Stories, a collection of nine very different stories, that she translated into English, together with Todd Portnowitz. 

I am having my very intense Italian moment right now, but I couldn´t find the book in the Italian version, therefore, I delighted into the English version. Also, I haven´t read short stories in a while, therefore this collection suited my relatively short attention span those days.

Rome - this is where ´Roman´ in the title comes from - is the very discrete background the stories are taking place. Sometimes, we may assume but the specificities of the city are in most cases not relevant for the story - although some residential details, the elegance of women and the summer parties may be. Therefore, there is nothing aimed at increasing your interest towards Rome. Rather, its focus is on human emotions that connect us beyond languages, social status and city of residence. All those are accidental, but the empathy or lack of, are what really define us.

One of my favorite stories in the collection is The Steps where several life-stanzas of individuals living at the top of a densely staired street are brought together, and finely intertwined. The individual stories however aren´t connected. What connects them - nameless characters - is the deep human context and the beautifully chiselled prose.  

Some part of the stories are emotionally demanding, dealing with loss and grief, racism and loneliness, but those feelings are so seamlessly tied to the plot that there is nothing out of place or forcing you to believe.

Roman Stories was a very insightful encounter with a world that shaped and encouraged me to keep doing what I always love: read and connect to beautifully written stories.

Rating: 4.5

Gaslight by Femi Kayode

While requested to investigate the disappearance of the wife of a powerful priest based in Lagos, accused of killing his wife, detective psychologist Philip Taiwo may get caught into the nets of corruption of the highst holy level. 

Gaslight by Nigerian writer Femi Kayode is the second in the series featuring detective Philip Taiwo and my first read by this author. Mixing investigation techniques with psychological observation and deep knowledge of the well oiled machine of local corruption, Gaslight is a paced murder mystery taking place in challenging circumstances.

The story - told by Taiwo himself - operates perfectly in the local environment, seamlessly adapting to it. Hence, the very authentic ambiance and the specific twists of the story that cannot make sense anywhere else. As a side thought, it shows how distorted the realities shaped by corruption of all kinds could be.

The suspense is built through the intermezzo of the fragments attributed to the victim preparing the unexpected dramatic ending.

Through Taiwo´s family story, especially her daughter challenges to adapt to the new school and social environment in general, there are also some no-crime related thoughts about beauty standards and self-acceptance worth considering.

I´ve enjoyed personally reading this book, also because I had the chance to discover a new Nigerian author, and new murder series that hopefully will continue soon.

Rating: 4 stars

Random Things Tours: Diagnosis or Death by Jake Lynch&Annabel McGoldrick

One may expect from books set in Oxford a bookish highly intellectual ambiance, maybe at the limit some exquisite noble mystery. But - surprise, suprise - in Oxford live very normal people as well, with everything that includes this category, including very mundane crimes.

As her colleague is unexpectedly killed, Janna Rose feels compelled to contribute to solving the investigation. A psychoterapist specialising in the very special Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy and a former journalist, she is ingeniously looking for hints and explanations, although she may need to cope with extremely complex challenges built by the malevolent use of AI.

Diagnonsis or Death by the Oxford-based BBC-trained journalists duo Jake Lynch and Annabel McGoldrick was a very interesting encounter both in terms of the writing as well as the subject. The second in the series featuring Janna - a blend of the authors´ names - but my first - it has a dense prose while bringing in the forefront topics like local corruption in the social housing and benefit fraud. The story in itself is engaging, but in subtext tries to explore the genesis of human motivation under different circumstances.

For me, it was a very intense read, while bringing up interesting topics in the very challenging context of new technologies. 

Rating: 4 stars

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

Lucky Girl by Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu

 ´I wanted to live a big life too´.

Some books may ignite mixed reactions in the reader, but the challenge may just encourage the precious critical thinking. 

Soila, the character of Lucky Girl, the debut novel of Kenyan-American writer Irene Muchemi-Ndiritu left for the US in order to break the control of her over-protective and over-achieving mother. As she is growing up as a person, writing her own life story and breaking with tradition, she is caught in the boiling cauldron of choices. She followed a career for the sake of her mother´s expectations, and she will keep practising it long after she regained her own independence until a personal turn of events will convince her to follow her passion for photography.

Although I enjoyed the story milestones and the main character, as well as the change of perspective between African Amerians and Africans on issues like race and priviledge and the insightful take on dementia, I had some issues regarding either the plot or the characters´ development.

For instance, Soila lacks consistency, and so do her relationships: we are told about she having boyfriends, but there is no story. 

But despite those shortcomings and my mixed reactions, I´ve learned some interesting intellectual nuances from Lucky Girl that will keep in mind when thinking about race and priviledge.

Rating: 3 stars

Lost in Mecca by Bothayna Al-Essa translated by Nada Faris

´Was there a hidden meaning behind this hell?´

Literary journeys are even most open minding as the simple discovery travel. They open up the eyes towards worlds we accepted to ignore, deeply diving into our own self-sufficient bubble. I am a passionate reader of elaborated crime novels but unfortunately, for many reasons - translation being one of them, my limited literary proficiency, another - I am mostly stuck into the European-North American realm. But I know there are so many brilliant ´noir´ authors outside this realm and Lost in Mecca by bestseller Kuwaiti author Bothayna El-Assa translated into English by Nada Faris encouraged me to be more determined in discovering different literary voices.

Last year I´ve read several reviews of the book and was on my TBR for a long time, but nothing prepared me for the deeply trauma valiantly told. 

Lost in Mecca is a story of a kidnapping. A little 7-year old boy of Kuwaiti origin is getting lost and subsequently kidnapped while being separated from his parents during the circumambulating the Kaaba in Mecca. The happy normality of a rich normal family trying to fulfill their duties is shaken by the realities of a world where survival is beyond any other human consideration. 

Told from different perspectives, including the shivering testimony of the kidnapped child´s, during less than three weeks chronologically, but within the framework of a fluid time, this is also a story of how life cannot go as usual after the encounter of tragedy. Belief is shaken, relationships are shaken, trust is eroded. 

The realities surrounding the circumstances are far from what we usually associate with when talking about rich countries like Saudi Arabia. A region where illegal immigration and human trafficking reaches peaks we aren´t aware of (as a side note though, some ´facts´ regarding organ trafficking/harvesting in the region may miss some double checking and rather follow some ideological patterns). As we are also rarely aware of the randomness of life in some parts of the world. In the book, one (bad) character asks the other (very bad) character: ´Is it really possible to live a life - normal life - away from the world we currently inhabit?´. It is a rhetorical question, but the answer may be that we rarely can. The - terrible - fate of the little boy - is an example. Moral compass may lead to hunger. 

I have another book by Bothayna Al-Essa on my TBR and definitely will read it in the next weeks, but as for now, I am deep in the thoughts ignited by Lost in Mecca. That´s how good books are shaking our mental comfort.

Rating: 4 stars

Rachel´s Random Resources: Wild Italian Nights by Christy McKellen

 

Good girl Juno meets Playboy Alessandro and both of them they have one full Italian (wild) week to enjoy life at its fullest. From Florence to the hills of Tuscany there are not enough places where they can literally feel the world. But could it be more? Should it be? Is there any place for more than passion?

Wild Italian Nights by Christy McKellen is spicy, passionate, even funny...a little bit of everything that one may need to for the hot season. As the title already suggests, it is definitely not for the prude of heart. 

I really enjoy the reading and the uneven meeting of the characters, in addition to the irresistible Italian environment which resonates very well with the hot feelings and adventures of the characters. I really appreciated that the characters, especially Juno, are more than protagonists in a hot setting, but they do also evolve according to their feelings and interests too.

For me it was the first encounter with this author, but from now on, I know where to look when I am in need of a spicy reading adventure.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Random Things Tours: The Drowning Place by Sarah Hilary

DS Joseph Ashe is the sole survivor of a tragedy that happened 17 years ago. A bus carrying young people drove in Edenscar and all drowned but him. This miraculous survival is haunting him until now. As a detective he is requested later on investigating a crime that may bring him closer to elucidating an old mystery haunting him to this day. 

I´ve found the book from the very beginning emotionally challenging, but in the good literary sense. Both the atmosphere of the book and the characters - the bad and the good ones equally - are very well developed, with many hidden secrets that are dramatically challenging the plot in unexpected twists. 

Particularly Ashe is a world in itself, articulated and memorable. The choice of place and location in general may be surprising, as such a crime may work very well in a highly urbanized area. The eerie, spooky even, Peak District - situated in central-northern England - adds however additional elements of surprise to the challenges of the characters and of the story itself. 

The quality of the writing goes well beyond the usual police procedural investigation and this adds an additional quality to this very unique book.

The Drowing Place is the first in a series dedicated to Joseph Ashe and would be curious to continue with the next installments. For me, it was also the first encounter with this author that will definitely keep on my future radar.

Rating: 4.5 stars

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

Lázár by Nelio Biedermann

Lázár by Nelio Biedermann is like on everyone´s German speaking book list this summer and as usual, I couldn´t resist such a bookish temptation. Since the launch of the book in 2025, the 22-year old Swiss author is a literary sensation. The book was last year, among other prestigious nominations and awards, on the Schweizer Buch Preis list. Lázár is Biedermann´s second published novel.

I had one additional reason to read this book besides the German-speaking realm fame: it is set in Hungary/Austro-Hungarian Empires/Central Europe, a region that will always remain my big academic love. 

The author´s family, on the father´s side, is of noble Hungarian origin, refugiated to Switzerland in the 1950s. Lázár follows a family history during one century, from the times of the Austro-Hungarian empire until the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. The format may remind of the Miklós Bánffy´s Transylvanian Trilogy that hopefully will review it one day part of my CLASSIC READS series (eventually with some additional reading in Hungarian).

The ambiance of Lázár is similar to many books set during this period in this geographical realm, therefore relatable and so is the behavior of most of the characters, suffering of a timeless mal-de-siècle.

But, but, but...I felt for the duration of the 300-page of the novel operating mostly in a bubble. Although towards the end of the book there are more characters relating to the noble family, most of the time they behave as being in a bubble, without too much interaction - and social reflection of their immediate environment. Many locations are vague, unclear, lacking any specific individuality and therefore largely unauthentic.

The sex is true and it keeps busy many of the characters, almost most of the time. Which is fine, but for many characters it seems like this was the only reason why they existed in the story; they had sex once and again, and then few years later they died - not necessarily due to the sex activity. 

Hence, the book missed for me some depth, although it is not easy to emulate the style and talent of the Central European literates. On the other hand, it is noteworthy that the literature based in this region is still of interest and may create such a high wave of literary interest.

Rating: 3 stars