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

Rachel´s Random Resources: The One Where They Fall in Love by Cristina Wolf

Elle is a romantic editor who keep believing in love. Only that mostly there are other people love stories. She happens to have a neighbour down to earth and very well organised who got to keep a dog entertained, a dog who mostly misbehaves when left alone for long hours. His name is Thor. Elle is trying to find a solution to the permanent bothering Thor suddenly brought into her life, and offers to babysit when Oliver is out for work. And, as maybe expected from a sweet romance novel, there is something building up between the two, a bridge created by their time spent together before or after the dog sitting episodes.

The One Where They Fall in Love by romance writer Cristina Wolf is a book built around destinies of imperfect New Yorkers, young people looking for connection and genuine love. Although in realitiy, love may follow different pathways as in Elle´s dreams, it is always worth the try. 

What I really loved in this story was the dynamic created between Elle and Oliver through their chats and discussions. It is such a sweet way to create connection and those two are all about slowly connecting, despite the (barking) circumstances. 

I´ve read this book in a weekend and made me smile more than once.

Rating: 4 stars

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

Rachel´s Random Resources: The Knife Maker of Venice by David Gilman

Set in the 17th century Venice, The Knife Maker of Venice by David Gilman is a very well researched book of resilience and siblings´ love. 

Two siblings - Elizabeth and Richard - separated by a fate where the historical weight of the ongoing events is dramatically influencing the fate of individuals. The book starts with a slow introduction into the spirit of the time, allowing the individual destinies of the characters to project on the historical canva. Although it may look a bit slow, this beginning is setting a clear base for creating the right context for the next encounters and events about to be told.

The alternations between the particular and individual histories is very important for understanding the story, as well as the characters. Gilman, an author I got to know through this book only, is an empathic storyteller, sharing with the readers stories that cross centuries through the genuine humanity of the characters.

The Knife Maker of Venice challenged me to show more interest in discovering and thinking more about the history of Venice and their people. 

Rating: 4 stars

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

Lightbreakers by Aja Gabel

Once I fell for an author, I´m unable to resist reading in a row all their works. The Ensemble by Aja Gabel was one of my highlights of the extremely tormented year of 2020. Six years after, I grabbed her latest, Lightbreakers from a library´s shelf, hungry for a new literary encounter. With a cover like this, no matter the author and the title, I would have anyway stop more than a couple of seconds to think about a book.

Maya is an artist and Noah a quantum physicist. As he accepted a mysterious offer from an excentric investor to test a time travel machine in Marfa, Texas, their relationship is being shattered by the persistence of memories of his deceased daughter and the life he had before they met. As he slowly realized he is part of a wider experiment, Noah acknowledgingly accepts the escape from a past - alongside with his ex-wife, also a scientist by vocation, Eileen - and leaves the secret lab to continue his life in the present where Maya exists.

There are few genres that do leave me completely cold, and one of them is time travel-related. I do travel, I love history - or historical facts to be more precise - but I have no feelings for this type of escapism facilitated by science. And Lightbreakers is mostly built around the time travel story, as Noah is repeatedly returning to his life before, when his daughter was alive, saving scraps of memory, more or less processed by his present self. 

From the scientific point of view, this time travel solution - chemically induced - doesn´t sound very strong and spectacular either. But forgive the high expectations of an apprentice of time travel adventures.

But besides those parts - which slowed my reading pace, because just felt stuck, unable to utter any credible judgement of value - the writing is beautiful, immersive and deeply empathic. It´s like in some parts, the author herself is bearing with us, the non-professional readers, offering some slice of beauty despite the aversity to the main pretext of the story. 

I will hurry up anyway to read anything Gabel writes, but maybe will check twice if some SF/dystopic-related topics are addressed, just to lower the expectations.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Berlinoise by Wilfried N'Sondé

Book set in Berlin must definitely have a story of two with before and after - the Wall, end of WWII, both. It is a literary stereotype that does not necessarily reflects nowadays what people, especially young people see their own histories and present life. In the end, it depends on the ratio of the books set in Berlin you may read. Maybe my ratio is too high, hence the ennui...

Berlinoise by Wilfriend N'Sondé - alongside another book that will hopefully review soon - was chosen for the language, not the topic. I am longing for more French-ness in my literary life - and not only - therefore the irresistible desire to read more in this language - especially after spending most of my summer vacation time improving my Italian. 

This is a short yet passionate novel, a kind of Education sentimentale of a young French musician, landing to Berlin in the last day of 1989, getting to know Maya, a tormented East-Germany born artist, with whom he will passionately live the moment until her decision two years after to leave for the county of her father, Cuba - as in real life, literary characters are allowed to make bad decisions as well. 

The passionate story is set on the background of the own political passions shaking the newly reunited Germany, such as the outburst of racial violence and the omnious overpresence of skinheads and Neo-Nazi groups and the frequent deadly attacks against migrants.

I did not know what exactly to expect from this book but besides the literary stereotypes I´ve mentioned before, I enjoyed the reading and the concision of the style, and the story wasn´t that bad after all. I am looking forward to my next book by this author, who returned to France after spending a long time in Berlin working in the field of social assistance.

Rating: 3 stars

Land Where I Flee by Prajwal Parajuly

Four grown-up grandchildren are gathering from London and US on the occasion of chaurasi - the celebration of the 84th birthday - of their strong-willed grandmother Chitralekha in a region in India with a stong Nepalese minority. A hilarious dysfunctional family  with whom we are invited to spend about a week together.

Land Where I Flee by Nepalese-Indian author Prajwal Parajuly has a cast of very unique characters that are into a lot of unexpected, morally doubtful situations - created by them or just casting - while rich in cultural and historical details about this part of India. 

It may be just another book about a dysfunctional family, due to the conflict between ´Westernization´ and local traditions - the grandchildren mostly speak English to each other. Who will buy a read a book about ´normal´ people, anyway? But I´ve personally read about some of the interactions between characters laughing out loud and took note about many of the cultural and traditional remarks I clearly was not familiar about.

I can easily see this book serialized, as it keeps a soap opera glamour and state of permanent crisis. The choice of reading was completely random, but felt like I was right with my choice as now I have some new cultural topics to think about it.

Landd Where I Flee is a recommended read for any curious reader looking to discover some special ideas and traditions of Nepalese in India.

Rating: 3 stars

Random Things Tours: Wasteland Girls by Anna Bailey

 

I love short stories, particularly those powerful enough to evocate world in just few pages. The precision and attention to detail, while building characters and elaborating sometimes complex story structures are particular writing skills in itself. 

Those thoughts were generated by my latest reading of a short story collection, Wasteland Girls by Anna Bailey. Ten stories about relationships, human connection set against the very specific North American context. 

It connects both lives and worlds, particular landscapes and timelines, through the expression of deep, sometimes violent, human feelings. I was particularly drawn by the ambiance of the specific places where the action is taking part, but also about the ways in which it sometimes resonates with the personality and emotional status of the characters.

Each story is a well chiselled world in itself, keeping the reader constantly connected, including through unexpected twists that do surprise, shock or just put you back on the reading track.

Rating: 4.5 stars

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

Random Things Tours: The Lover by Mary Watson

A bit over a year of reading The Cleaner, South-African bestseller author Mary Watson is back with a mind-wrecking story about dangerous love.

Hallie and Rafe, the main characters in her latest, The Lover, were two people in love, an illicit love though, that they may rekindle. Rafe is Hallie´s boss as well, a charming and intelligent man who gives you reason to dream of happiness. But one day, Hallie wakes up with her murdered lover on the other side of the bed. She is the one to have seen her alive, hence she may be the main suspect? But what dark episodes was he hiding?

I´ve read this book with few breaks in between, unable to get my mind out of this book. It follows the rules of a classical whodunnit, but it builds more suspense and action, and the mystery surrounding the case is hard to decipher. 

There is a high tension that increases towards the end of the story, as more personal details are revealed, displaying, as usually happens, a less perfect lifeframe as expected, especially in the case of Rafe. The details are carefully built building relevance and adding twists that are magnifying the circumstances. 

For me, it was a passionate read that I always appreciate, especially when I have plenty of time to delve into the thriller, betting my horses on different ends - which, in this case, were all wrong. I usually love when a book challenge me to ask question after question, and this was fortunately the case with The Lover. 

Rating: 5 stars

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

The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan

I can count on one hand the amount of books set in Asia under the Japanese occupation. For various traumatic reasons, such topics are rarely approached both in Japan and the countries who were the direct victims of it. 

The Storm We Made, the debut novel by Malaysian author Vanessa Chan, reflects the terrible events of the Japanese occupation through the experiences of an average family. The mother, Cecily, turns into an accidental spy, driven by her own ambitions to be considered an equal partner and equal of a man she fells obsessively in love with. Part of her temptation to spy, providing the Japanese with documents stolen from her husband, a middle employee at a local company, was also the escape from a boring life. 

The children of Alcantara family, whose voices are adding individual layers to the story, are dramatically affected by the duress of times, but also through their small individual decision may determine the fate of the others and of the society as well.

The writing is entincing, making you to want to know what happened with the characters, particularly Abel, although for some of the children characters, like Jasmin, her voice was way too strong for her young age of 8. 

The Storm We Made is a well-researched work of historical fiction that hopefully will be followed by more similar novels. As the traumatic moments are becoming more distant, so is the clarity brought by the separation, leaving more space for finding inspiration for bold stories.

Rating: 4 stars

Rachel´s Random Resources: The Novel Detective by Teresa Dovalpage

Teresa, the main character is The Novel Detective by Cuban-American writer Teresa Dovalpage is having a successful active life in the States, when she is requested by a former high-school colleague to return back to Cuba in order to investigate the suspicious death of a former professor.  

As a mystery author, she may have also a professional interest into the story, but feels also intrigued by Estrella´s involvement into the case. She may accept the challenge, which open up some interesting plot directions. Her return may bring her back to her early teenage years and her curious interests. 

The Novel Detective smartly combines the passion for classical mysteries with the Latin- and Central American magical realism. It is a rare encounters, but such a welcomed diversion from the usual literary canon. The references to the two Cubas - in the 1980s and now, inspired by the author´s own experiences - create a very complex frame for a story that cannot be separated from the geographical and political context that generated it.

The diversity of perspectives shared in the story as well as the rich timelines created an interesting story that will clearly think about for a long time. 

Rating: 4.5 stars

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

Random Things Tours: A Farmhouse in France by Rachael Lucas

How does it feel to find out without any prior warning that the father that never cared about you left you a farmhouse in France and a bit under 100,000 Euro to start all anew? Especially when your pub in Yorkshire is seriously struggling? This is the beginning of the story of Daisy, the main character of A Farmhouse in France by Rachael Lucas. 

The farmhouse, which require a serious attention and renovations, comes also with a very handsome neighbour. What do you need for starting your romantic escape to France?

I was caught into the story from the very beginning particularly by the vivid dialogues who are promising a lot of action and surprises. Daisy was given a chance when she was expecting the least, although in deep need to a dramatic life change. Although reluctant that this unexpected inheritance will create tons of problems, in the end it looked like things were much smooth and easier - there is also a European stereotype that France bureaucracy is a maze which is myth, believe me. 

The writing is very engaging, taking the reader as witness and participant to the story. Especially when there are new beginnings in sight, you need the character to win, as new beginnings are uplifting, but often we need the courage to start over. 

I am clearly interested in more France-based romantic content, therefore anything that may continue this story is on my TBR. 

Rating: 4 stars

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

Il Mantello di Rut by Paolo Rodari

 

I´ve continued my Italian reading adventure with a very profound book about freedom and belief during terrible times. 

Il mantello di Rut (Ruth´s Cloak, which is the biblical Ruth who willingly followed her mother in law Naomi in her belief, for Jews a symbol of dedication on behalf of the converts, although the Christian interpretation escapes me right now) by journalist and teologically trained Paolo Rodari is set during the end of WWII in Nazi-occupied Italy. The main date that put into motion the tragic chain of events is the 16th of October 1943, a Saturday, the day of the Holy Shabbat, when the German forces raided the Jewish ghetto of Roome, arresting 1,259 persons. Out of 1,023 sent to Auschwitz, only 16 survived.  

Remo, the Catholic monk storyteller, is writing to Aida, a little Jewish girl who saved during the German occupation, with whose mother he fell in love. Inspired by his own tortured relationship with his emotionally numb mother, who sent him to the seminary due to lack of financial resources after the death of his father, he is sharing his story to the little girl, who stayed hidden without being forced to be baptized as often happened with other Jewish children ´rescued´ by the Church - until her uncle found her and picked her up in her new life. 

He writes to keep Rachel´s memory alive, who most probably was killed by the Germans, but also to explain his own choices, his difference compared to other people of faith. Remo is talking a lot about the freedom to decide: to stay or to go, to help or stay indifferent, to fall in love or follow the faith. The approaches are nuanced and very direct, echoing the thoughts someone may have about life, humanity and religion during terrible times.

Il mantello di Rut is a condensed yet very thoughtful read which is trying to counter the documented cases when the Catholic Church and its representatives were complacent with the Germans and manifested antisemitic attitudes. 

Inspired by the topic, I may continue some individual researches about this topic soon. 

The Italian is level B2 mostly, easy to understand without using a dictionary more than 25% of the reading.

Rating: 4 stars

Rachel´s Random Resources: Postcards from Sicily by Nancy Barone

Estranged by her mother who left her and her father 20 years ago, running with a younger Italian of noble origins, Olivia/Livvie has her own struggles: a love-less marriage, a rebelious teenage daughter, the secret feelings for her business partner Markus. But it seems that most of her life decisions are following her desperate need of being different than Susan, her mother, not abandoning and disappointing her family.

Despite her refusal to be in touch with Susan, her father kept talking with his ex-wife once the week and he tried - and suceed - to convince her accept two months of fully paid spa stay. Will this stay heal the old wounds and will bring answers to Livvie´s tormenting questions about her mother´s sudden disappearance? Would she reconsider her personal options after all?

Postcards from Sicily by Nancy Barone is a humorous and delicious rom-com that delicately deals with trauma´s impact on our lives. Livvie was deeply hurt and for at least 20 years she carried the weight of those events. ´An introvert at heart´ as she describes herself, she internalized the deep sadness her mother tried to escape. She is not depressed though, just over-reacting and nervous. As she is taking this 2-month break, the time is perfect for a change.

This is a romcom about second chances and the power to forgive, with a dash of hope happening in the breathtaking landscape of lake Maggiore in Italy. 

I´ve read this book this weekend during my summer extended holidays and made me think a lot about the many delicate ways in which a mother-daughter relationship can consume itself, but also heal.

Rating: 3.5 stars

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

The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

Abandoned by her husband Archibald, who left her for a secretary, shortly after the death of her mother, Agatha Christie disappeared for around 11 days in December 1926. Police, mediums, the famous Arthur Conan Doyle, everyone was looking for her all over England. After she was found, she confessed of being unaware where she was, a psychological effect of double trauma and sudden shock. 

In the vein of a late trend in historical fiction, Nina de Gramont built a story that focuses on the lover, a peripheral figure that received a voice of her own. The Christie Affair may only talk about Agatha, the famous and beloved one, and this only from the voice of Nan, the forgotten one, revealing a different story, with a motivation - no matter how wrong - and an equally important traumatic episode of the children stolen by the Irish Catholic Church from unmarried mothers. This sitution touched between 60,000 and 80,000 and lasted until late 1990s.

In between the back and forth from Nan´s story and Agatha´s wheareabouts after her disappearance, there is also a sweet crime twists that almost woke me up when the pace was too slow and not sure where it was leading to. 

The writing is very engaging, focused on ambiance and psyhological details and a rich historical background, covering the Irish episode, but also the trauma of the post War I soldiers. The characters are talking to the reader with an authentic refined voice.

I was interested in the book as was looking for some new authors and topics outside my immediate area of interest, but the reading dragged for a week, with an interest that varied from low to adverse - as I took the Nan characters too personally. As my next reads are historical fiction, this book just opened my voracious reading appetite for more nuances and fictional perspectives.

Rating: 3 stars

Random Things Tours: Faculty of Liars by R.L.Heber

Elizabeth Harker may be the wife of America´s most powerful university president, but she has a dark secret to hide. As her lover is killed the day she is expected to deliver a worldwide important speech, her involvement in solving the case may be limited due to their secret affair. More questions and doubts arise, the wider the web of lies that seems to cover the glamour she and her fellow academics falsely surrounded themselves.

Faculty of Liars by R.L.Heber - who also writes as journalist and novelist Rebecca Thornton - is a dark academic thriller happening in one of the most unexpected location to place a thriller. This was what actually attracted me to the book in the first place, but I definitely stayed for the smart plot and the surprising connections between characters. 

In the end, it delivered more than I ever expected. I loved the dribbling wih the secret Elizabeth was forced to play, and although not surprised, experienced directly the gradual disenchantment with the academic world. I am relatively familiar with it too, although murder is a bit beyond my expectations as well.

I was enchanted by the precise writing and the smart planning of the plot, and felt relatively satisfied with the ending. It was a tense and twists-rich read that was definitely worth my time and involvement.

Rating: 5 stars

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

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