Saturday 31 December 2016

Sleepless Nights by Elizabeth Hardwick


Sleepless Nights by Elizabeth Hardwick
First published in America in 1979.

Featured in Cover Characteristics: Windows, 5Books1Theme: Older Women and WorldReads: America, and one of my Top Ten Books of 2016

How I got this book:
Borrowed at an AirBnB

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


In Sleepless Nights a woman looks back on her life—the parade of people, the shifting background of place—and assembles a scrapbook of memories, reflections, portraits, letters, wishes, and dreams. An inspired fusion of fact and invention, this beautifully realized, hard-bitten, lyrical book is not only Elizabeth Hardwick’s finest fiction but one of the outstanding contributions to American literature of the last fifty years.

Elizabeth Hardwick was a new-to-me author when I spotted this novella, Sleepless Nights, in with other borrowable books at our Tarragona Airbnb apartment. Inappropriate titling aside(!), I chose it mainly because its brevity would allow me to easily finish reading during a busy long weekend and I was not prepared at all for just how superb the writing would be. I don't often quote from books I read, but to give you an idea, here is a sentence that grabbed my attention early on:
"I was then a 'we', that tea bag of a word steeped in the conditional".

Sleepless Nights is essentially a fictional memoir, written in a nonfiction style, which results in an unusual book for its time. I understand from reading up about Hardwick and her work since finishing, that it was considered experimental when published although this approach is now far more widely used. Our narrator, also named Elizabeth, is an older woman looking back over her life, recalling people and places that once meant a lot to her. Sometimes we read Elizabeth's thoughts as though she is speaking directly to us. Sometimes we read old letters she wrote. Combined, the effect is to give an immensely powerful read. I would recommend Sleepless Nights to anyone who enjoys literary fiction purely for Hardwick's gorgeous turns of phrase, but also because she creates such an fascinating persona in Elizabeth.

Etsy Find!
by Word Crafty in
Brampton, Canada

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Books by Elizabeth Hardwick / Contemporary fiction / Books from America

Friday 30 December 2016

Cogling by Jordan Elizabeth


Cogling by Jordan Elizabeth
Published by Curiosity Quills Press on the 25th January 2016.

Where to buy this book:
Buy from independent booksellers via Abebooks
Buy from independent booksellers via Alibris
Buy the ebook from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository

How I got this book:
Received a review copy from the author

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When fifteen-year-old Edna Mather tears an expensive and unfamiliar pocket watch off her little brother’s neck, he crumbles into a pile of cogs right before her eyes. Horrified, Edna flees for help, but encounters Ike, a thief who attempts to steal the watch before he realizes what it is: a device to power Coglings—clockwork changelings left in place of stolen children who have been forced to work in factories. Desperate to rescue her brother, Edna sets off across the kingdom to the hags’ swamp, with Ike in tow. There, they learn Coglings are also replacing nobility so the hags can stage a rebellion and rule over humanity. Edna and Ike must stop the revolt, but the populace believes hags are helpful godmothers and healers. No one wants to believe a lowly servant and a thief, especially when Ike has secrets that label them both as traitors. Together, Edna and Ike must make the kingdom trust them or stop the hags themselves, even if Ike is forced to embrace his dark heritage and Edna must surrender her family.

I enjoyed reading my first Jordan Elizabeth book, Escape From Witchwood Hollow, so was delighted to also be offered a review copy of Cogling. I especially love the fabulous cover art which was created by Mandie Manzano.

Cogling is billed as steampunk and is set in Victorian era sort-of-England. It does rely more of magical and fantasy elements rather science fiction, but Elizabeth's premise of witch-like hags replacing children with automata counterparts is a wonderfully steampunky idea. When her young brother, Harrison, becomes one of the taken children, Edna Mather sets out on a quest to discover his fate and rescue him. On the way she is mostly helped - and sometimes hindered! - by Ike, a young man of dubious honesty. Ike also provides a burgeoning love interest for our Edna although, as this is a YA novel, their romance is suitably muted.

I liked Elizabeth's descriptive prowess and, as with Escape From Witchwood Hollow, I found it easy to immerse myself into the world she created. I wasn't so convinced by all the characters this time around though, mainly because most of the magicals and animals weren't given complete personalities. Perhaps a couple of the journey twists and turns could have been sacrificed in order to allow readers to get to know certain of the hags and ogres in greater depth? On the whole, however, Cogling is an entertaining and fast-paced read and I would follow Edna and Ike on further adventures should a sequel be in the pipeline.


Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by Jordan Elizabeth / Fantasy fiction / Books from America

Monday 26 December 2016

Nineveh by Henrietta Rose-Innes


Nineveh by Henrietta Rose-Innes
First published by Umuzi in South Africa in 2011. Published in the UK by Aardvark Bureau in 2016.


How I got this book:
Received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Katya Grubbs, like her father before her, deals in ‘the unlovely and unloved’. Yet in contrast to her father, she is not in the business of pest extermination, but pest relocation. Katya’s unconventional approach brings her to the attention of a property developer whose luxury estate on the fringes of Cape Town, Nineveh, remains uninhabited thanks to an infestation of mysterious insects. As Katya is drawn ever deeper into the chaotic urban wilderness of Nineveh, she must confront unwelcome intrusions from her own past.

At face value Nineveh is an interesting novel about a working woman trying to overcome the demons of her childhood whilst running her own business in the unusual field (literarily anyway) of pest control. What I liked about the book though is that, as we get drawn further into Katja's Cape Town, Nineveh becomes more an exploration of 'home' - whether we identify place or people by that term and how we decide who (or what) has the right to live in any particular place. I could see this book provoking fascinating discussions in book club circles!

Having grown up with an itinerant father who was often drunk and sometimes violent, Katja has no memory of a single childhood home. In response to this, her sister, Alma, has created a perfect family environment for herself whereas Katja is proud of her own (rented) tumbledown house, but lives with it furnished exactly as it was when she moved in. It is a home, but Katja hasn't made it her home.

Outside, a group of homeless people are evicted from 'their' park and the space is demolished to build luxury apartments. Katja is called to remove caterpillars from a tree and rehomes them instead of destroying them. A huge brand-new gated community sits empty due to a beetle infestation while just beyond its walls people live in a derelict shanty town.

Katja is a great character with whom I could easily empathise and I like that Rose-Innes draws out the minutiae of her life - a long bath, the difficulty of getting her uniform to fit. I could understand her inability to resist Len although I struggled to believe the sexual encounter with Mr Brand. Cape Town itself also has a strong part to play and provides a varied backdrop to the story. I liked ideas such as nephew Toby's young mind easily finding Nineveh when Katja's older brain is too set in its ways to believe the instructions.

I think that Rose-Innes has written a strong and original tale here. Perhaps it isn't a great reading choice for anyone with insect phobias as a couple of beetle scenes do get pretty intense! However, I enjoyed the book and would happily search out more of Rose-Innes' writing.


Etsy Find!
by Illustrator Katy in
Rotherham, England

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Books by Henrietta Rose-Innes / Contemporary fiction / Books from South Africa

Friday 23 December 2016

Christmas Is Murder by Carolyn Arnold + Giveaway


Christmas Is Murder by Carolyn Arnold
Published by Hibbert And Stiles in 2015.

Carolyn Arnold is currently giving away ebook copies of Christmas Is Murder. I spotted the offer on her Twitter feed - specifically This Tweet Here! The giveaway is open until the end of December 2016!

Where to buy this book:
Buy from independent booksellers via Abebooks
Buy the ebook from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the ebook from Smashwords
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository

How I got this book:
InstaFreebie download

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Albany’s the perfect image of a winter wonderland, and Sean and Sara’s friend Jimmy is going to be Santa Claus for the upcoming Christmas parade. The trees and decorations have been selected and the gifts have been purchased. The season has truly cast its magical spell--until Sean and Sara’s neighbors die in a horrible house fire. While the fire department ruled holiday-related hazards as the cause, Sara suspects there’s more to it. Her determination to find the truth has her and Sean toeing the line between what’s legal and what’s not. As they sort out fact from fiction, the McKinleys make the final decision about whether or not they should open a private investigation firm.

Christmas Is Murder is the seventh in Arnold's McKinley Mysteries series. The solving of the mystery is a self-contained story so I could happily follow what was going on in this novella without having previously read any of the others. There are frequent hints to the backstory though and it wasn't until near the end that I understood why everyone seemed to let Sara and Sean McKinley get away with pretty immoral behaviour - they're on TV!

Our suitably seasonal tale gives Arnold the opportunity to create a perfect winter holiday atmosphere, American style, with a grand parade and lots of falling snow. I wasn't convinced by Sara's overriding desire to investigate the fire, especially as she had only met her neighbours the once, and the methods the McKinley's choose for their investigation didn't strike me as ethical or even completely believable. However, if you can overlook that, then Christmas Is Murder is a fun novella with lots of entertaining humour and a dash of romance too. Read it while listening to seasonal songs and with a glass of mulled wine, and you'll be in a Christmas mood in no time!


Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by Carolyn Arnold / Crime fiction / Books from Canada

Wednesday 21 December 2016

The Road To Purification: Hustlers, Hassles And Hash by Harry Whitewolf


The Road To Purification: Hustlers, Hassles And Hash by Harry Whitewolf
Self published in June 2014.

Where to buy this book:
Buy from independent booksellers via Abebooks
Buy from independent booksellers via Alibris
Buy the ebook from Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository

How I got this book:
Downloaded the ebook from Amazon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

'When Mad Harry spontaneously books a flight for Egypt, he doesn't know that he's about to embark on a fate given pilgrimage. In fact, he's not even sure why he's going, or what he's going to do when he gets there. All he knows is he's got to get away. Guided by signs in numbers, names and otherworldly encounters, Mad Harry's trip often seems to be a magical manifestation of his mind. A crazy headed, hassle driven, sleep deprived, dope smoking journey with non-stop tests of trust and temptation. A holiday this is not. This good humoured true story is told in a frank, rhythmic and playful voice. Set in 2010, shortly before the revolution, it's a backpacking odyssey through tremendous temples, towering pyramids, chaotic cities, small villages and dirty beaches, with a backdrop of ancient spiritual gnosis! A post-modern, pot smoking Egyptian pilgrimage...'

I love the rhythms and poetry of Whitewolf's writing throughout The Road To Purification. Much of his extraordinary life-changing journey is written in very short paragraphs which, in style, fit perfectly with the recounting of his broken-hearted and sleepless stoner month in pre-revolution Egypt. Whitewolf sees more than the average package holiday tourist would expect to encounter so we get to read an unusually skewed and shrewd view of Egypt and her people. He is armed with his trusty (and useless!) guidebook, but frequently chooses to place his faith in guidance from the Universe instead.

The spirituality in Whitewolf's previous travel memoir, Route Number 11 (my review here), often baffled me, but I found a much stronger affinity with his ideas here and appreciated statements such as 'Naming someone makes them real. It just depends what we mean by reality, and which reality we are living in.' His encounters with both darkness and light direct his Egyptian month and I could clearly see his personal and emotional growth as the weeks progress. This book is as much about a mental journey as it is a physical one. That said, we do also see several of Egypt's most famous historical sites through backpacker eyes. I don't think I would have the stamina for so much haggling though. It seemed as though there is no such thing as a fixed fare in Egypt!

The Road To Purification takes place along many roads. There is a lot of mild drug use described so if you are opposed to that, this isn't the book for you! However, if you appreciate off-beat accounts of independent travel or unorthodox ideas of spirituality and faith appeal to you then I think, like me, you would find this an interesting memoir to experience.


Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by Harry Whitewolf / Travel books / Books from England

Thursday 15 December 2016

Saigon Dark by Elka Ray


Saigon Dark by Elka Ray 
Published by Crime Wave Press on the 15th November 2016.

Where to buy this book:


How I got this book:
Received a review copy from the publisher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Good and bad. Life and death. Some choices aren't black and white.
A grief-stricken young mother switches her dead child for a Vietnamese street kid, then spends the next decade living a lie. She remarries and starts to feel safe when she gets a note: 'I know what you did'. Can she save her daughter from her dark secret?

Saigon Dark is a satisfying psychological thriller which, due to its Vietnam setting and its unusual storyline, manages to step away from crime fiction norms. I liked that the emphasis was on the family and Lily's state of mind as her actions cause her world to unravel around her. Lily Vo is a wonderfully damaged lead. A successful career woman - a plastic surgeon - she is also a single mother to two young children and still grieving the collapse of her marriage which has left her isolated in Saigon. Brought up in America, Lily speaks Vietnamese but is culturally a foreigner with few, if any, friends even on the same continent. When her daughter dies as the result of an accident, Lily's shock leads her to make a series of impulsive decisions, each one leading her further into a deception from which it is ever more difficult to extricate herself.

I was gripped by this process especially because Ray keeps Lily completely believable throughout. I could always understand her choices, however insane they seemed! Following Lily and 'her' children as they become a tight family made for a good novel in itself so when the note appears, I was as anxious as Lily! Ray has already set up numerous suspects which kept me guessing as to the truth until it is revealed and I liked her conclusion although I did feel that this part of the tale swept past far too quickly. Maybe I was page-turning too fast in order to find out what happens next?


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Books by Elka Ray / Crime fiction / Books from Canada

Monday 12 December 2016

IA: B.O.S.S. by John Darryl Winston


IA: B.O.S.S. by John Darryl Winston
Published in America by Purple Ash Press in November 2015.

Where to buy this book:
Buy the ebook from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk

How I got this book:
Won an ebook copy in a Goodreads giveaway!

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The most important thing in the world to thirteen-year-old orphan "Naz" Andersen is keeping his little sister, Meri, safe from the mean streets of the Exclave and insidious foster parent, Miss Tracey. Until now, he's done just that. After losing his best friend to suspicious circumstances, Naz turns his attention to ruthless gang leader, Roffio Styles, and the Incubus Apostles. To find out the truth, Naz will need to once again summon the world within, and with the help of Meri and his therapist Dr. Gwen he begins to discover that the voices in his head, his nightmares, and sleepwalking are actually telekinesis and telepathy at play: a gift from his father of whom he has no memory. But when Naz gets too close to the truth and tragedy strikes again, he is compelled to unleash his newfound abilities, wield his own unique brand of destruction, and bring his friends' murderers to justice.

IA: Boss starts pretty much exactly where IA: Initiate left off which ensures strong continuity. Winston does indulge in recaps of important information, but these are concise and placed at relevant moments so they don't slow the story's pace unnecessarily. Naz is coming to terms with his new-found chess playing skill and wonders at what else he may unknowingly excel. This, and a glance from an attractive girl, leads him to try out for the basketball team. Much of IA: Boss' plot is driven by action on the basketball court or centred around interactions between the team members and Coach Fears. Knowledge of the game would definitely help understand these scenes in depth, but, as a complete ignoramus(!), I don't think I actually missed any vital story elements and I did enjoy watching Naz's personal growth as he learns to trust his team mates. Winston does a great job of promoting qualities such as loyalty and reliability without ever seeming to preach to his readers.

IA: Boss did feel much like part of a larger tale rather than a story in its own right so I wouldn't recommend reading it as a stand-alone book. It concentrates more on Naz's school life so we see less of the wider city this time around. I felt this created a more claustrophobic feel to the prose, as though the outside world is closing in. We get more mysterious glimpses of Cory, Naz's father, and I am intrigued by foster mother, Miss Tracey. (Not just wondering who on earth thought she was a suitable carer for troubled children either!) Emotionally charged events (no, I won't say what happens) are well-handled considering the YA target readership and it was interesting to see Naz's responses and increasing maturity. I will admit to being shocked by the ending and according to Goodreads, the third novel, IA: Union, isn't out until 2017. I am hoping Winston writes faster than that!


Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by John Darryl Winston / Young adult fiction / Books from America

Sunday 11 December 2016

Good People by Nir Baram


Good People by Nir Baram 
First published in Hebrew in Israel as Anashim Tovim by Am Oved in 2010. English language translation by Jeffrey Green published by The Text Publishing Company in 2016.

One of my WorldReads from Israel

Where to buy this book:
Buy the ebook from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from Speedyhen
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository
Buy the paperback from Waterstones

How I got this book:
Received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It’s late 1938. Thomas Heiselberg has built a career in Berlin as a market researcher for an American advertising company. In Leningrad, twenty-two-year-old Sasha Weissberg has grown up eavesdropping on the intellectual conversations in her parents’ literary salon. They each have grand plans for their lives. Neither of them thinks about politics too much, but after catastrophe strikes they will have no choice. Thomas puts his research skills to work elaborating Nazi propaganda. Sasha persuades herself that working as a literary editor of confessions for Stalin’s secret police is the only way to save her family. When destiny brings them together, they will have to face the consequences of the decisions they have made.

The recent Brexit and Trump victories have made the 2016 English language publication of Good People scarily timely. I read a statistic that 89% of a population will keep their heads down and not dispute their government's actions if there is a chance of repercussions against themselves or their families. In this novel, Baram explores two everyman characters in 1939-41 Germany and Russia. Thomas, in Berlin, and Sasha, in Leningrad, aren't special people, despite how they like to see themselves. They wouldn't have made any great impact except for the fact of their existing when and where they did. They could be any one of us and, in times of fear when totalitarianism and fascism become the norm, they are likely to represent the great 'silent' majority.

Thomas lives for his marketing career and surely simply marketing government propaganda doesn't hurt anyone? Other people are actually doing far worse and Thomas only brandishes words, not guns. It's not his fault that his glib ideas are being taken seriously. Sasha is even less to blame for the horrors in her country. By encouraging prisoners to confess their crimes against the state and interpreting their stories clearly, she sees herself saving them from physical torture and more extreme punishments. Her parents' friends might not see it that way, but they are all guilty anyway.

I found it impossible to like either Thomas or Sasha, but frighteningly easy to empathise with their initial decisions. Neither considers themselves part of their state's oppressive apparatus, yet both aid the imprisonments, exile and deaths of many people. From the safe distance of reading about them in a book, I can judge both as amazingly selfish, blind and naive, but having seen the ease with which anger has been recently whipped up against Muslims (in place of Jews) and poor immigrants (in place of affluent intelligentsia), their actions are depressingly predictable. Who wouldn't try to protect themselves and their family before (or instead of) going to the aid of Others?


Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by Nir Baram / Historical fiction / Books from Israel

Saturday 10 December 2016

Shadows On The Downs by Pam Hughes


Shadows On The Downs by Pam Hughes, illustrated by Harold Mockford
Published in the UK in August 2008.

How I got this book:
Bought the paperback at an art gallery

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Shadows on the Downs is a celebration of the poetry of Pam Hughes and the painting of Harold Mockford, both of whom live in Seaford and are devout Quakers. I bought the slim volume of poetry at the Towner Gallery during their 2012 Harold Mockford exhibition, however the book was originally published in 2008 to coincide with an exhibition of the same name at the Hop Gallery in Lewes.

The pairing of Hughes and Mockford produces some interesting results through the book and I like the way the poems and paintings complement each other. I believe that all existed in their own right before the project so it would be coincidental that Song Of A Refugee is so perfectly illustrated by The Visitor and Baked Beans by Miss Andrews. I found the poetry interesting in that some poems I can completely identify with - Please Do Not Place Things On This Altar expresses my feelings on visiting Christian churches as an outsider to the religion - whereas others I don't think I understood at all. The award winning Jawbation is for me the standout poem, written in Sussex dialect and telling of a family reduced to debtors when their hen stops laying eggs. I also particularly like Seaford Lament, a short-lined description of little people in a huge natural world, and Whispers which is a wonderful piece about thoughts while walking on the Downs.

Etsy Find!
by Bucket List Print Shop in
London, England

Click pic to visit Etsy Shop


Search Literary Flits for more:
Books by Pam Hughes and Harold Mockford / Poetry / Books from England

Friday 9 December 2016

The Angels Die by Yasmina Khadra


The Angels Die by Yasmina Khadra 
First published in French in France as Les anges meurent de nos blessures by Editions Juillard in 2013. English language translation by Howard Curtis published by Gallic Books in 2016.

Where to buy this book:
Buy the ebook from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from Speedyhen
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository
Buy the paperback from Waterstones

How I got this book:
Received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Award-winning author Yasmina Khadra gives us a stunning panorama of life in Algeria between the two world wars, in this dramatic story of one man’s rise from abject poverty to a life of wealth and adulation. Even as a child living hand-to-mouth in a ghetto, Turambo dreamt of a better future. So when his family find a decent home in the city of Oran anything seems possible. But colonial Algeria is no place to be ambitious for those of Arab-Berber ethnicity. Through a succession of menial jobs, the constants for Turambo are his rage at the injustice surrounding him, and a reliable left hook. This last opens the door to a boxing apprenticeship, which will ultimately offer Turambo a choice: to take his chance at sporting greatness or choose a simpler life beside the woman he loves.

In The Angels Die, Khadra asks how much of a person 'belongs' to their employer and where we should draw lines between career and life. Turambo, nicknamed for a mispronunciation of his village name, has absolutely nothing going for him except his fists. After working himself to the bone in any number of dead-end jobs, he eventually goes against his family's wishes and starts learning to be a professional boxer. He is good and could be a champion which leads influential men to invest in his training and career, but does money give those men rights over every aspect of Turambo's life? Even his best friend would rather keep profiting financially than see Turambo leave the boxing ring and the family seem far less critical once the cash starts rolling in.

I liked the philosophical aspects of this novel, considering to what extent Turambo should be grateful for his life-changing opportunity and whether he owes his trainers anything at all. At one point he likens himself to a historical Roman gladiator and I could understand the allusion. Khadra evokes cosmopolitan 1930s Algeria well although particularly from a male point of view. I wasn't always convinced by the female characters. We only see out through Turambo's eyes though so relationships and friendships are filtered accordingly. The frequent racism Turambo suffers as a result of his Arab ethnicity is upsetting to read and I could certainly empathise with his barely restrained fury at his treatment.

It took me a while to get into The Angels Die. I far preferred the book from when Turambo begins to box because the story has a stronger focus. Earlier chapters, like Turambo himself, seemed to lack a direction, but were necessary for the complete narrative.


Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by Yasmina Khadra / Historical fiction / Books from Algeria

Wednesday 7 December 2016

Missing by Karin Alvtegen


Missing by Karin Alvtegen
First published as Saknad in Swedish in Sweden by Natur och Kultur in 2000. English translation by Anna Paterson published by Canongate in 2003.

Featured in Cover Characteristics: Stairs and WorldReads: Sweden

I registered my copy of this book at BookCrossing

How I got this book:
Swapped for at a campsite book exchange

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Can murder and mercy go hand in hand? In The Grand Hotel, a homeless woman charms a businessman into paying for dinner and a room. When his dead body is discovered the following morning she becomes the prime suspect. When a second person is killed in similar circumstances, Sybilla, having left her comfortable middle-class upbringing for the anonymity of the streets, becomes the most wanted person in Sweden . . . Missing is a gripping, multi-faceted thriller; more than a murder-hunt, it is also something more profound : an individual's journey to self-awareness and hope.

I liked the unusual angle of this Scandinavian crime novel which follows the main suspect after a murder is committed. This approach reminded me of The Unknown Terrorist by Richard Flanagan. Sybilla, in Missing, is homeless and a former inmate of a mental institution which makes her the perfect suspect for the police. She isn't destitute though and far from the populist drug-addled junkie image so this gives her the capacity to remain invisible - for a while at least. Alvtegen jumps between following Sybilla on the run after the murder and showing us aspects of her financially privileged upbringing. This adds great depth to her character and I thoroughly enjoyed the first three-quarters of this thriller.

Unfortunately, Alvtegen then swerves into far more run-of-the-mill territory and, I thought, squandered her great set-up with a not particularly believable and far too swift conclusion. I even wondered if the book initially finished differently and crime novel staples of 'amateur detective spots vital clue' and 'spurious hostage situation' were thrust into the storyline at a later date! It's a shame because up until that point I was looking forward to checking out more of her books after finishing this one. Now I am not so sure that I want to risk the potential disappointment again.

Etsy Find!
by Ren Sarasvati in
Utah, USA

Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

Search Literary Flits for more:
Books by Karin Alvtegen / Crime fiction / Books from Sweden

Tuesday 6 December 2016

Mr Thorne and The Witch by Diana Green + Giveaway




Mr Thorne And The Witch by Diana Green
Self published in 2016


Where to buy this book:
Buy from independent booksellers via Abebooks
Buy the ebook from Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository

How I got this book:
Received a review copy via Beck Valley Book Tours

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

'Fleeing the men who brutally murdered her family, Karene Munroe must hide her magical abilities and hope to go unnoticed in the bustle of the capital city. She takes refuge in the house of Malcolm Thorne, a fireworks maker, who offers her a job as his assistant.

Despite her precarious situation, she cannot help but be drawn to this generous and charming man. A future with him could be wonderful, but her past won’t be laid to rest. From a local crime lord who seeks to use her powers, to the hunters who are hard on her heels, Karene is trapped in a maze of danger and lies. Can she find a way out before Malcolm is lost to her forever?'

***Stories from the Secret Realms are historically-inspired fantasy romance. They share a setting reminiscent of England in the mid-19th century, but their world is rich with magic. 

Each book stands alone, and they can be read in any order.

Mr Thorne and The Witch is an easy read novella which I happily devoured in a couple of hours. Our heroine Karene is attractively feisty and I liked the pseudo-Victorian setting which gave this wintry book a suitably seasonal feel. There isn't much space for background detail so while I would have liked to know more about Mr Thorne and about his intriguing housekeeper, Green's emphasis is on keeping her story moving and I thought her pace worked well. We have a little romance, a little peril, a lot of magic and a coterie of ghosts and everything resolves itself satisfactorily in time for tea! As a light romantic read for a grey winter evening, Mr Thorne and The Witch certainly hits the spot.

Read an excerpt

About the author

Since her childhood, growing up in New Zealand, Diana has been an avid storyteller. For years she enjoyed teaching art and special education, while writing as a hobby. After she developed an autoimmune disorder, a career change was necessary, but happily this led her to become an award winning, Amazon bestselling author.

Diana’s books are mostly fantasy, with strong elements of romance. She placed first in the 2016 EPIC Awards – Fantasy/Paranormal Romance Category, first in the 2015 Paranormal Awards – Romance Category, second in the Heart of Excellence Readers’ Choice Awards, and fourth in the International Digital Awards. She has also been a finalist for the CRW Award of Excellence, the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, the Chatelaine Awards, and the Aspen Gold Published Novel Contest.

For more information, excerpts, trailers, and reviews visit DIANAGREENBOOKS.COM

Find the author on the following sites...
"Everyone on my Newsletter mailing list is entered monthly for free e-book drawings. The winners can choose from any of my titles.  If you want to be included in a quarterly mailing list, just let me know in your message using the Newsletter link above. Your contact information will not be shared with anyone."



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Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by Diana Green / Fantasy fiction / Books from New Zealand

Monday 5 December 2016

The Automaton's Wife by Vered Ehsani


The Automaton's Wife by Vered Ehsani
Self-published in March 2015.

I am publishing this book review today to coincide with my WorldReads from South Africa post on my Stephanie Jane blog.

How I got this book:
Bought the ebook from Smashwords

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


'Jane Austen meets Lara Croft: a paranormal detective refuses to let danger and death inconvenience her in colonial Kenya.
Beatrice Knight has enough to contend with: a zebra is dead on her lawn, her horse is possessed and a gentleman has arrived with the temerity to propose to her. To top it off, her dead husband Gideon has absconded with an automaton, threatening to return for his wife. The wife in question however soon has other issues, for a killer has moved into town with a nasty habit of carving up the victims. As luck should dictate, who should be the next target but Mrs Knight herself?
The Automaton’s Wife is the second case in “Society for Paranormals”, where African myth meets Victorian manners. If you adore “Pride & Prejudice”, appreciate British humor, enjoy paranormal mysteries, or would love to experience adventure in colonial Africa, buy The Automaton’s Wife to start your supernatural safari now.'

It was fun to read this book in the same week as we actually visited an Automata Museum although I am pretty sure none of the creations we saw were possessed by malevolent spirits! Mrs Beatrice Knight is as delightfully self-assured as in Ghosts Of Tsavo and I would love to have a walking stick like hers. At the front of this story is a potential wedding so the silly Steward women are up to their ears in preparations which is great fun, while Mrs Knight has more serious matters to attend to. A murder mystery seems only a tiny part of the massed storylines that Ehsani has crammed into her novella so there is never a dull moment. I liked meeting new paranormals and loved Nelly's change of pace, however I found myself wishing the story could slow a little so we could see more of the fascinating world surrounding the characters.

Etsy Find!
by Madness And Tea in
Melbourne, Australia

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Books by Vered Ehsani / Steampunk fiction / Books from South Africa

Saturday 3 December 2016

The Midwife by Katja Kettu


The Midwife by Katja Kettu
First published as Katilo in Finnish in Finland by Werner Soderstrom in 2011. English translation by David Hackston published by AmazonCrossing in October 2016.

Featured in Cover Characteristics: Barbed Wire and WorldReads: Finland

Where to buy this book:

How I got this book:
Received a review copy from the publisher via NetGalley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Orphaned into an unforgiving foster home and raised as an outsider, Weird-Eye shoulders her unflattering nickname. She relies on her vivid imagination to sustain her work as a midwife bringing newborns into the world while World War II overruns her native Finland, desecrating life. She finds herself drawn to the handsome, otherworldly Johannes Angelhurst, a war photographer working for the SS. To be near him, Weird-Eye—whom Johannes lovingly calls Wild-Eye—volunteers to serve as a nurse at the prison camp where he has been assigned. From the brutality of the camps to the splendor of the aurora borealis above the Arctic Sea, The Midwife tells of a stormy romance, the desolate beauty of a protective fjord, and the deeply personal battles waged as World War II came to an end.

The Midwife is an incredibly passionate novel. A young Finnish woman who has been excluded by practically everyone in her community because of her parents' lack of marriage and her own odd-looking eye suddenly finds that WW2 not only brings her midwifery and natural healing skills into demand, but also allows her a chance to catch herself a stunningly handsome German SS officer, Johannes. This is no light-read romantic war story though. The book is written as a series of letters and radio communications and truths are hidden as much behind the Arctic fog as in the secrecy of everyone in Finland at the time. I loved how Kettu slowly reveals horrific details of what exactly Wild-Eye has gotten herself into a the isolated prison camp and also just how psychologically damaged her Johannes is.

I didn't previously know anything about 1940s Finland so have learned quite a lot by reading The Midwife. It seems that from having allied with Germany initially, Finland then turned against The Reich as Soviet troops got closer to their borders in 1944. In this time of extreme violence and confusion, Kettu has woven an almost magical tale of treachery and desperation. I don't think anyone could condone what Wild-Eye does to attract and keep her man, but thanks to Kettu's insightful writing, I could always understand her actions. I am completely taken by the beauty of Finland too. Kettu vividly describes the nature of her country, its wildness and harsh environment. I found this combination of horror, love story, magical language and wild nature utterly compelling to read. I have since read other reviews from readers who could not get on with the book at all, some of whom even gave up, but I loved every minute!


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Books by Katja Kettu / Historical fiction / Books from Finland

Tuesday 29 November 2016

A Change Of Heart by Mark Benjamin


A Change Of Heart by Mark Benjamin
Self published on the 29th May 2016.

Featured in Cover Characteristics: Blood

Where to buy this book:
Buy the ebook from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the ebook from Smashwords

How I got this book:
Received a review copy from the author

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Bullied his entire life, orphaned university graduate, Gabriel Harper, is bitten by a Royal vampire moments before sunrise, transforming him over the course of six terrible and exhilarating nights into a hybrid - human by day, vampire by night. Just as he learns to come to grips with what he has become, the Silver Legion, a covert vampire-hunting organisation, kidnap him and his three friends, forcing them to join their clandestine crusade. However, the Silver Legion remain unaware of Gabriel's nature until it is too late.

A Change Of Heart starts out well. The descriptions of Gabriel's attack by vampire is exciting and I enjoyed the anticipation of learning how he slowly changed, day by day, from entirely human to part-vampire. We meet Gabriel's friends and his dysfunctional adoptive parents which provides interesting background. The political machinations of both vampires and Legion are intricate with lots of betrayals and power struggles.

The novel is written with an unusual structure of short chapters being written in the third person, but with each from the viewpoint of a different character. Sometimes we jump person within half a page, other times we might stick with someone for three or four pages, and with a large cast I did sometimes find it difficult to remember who was who. I stuck with it though! There is a good overall storyline here and ideas about personal identity. The ending is too much geared towards a sequel for my taste, but for fans of horror fantasy, I think A Change Of Heart would be a welcome addition to the genre.


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Books by Mark Benjamin / Fantasy / Books from England

Monday 28 November 2016

And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini


And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini 
First published in May 2013.

I registered my copy of this book on BookCrossing

How I got this book:
Swapped for at a book exchange

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Ten-year-old Abdullah would do anything for his younger sister. In a life of poverty and struggle, with no mother to care for them, Pari is the only person who brings Abdullah happiness. For her, he will trade his only pair of shoes to give her a feather for her treasured collection. When their father sets off with Pari across the desert to Kabul in search of work, Abdullah is determined not to be separated from her. Neither brother nor sister know what this fateful journey will bring them.
And the Mountains Echoed is a deeply moving epic of heartache, hope and, above all, the unbreakable bonds of love.

And The Mountains Echoed starts off with an interesting fable which is then reflected in the lives of young brother and sister Abdullah and Pari. Their story is beautifully told, poignant and ultimately heartbreaking. However this is only half of the book and I was disappointed by the melange of other tenuously connected tales that followed. Each is, of course, well-written and could have made good novels in their own right, but I felt that the disparate ideas within one book made for a confusing sprawling structure. It was often difficult to identify which character we had jumped to. And The Mountains Echoed is still certainly a good book, but I had thought both The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns were brilliant so this one does pale significantly in comparison.

Etsy Find!
by Boutique Poetry in
London, England

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Books by Khaled Hosseini / Contemporary fiction / Books from Afghanistan

Sunday 27 November 2016

Turkish Gambit by Boris Akunin


Turkish Gambit by Boris Akunin
First published as Turietsky Gambit by I Zakharov in Russian in Russia in 1998. English translation by Andrew Bromfield published by Weidenfeld and Nicolson in 2004.

I registered my copy of this book on BookCrossing

Where to buy this book:


How I got this book:
Bought from a charity shop

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Russo-Turkish war is at a critical juncture, and Erast Fandorin, broken-hearted and disillusioned, has gone to the front in an attempt to forget his sorrows. But Fandorin's efforts to steer clear of trouble are thwarted when he comes to the aid of Varvara Suvorova - a 'progressive' Russian woman trying to make her way to the Russian headquarters to join her fiancé. Within days, Varvara's fiancé has been accused of treason, a Turkish victory looms on the horizon, and there are rumours of a Turkish spy hiding within their own camp. Our reluctant gentleman sleuth will need to resurrect all of his dormant powers of detection if he is to unmask the traitor, help the Russians to victory and smooth the path of young love.

I had quite high hopes for Turkish Gambit and had looked forward to a swashbuckling historical tale. Unfortunately I found the book rather dull. There are lots of lengthy conversations, but little in the way of descriptive writing about the country and period. I found it difficult to keep track of who everyone was too. Our heroine Varvara is well defined, but sleuth Erast Fandorin mostly kept himself to himself and it wasn't until the latter stages of the book that I thought the many other men in the cast began to differentiate themselves. The spy plot at the centre of the tale is nicely done, but the advertised romantic element is practically nonexistent. Varvara never seems particularly concerned for her fiance! Turkish Gambit does have interesting moments, however I think I must have missed the point with this book because it is one in a popular series of a dozen Fandorin novels and at times I wasn't sure I would finish even this one!


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Books by Boris Akunin / Historical fiction / Books from Russia

Saturday 26 November 2016

Your Flight To Happiness by Toni Mackenzie


Your Flight To Happiness by Toni Mackenzie
First published in the UK by Inner Depths in June 2016.

Featured in Cover Characteristics: Aeroplanes

Where to buy this book:
Buy from independent booksellers via Abebooks
Buy from independent booksellers via Alibris
Buy the ebook from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository

How I got this book:
Received a review copy from the author's team

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Your Flight to Happiness is a self-help book with a flying theme, taking the reader on a journey which will enable them to release negative thinking and limiting beliefs, and create emotional freedom and happiness from within. Chapter one tells of how the author found herself at an all time low point in her life, her 'plane crash'. She then guides the reader through the seven steps she used to rebuild her life and learn how to fly again. So many people believe they will be happy at some time in the future - when they get a new job, meet a new partner, go on holiday, buy a new outfit, lose weight... The truth is, happiness does not come from outside experiences or other people, happiness ultimately is an inside job!

I appreciated the down to earth and chatty style Mackenzie employs in Your Flight To Happiness. Understanding how and why she had learned the techniques and philosophies she offers to readers helped me to envisage their potential effectiveness. I have not yet actually tried any of the suggested exercises, but I can see how they would work because they are all clearly explained and I think the mindfulness steps would be useful for me. Through simple ideas like a rubber band memory aid to more involved concepts such as deep meditation, Mackenzie aims to help her readers find inner happiness. This book doesn't claim to get you everything you have ever wanted, but instead to allow you to appreciate what you already have and use that as a grounding for future emotional strength and resilience.

Mackenzie is strongly influenced by Eastern philosophy and I liked her inclusion of relevant quotes by famous historical thinkers. There are also blank pages for readers to note down their own Thoughts. These are, of course, not much use in the ebook, but I imagine would be a good addition to the physical book edition. (Note: if you buy the ebook, get yourself a little notebook to use as you read!) The overarching aeroplane metaphor is good too and made for a nice hook from which each Step could hang. I wasn't completely convinced by later ideas such as conflating the positive or negative energies of electrons with positive or negative emotions. However overall I found Your Flight To Happiness to be a potentially inspirational and useful book.


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Books by Toni Mackenzie / Self help / Books from England