Honourable Friends? by Caroline Lucas

Honourable Friends?: Parliament and the Fight for Change by Caroline Lucas
First published in the UK by Portobello Books in March 2015.

One of my Essential General Election Reads 2017.

I registered my copy of this book at Bookcrossing

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

How I got this book:
Bought the paperback via Alibris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Caroline Lucas is an outsider, inside, fighting for parliamentary reform and for the interests of her constituents. She is a politician with a radical mission and a clear vision of how change can be achieved. From the NHS to corporate tax evasion, from climate change to immigration, Honourable Friends? tells the story of 5 years in Westminster and offers bold and practical suggestions for a fairer British political system. It is a unique book by a unique politician and activist.

Whether you support the Green Party or not (I do!), Honourable Friends? is a fascinating read as it illuminates the wasteful and frankly ridiculously old-fashioned way business is done at Westminster. In this memoir of her first years as an MP, Lucas describes her experiences and exasperations at trying to do a challenging job in an environment patently unsuited to twenty-first century politics. She is essentially an outsider in an exclusive club which allows her a unique viewpoint, and I enjoyed her easily accessible writing style and frequent humour. Did you know that new MPs often have to wait up to two weeks before being allocated an office after each election because of petty bickering about who is 'entitled' to the 'best' space? In the meantime they are camped out in corridors and cafes. I was horrified to think that my MP might be discussing sensitive constituent information in such circumstances!

On a personal level Lucas explains the root of her political beliefs and demonstrates how, as an MP, she continuously fights to get basic messages of change and fairness heard and acted upon. She talks about the NHS, campaigning against Page 3 sexism, fracking and her arrest during a protest. However, as much as I admire Caroline Lucas and her adherence to her strong principles, the most memorable episodes of Honourable Friends? for me were the examples of ludicrous political practice and the continued refusal of Westminster to modernise. Why do MPs still run to a lobby when they could more efficiently vote electronically? Why are MPs with particular expertise excluded from committees where their knowledge could add real value to discussions? Why is it still considered acceptable to waste House time filibustering instead of actually debating? In my opinion Britain needs lots more principled MPs like Lucas who will fight archaic methods and her words in this memoir enthused me to continue and redouble my efforts supporting the Green Party.


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Books by Caroline Lucas / Biography and memoir / Books from England

Old Loves Die Hard by Lauren Carr + Giveaway

Old Loves Die Hard by Lauren Carr
First self-published in America in April 2011. Audiobook edition narrated by James C Lewis published by Acorn Book Services in December 2016.

Featured in Cover Characteristics: Blood

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

How I got this book:
Received a review copy via iRead Book Tours
(See the other stops on the tour)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In Old Loves Die Hard, Lauren Carr continues the rags-to-riches story of Mac Faraday, an underpaid homicide detective who inherits 270 million dollars and an estate on Deep Creek Lake, Maryland, from his birth mother on the day his divorce becomes final. Mac is settling nicely into his new life at Spencer Manor when his ex-wife Christine shows up-and she wants him back! Before Mac can send her packing, Christine and her estranged lover are murdered in Mac's private penthouse suite at the Spencer Inn, the five-star resort built by his ancestors. The investigation leads to the discovery of cases files for some of Mac's murder cases in the room of the man responsible for destroying his marriage. Why would his ex-wife's lover come to Spencer to dig into Mac's old cases? With the help of his new friends on Deep Creek Lake, Mac must use all of his detective skills to clear his name and the Spencer Inn's reputation, before its five-stars - and more bodies - start dropping!

I have enjoyed spending several hours over the past week walking around my town even though I have actually been thousands of miles away in my head. It's what I love most about listening to a good audiobook - exercise without realising it! Old Loves Die Hard is the second in Lauren Carr's Mac Faraday mysteries series, but I was able to fully enjoy the story without having read the first instalment because concise recaps fill in the gaps. Mac is now ridiculously rich after an unexpected inheritance, but still wants to spend his life solving local crime of which there is rather a lot in Spencer.

Carr introduces us to a large cast and, although she has a good eye for characters, I wasn't always immediately able to remember who was who in the early chapters. I thought that James Lewis did a good job of the narration though which helped immensely. His creation of numerous different voices meant that, once the book was underway, I could often tell who was speaking without being told. I was surprised by how much Mac and Archie were able to be involved in the police case despite being civilians themselves. Enough money opens many doors! In this aspect I was reminded of vintage British mysteries such as Agatha Christie novels where amateur sleuths tend to be the most adept. Carr's emphasis on the affluence and old money of the Washington communities also helped reinforce this vibe.

The mystery itself is intricately plotted and ultimately satisfying to unravel. A good level of concentration is needed throughout the story and I think I did miss some of the clues. I had worked out some elements but not others so felt both pleased with myself and surprised at the end.

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns! Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, romance, and humor.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband and three dogs (including the real Gnarly’s klutzy nephew Sterling) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Connect with Lauren: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

And now it's giveaway time!

To celebrate Lauren' Audiobook-a-palooza Blog Tour one $100 Amazon gift card will be given away to a lucky winner. The giveaway is open internationally until the 22nd of July.

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Good luck! 

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Books by Lauren Carr / Crime fiction / Books from America

Life In A Haunted House by Norman Prentiss

Life In A Haunted House by Norman Prentiss
Self-published in America on the 15th May 2017.

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

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

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Brendan has always been fascinated by the low-budget horror films of Bud Preston. Imagine his surprise when he moves to a new town and discovers a high school classmate is the daughter of his favorite director. Melissa Preston’s home contains exciting secrets about such strange films as THE STONE STAIRWAY and THE DUNGEON OF COUNT VERLOCK. But Brendan’s film-fan obsessions threaten to undermine his new friendship...before he can truly understand what it means to spend LIFE IN A HAUNTED HOUSE.

Life In A Haunted House has a fabulous schlock horror cover which manages to both perfectly illustrate the novel inside and to imply something completely different to the actual story. I'll try to explain that contradiction! Our young protagonist, Brendan, is so much a fan as to be obsessed with the b-movie horror films of director Bud Preston and I love that this book cover looks just like one of those film posters. However the Life In A Haunted House storyline is a multi-layered coming of age tale, far more sophisticated and deep than the artwork would suggest.

Brendan is the perpetual school new boy and misfit. His chance encounter with equally isolated 'weird girl' Melissa looks as though it will allow both children to actually experience friendship, bonding over the discovery that Melissa's house was where Bud Preston shot all his films. However first Brendan needs to learn that using someone to further your own obsession isn't the same as being their friend, however tempting the immediate acquisitions might be.

Prentiss has written a sympathetic and utterly convincing portrayal of the intersection of these two lives and I found it easy to believe in both Brendan and Melissa. Their interactions with parents and other children provide a strong framework and, if I were a horror film fan, I suspect I would have recognised many of the scenes and settings, at least by type. Life In A Haunted House does have a strong horror streak depicted mainly through scenes that border on reality. I can imagine this novel having wide appeal and being recommended by word-of-mouth to horror fans and enthusiasts of quirky cult fiction.


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Books by Norman Prentiss / Horror fiction / Books from America

The Giant Secret (1899AD): Finding Christopher by David Alan Webb + Free book

The Giant Secret (1899AD): Finding Christopher by David Alan Webb
Self-published in America in 2017.

Where to buy this book:
Download this story free from the author's website

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

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

In an Appalachian valley, a young German couple has just buried their second stillborn, their dreams of raising a family in America gone, when a monster is sighted on their land. An investigation turns into a rescue, and their lives are changed forever, as they discover that reality is stranger than they had ever imagined... and that sometimes we find our heart’s desire where we never thought to look for it.

I enjoyed this mostly gentle tale of an immigrant couple in 1890s America. We don't learn much about their daily life, but the relationship between Hans and Ava is endearingly tender and convincing. The supernatural story element is also well done, nicely underplayed and believable in the context of Webb's world. Having finished Finding Christopher, I was disappointed that the book only consists of around forty pages. The title implies that it is the first of a series, but for me this felt more like reading a prologue, albeit one that, as yet, does not have a novel following on. I thought it would be more satisfying as the beginning of a longer work as I was nicely into the flow of the prose as our story ended!


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Books by David Alan Webb / Short stories / Books from America

Walk! Dartmoor by Kate and Alan Hobbs

Walk! Dartmoor by Kate and Alan Hobbs
Published in the UK by Discovery Walking Guides in January 2016.

How I got this book:
Bought the paperback at Haytor Information Centre

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Kate and Alan Hobbs have reviewed and refreshed their Walk! Dartmoor classic guide book for its new 2016 edition. 40 fully detailed walking routes with OS maps and gps waypoints for you to enjoy adventuring on Dartmoor. Walk! Dartmoor with Kate and Alan Hobbs covers walks of varying length across Dartmoor - from the dramatic high moors, gentle riversides, idyllic country lanes, unspoilt villages, to sites of ancient archaeology and former industries, and all with spectacular views. This user friendly illustrated guide has a summary of walking routes and is rated by time, effort, distance and hills, as well as the availability of refreshments en route and the vertigo risk. Each walk is described in full and there are timings listed in the book to help with navigation and progress. Walk! Dartmoor contains a 1:40,000 scale Ordnance Survey map for each route.

Hopefully as this post publishes itself Dave and I will be making good use of our copy of Walk! Dartmoor. We bought it last summer and have already done one of the walks (Number 18: Lustleigh and Becky Falls). This weekend we are camping around Buckfastleigh way so will get to see a different part of Dartmoor by following a couple of the suggested Walk! Dartmoor walks.

I like that the book has clear instructions in both text and Ordnance Survey map sections. It also includes good information about walk lengths, ascents and descents, and difficulty ratings so we can be confident that we will indeed be able to finish our chosen walk. Interesting sights and sites en route are highlighted too so we don't miss out on appreciating the significance of what (to a non-book-carrying visitor) might just appear to be a pile of stones! Bought on a whim, this book has certainly justified its purchase and I would happily recommend it to any other walkers planning to visit Dartmoor.

Etsy Find!
	Dogs on Dartmoor  oil painting by F Wyllie in Exeter, England Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

Search Literary Flits for more:
Books by Kate Hobbs and Alan Hobbs / Sport and leisure / Books from England

Underneath by Anne Goodwin

Underneath by Anne Goodwin
Published in the UK by Inspired Quill today, the 25th May 2017.

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:
Received a review copy from the author

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

He never intended to be a jailer … After years of travelling, responsible to no-one but himself, Steve has resolved to settle down. He gets a job, buys a house and persuades Liesel to move in with him. Life’s perfect, until Liesel delivers her ultimatum: if he won’t agree to start a family, she’ll have to leave. He can’t bear to lose her, but how can he face the prospect of fatherhood when he has no idea what being a father means? If he could somehow make her stay, he wouldn’t have to choose … and it would be a shame not to make use of the cellar. Will this be the solution to his problems, or the catalyst for his own unravelling?

I enjoyed Anne Goodwin's first novel, Sugar And Snails (my review here) so was delighted to given the opportunity to read Underneath, her second, and am especially honoured to be kicking off this blog tour to publicise its launch. You can see all the other stops on the tour at the end of this post. Plus, if you find yourself in Nottingham on the 10th of June, the Underneath Launch Party is being held at Nottingham Writers' Studio.

Underneath is a psychological thriller that goes to some pretty dark places and I loved the sense of foreboding that builds up. We know from the very beginning that Steve will end up using his cellar as a kind of jail and the journey leading him to do so kept me enthralled. I liked the depiction of his burgeoning relationship with Liesel who is a great character and, even though the story is told from Steve's perspective, I felt I ended up knowing her even better than him. The flashbacks to Steve childhood add depth and helped me to understand his later actions. Goodwin does a good job of presenting a child's understanding the world as he sees it and of his interpretation of traumatic events. These vintage scenes particularly appealed to my imagination. I also enjoyed the family dynamic, dysfunctional as it was, but with, I think, universally recognisable sibling rivalries and allegiances.

Underneath is a slow burn so might not appeal to readers who prefer an action thriller, but I really liked the detailed and thoughtful approach. Goodwin takes her time in revealing Steve's truth and, for me, this worked well.

Like Steve, Anne Goodwin used to like to travel, but now she prefers to stay at home and do her travelling in her head. Like Liesel, she’s worked in mental health services, where her focus, as a clinical psychologist, was on helping people tell their neglected stories to themselves. Now that her short fiction publication count has overtaken her age, her ambition is to write and publish enough novels to match her shoe size. Underneath is her second novel; her first, Sugar and Snails, was shortlisted for the Polari First Book Prize. Anne lives in the East Midlands and is a member of Nottingham Writers’ Studio.

Catch up on her website: annethology or on Twitter @Annecdotist

Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by Anne Goodwin / Thrillers / Books from England

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Believed written and first performed in England around 1598. BBC Radio Shakespeare audiobook production published in 2001.

Where to buy this book:
Buy the audiobook download of this production from Audible via Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk
Buy the CD audiobook via Alibris
Buy the CD audiobook from The Book Depository
Buy the paperback from Speedyhen

How I got this book:
Bought from Audible

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

BBC Radio has a unique heritage when it comes to Shakespeare. Since 1923, when the newly formed company broadcast its first full-length play, generations of actors and producers have honed and perfected the craft of making Shakespeare to be heard. In Much Ado, the clarity of radio allows the wonderful verbal sparring between Beatrice and Benedick to sparkle as high comedy and melodrama mix magically in a combination of prose and verse. Revitalised, original, and comprehensive, this is Shakespeare for the new millennium.

As a result of my Othello and New Boy reviews, I was contacted by author Hollie Moat with an offer of a review copy of her novel, Other People's Business, based upon Much Ado About Nothing. Of course, I was glad to use this as an opportunity to revisit my BBC audiobook of the original play as a memory refresher!

A talented cast that includes David Tennant, Samantha Spiro, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Emilia Fox, Julian Rhind-Tutt, David Haig and Maxine Peake bring Much Ado About Nothing vibrantly to life in this BBC Radio audiobook. The cast are obviously having great fun and their enjoyment comes across particularly in the wickedly sharp verbal sparring scenes between Beatrice and Benedick, when each is hiding to eavesdrop, and when the Constable is mangling his word choices. The play itself is entertaining although the plot gets quite silly in the latter stages! Not knowing the play thoroughly, I couldn't always immediately tell exactly who was speaking, but this didn't affect my understanding of the narrative as character identifies became clear as each scene progressed. Perhaps pure audio isn't quite as satisfying as seeing Shakespeare performed on stage, but I felt the format allowed me to concentrate more on the words spoken and to appreciate the Bard's wonderful turns of phrase.


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Books by William Shakespeare / Plays / Books from England

Nest In The Bones by Antonio Di Benedetto

Nest In The Bones by Antonio Di Benedetto
Individual stories written in Spanish from the 1950s to the 1970s. Published in this collection in America by Archipelago Books today, the 23rd May 2017. English language translation by Martina Broner.

Featured in WorldReads: Argentina

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

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Philosophically engaged and darkly moving, the twenty stories in Nest in the Bones span three decades from Antonio di Benedetto's wildly various career. From his youth in Argentina to his exile in Spain after enduring imprisonment and torture under the military dictatorship during the so-called "dirty war" to his return in the 1980s, Benedetto's kinetic stories move effortlessly between genres, examining civilization's subtle but violent imprint on human consciousness. A late-twentieth century master of the short form and revered by his contemporaries, Nest in the Bones is the first comprehensive volume of Benedetto's stories available in English.

Generally I find I have quite an affinity to South American fiction because I love its mystical elements. In Nest In The Bones however I was frequently completely baffled as to what was going on. I love Di Benedetto's prose. He employs beautiful metaphors and turns of phrase which bring particularly the Argentine scenes vividly to life. My problem though was that a significant proportion of the twenty short stories in this collection felt like middles of stories rather than the full tale. I appreciated the scene as I was reading, but on finishing had no real idea of the point of what I had read! The selected stories are representative of Di Benedetto's work over three decades and I did find those later in the book much easier than the earliest examples. I don't know if that is due to differences in his writing or that I was getting more accustomed to the style. All in all, this was an interesting collection and I enjoyed the insights into Argentine and Spanish life, but I didn't think I got as much from reading the book as I had hoped to.


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Books by Antonio Di Benedetto / Short stories / Books from Argentina

ReejecttIIon: a Number Two by Daniel Clausen and Harry Whitewolf

ReejecttIIon: a Number Two by Daniel Clausen and Harry Whitewolf
Self published in February 2016.

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

How I got this book:
Bought the ebook from Amazon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

'By reading ReejecttIIon, it’s likely you’ll discover: colorful short stories, funny flash fiction, hilarious cartoons, riveting reviews, wondrous anagrams and other assorted skits and titbits of under-achieving literary genius.
If you’re lucky, you might come across sci-fi tales about the privatization of words, horror stories about hair and ruminations on indie writing. It’s also possible that you’ll find commentary on the hazards of greedy literary agents and stories about washed up movie directors who receive financial backing from space aliens.'

Daniel Clausen's second ReejecttIIon compilation was written in a transatlantic collaboration with Harry Whitewolf resulting in an even more eclectic mix of work than its predecessor. The two books are connected in title, but otherwise are essentially separate. You could happily read the second without having read the first and, indeed, that might even help! ReejecttIIon - a Number Two includes short stories, book reviews and cartoons that are inventive, funny and thought-provoking although I admit I did find their appeal rather hit and miss.

The hits for me ranged from the social media satire I've Never Heard The Like to science fiction Show And Tell. I loved the creepy atmosphere of Your Relationship With Edward Grey and the B-movie inspired Science Fiction Theater Presents. Fred's Dreads is a fun idea and I wondered how much of this story might have been autobiographical. For me, the most timely stories considering the current General Election campaigning are The New World and especially Word Tax, both of which I think everyone should be forced to read before they are allowed into a voting booth!


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Books by Daniel Clausen and Harry Whitewolf / Short stories / Books from America and England

Accommodation Offered by Anna Livia

Accommodation Offered by Anna Livia
First published in the UK by The Women's Press in March 1985.

I registered my copy of this book at BookCrossing

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

How I got this book:
Bought at a Torquay charity shop

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When her lover leaves her, Polly, with some trepidation, advertises two vacant rooms in her house. The two women who move in seem sympathetic: bus conductor Kim, and awkward, gangling Sadie, a wanderer haunted by memories of her African childhood. But in spite of their shared experience as lesbians, differences begin to emerge. Fortunately the household is watched over by the Liberty Boddesses of Hortus, prepared to risk divine censure if they can help straighten things out.

I loved the humour in this Irish story of friendship set in 1980s London. The Liberty Boddesses are great fun and their scenes are reminiscent of the way ancient Greek gods and goddesses would influence the lives of mortals on earth. The central story is that of Polly, Kim and Sadie who find themselves sharing a house. That the trio are lesbians is an important aspect of the book, but I liked that Livia doesn't only define their lives by their sexuality. Instead Accommodation Offered explores themes of race, gender and mental health. It is a multi-layered novel which can just be read lightly as a humorous story of friendship, albeit one with dark edges. Or it can be more deeply thought-provoking asking questions about the assumption of a white-male-dominated society. Livia writes vibrantly of ordinary 1980s London describing squats and condemned houses, buses that still had conductors and streets that were still communities. Most of all though, this is a novel of women coming to terms with their present situations and their pasts, and discovering how not to lose all hope.


Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by Anna Livia / Women's fiction / Books from Ireland

Sovereignty by Anjenique Hughes + Giveaway

Sovereignty by Anjenique Hughes
First published in America by Morgan James Publishing in July 2016.

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:
Received a review copy via iRead Book Tours

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I used to think I knew all the answers; now I no longer even know the questions – Goro

Under the totalitarian reign of the 23rd century’s world government, the Sovereign Regime, control is made possible by the identity chip implanted in every human being, recording everything that is seen, done, and experienced. No more bank accounts. No more smart phones. No more secrets.

When Goro inadvertently overhears an exchange of sensitive information, causing him to confront the truth about his world and prompting him to choose his true loyalties, his dream of revolution kicks into high gear. Goro doesn’t know he has covert intel in his possession both the SR and the resistance movement are desperate to acquire. Determined to bring down the world government, he and his closest friends gain access to the key to ultimately deciding who has sovereignty. But who will get to Goro first: the resistance or the Sovereign Regime?

Sovereignty is set in a 23rd Century city that used to be Los Angeles and is now the place from where a dictatorial leader named Davio controls all the people left on the planet. Hughes mentions a global war that more than halved the present-day population levels and Goro's society consists of the second and third generations since that genocide. Much has changed socially and perhaps the most different aspect of life is a small computer chip in everyone's wrist, similar to the way dogs are microchipped now, but with these futuristic chips having a far larger capacity to track and record their wearer's actions and behaviour. We learn that some people are resistant to the idea of the chips and others are inured and I would have been interested to learn more about the psychological effects of living under such a degree of observation.

Our main protagonist, Goro, is an immature and incredibly self-centered young man who comes of age during the course of the novel. I admit I did struggle with the book primarily because of his abrasive attitudes to everyone around him. He spends most of his time either shouting or sulking and is always convinced of his own righteousness despite all evidence to the contrary! It's a wonder Goro keeps any friends at all, but fortunately for him the ones he does have turn out to be fiercely loyal. Sovereignty is militaristic science fiction with an emphasis on the training undergone by the recruits in the expectation of their world-changing battle to come. Hughes describes their underground accomodation and life in detail so we get a good idea of what it will take to overcome the despised Regime.

The novel is told mostly from Goro's first-person perspective with brief chapters glimpsing other aspects Hughes' imagined world. I could imagine the story translating easily to a movie version and there were nods to similarly genred films which are fun to spot. The story had too much machismo and posturing for my tastes, but if you enjoy reading military action stories then give Sovereignty a try.

With master's degrees in education, special education, and counseling, Anjenique "Jen" Hughes is a high school English and math teacher who loves teaching and mentoring young people. She enjoys traveling and has worked with youth on five continents. Saying she is "young at heart" is an understatement; she is fluent in sarcasm, breaks eardrums with her teacher voice (students have complained when they were within earshot), and cracks sarcastic jokes with the best of her students. Her work with ethnically and socioeconomically diverse youth has inspired her to write books that appeal to a broad variety of students seeking stories of bravery, perseverance, loyalty, and success.

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook


BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE:

May 15 - Elsie's Audiobook Digest - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
May 15 - Working Mommy Journal - review / giveaway
May 15 - Corinne Rodrigues - book spotlight / giveaway
May 16 - Books, Dreams, Life - book spotlight / author interview
May 16 - The All Night Library - review / guest post
May 17 - 100 Pages A Day - review / giveaway
May 18 - T's Stuff - book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
May 19 - Literary Flits - review / giveaway
May 22 - Zerina Blossom's Books - book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
May 23 - Hall Ways Blog - book spotlight / author interview
May 24 - Library of Clean Reads - review / giveaway
May 25 - Reviews in the City - review / author interview
May 26 - Cheryl's Book Nook - review / author interview / giveaway
May 29 - The World As I See It - review / giveaway
May 30 - 3 Partners in Shopping Nana, Mommy, + Sissy, Too! - review / giveaway
May 31 - Books for Books - book spotlight
June 1   - Reading Authors - review / giveaway
June 2   - Haddie's Haven - review / giveaway
June 2   - Sharing Stories - review / giveaway
June 2   - Teresa Edmond-Sargeant - review / guest post

And now it's giveaway time!

To celebrate the Sovereignty Tour, iRead Book Tours are hosting a giveaway where six winners will win either a copy of the book or a $20 gift card. Sorry - this giveaway is US only.

Here's the giveaway widget:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! 

Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by Anjenique Hughes / Science fiction / Books from America

Heartbreak Hotel by Deborah Moggach

Heartbreak Hotel by Deborah Moggach
First published in the UK by Chatto and Windus in February 2013.

Featured in Cover Characteristics: Dogs
I registered my copy of this book at BookCrossing

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

How I got this book:
Swapped for at the book exchange at Camping Serro da Bica, Ourique, Portugal

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When retired actor Buffy decides to up sticks from London and move to rural Wales, he has no idea what he is letting himself in for. In possession of a run-down B&B that leans more towards the shabby than the chic and is miles from nowhere, he realises he needs to fill the beds – and fast. Enter a motley collection of guests: Harold, whose wife has run off with a younger woman; Amy, who’s been unexpectedly dumped by her (not-so) weedy boyfriend and Andy, the hypochondriac postman whose girlfriend is much too much for him to handle. But under Buffy’s watchful eye, this disparate group of strangers find they have more in common than perhaps they first thought.

I enjoyed the start of Heartbreak Hotel. The vignettes of the various characters are well-observed and full of life. However, once the novel actually got into the eponymous hotel, I thought the storyline lost its sharpness becoming too fluffy and cute. Some people find their true selves, some rebound into immediately fulfilling relationships, Londoners slot comfortably into Welsh village life as if they were born to it and family turns out to be the most important thing after all. An entertaining but very light holiday read!


Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by Deborah Moggach / Women's fiction / Books from England

From Fatwa To Jihad by Kenan Malik

From Fatwa To Jihad by Kenan Malik
First published in the UK by Atlantic Books in 2009. Audiobook edition narrated by Lyndam Gregory published by Audible Studios in 2010.

One of my Essential General Election Reads 2017.

Where to buy this book:
Buy from independent booksellers via Alibris
Buy the audiobook download from Audible via Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from Speedyhen
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository

How I got this book:
Bought the audiobook from Audible

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Twenty years ago, the image of burning copies of Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses held aloft by thousand-strong mobs of protestors became an internationally familiar symbol of anger and offence. Kenan Malik examines how the Rushdie affair transformed the debate worldwide on multiculturalism, tolerance, and free speech, helped fuel the rise of radical Islam and pointed the way to the horrors of 9/11 and 7/7.

This is a well-researched, intelligent history of the changing attitudes to race and religion in the UK and the wider world over the sixty years from 1950 until 2010. Malik clearly describes the series of events, explains their links and significance, and quotes a variety of sources and interviews enabling the listener to understand the many relevant viewpoints. I liked that he maintains a balanced approach to the information given, avoiding the obvious traps of such an emotive subject.

Although the book is complicated, Malik presents his case clearly and this is not some dry history of names and dates, but an engaging tale to which I enjoyed listening. So enjoyed, in fact, that I now have a shortlist of other quoted books and authors to search out in order to learn more about this aspect of British history.

My only criticism would be that the narrator, while he did a good job of the many voices and accents, did occasionally stumble over phrases and perhaps could have been allowed to re-record these passages?


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The Sorrow Of War by Bao Ninh

The Sorrow Of War by Bao Ninh
First unofficially published in Vietnamese as Thân phận của tình yêu by Hội nhà văn in 1990. English language translation by Phan Thanh Hao and Frank Palmos published in the UK by Secker and Warburg in 1994.

Featured in Cover Characteristics: Aeroplanes

I registered my copy of this book at BookCrossing

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

How I got this book:
Swapped for in the book exchange at Camping Alvor, Portugal

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Kien’s job is to search the Jungle of Screaming Souls for corpses. He knows the area well – this was where, in the dry season of 1969, his battalion was obliterated by American napalm and helicopter gunfire. Kien was one of only ten survivors. This book is his attempt to understand the eleven years of his life he gave to a senseless war. Based on true experiences of Bao Ninh and banned by the communist party, this novel is revered as the ‘All Quiet on the Western Front for our era’.

This novel of the Vietnam War is interesting for its graphic depictions of the war as it really was for the North Vietnamese soldiers, a civil war between North and South with the Americans an anonymous mass threatening from a distance but rarely the focus. Ninh's writing leaps around in time without any attempt to coherently link events for the reader which gives a fantastic insight into the mind of a soldier destroyed by war, but also makes this a difficult book to understand. Perhaps that is its point. The love story between Kien and Phuong, both little more than children at the war's outbreak, is movingly tender when set against so much violence and their loss of innocence could just as well apply to the whole country that was ripped apart by over a decade of conflict.


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The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams
First published in the UK by Serious Productions in 1979. Audiobook edition narrated by Stephen Fry published by Random House in 2005.

Featured in 5Books1Theme: Books To Film

How I got this book:
Downloaded as part of the 2017 AudioSYNC season

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Where to buy this book:

	The Book Depository : from £4.80 (PB)
	Wordery : from £5.25 (PB)
	Waterstones : from £6.99 (PB)
	Amazon : from $2.51 / £1.89 (ebook)
Prices and availability may have changed since this post was written

A much loved science-fiction classic, this entertaining intergalactic adventure has a lot going for it - including narration by British comedian Stephen Fry. Adams displays his talents for a creating a whole new world in this first of five audiobooks in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Packed with brilliant humour, extraordinary characters and a highly original storyline, it's no wonder that this novel is a favourite of so many.
One Thursday lunchtime the Earth gets unexpectedly demolished to make way for a new hyperspace bypass. For Arthur Dent, who has only just had his house demolished that morning, this seems already to be more than he can cope with. Sadly, however, the weekend has only just begun, and the Galaxy is a very strange and startling place.

I absolutely loved the Hitchhiker's series as a young teenager so was curious to discover how I would feel listening to it again now nearly thirty years (eeek!) later. One of the AudioSYNC downloads last week was the Stephen Fry narrated version. He does an excellent job, obviously enjoyed the novel as he reads it and managing to include a few aural nods to the original radio series. I wasn't prepared for how much of the book I still had memorised so apologies to anyone alarmed by the 'crazy' headphoned woman apparently muttering to herself, 'It must be a Thursday, said Arthur, I never could get the hang of Thursdays.' 'Life? Don't talk to me about Life!'.

Marvin is still, for me, the complete star of the show, but the other characters are excellently portrayed too and Adams' dry wit carries the story with a humour that is perfectly suited to my own. I hadn't remembered the story having so much politics in it. Admittedly it's disguised well, but prescient ideas such as the new President of the Galaxy, Zaphod Beeblebrox, having got the job for his ability to deflect attention from the real power-holders rang pretty true. The electronic book form of The Guide predated ebooks and ereaders by decades too.

Despite my glorious wave of nostalgia, The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy didn't quite get the full five star rating. There are pacing issues and a couple of plot holes large enough to fly a Vogon constructor fleet through. Some story elements haven't dated well either. The 'small green pieces of paper' will probably still make sense to American readers, but became obsolete in the UK shortly after my first reading of the novel back in the 1980s. That said, where Hitchhiker's 'scores over more pedestrian' science fiction is that it is simply tremendous fun. I could feel Adams' ideas almost clambering over each other to be written down and he had me giggling most of the time.

Etsy Find!
	I Know Where My Towel Is pin by Fairycakes in Glasgow, Scotland Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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Self Service Check-outs Have No Soul by Andy Carrington

Self Service Check-outs Have No Soul by Andy Carrington
Self-published in May 2017.

Where to buy this book:
Buy the ebook directly from the author

How I got this book:
Bought a copy from the author

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Human anxiety / disillusionment in the machine age

There's a real sense of melancholy about Andy Carrington's newest poetry collection, Self Service Check-outs Have No Soul. The visceral anger of his earlier work is muted by nostalgia and resignation as he perhaps comes to terms with his predictions and warnings being ignored. Society instead craves ever smarter gadgets and machines seemingly oblivious that with such inventions we are slowly making ourselves redundant. I particularly liked the poems Unexpected Item In The Bagging Area for its humour, The Digital Age Killed Everything for its incisive snapshot vision, and Real Postmen because the getting of real post still, for me, is more satisfying than receiving its email equivalent.


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My Own Story by Emmeline Pankhurst + Giveaway + #FreeBook

My Own Story by Emmeline Pankhurst
First published in the UK by Eveleigh Nash in 1914.

One of my Essential General Election Reads 2017 and my Book Of The Month for May 2017
I registered my copy of this book at BookCrossing

How I got this book:
Won a copy from Penguin Think Smarter

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


With insight and great wit, Emmeline's autobiography chronicles the beginnings of her interest in feminism through to her militant and controversial fight for women's right to vote. While Emmeline received a good education, attending an all-girls school and being, she rebelled against conventional women's roles. At the age of fourteen a meeting of women's rights activists sparked a lifelong passion in her to fight for women's freedom and she would later claim that it was on that day she became a suffragist.
As one after another of the proposed feminist bills were defeated in parliament, Pankhurst was inspired to turn to extreme actions. While she was the figurehead of the suffragette movement, it advocated some controversial tactics such as arson, violent protest and hunger strikes. Even today there is still debate about the effectiveness of her extreme strategies, but her work is recognised as a crucial element in achieving women's suffrage in Britain. Her mantle was taken up by her daughters and granddaughter with her legacy still very much alive today.

I saw the Carey Mulligan film, Suffragette, which includes story elements based on this memoir so I already had an idea of the treachery of the Edwardian era Liberal Government in addressing women's suffrage and of the state-sanctioned torture meted out to the women who fought for their - and consequently our - political rights. What the film struggles to put across though is the decades of peaceful and legal struggle that pre-dated the famous militancy of the immediate pre-war years. Explanations of that and why it was always doomed to fail forms the greatest part of Pankhurst's memoir.

Pankhurst describes her involvement in the suffrage cause from 1889 until 1914 when the outbreak of the Great War caused a truce to be called. She speaks directly to the reader in a calm matter-of-fact style which effectively contrasts with many of the horrors described. I was appalled at the condescension and open misogyny of the time. Everyday Sexism is still prevalent today, over a century later, but being faced with the ingrained attitudes experienced by Edwardian women showed me just how much has been achieved. I was surprised that this memoir was written with an American audience in mind, but found this helpful as Pankhurst does not assume her readers will be completely au fait with British political systems. Instead she clearly explains arguments and quotes speeches so I could easily appreciate her anger and frustration at being deceived and lied to year after year after year. Indeed, according to Pankhurst it was Establishment men who first explained to the WSPU that they would need to become violent in order to be taken seriously. Historically in Britain men achieve great social and political advances through violent means, so women who stuck rigidly to peaceful and legal methods could not possibly be as serious!

Reading Emmeline Pankhurst's memoir was saddening, but also incredibly inspirational. Her rhetoric and speeches stirred up some of the excitement in me that the original suffragettes must have felt as well as anger at realising this nation's Conservative political elite has much the same disconnection from the vast majority of Britain today as Asquith's Liberals did back then - but at least a few of them are female! My Own Story is a rallying cry to stand up for our heartfelt beliefs and remains just as relevant. Irresistible historic movements grow from tiny roots - theirs was suffrage, ours is environmental destruction - and we must use our votes wisely and at every opportunity.

There's still time to Register To Vote in the General Election on June 8th. Visit http://gov.uk/register-to-vote before May 22nd.

And now for the giveaway!
The prize is my paperback copy of My Own Story by Emmeline Pankhurst, carefully read once and with a BookCrossing label in the front. All entries must be made through the Gleam widget below. The Giveaway is open worldwide until midnight (UK time) on the 26th May and I will draw a winner on the 27th. The winner must respond to my email within 7 days or the prize will be forfeit.

Emmeline Pankhurst biography giveaway

Good luck!

Etsy Find!
	Manctone Mug  and Coaster Set by The Manchester Shop in Manchester, England Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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Books by Emmeline Pankhurst / Biographies / Books from England

New Boy by Tracy Chevalier

New Boy by Tracy Chevalier
Published in the UK by Hogarth Shakespeare today, the 11th May 2017.

Featured in Cover Characteristics: Eyes


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

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Arriving at his fourth school in six years, diplomat’s son Osei Kokote knows he needs an ally if he is to survive his first day – so he’s lucky to hit it off with Dee, the most popular girl in school. But one student can’t stand to witness this budding relationship: Ian decides to destroy the friendship between the black boy and the golden girl. By the end of the day, the school and its key players – teachers and pupils alike – will never be the same again.
The tragedy of Othello is transposed to a 1970s’ suburban Washington schoolyard, where kids fall in and out of love with each other before lunchtime, and practise a casual racism picked up from their parents and teachers. Watching over the shoulders of four 11-year-olds – Osei, Dee, Ian and his reluctant girlfriend Mimi – Tracy Chevalier's powerful drama of friends torn apart by jealousy, bullying and betrayal will leave you reeling.

I was glad I knew in advance that New Boy was based on Shakespeare's tragedy play, Othello, because I am not sure I would have made the connection otherwise. Having listened to my audio version of the original work last month I was able to spot notions like the characters' names beginning with the same letters - Osei is Othello, Dee is Desdemona, Ian is Iago - and the overall direction of the tale, but I thought Chevalier's novella had a very different feel to it. Set in a school in 1970s Washington, her protagonists are 11 year old children and the story occurs over a single day, mostly in the playground. The environment is brilliantly evoked and it was easy for me to picture and remember the intense experiences of children at that age. Perhaps Osei and Ian particularly did seem significantly older than their stated age, but others like Rod and Blanca are perfect.

Most disturbing for me in New Boy is the attitude of the school staff towards Osei, the first black child to attend an otherwise almost entirely white school. The only other black people there are the kitchen staff and even they react unexpectedly to Osei. The expectations are the most shocking. Mr Brabant (Brabantio) 'knows' Osei will show himself to be troublesome so views what happens so it will fit his worldview. Dee's open reaction to Osei cannot be tolerated and this makes her character perhaps the most interesting of all. Unlike Desdemona who has already rebelled at the start of Othello, Dee learns to assert her independence during the course of this day.

Events in New Boy are minor when viewed from an adult perspective, but obviously earth-shattering to the children in Chevalier's playground. I thought fitting the story into such a short time frame did make its finale somewhat over-dramatic and difficult to justify, however otherwise I enjoyed reading this novella and am now encouraged to try others in the Hogarth Shakespeare series.

Etsy Find!
	Shakespeare Book Paper  Mini Roses Bouquet by Literary Blooms in Oregon, USA Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

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A Very British Coup by Chris Mullin

A Very British Coup by Chris Mullin
First published in the UK by Hodder And Stoughton in September 1982. Audiobook edition narrated by Christian Rodska published by Audible Studios in May 2012.

One of my Essential General Election Reads 2017.

Where to buy this book:
Buy from independent booksellers via Alibris
Buy the audiobook download from Audible via Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from Speedyhen
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository

How I got this book:
Bought the audiobook from Audible

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Against the odds, former steel worker Harry Perkins has led the Labour Party to a stunning victory. His manifesto includes the removal of American bases, public control of finance, and the dismantling of media empires. The Establishment is appalled. Something must be done. As MI5 conspires with the City and the press barons to bring Perkins down, he finds himself caught up in a no-holds-barred battle for survival.

How would The Establishment react if an ultra-socialist Labour leader actually got voted into Number 10? Not a Tony Blair or even (in my opinion) a Jeremy Corbyn, but a 'proper' old-fashioned Socialist. That's the question posed by this novel and the drama unfolds satisfyingly throughout. There is (yes, unsurprisingly!) a lot of politics woven into the story, but I liked how this aspect and its philosophising was incorporated allowing the pace to continue to flow. I found myself nodding sagely at the characters' behaviour at several points. Their earnestness or back-stabbing selfishness and desperation to maintain the status quo at all costs is certainly wickedly humorous, but also seriously depressing when I considered how close to the wire this book frequently comes. Other than technological advances such as social media manipulation, the political machinations Mullin imagined thirty-five years ago are exactly as we see now, especially in the way a few media barons control the information available to the majority of the public. A Very British Coup is a Very British Book and I'd be interested to know if overseas readers/listeners would recognise their own politicians in the characters too.


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The President's Gardens by Muhsin Al-Ramli

The President's Gardens by Muhsin Al-Ramli
First published in Arabic as Had a'iq ar-ra'ays in 2013. English language translation by Luke Leafgren published in the UK by MacLehose Press in April 2017.

Featured in WorldReads: Iraq

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

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Where to buy this book:

	The Book Depository (PB)
	Wordery (PB)
	Waterstones (PB)
	Amazon (PB)

On the third day of Ramadan, the village wakes to find the severed heads of nine of its sons stacked in banana crates by the bus stop. One of them belonged to one of the most wanted men in Iraq, known to his friends as Ibrahim the Fated. How did this good and humble man earn the enmity of so many? What did he do to deserve such a death? The answer lies in his lifelong friendship with Abdullah Kafka and Tariq the Befuddled, who each have their own remarkable stories to tell. It lies on the scarred, irradiated battlefields of the Gulf War and in the ashes of a revolution strangled in its cradle. It lies in the steadfast love of his wife and the festering scorn of his daughter. And, above all, it lies behind the locked gates of The President's Gardens, buried alongside the countless victims of a pitiless reign of terror.

I found The President's Gardens to be a traumatic book to read both in its emotional impact and, especially, in its graphic depictions of wartime violence and the aftermath of torture. This is definitely not a novel for the squeamish or faint-hearted. That said, I feel rewarded by the read and appreciated the opportunity to discover an Iraqi perspective on the years of warfare instead of American and British views. Al-Ramli has a beautiful prose style, meandering at times, with emphasis on character and motivation over action and pace. I was often swept up into deep philosophical discussions or portrayals of everyday village life or descriptions of the stunning eponymous gardens. These gentle scenes are then shattered on the turn of a page to reveal the true horrors of life under Saddam's regime or as a prisoner of war in Iran.

It was this duality of life that I found most difficult initially to grasp and I think this is why it took me a good quarter of the book to really get into the story. The first scene, of nine heads delivered in banana crates, is incredibly powerful. Al-Ramli then drops down several gears to begin a story of childhood friendship and I struggled to reconcile these and other threads, attempting to do so too soon instead of allowing the writing to lead me. The President's Gardens is harrowing and shocking, but also surprisingly humble and understated. I liked that we get to know the characters well and I could always understand their reasons for particular actions and choices. Ordinary people living through extreme times makes for fascinating literature, particularly so in this novel as so much of the background is essentially true and so recent.


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