Monday 31 December 2018

Crush by Richard Siken


Crush by Richard Siken
Published in America by Yale University Press in April 2005.

Featured in Cover Characteristics: Hands

How I got this book:
Downloaded for free via On The Other Side Of Reality

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Richard Siken's Crush, selected as the 2004 winner of the Yale Younger Poets prize, is a powerful collection of poems driven by obsession and love. Siken writes with ferocity, and his reader hurtles unstoppably with him. His poetry is confessional, gay, savage, and charged with violent eroticism. In the world of American poetry, Siken's voice is striking. In her introduction to the book, competition judge Louise Gluck hails the "cumulative, driving, apocalyptic power, [and] purgatorial recklessness" of Siken's poems. She notes, "Books of this kind dream big. . . . They restore to poetry that sense of crucial moment and crucial utterance which may indeed be the great genius of the form."

Crush was enthusiastically reviewed at On The Other Side Of Reality as 'one of my all-time favorite poetry collections' so I was keen to experience Siken's work for myself. Crush isn't a particularly long book and I comfortably read it in an evening, however I am not sure I successfully understood what I read! Even the poems I revisited are cloudy. I appreciate Siken's use of graphic imagery and the repetitive structure of some of the phrases where their meaning is subtly altered as the poem progresses. Overall though reading Crush felt like eavesdropping on a conversation in a language in which I am only partially fluent. Sometimes I had flashes of clarity and felt I could envisage just what Siken had written about. Most of the time I felt as though the meaning was just out of reach. I got the gist, but completely missed the nuances. A shame


Etsy Find!
by Boutique Poetry in
London, England

Click pic to visit Etsy Shop


Search Literary Flits for more:
Books by Richard Siken / Poetry / Books from America

Monday 24 December 2018

Betwixt by Evie Gaughan + #FreeBook


Betwixt by Evie Gaughan
Published by Little Bird Press in August 2015.

How I got this book:
Downloaded from Amazon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


An atmospheric short story by bestselling author, Evie Gaughan.
Catherine returns to Hollowbrook Cottage on a cold November night, looking to escape her present life and lose herself in the past. However, her journey crosses the path of a mysterious stranger who will change her life forever.

This is a great little creepy story for Christmas Eve. It is just thirty-six pages long, but within those pages Gaughan creates a suitably tense atmosphere. There obviously isn't much space for characterisation, but I still felt I had plenty of detail with which to imagine Mrs Donnelly, Catherine, and the mysterious stranger. I loved Gaughan portrayal of the rainswept night through which Catherine drives and the damp little holiday cottage that is her destination. I already had a pretty good idea of the outline of Betwixt so its denouement wasn't a surprise to me, but I was impressed and captivated by how Gaughan took us there.

Etsy Find!
by Easy To Remember Design in
the USA

Click pic to visit Etsy Shop


Search Literary Flits for more:
Books by Evie Gaughan / Short stories / Books from Ireland

Tuesday 11 December 2018

Watching Aliens by Elancharan Gunasekaran + #FreeBook


Watching Aliens by Elancharan Gunasekaran
Self published in Singapore in September 2016.

Featured in WorldReads: Singapore

How I got this book:
Downloaded the ebook via Smashwords

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


'Watching Aliens is beautifully spread across 500 pages. The work is a combination of short and full-length poetry. A versatile collection that embodies the observation of humans. Actions, feelings and situations that may seem so alien to us are in fact, things so common. We humans, in this digital age have lost what is commonly known as, personal touch. Watching Aliens, is inspired by Jack Kerouac's modern haikus and the need for an inclusive society in this current age of rapid modernisation.

Reading through Watching Aliens was an unusual poetry experience for me because the work itself is mostly written as a series of haiku, three to a page. Some appear to be linked together over several pages to create a longer work on a single theme, others provide just a glimpse or a snapshot of the poet's thought before he moves on - almost stream of consciousness writing. These haiku are not titled and they flow without a break in long chapters until, occasionally, I was surprised by a single long poem. I have taken screenshots of each poetry style to show what I mean:


The work reminded me, strangely, of Rust Is A Form Of Fire by Joe Fiorito although it is so long since I read that book that I can't now put my finger on why I connected the two! I think it is the sense I felt of detachedly watching human action and interaction from the perspective of an outside observer. Watching Aliens has an almost hypnotic rhythm and often quite abstract imagery which focuses on feelings and emotions rather than physical sensations or visual descriptions. I couldn't always identify with Gunasekaran's observations - and sometimes failed to understand his meaning at all - but generally I felt I could appreciate the work. He explores social themes such as the treatment of migrant workers and homelessness, as well as personal feelings of love and relationships. I liked the breadth of subjects and Gunasekaran's ability to flow from one to another. Watching Aliens also includes a series of striking monochrome artworks, I believe as chapter markers, and these are fascinating. Most are simply created yet impart strong emotions and provide a breathing point for the reader.


Etsy Find!
by Azure Allure in
Birmingham, England

Click pic to visit Etsy Shop


Search Literary Flits for more:
Books by Elancharan Gunasekaran / Poetry / Books from Singapore

Tuesday 27 November 2018

The Blogger Trailmap by Chivi Frost + #Giveaway


The Blogger Trailmap: How to Take Your Blog to the Next Level in Easy Steps
Published by Zavesti on the 7th October 2018.

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

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Buy direct from the
Zavesti website


Add The Blogger Trailmap to your Goodreads

"The Blogger Trailmap" is great both for beginners who are about to start a blog, as well as those bloggers who are established and ready to grow.

This book brings for you a proven plan, tools & templates you need for incredible success. This power-packed concise guide can help you in many ways:

Templates to set clear goals and craft a blogging roadmap, avoid common mistakes, and how to get started quickly.
With a focus on action, this book brings for you the tools, templates, and checklists to help you quickly Implement what you learn in every section of the book.
Gives you a proven framework for creating content which people would love to read and share.
Simplifies every critical aspect of a blog - e.g. Magnetic Headlines, Copywriting, Swipe Files SEO, Sales Funnel, Landing Page and email Harvest.
Crush it on social media without going crazy - Build a list of raving fans and subscribers on autopilot without constant hustling.
Secrets to rank high in search engines with SEO best practices so that you can grow your traffic and get readers to come find you.
An easy-to-follow, systematic process to make money through your blog & grow your business.

Above all, you will learn that you don’t need fancy tech or cool tricks to grow your blog!

Whether you are a hobby blogger or blogging for profit, I am confident that this book would give you game-changing ideas to make your blog more meaningful and hugely successful.

I don't often read how-to or self help books, but when I was offered a copy of The Blogger Trailmap I thought I would like to read it. I hoped there would be a few nuggets of information to help me in my own blogging journey and this turned out to be the case. Frost has put together a guide which I think would be most suitable for new bloggers although there are also ideas that seasoned bloggers might not yet have considered. The Blogger Teailmap focuses on concepts rather than specific instructions so it's more geared towards discussing what a blogger might want to do than on explaining exactly how to go about it.

I was put off a little by the amateurish looking cover design and the smattering of strangely worded sentences inside the book. Proofreading needed! However these don't impact greatly on Frost's ability to put their message across. One aspect I particularly liked is that The Blogger Trailmap advocates a circular method of promotion whereby a blog can promote a tangible product with social media interactions promoting both avenues. In this case, publisher Zavesti creates blogging tools which are linked to from within The Blogger Trailmap and provide additional content to that within the book, and vice versa. It's a perfect example of practicing what they preach!

Meet The Publisher

Zavesti.com brings game-changing marketing ideas for independent creators like bloggers, YouTubers, artists and self-published authors who want to make a living from a home based business. The books and the resources on zavesti.com have been used successfully by our team to hugely grow social media subscribers and customers for our clients. A  huge collection of free resources on zavesti.com is now available for you to promote your blog or market your self-published book.

And now it's time for the Giveaway!

Zavesti have kindly offered 3 ebook copies of The Blogger Trailmap. This giveaway is open internationally until midnight on the 11th December.

Entry is by way of the Gleam widget below.
(GDPR: Gleam will ask for your email address so that I am able to contact the winners. I will then need to pass the winners email addresses on to Zavesti so they can send out the ebooks.)

The Blogger Trailmap by Chivi Frost ebook giveaway



Etsy Find!
by Bloggers Do It Better in
London, England

Click pic to visit Etsy Shop


Search Literary Flits for more:
Books by Chivi Frost / Blogging books / Books from America

Monday 12 November 2018

Hearts Among Ourselves by A Happy Umwagarwa


Hearts Among Ourselves by A Happy Umwagarwa
Published by Dog Ear Publishing on the 5th September 2018.

Featured in Cover Characteristics: Hands

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

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Check for Hearts Among Ourselves in these bookstores:

The Book Depository
Wordery
Waterstones
Amazon US / Amazon UK

Karabo is a survivor of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, which claimed the life of her father and sisters, and now she is left alone and lonely in the midst of wounded hearts of Rwanda. She does not know the whereabouts of her mother.
When Karabo goes to live with her paternal uncle Kamanzi, a colonel in the new army, she meets Shema, another genocide survivor, one of her uncle’s young escorts. Shema’s charm gives Karabo some jingling. She will surrender her heart to him, but it’s complicated —Shema knows only a part of her story. Shall she reveal the other part of the story to him? She is bamboozled.

Hearts Among Ourselves is a story of love, hatred, and the intersection of the two. Karabo and Shema, two grieving orphans, grow up in a torn society—caught between the world of the living and the dead, and the conflict between the Hutus and the Tutsis.

Some say love is like water—it flows with everything on its way. Will Karabo and Shema be swept up in its current or tossed to the shore?


A Happy Umwagarwa has a unique voice which truly allowed this story to come to life for me. Her unusual use of Emglish gives a particularly authentic feel to Hearts Among Ourselves and helped me to feel almost as though I were reading a memoir rather than a novel. Narrated in the first person by Karabo, a young Rwandan genocide survivor, we see her grow from orphaned child to confident young woman while coming to terms with her country's past and finding her own place within a very changed society.

Umwagarwa uses Karabo's story to explore questions of ethnicity and identity in a deep and interesting way. I think everyone knows that the 1994 genocide was Rwandans of Hutu ethnicity massacring Rwandans of Tutsi ethnicity. However Umwagarwa introduces characters who don't fit conveniently into such a simplified narrative. I learned that Rwandans take their ethnic identity from their father so Karabo identifies as Tutsi, however her mother was Hutu. Taken in by a paternal uncle, a Tutsi, after her family was killed, Karabo has to deal daily with hatred expressed towards Hutus. She is, of course, painfully aware of her own dual ethnicity, but this fact is wilfully ignored by people around her and Karabo feels unable to acknowledge it even to the man she loves.

The love story aspect of Hearts Among Ourselves is, unfortunately, what I didn't like about the novel. It is an Irritating Love Triangle, especially because I couldn't actually understand why Karabo was so enamoured of either potential partner. Both seemed overly full of themselves and insensitive to Karabo's emotions! So I struggled to empathise with this which was a shame as Karabo's deliberations do continue at length. Looking past the romance though, I found Hearts Among Ourselves offered a valuable insight into Rwandan culture and the ongoing efforts of her people to reconcile.


Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by A Happy Umwagarwa / Contemporary fiction / Books from Rwanda

Friday 9 November 2018

Children Of The Ghetto: My Name Is Adam by Elias Khoury


Children Of The Ghetto: My Name Is Adam by Elias Khoury
First published in Arabic as Awlad al-Ghittu, Ismi Adam by Dar al-adab in Lebanon in 2012. English language translation by Humphrey Davies published by MacLeHose Press in October 2018.

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

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Check for My Name Is Adam in these bookstores:

The Book Depository
Wordery
Waterstones
Amazon US / Amazon UK

Who is Adam Dannoun?

Until a few months before his death in a fire in his New York apartment - a consequence of smoking in bed - he thought he knew.

But an encounter with Blind Mahmoud, a father figure from his childhood, changed all that. From Mahmoud he learned the terrible truth behind his birth, a truth withheld from him for fifty-seven years by the woman he thought was his mother.

This discovery leads Adam to investigate what exactly happened in 1948 in Palestine in the city of Lydda where he was born: the massacre, the forced march into the wilderness and the corralling of those citizens who did not flee into what the Israeli soldiers and their Palestinian captives came to refer to as the Ghetto.

The stories he collects speak of bravery, ingenuity and resolve in the face of unimaginable hardship. Saved from the flames that claimed him, they are his lasting and crucial testament.

I don't know how to begin to review this intense, dark, complex and emotional novel! I nearly didn't read past the first fifty pages as our egocentric narrator, is incredibly irritating, however he also tells a compelling story and once I found myself swept into this fictionalised account of the Israeli invasion and massacre of Palestinians in the city of Lydda I couldn't look away. I hadn't previously heard of Lydda. My knowledge of Palestine had been limited to a hazy knowledge of British interference there in the early 20th century and then oblique portrayals such as Joss Sheldon's Occupied. I now have a shocking awareness of the inception of post-war Israel and the disturbing similarities between how Jews had been treated across Europe, and how they then treated the Arab population in Palestine.

Khoury has written My Name Is Adam from the perspective of an aging man who was born in or near Lydda a few weeks before the city was invaded. Adam doesn't know his true parentage so aligns himself with a trio of potential fathers, all heroes in one way or another. Interestingly to me he doesn't seem to make any attempt to identify his birth mother, although Manal, the woman who raised him, fulfils the maternal role. Our narrator wants to be a glorified writer, but cannot find a story to tell until he is directed towards the story of Lydda. I could have done without his initial circular waffling on this point and the 'found notebooks' device didn't work for me either as I felt they just added a blurry layer that wasn't needed. I understand including the telling of the story of lovesick poet Waddah Al-Yaman, but all the protestations about not having had an affair with his Korean student were wearying to say the least! This novel isn't an easy read for several reasons. It's ultimate subject matter is horrific - ethnic cleansing and genocide. It also uses the story-within-a-story device for multiple overlapping stories, and neither of the narrators are men with whom I could easily empathise. That said, I still think My Name Is Adam is probably a masterpiece. That it is titled as the first Children Of The Ghetto book intrigues me because I have no idea how Khoury could follow this, but I am determined to read that second novel when it appears!


Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by Elias Khoury / Contemporary fiction / Books from Lebanon

Tuesday 6 November 2018

Monarchy by David Starkey


Monarchy: from the Middle Ages to Modernity by David Starkey
Published by HarperCollins in 2006.

I registered my copy of this book at BookCrossing.com

How I got this book:
Borrowed from my partner

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Check for Monarchy in these bookstores:

The Book Depository
Wordery
Waterstones
Amazon US / Amazon UK

David Starkey’s magisterial new book Monarchy charts the rise of the British crown from the insurgency of the War of the Roses, through the glory and dangers of the Tudors, to the insolvency of the Stuarts and chaos of the English Civil War, the execution of Charles I, the rule of a commoner who was ‘king in all but name’, the importing of a German dynasty, and the coming-to-terms with modernity under the wise guidance of another German, Victoria’s Prince Consort Albert. An epilogue brings to story up to the present and asks questions about the future.

The crown of England is the oldest surviving political institution in Europe. And yet, throughout this book Starkey emphasises the Crown’s endless capacity to reinvent itself to circumstances and reshape national polity whilst he unmasks the personalities and achievements, the defeats and victories, which lie behind the kings and queens of British history.

Each of these monarchs has contributed, in their own way, to the religion, geography, laws, language and government that we currently live with today. In this book,Starkey demonstrates exactly how these states were arrived at, how these monarchs subtly influenced each other, which battles were won and why, whose whim or failure caused religious tradition to wither or flourish, and which monarchs, through their acumen and strength or single minded determination came to enforce the laws of England.

With his customary authority and verve, David Starkey reignites these personalities to produce an entertaining and masterful account of these figures whose many victories and failures are the building blocks upon which Britain today is built. Far more than a biography of kings and queens, ‘Monarchy’ is a radical reappraisal of British nationhood, culture and politics, shown through the most central institution in British life.

I remember reading Monarchy when it first was published and it is cram packed with information. However, there is so much to learn and (not!) remember that a second reading seven years later felt encountering like a new book.

I like David Starkey's writing style which is often drily humorous. Having also read his book solely about Elizabeth I shortly before Monarchy, much of the early section was familiar. However, he gives plenty of space to the shorter reigned monarchs and I was very interested in how much of the 'divine' hereditary succession was actually the result of political wrangling behind the scenes. The seemingly incessant violent disputes between the opposing Christian factions of Catholics and Protestants was in some respects hard to fathom - they're all supposed to be the same overall faith aren't they?!

As non-fiction books of this topic go, Monarchy is far more accessible than many and, as an overview or to inspire more in depth study, I'd recommend the read.


Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by David Starkey / History books / Books from England

Monday 5 November 2018

Xingu by Edith Wharton #FreeBook


Xingu by Edith Wharton
First published in America in 1916.

X for my 2018 Alphabet Soup Challenge, my 1910s read for my 2018-19 Decade Challenge, and my 10th read for my Classics Club Challenge.

How I got this book:
Free download available at Project Gutenberg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A group of rather pompous ladies are excited by the forthcoming visit of novelist Osric Dane to one of their cultural Lunch Club meetings. However when Dane proves to be more formidable than any of the Lunch Club members, they allow themselves to be rescued by newest member Mrs Roby, a lady at whom everyone has formerly sneered.

I chose to read Xingu for three reasons: I needed an X for my A-Z Challenge, I had never read Wharton before and felt that I should, and the ebook was free! This is a short work at about thirty pages so, even with brief pauses to look up obscure words (Wharton's vocabulary was far superior to mine!), I read Xingu in about an hour. It's a brilliant portrayal of snobbery and social etiquette. As someone who isn't much for joining in clubs and societies, I was wickedly reminded of the one-upmanship I have witnessed on occasional visits to similar gatherings myself, and I loved the cattiness of the Lunch Club women. I would be interested to know just how close to real life Xingu is because I am sure Wharton would have known women just like these. There are wonderful phrases and descriptions throughout the story. I'm not usually one for quoting from stories, but to give you a flavour of Wharton's superb turns of phrase, this is describing the meeting's hostess, Mrs Ballinger:
Her mind was an hotel where facts came and went like transient lodgers, without leaving their address behind, and frequently without paying for their board.
Miaow!

Etsy Find!
by Sweet Sequels in
Texas, USA

Click pic to visit Etsy Shop


Search Literary Flits for more:
Books by Edith Wharton / Short stories / Books from America

Wednesday 17 October 2018

IA: Invincible Assassin by John Darryl Winston


IA: Invincible Assassin by John Darryl Winston
Published in America by BHC Press on the 9th October 2018.

Featured in Cover Characteristics: Stairs

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

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Where to buy this book:

The Book Depository
Wordery
Waterstones
Amazon US / Amazon UK

The only thing worse than having nothing to live for is having nothing to lose

When tragedy strikes his best friend, Harvis Young knows there will be a reckoning, especially since Naz Andersen possesses the supernatural powers of a god. Now it’s up to Harvis to save the guilty from Naz’s wrath. Beyond the mean streets of Marshal Park, Harvis will discover a darker path than anything he’s ever seen. His friend may not have the only soul that needs saving.

This new installment in John Winston's IA series slots in between IA: B.O.S.S. and IA: Union and I would advise having read at least the first two books in the series before turning to IA: Invincible Assassin in order to avoid any inadvertent spoilers and to understand the backstory which has led to Naz's intense grief. Winston took the brave decision to narrate IA: Invincible Assassin from the point of view of Harvis Young, a supporting character in the early books. I loved this change of perspective as it allowed me to observe Naz from the outside (so to speak) as well as getting to know Harvis better.

Dubbed the Wordsmith due to his poetic abilities, Harvis is desperate to help his friend, Naz, but doesn't really understand how best to go about this. Winston obviously put a lot of thought into this portrayal which always felt authentic so I could appreciate how a young man would feel and act in such a situation. Despite wise advice from his parents which Harvis does try to heed, he discovers a scarily violent side to himself. I liked the positive relationships between Harvis and each of his parents too. IA: Invincible Assassin incorporates lots of action scenes in a fast-moving story, and also manages to be philosophical without those sections dragging. I think this is a great addition to the series!


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

Monday 15 October 2018

Clockwork Dollhouse by Jordan Elizabeth + #Giveaway


Clockwork Dollhouse by Jordan Elizabeth
First published as part of Gears Of Brass in 2014. Republished by CHBB as a single story on the 8th October 2018.

How I got this book:
Borrowed from my partner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Where to buy this book:

The Book Depository (unavailable)
Wordery (unavailable)
Waterstones (unavailable)
Amazon US / Amazon UK

The clockwork dolls seem to be moving on their own. What are they trying to show?

When Ainsley moves in with her uncle, the governor, it seems like a beautiful situation. An orphan is finding love in an elite household. However, she carries with her the power to reveal her uncle’s darkest secrets.

Jordan Elizabeth's short story Clockwork Dollhouse has been republished as an Amazon single this October and it's a perfect creepy Halloween story - maybe even one to read aloud by the fireside for a really atmospheric scare! I love the idea of the mechanical dolls and their house. We have a friend who makes automata so I could easily envisage how they would move. Clockwork Dollhouse is only a short story of course so there isn't space for deep character development or anything like that, however I appreciated how Jordan captured the essentials of her characters. There's also a great sense of menace as Uncle Robert begins to realise what is happening in the dollhouse.

And now it's time for the Giveaway!

The prize is an ebook copy of Clockwork Dollhouse by Jordan Elizabeth.
Open internationally until midnight (UK time) on the 29th October 2018.

Entry is by way of the Gleam widget below.
(GDPR: Gleam will ask for your email address so that I am able to contact the winner. I will then need to pass the winner's email address on to Jordan Elizabeth so she can send out the ebook.)

Clockwork Dollhouse by Jordan Elizabeth / Literary Flits giveaway



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

Tuesday 7 August 2018

The Bespokist Society Guide to…London


The Bespokist Society Guide to…London
First published in the UK by Acorn Independent Press on the 1st April 2018.

How I got this book:
Received a review copy via Rachel's Random Resources

My rating: 4 out of 5 stars


Add The Bespokist Society Guide to…London to your Goodreads

"sparse... some glaring omissions” FoodPorn London

“only page 23 is of mild interest” http://www.londonpetlover.com

“Wow!!! A genuinely bespoke city guide!!!” Tommy Sponge, Chairman, The Bespokist Society

You have in your hands one of the most curated city guides ever created. As the first travel book produced by the hugely influential Bespokist Society, this handy guide takes you to a London you’ve never seen: a London of challenging Etruscan restaurants, edgy branding parlours, emoji hotels and hidden Icelandic communities; a London where 8-ply toilet paper is a thing.

On the way, meet an eclectic band of inspiring Londoners - from scriveners to socialites via urban wordsmiths and coffee preachers - and see why London is now the global epicentre of Bespokist consciousness, community and culture.



As you might have spotted from the publishing date, The Bespokist Society Guide to ... London is a joke, but it's a very clever and funny one that repeatedly had me giggling. At first glance simply a regular city guide, albeit one illustrated with particularly moody monochrome photography, this one pokes fun at the pretentiousness of a certain type of city lifestyle. As someone who visits London every once in a while and usually goes to Brixton market, I could appreciate the spoof entries for restaurants and cafes, clubs and hotels, allegedly located all across the capital, and all competing with each other to provide the most authentic niche experience for consumers with - let's face it - more money than sense. I loved the ideas of an artisan margarine maker and of a restaurant which only virtually serves food - zero waste dontcha know?!

I think that a copy of The Bespokist Society Guide to ... London would make a fabulous gift idea for Londoners and hipsters from further afield, provided of course that they don't take themselves as ridiculously seriously as some of the business owners interviewed in the Guide. If your friends are completely of the 'knitting-their-own-bread' variety (with thanks to Helen Arney for the paraphrase), they might just think you were taking the piss!

Meet the author:

The Bespokist Society Guide to London is a work of fiction written by born and bred Londoner, Jeremy Liebster. Somewhat surprisingly, Jeremy is also a city lawyer – formerly at DLA Piper and now a General Counsel within a large private equity group. Jeremy is utterly obsessed with travel books and although he might poke fun at urban fads, hipster fried chicken is his guilty pleasure. He also has an unusual interest in clothes hangers.

Author links: 
Website ~ Twitter




Etsy Find!

by Miss Bespoke Papercuts in
Portsmouth, England

Click pic to visit Etsy Shop


Search Literary Flits for more:
Books by Jeremy Liebster / Humorous books / Books from England

Saturday 26 May 2018

The Forever Night Stand by Bena Roberts


The Forever Night Stand by Bena Roberts
Self published in the UK in March 2018.

Where to buy this book:


The Book Depository : unavailable
Wordery : unavailable
Waterstones : unavailable
Amazon : from $2.98 / £2.24 (ebook)
Prices and availability may have changed since this post was written

Add The Forever Night Stand to your Goodreads

A two hour romance which starts with drama and mayhem!

Sara has her back up against the wall. She is recovering from the side effects of chemotherapy and at her own "cancer free" party, she makes a decision that will change her life forever.

The adventure begins when she leaves her posh lifestyle in Scotland and moves in with her Bollywood loving parents, in West London. Her parents are tragically ashamed of Sara's actions and her electronic monitor. She decides to make them happy again and considers re-marrying. 

Enter Raj, a possible hero who comes with the promise of a huge Indian wedding in Goa!

George, the childhood love of her life who seems to be hanging around every corner. Or should she just go back to her husband? Sara faces the biggest dilemma of her life, after making the colossal mistake of her life. What will she do and whom will she choose?




The Forever Night Stand is a humorous novella that starts from a serious place, but aims more for an entertaining read than a deep exploration of Issues. Sara is a fun character and I enjoyed spending a few hours in her company. She is at a major crossroads in her life and I was interested to discover how she would cope with essentially having been thrown back to a teenage situation, despite being in her forties.

Roberts has a great descriptive turn of phrase and can put across a visual image very effectively in just a few words. I loved the humour in this novella too and induged in several giggles as the story progressed. I didn't, however, really understand George. We see about a third of the story from his point of view and I didn't like how I felt I was being persuaded to think of him. George and Sara haven't seen each other for the best part of two decades. During this time, George has still been in love with Sara so 'obviously' Sara must fall straight in insta-love with him? A scene where George attempts to kiss an unconscious Sara without her consent and without her even knowing he was there just made me feel distinctly uncomfortable. This isn't highly romantic, it's assault!

So, overall, I enjoyed reading about Sara and her attempts to get herself back together. Most of the story is fun and funny if I could just have avoided weirdo stalker George!

Meet the author:

Bena Roberts was a journalist and analyst. Now she prefers the title novelist and romance adventurist. She graduated in England 1994 and then with a Masters in 1997.

Born in 1973, Bena lived in West London until she was 24. Then she lived and worked in Budapest, Bruges, Prague, Amsterdam, Vienna, Hamburg and Munich. She currently resides in Germany, between Heidelberg and Frankfurt. Although she still refers to London as 'home.'

Bena successfully created a technology blog which gained funding, had lunch with Steve Ballmer and was 'top 50 most influential woman in mobile.' Her blog also won several awards including Metro Best Blog.

Bena has two children, loves small dogs and always writes books with a cup of Earl Grey.

Bena's favorite literary style is black humor, and she hopes to offer a unique voice in this area. Her books aim to confront the darkest of life experiences, with levity. Most of her writing is heavy hitting yet also entertaining.

Author links: 
Amazon ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads




Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by Bena Roberts / Women's fiction / Books from England

Sunday 6 May 2018

Let It Bleed by Nicole I Nesca


Let It Bleed by Nicole I Nesca
Published by Screaming Skull Press in Canada in December 2017.

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

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Directly from 

This isn’t just a book of prose and poetry but a beautiful streetwise and lyrical telling of a life in pursuit of truth, sex, love, youth-lost and experience. With an alternating rhythm of long free-flowing sentences and short, minimalist statements, Let It Bleed is an original urban street-hymn that hearkens to writers of yesterday like Sylvia Plath and also the more modern rock and roll writings of Patti Smith, but always and forever original and unique.


Let It Bleed is an unusual collection of prose writing and poetry that is quite different to anything else I have recently read. An intensely personal work, I thought, the collection begins with the story Haemorrhaged which describes a woman's experience when a hysterectomy operation develops complications. This is an amazing opener. Shocking and vivid, it powerfully sets the tone for what is to follow and I found that I did enjoy most of the prose pieces. They got me thinking about the life I could witness through Nesca's writing and I liked the repeated imagery. Unfortunately I didn't feel such a good sense of understanding for the poems. I liked their sharp rhythms but wasn't always exactly sure what was being presented to me. Overall though Let It Bleed is a good read. It wasn't completely one for me, but I sure other readers could identify more strongly with Nesca's themes.

Etsy Find!
by Obvious State in
New York, USA

Click pic to visit Etsy Shop

Search Literary Flits for more:
Books by Nicole I Nesca / Poetry / Books from America

Saturday 28 April 2018

Last Stop To Saskatoon by Tony Nesca


Last Stop To Saskatoon by Tony Nesca
Published by Screaming Skull Press in Canada in December 2017.

Featured in Cover Characteristics: Railways

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

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Where to buy this book:
Directly from Screaming Skull Press

One Book. One epic poem. An unadulterated, uncensored, stream-of-consciousness protest against the state of the world.

I've been very lucky with my take-a-chance-on-it poetry collections this month. Giant, Heirloom and now Last Stop To Saskatoon have all been amazing! Each work is very different poetically, but I loved exploring them. Last Stop To Saskatoon contains two poems. A Protest Song is the first epic poem I think I have read in many years so I wasn't sure how such a long poem would work for me. I needn't have worried! Tony Nesca swept me up in the first few lines and the energy in his words kept me reading straight through to the end. Twice!
love-sick smiles
and bloody afternoons under the hipster violence
and skinless thigh-high leather let-downs
with bust-up memories that coagulate your mind

This is a great poem to stand up and read aloud. If it's not already a performance piece, it certainly should be! It's angry themes spoke clearly to me as, even though Canada is referenced, the issues Nesca addresses are universal. I could just as easily envisage decaying British towns and fragmented communities, media-driven hate bandwagons and that orange monster! The nostalgia for a time of 'protest songs in the key of E' is cleverly evoked alongside a desperate present-day fury. I heard echoes of Dylan and Kerouac, both of whose writing I love, and a strong underground indie vibe that keeps this work vividly alive. Love it!


Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by Tony Nesca / Poetry / Books from Canada

Saturday 24 March 2018

Fred's Funeral by Sandy Day


Fred's Funeral by Sandy Day
Self published in November 2017.

Featured in 5Books1Theme: The Great War and one of my 2018 IndieAthon Reads

Where to buy this book:



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

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Only at his funeral, does a family come to know a long neglected and shell-shocked soldier from WWI. Based on a true story.

Fred Sadler has just died of old age. It’s 1986, seventy years after he marched off to war, and his ghost hovers near the ceiling of the dismal nursing home. To Fred’s dismay, the arrangement of his funeral falls to his prudish and disparaging sister-in-law. As Viola dominates the remembrance of Fred, his ghost agonizes over his inability to set the record straight.

Was old Uncle Fred really suffering from shell shock? Why was he shut away for most of his life in the Whitby Hospital for the Insane? Why didn't his family help him more?

Fred’s memories of his life as a child, his family’s hotel, the War, and the mental hospital, clash with Viola’s version of events as the family gathers on a rainy October night to pay their respects.

Fred's Funeral is a charming novella exploring mental health and its treatments through the life of a Canadian WWI veteran, Fred Sadler. Sandy Day used the real-life letters of her relative as the inspiration for this fictional account so I felt a strong sense of authenticity throughout the story. We first meet Fred's spirit inexplicably still hanging around at his funeral although he has already caught a glimpse of an afterlife to which he is keen to go. His wishes ignored through most of his life, this seems little changed in death except now he can at least show us, the readers, what he believes to be the truth of his life while his sister-in-law, Viola, recounts alternate versions to the gathered family members.

I think Fred was probably suffering from PTSD, shellshock as it was back in the 1910s and 1920s, and the condition remained untreated during his life because it wasn't understood. His bursts of antisocial behaviour couldn't be accommodated within his family so Fred finds himself in and out of an insane asylum for decades, a shameful half-secret. We see how attitudes change over the decades and with different generations. I appreciated Day's allowing Fred to tell his story in all its uncertainty and confusion. This man doesn't understand himself any more than his family does and I found his predicament very poignant. This is a lovely, thoughtful story.


Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by Sandy Day / Novellas / Books from Canada

Thursday 22 March 2018

The Spider And The Stone by Glen Craney


The Spider And The Stone by Glen Craney
Published in America by Brigid's Fire Press in November 2013.

One of my 2018 IndieAthon Reads
One of my 2018 Take Control of Your TBR Pile Challenge reads

Where to buy this book:



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

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

As the 14th century dawns, Scotland's survival hangs by a spider's thread. While the Scot clans scrap over their empty throne, the brutal Edward Longshanks of England invades the weakened northern kingdom, scheming to annex it to his realm. But one frail, dark-skinned lad stands in the Plantagenet monarch's path. The beleaguered Scots cherish and lionize James Douglas as their "Good Sir James." Yet in England, his slashing and elusive raids deep into Yorkshire and Northumbria wreak such havoc and terror that he is branded the Black Douglas with a reward placed on his head for his capture.

As a boy, James falls in love with the ravishing Isabelle MacDuff, whose clan for centuries has inaugurated Scottish monarchs on the hallowed Stone of Destiny. His world is upturned when he befriends Robert Bruce, a bitter enemy of the MacDuffs. Forced to choose between love and clan loyalty, James and Isabelle make fateful decisions that will draw the opposing armies to the bloody field of Bannockburn. Isabelle will crown a king. James will carry a king's heart. At last, both now take their rightful places with Robert Bruce, Rob Roy, and William Wallace in the pantheon of Scot heroes.

Here is the story of Scotland's War of Independence and the remarkable events that followed the execution of Wallace, whose legend was portrayed in the movie Braveheart. This thrilling epic leads us to the miraculous Stone of Destiny, to the famous Spider in the Cave, to the excommunicated Knights Templar, to the suppressed Culdee Church, and to the unprecedented Declaration of Arbroath, the stirring oath document that inspired the American Declaration of Independence four hundred years later. The Spider and the Stone is the unforgettable saga of the star-crossed love, religious intrigue, and heroic sacrifice that saved Scotland during its time of greatest peril.

The Spider And The Stone covers most of James Douglas' life and provides an interesting narrative of this period of Scottish history. It mainly focuses on Douglas himself, Robert Bruce and Isabelle MacDuff, but also introduces many other famous characters such as William Wallace and the trio of English Plantagenet Kings named Edward. The supporting cast is so numerous that I often found it difficult to keep track of who everyone was, especially when some people only put in brief appearances, but several years apart. Craney has obviously done a lot of research in order to compile this novel. It often reads more as a nonfiction book and I did wonder if the narrative might have benefited from a deeper focus on fewer events which would have allowed the characters to fully develop. I felt I got a good sense of Douglas and Isabelle in the earlier chapters, but this faded as the story progresses and we jump from battle to battle to battle. The story becomes disjointed in the later years and I was frequently irritated by key events happening off the page. I think The Spider And The Stone is a good effort at recounting a complicated period, but for me it didn't really work out.


Search Lit Flits for more:
Books by Glen Craney / Historical fiction / Books from America