Thursday 25 July 2019

Every Love by Jann Doe


Every Love by Jann Doe
Self published on the 21st July 2019.

A 2019 New Release Challenge read


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Love can be wholesome,
Healthy and pure.
It can also be deadly,
Of this I am sure.
I've experienced many,
I've opened my door.
Of all the love that I've held
There's one thing I know,
Ain't no one has loved
Quite like me... Jann Doe.

EVERY LOVE is a collection of poetry covering my own experiences in love. From abuse, to affair, to healthy commitment, I’ve shared many love lifes… even suicide has played a part. The name ‘Jann Doe’ is to protect myself and my family from my own mistakes and history, given the parts of me that love has touched.



*See You*

What is this burn,
This terrible stab,
My heart stuck,
It steps back,
Too shocked to beat,
I shrink when I see you,
My first heavy blow,
Of life, and of men,
But how could I know,
Should’ve listened,
Could’ve ran,
But for you I stood ground,
And for what,
To see you and her, hand in hand?


Every Love has something to say, I think, to every woman throughout her life. Jann evokes emotions from first love and first betrayal, running the gauntlet of unhealthy relationships, bitterness and even spite, until the woman - every woman - learns self respect is more important than simply trying to be liked. Coming to terms with ourselves and remaining true to ourselves are the only ways we can live in contentment, even though we may have to oppose traditional social experience in order to do so. Every Love is a lovely collection which I felt spoke directly to me, almost as words from a friend or a companion. I feel it is a work which could be dipped into at almost any time of life for reassurance and inspiration. We are not the first to feel anger, sadness, love. At the very least Jann Doe has been there too. She got though. So can I.

Meet the author

Jann Doe is a poet who recognizes and accepts her authenticity as a woman, and encourages other women to do the same. Everyone has their burdens to cary, their flaws to accept, and their strengths to pride themselves on. Jann’s goal as a poet is to speak out on behalf of other women across the globe to love themselves for who they truly are. No one is perfect, nor should we be. It’s imperative that we as women accept ourselves, and live for tomorrow… not by ignoring our past but by learning from it, and growing because of it.

Author links: 
Website ~ Twitter



Etsy Find!
by Lotty Lollipop in
Chesterfield, England

Click pic to visit Etsy Shop


Search Literary Flits for more:
Books by Jann Doe / Poetry / Books from America

Monday 15 July 2019

sells sea shells by Mara Mer


sells sea shells by Mara Mer
Published by Mari Reiza in April 2019.

2019 New Release Challenge read and one of my 2019 COYER Summer Hunt reads

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

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


'Ismail is young, strong and handsome. He's also the proud owner of a heart-bursting smile. Yet despite all his enviable attributes, nobody wants him wherever he's passing.' A Moroccan immigrant strikes an unlikely friendship with an Italian client at the beach. When the man asks him to do something for him, he struggles to refuse his money. In any case, someone else carries out the deed before he does. A book about the despair and hope of exile.

Ismail spends his days walking across a stiflingly hot Italian beach wearing a stack of sunhats, carrying a heavy bag of sarongs and a board displaying sunglasses and jewellery - some of which he hopes to sell to holidaymakers. An illegal immigrant from Morocco, this is his second summer working ridiculously long hours for a pittance, despised by the locals, but all in the hope of sending back enough money to keep his mother and sisters and to earn enough to pay for his Italian residency permit. His dream is to become legal so he can get a job as a waiter - working ridiculously long hours for a pittance, but at least he might be out of the sun.

I felt as though Mara Mer completely understood Ismail and the catch-22 predicament in which he finds himself. In many other novels, handsome and hardworking Ismail would be the romantic lead, but because of his status here he is practically invisible until a knockoff pair of sunglasses or a scapegoat is required. Mer beautifully evokes the Italian summer environment and its styles of seaside living. Super-rich holidaymakers laze by infinity pools while grumpy bar staff protect their territory and pour beers. I loved Mer's portrayal of the beginnings of Ismail's relationship with wealthy Matteo. This plotline didn't go anywhere near where I had expected from the synopsis, and it felt nicely realistic throughout. Both men believe the other could be their salvation and I liked that Mer doesn't get bogged down in explaining unnecessary detail. My only negative is that I didn't like the Rosa ending which I didn't think fitted with what had come before. However, overall, I very much enjoyed this slice of life novella which gives readers an insightful glimpse into lives which are all too often ignored.

Etsy Find!
by Christina Christi Jls in
Athens, Greece

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Search Literary Flits for more:
Books by Mara Mer / Contemporary fiction / Books from Basque Country