Tag: Read

My Week in Books – 22nd October ’17

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MyWeekinBooks

New arrivals

DeathDescendsonSaturnVillaDeath Descends on Saturn Villa (The Gower Street Detective #3) by M R C Kasasian (ebook, Kindle deal)

Gower Street, London: 1883. March Middleton is the niece of London’s greatest (and most curmudgeonly) private detective, Sidney Grice. March has just discovered a wealthy long-lost relative she never knew she had. When this newest family member meets with a horrible death, March is in the frame for murder—and only Sidney Grice can prove her innocence. Grice agrees to investigate (for his usual fee) but warns that he is not entirely convinced of her innocence. If he were in her position, he might have been tempted. But the more he uncovers, the more all the clues point to Grice himself . . .

TheSecretsofGaslightLaneThe Secrets of Gaslight Lane (The Gower Street Detective #4) by M R C Kasasian (ebook, Kindle deal)

London, 1883: All is quiet at 125 Gower Street. Sidney Grice is swotting up on the anatomical structure of human hair whilst his ward, March Middleton, sneaks upstairs for her eighth secret cigarette of the day. The household is, perhaps, too quiet. So, when a beautiful young woman turns up at the door, imploring London’s foremost personal detective to solve the mystery of her father’s murder, Grice can barely disguise his glee. Mr Nathan Garstang was found slaughtered in his bed, but there is no trace of a weapon or intruder. A classic locked-room case. But what piques Grice’s interest is the crime’s link to one of London’s most notorious unsolved murders. Ten years ago, Nathan’s uncle aunt and servants were murdered in their sleep in the very same house. Now, it seems, the Garstang murderer is back…

True GrandeurTrue Grandeur by Cal R Barnes (ebook, review copy courtesy of the author)

True Grandeur is the tale of Conrad Arlington, a young man who moves to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of becoming a great artist. Within a few short years of his arrival, Conrad’s success as a writer brings him to the attention of Gracie Garrison, a beautiful and alluring socialite whose glamorous lifestyle is just as mysterious as the rumours that surround her. After spending a spirited and adventurous night on the town together – one fuelled by an excess of beautiful people, extravagant parties, gallery openings, and the madness of a fallen director – Conrad ultimately falls in love with her, believing them to be destined. However, when he awakes the next morning to find that Gracie is gone, he is distraught, and thus embarks on his relentless journey to find her, resulting in a tumultuous spiral of passion, art, and romance as he searches his soul to try and uncover the greatest mystery of all – true love.

TheFragileThreadofHopeThe Fragile Thread of Hope by Pankaj Giri (ebook, advance reader copy courtesy of the author)

In the autumn of 2012, destiny wreaks havoc on two unsuspecting people – Soham and Fiona. Although his devastating past involving his brother still haunted him, Soham had established a promising career for himself in Bangalore. After a difficult childhood, Fiona’s fortunes had finally taken a turn for the better. She had married her beloved, and her life was as perfect as she had ever imagined it to be. But when tragedy strikes them yet again, their fundamentally fragile lives threaten to fall apart. Can Fiona and Soham overcome their grief? Will the overwhelming pain destroy their lives? Seasoned with the flavours of exotic Nepalese traditions and set in the picturesque Indian hill station, Gangtok, The Fragile Thread of Hope explores the themes of spirituality, faith, alcoholism, love, and guilt while navigating the complex maze of familial relationships. Inspirational and heart-wrenchingly intimate, it urges you to wonder – does hope stand a chance in this travesty called life?

MysteryTour CWA AnthologyMystery Tour: CWA Anthology of Short Stories edited by Martin Edwards (eARC, courtesy of Orenda Books)

This exciting collection of short stories features crime writers working with a “mystery tour” or travel theme. Ann Cleeves on Tanzania, Vas Khan on Mumbai, and Marnie Riches on Holland. Other writers include Sarah Hilary, Alex Marwood, Cally Taylor, Elly Griffiths, Steph Broadribb, Johana Gustawsson, Liz Nugent, Steve Cavanagh, Cal Moriarty, Paul Hardisty, Mason Cross, Sharon Bolton, Vas Khan, Marnie Riches, Bill Ryan, Ian Rankin, Peter James, Kate Rhodes, Ragnar Jonasson, and Ann Cleeves.

On What Cathy Read Next last week

Blog posts

Monday – I shared my comparison of the book and film versions of A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman as part of my From Page to Screen reading challenge.

Tuesday – I welcomed Tom Ward, author of the soon to be published Fires, to talk about his book.

Wednesday – WWW Wednesday is the opportunity to share what I’ve just finished reading, what I’m reading now and what I’ll be reading next. I had a really fun guest post by Alison Brodie about her forthcoming book, Zenka.

Thursday – I shared my review of thriller Monsoon Rising by David Lee Corley and my Throwback Thursday post was my review of historical romance, On the Edge of Sunrise by Cynthia Ripley Miller. (I reviewed book 2 of the series, The Quest for the Crown of Thorns last week.)

Friday – I featured a Q&A with actor, playwright and author, Gary Corbin, about his latest book, Lying in Vengeance.

Saturday – I published my review of New Boy by Tracy Chevalier. It’s a modern day retelling of Othello, part of the Hogarth Shakespeare project.

Sunday – I hosted a stop on the blog tour for Home Is Nearby by Magdalena McGuire and shared my thoughts on this fascinating novel set in 1980s Poland.

Challenge updates

  • Goodreads 2017 Reading Challenge – 125 out of 156 books read, 2 more than last week
  • Classics Club Challenge – 5 out of 50 books reviewed, same as last week
  • NetGalley/Edelweiss Reading Challenge 2017 (Gold) – 51 ARCs reviewed out of 50, 1 more than last week
  • From Page to Screen 2016/7– 7 book/film comparisons out of 12 completed, same as last week
  • From Page to Screen 2017/18 – 1 out of 2 completed, 1 more than last week

On What Cathy Read Next this week

Currently reading

Planned posts

  • Review: The Last Hours by Minette Walters
  • Review: The Summer Springsteen’s Songs Saved Me by Barbara Quinn
  • Review: Birdcage Walk by Helen Dunmore
  • Blog Tour/Review: A Sea of Sorrow by David Blixt et al
  • Blog Tour/Review: The Murderer’s Maid by Erika Mailman
  • Review: Mr Dickens and His Carol by Samantha Silva

Blog Tour: 13 Reasons Why I Loved Home Is Nearby by Magdalena McGuire

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Home Is Nearby blog tour banner

I’m thrilled to host today’s stop on the blog tour for Home Is Nearby, the debut novel by Magdalena McGuire, which is published on 1st November 2017.   Rather than write a standard review, I thought I’d channel just a little bit of the creativity at the heart of Home Is Nearby and give you thirteen reasons to read this thought-provoking and fascinating book.

My thanks to Natalie at Impress Books for the advance proof copy and the invitation to join the blog tour.

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HomeisNearby1About the Book

1980: The beginning of the polish crisis. Brought up in a small village, country-girl Ania arrives in the university city of Wroclaw to pursue her career as a sculptor. Here she falls in love with Dominik, an enigmatic write at the centre of a group of bohemians and avant-garde artists who throw wild parties. When martial law is declared, their lives change overnight: military tanks appear on the street, curfews are introduced and the artists are driven underground. Together, Ania and Dominik fight back, pushing against the boundaries imposed by the authoritarian communist government. But at what cost?

Format: Paperback , eBook (320 pp.)    Publisher: Impress Books
Published: 1st November 2017                Genre: Literary Fiction

Pre-order/Purchase Links*
Amazon.co.uk
*links provided for convenience, not as part of any affiliate programme

Find Home is Nearby on Goodreads

13 Reasons Why I Loved Home is Nearby

1) Our narrator, Ania: her relationship with her father, her courage, her determination to be true to herself, her commitment to her art and the gradual awakening of her creativity as she is exposed to the contemporary art scene

‘The tin can sculpture, the cubes, Malgorzata’s photos – these were far from traditional. And yet here they were displayed in a gallery. I was beginning to see that being an artist didn’t mean I had to copy the masters. What I did have to do was create something that belonged to me – something that no one else could make.’

2) Ania’s father: his tender, unselfish support of Ania’s desire to be an artist, his sacrifices and his unconditional love

3) Learning about the economic situation in Poland in the 1980s – food shortages (using teabags multiple times, drinking water before eating to feel fuller), waiting lists for a telephone line or an apartment (unless you could afford a bribe or to call in a favour)

4) Learning about the political background and the Polish state’s attempts to stifle the rise of the Solidarity movement: censorship, internment, surveillance, informers and control of the press. Was this really happening as recently as the 1980s?

5) The defiance of the Polish people both explicit (student protests, graffiti) and implicit (carrying on with traditional Christmas preparations)

‘Every time the militiamen painted over the graffiti, it appeared again the next day. With new slogans, bigger writing. It was an ongoing battle between us and them: slogan, silence, slogan.’

6) The way the author brings to life the process of creating art from initial inspiration, through manufacture to completion.

‘The professor was right. Metal was a masculine material, the stuff of guns and tanks. If I was going to work with it I had to find a way to use it slyly, with a wink in the other direction. Take the notion of hardness and turn it on its head.’

7) Examining the question that Ania wrestles with – is art enough? ‘What good was a picture when people were suffering?’ ‘What good was sculpture at a time like this? Unlike Dominik’s writing, it couldn’t change the world.’ Ania’s gradual realisation that art can be an act of defiance as well.

8) The evocative picture of rural Poland and the constrast between life there and in the city. As Dominik says: ‘I’d forgotten what the rural parts of Poland were like.’

9) The moral dilemmas facing Ania and others protesting against the system and the anguish and consequences that follow from their decisions

10) The insight into Polish customs, culture, food and drink (carp, cabbage parcels, cherry compote)

11) How contemporary events and culture in the rest of the world are woven in – the rise of punk rock, Ronald Reagan, Hollywood films.

12) That Ania’s final piece neatly alludes to the author’s own act of creativity.

13) The gorgeous cover

MagdalenaMcGuireAbout the Author

Magdalena is an award-winning writer who was born in Poland, grew up in Darwin and now lives in Melbourne with her husband and son. Her short stories have been published by The Big Issue, Mslexia, Margaret River Press and The Bristol Prize. She won the 2017Mslexia Women’s Short Story Competition with ‘Salt Madonna’. She has published widely on human rights topics, including women’s rights and the rights of people with disabilities. She is an avid reader and particularly enjoys reading books about girls who like reading books. Home is Nearby is her debut novel.

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