Spotlight Post - The Last Chance Library; Freya Sampson - First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros

Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. 

Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book we are reading or plan to read soon.  

The Last Chance Library; Freya Sampson

Berkley - August 31, 2021

(Debut Novel)

Chapter One

You can tell a lot about a person from the library books they borrow.

June liked  to play a game when things were quiet at work. She's pick a patron and make up their life story based on the books they read.  Today she'd chosen a middle-aged lady who took out two Danielle Steel novels and The Rough Guide to Iceland.  After some consideration, June decided that the woman was trapped in a loveless marriage, perhaps with a boorish, aggressive husband.  She was planning to run away to Reykjavik, where she'd fall in love with a rigged, bearded, local.  But just as she thought she'd found true happiness, her husband would track her down and announce---"Well that was a pile of shit."

June was snapped out of her daydream by Mrs Bransworth, who was standing in front of the desk waving a book in her face. It was Kazuo Ishiguro's Remains of the Day.

I love the sound of this one, what about you? Read more or pass?

                                                                  ( Full Book Description)

June Jones emerges from her shell to fight for her beloved local library, and through the efforts and support of an eclectic group of library patrons, she discovers life-changing friendships along the way.
 
Lonely librarian June Jones has never left the sleepy English village where she grew up. Shy and reclusive, the thirty-year-old would rather spend her time buried in books than venture out into the world. But when her library is threatened with closure, June is forced to emerge from behind the shelves to save the heart of her community and the place that holds the dearest memories of her mother.

Joining a band of eccentric yet dedicated locals in a campaign to keep the library, June opens herself up to other people for the first time since her mother died. It just so happens that her old school friend Alex Chen is back in town and willing to lend a helping hand. The kindhearted lawyer's feelings for her are obvious to everyone but June, who won't believe that anyone could ever care for her in that way.

To save the place and the books that mean so much to her, June must finally make some changes to her life. For once, she's determined not to go down without a fight. And maybe, in fighting for her cherished library, June can save herself, too.

Freya Sampson

Freya Sampson works in television as a creator and Executive Producer. Her credits include two documentary series for the BBC about the British Royal Family, and a number of factual and entertainment series. She studied History at Cambridge University and in 2018 was shortlisted for the Exeter Novel Prize. She lives in London with her husband, two young children and an antisocial cat. 

2021 - RIP XVI - Reader's Imbibing Peril

                                                             12/20 - running total

It’s time for one of the few reading challenges I participate in and, it's my 13th year as well.  To join Readers Imbibing Peril just read as many mystery, suspense, thriller, horror, dark fantasy, supernatural, or Gothic books as you want between  September 1 – October 31st, and post about them on your blog, Instagram, or Twitter.  You can use #RIPXVI or tag @PERILREADERS to connect with other participants.

I've been thinking about what I want to read for this challenge for almost the entire month of August and have come up with an overly ambitious list for the next (2) months. Here are the ones I'm hoping to read (this list may change but still hoping to read 15 of these 20):

1. Billy Summers; Stephen King  - 4.5/5 stars
2. Getaway; Zoje Stage - 3.5/5 stars
3. The Family Plot; Megan Collins - 3.5/5 stars
4. Where I Left Her; Amber Garza  - 4/5
5. The Night She Disappeared; Lisa Jewell
6. The Red House Mystery; A.A. Milane
7. The Long Call; Ann Cleeves - 4/5 stars
8. Stolen Hours; Allen Eskens - 5/5
9. An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed; Helene Thurston - 4/5
10. Apples Never Fall; Liane Moriarty
11. The Last House on Needless Street; Catriona Ward - 4.5/5 (utterly creepy)
12. Nothing But Blackened Teeth; Cassandra Khaw - 2/5
13. The Guilt Trip; Sandie Jones
14. The Other Passenger; Louse Candlish
15. The Stowaway; Murray and Wearmouth - 4/5
16. The Guide; Peter Heller - 2/5
17. The Heron's Cry; Ann Cleeves - 4.5/5
18. Deadly Summer Nights; Vicki Delany
19. Cul-de-Sac; Joy Fielding
20. The Thursday Murder Club; Richard Osman

Book Review - The Inflammation Spectrum; Dr. Will Cole

The Inflammation Spectrum; Dr. Will Cole

Avery Books - 2019 - (borrowed from library)

Inflammation, seems to be a hot topic these days when people talk about health issues.  How we feel, especially as we age,  seems to be a product of not only our stress levels and getting enough sleep but also how our bodies and our immune systems react to the different foods and drinks we consume. Different foods can be a friend to one individual but a foe to other people.

The book discusses symptoms of food intolerance such as: bloating, runny nose, joint and muscle pain, fatigue and IBS.

There is a quiz that asks you to answer questions and depending on how you answer and what your point values are in the following categories: 1) brain & nervous system assessment, digestive system assessment, detox system, blood sugar, hormonal system, musculoskeletal system and autoimmune inflammation.  Depending on how you answer the questions you will get an idea as to which are your trigger areas. (For me it was digestive, musculoskeletal and autoimmune inflation). 

The next part was the cleanse, either 4-weeks or 8-weeks depending on your assessment. This was the part that was quite overwhelming for me.  The Elim-4 has you eliminating: all grains, all forms of dairy, all sweeteners and sugars and all inflammatory oils such as: corn, vegetable, canola and sunflower. While the Elim. 8 includes the 4 just mentioned as well as: legumes, nuts and seeds, eggs, and nightshades: tomatoes, white and yellow potatoes, eggplant and all peppers.  

There is of course a focus list of acceptable foods and beverages during this period as well as some recipes which sound quite decent.

For me, I can't imagine doing the complete 8 - program  (just too extreme) but, this book did give me a better idea of what my areas of concern are, especially when I combine this information with what gathered from another book: Eat Right 4 Your Type, by Dr. Peter J. D'Adamo which I read and reviewed in 2020.

Have you tried any similar programs to determine your food triggers?  I do know too much dairy, nuts  and the nightshades family are not my friends. I'm okay with a little of each though. 

Rating - 4/5 stars

(2) Book Reviews - Notes on Grief; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Viral; Robin Cook

 

 Notes on Grief; Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Random House Audio - 2021

(1 hour and 27 minutes read by the author - very good)

When the author's father passed away in June of 2020 she and her family were shocked. Her father was 88 and the family had connected with him via Zoom the evening before his passing as they often did during COVID.  He had reported that he was tired and feeling unwell. He had been diagnosed with kidney disease but, still his death came as a shock to his family. Are we ever prepared for the death of a loved one even when they have lived a long and meaningful life?  

If the author teaches us one thing by reading her heartfelt, journal like celebration of her father's life is this: you can't tell or show a person how to grieve, it's personal and different for every individual.

A beautiful, reflective look at loss and grief written by his grieving daughter.

Rating - 4.5/5 stars

(Audio download provided by the publisher in exchange for my unbiased review.)

Viral, Robin Cook

Penguin Audio - Scott Brick (narrator)

12 hours and 20 minutes

(library download)

The Murphy family: Brian, Emma and four year old daughter Juliet are taking a break from COVID and vacationing on Cape Cod when Emma comes down with severe flu like-symptoms. On their way home to New York City she has a seizure in the car and is rushed to the closest ER. From there she is moved to ICU and she is diagnosed with Eastern equine encephalitis. From this point things go from bad to worse (with Emma and the entire plot).

This was not the exciting medical thriller my husband and I were expecting as we listened to this for (4) days straight.  We felt it was more about battling with insurance companies and hospital administrators about charges and claims and then wondering how you can ever pay what you owe and, then ultimately about how to get even with them. The story becomes quite repetitive and implausible at times but despite this we wanted to see how the story played out.  We were curious about the epilogue as well which led to more eye-rolling and a few laughs as well.  What started out as a pretty good story went down hill rather fast.   Had it not been for Scott Brick's fabulous narration of multiple voices, we might have abandoned it.

Rating - storyline - 2/5 stars

Rating - Scott Brick's narration - 5/5 stars

NOTE: I'm guilty of convincing my husband to try this one. He thought it felt like payback for having me listen to the last Harold Robbins book a few weeks ago.

Book Review - No Touching; Ketty Rouf

 

TITLE/AUTHOR:  No Touching; Ketty Rouf

PUBLISHER:  Europa Books

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021

GENRE: Fiction / Translated

FORMAT:  eGalley

SOURCE:   Edelweiss

SETTING(s):  France (outskirts of Paris)

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  A story about a woman who needs something more in life and finds excitement in a new line of work.

BRIEF REVIEW:     Josephine is a 30 year old woman who teaches philosophy in a high school in Drancy. She's in a rut, suffers from anxiety and has mostly unmotivated students, except for perhaps Hadrien.  She dreads going to work and does not feel supported by the powers that be in her school system.  Isn't there more to life she wonders?

One evening while on leave from her school job she walks into a strip club along the Champs-Elysee and feels something awaken in her. On a whim she takes an exotic dancing class and before long Josephine (A.K.A. Rosa Lee) becomes a stripper by night. What happens when her lives intersect?

The story may sound somewhat odd and at least certainly different but, Josephine is a complex character. She goes from being a plain Jane teacher to her secret life with sexy lingerie, makeup and high heels and a provocative allure that gives her a new sense of empowerment. She also loves the unexpected joy and of bonding with the new women she works with at the club.  She also loves the power she feels she has over the customers.  I found Josephine's story rather fascinating but, I just never connected with her. I know it's fiction but just how does a woman suffering from anxiety so easily take on such a drastic transformation. It does appear as if the author has done quite a bit of research about the darker side of strip clubs and what goes on there.

This novella doesn't have a complicated plot and it is just 113 pages. It is definitely not a story all readers will appreciate but, if you like to change your reading up a bit - I say give this one a try.

Thanks go to Europa Books and Edelweiss for allowing me access to this book in exchange for my unbiased review. The book was translated from French by Tina Kover who did an excellent job.

RATING:  3.5/5

Spotlight Post - His Only Wife; Peace Adzo Medie - First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros

Welcome to First Chapter/Intros, hosted by Yvonne @ Socrates Book Reviews. 

Each week readers post the first paragraph (or 2) of a book we are reading or plan to read.  

His Only Wife; Peace Adzo Medie

Algonquin Books - 2020

(Intro Paragraph)

One

"Elikem married me in absentia; he did not come to our wedding. The ceremony was held on the third Saturday in January in the rectangular courtyard of my Uncle Pious's house, which was bordered by two-roomed apartments and a wooden gate that opened onto a busy footpath.  Our relative, stirring with equal measures of happiness, but for different reasons, sitting opposite one another in rented plastic chairs that were neatly arranged in rows that filled the courtyard.  The partly walled kitchen had been scrubbed and cleared of the cast-iron coal pots, on which my uncle's wives prepared the evening meal, and the enamel basins that they used for washing and storing dishes.  My uncle's sitting-room chairs, upholstered with a carpet-like fabric and polished so that the chocolate-brown wooden frames glistened, were also brought outdoors and comprised the front row where the elders of each family would sit."

(I love the detail here and am curious for more.) What do you think?

Here's a description of the book:

Afi Tekple is a young seamstress in Ghana. She is smart; she is pretty; and she has been convinced by her mother to marry a man she does not know. Afi knows who he is, of course—Elikem is a wealthy businessman whose mother has chosen Afi in the hopes that she will distract him from his relationship with a woman his family claims is inappropriate. But Afi is not prepared for the shift her life takes when she is moved from her small hometown of Ho to live in Accra, Ghana’s gleaming capital, a place of wealth and sophistication where she has days of nothing to do but cook meals for a man who may or may not show up to eat them. She has agreed to this marriage in order to give her mother the financial security she desperately needs, and so she must see it through. Or maybe not?

His Only Wife is a witty, smart, and moving debut novel about a brave young woman traversing the minefield of modern life with its taboos and injustices, living in a world of men who want their wives to be beautiful, to be good cooks and mothers, to be women who respect their husbands and grant them forbearance. And in Afi, Peace Medie has created a delightfully spunky and relatable heroine who just may break all the rules.

About the Author

Peace Adzo Medie is a Ghanaian writer and senior lecturer in gender and international politics at the University of Bristol in England. Prior to that she was a research fellow at the University of Ghana. She has published several short stories, and her book Global Norms and Local Action: The Campaigns to End Violence Against Women in Africa was published by Oxford University Press in 2020. She is an award-winning scholar and has been awarded several fellowships. She holds a PhD in public and international affairs from the University of Pittsburgh and a BA in geography from the University of Ghana. She was born in Liberia.

Book Review - Songbirds; Christy Lefteri

TITLE/AUTHOR:  Songbirds; Christy Lefteri

PUBLISHER:  Ballantine Books

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2021

GENRE: Fiction / Migrant workers / Mystery

FORMAT:  Hardcover

SOURCE:   (print - publisher)

SETTING(s):  Cyprus

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:  A young woman leaves her native country, Sri Lanka hoping to provide for a better future for the daughter she leaves behind.

BRIEF REVIEW:     Nisha works as a housekeeper and a nanny for a wealthy widow and her daughter in Cyprus.  She left her own two year old daughter, Kumari with her mother in Sri Lanka in hopes that someday she could return home and give her daughter a better life. By day Nisha works as a domestic worker for Petra and cares for Petra's nine year old daughter Aliki. Although Nisha chats with her daughter via an iPad in the evenings, she is, for the most part, treated like nothing more than a servant by Petra.

Yiannis is a poacher who makes a lot of money by trapping tiny songbirds and sells them on the black market where they are considered a delicacy.  He lives on Petra's property and is also Nisha's secret lover. He longs to marry her and give her a better life but, poaching is a tough job to get out of once you are part of the illegal operation. Nisha hates what he must do to the tiny birds.

When Nisha goes missing one evening, after preparing dinner, early in the story,  it's Petra who begins her own investigation with the help of Yiannis. She begins talking with other migrant workers as when a migrant, especially a woman, goes missing in Cyprus, the police are not helpful. 

I don't want to say too much more about the story except to say it is beautifully written, full of symbolism and imagery and just unforgettable, yet heartbreaking as well. The story in part was based on the true disappearances of other migrant women in Cyprus. There were some upsetting details involving how the poachers trap the tiny songbirds and what they do to them afterward.  Despite this, I'm so happy I had a chance to read this book. I now want to read the author's previous book: The Beekeeper of Aleppo which is supposed to be excellent as well.

Thanks go to Ballantine Books for sending me a finished copy of this thought-provoking book in exchange for my unbiased review.

RATING:  4.5/5

Memorable Quotes: 

“You see, when you clump people together and don’t understand their personal stories, you can make up any bullshit and convince yourself it’s the truth.”

“Now that I could hear this woman’s song—a melody that told a story I couldn’t understand—I hoped with all of my heart that it wasn’t too late.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brought up in London, Christy Lefteri is the child of Cypriot refugees. She holds a Ph.D. in creative writing from Brunel University, where she is now a lecturer. Her previous novel, the international bestseller The Beekeeper of Aleppo, won the Aspen Words Literary Prize and was the runner-up for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. She is also the author of A Watermelon, a Fish and a Bible, which was longlisted for the IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.