Book Review | THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER by Phaedra Patrick

3 May 2016; 
MIRA

When Arthur Pepper discovers a mysterious charm bracelet in his late wife’s wardrobe, he sets off on a journey to discover, charm by charm, her secret life before they met.

Having been married for over 40 years, 69-year-old Arthur Pepper is mourning the loss of his wife. On the anniversary of her death, he finally musters the courage to go through her possessions and happens upon a charm bracelet that he has never seen before.

What follows is a surprising adventure that takes Arthur from London to Paris and India in an epic quest to find out the truth about his wife’s secret life before they met, a journey that leads him to find healing, self-discovery, and love in the most unexpected of places. ~Goodreads

THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER is like butter, it simply melts in your mouth. It is effortlessly beautiful and palatable. It hooked me from the very first page, and I just kept turning.

Arthur’s adventures are never short of excitement and curiosity. I can’t help myself rooting for him all through them. The oddity of how each adventure unfolded is a great illustration of how big and strange life is, but wonderful, at the same time.

Arthur’s reactions and realizations on each trip are poignantly heartwarming. Ms. Patrick did not only create a very attachable lead character but a much unexpected one too. Arthur may come out as someone that is “too good to be true”, but he is so unconsciously charming and convincing, I instantly became a fan.

And I'm still alive. I wish you were, too, but you're not.
And I want to live even though it hurts. I don't want to be a dried up crab.

The story’s themes are quite simple but very relevant to both the young and the old. It’s about people and connections. It’s about the stories we share and relationships that are worth keeping. It’s about the determination to never stop making memories.

THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER is that inspiring book you want to curl up with. I highly recommend it.

Book details:

Title:  The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

Author:  Phaedra Patrick

Publication: 3 May 2016; MIRA

Genre:  Fiction

Rating:  ★★★★★

*Thank you Mira and Netgalley for the copy in exchange for this honest review.

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Wednesday Spotlight | The Secret of Sinbad's Cave by Brydie Walker Bain

About the Book:

Nat Sheppard’s world is turned upside down on the first day of the school holidays by the discovery of a secret room containing cave maps with clues to an ancient treasure. But Nat and her friends soon discover they’re not the only ones chasing the jewels. Professional treasure hunters are on the trail – and they’re prepared to eliminate anyone in their way.

Get your copies from Amazon, Smashwords, and iTunes.

About the Author:

Brydie Walker Bain is a playwright, poet and children's author. 

She studied History and Theatre & Film at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, and furthered her studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. 

Back in New Zealand, she worked as an adventure cave guide for The Legendary Black Water Rafting Company, jumping off waterfalls, abseiling into caves and pretending to be her childhood hero MacGyver. 

Brydie's plays have enjoyed readings in London, rave reviews and sell out audiences in Auckland, Hamilton and Waitomo. Her latest project is The Natnat Adventures. This young adult series successfully launched with 'TheSecret of Sinbad's Cave,' and continues with 'TheShip of Sight and The Hand of Shadow.'

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Book Review | The Ring of Brightest Angels Around Heaven: A Novella and Stories by Rick Moody

  

Kindle Edition
November 10, 2015

The collection is composed of eleven stories portraying life in different voices, styles, and lucidity. It was previously printed in 1995, although, most of the stories first appeared in some literary magazines across the web.

Among the stories, The Grid got my attention. The intricate connection of people through the simple act of the first kiss, amidst robbery, heartbreak, separation, and change, is an idea worthy of exploration.

I must hand it to Rick Moody for braving wordplay and breaking the rules of writing. Each story is a risky step beyond reality. However, it felt too contrived, as if the stories were written detached from any emotion. He took the time to take something profound and muddled it up deliberately. I said this because every now and then a beautiful passage bobs to the surface, like:

There was a pattern to loss, I knew, as there was a pattern in fractals, a there was a pattern to the way city planners designed public spaces, as there was a pattern to the orbit of heavenly bodies, to the distribution of stars rushing outwards from a first infinitely dense singularity, there was a pattern to loss. Losses came in threes. Losses were inexplicable. Losses could be contained and controlled in the elegance of equations.

This detachment also mired the much-needed depth of characters. Normally, I am intrigued by unattractive, anti-hero characters leading a story. Here, it was a stretch to empathize with any of them.

THE RING OF BRIGHTEST ANGELS AROUND HEAVEN is mind-provoking, but a disjointed collection that, even with the risk-taking and bursts of unexpected quotes, struggles to emerge altogether.

Book details:
Title: The Ring of Brightest Angels Around Heaven: A Novella and Stories
Author: Rick Moody
Publication: November 10, 2015; Open Road Media
Genre: Fiction, Short Stories
Rating: êê

*Thank you Open Road Integrated Media for granting me access to this book in exchange for this honest review.

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Wednesday Spotlight | Beginning Again Trilogy by Steven Hugh

About the Books:

Barbara Baker:

Barbara Baker is indebted and alone, trying to bring up a child on her modest salary as a nurse. Following a vicious attack, she is befriended by a colleague’s brother who offers her a comfortable home and the chance to recover from her recent problems. She accepts, a little reluctantly at first, and despite their differences a cozy family life begins to form around them. However, Barbara’s past is starting to catch up with her.

Ian Pemberton:

Looking for a better life in the sun, the British couple Ian and Madeleine Pemberton give up their jobs and head off to the south of Spain to make a new start. At first they are charmed by the pleasant climate and lifestyle, but soon the practical side of making a living in a different country presents them with some unexpected experiences and challenges. Not the least of which is 'Venus'.

Verity Xuereb-Smith:

After many years of avoiding the press, the Gibraltarian actress Verity Xuereb-Smith finally agrees to give an interview to be published as a series of articles in a women’s magazine. As the conversation with the journalist progresses, she watches the years of her life go by and begins to evaluate her achievements.

Featuring clips from all her major TV and film roles.

You can get your copies from Amazon. com


About the Author:

Steven Hugh was born in 1966 and has lived, studied and worked in three countries: the UK, Germany and Spain. He currently lives in Algeciras, province of Cádiz in the south of Spain, with his partner. Apart from reading and writing, he also loves travelling, red wine and history. 

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Book Review | NIGHT STUDY by Maria V. Snyder

January 26, 2016, MIRA 

New York Times bestselling author Maria V. Snyder transports readers back to the realms of Sitia and Ixia in an exciting new Study novel full of magic, danger, and intrigue. ~ Amazon.com

Similar to Shadow Study, I dropped everything I’m reading to start on NIGHT STUDY straight away. To my regret, it ended much too soon. I was so enraptured with the events that I literally hate to stop. Night Study picked up pretty much where Shadow Study left off, followed by a series of twists and turns. Everything just keeps on pushing forward. There is no such thing as “downtime” in this installment.

Yelena is still struggling without her magic, but it’s not stopping her from hunting Owen and his band of miscreants. And this time, Valek is mostly there to tackle the challenges with her, while facing his own issues.

I am really wound up how this series is turning out.  The thrilling adventures accompanied by a set of very remarkable characters with their perpetual squabbling and wit makes for an incredible read. I love everything Ms. Snyder did in this installment. I can’t wait and read how she’ll fuse everything together in Dawn Study.

I highly recommend that you read this too!

Book details:

Title:  Night Study
Series:  Study series #5

Author:  Maria V. Snyder

Publication:  January 26, 2016, MIRA 

Genre:  Fantasy, Fiction

Rating: ★★★★★


*Thanks to Netgalley and Mira Ink for the e-galley in exchange for this review.

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Wednesday Spotlight | The Time Key by E.L. Durant

About the Book:

On a school trip to historic Minerva Hall, popular troublemaker Luke Morgan, and loner Chyna Blue, are reluctantly thrust together in the hope that each will be a positive influence on the other. But then they are drawn through a painting and travel back in time.

With only their twenty-first century wits, and a few modern day gadgets to help them, they must outwit a relentless Persian soldier, evade a mountain lion, and escape slave traders. They also have to learn to get along in order to trace a route home.

Then, a mysterious Samurai warrior informs them that the multiverse behind the paintings is much more complicated and far-reaching than they could ever have imagined, and that their destiny is not what they had once presumed. 

Buy your Kindle copies at Amazon or Amazon UK.

About the Author:

I write for no other reason than I enjoy it deeply. I like the challenge of making a story work. I get a thrill from tinkering with the structure, of creating characters that I care about, and of manipulating a plot that unravels unpredictably, yet logically. I like to write myself into a corner and then see how I can escape. To me, writing is a puzzle I like to spend my time trying to solve.

When my children were small and I used to read to them, they had their favourites. Bizarrely, my son used to like a Ladybird book about Florence Nightingale, I never understood that. But my daughter preferred me to freestyle new stories to her, and The Time Key grew from there. Originally the Princess of Sarcasm, I wanted to find out if I could pull together the different worlds we used to create together and solve the puzzle of writing for a different age group.

My greatest thrill in life now, is seeing my children enrich their lives through books, and I like to think I played my part in that. It’s a presumed legacy that gives me a greater sense of achievement than anything I might create. I would much rather my headstone read ‘he was a good father’ than ‘he wrote books’.

For more information, please visit the author's website.

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2015 Reading Challenge | December

So, here we are. December finally caught up with us. Days are already filled with listing, planning, shopping, and gift wrapping. I'm still hoping to include reading on that list.

Here's what I read last November:

• Still Life with Bread Crumbs by Anna Quindlen - 5/5 stars - I love the tone of the narration, and I simply breezed through this.
• The Undoing by Averil Dean - 3.5/5 stars - Surprised by how good this book was. I just wished for a better intro. Book release on the 29th this month.
• Alternative Alamat  edited by Paolo Chikiamco - 3/5 stars - TFG's book for November, which we happened to discuss last FilReaderCon. This is an average rating. I should probably write a comprehensive review on which stories I liked best and which I don't. 
• The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury - 4/5 stars - I was granted to take a sneak preview, and I am looking forward to its release on February 2016.

And that concludes my Reading Challenge for 2015 of 70 books. Although, I was not able to read Winter People like I planned last month; and I've put both The Invention of Wings (64%) and The Golem and the Jinni (68%) on hold. I'm still thinking of finding ways to finish them within the year.

Before I go, allow me to be the first to greet you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ahead!

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