Book After Book

The people behind the books - Q&A

2012-02-12T09:00:00.001Z

Interviewed this month is Joe Pickering, publicist at Penguin Books UK, whom you can also follow on Twitter.

Q: Hello Joe! First of all, thank you very much for agreeing to answer my questions! You are a publicity manager for Penguin. Which imprints do you work on and do you have a favourite?

A: I work for the division of Penguin called Penguin General, which comprises the imprints Hamish Hamilton, Fig Tree, Viking & Penguin Ireland. I work across all four imprints but Hamish and Viking the most. I couldn't really pick a favourite: it's more book-to-book and all four publish ones I've loved.

Q: Can you briefly describe what you do on a typical day? Is there a particular activity that you especially look forward to?

A: Get in, turn my computer on, get a coffee, go through emails that have come in overnight and/or reminders I've set myself. Usually I'll have a particular book campaign or two in mind that I want to concentrate on that day: send out pitches, set up events, think of feature ideas, who to contact about radio, bloggers, etc. Emails come in all the time though about various things; some can be left but others require immediate attention. Every day requires a lot of multi-tasking and prioritising – and discipline with my time.

Q: What kind of journey led you to being a publicity manager? As a book-lover, your job sounds amazing. What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue the same career?

A: I worked at Waterstone's Brighton while at university then transferred to the Leadenhall Market branch in London when I moved back here after I finished my studies. I worked there for just over a year and a half. It was a store that held a lot of events and when I decided it was time to move on and I needed to change what I was doing, the events manager very helpfully put me in touch with a publicist at Random House; she put me through to the Assistant who had an opening for a work experience placement the following week. I was there for three weeks and two weeks at Random House and during that time a job as Publicity Assistant at Simon & Schuster came up, which I got. Most people seem to start off doing work experience, it seems, and you're fortunate if a position comes up in that time.

Q: I imagine that you attend festivals and literary happenings around the country to promote your authors. What is your favourite event and why?

A: I love Edinburgh Book Festival: it's very friendly, a great city and is happening at the same time as the comedy and arts festival so there's a lot to do. I really enjoy events at Topping & Co and Mr B's in Bath: wonderful bookshops and lovely, friendly staff. Events like Book Slam and The Book Stops Here in London are great: they have a great feel to them as they tend to be in places that aren't particularly 'bookish'.

Q: You worked with authors such as Nick Hornby and Mohsin Hamid. I wonder: do you ever get star-struck? Is there any writer that you’d love to work with?

A: I think when I first met Nick Hornby I was aware how famous he is but, more often than not, I've dealt with them over email before I've met them so have a feel for what they'll be like. This year I'm working with John Banville and Zadie Smith and I am quite aware that they're extremely well-known and respected.

I'd love to work with Tobias Wolff, if for no other reason than that I just love his work and think it would be a pleasure to promote.

Q: What is the publicity campaign that, so far, you have been most proud to be a part of?

A: My one for David Vann's Legend of a Suicide. That book came from nowhere and knocked me sideways and I was convinced it would have the same affect on others. In short, I think I helped kick-start the writing career of someone who should go on to write lots and lots of good books and I genuinely believe Legend of a Suicide will in the future be regarded as a classic. It's a nice thing to have been a part of.

Q: And lastly, what should the reading public be getting excited about in 2012?

A: I'll say right away that there will be lots of books from other publishers that I'm sure will be great. Granta, for instance, are bringing out Denis Johnson's sensation Jesus' Son, an outright American classic that's been inexplicably out of print in the UK for many years. That's one of the best books I've ever read and everyone with any interest in good literature should read it.

From us there are lots I've enjoyed but for the sake of keeping it succinct I'll pick out four:
The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka
The Apartment by Greg Baxter
The Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane
Ancient Light by John Banville

These are very different but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend any to someone looking for something new to read.

Q: Thank you for your time!

A: Thanks for the questions!

Book review: A New History of Italian Renaissance Art

2012-02-11T09:00:00.000Z

By Stephen Campbell and Michael Cole
Published by Thames and Hudson

If you are looking for a book about Italian Renaissance art you will have a tough time choosing from the countless tomes that have been published on the subject. If you are looking for a book with gorgeous illustrations and an approach that will appeal to both students and non-specialist readers, you don’t have to look any further.

With the Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci gracing its cover, this newly published hardback is one not to miss.

The history of Italian Renaissance art – from the traditions of the Fourteenth century to the trends of the Seventeenth century – is explored chronologically in conveniently divided chapters. From painting and sculpture to architecture and decorative arts, Professors Stephen Campbell and Michael Cole place the artists and their works in a well-explained geographical and historical context.

The book also includes all those tools that you’d expect from a first-class reference book: glossary of terms, a comprehensive bibliography, a list of recommended reading and a very useful index, which I have already used to create a personalised Renaissance tour on paper of all my favourite Italian cities.

A New History of Italian Renaissance Art doesn’t simply aim to be an indispensable resource when it comes to this particular artistic era. It makes you feel a part of it!

Chris Womersley on writing Bereft

2012-02-10T09:00:00.004Z

Inspiration is a curious concept and when it comes to the writing of a novel it is, at least for me, not a singular thing. The etymology of the word ‘inspiration’ harks back to notions of inhaling something from without - a spiritual influence, a divine force. For those of us who are queasy about notions of divine visitation (how would God taste, after all?), it is still useful to think of such matters in this way, for it relieves us of the burden of genius. After all, a preparedness to fail is perhaps one of the writer’s most essential qualities; it’s always handy to have someone to blame for a lousy reception - as long as you’re also willing to share the credit should things go well.

For me there is rarely a single moment of inspiration but, rather, a series of small insights that coalesce over several months – sometimes years - into a bunch of characters living in a particular time and place, each of them with their own set of problems. These characters, the setting and their problems must be out of the ordinary, make me sit up and pay attention. After all, they have to intrigue me enough to want to spend several years of my life with them.

Novels emerge over time and for me the process is better likened to an archaeological dig more than anything. It begins with a feeling, a sense of something interesting beneath the ground. Activity is sparked by the discovery of a couple of shards that suggest to me that there might be a story somewhere beneath the surface: a character trait; a manner of walking; the image of an abandoned house I cannot shake; a tantalising what-if.

What if a man were to meet a young girl he came to believe was the ghost of his murdered sister? A time of great loss, right after World War I. During the Spanish flu pandemic, perhaps? There is a sense, for some, that the end of the world is at hand. A London séance? The man’s name is Quinn. He is injured, lonely, grief-stricken. She is wild, sassy, superstitious. Her name is always present, intrinsic to her character. She is called Sadie Fox. Each of them finds in the other a quality they themselves lack, as well as an aspect of someone they have lost. There is justice yet to be served.

Thus the premise for my novel Bereft was born several years ago.

But that, of course, is merely the beginning of having a novel ready for publication. What follows is, for me, a rather arduous process of trial and error, of poking around in the tunnels beneath the ground in search of useful trinkets, scraps of dialogue, of seams of meaning from which I can hopefully construct a narrative of sorts. There are moments of easy digging, when the way ahead seems obvious and certain. At other stages the ground is impossibly compact and defies progress, in which instance I might have to double back and seek a new direction. Sometimes the tunnels cannot hold and entire byways are closed down. I’m not a writer who is able to plan out a novel in advance, aside from the roughest of sketches. I have a sense of certain scenes, an ambience in which I wish the action to occur, the response I am seeking to evoke in a reader.

And, if I am lucky I can emerge after a few years from my various tunnels, having assembled the disparate shards into something with a compelling narrative, an urgency to the lives of my characters and – most important of all – a story that makes the reader desperate to turn the page.

Then I just have to write another one. Which reminds me … I’ve been thinking of a young man new to a city, a million-dollar art forgery scam, some charismatic criminals, a place called Cairo.

Inhale, exhale.

***

For a chance to win a copy of Bereft by Chris Womersley, please click here and fill in the form. The competition will close on the 15th March.

In conversation with... Liz Fielding

2012-02-07T09:00:00.006Z

Hello Liz! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of Flirting with Italian. Can you tell us what it is about?

A: Thanks so much for inviting me to visit with you…… Flirting With Italian is Sarah Gratton’s story. She’s just broken up with her fiancé (he fell in love with someone else) and is picking up her life pretty much back where she was when she first graduated as a teacher. Starting over with ambitions she’d put on hold. Since travelling was top of the list she takes a job teaching at an international school in Rome. While she’s in Italy, she’s eager to find out what happened to the woman who saved her great-grandfather’s life during the war.

With Valentine’s day approaching, Flirting with Italian sounds like the perfect book to think about romance. Did you have the plot entirely figured out when you started writing or did it develop before your eyes as the characters grew on the page?

A: I’m a punster rather than a plotter. My inspiration for this book came from hunting for my ancestors on Genes Reunited. I knew who my heroine was, knew she was going to Rome to find out what had happened to the woman who had saved her great-grandfather’s life during the war. But that wasn’t enough to sustain the story. She had to be doing something for herself. It was her great-grandfather – a feisty old guy – who suggested she needed a just-for-fun affair with a hot Italian lover to blow away the cobwebs of her lost love. Something to make her smile when she was old. The story grew from that.

You’re an established published writer: was this your dream while growing up? How did your first book deal come about?

A: I always wanted to write. As a kid I’d watch some great drama on the television and then go away and try to write something like it. Big ambitions, but sadly usually only a page or two to show for it. The dream didn’t go away, however, and eventually I started writing children’s stories for the BBC’s Listen With Mother, children’s picture papers and articles for magazines, but the book still called. It was an article about Charlotte Lamb and Anne Hampson in a national newspaper that drew me to romance and I knew I’d found my natural home.

Regardless of which of your previous novels won you the most awards (and you did win a lot!), is there any one in particular that are you fonder of?

A: As I look along the shelf, each of my books brings a little leap of pleasure, a warm memory about a hero or heroine I’ve particularly loved, but I have to say that of all of them I still want to just hug Matty Lang, the heroine of The Marriage Miracle.

She had made an appearance in an earlier book and nearly stole the show. I had to promise her a book of her own to make her behave, but honestly, I did not want to go there. I took me three years (and Matty’s continual nagging) before I found the courage to tackle a story I knew was going to stretch me until it hurt. She rewarded me with one of those very special, once in a lifetime books and earned herself a Rita® into the bargain. She also taught me a valuable lesson. To be fearless in my writing.

If you are already working on your next writing project, would you mind giving us a little anticipation of what we are to expect?

A: I’m just starting on the second story in what I hope will be a trilogy about the Amery sisters and their ice cream business Scoop!. Elle’s story, Tempted By Trouble, was published last year. Next up is Sorrel Amery – the sister who is going to be a millionaire by the time she’s twenty-five. She’s done her homework, knows all the moves and it’s all going swimmingly, but then someone throws a rock in the machine.

Due to the popularity of social networking websites, it seems that interacting with readers – be it via a Twitter account, a Facebook page, a blog etc. – is becoming increasingly important. How do you cope with these new demands on authors and do you think that they somehow disrupt your writing schedule?

A: It’s very easy to let FB, tweeting and chasing around the blogosphere eat into your writing day. I’ve just bought myself a timer to remind myself that half an hour is the limit. There is no point in having a great internet presence, everyone knowing your name, if you don’t get the books written.

What one fundamental piece of advice would you give to aspiring writers?

A: Just one? Write from the heart. Write what you want to read. Be honest. It will shine through.

And lastly, is there anything that you would like to share that I haven’t asked?

A: I have just distilled the essence of what I’ve learned in twenty years of publication into Liz Fielding’s Little Book of Writing Romance. It’s a hand in the dark for the aspiring writer, the book I wish I’d had when I started writing fiction. It would have saved me a lot of time.

You can follow Liz on Twitter and keep up-to-date with her latest news on her website.

And for a chance to win a copy of Flirting with Italian, click here and complete the form. The competition will close on the 20th February at 1pm.

Book review: The Two Week Wait

2012-02-02T09:00:00.001Z

By Sarah Rayner
Published by Picador

I read One Moment, One Morning, the novel that brought Sarah Rayner into the spotlight, over two years ago and I still praise and recommend it at any given occasion. That’s why I jumped at the opportunity of reading an early copy of her latest novel, The Two Week Wait.

Like its predecessor, The Two Week Wait focuses on important – and often controversial – issues: motherhood and infertility. And – now as before – Sarah Rayner excels at dealing with such personal matters with compassion and understanding.

In Yorkshire, Cath and Rich are married and want to build a family. After two years spent fighting cancer, Cath is now healthy but, as a consequence of the illness, she can’t have children. In Brighton, Lou and Adam are both gay, single and wanting a child.

For different reasons, time is running out for these four adults to fulfil their desire and create a new life. Thanks to the advances in fertility treatments, however, they are in a position to help each other through the egg-sharing plan offered by a London clinic.

That is how, without even meeting in person (which, by the way, was a great choice to avoid getting over-sentimental), the two couples of would-be parents set out on a parallel journey of hope and faith, which culminates in the two week wait of the title. This is the decisive period that follows the embryo transfer and that will confirm whether a woman is pregnant or not.

Regardless of how things turn out for Cath, Rich, Lou and Adam – I’m not going to spoil the surprise! – The Two Week Wait is a well-researched novel that has a lot to teach. And I’m not only referring to the concepts of IVF, egg sharing etc. Through characters such as Cath’s sister-in-law and Lou’s mother and sister, Sarah Rayner tackles the scepticism and criticism that are far from being uncommon where fertility treatments are concerned.

If you’ve read One Moment, One Morning, this novel will feel like meeting old friends. If you haven’t, you have two whole novels to discover and enjoy. In both cases, you’re in for a treat!

Reading challenge 2012: February submissions

2012-02-01T11:55:00.005Z

Welcome to a new month in the reading challenge 2012 on Book After Book!

So far, 23 people have signed up but don't worry if you're not one of them: there is still time to join. If you want to enjoy sharing your opinions about books with fellow readers, please click here and add your name to the list.

After that, all you need to do is spend pleasurable hours immersed in a book, write your thoughts on your blog (or GoodReads, Amazon etc.) and submit your link via the tool provided here month after month.

When submitting your review, please enter your name + title of the book + author of the book in the "Name" field. For example: BrightonBlogger, The Brave by Nicholas Evans. Thank you.

Please share the details of this challenge by talking about it on Twitter and Facebook, by displaying the logo on your sidebar etc. The more, the merrier!

To encourage your participation, author Nicola May has kindly agreed to offer three copies of her novel, Working It Out. The books will be awarded to three participants at the end of February, regardless of where they are based or how many books they will have read and reviewed by then (although one is the minimum requirement).

Happy reading and good luck!

Books through my lens #13

2012-01-31T09:00:00.000Z

The lens, this time, isn't actually mine! This picture was taken by my friend Jeane one fine morning as she was enjoying S. G. Browne's Fated and a cup of tea in Stratford, London. The bright colours, all those straight lines and the book catching the viewer's eye made for a great composition that I just had to share with all of you!

Jane Urquhart on writing Sanctuary Line

2012-01-25T09:00:00.003Z

One of the things that has always delighted me about writing novels is how astonished the author herself can sometimes be by the way a novel is conceived or by the way it ends. In an early novel, The Underpainter, for example, I was completely surprised and taken aback toward the conclusion of the first draft by what my male protagonist ultimately decided to do. And, yet, once I got over the shock, I realized that his act of unkindness was completely in character. It was about this time that I began to understand that I was writing about the world the way it is, not the way I want it to be, and that I would have to allow my characters to be themselves… not just an extensions of my own personality.

Once again in Sanctuary Line the end of the book was initially as much a surprise to me, the writer, as it has been for many readers. Writing is a very visual experience for me; I actually “see” what is going on while I am working. I knew that one more character would be entering the book in the final section , but the man I visualized stepping out of the car and walking down the lane was very different from the man my narrator had been building in her imagination, and different, therefore, from the man I had been expecting. This, of course, speaks to the unreliability of narrative, and especially the unrealistic and often negative fantasy dramas that we watch in our own inner theatres when we, like Liz my main character, are unhappy. Liz has just lost her beloved cousin Mandy in Afghanistan. Mandy was an officer and military strategist who was involved in a difficult love affair, and Liz, who has never met Mandy’s lover, begins to believe that he is the full personification of everything cruel, rigid, and brutal about military life. She quotes Sylvia Plath in her mind --- “the brute, brute, heart of a brute like you” --- and interprets his reported magnetism as the behaviour of a manipulator. In the end, she is surprised to discover that the actual man is utterly unlike her own demonized version.

Sometimes it seems that the whole world is devoted to the creation of one’s novel. I knew that one arm of Liz’s ancestral family, the Butlers, were going to be Irish lighthouse keepers. What I did not know was that in the midst of the first draft of the novel during a visit to Florida, I would come across Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, and how that lighthouse eventually would work its way into the book. It is a long way from Ireland to Florida and I had a fascinating time taking my characters there, and while I was taking them there, it seemed to me that the real reason I had come to Florida in the first place was to discover the lighthouse and create a story about it.

But the outside world had made contributions to Sanctuary Line from the beginning. I can recall with great clarity the day in late August when Sanctuary Line began to take shape. I was driving along the shore of Lake Ontario on a dusty rural road when I spotted a bright orange tree and pulled over the verge to examine it more carefully. What appeared to be a plethora of vibrantly coloured leaves was in fact a gathering of hundreds of thousands of monarch butterflies banding together in order to prepare for their annual migration to Mexico. During my childhood there had been a “butterfly tree” just like this on my family’s property, and each year we looked forward to the moment at the end of the summer when it was transformed by the monarchs. Both the tree and the butterflies had disappeared in recent years, so it was a great pleasure to know that elsewhere this miracle was still taking place.

I eventually pulled away from the tree and began to drive home. About two miles further down the road I noticed a field in which a number of seasonal migrant workers were harvesting strawberries. I realized that they too would be returning to Mexico in a week or so. By the time I got back to my office that afternoon, I knew a novel had been conceived. This was a surprise and a gift to me. I had not consciously been looking for a subject, but, once I started writing, it felt, somehow, as if the subject had been looking for me.

Jane Urquhart will be discussing her latest novel, Sanctuary Line, published by MacLehose Press, on Thursday 26th January from 10:30 – 12:00. For more details, please click here.

Book review: She’s Never Coming Back

2012-01-25T09:00:00.001Z

By Hans Koppel
Translated by Kari Dickson
Published by Sphere

It is safe to say that my choice of reading material is not usually truculent. That’s why I surprised myself when I decided to read a novel whose front cover prominently displays a quote describing it as a ‘terrifying crime novel’.

I started to read expecting the worse and - it being impossible to put the book down - a few hours later I was trying to understand what had hit me.

Let’s be clear: I loved this book and I’m grateful to Sphere for publishing this Swedish novel by author Karl Petter Lidbeck who, being a children’s literature author, decided to have it published under the pen name of Hans Koppel. I can see why he doesn’t want to have the two genres mixing on the bookshelves!

The plot is simple enough: one day after work, Ylva does not return home. When she hasn’t returned 24 hours later, her husband Mike starts to worry and calls the police. Ylva seems to have disappeared without a trace and, month after month, Mike and his daughter Sanna try to move on. All this without knowing that Ylva is being held captive in a house across the street. Ylva can’t reach her family but she can see her husband and her daughter on a TV screen installed in the cellar where she’s kept. That’s what you’d describe as twisting the knife in the wound, I suppose.

The kidnapping happens right at the beginning of the book, while the rest of the novel explores themes of despair and resignation – both Ylva’s and her husband’s – as well as vengeance and abuse. I’ve read reviews of this book that mention the horrible scenes of sexual humiliation and violence and, to be honest, I was surprised as they didn’t particularly stand out for me.

What I found terrifying was not, as I anticipated, the brutality of the events. It was more subtle than that and had to do with my own feelings towards the victim and the perpetrators. See, the fact is that the plot is not as simple as I had you believe at first but I can’t reveal too much without spoiling the surprise. Let’s just say that the more I got to know about Ylva, the less sympathetic I felt towards her. And, given her situation, that felt wrong. Or scary, in fact.

I will definitely be waiting for Koppel’s next translated novel.

In conversation with... Laura Wilkinson

2012-01-23T17:10:00.004Z

Hello Laura! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of BloodMining. Can you tell us what it is about?

A: Thank you. Primarily set in Wales in the not-too-distant future, it’s about a mother, Megan, whose son is diagnosed with a terminal, hereditary condition. A condition passed down the mother’s line. Buried family secrets are revealed during the search for a donor to save his life and Megan finds out the truth about her past, and its relationship with an appalling national tragedy.

This is your first published work of fiction. How did your book deal come about and how did you feel to finally see your first novel in print?

A: Unbelievable. It feels unbelievable, quite surreal. Even now, a year and a bit after receiving the call from Bridge House informing me that I’d won their debut novel competition and they’d like to publish the book. After a couple of other competition short listings and near misses with interested agents I’d consigned BloodMining to the ‘failed first novel’ drawer. So it’s amazing and, of course, utterly wonderful. Writing a novel involves dedication, commitment and a huge amount of hard work. After two years of writing and rewriting it’s also a relief to see it come to fruition – to know that the graft was not in vain. I feel so lucky and privileged that people will read my story.

The subject of motherhood is central to BloodMining. How much of what you wrote is autobiographical and how much is just the fruit of your imagination and research?

A: It is not autobiographical, I’m glad to say. I have two healthy boys and I hope never to confront anything as threatening to their well-being as my protagonist Megan does. Of course, I hope there is emotional truth in my character’s experiences and perhaps this would have been harder to achieve without the experience of motherhood myself, but perhaps not. The imagination is a powerful thing. Also, as I say in the extras bit at the back of the book, although BloodMining is in no way autobiographical it is fair to say that my life experience influenced the exploration of identity in the novel, and what it means to be a parent. Raised by a stepfather, I knew virtually nothing about my biological father until I was an adult. I could not have asked for a better father than the man who raised me, but had I had the opportunity of tracing my biological father, who knows what I would have done.

BloodMining is an intriguing title. Did the title come before or after the novel? Or perhaps it changed while the novel itself took form?

A: It came as the novel progressed through its many drafts. The working title during the early months of writing was Thicker than Water, but aware this was all wrong, it quickly morphed into Bloodlines. Sometime during draft three I did a search on Amazon which threw up numerous books called Bloodlines so I knew it had to change again. Also, Bloodlines felt too much like a crime novel. I wanted to keep ‘blood’ because it’s all about family, and identity, and ‘mining’ came after a long conversation with my sister (they call it brainstorming in business circles, don’t they?), principally because Megan has to dig deep to unearth the truth.

If you are already working on your next writing project, would you mind giving us a little anticipation of what we are to expect?

A: Not at all. Novel #2 follows the relationship between a deformed boy and a beautiful, psychologically damaged woman, an artist. One is on a quest to look ‘normal’, the other is experimenting with cosmetic surgery as a means of artistic expression. It’s set in Manchester in the 1980s and London in the 90s. It’s pretty dark, though there’s humour in there too.

Due to the popularity of social networking websites, it seems that interacting with readers – be it via a Twitter account, a Facebook page, a blog etc. – is becoming increasingly important. How do you cope with these new demands on authors and do you think that they somehow disrupt your writing schedule?

A: I’m a big fan of Twitter, as well as Facebook and other networking websites. As well as connecting with readers – and it’s fantastic to get reader feedback this way - I have made some really good writing buddies. But, you need to be disciplined. Social networks are beasts that need feeding. It’s all too easy to allow them to become very, very greedy and eat away your writing time. Especially if, like me, you have other jobs as well as writing.

On my writing days I am rigorous about the amount of time I spend on Twitter et al. When I am writing nothing gets in the way. I turn off Outlook, Tweetdeck and Explorer, and only put them back on once I have my target word count, or I’ve edited three chapters, or whatever goal I have set myself. On other days, when I tend to write in the evening once my kids are in bed, I dedicate an hour or so (sometimes more, sometimes less) after supper to networking while my boys are playing or just hanging out.

What one fundamental piece of advice would you give to aspiring writers?

A: Read, read, read. Especially in your chosen genre.

And lastly, is there anything that you would like to share that I haven’t asked?

A If you are a reader, please do seek out and support the independent presses. There’s some great work out there, but it’s hard to find because the small houses don’t have the marketing budgets that the big six do, who can get their books into the shop fronts, on the three-for-two tables and so on. Some smaller houses to look out for are: Myriad (Brighton-based), Tindall Street, Arcadia, Seren, Honno, Sandstone and Alma. There are many more, but it’ll take too long here.

If you’re an unpublished writer, keep at it. Practise your craft and keep submitting. And good luck!

You can follow Laura on Twitter and keep up-to-date with her latest news on her website.

And for a chance to win a copy of BloodMining, click here and complete the form. The competition will close on the 6th February at 1pm.

Kimberly Menozzi: Cappuccino, Anytime

2012-01-22T09:00:00.000Z

If I say to someone back home in the US that my day job is working as an English teacher, certain expectations might leap to mind. For instance, they might picture a room with neat and orderly rows of desks with young children or teenagers seated in them, either a chalkboard or whiteboard on the wall, perhaps even a bell which rings to denote the start and end of a lesson.

While this is not too far off the mark for some teachers, for me, it's almost completely wrong.

I teach English as a Second Language (ESL) here in Italy – and most of my students haven't been teenagers, much less children, for a good long while. I don't have a classroom filled with desks, or a bell to tell me when to start and/or stop the lesson. The only times I get to use a whiteboard are when I'm teaching at the school itself – and sometimes not even then.

Instead, I get to travel (in my case, this means walk) around the city, visiting different offices for an array of businesses including banks and fashion houses. I teach groups and individuals alike, and sometimes I'm lucky enough to develop a real rapport with my students, which makes all the walking around – in rain, snow, wind, and sun – worth it.

One student in particular stands out in my memory for a number of reasons. His English was remarkably good, his vocabulary quite substantial. He worked for a bank where I had many other students, and we met twice a week for two hours per lesson. Since he was already well-versed in legal terms in English, we had little need for lessons on that subject. It wasn't long before our grammar lessons all but ceased and we began having conversations about his interests outside of work – many of which we had in common.

One afternoon I arrived and sat in the reception area, waiting for him to show me to whatever meeting room we would be occupying for the lesson. When he emerged from the stairwell, however, I was somewhat dismayed to see he already had his coat on.

Great, he's a no-show, then.

I stood to greet him as he approached, one hand extended to me. He smiled, his bald head gleaming in the last of the daylight filtering through the picture windows. "Hello, Kimberly," he said and I couldn't help smiling back at him, even though I was ruing the fact that I'd walked all the way across town only to have him cancel our lesson at the last minute. At least I'd still get paid.

"Hello," I said as his hand engulfed mine. "Do you have a meeting?"

"Oh, no. I thought we'd do something different," he said, already leading me toward the front doors and the city street beyond them.

Hmmm.

"What's that, then?"

"I thought we could talk over coffee, today."

As we stepped back out into the cold and strolled across the street to the nearest coffee bar, he explained that all the meeting rooms were occupied and he'd forgotten to reserve one after our previous lesson.

No harm done, then.

I stepped into the bar while he held the door for me. The interior was classic Italian: all terra-cotta flooring, red paint and dark wood trim, filled with employees from the local businesses and, of course, from the bank itself. Two patrons had even brought their dogs in out of the frosty December air, and the tiny terrier and shih-tzu were getting to know each other with amiable sniffs amidst the bustling crowd dressed in designer suits and elegant tailleur.

As usual, I felt completely out of place.

"So what would you like? A cappuccino, I bet. Women love cappuccino."

I had to laugh. "That would be fine. Thanks."

He looked around, spotted a table, and pointed it out to me. "Why not grab that one for us?"

I nodded and went to the table, where I watched him shove his way between a couple of men in expensive suits to place our order. I noted the cashier near the door, checked the price of the cappuccino on the board and felt in my pocket for the change I'd put there before leaving for work. Luckily I'd brought enough with me to pay for this unexpected treat.

A few minutes later he joined me, placing the cups on the chest-high table where I stood. "Do you want sugar?"

"I can get it," I said, already moving toward the counter.

He stopped me, shaking his head. "No, I'll do it. It's too crowded in here."

In spite of myself, I acquiesced and found I was quite pleased that he would do this for me. I was used to my husband doing these little tasks – ordering my drink or meal, retrieving a packet or two of sugar, whatever – but to have a student doing so felt especially nice. This simple display of chivalry made something of an impression on me.

He returned with several packets of both white and brown sugar and placed them next to my cup and saucer. As I tore open the brown sugar packets and poured them carefully into the center of the foam atop my drink, I watched him drink his espresso. He took a gulp which was probably half the contents of the cup. He hadn't added any sugar – the thought of the hot, bitter taste gave me a small shiver in spite of the close warmth of the café.

"Okay," I said, "I have to ask you something."

"All right, what is it?"

"It's about cappuccino. I've always heard one shouldn't order a cappuccino after eleven a.m., yet you suggested it to me right away. Why is that?"

He smiled at me while I took a sip of my drink. "There are some people who say that, it's true. I don't. Did you ever ask your husband about that 'rule'?"

"Yes, I did. He said it wasn't true, too. But I always hear it – from guidebooks and travel programs, mostly, but also from other expats who've lived here a long time."

"Do you like the cappuccino?" he asked.

"I do. I prefer it."

"Then drink the cappuccino." He bolted back the rest of his espresso so there was scarcely a trace of the crema left behind. "Maybe don't have it after dinner. It might affect your digestion."

"Okay."

We continued chatting for a few minutes while I finished my drink and then we made our way toward the cashier and the door. I dug my coin purse out of my pocket and he reached out one hand to stop me.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm paying for my order."

"No, you're not." He gestured at the woman behind the cassa and she nodded, making a note next to the register. "You're my guest. I invited you, so I pay."

"Fair enough, I guess. But I'll pay next time."

"No," he said, his breath turning to fog as we stepped out into a street brightened with festive holiday lights.

"Why not? We should take turns."

"No. You're a lady, and I'm a man. You're the teacher, and I'm the student. I will pay."

"So much for equality of the sexes," I said with a small laugh. "Even if it's hard for me to mind too much, in this case."

He laughed too and, since the front entrance of the bank was now closed for business, we strolled around to the back to go in and continue our lesson.

From that evening on, every lesson began with a coffee at one of the nearby cafés. We'd have a casual chat about anything but work and we'd have a hot drink before going back inside the centuries-old palazzo which housed the bank. He always paid. I always had a cappuccino.

I still do, too. Anytime I want one.

***

Kimberly Menozzi has her own website and can be contacted via Facebook and Twitter too. What more could you possibly want?

New Beginnings – Nicola May on self-publishing

2012-01-20T09:00:00.000Z

This time last year, I wasn’t Nicola May, author of chick lit novels. I was just Nicola - friend, sister, aunt, and daughter. My friends and family of course knew I had written books, but the wider world had not even heard of me.

I was at home recovering from major surgery and in the midst of a split from my long term partner when I decided to go through the pile of rejection letters I had built up from agents and publishers over the years. Yes, I know how to make myself feel better!

Coming across my ‘favourite’ rejection letter from a large publisher, saying they hoped it wasn’t a big mistake turning Working it Out down I thought sod it. I have nothing to lose by publishing myself. And there, my own story began!

I researched how to go about publishing your own novel and then that was it - I was on a mission to get my writing out to the masses. My friend Steve offered to design the cover and my website for free and another friend recommended a printing company where I could get just a few copies printed initially to test the water.

Without a budget for advertising, selling my work was up to me. I got in touch with the local papers and local radio station and arranged a live interview. I also organised an official launch in a local bar and used social media sites to create a fan base. I had such a positive response that I soon sold out of my first 100 copies and have since gone on to sell 1400 more.

I would love a major publisher to recognise my talent this year. Self-publishing is hard work, promotion takes up a lot of time and I would rather put all my energies in to the writing itself.
However, I do not regret for one minute setting out on this path and I am enjoying every minute of it.

Nicola May, author of Working it Out, Star Fish (out in print on Feb 1st) and Better Together.

To win one of three copies of Working it Out, please join my reading challenge 2012 and submit a book review by the end of February. For more details, please click here.

Green Books - a new monthly feature

2012-01-19T10:53:00.000Z

Reading and the environment are two of my greatest interests, so I was delighted when Silvia invited me to write a series of monthly blog-posts here on green issues and reading.

Even in these days of the internet, books are often the best way to learn about nature and environmental issues, so I'll share some of my favourite books on these topics.

Many a nature-lover must mourn the number of trees cut down to make books so I'll write about ways in which the publishing industry is trying to become greener. I'll also compare books and electronic reading devices to investigate their relative carbon footprints.

And what happens when books become literally unreadable? I'll look at some examples of book art, including the mysterious book sculptures that have been delighting literary Edinburgh for the past year or so.

I'll also share some ideas for how to find inspiration if you want to write about nature and environmental issues.

So, here's looking forward to the next six months of green reading!

Juliet
Crafty Green Poet

Books through my lens #12

2012-01-17T17:07:00.003Z

After a long walk in the countryside, from and to Steyning via Chanctonbury, The Steyning Bookshop (106 High Street, Steyning, West Sussex, BN44 3RD; 01903 812062) was like a mirage. I could already feel the warmth of books spreading through my cold limbs. Unfortunately, it was a Sunday and the bookshop was closed. As well as the beauty of the West Sussex landscape, a quick peek through the windows convinced me that I will have to go back!

Event review: Sir Frederick Ashton's Romeo and Juliet

2012-01-17T09:00:00.000Z

The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, the two star-crossed lovers, is world renowned and holds a special place in my heart as it was the first Shakespeare play that I ever read. I must have been about 15 when, after a couple of years of learning English, I decided that it was time to put all abridged versions for teenagers aside and get on with the real thing.

I will always be grateful to the Mondadori bilingual edition for allowing me to navigate the language of the Bard with the help of Alfredo Orbetello’s translation. There must have been more recent translations but this first copy of Romeo and Juliet is the one I keep going back when I need to restore my faith in romantic love. I mean, I dare anyone to read it and not feel something shift deep inside!

It might be the understatement of the year, but Romeo and Juliet would not be the success it is without Shakespeare’s genius as a wordsmith. That’s why my curiosity was instantly awakened when I heard that the Peter Schaufuss Ballet would come to Brighton in December to perform Sir Frederick Ashton’s production of Romeo and Juliet.

How was the Danish choreographer going to express the passion that drives all of the Shakespearian characters - from the two lovers to Mercutio and Tybalt - without words?

That was the answer! The simplicity - sparseness, even - of the stage made you focus all your attention on the dancers, whose movements - essential and, if you allow me, almost minimalist - powerfully conveyed emotions in their rawest form, underlined by the music written by Sergei Prokofiev and played live by the orchestra, masterfully directed by Igor Shavruk.

I greatly enjoyed Johan Christensen and his feisty rendition of Tybalt but - whenever they were on stage - I couldn’t take my eyes off Stefan Wise and Megumi Oki in the role of Romeo and Juliet. Naïve, determinate, passionate, desperate… the vibes coming from the stage were so intense and emotional that the final scene in the crypt left me in tears.

Another success for Peter Schaufuss, who also made a cameo appearance as Friar Laurence.

To learn more about the Peter Schaufuss Ballet, please click here, while to read online or download a copy of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, visit the Project Gutenberg website via this link.

Elsewhere in the web...

2012-01-15T08:55:00.001Z

World Literature Weekend

World Literature Weekend, a celebration of foreign literature, which involves both writer and translator.

MEET JANE URQUHART!

2012-01-13T15:04:00.005Z

Fans of Canadian writer, Jane Urquhart, are invited to hear her discuss her latest novel, Sanctuary Line (published by MacLehose Press/ Jan ’12/ £16.99 hardback), on Thursday 26th January from 10:30 – 12:00.

You will have the opportunity to talk with her after the event whilst refreshments are served.

This event will be hosted by the Canadian High Commission, who, for security reasons, ask that you make sure to RSVP to the address featured on the invitation: academic.london@international.gc.ca.

The people behind the books - Q&A

2012-01-12T09:00:00.002Z

Welcome to a new monthly feature that will see me interviewing all those people who work in close contact with authors to make their books known and successful.

First up is Emily Burns, who you can also follow on Twitter.

Q: Hello Emily! First of all, thank you very much for agreeing to answer my questions! You look after Constable and Robinson’s fiction imprint, Corsair, whose first titles – if I’m not mistaken - were published in 2010. Were you there to see the first steps in the life of the imprint or did you join the team at a later time?

A: Hello and thank you for asking me! That’s right; I look after the fiction list Corsair at Constable and Robinson, which launched in April 2010 with just four titles. I joined Constable and Robinson in August 2010, so was introduced to the list through books such as The Privileges by Jonathan Dee and The Seas by Samantha Hunt. It was such a new imprint that it was thrilling to help it to grow.

After the success of the literary fiction imprint, Corsair, we have recently announced the launch of our commercial fiction imprint, Canvas in December 2011. I have been involved with Canvas since the very beginning, in everything from logo design to new acquisitions.

Q: I read a short outline of what your job entails and was massively impressed. You must be a good multi-tasker! Would you mind describing to our readers what you do on a typical day? Is there a particular activity that you especially look forward to?

A: You have to be a great multi-tasker to do this job! Day to day, my role is heavily focused on author management, media relations and devising, implementing and managing traditional, digital and e-PR campaigns. I also generate and foster review and feature coverage, plan publicity tours and launches, negotiate serial rights and manage embargoes as well as developing the reputation and visibility of the Corsair and Canvas imprints.

Other day to day responsibilities include writing press material, maintaining databases, overseeing events and helping to develop junior members of the publicity team.

Q: What kind of journey led you to being a fiction publicist? As a book-lover, your job sounds absolutely perfect. What kind of advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue the same career?

A: I didn’t always work in publishing. When I started out in public relations it was in the world of consumer PR; I worked with fashion and lifestyle brands - everything from Levi’s to Nike. I did however do a lot of unpaid work experience during all university holidays and would certainly recommend getting as much experience as you can at a publishing house. Try to attend as many book launches/literary events and festivals as you can, most local libraries have author talks and signings!

It seems obvious, but a love of reading is essential, you have no idea how much you will read. Consume as many books, magazines and newspapers as you can! If you’re thinking about working in publishing you will need to be extremely organized, have good copy writing and team interaction skills as well as the ability to work independently. You’ll need to be able to multitask, work to tight deadlines and remain calm under pressure - publishing is a very competitive industry so a thick skin and determination helps. And most importantly, don’t give up!

Q: Going to festivals and literary events around the country sounds more like a treat than a work demand… lucky you! What is your favourite festival and why?

A: It is a treat and I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to attend so many festivals already, I haven’t been to all of the literary festivals so I couldn’t name my favourite (yet!) but so far Edinburgh Festival has an incredibly exciting line up and is always such fun. I also really love the alternative literary events like the Shoreditch House Literary Salon and 5x15- they’re a really great night out!

Q: I still remember my first embarrassing encounter with my favourite author. And I still can’t quite believe that writers, who in my world are almost god-like figures, would accept to be interviewed or reviewed by me… So, I wonder: do you ever get star-struck? Is there any author that you’d love to work with?

A: I got a little bit star struck when I met Howard Jacobson; I had just started working in publishing and had admired his work from afar so I was a bit bashful when he turned up at my launch!

There are too many authors to name but a few that I would love to work with include Karen Russell (author of Swamplandia), Andrea Levy, Joanne Harris (Five Quarters of the Orange is one of my favourite books!), Khaled Hosseini, Ian McEwan and Louis de Bernières.

Q: What is the fondest memory of your career in publishing so far?

A: I think my fondest memory so far is of the office toasting Jennifer Egan when she won the Pulitzer Prize and again when she was chosen for the Channel 4 TV Book Club! It’s wonderful to see a book that the entire office is behind thrive and become a phenomenal success.

Q: And lastly, what should the great reading public be getting excited about in 2012?

A: There are so many great books being published in 2012, for me, the two I’m most excited about working on having recently read them are Galore by Michael Crummey and Northwest Corner by John Burnham Schwartz. They are both incredibly beautiful and entirely different from one another and anything else I’ve read in a long time. With all things Dickens looking set to reign in 2012, I am also excited about Tom-All-Alone’s by Lynn Shepherd, it’s an incredible reimagining of the Dickens classic Bleak House...but better!

Book review: Seven Days One Summer

2012-01-11T09:50:00.003Z

By Kate Morris
Published by Short Books

As the gorgeous cover suggests, Seven Days One Summer is one of those novels that are best enjoyed on holiday, possibly while lounging around the swimming pool. Because I’m a rebel, I decided to read it in winter!

The pro was that I could close my eyes and almost picture myself walking under the Italian summer sun, exploring little village markets, savouring quality food and relaxing with a book at the pool side. The con was that only the fictional characters were actually doing that.

Kate Morris’s talent, however, is not only to be found in the description of places and meals. While developing her novel, she had the ability to identify the people who would normally be less likely to get along and she put them in the same villa for a week.

The events are narrated by Jen, who was invited to spend a week at the villa by Sam, an old friend who also happens to be the man she was in love with for a very long time. Has he ever loved her? Does he love her now? Despite being accompanied by her long-term partner and their son and wanting this holiday to be a fresh start for their strained relationship, these questions seem to be extremely important for her.

For this reason, as well as for other contradictory traits of her personality, I found it impossible to warm to the narrator and I wonder whether I might have preferred a less partial recounting of the events.

The other guests included a newly-married couple, a soon-to-be-married couple and a divorced, ego-centric actor with his two small children. Eight adults, three children, a peculiar housekeeper and a lot of unresolved issues concerning motherhood, marriage, friendship and loyalty. Spats, reconciliations, near-death experiences… a week can be very long!

I felt more like one of the characters trapped in a villa with people they don’t like than a mere spectator and this is, I believe, why the book works.

Kate Morris has recently agreed to answer a few of my questions, click here to read our exchange.

In conversation with... Emlyn Rees

2012-01-10T09:00:00.000Z

Hello Emlyn! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on your latest novel, Hunted. Can you tell us what it is about?

A: Hunted tells the story of Danny Shanklin, a hostage negotiator, who finds himself the subject of the biggest televised manhunt in history. After going to a business meeting in the Ritz hotel in London, he blacks out and wakes to find himself dressed in a balaclava, a red-and-white striped tracksuit and a brand new pair of Nikes, with a high-powered rifle in his hands.
Looking outside, he sees a burning diplomatic limousine and dead civilians all over the street. With the police closing in, and only his best friend and tech guy, the Kid, for backup, Danny has to find out who’s set him up and why - but with 500,000 CCTV cameras, 33,000 cops, 9 intelligence agencies, and dozens of TV news channels all hot on his tail, just how long will this one innocent man be able to survive?

How did the idea for this novel develop?

A: Back, back, back in the mists of time, before I started writing rom coms with Josie Lloyd (which I did for ten years), I wrote thrillers. Jo and I only ever planned to write one book together and I was then going to go back to writing action and suspense. When I ended up writing comedies full time, I kept on writing suspense and action short stories in my own time, and Danny Shanklin started recurring as a hero in them. I finally came up with a storyline for him - the one that appears in Hunted - which I knew was big enough, and exciting enough, to be a novel. That’s when I sat down and started writing it. It was a pretty hands on and intense experience after that.

Hunted is the first instalment in a new thriller series starring Danny Shanklin. When will we be able to read more of his adventures?

A: While I wanted to give Hunted a satisfying ending for any reader, I also wanted it to finish with something of a cliffhanger too, so that hopefully it would leave people wanting to read more, and that equally a sequel would be something I’d be itching to write. I’m working on that sequel, Wanted, now and am hoping to have it finished just after Christmas. Meaning it’ll be out in hardback in the UK in September next year.

What kind of research goes into your novels? Do you complete all of your research in advance so that you can then dive into the writing process undisturbed or is it more a research-as-you-go sort of process?

A: I’ve always read a lot of thrillers and I’m a complete news junkie, so a lot of what I end up writing is already in my head anyway. Like most writers I know, I’ve also cultivated a few ‘expert’ friends over the years. There’s a lot of cutting edge military and surveillance technology in Hunted. That’s largely down to a couple of friends who I acknowledge in the book for their help. It was very much a case me saying to them, ‘I really want to use something like this - but does it, or could it exist?’ It was really important for me that whatever I was writing was plausible. I didn’t want to write a movie-style James Bond. I wanted to write an explosive story that actually could happen in the real world. I think that always makes for a much more engaging read. And I hope - thanks to my mates - I’ve pulled that off as best as I can.

Hunted would translate incredibly well into film. Have there been any talks about a possible adaptation for the small or big screen?

A: Yes (he said excitedly!), we are in talks with a feature film company now. That said, I did once have a film made of a comedy I wrote with Josie Lloyd and so know that these things can take a heck of a long time (and not even be very pleasing when they actually happen), so I’m trying to keep a tight lid on my expectations at the moment. That said, I would love to see Hunted on the big screen. And not just for the popcorn. I very much ‘saw’ it as a moving action piece while I was writing it, so it would be a lot of fun getting to see how it might actually look as a real film, not just one in my head.

Due to the popularity of social networking websites, it seems that interacting with readers – be it via a Twitter account, a Facebook page, a blog etc. – is becoming increasingly important. How do you cope with these new demands on authors and do you think that they somehow disrupt your writing schedule?

A: I love getting feedback. Good and bad. No book is perfect and writing is a continual learning process. Hearing what people liked and what they don’t is a great help if you’re trying to make each book better than the last.
What I love most about modern social media is that the feedback you get can be a proper real time dialogue. You can learn an awful lot about what you’re doing right and wrong fast. Plus, I think readers are a lot more honest than your family and friends when it comes to feedback. They’re much more likely to tell you the truth.
As far as disruption goes, the internet can certainly eat into your writing time if you let it. What I find works is to set aside a part of your writing time for researching online or talking to other writers and readers etc, but for your actual writing time you’re better off making sure your access to the net is cut off. You’ll get a lot more actual writing done that way, I think.

What one fundamental piece of advice would you give to those who want to follow in your footsteps?

A: I wouldn’t really advise anyone to follow in another writer’s footsteps. Instead the one bit of writing advice I’d give anyone is to do your own thing. Write the kind of book you want to read, the kind that meshes with your interests, the kind that’ll fit your writing style, and most of all the kind you’re going to feel passionate about. Writing a novel is a pretty intense thing to do. It can be as knackering as it is fulfilling. And so you’ve got to have that passion and drive right there at the start in bucket loads to carry you through.

And lastly, is there anything that you would like to share that I haven’t asked?

A: My tip for making a perfect chilli. Always marinade the meat in lager for two to three hours before you cook it. Works every time. And here’s a photo of me coming a (valiant!) fourth in this years Brighton Fiery Food Chilli Eating Festival just to prove I do know what I’m talking about. (I’m the bald one on the left.)

You can follow Emlyn Rees on Twitter and learn more about Hunted here.

And for a chance to win one of two copies of Hunted, click here and complete the form. The competition will close on the 23rd January at 1pm.

Reading challenge 2012: January submissions

2012-01-09T11:10:00.009Z

Happy new year and welcome to the new reading challenge 2012 on Book After Book!

So far, 19 people have signed up but don't worry if you're not one of them: there is still time to join. If you want to enjoy sharing your opinions about books with fellow readers, please click here and add your name to the list.

After that, all you need to do is spend pleasurable hours immersed in a book, write your thoughts on your blog (or GoodReads, Amazon etc.) and submit your link via the tool provided here month after month.

When submitting your review, please enter your name + title of the book + author of the book in the "Name" field. For example: BrightonBlogger, The Brave by Nicholas Evans. Thank you.

Please share the details of this challenge by talking about it on Twitter and Facebook, by displaying the logo on your sidebar etc. The more, the merrier!

To encourage your participation, author Nicola May has kindly agreed to offer three copies of her novel, Working It Out. The books will be awarded to three participants at the end of February, regardless of where they are based or how many books they will have read and reviewed by then (although one is the minimum requirement).

Happy reading and good luck!

LGBT challenge - December winner

2012-01-03T13:31:00.002Z

December is over and so is the LGBT reading challenge 2011... thank you ever so much for participating! I hope you have enjoyed reading, reviewing and sharing your thoughts!

So, for one last time, please follow this link and catch up with all latest reviews!

And now, the long-awaited moment of the prize draw!

The lucky reviewer who, courtesy of Serpent's Tail, will receive a copy of Femmes of Power by Del LaGrace Volcano and Ulrika Dahlis is:

Juliet, who read and reviewed Nights Beneath the Nation by Denis Kehoe and The Mammoth Book of Lesbian Erotica edited by Barbara Cardy.

"Italy in Books": December winner

2012-01-03T11:56:00.007Z

December is over and so is the "Italy in Books" reading challenge 2011... thank you ever so much for participating!

I hope you have enjoyed reading, reviewing and sharing your thoughts! A few books made recurrent appearances and I like to think that this was because you were inspired by other people's reviews, in the true spirit of the reading challenge!

So, for one last time, please follow this link and catch up with all latest reviews!

And now, the long-awaited moment of the prize draw!

The lucky reviewer who, courtesy of Peirene Press, will receive a copy of Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman by Friedrich Christian Delius is:

Juliet, who read and reviewed Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel and Miss Garnet's Angel by Salley Vickers.

Books through my lens #11

2012-01-03T09:00:00.002Z

The distinctive colourful country names on a white background of Mondadori's travel guides conjure up images of distant places and fun-filled days. This picture was taken while on holiday in Italy - without one such guide. If you ever end up in Lido degli Estensi, I highly recommend the libreria Le Querce, which was like a mirage on a rainy November evening at the deserted seaside resort.

My top 5 reads of 2011

2011-12-30T09:00:00.000Z

The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O'Farrell
Published by Headline Review

Unbearable Lightness by Portia De Rossi
Published by Simon & Schuster

The Brave by Nicholas Evans
Published by Little, Brown

Interpreters by Sue Eckstein
Published by Myriad Editions

The Empty Nesters by Nina Bell
Published by Sphere

Book review: Lizzie Siddal

2011-12-29T09:00:00.003Z

By Lucinda Hawksley
Published by Andre Deutsch Ltd

It was the year 1996. I was in London for the first time when I saw her at the Tate Britain. For some time I would simply think of her as the model for John Everett Millais’s haunting Ophelia. But she had a name, that peculiarly beautiful woman: Elizabeth Siddall or, as she was later known, Lizzie Siddal.

In Lizzie Siddal: The Tragedy of a Pre-Raphaelite Supermodel, British biographer and author Lucinda Hawksley uses her talent as a writer to bring Lizzie to life and narrate her fascinating ascent to fame. To do so, she combines her storytelling skills with the words of the people who knew her. It’s not just a woman, who arises from the page, it’s the whole Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the people who followed and were connected to the artists of the group.

Similar to Mary Benson’s biography, which I read earlier on this year, this work of non-fiction reads like a novel and keeps you hooked from start to finish. Friendship, love, betrayal, obsession, success, addiction… In the nineteenth-century, Lizzie’s brief life certainly had all the ingredients of a modern best-seller.

Enriched by photos, reproductions of paintings, extracts from letters and poems, Lucinda Hawksley’s book will be appreciated both by art lovers and anybody who enjoys reading about strong women and their extraordinary lives.

In conversation with... Kate Morris

2011-12-27T15:16:00.000Z

Hello Kate! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of your latest novel, Seven Days One Summer. Can you tell us what it is about?

A: It’s about a group of people sharing a holiday villa together and how all their lives change in subtle and different ways over the seven days they are together. The one thing they have in common is that they all know the host, Sam.

I can’t wait to read it! Did you have the plot entirely figured out when you started writing or did it develop before your eyes as the characters grew on the page?

A: I was interested in the idea of what goes on with people when the usual social veneer slips away, as it must do when people are thrown together. In Seven Days One Summer, old rivalries begin to emerge, relationships are questioned, and unrequited love is painfully brought to the surface. I started with that theme, and the plot and characters developed as I began to write.

Seven Days One Summer is set in Italy, which, incidentally, is where I come from! Why did you choose this country?

A: I have always loved Italy. I lived in Rome for a short period in my twenties, and it remains, to this day, my favourite city. I love the Italian language, which is sensual and lyrical to listen to. I also love Italian food, Italian cities, Italian countryside – everything about it.

Due to the popularity of social networking websites, interacting with readers – be it via a Twitter account, a Facebook page etc. – is becoming increasingly important. How do you cope with these new demands on authors and do you think that they somehow disrupt your writing schedule?

A: This is a good question. I found myself doing much of my own marketing on facebook and twitter when the book came out and was agitated that days were slipping away without me actually getting down to work. But authors have to play this game today. It is what is expected.

You used to write a marriage column for the Times and you have a blog. Do you think that diversifying your writing is the secret to keep your fictional works fresh and exciting?

A: I’m not sure that writing articles and blogs is the way to keep my writing fresh, but writing a column is a good discipline and I like having a break from the huge task of novel writing. The regular income helps too.

What is your one fundamental piece of advice for aspiring writers?

A: Read.

And lastly, is there anything that you would like to share that I haven’t asked?

A: I would just like to thank you for inviting me to answer these questions!

Thank you for your time!

And now, for a chance to win one copy of Seven Days One Summer, click here and complete the form. The competition is open to UK readers only and will close on the 9th January at 1pm.

Merry Christmas 2011!

2011-12-25T02:00:00.000Z

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

WISHING YOU LOTS OF BOOKS UNDER THE TREE!

HAPPY READING!

Kimberly Menozzi and... December 23rd

2011-12-22T11:00:00.000Z

It's December and here you will find the last instalment in the Senza Ali e Senza Rete series, our monthly piece of Italy as kindly offered by author Kimberly Menozzi.

I don't know about you, but I will definitely miss this appointment on the 22nd of every month...

My letter to Santa included a whole new series of exclusive guest blogs penned by Mrs Menozzi. Will my wish be granted? We can only wait and see...

In the meantime, please let Kimberly feel your love by leaving a comment below!

December 23rd, 2003

I am finally here.

My plane lands in darkness, the runway lights looking hazy in the light fog, and I sit quietly in my assigned seat wondering: What happens now? What lies ahead of me?

I wait for everyone around me to gather their things before I stand and get my own bag from the overhead compartment. I look out the windows as I walk to the doors and take a deep breath when I reach the metal stairs there.

I am shaking. I haven't seen him in nearly four months. I grasp the cold metal handrail and descend on unsteady legs.

Even the air smells different, even though I've been breathing recycled air in one form or another since I arrived in Atlanta nearly two days ago. Or was it only one day? What day is it, now?

After spending about twelve hours in Gatwick waiting for my flight to Bologna, after flying about seven hours from the US to London, after several hours in the airport in Atlanta, after five hours of driving from my home to the airport…

Time doesn't mean anything, now.

I follow the people ahead of me to the buses waiting on the tarmac in the freezing cold. We pile in and I feel a momentary urge to cry. I am tired and a little scared, too. I've never done anything like this in my whole life. I am thrilled and intimidated all at once.

All around me conversations ebb and flow, a still-foreign tongue surrounding me. How will I ever learn this? Will those words ever make sense to me?

The bus stops with a jolt and I try to make myself small so the people can get out around me. I follow the crowd inside the automatic doors and I see the signs for Passport Control and the indications for EU citizens and others.

I go forward, wait. Step, step, pause. Watch. Listen. Wonder.

Somewhere my suitcase – loaded until it was ready to burst at the seams – is being unloaded onto a conveyor belt. I have to collect it.

Crap. Customs! Do I need to worry about Customs? What is it called here?

I'm so unprepared. What was I thinking? Why can't he be here with me?

Step, step, pause.

My turn. I hand over my passport, hating my picture and knowing that it's the most accurate image of me after so much travel, and so much waiting. The agent looks at the picture, looks at me, stamps the random page with a flourish and slides the passport back. He doesn't say anything, just nods and tilts his head toward the baggage claim.

It's late, maybe after eleven p.m. I didn't set my watch correctly.

I go to the conveyor belt where passengers I recognize are standing. This airport seems so tiny after Gatwick. There's no sign of activity beyond the flaps where the bags will come out. The people around me are chatting calmly, so this must not be unusual.

Again, I sniff the air. A hint of cigarette smoke is coming in from somewhere. I shrug the thought away.

Under my coat I'm warm, where it's open I'm chilled. I spy Christmas wrapping paper in some of the shopping bags and backpacks of my fellow passengers. Before I left home, he told me that the Christmas present I ordered for him is already here. It was expensive, but worth it, I think.

The belt jumps to life with a low grinding of gears just as I notice a policeman with a German Shepherd dog on a leash. The animal is sniffing around, investigating, inspecting. The policeman is handsome beneath his black cap.

Looking around at the other passengers, I find myself thinking that they don't look like I thought they would. But I didn't really expect them to look any particular way, either.

I turn back to the conveyor belt and watch for my bag. Long after nearly everyone else is gone, it finally comes around, looking none-the-worse for wear. I collect it and orient myself.

The exit is that way.

Clumsily dragging my bag along behind me, I go to the doors which slide open with a soft "whump" to reveal rows of seats facing my way. There are people scattered about, some right in the path of people exiting, exchanging hugs and greetings and chattering loudly to one another.

Panic tightens my chest. Where is he? He has come to pick me up, hasn't he? Will I recognize him? Is it possible that I might have forgotten his face? What is wrong with me?

Then I see him. Rather, I see it: The small smiley-face balloon I greeted him with in Tennessee is waiting for me here in Bologna. It's a little deflated, but it's there, and Alessandro is the one holding it. He's smiling at me and I feel a warmth flow through me, cold weather be damned, and the room seems a little brighter than it did a moment ago.

He's here. He's come for me.

He takes me in his arms and hugs me tight, gives me a kiss like the ones I remember from before, from the last time I saw him, even from my dreams. I want to cling to him. I've come far enough, and he's here, so what else could I ask for? What else could I need?

I have returned the favor of his journey to meet me last August, and now there's so much more ahead. I know it, though I can't possibly know it. I will go away, and I will come back, again and again, sometimes by choice, sometimes not.

For now, though, that doesn't matter.

We go out into the cold, to his car, where he loads my suitcase into his little Fiat Bravo. He pays the parking fee and we go out of the bright lights of the airport into the darkness of a wintry Emilian countryside.

He tells me stories about everything we pass which is illuminated against the night. The drive seems endless – mostly in a good way, though I'm getting so tired it's hard to think – and all the road signs mean nothing and the names of the cities and companies along the road don't quite sink in to my frazzled, harried brain. It's all a blur. All that matters is his voice in the night, his profile lit by the reflection of his headlights off the road and the glow of the car's dashboard.

We arrive at last to his home town, few cars on the road, silence all around. His building is on a quiet street just outside of the city. He has to get out of the car to open the gate so we can park.

Once inside his building he puts me in the elevator with my bags – there's no room for him, so he tells me "Press number three" and closes the doors. When I get to the third floor, he's there, waiting.

His father is asleep in his room, and we try to enter the flat quietly, but there's no carpeting and my suitcase's wheels seem loud on the marble tiles. He shows me the light switch for the bathroom – it's on the outside – and I freshen up before returning to the bedroom in my flannel pajamas, ready for sleep.

We settle in at last. It's now the 24th of December.

I'm in Italy, with the man I love.

And even though it hasn't sunk in just yet…

I am home.

LGBT reading challenge - December reviews

2011-12-22T10:19:00.003Z

For the last time this year, thanks for joining the LGBT reading challenge 2011!

Below is a list of all the book reviews that have been submitted in December (via this link). Hopefully you will all find new and interesting titles to explore - I, for one, am sure to gather another few books to add to my TBR list!

Whether you already know the books that are being discussed or not, I strongly encourage you to leave comments below and on the other blogs. I want to hear your voices! Despite its name, the reading challenge is not simply a competition, more of an opportunity to share ideas and bond over our common interests!

Let's begin!

01. Juliet read and reviewed Nights Beneath the Nation by Denis Kehoe.
02. Lucy read and reviewed Starting from Scratch by Georgia Beers.
03. Juliet read and reviewed The Mammoth Book of Lesbian Erotica edited by Barbara Cardy.

Don't forget, one December reviewer is in for a chance to win a copy of Femmes of Power by Del LaGrace Volcano and Ulrika Dahl, courtesy of Serpent's Tail!

Books through my lens #10

2011-12-20T09:00:00.003Z

In Ferrara, until the 8th January 2012, you can visit Gli anni folli: la Parigi di Modigliani, Picasso e Dalì, which focuses on the Parisian art scene in the years following the Great War and until the early Thirties. Personal favourites on show: Christopher Nevinson's A Studio in Montparnasse and Gino Severini's Window with Pigeons. At the end of the exhibition, which is hosted in the city's Palazzo dei Diamanti, you also get to enjoy the museum bookshop - full of bookish goodness and featuring the amazing floor that took centre stage in my photo.

My top 5 wintry reads

2011-12-19T15:41:00.013Z

Miracle on Regent Street by Ali Harris
Published by Simon & Schuster

Another Night Before Christmas by Carol Ann Duffy
Published by Picador

Mrs Scrooge: A Christmas Tale by Carol Ann Duffy
Published by Picador

The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse
Published by Orion Books

The Silent Land by Graham Joyce
Published by Orion Books

Book review: An Italian Education

2011-12-18T09:00:00.000Z

By Tim Parks
Published by Vintage Books

Earlier in the year I read and reviewed Tim Park’s Italian Neighbours, where the British author recounted with wit and humour the first steps of his new life in Italy. An Italian Education follows up on Park’s experiences in the land of la dolce vita and is as successful as its predecessor.

The book opens with the writer and his wife in the process of buying a flat in the surroundings of Verona and having their first baby. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve lived in Italy or how long you’ve been paying taxes for: this is what makes you accepted! Buying a house and having a baby means that you’re not going to leave any time soon!

As Parks demonstrates with his funny observations and sharp remarks, Italy is a country where kids rule. They are pampered and made to feel like they’re the only ones who count in the world – by parents, relatives and strangers alike! At the same time, having a family (the hilariously-described concept of tenere famiglia) will provide excellent excuses for misbehaving and cause financial struggles, aka i sacrifici.

As Parks writes on his website, this book is “about how kids grow up in Italy, about how they become Italians, since clearly nationality isn’t a genetic thing, but a sort of general conditioning, a group destiny”. It is about school, grandparents, summer holidays and all those exquisite idiosyncrasies that make Italians Italian!

Like Italian Neighbours, An Italian Education is not a sentimental ode to il Bel Paese. As a British man living in Italy, Parks is able to see Italian society with a critical but affectionate eye, which will teach a thing or two to foreigners and Italians alike.

Event review: The Big Book Group

2011-12-15T09:03:00.003Z

In parts of Italy, December 13th - or Saint Lucia’s day - is a very special day. Forget about Santa Claus and Christmas day, this is when you get your presents! I haven’t celebrated Saint Lucia’s day since I was a little girl… until this year, when the people who organised The Big Book Group event at Brighton’s Pavilion Theatre brought the magic back into an otherwise uncelebrated day!

As the name suggests, this was an occasion for book groups to come together and enjoy an evening of bookish delights. “Unattached” book lovers, however, were also welcome, which was good for me as I haven’t yet taken the plunge into the world of book groups.

The stars of the evening were authors Carol Birch and Araminta Hall, who both experienced a very successful 2011.

Carol Birch’s latest novel, Jamrach's Menagerie, was shortlisted for the Man Booker prize, while Araminta Hall’s debut novel, Everything and Nothing, made it to Richard and Judy’s Autumn Reads. The two writers took it in turns to have a chat with the evening’s host, Craig Melvin, and interact with the audience. They shared their top 5 books of all times, the experiences that got them to write and, ultimately, led them to publication, they read an extract from their novels and they answered the public’s questions.

What a treat that was!

The evening included a book quiz and tips for book critiquing, both skilfully and wittily presented by Craig Melvin. He also touched the print vs digital debate, cited bookish quotes and generally made interesting remarks about writing and reading. He was a perfect guest: engaging and resourceful. And he seemed to produce books out his pockets as easily as a magician might produce rabbits out of his hat!

As Melvin pointed out, in Brighton one every two people is a writer and the audience did in fact hide at least two of them, Nina de la Mer and Lizzie Enfield, who briefly introduced their debut novels : 4am and What You Don’t Know.

The literary night was amusingly concluded with a spot of flash fiction by Carol Birch, who followed the public’s suggestions to create a short piece of writing featuring Nick Cave, the Prince Regent, Brighton’s sewers and a bad samba band. You must be a good writer to be able to work with that!

As Flaubert put it: The only way of tolerating existence is to lose oneself in a perpetual orgy of literature. And events like The Big Book Group certainly help achieve this.

"Italy in Books" - December reviews

2011-12-14T08:59:00.004Z

Thanks again for joining the "Italy in Books” reading challenge 2011!

Below you can find a list of all the book reviews submitted in December (via this link). I am sure that everyone will find it useful to learn about new and interesting reading ideas - in fact, I suspect that as a result of this challenge my TBR list will expand dangerously!

Whether you know the books that are being discussed or have never heard of them, I strongly encourage you to leave comments below and on the blogs themselves. I want to hear your voices! Despite its name, the reading challenge is not a mere competition, rather an opportunity to share ideas and bond over common interests!

Let's begin!

01. Juliet read and reviewed Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel.
02. Lindy read and reviewed The Blue Demon by David Hewson.
03. Juliet read and reviewed Miss Garnet's Angel by Salley Vickers.
04. Gretchen read and reviewed Livia, Empress of Rome by Matthew Dennison.
05. Laura read and reviewed Juliet by Anne Fortier.
06. Lara read and reviewed Il silenzio dell'onda by Gianrico Carofiglio:
Roberto Marias, the protagonist of “Il silenzio dell’onda”, the last Gianrico Carofiglio’s book, has been working for years as carabineer, involved in complex investigations, mainly about drug trafficking. Then something happens: he attempts to suicide and is suspended from work. Roberto now lives a depressing existence, where the only diversions are two psychoanalytic sessions per week. He uses to walk to the psychoanalyst’s, exploring the streets of Roma, enjoying its smell, its noises, while thinking about his condition. He regrets his youth: he lived in California and the only big challenge at that time was surfing the waves with his father. He has learnt how to recognize the movements, colours, noise and silence of the waves.Roberto does not have friends or relatives: occasionally, some colleagues call him asking how things are going. One day, before a session, he meets a woman, Emma, another psychoanalyst’s patient. She used to be an actress, but no one, today, is even remembering her career. She too, tries to give a sense to her existence; as a mother, she feels herself responsible towards her son, Giacomo. Giacomo is still a teenager, although much more mature than his age: he is growing without his father; in his dreams he often meets a dog, Scott, his guide in his daily struggles.Roberto and Emma become friends: probably this is due to their loneliness as well to the sadness that characterizes their lives. When Giacomo experiences some problems at school (a girlfriend of him is victim of a blackmail), Roberto, called by Emma, will be able to rescue the girl and will gain Giacomo’s confidence as well as more self-confidence.Gianrico Carofiglio forgets, in this book, his well known character, Guido Guerrieri, to build a story where action is replaced by psychological implications. Bari is not the usual scene, but Roma and its small places, public gardens, long crowded streets. We assist to a sort of catharsis of the main characters: they try to put aside shadows in their lives and to see the future in a different perspective. Roberto, at the end, will succeed in this pathway, even establishing, at the same time, a frank and more sincere relationship with his psychoanalyst.Although this is not the best book by Carofiglio, I would suggest to read it, on one hand, to appreciate the smooth and fluent author’s writing and, on the other hand, to start looking forward to Guido Guerrieri’s new investigations!

And remember: this month, courtesy of Peirene Press, one of you will have the chance to win a copy of Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman by Friedrich Christian Delius.

In conversation with... Ella Kingsley

2011-12-13T09:00:00.002Z

Hello Ella! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of your novel, Confessions of a Karaoke Queen. Can you tell us what it is about?

A: Thanks! I’m very excited. Confessions of a Karaoke Queen follows Maddie Mulhern, the daughter of 80s pop duo Pineapple Mist, who, when her parents embark on a one-hit-wonder nostalgia tour across Europe, is left to look after their struggling karaoke bar. But Maddie’s aversion to the mic becomes the least of her worries when a cutthroat TV crew take an interest in the club, promising to rescue its dodgy finances if she agrees to a fly-on-the-wall reality series. Cue camera, lights, action – and rather more than Maddie or her friends bargained for. Not least the appearance of sexy, mysterious director Nick Craven . . .

Did you have the plot entirely figured out when you started writing or did it develop before your eyes as the characters grew on the page?

A: Characters always grow a little of their own accord – that’s when you know you’ve got them right! I had the plot mapped out broadly before I began, so I knew where everybody needed to be and when, but it’s nice to keep things reasonably flexible in case a character says or does something that steers it in a slightly different direction. It’s always important to commit to an end point, though, so while the twists and turns are happening you’re comfortable with where it’s heading.

Readers will be able to close their eyes and step into Sing It Back, the karaoke bar created by your pen, feeling like they’re really there. Would you say that it is as much a main character as the people who work there?

A: That’s sweet of you to say. I love it when I read a book and I feel like I’m really there – that’s what fiction is all about. Yes, I would agree that Sing It Back is a character of its own. I thought it would be really fun to have lots of 80s memorabilia all over the place, like cushions with Five Star embroidered on them (imagine!) and Gary Numan’s face as a clock. I love the 80s, so I hope readers will be able to picture it in its full beauty/monstrosity. And the club, of course, gets The Makeover Moment. I’m a purist about this: I think every romcom should have one.

Have you already started working on your next project? Can you give us any clue as to what it might be about?

A: Let’s just say that Maddie Mulhern has a few more tales to tell . . . so watch this space!

Due to the popularity of social networking websites, it seems that interacting with readers – be it via a Twitter account, a Facebook page etc. – is becoming increasingly important. How do you cope with these new demands on authors and do you think that they somehow disrupt your writing schedule?

A: It’s a funny combination because writing is a solitary, quite isolated pursuit, then on publication you’re suddenly, like, Ta-da, here I am! But it’s for those same reasons that things like Twitter and Facebook are so valuable to authors, because they give you a support network. The only dangerous thing is that they encourage procrastination, which any writer will admit to at some point in the process: I try not to get drawn into it till I’ve met a target (easier said than done). Being in touch with other authors is lovely, though, because they’re doing the same thing and understand how it works, and hearing from readers is especially rewarding.

What is your one fundamental piece of advice for aspiring writers?

A: Keep trying. There are so many stages as an aspiring writer where the easy thing is to give up: when you’ve only just started and you think what you’ve done is crap; when you’re halfway through and you’ve lost the thread and have no idea where it’s going; when you finish it and are plagued with self-doubt and vow never to show anyone EVER; when you receive your first rejection, then your second . . . Every author’s been there and every author kept trying. So keep trying! Stamina is half the battle.

And lastly, is there anything that you would like to share that I haven’t asked? Embarrassing karaoke anecdotes are also welcome!

A: Oh dear I’ve got plenty of embarrassing karaoke anecdotes. The worst was when I sang ‘Ice Ice Baby’ and that gruesome Halifax ad must have brainwashed me because I started warbling ‘ISA ISA Baby’ without realising and when I did I wanted to shoot myself.

Thank you for your time!

And now, for a chance to win one of two copies of Confessions of a Karaoke Queen, click here and complete the form. The competition is open to UK readers only and will close on the 26th December at 1pm.

Book review: Miracle on Regent Street

2011-12-09T09:00:00.003Z

By Ali Harris
Published by Simon & Schuster

Who doesn’t enjoy curling up with a good book when a storm rages outside? I certainly do. I must admit, however, that my choice of wintry reading normally falls on reinventions of modern classics, like Carol Ann Duffy’s The Night Before Christmas, or chills-down-the-spine kind of stories, like Kate Mosse’s The Winter Ghosts.

With Miracle on Regent Street, Ali Harris opened up a whole new world for me of Christmas tales for old-fashioned modern women - if you allow me the oxymoron!

The heroine of this novel is one such woman. Her name is Evie Taylor and she works as stockroom manager at Hardy’s, an elegant London department store that has seen better days. Relegated to the stockroom, Evie would like to work on the shop floor and has big dreams for Hardy’s, a place that – being where her parents fell in love – has always had a special meaning for her. Her dreams, however, might never come true. If the profits don’t increase, Mr Hardy will be forced to close and sell the store.

And so, in true super-heroine style, Evie turns into Christmas Evie! When nobody sees her, she starts transforming every sad-looking department into the retro extravaganza that she knows will be perfect to attract both old and new customers into the store. And what a success this turns out to be! Will it be enough to save Hardy’s difficult financial situation though?

Whatever the outcome of her work, the transformation of the store goes hand in hand with the transformation of Evie herself. A little bit like the ugly duckling that becomes a swan. Except that she’s always been a swan, at least in the eyes of the people who matter most. To be perfectly honest, I found myself rolling my eyes at her (or at the book… let’s hope nobody’s ever seen me!) quite a bit. Evie has a nice way of listening to others like they matter and a very big heart but someone should have told her a long time ago that owning up to one’s merits is not a bad thing to do.

Still, like any well-rounded character in a well-written book, you learn to accept their weaknesses and praise their qualities.

And what about Hardy’s? The way it is described in such exquisite and evocative detail, as are all the vintage clothes and accessories… I have no words to explain the feeling of bereavement that pervaded me once I finished the book. In a way, I didn’t keep reading Miracle on Regent Street because I wanted to know what happened next. I kept reading it because I wanted to go back to Hardy’s. I went to London a few days ago and I was sad – truly sad – that Hardy’s wasn’t a real store. I still go past shop windows and think “oh, that display would have been perfect in Hardy’s…”

Ali Harris, who was kind enough to answer a few of my questions, wrote a gorgeous debut novel that will place lots of expectations on her second work of fiction. Out in 2012, that’s a publication day that I certainly look forward to.

Christmas competition - 2nd bundle

2011-12-06T13:58:00.008Z

If you thought that Book After Book's Christmas competition couldn't get any better, you're going to have to think again because this year I’m offering you the chance to win not only one but TWO bundles of gorgeous and exciting gifts!

Before scrolling down to check out the pictures and the list of prizes included in the second bundle, please join me in thanking the generous sponsors that agreed to donate all these goodies… In no particular order, a massive THANK YOU to:

Thames & Hudson teNeues The World of Beatrix Potter Fourth Estate
Bloomsbury Publishing Hodder & Stoughton Barefoot Books Brighton Peach Bookish

And now, without further ado, this is what you could win!

teNeues CoolDiary Black / Baroque Silver 2012

The World of Peter Rabbit: A Box of Postcards
To celebrate 110 years since the publication of The Tale of Peter Rabbit, this delightful collection of one hundred postcards features the beautiful and iconic illustrations of Beatrix Potter.

Pre-Raphaelite Drawing by Colin Cruise
A comprehensive and superbly illustrated study that reveals for the first time how drawing was central to the activity of making art for the Pre-Raphaelites.

Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman
A story of innocence and experience, hope and harsh reality, Pigeon English is a spellbinding portrayal of a boy balancing on the edge of manhood and of the forces around him that try to shape the way he falls.

RIOT Scrabble Brooch

Honey and Camomile Soap (200g)
Nourish your skin with this moisturising soap made with Sussex honey and camomile.

Woodland Bluebell Soap (200g)
No need to wait for spring - just close your eyes and experience the wonderful scent of a bluebell wood.

Genovese Fig Soap (200g)
A rich deep perfume based on the scent of wild genovese figs.

The Lost and Forgotten Languages of Shanghai by Ruiyan Xu
A sensitive exploration of the power of words and of silence this novel is a wonderfully evocative debut about love and language, duty and passion, in a vibrant modern city.

The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides
Are the great love stories of the nineteenth century dead? Or can there be a new story, written for today and alive to the realities of feminism, sexual freedom, prenups, and divorce? With devastating wit and an abiding understanding of and affection for his characters, Jeffrey Eugenides revives the motivating energies of the novel, while creating a story so contemporary and fresh that it reads like the intimate journal of our own lives.

bookish Tree Christmas Card

A Sky Full of Kindness by Rob Ryan
With magical, intricate papercuts Rob Ryan tells the story of two birds about to become parents for the first time.

Singalong Gift Set
Paperback editions of Barefoot best-sellers The Animal Boogie, The Journey Home from Grandpa’s, and The Farmyard Jamboree — all with singalong CDs — are packaged in an eco-friendly, reusable green shopper tote.

And, last but not least, a Virginia Woolf bag, courtesy of bookish!

What do you think? The competition is open world-wide and will close on 15th January 2012.

How to enter:

1. Become a follower of this blog by clicking on the “Join this site” button (shown below) that you can find in the sidebar on the right.

2. Fill in this form so that I have all the details I need to send the bundle of prizes asap.

3. Leave a comment below.

4. Optional for one extra entry: if you use Twitter, please tweet “I’ve just entered @BrightonBlogger’s Christmas competition: http://bit.ly/vJijrE”

HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND GOOD LUCK!

Books through my lens #9

2011-12-06T09:00:00.002Z

Books are the new black! I found proof that books go with everything in an Italian clothing store. For those who care about the details, this was the November display at the OVS shop in San Bonifacio's shopping centre, near Verona.

Memory and identity

2011-12-02T09:00:00.005Z

No matter how straightforward an event might seem, it will be remembered and interpreted in a different way by different people. One person might even give an altered version of the same event if asked to recount it at different moments in times. With memories closely linked to identity, does this mean that our sense of self is fluid and changeable?

To reflect on this, I highly recommend:

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes
Winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize, this is the story of Tony Webster, who, already retired, receives a letter that will make him think about his past and reconsider some of the truths that he didn’t think he would ever question. Easily read in one sitting, you will be thinking about it for much longer.

Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult
Moving and full of twists in the best Picoult tradition, this is the story of Delia Hopkins, who, in her thirties, discovers that her beloved father has been lying to her since she was four. Torn between the life that she’s had and the life that she could have had, Delia needs to reassess her life and the truths that she’s always taken for granted.

"Italy in Books" - Link for December reviews and prize draw

2011-12-01T11:06:00.002Z

It’s December and the “Italy in Books” reading challenge 2011 enters its last month!

This month, courtesy of Peirene Press, one of you will have the chance to win a copy of Portrait of the Mother as a Young Woman by Friedrich Christian Delius.

To participate in the prize draw, all you have to do is:

• Read a book set in Italy or about Italian culture & language
• Share your review (or opinion, if it sounds less intimidating!) by clicking here

Easy, isn't it?

IMPORTANT! Please note that you need to have signed up for the challenge to be eligible for the prize draw. If you haven't signed up yet, you can do it here. If you can't remember whether you have or haven't signed up, you can check whether your name is listed here.

Buona lettura!

LGBT challenge - Link for December reviews and prize draw

2011-12-01T10:57:00.002Z

It’s December: the last month of the LGBT reading challenge 2011!

This month, courtesy of Serpent's Tail, one of you will have the chance to win a copy of Femmes of Power by Del LaGrace Volcano and Ulrika Dahl.

To participate in the prize draw, all you have to do is:

• Read a book - fiction or non-fiction - whose author is LBGT, whose topic is LGBT and/or whose characters (even minor ones) are LGBT
• Share your review (or opinion, if it sounds less intimidating!) by clicking here

Easy, isn't it?

IMPORTANT! Please note that you need to have signed up for the challenge to be eligible for the prize draw. If you haven't signed up yet, you can do it here. If you can't remember whether you have or haven't signed up, you can check whether your name is listed here.

Happy reading!

"Italy in Books" - November winner

2011-12-01T10:36:00.002Z

8 reviews this month!

Did you miss the reviews? Fear not, follow this link and catch up with all the bookish goodness!

And if you’ve just come across the Italy in Books reading challenge 2011, you can find all the information you need by clicking here.

And now, the long-awaited moment of the prize draw!

The lucky reviewer who, courtesy of Fourth Estate, will receive a copy of Made in Sicily by Giorgio Locatelli is:

Jeane, who read and reviewed Letters to Juliet by Lise and Ceil Friedman

LGBT challenge - November winner

2011-12-01T10:27:00.002Z

One book review this month...

I must congratulate Juliet for her perseverance and thank her for not giving up on the LGBT reading challenge 2011!

It is not a surprise that the lucky reviewer who, courtesy of Serpent's Tail, will receive a copy of Nights Beneath the Nation by Denis Kehoe, is:

Juliet, who read and reviewed Zami by Audre Lorde.

Christmas competition - 1st bundle

2011-11-30T11:58:00.012Z

To celebrate Christmas, this year I’m offering you the chance to win a bundle of gorgeous and exciting gifts! Knowing me, this mostly means lots of wonderful books (!!) but I’m sure that you’ll be delighted by the little extras. Literary and not!

Before scrolling down to check out the pictures and the list of prizes, please join me in thanking the generous sponsors that agreed to donate all these goodies… In no particular order, a massive THANK YOU to:

teNeues Puffin Thames & Hudson Bloomsbury Publishing Fourth Estate
Picador Barefoot Books Bookish Brighton Peach

And now, without further ado, this is what you could win!

teNeues Art Nouveau 2012 Deluxe Diary

Postcards from Puffin
An irresistible set of 100 postcards, each with a different iconic Puffin cover, in a beautifully designed box.

Stone: Andy Goldsworthy
In Stone, Andy Goldsworthy presents a remarkable collection of photographs of his work and reveals through his own words his uniquely personal relationship with nature.

Pigeon English by Stephen Kelman
A story of innocence and experience, hope and harsh reality, Pigeon English is a spellbinding portrayal of a boy balancing on the edge of manhood and of the forces around him that try to shape the way he falls.

SEXY Scrabble Brooch

The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson
A story of exclusion and belonging, justice and love, ageing, wisdom and humanity. Funny, furious, unflinching, this extraordinary novel shows one of our finest writers at his brilliant best.

My Former Heart by Cressida Connolly
With a large cast of fascinating characters, this is an outstanding novel about families and their ability to adapt. It surely marks the beginning of a long career as a novelist for Cressida Connolly.

Ampersand Necklace

ABCs and 123s Gift Set
Develop counting and alphabet skills with these fun and educational books. Featuring board book editions of Alligator Alphabet, Counting Cockatoos, One Moose, Twenty Mice and Zoë and her Zebra. Packaged in an eco-friendly, reusable green tote bag with a gift tag.

The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue
Based on blow-by-blow newspaper reports of the 1864 Codrington Divorce, The Sealed Letter, full of sparkling characters and wicked dialogue, is a thought-provoking mystery and gripping drama of friends, lovers and marriage.

bookish Star Christmas Card

The Christmas Truce by Carol Ann Duffy
A new tale celebrating the magic of Christmas from the Poet Laureate, illustrated by David Roberts. This brilliant new poem celebrates the miraculous truce between the trenches, when enemy shook hands with enemy, shared songs, swapped gifts, even played football, and peace found a place in No Man’s Land.

Honey and Camomile Soap (200g)
Nourish your skin with this moisturising soap made with Sussex honey and camomile.

Woodland Bluebell Soap (200g)
No need to wait for spring - just close your eyes and experience the wonderful scent of a bluebell wood.

And, last but not least, a Ladybird Notebook from BookishEngland.co.uk

Happy? The competition is open world-wide and will close on 15th January 2012.

How to enter:

1. Become a follower of this blog by clicking on the “Join this site” button (shown below) that you can find in the sidebar on the right.
2. Fill in this form so that I have all the details I need to send the bundle of prizes asap.

3. Leave a comment below.

4. Optional for one extra entry: if you use Twitter, please tweet “I’ve just entered @BrightonBlogger’s Christmas competition: http://bit.ly/usfBnV. Please RT!”

HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND GOOD LUCK!!

In conversation with... Araminta Hall

2011-11-29T09:00:00.001Z

Hello Araminta! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of your first novel, Everything and Nothing. Can you tell us what it is about?

A: It is the story of a couple run ragged by work and children – one of whom doesn’t eat and one who doesn’t sleep. Into the chaos comes Aggie, a seemingly perfect but very flawed nanny. My initial idea was to write a story about modern marriage and parenthood, but after a while I wondered if it would be engaging enough and so I introduced the character of Aggie. She was meant to shine a light on to Ruth and Christian, but ended up becoming a main character herself. I tried to explore themes of madness and responsibility and your past catching up with you. It is basically about a family imploding and trying to understand what they want out of life.

How does it feel to be a published author? And not just a published author: you were also selected for Richard and Judy's Autumn Reads 2011!

A: It feels really great and Richard and Judy has been the icing on the cake. You work so hard on your own when you’re trying to get a book written that you stop believing anyone will ever want to publish you. I think I went into a state of shock after Harper Collins offered me a deal and kept having dreams in which it was discovered that I hadn’t written the book! And now of course Richard and Judy have such a massive influence I keep seeing it everywhere I go, which is a fantastic feeling.

What inspired you to write Everything and Nothing and what kind of journey led you to its publication?

A: I was really inspired by the life I was living – a mother of three young children (well, only two when I started writing it) and a husband who worked away a lot. Not that any of the events which happen in the book are true to my life, just the general feelings. You have such a dichotomy of feeling as a mother, this intense love for your children, but also a complete loss of self, which can be very damaging. I had been a journalist for ten years and I’d always wanted to write novels, so after the birth of my second child eight years ago I decided to dedicate a bit of time to actually doing it. I ended up taking an MA in Creative Writing and Authorship at Sussex University, which was amazing and taught me so much not just about writing, but also about the world of publishing. After it had finished I spent about a year re-writing and then sent it to two agents, one of whom was interested, but took so long to make a decision, I sent it straight to Harper Collins and was amazed to get an offer within a week.

I almost neglected my job to finish your book as quickly as I possibly could and I can’t wait to read your next novel. Have you already started working on anything new?

A: Thank you, that’s very kind. I am working on something new. Strangely I know exactly what my third novel is going to be about, but am having more trouble with my second! It is coming together at the moment though and I hope to have it finished in the next couple of months.

Due to the popularity of social networking websites, it seems that interacting with readers – be it via a Twitter account, a Facebook page etc. – is becoming increasingly important. How do you cope with these new demands on authors and do you think that they somehow disrupt your writing schedule?

A: Before I was published I was a complete luddite when it came to social networking, but now I’m on Facebook and Twitter. I don’t think I’m very good at either of them – I should probably buy a book on how to increase your followers or something, but I can absolutely see what a brilliant tool they are. There are writers out there with thousands of followers and they are able to talk directly to their readers, which is a wonderful experience. Like everyone else, it’s easy to get lost in the Internet when you should be working!

What is your one fundamental piece of advice for aspiring writers?

A: To keep going and develop a hard skin! I do think that people who end up getting published are often those who have persevered. It takes years to get published, unless you are ridiculously lucky, and those years will be spent earning little money and being rejected by agents and publishers. I always wanted to write and I think I would have gone on forever. Doing the MA however made me take myself seriously and think that I actually had a chance, which made a massive difference. I would also recommend subscribing to a magazine dedicated to writing like Mslexia. They always have a section listing competitions – entering them is great as it focuses your mind and gives you a deadline and, if you win or get placed, it’s a great calling card to take to agents. It’s also essential to read as much as you can. I think if you’re not in love with reading you probably won’t ever be a writer.

And lastly, is there anything that you would like to share that I haven’t asked?

A: Just that Brighton is a brilliant town to be in for anything creative and there are lots of writers living here. It’s great to get involved with all the things that go on – there are two great nights I go to regularly and sometimes read at – Speaky Spokey at The Latest Bar and Short Fuse at Komedia. And of course the Small Wonder festival at Charleston each year is fantastic. And there are so many writers groups, it’s really worth joining one, as it can be a lonely process doing it all on your own. I still meet up regularly with two good friends I made on the MA and in the course of a couple of hours we can often solve problems in each others writing which seem insurmountable when you’re sitting in front of a computer screen on your own.

Thank you for your time!

And now, for a chance to win one copy of Everything and Nothing, click here and complete the form. The competition is open to UK readers only and will close on the 12th December at 1pm.

LGBT reading challenge - November reviews

2011-11-24T19:00:00.003Z

Thanks again for joining the LGBT reading challenge 2011!

Below is a list of all the book reviews that have been submitted in November (via this link). Hopefully you will all find new and interesting titles to explore - I, for one, am sure to gather another few books to add to my TBR list!

Whether you already know the books that are being discussed or not, I strongly encourage you to leave comments below and on the other blogs. I want to hear your voices! Despite its name, the reading challenge is not simply a competition, more of an opportunity to share ideas and bond over our common interests!

Let's begin!

01. Juliet read and reviewed Zami by Audre Lorde.

Don't forget, one November reviewer is in for a chance to win a copy of Nights Beneath the Nation by Denis Kehoe, courtesy of Serpent's Tail!

Reading challenge 2012: first prize draw!

2011-11-23T09:00:00.000Z

To encourage you to join my new reading challenge for 2012, all those who will sign up by the 31st December 2011 will be entered into a prize draw to win a

GBP 30 gift voucher to redeem on Amazon.co.uk

(or the equivalent sum to redeem on any of the other Amazon sites, depending on the location of the winner).

Wait no longer: click here, scroll down the page and submit your details.

Good luck!

Kimberly Menozzi and... Day Trip

2011-11-22T13:00:00.002Z

Yesterday, my husband, Alle, and I accompanied his sister and her family and another friend for lunch in le colline di Canossa, the foothills of the Apennine mountains which surround the Canossa castles in the Reggio Emilia province.

We left home around 11:30, under grey and gloomy skies, with a mist drifting around the tops of the palazzi of our neighborhood. As we drove out toward the hills, Alle and I chatted about the scenery, how nice it was that the colors of the trees had turned and not fallen immediately, and how I am strangely appreciative of the grey, cold weather. As we approached Puianello, the fog began to break and allow the first hints of sun to shine through.

We drove on through the outskirts of the town where a small market was open for the coming holidays. It seemed that everyone for miles around was coming to sample the wares on offer, but we continued on our way, following his brother-in-law's car as it bypassed the town, continuing for the hills.

Soon enough, we were ascending narrow, steep roads which made my ears pop and my sinuses press uncomfortably against my skull (not the best idea to travel these roads when one has a slight cold, I've duly noted). Some of these roads are barely wide enough for two cars to pass one another without "kissing" (which is how some call it when the rear-view mirrors on the driver's side doors touch), some are, in fact, not wide enough, which forces one driver to back up to a wider spot in the road so the other can pass. Luckily, Italian drivers are, as a general rule, skilled enough to manage this, even on the twisting mountain roads.

I usually just close my eyes and pray while Alle maneuvers the car in these instances.

We climbed ever upward and the panorama spread out below us in rich browns, reds, yellows and the last vivid greens, until the scene faded into the fog still covering the plains. The switchback roads in many areas of the hills are amazingly steep and tight turns, leaving little or no room for error, and frequently leading to motion sickness for passengers regardless of where they sit in the car.

Naturally – inevitably – I found myself a tad woozy, but there was no opportunity to go slower as we were trying to keep up with the other car. I found my bearings soon enough, and for a while the roads smoothed out and followed the ridges of the hills, jumping from one to another, rising, falling, swooping and climbing along until we had covered nearly thirty kilometers and had passed alongside the Canossa castle ruins, skirted the area surrounding Castello Rossena, and then, around one p.m., we found ourselves in the tiny town of Vedriano. The roads into Vedriano are fairly straight, especially compared to those we'd traveled to get there. However, they also plummet quite straight down from the crest of the hill, toward Pietranera, which was our ultimate goal.

Or, rather, Trattoria Pietranera, was.

The restaurant was busy – almost fully packed – and our group of six people was seated immediately. The service was a tad slow compared to many other places, but I can only say this:

The wait – any wait – was worth it, here.

Our meal was simple, really, but didn't feel as though it was. Everyone could order individually (some places offer "family-style" meals, with a common serving dish), so we got to sample a wider variety of dishes – and every dish was shared.

First dishes included: cappelletti in brodo, tortelli verde (ravioli with green filling made with spinach and Parmigiano Reggiano, mostly), tortelli di radicchio, and pappardelle al ragù di cinghiale (wide flat pasta with wild boar sauce).

The pappardelle were mine – and the sauce was the best ragù I'd had in a long, long time. I could have eaten another plate of the pasta, easily. Having been slow-cooked, the boar was tender and so savory I wished I'd set aside more of my bread so I could get every last drop of the sauce. Alas, I had to leave some behind on my plate.

Second dishes included: cinghiale in umido (stewed wild boar) and faraona arrosto (roast guineafowl), with salad, deep-fried zucchini and potatoes on the side.

At this point, I thought I'd cry "Uncle!" – or, should that be "Zio!" – but then the desserts were offered. I chose torta cioccolatino (that's not an error, that's what they called it), a moist, almost wet chocolate cake with powdered sugar and a rich chocolate sauce drizzled over it. Alle and his sister both chose the torta di tagliatelle, a cake made with almonds and, yes, the pasta in the name. Her husband chose the zuppa inglese (English soup), a layered dessert with chocolate cream, egg custard and a sponge cake layer which has been soaked in a dessert liqueur called Alchermes.

We sat and talked after our meal, some of us having a small glass of nocino (a walnut-based liqueur), the others simply drinking water and allowing ourselves to digest before we had our caffè and made our way home.

As usual, we stood around outside, enjoying the cold air and allowing it to further invigorate us. Even in the hills, evening starts setting in early at this time of year, so we chatted and let the three-year-old work off some excess energy before packing ourselves into our vehicles and making the long drive home.

We wound along a different route this time, one a little more direct and slightly less inclined to induce motion-sickness. As we descended from the hills, the fog reached out for us once again, and our new route took us along the river, through Ciano d'Enza, skirting the hills, now shrouded in early evening mists. By the time we got home, it was nearly dark, the fog now swirling ghostlike around the streetlamps when we got out of our car and went inside for good.

I found myself at the window while I brewed some tea, watching the night settle, the headlights of the cars fanning out ahead on my street, people bundled up against the cold and damp while they walked their dogs or strolled home.

Every year when the long nights come I fall in love with this place all over again. I can't help myself: this is when Italy is at her most beautiful, for me. The sumptuous meals, the jovial conversation, the brisk, refreshing air – what more could I possibly ask for?

If I ever think of something, I'll be sure to let you know.

Books through my lens #8

2011-11-22T09:00:00.002Z

With its narrow alleys, imposing castle and beautiful architecture, it's no wonder that Český Krumlov, in the Czech Republic, has been elected UNESCO World Heritage Site. This picture was taken in the summer of 2011 to capture the ubiquity of the Bard! The sign leads to Shakespeare and Sons. I must admit, to my utter shame, that I did not go and investigate. If any of you have comments on this bookshop, please feel free to share them below.

Book review: The Empty Nesters

2011-11-17T09:00:00.000Z

By Nina Bell
Published by Sphere, an imprint of Little, Brown

Big family drama is what Nina Bell is famous for writing about and rightly so. At first I was attracted by the beautiful cover of The Empty Nesters. My interest was piqued by the blurb. The book then proceeded to conquer me. What a cleverly-plotted novel!

To make it really simple: Clover and Laura became friends when their children started school and have spent years sharing school runs, sleepovers, holidays etc. Alice is their friend too but – as a single mother trying to build a successful business – she’s mostly been receiving the two women’s help while unable to give much support in return. But helping each other out is what friends are for, right?

Now that the kids have all grown up and are leaving their parents’ homes to go onto university, Laura and, especially, Clover are looking forward to a more equal relationship with Alice. Now that she has found success and her daughter is away at Oxford, though, she doesn’t seem concerned in keeping in touch with her two friends. In fact, she seems to be ignoring them, while planning something that goes against all notions of friendships.

If it sounds like there are too many characters and you think that you might get confused, please don’t worry. It’s true that there are a lot of characters – and I haven’t even mentioned half of them – but each of them is outlined in such a clear and distinctive way there will be no doubt as to who’s who at any point during the narrative.

What Nina Bell does make us wonder is what is going on! In the hands of the wrong author, it’d be possible to foresee the ending of the book by reading the prologue only. Not in this case. Readers are bound to form theories like they’re bound to have those same theories challenged as the novel takes unexpected twists and turns.

Smart and well-written, The Empty Nesters tackles important issues – motherhood, friendship, love and illness – in an engaging and original way. And you don’t need to be a parent or ‘empty nester’ to enjoy this novel. I’m neither and I loved it!

***

If you missed my interview with Nina Bell, please follow this link.

"Italy in Books" - November reviews

2011-11-16T10:23:00.006Z

Thanks again for joining the "Italy in Books” reading challenge 2011!

Below you can find a list of all the book reviews submitted in November (via this link). I am sure that everyone will find it useful to learn about new and interesting reading ideas - in fact, I suspect that as a result of this challenge my TBR list will expand dangerously!

Whether you know the books that are being discussed or have never heard of them, I strongly encourage you to leave comments below and on the blogs themselves. I want to hear your voices! Despite its name, the reading challenge is not a mere competition, rather an opportunity to share ideas and bond over common interests!

Let's begin!

01. Gretchen read and reviewed The Day of Battle by Rick Atkinson.
02. Juliet read and reviewed Roma by Steven Saylor.
03. Gretchen read and reviewed Italian Neighbors by Tim Parks.
04. Barbara read and reviewed The Glassblower of Murano by Marina Fiorato.
05. Pete read and reviewed A Death in Tuscany by Michele Giuttari.
06. Lindy read and reviewed Passeggiata by G.G. Husak.
07. Jeane read Letters to Juliet by Lise and Ceil Friedman. Scroll down to read her review.
08. Lara read Il tribunale delle anime by Donato Carrisi. Scroll down to read her review.

Reviews by non bloggers

Letters to Juliet by Lise and Ceil Friedman. Read and reviewed by Jeane:
My feelings towards the book Letters to Juliet were influenced by having the front cover picture of the actress and having recently seen the movie. So I started reading it thinking it would be a light, fast and probably commercial kind of 'story'.
From the first pages I have been dragged instead into the words. Trying not to become part of the words through my well-known feeling when reading something very well written about Italy, I tried to stay objective. But around page 34 I admited I was lost and well into it.
Letters to Juliet gives historical facts about the story, Verona and more importantly it captures so well that amazing feeling that I have only found in things linked to Italy.
If I would be better in cooking delicate things like Baci di Giulietta, I can promise you I would be preparing them right now. The whole recipe is in the book, so I hope someone will make them and let me know how they are! :-)
This book brings me back to my visit to Verona, from where my dear friend is. She showed me around her city and it made me feel the wonderful Italian beauty. Reading this book, I am back at casa di Giulietta, walking a bit further in the narrow street towards casa di Romeo which has kept all the secrecy in the marvellous building like the legend around his name has kept and passes on to each new generation.
This book is mainly about the tons of letters which are sent yearly to the secretaries in Verona, tells about the universal thing in everybody's life 'love', Shakespeare's part in all this and the ones before him and so much more.
I went through the book in one day and loved it. What I thought would be a commercial, only facts about the movie and legend, empty telling was such a good and informative book. It felt lively even if it was about the past and at the same time present and future as love will be always around every second of everybody's life in whatver way.
I know it is a bit empty and commercial, but I watched Juliet+Romeo, the modern version, just before finishing the book.... to hear the words.

Il tribunale delle anime by Donato Carrisi. Read and reviewed by Lara:
When I read Il tribunale delle anime by Donato Carrisi, I had a strange feeling. I know very well Rome, in my opinion one of the most fascinating, brightest, most vivid town in the world. Here I discovered an unusual Rome, dark, mysterious, scary.The story starts in an ancient coffee-bar close to Piazza Navona. It is raining. Two men are discussing about a girl’s probable kidnapping. It is necessary to intervene before it is too late. One of the two men, Marcus, is the only person who could interpret the clues that a criminal mind is spreading around. Marcus is a hunter: he detects the traces of evil and fights against them. But he suffers from amnesia, since he was involved in his mentor’s murder, month ago: his mind cannot see clearly as it was used to, because of the shadows from which it is surrounded.Sandra is a policewoman, specialized in taking photos of crime scenes. She has recently lost her husband, who was found dead in Roma, and refuses to see reality as it is. David, her husband, used to recommend her to look carefully at anomalies, that allow to get a different perspective of facts, but Sandra looks indifferent at the beginning. She receives an unexpected phone call: someone asks her about his husband’ bag. Has he been killed for something he had discovered? What had he discovered?Sandra and Marcus are the two leading characters of a multifaceted story that takes place in the eternal city. Around them, plenty of events happen: some people are murdered, some mysteries are cleared, a terrible scenario, made of lights and darkness, candles and night, is depicted, like a Caravaggio’s painting. We are guided by Donato Carrisi into some well-known Roman places, that we now perceive as completely unfamiliar: each of them is hiding something. For example, the Caravaggio’s paintings in San Luigi dei Francesi church, whose details will remind Sandra to look at anomalies; the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, where the ancient order of “Penitenzieri”, to whom Marcus belongs, was instituted; Via dei Serpenti, Via dei Coronari, quiet streets in the town centre where Marcus lives and where the young girl has been kidnapped.Many crimes happened in the past and are still unresolved, and many crimes continue to happen, calling for law trials in front of an invisible court of justice: who is called to be the judge? Sandra and Marcus are called to be witnesses of a scenario where the only possible options are revenge or forgiveness.I missed the first book by Donato Carrisi, “Il suggeritore”, that I want to read, after having discovered his stories and experienced the sense of uneasiness and tension that “Il tribunale delle anime” communicates. I would recommend this book: the writing is fluent, the rhythm of the story exciting. Maybe there are too many characters and sometimes the reader cannot get easily oriented about what is happening. However, I did not notice this difficulty, as I was so captured by the story that I finished the book in a very short time!

And remember: this month, courtesy of Fourth Estate, one of you will have the chance to win a copy of Made in Sicily by Giorgio Locatelli.

In conversation with... S.G. Browne

2011-11-15T10:39:00.005Z

Hello Scott! First of all, thank you for agreeing to join us on Book After Book! You have two published novels so far, Breathers and Fated. What does it mean to you to be a published writer?

A: It means I get the opportunity to share my sense of humour and stories with others and hopefully make them laugh. It also means I’ve been able to be my own boss for the past three years, which is nice. Though I’m thinking I need a raise.

Breathers follows Andy while he adjusts to his new existence as a zombie. Where did your interest in the undead stem from?

A: I saw Romero’s original Night of the Living Dead on TV when I was 12-years-old. This was before cable and videos, so they edited out the eating of human flesh and the naked zombie. But it was still a highlight of my limited horror film exposure at the time. The film had this mystery and intrigue built up around it and from that point on I was a zombie fan. Though I’m not obsessed with them. I have other interests, too.

Our screens have recently been stormed by zombies, vampires and the like. Is Andy going to make his cinema or television debut soon?

A: I hope so. The film rights for Breathers were optioned by Fox Searchlight Pictures a couple of years ago, but even though the script has been written the film is spinning its wheels in development waiting for a director. So we’ll see what happens.

In Fated, instead, we meet Fabio, who works as Fate and gets in trouble for getting involved with Sara, a human. Destiny and Death are among the other characters of this quirky comedy. How did the idea for this novel come to you?

A: I was sitting in a shopping mall watching people walk past and wondering what they would be doing in 20 years. So I got out my journal and wrote a scene about a character who doesn’t wonder about these people but instead knows what they’ll be doing in the future because he’s Fate. I didn’t do anything with the idea until more than two years later, when I was trying to figure out what to write a few months after I’d finished Breathers. The scene in the shopping mall ended up being the genesis for the first chapter. The rest of it just kind of flowed out of that.

Due to the popularity of social networking websites, it seems that interacting with readers – be it via a Twitter account, a Facebook page, a blog etc. – is becoming increasingly important. How do you cope with these new demands on authors and do you think that they somehow disrupt your writing schedule?

A: While social networking sites can be beneficial when used properly, they are definitely a time suck from writing and disruptive as hell. As a writer, you have to try to limit your time on Facebook, Twitter, etc., to an hour or two each day, otherwise it’s easy to get sucked into a black hole of status updates and 140 character replies. Striking the right balance isn’t easy. Sometimes when I’m involved in a project I completely forget to blog or interact with readers on the social networking sites. Other times, you just have to unplug. After all, we weren’t wired to communicate electronically.

What one fundamental piece of advice would you give to aspiring writers?

A: Write something that matters to you and that affects you on some emotional level. Something that makes you laugh or makes you cry or sends chills down your spine. Something that resonates with you. Because if it doesn’t resonate with you, it’s not going to resonate with anyone else.

And lastly, is there anything that you would like to share that I haven’t asked?

A: Well, since you mentioned it… my next novel, Lucky Bastard, is due out in April 2012. It’s a dark comedy and social satire about a private investigator who was born with the ability to steal luck and what happens when he has to deal with the karmic consequences of his genetic opportunism.

Thank you for your time!

Thank you, Silvia.

Well, I don't know about you but I'm already looking forward to April 2012! In the meantime, why don't you fill in this form for a chance to win a bundle of S.G. Browne's novels? Thanks to the generosity of Little, Brown, three lucky UK readers will win a copy of both Breathers and Fated. The competition will close on the 28th November at 1pm.

Book review: Out of Sight

2011-11-10T09:00:00.004Z

By Isabelle Grey
Published by Quercus

The book opens with the daily life of the Hinde household: Patrick, his wife Belinda and their little boy, Daniel. Their routine is somewhat disturbed by a visit of Patrick’s parents: anxious and fretful, they have the ability of pushing their son to the edge. They work him up in such a state that, after he says goodbye, Patrick is not quite himself as he drives to drop off Daniel at the childminder’s en route to his homeopathic clinic. In retrospect, Patrick won’t be able to say what happened. Except that it shouldn’t have happened.

Five years later, an Englishwoman working in a small French village comes across a fascinating man. He’s a homeopath from England but he goes under the name of Patrice. Taciturn and introvert, he leads a fairly solitary life. Leonie is instantly attracted to him and, guessing that his reticence must derive from a traumatic past, she is not put off by his unwillingness to talk about himself. Likewise, fascinated by her openness and vitality, Patrice seems to enjoy Leonie’s company. When Leonie gets pregnant, though, Patrick disappears without a trace.

What went on in Patrice’s mind to make him leave without a word of explanation? What past trauma can justify his attitude towards Leonie? What will she do without the man she loves? This and many other questions will be answered as, one piece at a time, the big picture takes shape and we learn about the consequences of that fateful ride with his son.

Out of Sight is Isabelle Grey’s debut novel and, possibly because she has extensive experience as a screenwriter, it is one that would translate incredibly well into a film. The dialogues are well-written and fast-flowing; settings and actions accurately described. The characters, with all their flaws and weaknesses, are totally credible, which doesn’t necessarily mean that they are universally likeable.

Personally, I couldn’t warm to either Patrick/Patrice or Leonie. On one hand, I thought that - because of the trauma he experienced - he should have been able to treat Leonie better instead of acting in such a selfish way. Leonie, on the other hand, should have known that you can’t change people. She also clearly doesn’t believe in feminism as, most times, she seems to take the blame for each and every one of Patrice’s faults!

Far from being a negative point, my reaction to the main characters only shows that this novel - and the complex issues that it explores - is able to engage readers and stir up emotions. I can easily imagine that Out of Sight will become a favourite of book groups.

***

If you missed my interview with Isabelle Grey, please follow this link.

Books through my lens #7

2011-11-08T09:00:00.001Z

Strolling around Bexhill-on-Sea on a sunny Sunday afternoon, I walked past a shop whose autumnal window display caught my attention. It included books, yes! I’m afraid to say that, apart from knowing that it’s located on Sea Road, I don’t know what this shop sells. Vintage furniture and accessories, perhaps? No idea. It was closed and I was too busy trying to take a picture of this beautiful, rustic arrangement to investigate!

Write What You Wonder - by Laura Lee

2011-11-06T10:17:00.000Z

Write what you know. As aspiring writers we had this drummed into our heads. Write what you know.

I took this advice literally when I sat down to write my thankfully unpublished first novel. It was the story of a person like me (an introverted, slightly intellectual, average looking suburbanite), in a situation like mine, whining about the things that were bugging a person just like me and arguing that the reader should take her side. It was dreadful stuff and I thank God every day that I could not find a publisher for it and that print-on-demand and Kindle did not yet exist. I would never have lived it down.

Plumbing my own life for interesting narratives never yielded much. That is not to say I did not try. Oh I tried. I tried. I tried to make a novel out of a painful, but in retrospect silly, one-sided love affair. I started one on my dabblings with Eastern religion. I tried to turn my professional radio experience into a humorous novel. I tried to write about what it felt like to be in a legal battle with a Russian ballet company over producing a tour of Swan Lake. Yes, I really did have this experience in my life. On the surface it seems as though it has all of the elements for a great drama, exotic foreign characters, legal wranglings, an inside look at the world of ballet, high stakes and hard emotions. Yet I never could really get it off the ground. I was too close to it.

Here is the problem with writing “what you know.” You are limited. You know what happened in life, and you stick to it. Your imagination has no room to play. Your personal relationships and your desire to see yourself in the best light color your story telling. You also feel the drama so keenly that you tend to assume readers will also, so you forget to actually spell the emotions out. You think they’re there because just mentioning the situation may make your emotions soar or drop, but that doesn’t mean a reader will feel the same.

There is a personal danger in writing what you know as well. To grow as a human being, you need to move on from your past. Rehashing the drama of your past instead of living your life in the moment is not the healthiest thing for the writer as a person. Contrary to the suffering artist mystique – I’m going to bust all the myths today - you really do better work when you are healthy.

I never quite succeeded in producing a novel until I stopped trying to write about what I knew, and started to write about what I wondered.

It began in 2000 when I took a bus tour of the beautiful Mount Rainier in the state of Washington. My tour guide was an entertaining middle aged man who described the mountain in poetic terms and kept talking about burning out on his old job. Towards the end of the tour someone finally asked him what his old job had been. He said, “a minister.”

What would cause a burned out minister to leave the church for a job as a tour guide? Was there something that connected religion and natural beauty that appealed to him? Why had he left the ministry? Was his new setting a form of worship? What about the fact that the mountain was actually a sleeping volcano waiting for its next eruption? How could a story about a minister leaving the ministry be related to that?

There were so many questions that my mind could not help coming back to. “Why did the minister go to the mountain?” was a writing prompt that never failed to get me going, thinking, exploring. I used it for ten years. That prompt produced another complete novel (as yet unpublished) that spun off in a surprising direction. (The final version has no minister or mountain.) And eventually it produced Angel.

The answer to the question of what metaphorical volcano shook the minister’s comfortable church life finally came in the form of a man whose beauty captured my imagination. His face reminded me of the angels in Renaissance art, and I wished I could paint. This, too, ignited my curiosity.

What was it about beauty that called out to our creative urges? Was it a desire to capture something that we know is transitory? Is there a spiritual element to the appreciation of beauty or is it mere objectification? What exactly is it that is pleasing about a beautiful face?

Suddenly my two curiosities collided and created a third question: What if the minister fell in love with a beautiful man? What if that was the thing?

From that point I wrote in flow as though the characters– the minister and the beautiful young man– had independent existence and I simply had to take dictation. My novel, Angel, was released by Itineris Press on September 27 and has been getting over all favorable reviews. My life is in it, of course, but there is nothing autobiographical about it.

Write what you know, yes, if by that you mean ground your story in reality. Draw on your experience and your life and make it all truthful and real. But if you want to be inspired, write what you wonder. Write about what piques your curiosity. Keep exploring the questions you can’t let go.

***

Learn more about author Laura Lee by connecting with her on Twitter and by reading her blog.

NEW! Reading challenge 2012

2011-11-05T09:00:00.008Z

2011 marked my debut as reading challenge host and it couldn’t have been better! I discovered new book blogs, new authors, new titles and, generally, felt enriched by the whole experience. Reading books is a pleasure, sharing your thoughts on them is an even greater one!

Now that the new year is approaching at the speed of light, I don’t want to be caught unprepared. It is therefore without further ado that I invite you to join the…

Having chosen a specific subject for my previous reading challenges, all the books already waiting on my shelves have been kept waiting some longer. That’s why I decided not to set a theme for the new reading challenge: you can read what you want and as much as you want.

The rules:

1. The challenge will run from January, 1st 2012 to December, 31st 2012. You can join at any time from today but only reviews of books read in 2012 will be counted.

2. Read as many books as you like! You don’t necessarily have to set a goal but you can if you want to. In this case, please leave a comment below to share your target.

3. All genres are permitted as long as the books are commercially available, i.e. the books need to have been printed (no matter how long ago or if they are now out of print) and can be purchased (or borrowed), regardless of how difficult it is to track them down.

4. You don't need a blog to participate. Posting your reviews on GoodReads, Amazon or similar websites is also accepted.

5. You can post your reviews in English, Italian, French, German and Spanish.

6. Please share the details of this challenge by talking about it on Twitter and Facebook, by posting these rules on your blog, by displaying the logo on your sidebar etc. The more, the merrier!

7. There will be prize draws and competitions throughout the year. A book (possibly more) will automatically be awarded to the most prolific reader.

Please sign up below and come back in January to submit your review(s)…

For a list of all reviews submitted in January, please click here.
To submit your FEBRUARY reviews and/or check what the others have been reading, please click here.

Book review: One Day

2011-11-04T09:49:00.003Z

By David Nicholls
Published by Hodder & Stoughton

One Day. The number of prizes that it was shortlisted for or which it won is countless. One Day is one of those novels that, over the past year, everyone seemed to be reading and talking about at one point or another. It might make not much sense but, for this very reason, I was slightly put off.

How wrong I was. I am so grateful to all the friends that nagged me until I read it and I hope that this review will help any of you sceptics out there to pick up this novel.

Made even more famous by its film adaptation, One Day narrates the rollercoaster relationship between Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew. Intellectual and idealistic the former, fun-loving and commitment-phobic the latter. We meet them as they spend their first night together on 15th July 1988 - the night before their graduation - and we follow them as, year after year, they become best friends, fight their mutual attraction, fall out, make up again and, basically, do all those things that are generally described as “growing up”.

The two main characters are so well-rounded that, like with normal acquaintances, you’ll go through times of being totally supportive of them and times of being extremely annoyed by their behaviour. Nicholls made Emma and Dexter so real that letting them go at the end of the novel was very hard.

Credible characters and an intriguing narrative are complemented by the unusual format. We meet Emma and Dexter for the first time on 15th July 1988 and then every year after that on the same day. Every time a chapter ends and a new one begins there is the thrill of not knowing what happened in the intervening year and the excitement at finding out.

Finishing with a twist that I absolutely didn’t see coming, it’s no wonder that One Day became the big success that it is.

"Italy in Books" - Link for November reviews and prize draw

2011-11-03T13:00:00.000Z

It’s November and the “Italy in Books” reading challenge 2011 continues!

This month, courtesy of Fourth Estate, one of you will have the chance to win a copy of Made in Sicily by Giorgio Locatelli.

To participate in the prize draw, all you have to do is:

• Read a book set in Italy or about Italian culture & language
• Share your review (or opinion, if it sounds less intimidating!) by clicking here

Easy, isn't it?

IMPORTANT! Please note that you need to have signed up for the challenge to be eligible for the prize draw. If you haven't signed up yet, you can do it here. If you can't remember whether you have or haven't signed up, you can check whether your name is listed here.

Buona lettura!

LGBT challenge - Link for November reviews and prize draw

2011-11-03T10:01:00.000Z

It’s November and the LGBT reading challenge 2011 continues!

This month, courtesy of Serpent's Tail, one of you will have the chance to win a copy of Nights Beneath the Nation by Denis Kehoe.

To participate in the prize draw, all you have to do is:

• Read a book - fiction or non-fiction - whose author is LBGT, whose topic is LGBT and/or whose characters (even minor ones) are LGBT
• Share your review (or opinion, if it sounds less intimidating!) by clicking here

Easy, isn't it?

IMPORTANT! Please note that you need to have signed up for the challenge to be eligible for the prize draw. If you haven't signed up yet, you can do it here. If you can't remember whether you have or haven't signed up, you can check whether your name is listed here.

Happy reading!

"Italy in Books" - October winner

2011-11-02T13:00:00.000Z

7 reviews this month!

Did you miss the reviews? Fear not, follow this link and catch up with all the bookish goodness!

And if you’ve just come across the Italy in Books reading challenge 2011, you can find all the information you need by clicking here.

And now, the long-awaited moment of the prize draw!

The lucky reviewer who, courtesy of Diane Saarinen, will receive a copy of Solitaria by Genni Gunn is:

Barbara, who read and reviewed The House in Amalfi by Elizabeth Adler.

LGBT challenge - October winner

2011-11-02T09:02:00.001Z

And again... only 2 book reviews this month. This reading challenge had started out so well!

Anyway, 2 reviews are still something! Follow this link and catch up with all the bookish goodness!

And if you’ve just come across the LGBT reading challenge 2011, you can find all the information you need by clicking here.

And now, the long-awaited moment of the prize draw!

The lucky reviewer who, courtesy of Serpent's Tail, will receive a copy of Quicksand & Passing by Nella Larsen is:

Lucy, who read and reviewed Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult.

In conversation with.. Ali Harris

2011-11-01T09:00:00.000Z

Hello Ali! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of your first novel, Miracle on Regent Street. Can you tell us what it is about?

A: Thank you so much! I still can’t believe it’s actually happening and that people might (hopefully) buy it! Miracle on Regent Street is a story about a sweet, unassuming stockroom girl called Evie Taylor who works in the basement of Hardy's, a faded, forgotten old department store that has seen better days. For the past two years she's lived an invisible life in London, sorting endless boxes of archaic stock by day and looking after her sister’s two young children at night. Her neighbours think she's the hired help, her self-obsessed shop floor colleagues mistake her for her stockroom predecessor and even her manager doesn't know her actual name. But despite all this she loves working at the store. So when she overhears that Hardy's is at risk of being sold unless it seriously increases its profits she hatches a secret plan to save it. Evie and Hardy's are both looking for a Christmas miracle to turn their fortunes around. The question is will they find it?

I definitely look forward to reading it! Is Regent Street a place where readers can frequently spot you? I used to work nearby and it has definitely an aura of past grandeur that other shopping streets seem to have lost.

A: I utterly agree! I adore the faded splendour of Regent Street. It’s home to my favourite shops like the utterly divine Liberty and (now sadly no more) Dickens and Jones. It’s definitely the place I know best in London. In fact, most of my working years have been spent around there. I used to waitress in a steak restaurant just off Regent Street, my first magazine job was just a quick hop, step and jump away (when I was wearing flats. Which to be honest, wasn’t often) and I spent nearly two years at Glamour magazine which was right round the corner on Old Bond Street (another favourite street and which also features in the book). I’ve spent too many lunch breaks to mention ambling up and down, gazing at the beautiful buildings, and peering in the hallowed windows of Hamleys, particularly at Christmas. Plus it’s always been the street I buy first in Monopoly!

Readers will be able to close their eyes and step into Hardy’s, the department store created by your pen, feeling like they’re really there. Would you say that it is as much a main character as Evie is?

A: Absolutely! I actually see Hardy’s as a reflection of Evie herself. And I love the fact that no male love interest features on the cover, because truthfully, I see Evie’s love affair with Hardy’s as the most important one of all (although never fear - there are a couple of dashing leading male characters too). I really hope the readers will care as much about Hardy’s journey as Evie’s.

You have written for publications such as Red, Cosmopolitan and Company and were a deputy features editor at Glamour. Do you think you will you now dedicate your time to writing fiction only?

A: I really hope I’ll be able to juggle both as magazines will always have a special place in my heart. But writing books is a childhood dream fulfilled and I’m currently dedicating most of my time to writing my second book, The First Last Kiss (which will be published early in 2012) as well as looking after my two children who are 2 and 6 months. But once the first draft is finished I’ll definitely be picking up my journalist pen again!

Due to the popularity of social networking websites, it seems that interacting with readers – be it via a Twitter account, a Facebook page etc. – is becoming increasingly important. How do you cope with these new demands on authors and do you think that they somehow disrupt your writing schedule?

A: I love twitter and Facebook and I think it’s brilliant that authors can communicate with readers every day. I literally can’t wait to hear from people who’ve read (and hopefully liked!) my book. But equally I’m the queen of Write one sentence, look at ASOS, write another sentence, go on twitter. If I actually finish a chapter I figure I’m pretty much due an hour long Net a Porter shopping spree (if my husband is reading this - not really! I’ve never even seen that website!) So, I think my only hope of actually getting any writing done is to do what I do with my two year old son’s TV viewing which is to only allow it to go on twice a day, for an hour maximum. Or put myself on the naughty step if I look at it too much…

What is your one fundamental piece of advice for aspiring writers?

A: Find your own voice. Don’t try and be anything you’re not as people will instantly see through it. I have tried (and failed) to get books published before where I was trying to second guess what the industry wanted, or follow a trend. But I’m a total, unashamed hopeless romantic and I’ve finally found a way to harness it!

And lastly, is there anything that you would like to share that I haven’t asked?

A: I think you’ve covered everything wonderfully. Thank you so much for having me!

Thank you for your time!

And now, for a chance to win one copy of Miracle on Regent Street, click here and complete the form. The competition is open to UK readers only and will close on the 14th November at 1pm.

Book review: Interpreters

2011-10-27T09:15:00.003+01:00

By Sue Eckstein
Published by Myriad Editions

Author of the acclaimed debut novel The Cloths of Heaven, Sue Eckstein has come back with her second work of fiction, Interpreters. A successful return, I should add.

On opening the book, we read the beginning of a (fictional) magazine article about non-traditional families. In it, Susanna and her uncle Max talk about their household and Susanna’s choice, when she was very young, to move from Africa, where she used to live with her mother, to England, where Max lived in a sort of commune.

It is in this indirect way that we are introduced to Julia Rosenthal, mother of Susanna and sister of Max. It is her that we follow as, on her way to an appointment with a notary, she drives to her childhood home and lets the memories flood back. Spotted by someone she used to know when she was little, she is invited into the house she used to live in. As the morning passes and each room is explored, we learn about her mother, her father and the life she had while growing up, with all its good times as well as the bad.

In her mind, Julia doesn’t only revisit her childhood. She also recalls her life as a young woman and as a young mother. A wronged mother, as she keeps being reminded by the existence of that unread magazine article about what she considers to be a betrayal.

The narrative is interspersed with scripts of what looks like conversations between a woman and her therapist. The woman, unnamed, talks about her difficult childhood in Nazi Germany. Moving with her mother from Amsterdam to Berlin to live with a father who despises her, in a country that rejects her, left deep scars. Who is this woman?

As both Julia’s recollections and the woman’s therapy sessions progress, the pieces of the puzzle come together and secrets are revealed in such a clever way that you just won’t want to stop reading until you reach the end of the book. This is a beautiful and moving story with credible characters that you will quickly warm to. So much so that, despite all the loose ends being perfectly wrapped up by the last page, I would love to read more about this family.

Thank you, once again, to Brighton-based Myriad Editions for bringing a wonderful novel to the public’s attention.

Books through my lens #6

2011-10-25T09:00:00.002+01:00

Wandering around Amsterdam last winter, I came across this little bookshop: Leeshal Oost. At first, its cute candy-striped awning made it look like it might be an old-fashioned greengrocer's but upon closer inspection the mistake was rectified!

I believe that this bookshop, which can be found at Commelinstraat 53, 1093 Amsterdam, deals in used and rare books and magazines only. I might be wrong but I don't remember seeing brand new books. That said, I think that I was too fascinated by the shop itself to pay too much attention to books that, as far as I could see, were exclusively in Dutch. Look at the curved glass in the window - so beautiful!

The use of shopping trolleys to display the books was also very original. The more I think about all those sad, discarded trolleys polluting our fields and rivers, the more this seems to be the way forward!

Kimberly Menozzi and... The Little Things

2011-10-22T08:32:00.000+01:00

I woke up last Monday determined to take a bike ride. The sky was clear and bright, a deep autumnal blue freshened by the chilly winds which have finally arrived after a prolonged delay. It wasn't too cold, but it was cool enough to reassure me I wouldn't suffer too badly. I could wear long sleeves to protect my skin from the sun and have a nice, leisurely ride along the path on the torrente which runs just outside of town.

This was something I'd longed to do all summer while I was visiting family in the US, something I've looked forward to since I returned to Italy in September, but put off thanks to the unseasonable, overbearing heat and humidity. Now was my chance.

I saw my husband off to work and then set about getting ready. I dressed in my workout gear (long-sleeved lycra workout top, hoodie, an old pair of jeans and some trainers) and went down to the garage where we keep the bikes.

Our garage is an entity unto itself – a hodgepodge of bicycles, hardware left over from my father-in-law's employment as a plumber and countless other bric-a-brac and tools. Somehow, the bicycles and spare bike parts serve as proof in the chaos that I'm in Italy. One bike is alongside the wall, a tiny little thing, meant for a child. Another one, a multi-speed, hangs from a rack on the wall. Still another ten-speed style stands on one side of the entryway – that's the bike my husband rides into town. His racing bike is in the back of the garage, in the space which should be our cantina, where food and wine and various household needs would normally be kept.

All of this is jam-packed into a space scarcely wide enough to fit a Fiat Cinquecento (the original model, not the redesigned one). There's just room enough down the middle of it for one to walk unhindered, and my bicycle, the blue Legnano city bike purchased for me immediately after I moved here for good, is stationed right by the door. Luckily for me, otherwise I might never get it out since only one of the double doors of the garage opens.

When I went to unlock the door, one of my neighbors caught my eye and waved to me, calling out "Salve!" in greeting. I returned the acknowledgement and smiled, then went back to unlocking the door. Five turns of the key in the lock and I was in, only to find to my dismay that my back tire was a tad low.

Now, I know how to put air in a tire. I'm not exactly a novice when it comes to that task. The problem I faced was using the tire pump owned by my husband's family. It's roughly twenty or thirty years old, made of steel and one of the foot-holds – the one I would use to hold it in place while I pumped the t-shaped handle – is broken off. Grrrr… Not to mention that the hose itself isn't attached to the base perfectly, so it's hard for the built-in gauge to be sure of how much pressure is in the tire.

I took a deep breath and set to work removing the cap of the tire's valve, attaching the pump to it and then finding a way to keep the apparatus in place while I got a little extra exercise pumping the air. (I managed to break a sweat in the oil-and-grease scented atmosphere in no time, all the while trying to resist breaking out a whispered Italian curse or two in the process.)

This pump is notorious for one more reason: it's loud. It's loud enough that I can hear its huff-huff-wheeze-jangle from our third-floor (fourth-floor in the US) apartment when my husband puts air in his bike's tires. It's a sound so distinct, I know when any member of the family is using it.

And thus, it was both loud and unique enough that, when I emerged from the shadows of my garage, I found my kind neighbor standing nearby, waiting for me. His bright, inquisitive eyes blinked at me from behind half-moon specs, their black frames disappearing into snow-white, perfectly-coiffed hair. This is a man who makes his plaid flannel shirts look downright stylish.

"È gonfiato?" he asked, "Is it inflated?"

I nodded. "Sì, sì; almeno, penso di sì," I said. "Yes, at least, I think so."

That's when he did the gentlemanly, neighborly thing: he checked it for himself, bending to take the tires between his thumb and forefinger to give them a good, solid pinch. He nodded with satisfaction as he stood up straight and gestured over his shoulder toward his garage.

"Ho un compressore se ne hai bisogno," he added as he did so. "I have a compressor if you need it."

"Grazie," I said, sincerely moved by the offer. With that, he brushed his fingers off on his work vest, smiled and went back to organizing his garage.

I set off.

I rode toward the school where I work, taking the longest route possible to my destination, a public park with a multi-use path along the currently dry torrente. The air was cool, the sun was warm and since it wasn't quite lunchtime, there were only a few people out and about. The English oaks pelted me with their acorns, oblong tubes of green and brown, minus their caps. The wind sighed through the treetops and some of the leaves drifted here and there, riding the breeze earthwards.

As I slipped in and out of sun and shadow, the gravelly path and the leaves crunching beneath my sturdy wheels, I found myself thinking of his gesture. It was such a small thing, really; an unsolicited offer of assistance to a neighbor, a man being a gentleman to a woman who might, or might not, be in need.

My thoughts turned to some of the other people in my building; the elderly bachelor downstairs who lives alone, who once shyly brought up a package which had been left for me by the mailboxes; the raucous family who seldom stop arguing, but whose middle son – a teenager, no less – never fails to hold the door for me, no matter how far away I am when he gets there; the people in the flat next door who greet my husband and me with a huge smile and always ask if we need the elevator if they're stepping out when they see us. And of course there's the kind, older gentleman who has now offered to inflate my bicycle tires with his compressor if I ever should need it. He's always greeted me with a smile and a wave, both of them sincere efforts of goodwill.

These are the gestures which make me feel at home here, which ease me into the routine of my Italian life. The little things matter, and this is the proof that those little things are universal.

LGBT reading challenge - October reviews

2011-10-20T09:56:00.001+01:00

Thanks again for joining the LGBT reading challenge 2011!

Below is a list of all the book reviews that have been submitted in October (via this link). Hopefully you will all find new and interesting titles to explore - I, for one, am sure to gather another few books to add to my TBR list!

Whether you already know the books that are being discussed or not, I strongly encourage you to leave comments below and on the other blogs. I want to hear your voices! Despite its name, the reading challenge is not simply a competition, more of an opportunity to share ideas and bond over our common interests!

Let's begin!

01. Juliet read and reviewed Before Night Falls by Reinaldo Arenas.
02. Lucy read and reviewed Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult.

Don't forget, one October reviewer is in for a chance to win a copy of Quicksand & Passing by Nella Larsen, courtesy of Serpent's Tail!

Book review: A Writer's Britain

2011-10-20T09:22:00.003+01:00

By Margaret Drabble
Published by Thames & Hudson

Having visited most of the Bloomsbury-related sites in Sussex, I have been left with a thirst for ‘literary tourism’ that the updated edition of Margaret Drabble’s A Writer’s Britain seems perfectly able to quench.

Focussing on different areas of interest - such as the description of sacred places, the Romantic movement and the portrayal of rural and industrial landscapes - Margaret Drabble sets out to investigate the relationship between writers and place and to understand how this has changed over the years.

Painters are not the only artists capable of depicting landscapes. As the plentiful quotations and excerpts remind us, writers are equally able to give a sense of place through evocative poems and detailed descriptions alike.

Functioning as a mere background at times, landscapes can also be as important as the main characters of a book. Think of Jane Austen’s Yorkshire moors, Wordsworth’s Lake District, Virginia Woolf’s London. And they are only a few of the places explored in A Writer’s Britain, many of which will be pleasantly unknown and ready to be discovered.

A celebration of Britain and literature, this volume is a wonderful source of knowledge and food for thought.

Book review: As Good as God, as Clever as the Devil

2011-10-19T09:00:00.001+01:00

The Impossible Life of Mary Benson
By Rodney Bolt
Published by Atlantic Books

'As Good as God, as Clever as the Devil' was the phrase once used by Ethel Smyth to describe Mary Benson, née Mary Sidgewick. In his extremely well-researched and beautifully presented book, Rodney Bolt introduces us to this extraordinary woman.

Despite being a work of non-fiction, As Good as God, as Clever as the Devil is so readable and engrossing that you almost forget that Mary is not a fictional heroine of a Victorian historical novel. Bolt has succeeded in portraying the wife, and then widow, of Edward Benson in a most exquisite way.

Complete with a detailed bibliography and enriched by photographs of the Benson family and their circle of friends, this chronicle of the upbringing, married years and widowhood of Mary Benson is extremely interesting. Not only do we learn about the life of a fascinating woman but – as we follow her from birth to death (1841-1918) – we also gain a valuable insight into Victorian and Edwardian England.

Edward Benson – whose last years were spent as Archbishop of Canterbury – and the couple’s five children – all writers – are often mentioned. In fact, there are sections of the book that are less about Mary and more about her family. But this is understandable as she was enormously influenced by her husband and her children and we wouldn’t have a complete picture of her if we ignored the most important people in her life.

These people also include many women who, over the years, formed emotional bonds with Mary and supported her through the difficulties of her marriage. Among them, Lucy Tait, who lived with Mrs Benson until her death, is especially recognised as playing a significant part in her life.

Enriched by quotations taken from Mary’s diaries and letters, as well as by excerpts of her children’s work that describe the Benson household in more or less direct ways, As Good as God, as Clever as the Devil is a gem and will appeal to both biography-lovers and occasional non-fiction readers alike.

In conversation with... Nina Bell

2011-10-18T10:23:00.003+01:00

Hello Nina! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the publication of your latest novel, The Empty Nesters. Can you tell us what it is about?

A: Three friends – Clover, Laura and Alice – have shared school runs, sleepovers and holidays for years, but now that their children are all off to uni, the friendship begins to crack apart. Alice wants what Clover and Laura have, while Laura faces two of her marriage’s major challenges. And Clover has to work out what’s important in her life – and then fight for it.

I can’t wait to read it! Where did you take the inspiration to write this novel? Are you perhaps an empty nester yourself?

A: Our twins left home – one for gap year, one for uni – in September 2008, and it’s taken this long to process how it turns your life upside down. It’s exciting – all that extra time and new opportunities. But sad too – even the dog obviously misses them.

The Empty Nesters was published on the 1st September. At the time of this interview, you haven’t yet embarked on your promotional tour, which will take you, among others, to Henley Literary Festival and Guildford Literary Festival. What is the aspect of touring that you enjoy the most?

A: I love the questions readers ask. It’s interesting, fun – and sometimes challenging – to hear what people think.

Due to the popularity of social networking websites, it seems that interacting with readers – be it via a Twitter account, a Facebook page etc. – is becoming increasingly important. How do you cope with these new demands on authors and do you think that they somehow disrupt your writing schedule?

A: I sometimes feel I’m getting sucked in because writing can be quite a lonely profession, and suddenly there are lots of interesting and amusing people to chat to. But deadlines terrify me, so I can usually manage to focus on work too.

You were a journalist for women’s magazines and are currently writing a non-fiction book about interior design. Do you think that diversifying your writing is the secret to keep your fictional works fresh and exciting?

A: I do really enjoy writing different kinds of things, and I think it does help. For example, thinking about what sort of a house your characters live in is a good way of getting to know them. Women’s magazines are about what matters in women’s lives, and so are novels, so doing interviews for women’s magazines gave me practice in writing about different characters.

What is your one fundamental piece of advice for aspiring writers?

A: Keep writing. Writing is a craft as well as an art, and the more practice you get, the better you’ll be.

And lastly, is there anything that you would like to share that I haven’t asked?

A: Just that reading novels is probably my favourite way of spending a couple of hours, so I do hope that books don’t disappear in favour of interactive this, that and the other. But I don’t think they will.

Thank you for your time!

A: Thank you, it’s been great to answer your questions.

And now, for a chance to win one copy of The Empty Nesters, click here and complete the form. The competition is open to UK readers only and will close on the 31st October at 1pm.

Book review: Happy Accidents

2011-10-17T09:10:00.002+01:00

By Jane Lynch
Published by Fourth Estate

Being a bit of a Gleek, I couldn’t help but want to read Jane Lynch’s memoir. I started the book knowing her only as Sue Sylvester, the most evil cheerleading coach ever to walk the planet, and I ended it with a long list of films to watch and an even bigger respect for her.

Happy Accidents takes us from Jane’s childhood and her dreams of stardom all the way through to her successful present life as an actor. We learn about the hard times – her insecurity, her alcoholism, her feelings of isolation and not belonging – as well as the good times – her flourishing career, her acceptance of her sexuality, her marriage. It seems that she holds nothing back and comes across as absolutely honest, page after page.

Her memoir is moving and funny, sometimes both sad and amusing at the same time. And, as I said before, totally candid.

I recommend Happy Accidents to any Glee or Jane Lynch fan, to anyone interested in acting and films, to anyone who enjoys a well-written happy-ending true story… basically, to anyone.

Genni Gunn on writing Solitaria

2011-10-14T09:21:00.000+01:00

First of all, thank you for inviting me to write a post for your readers. How wonderful that you’re all reading books with Italy in them. My novel, Solitaria, is set in Italy, and features both an Italian protagonist, Piera, and a Canadian one, David. It moves between the present (2002) and the past (1930s to 1950s). Here’s my try at a quick summary:

When Vito Santoro’s body is inadvertently unearthed by a demolition crew in Fregene, Italy, his siblings are thrown into turmoil, having been told by their sister Piera that Vito had fled to Argentina fifty years earlier after abandoning his wife and son. Now scattered over three continents, Vito’s siblings regroup in Italy to try to discover the truth. Piera locks herself in her room, refusing to speak to anyone but her Canadian nephew David. As the stories emerge, weaving past and present, so do versions and perspectives, memories and secrets.

I am Italian by birth, and arrived in Canada when I was eleven. Other than my immediate family – mother, sister, brother – everyone else in my family lives in Italy, so I have been going back and forth to visit them all. While there a few years ago, I became fascinated by an old aunt of mine who, despite much attention and care, felt she had been emotionally abandoned by everyone in the family, even though she had been generous throughout her life, and had looked after, and educated many of her siblings. Most importantly, like Piera in Solitaria, she kept evoking the word LOVE. “Everything I did, I did for love,” she’d say.

You know this person; there is one in most families: smart and wise and generous, she gives only what she can control, assumes she is the authority on everyone, and criticizes all who do not agree with her with a cruel sharp tongue that alienates those she professes to love so much.

Intrigued by these character ambiguities, I set about interviewing people in Italy, not only my relatives, but my aunt’s contemporaries, to better understand her motivations. And so began the five years I took to research and write Solitaria.

I read many books to research the times. Some of my favourites were novels and memoirs written by Italians during the Mussolini regime, because unlike history books with their 20/20 version of events, literature shows us what people were thinking during those events. A lovely example is Cristo si è fermato a Eboli (Christ Stopped at Eboli), a lyrical memoir by Carlo Levi who was interned by the Fascists during the war in a remote mountain village in the province of Lucania. It is a seminal work about that era, and available in English for those of you interested. I highly recommend it.

Turning all this research into a story was the difficult part. I created a protagonist, Piera, who is a composite of many people I met. Then, I had to invent a story that would explore the issues I was interested in: the relationship between love and duty; the place of family within one’s life; the repercussions of war; the alternate memories people create of the same event.

I was also interested in using the Mussolini era backdrop as a means of illuminating some of what is going on in our lives today. By this, I mean that Fascism in Italy didn’t occur overnight. The loss of personal freedoms happened a bit at a time, in the name of restoring and keeping order, to a populous that was largely (at first) complacent. By the time people found themselves under a totalitarian regime, it was too late to do anything. Consider what has happened in North America since 9/11: we have been giving up our personal freedoms, a little bit at a time, in the name of national security for quite a while now, with little apparent alarm or outcry.

Solitaria is the result of these explorations, and as often happens with research, I experienced unexpected new perspectives, an example of which occurred to me the last time I was in Italy. My old aunt, who had always been a formidable woman, had had a stroke which rendered her docile. It was disconcerting to be sitting at her bedside, while she lay, silent, unless I spoke to her.

On my last night there, because I had an early train to catch, I slept in her living room, on a cot arranged by her housekeeper. I turned out the lights and lay in bed, eyes closed, thinking about how different this time was from all the others before, now that my aunt could not effectively communicate. After a while, I opened my eyes, and to my surprise, I saw an eerie oblong light shining in the corner of the room. At first, I thought it must be a reflection from the window, perhaps a mirage. I recalled how in childhood, I used to lie in bed and stare at the ceiling where I could see reflected the movements on the street below. So I looked at the window, but I could see no source for the light.

I closed my eyes, thinking it was my imagination, and I should not indulge it. But I also had an uneasy feeling. In this room my ancestors had lived and died; their faces stared out of portraits on the walls. I am not superstitious by nature, yet now I thought, who can say what is or isn’t? I waited a while, then opened my eyes. The oblong light was still there.

I thought, perhaps my aunt has died in the other room, and this is her spirit come to see me, to talk to me. I stared at it, trying to discern something, but it was indiscernible. Finally, I whispered, “Ma chi se tu?” “But who are you?” However, there was no response.

I closed my eyes again, on the verge of believing in ghosts and spirits, in this lonely old house, in southern Italy, where everything was possible. I got up, and slowly walked toward the light, hypnotised by the possibilities of all the unknown. Directly below that eerie glow, I bowed my head. My cell phone lay face-up on the floor, its screen on, projecting onto the ceiling.

I hope you will enter with me into the old and new worlds of Solitaria, and that you will experience southern Italy from a new perspective.

"Italy in Books" - October reviews

2011-10-13T09:13:00.006+01:00

Thanks again for joining the "Italy in Books” reading challenge 2011!

Below you can find a list of all the book reviews submitted in October (via this link). I am sure that everyone will find it useful to learn about new and interesting reading ideas - in fact, I suspect that as a result of this challenge my TBR list will expand dangerously!

Whether you know the books that are being discussed or have never heard of them, I strongly encourage you to leave comments below and on the blogs themselves. I want to hear your voices! Despite its name, the reading challenge is not a mere competition, rather an opportunity to share ideas and bond over common interests!

Let's begin!

01. Barbara read and reviewed The House in Amalfi by Elizabeth Adler.
02. Patricia read and reviewed Sicilian Odyssey by Francine Prose.
03. Pete read and reviewed A Season with Verona by Tim Parks.
04. Lindy read and reviewed Recipe for Life by Nicky Pellegrino.
05. Tina read and reviewed Cucina Povera by Pamela Shelton Johns.
06. Jeane read Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant. Scroll down to read her review.
07. Lara read Rossovermiglio by Benedetta Cibrario. Scroll down to read her review.

Reviews by non bloggers

Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant. Read and reviewed by Jeane:
Sacred heart tells us about Serafina, a young girl who has been forced into the convent of Santa Caterina in Ferrara, Italy. The first night she spends in the convent she screams, has passed long ago the level of being angry to a feeling a lot more negative and stronger. Suora Zuana, who is in charge of the dispensary, has to sedate the girl during the night and will be the first person who builds a relationship with Serafina. A relationship which will always be difficult and complex, where the line between trust and betrayal is extremely thin and fragile. The pressure of the counter-reformation on the convent makes life since Serafina's arrival even more difficult for everybody. Under the surface the convent starts to be divided in two groups, those who want to have stricter rules as described by the new rules outside the convent and those who want to keep their freedom in the convent. The Abbess plays a big part in this but without having any wish for it, also Suora Zuana becomes highly involved because of her relationship with Serafina.
For me this was another book I enjoyed from Sarah Dunant and loved to read it in airports, during flights and finally in Italy, not in the same city as the convent was situated in the story but in the same region.

Rossovermiglio by Benedetta Cibrario. Read and reviewed by Lara:
The title of the first book written by Benedetta Cibrario, “Rossovermiglio”, is the name of a wine, the same produced by the protagonist, the countess Villaforesta.
The countess spends her life in a huge estate, called “La Bandita” in the area of “Chiantishire”, in Tuscany. She left forever, years and years ago, the upper-class Torino for the quieter Chiantishire, where enjoys a peaceful loneliness and a simple and “free” life, although isolated in the estate inherited by her brother. At the beginning, the countess’ choice appears radical. Probably it is because of a rejection towards her life, already planned by her family, that she decides to start a new life in the countryside. Her destiny would have been otherwise rather predictable: a combined wedding with a violent aristocrat, who has in common with her only the passion for horses, then the end of her disastrous marriage and an unexpected relationship with a fascinating and ambiguous man, Trott, who makes her discover the excitement of a non conventional life. Around the countess, historical events, go on.
Narration starts at the end of 20s; the political climate is characterized by the turmoil that, after few years, will lead to the II World War. However, nothing seems to break the quiet at La Bandita, except some echoes of a tragedy that takes place elsewhere. Also the referendum day of June 2nd, 1946, when women vote for the first time, is described in a calm and relaxed atmosphere.
The wide use of flash-backs and flash-forwards puts together several distinct moments of the protagonist’s life.
The novel starts when the countess is already in her 80s, still full of energy in running her business as wine producer; in some passages the countess is, as well, a 19 years old girl, who deeply loves horses but is still naïve about life; then she is a passionate woman who falls in love with Trott, the man who will often cross her pathway and who will suggest her become a wine entrepreneur at La Bandita.
The countess chooses peculiar names for her wines: the first one is “Lunediante”, a “nickname” often give to someone who is lazy, indolent, as she is, a “lunediante” of feelings.
On the other hand, there is the “Rossovermiglio”: it is the color of passion and revenge, the same feelings that in few, brave moments, have characterized the countess’ life, and that now constitutes her greatest success.
Overall I would suggest to read this book: the nice writing, the accurate descriptions and the interest towards the protagonist’s fortunes make it a pleasant reading.

And remember: this month, courtesy of Diane Saarinen, one of you will have the chance to win a copy of Solitaria by Genni Gunn.

Book review: Everything and Nothing

2011-10-12T09:00:00.002+01:00

By Araminta Hall
Published by HarperPress

A family employs a live-in nanny to look after their two children and she turns out to be a bit of a psycho. Don’t you think that this plot might have been used just a little too often? I did. For this reason, I approached Everything and Nothing with caution.

The next thing I remember is a happy and satisfied smile on my lips as I finished the book not too long afterwards.

In Everything and Nothing, readers are thrown into the life of the Donaldsons at a difficult time. Ruth and Christian have two little children, a nanny who’s just left them and a career to think of. While they try (and don’t really succeed) to juggle family and work commitments, Aggie arrives. With impeccable references and full of enthusiasm, she moves in with the family and, little by little, she becomes indispensable to the smooth running of the household.

Smooth is, however, an adjective that can be only applied to what goes on on the surface. Deep down, the situation is more complicated than that. Ruth and Christian are both disappointed by their life. Ruth feels guilty that she’s not the perfect mother that she expected to be. Christian feels like Ruth has changed and that their life has turned out different to what they both imagined. Add the sudden appearance of Christian’s ex secretary and lover and you have all the ingredients for trouble.

It is not surprising that – amongst the kids’ tantrums and all the other obstacles that the couple keep finding in their way – they don’t realise that perfect Aggie is not so perfect. Readers will have known that there’s something wrong with her since the very first paragraph but it is only as you read that the little pieces of the puzzle come together.

So, yes, the plot is perhaps not the most original but the way that the characters grow before your eyes and the great insight into the workings of a modern family make this novel fresh and gripping.

Araminta Hall’s Everything and Nothing has been selected for Richard and Judy's autumn book club 2011 and it’s easy to see why.

Books through my lens #5

2011-10-11T09:00:00.001+01:00

I do like a tidy bookshelf but I'm not impartial to the charm of a slightly messy composition, especially in the right context. This photo was taken this summer at Compton Verney, an art gallery housed in a Grade I listed mansion in Warwickshire. I loved the soft light coming in through the big windows! In the background you can see a current art installation by Marcia Farquhar entitled The Horse is a Noble Animal.

Many thanks to the friendly museum assistant who allowed me to take this photograph where it might not have been entirely permitted!

Book review: Edge

2011-10-06T09:00:00.002+01:00

By Jeffery Deaver
Reviewed by Natazzz

Jeffery Deaver is an international bestselling author of crime novels, having written over 25 books in the last 20 years. Yet somehow I'd never read any of his novels, let alone heard of him. After finishing Edge (2010), I wish I'd discovered him sooner. Edge is a crime novel, which, at first glance, looks kind of average and run of the mill. However, once I started reading I could not stop and it had me interested and intrigued throughout.

Edge tells the story of Corte, a protection officer whose job it is to protect a family targeted by a lifter named Henry Loving. The last time Corte came across the man, he ended up killing one of his mentors. Needless to say, Corte is very determined to catch Loving and not let him hurt anyone else every again. The members of the family he is protecting aren't making his job easier with all their personal drama, but in order to find out who hired Loving he does have to delve deep into their lives.

Luckily he has the most brilliant assistant who can find out just about anything about anyone. Corte is also very good at analysing situations and anticipate possible moves that Loving might make next. He keeps comparing this to playing board games, one of his hobbies. I thought this was going to be boring or tiring, but I actually found these analyses of the situation very interesting. Novels like these often give you an insight only into the (often twisted) psyches of the main characters, but not so much about the actual work involved in catching the bad guys. This was a refreshing change.

The storyline was also not predictable, which is always a plus. I had no idea who was behind it all until the very end. The book also had a nice twist at the end, which made me shout out in surprise. The novel is well written and fast paced and a joy to read. If you're looking for a good crime novel, this is it.

LGBT challenge - Link for October reviews and prize draw

2011-10-05T10:08:00.002+01:00

It’s October and the LGBT reading challenge 2011 continues!

This month, courtesy of Serpent's Tail, one of you will have the chance to win a copy of Quicksand & Passing by Nella Larsen.

To participate in the prize draw, all you have to do is:

• Read a book - fiction or non-fiction - whose author is LBGT, whose topic is LGBT and/or whose characters (even minor ones) are LGBT
• Share your review (or opinion, if it sounds less intimidating!) by clicking here

Easy, isn't it?

IMPORTANT! Please note that you need to have signed up for the challenge to be eligible for the prize draw. If you haven't signed up yet, you can do it here (full instructions here). If you can't remember whether you have or haven't signed up, you can check whether your name is listed here.

Happy reading!

"Italy in Books" - Link for October reviews and prize draw

2011-10-05T09:50:00.003+01:00

It’s October and the “Italy in Books” reading challenge 2011 continues!

This month, courtesy of Diane Saarinen, one of you will have the chance to win a copy of Solitaria by Genni Gunn. If you live in the US or Canada, you'll receive a hardback copy. If you live anywhere else, you'll receive the book in Kindle format.
To participate in the prize draw, all you have to do is:

• Read a book set in Italy or about Italian culture & language
• Share your review (or opinion, if it sounds less intimidating!) by clicking here

Easy, isn't it?

IMPORTANT! Please note that you need to have signed up for the challenge to be eligible for the prize draw. If you haven't signed up yet, you can do it here (full instructions here). If you can't remember whether you have or haven't signed up, you can check whether your name is listed here.

Buona lettura!

In conversation with... Elizabeth Buchan

2011-10-04T09:00:00.003+01:00

Hello Elizabeth! First of all, thank you for agreeing on answering a few questions for the readers of my blog. I know for a fact that you will make many of them happy!

Your latest novel, Separate Beds, came out in 2010 and it will be followed next year by the publication of Daughters. Can you give us a little anticipation of what we are to expect?

A: Thank you for asking. Here is sneak preview of the blurb on the back jacket.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that all mothers want to see their daughters happily settled. But for Lara, mother to Maudie and stepmother to Jasmine and Eve, this is looking increasingly unlikely.

With an ex-husband occupied with his second marriage, and the surprising developments in her own love life to contend with, Lara has enough to worry about, especially with Eve’s upcoming wedding.

And when she begins to fear that Eve is marrying a man who will only make her unhappy, and Maudie reveals something that shocks the entire family, Lara faces a dilemma. Does she step in and risk the wrath of her daughters? Or does she stand by and watch them both make what she fears will be the biggest mistakes of their lives?

I wanted to write a novel about a mother and how a family might work today… and this one with separated parents is, perhaps, not so untypical. A wedding provides rich fodder for the novelist – the funny, sad and magical aspects of this milestone. Also a wedding is the moment when parents say ‘goodbye’ to their children … provoking the deepest and most mixed of emotions. I hope all these elements are in Daughters!

You were Chairman of the Romantic Novelists’ Association between 1995 and 1997. Would you define yourself as a romance writer?

A: I don’t think of myself as any particular brand of writer at all. All I want to do is to write the novels in my head. In that way, I am entirely free and not bound in.

Do you think that the experience of working as both a blurb writer and as fiction editor has somehow shaped the way you write?

A: The two activities seem worlds apart but I do think writing blurbs was the best of nursery slopes for an infant writer. To do both well, it is important to have a central idea fuelling the writing. E.g. in Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman I stumbled on the aphorism ‘living well is the best revenge’. Once I had that tucked up in my head, the novel took shape. Equally, when writing a blurb I had to ‘know’ what the book was about. Perhaps the most profound technical lesson I learnt writing blurbs is: less is more, keep it clear, simple and direct … and to avoid adverbs like the plague.

One of your novels, Revenge of the Middle Aged Woman, has been made into a television film for CBS. Did you like it? Which of your other novels would you particularly like to see adapted for the television or the big screen?

A: I’ve always wanted Consider the Lily to make it to TV. In fact, it was film optioned but it did not come to anything. Perfect Love and Light of the Moon (which was about an SOE agent in the Second World War) were also optioned – which just goes to show how low the strike rate for a finished film or TV adaptation is. I am not fussy. If anyone wished to adapt any of the novels, I would be delighted. The CBS version of Revenge of the Middle-Aged Woman was terrifically well done and made me laugh… the scriptwriter was much wittier than I am.

Many of your novels have been translated into other languages. Are you involved in the translation process in any way? Which non-English-speaking country have you had the most success in?

A: No, translation is a whole new world and I certainly would not have the expertise to pronounce on Polish or Serbo-Croat where the novels do well. I have also had some success in Germany and Italy which I am thrilled with.

Due to the popularity of social networking websites, it seems that interacting with readers – be it via a Twitter account, a Facebook page, a blog etc. – is becoming increasingly important. How do you cope with these new demands on authors and do you think that they somehow disrupt your writing schedule?

A: They do disrupt things but they have become a very important part of a writer’s life and it is difficult to ignore them. Anyway, I feel very strongly if readers make the effort to read my novels, I can certainly make the effort to connect with them.

What one fundamental piece of advice would you give to aspiring writers?

A: I am asked this a lot. I think it boils down to two words. DO IT. One can think, plot, plan, yearn, give excuses until the cows come home. Unless you put pen to paper, finger to keyboard, a novel will not get written. Pace yourself. If one page a day is all you can manage snatched between the demands of working and a family then set yourself the target of one page a day. (It will turn into two…) No theory or plan in the world matches the actual writing process. In doing so, you find out of what you are capable and experience the exhilaration of developing writing muscles. Good luck.

And lastly, is there anything that you would like to share that I haven’t asked?

A: Just to say thank you for your interest. And also to reiterate how convinced I am that reading is one of the most important things in a civilized society. The more we think about books and interact with one another about them, the better. Please keep talking. Please keep reading. I wish everyone the joy and enchantment of a good book…

And, if anyone wants to ask me about any of my novels, please do…

Thank you for your time!

And now, for a chance to win one copy of Separate Beds, click here and complete the form. The competition is open worldwide and will close on 17th October at 1pm.

LGBT challenge - September winner

2011-10-03T14:08:00.003+01:00

Only 2 book reviews this month... where have all the participants gone?!

Only 2 reviews but not to be missed! Follow this link and catch up with all the bookish goodness!

And if you’ve just come across the LGBT reading challenge 2011, you can find all the information you need by clicking here. Joining couldn’t be easier!

And now, the long-awaited moment of the prize draw!

The lucky reviewer who, courtesy of Hodder & Stoughton, will receive a copy of Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult is:

Lucy, who read and reviewed Flick by Geraldine Meade.

LGBT reading challenge - September reviews

2011-10-03T14:03:00.003+01:00

Thanks again for joining the LGBT reading challenge 2011! If you haven't joined yet, don't worry: there is still time.

Below is a list of all the book reviews that have been submitted in September. Hopefully you will all find new and interesting titles to explore - I, for one, am sure to gather another few books to add to my TBR list!

Whether you already know the books that are being discussed or not, I strongly encourage you to leave comments below and on the other blogs. I want to hear your voices! Despite its name, the reading challenge is not simply a competition, more of an opportunity to share ideas and bond over our common interests!

Let's begin!

01. Lucy read and reviewed Flick by Geraldine Meade.
02. Juliet read and reviewed New Selected Poems by Edwin Morgan.

Don't forget, one September reviewer is in for a chance to win a copy of Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult, courtesy of Hodder & Stoughton!

"Italy in Books" - September winners

2011-10-03T13:57:00.003+01:00

9 reviews this month!

Did you miss the reviews? Fear not, follow this link and catch up with all the bookish goodness! And if you’ve just come across the Italy in Books reading challenge 2011, you can find all the information you need by clicking here. Joining couldn’t be easier!

And now, the long-awaited moment of the prize draw!

The five lucky reviewers who, courtesy of Betsy Hoffman, will receive a copy of Dreaming of Sicily are:

1. Jeane, who read and reviewed Ask Me If I'm Happy by Kimberly Menozzi.
2. Gretchen, who read and reviewed Venice by Jan Morris.
3. Lindy, who read and reviewed The Summer House by Christobel Kent.
4. Pete, who read and reviewed Christ Stopped at Eboli by Carlo Levi.
5. Lara, who read and reviewed Io ci sto by Marco Zarfati. Scroll down to read her review.

Books through my lens #4

2011-09-27T14:49:00.003+01:00

Known to walk with my nose in the air, I often come across little gems that would normally pass unnoticed. In this case, an unmissable Waterstone's shop located in a gorgeous building on the corner of Gower Street and Torrington Place, in London. Look at the smooth stone! Marvel at those carvings! It speaks of beauty inside and out!

Kimberly Menozzi and... Late September Notes

2011-09-22T09:07:00.003+01:00

To my initial dismay, September arrived late, this year. The blessedly cool air -- which normally follows close after my return to Italy from the US -- took its time, this time around.

This year, it almost felt like the cool weather would never arrive. This struck a chord of fear within me, foolish as it sounds, but I really was worried for a while. I worried most when the heat had me up in the wee still hours of the night, unable to sleep but too tired to do anything productive.

You see, I've never dealt well with heat and humidity. Either one is a problem for me, particularly at night, but heat is probably the worst. I get rashes on my skin; itchy, flaky, painful rashes. I toss and turn when it's too warm, unable to keep cool so I can rest well. We've all been there, of course -- but to go from an air-conditioned environment over the course of the summer to a more, shall we say "natural" existence, was a bit of a shock for me.

I spent several sleepless nights this month, thanks to the heat. Some of these nights were spent fussing with my husband (who hates my oscillating fan with a passion), some of them were spent listlessly recovering on the sofa from my usual jetlag, still others were spent debating with my cat over who owned that sofa and who had dibs on the breezes coming through the living room window at four a.m.

At times, it got ugly.

Even though I lived without central air when I was growing up, I can't cope now when it's stiflingly hot. My hubby, on the other hand? He's used to it. He suffers when he's in the US, though: all that air-conditioning is a form of torture for him. Like many other Italians, he longs for warm summer nights and languid days -- the better for socializing and living outside the house.

I don't get that. I don't understand that at all.

Instead, I yearned for the Italian autumn: the shortening days, the cool nights, the gentle light which softens the hills and blends the all-too-brief flashes of red and gold in the trees. I love the sight of the trucks -- from pickups to three-wheeled service vehicles -- their truck beds and trailers laden with green, red and deepest violet bunches as they make their way to the vintners to turn those sweet globes into the many varieties of local wines.

There is something so earthy, so sumptuous, about that sight: the opulent colors; the plump, tempting spheres still dusty from the harvest, heavy with sunlight. When I see them I want to reach out and touch them, to feel the weight of them in my palm, their reassuring roundness, the heat of the fading day still present in their cores.

Every time I catch a glimpse of those grapes -- no matter how fleeting -- I'm seized with an almost primal desire for wine. Me, the one who doesn't even like the stuff! A strange, deep-seated urge to savor this part of the autumnal bounty washes over me and the craving settles into me with a momentarily maddening insistence.

That never happened until I came to Italy.

In the weeks to come, the vineyards will be picked clean. Sunlight will find its way through spare vines, the last, inferior grapes lingering on them and drying out before they fall to the heavily-trodden soil at last. The fields will be emptied of their final gifts, squash and corn and all the rest, and then the remainders will be plowed under, pulling rich earth to the surface to face the winter again.

The weekend meals will grow heavier, more substantial, so that one never leaves the table without feeling satisfied. Tortelli di zucca (pumpkin ravioli), pasta with walnut or boar sauce, and various arrosti appear on family tables throughout the region. Limoncino moves aside for nocino, its autumnal cousin.

In the city, the trees will be trimmed down almost to their trunks alone, even as the last leaves fall to the ground around them. The buildings will seem somehow more substantial with the bright blue sky reflecting off the windows, and then the cool grey sky shading them with a gentle hand.

The managers of the ristoranti will bring out the heaters for their smoking patrons to use when the nights get colder. Soon, they'll cluster around them beneath clouds of grey-blue smoke, the conversations they started indoors will finish around the artificial warmth. Then they'll carry new topics inside with them to enjoy over their meals, where they'll also complain about the cold.

The older ladies of the town will don their furs at the first sign of crispness in the air, and younger women will stroll the crazy-paved streets in high heels, full-length coats and hats as they do their shopping or stop by the bar to drink an aperitivo. The younger businessmen will pretend not to notice them as they rush from one meeting to another. The older men will be present too, in jackets and fedoras, standing in the center of the piazzas while they debate the chances of their favorite teams or less favorite politicians.

The youngsters will flirt and play as they always do, no matter the season.

As for me, I'll go back to teaching soon. I'll be walking deeper into the darkness with every advancing night, loving the feel of nightfall while all around me, my friends and peers will protest and yearn for the summer again.

I, for one, won't miss it one bit.

Help! My wish list #36

2011-09-22T09:00:00.003+01:00

One more title from my ever-expanding reading wish list.

** The cover image is for illustrative purposes only. If you are a publisher and would kindly like to offer me a copy of this book for review, I will change the cover so as to reflect the edition received. **

The Reluctant Fundamentalist
By Mohsin Hamid

Amazon's product description: At a cafe table in Lahore, a Pakistani man begins the tale that has led to his fateful meeting with an uneasy American stranger...Changez is living an immigrant's dream of America. He thrives on the energy of New York, his work at an elite firm, and his budding relationship. For a time, it seems that nothing will stand in the way of his meteoric rise to success. But in the wake of September 11, Changez finds his relationship crumbling and his exalted status overturned. Allegiances are subsequently unearthed, proving themselves more fundamental than money, power and maybe even love.

Why I want to read this book: This sounds like an interesting, fictional take on the post 9/11 world and the way that one event changed the way we see things.

In conversation with... Isabelle Grey

2011-09-20T09:00:00.004+01:00

To celebrate the release of Out of Sight - published this month by Quercus Books - author Isabelle Grey kindly agreed to answer a few questions on Book After Book.

Enjoy...

Hello Isabelle! First of all, I would like to congratulate you on the release of Out of Sight. Can you tell us what it is about?

A: Out of Sight is a novel of psychological suspense. Patrick Hinde is a good man whose coping strategy is to compartmentalise and ‘forget’ the things that upset him. Following a difficult visit from his parents, his failure of memory causes the death of his beloved son, Daniel. Struggling to accept his wife’s forgiveness, his avoidant behaviour becomes worse, leading him to hurt those closest to him. The novel is also a love story; in France five years later he meets Leonie, who cherishes the romantic belief that love can heal his damage. But will Patrick be able to change his destructive behaviour?

This is your first work of fiction after a series of non-fiction books written as Isabelle Anscombe. Do you feel any different about the publication of Out of Sight?

A: I wrote most of my non-fiction books a long time ago, but I remember how, when I first made the jump from non-fiction to TV drama, the freedom to make things up was wonderful! Now the big jump is from screenwriting to fiction, where it’s possible go inside my characters’ heads and describe their thoughts in as much detail as I want. In a script, you’re placing those internal thoughts in an actor’s close-up or reaction shot. The biggest personal difference is that I feel much more exposed as an author than as a screenwriter. An audience rightly identifies with the actors, and the writer can remain pretty invisible, which suits me; but readers of fiction like to know about an author, and I’m still getting used to that!

What kind of research, if any, have you carried out while you were writing Out of Sight?

A: The story was built around newspaper reports of two unrelated but near-identical tragic incidents that occurred within a week of each other in France in 2008. In order to make sure I was getting things right in terms of how such deaths would be handled here, I spoke briefly to a former detective, a coroner, a forensic psychologist, a family law barrister, and even a childhood friend who’s now a judge. I was a journalist, so it’s still important to me to check my facts before turning them into fiction, although some details don’t matter - in TV crime drama, for instance, it’s an accepted convention that DNA and toxicology results always come back the same day! I can write with greater confidence if I know what would happen, but I don’t feel obliged to stick to anything other than my fictional ‘truth’.

You have extensive experience as screenwriter. Would you like to see Out of Sight adapted for the TV? If so, would you be happy to let another screenwriter work on it?

A: Of course I’d love to see Out of Sight as a TV drama or a movie! And I certainly wouldn’t say no if I were asked to write the screenplay; but I enjoy the fact that film is a collaborative medium, involving many different skills. I’m happy when I hand a script over to the director, actors and production team, so in the same way I’d be happy to see another screenwriter adapt my novel. A fresh eye may well find something different in the story and make it their own, which would be exciting to see.

Due to the popularity of social networking websites, it seems that interacting with readers – be it via a Twitter account, a Facebook page, a blog etc. – is becoming increasingly important. How do you cope with these new demands on authors and do you think that they somehow disrupt your writing schedule?

A: Yes, they do! Plus I’ve recently started a blog. But writing a novel is a big and time-consuming task, so having some social life on Twitter without leaving my desk is very tempting. And I’m so impressed by the knowledge, generosity and humour out there - after all, I wouldn’t be talking to you now if it weren’t for Twitter - and I look forward to ‘meeting’ more readers.

What one fundamental piece of advice would you give to aspiring writers?

A: Keep writing, get to the end, then work out what the story is and do some re-writing. The real writing starts at the second draft when you can see what you’ve got.

And lastly, is there anything that you would like to share that I haven’t asked?

A: Do watch out early next year for my episode of The Accused on BBC1, which I’ve been writing with Jimmy McGovern.

Thank you for your time!

Isabelle's publisher has generously offered two copies of Out of Sight! For a chance to win, all you have to do is click here and complete the form. The competition will close on 3rd October at 1pm and is for UK readers only.

"Italy in Books" - September reviews

2011-09-19T08:58:00.004+01:00

Thanks again for joining the "Italy in Books” reading challenge 2011! What? You haven't joined yet? No worries, there is time to sign up until the very last day of the year...

Below you can find a list of all the book reviews submitted in September (via this link). I am sure that everyone will find it useful to learn about new and interesting reading ideas - in fact, I suspect that as a result of this challenge my TBR list will expand dangerously!

Whether you know the books that are being discussed or have never heard of them, I strongly encourage you to leave comments below and on the blogs themselves. I want to hear your voices! Despite its name, the reading challenge is not a mere competition, rather an opportunity to share ideas and bond over common interests!

Let's begin!

01. Barbara read and reviewed The Scarlett Contessa by Jeanne Kalogridis.
02. Jeane read Ask Me If I'm Happy by Kimberly Menozzi. Scroll down to read her review.
03. Gretchen read and reviewed Venice by Jan Morris.
04. Juliet read and reviewed The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici by Christopher Hibbert.
05. Patricia read and reviewed Falling Palace by Dan Hofstadter.
06. Christie read and reviewed The Villa Triste by Lucretia Grindle.
07. Lindy read and reviewed The Summer House by Christobel Kent.
08. Pete read and reviewed Christ Stopped at Eboli by Carlo Levi.
09. Lara read Io ci sto by Marco Zarfati. Scroll down to read her review.

Reviews by non bloggers

Ask Me If I'm Happy by Kimberly Menozzi. Read and reviewd by Jeane:
I’ve started reading ‘Ask me if I’m happy’ this morning and am enjoying it a lot already. On page 26 and before she realizes what the last reason is why he watched her… I think I realized it too and went to check in the previous pages. At the moment I have this joy of what might come going through me … and instead of preparing to go out and buy groceries, clean the flat….. I continue reading and enjoy being in Bologna at least in the story if not in real life. I guess it is a compliment if you feel like you are there or feel sad not to be there, where the story is happening …. It just feels so real and I can feel, smell the atmosphere of Bologna.
What a hard story to read this one is going to be for me….. Needing to close the book, wanted to read on and not wanting to read on because each page I read is one less to read. It is like eating a home made mascarpone dessert. Following Emily on her way through Bologna, being in one of the stations of Milan with her, while she is dealing with a painful past and a very special guide filling her present.
Emily or Emilia like Davide calls her in Italian, is leaving Italy after having lived there for ten years. She can’t wait to leave Italy, the Italians and everything else around her and go back to the States. That special day in Bologna where a typical Italian train strike makes everything go wrong, will also change her life in a huge way.
Back in the States, back where she should feel home Emilia can’t stop thinking about Italy, the Italians or a certain Italian and like the author writes it so correctly, she feels a nostalgia not only for the coffee at the bar in the morning but also for the typical things you don’t have in Italy which could make you go crazy. Those typical, in some way negative, Italian things like shops closed on Sunday or long closing hours during noon … they make her want to go back. But what can she expect back in Italy? She left Italy after ten years, being married and divorced … now she goes back to finalize the sell of the house. Back to Bologna, to where a day, a year ago, everything changed for Emilia.
Her visit back in Italy is like coming home and she knows she made the correct decision, but ten every story has a ‘but’. The but for Emilia is that suddenly everything goes unexpected, her visit back goes like a whirlwind of emotions, unexpected situations. The end of the story felt so intense that I was scared to learn how it would happen.
Kimberly, thank you so much for sending me your book. I absolutely loved it. I loved the story and the feeling it gave me of really being in Italy. Next time I see Neptuno on the piazza in Bologna… I might watch for the ring! Oh and, I loved the creation of Davide. Who wouldn't?

Io ci sto by Marco Zarfati. Read and reviewed by Lara:
Io ci sto, by Marco Zarfati, is the story of three young guys, who met by chance, become friends and share some formative experiences.
Tito, Lele and Matteo spend every day together: it is summer, holidays have just started. The three guys repeat themselves their motto, that is the title of the book: “Io ci sto”, I agree. Someone of them can suggest something, even crazy, to do: “Io ci sto”, I agree, is the magic formula to transform any suggestion in reality.
The story takes place mainly in Roma and its surroundings: the guys move by car, bike, motorbike, explore new places, practice sports. Life is easy for them, who have finished high school and wait for the university to start. There are no worries about the future, since days are suspended in a continuous present.
One day they even decide to go to the beach to a natural reserve, owned by the Italian president. The experience revealed to be extremely fascinating: only wild nature surrounding them, who would not allowed to be there.
However, their lives change, as soon as holidays end, the university start and girls arrive in the story. Stella and Ludovica. Stella is Tito’s girl, but she ended up with Matteo, Ludovica betrayed Matteo with Tito, Matteo, who had always been attracted by his friend, kisses Lele… The harmony between the three friends is broken… What remains of their friendship? They discover they are different, but the link among them is still so strong that, at the end, they agree to meet up and greet each other by saying, as usual, “Io ci sto”.
I bought and read this book, written by a young Italian writer, after having met him personally at the bookshop: I admired his enthusiasm towards his new career as writer. However, I have to raise several criticisms to the author. Although there is a good narrative rhythm at the beginning, the story slows down: the reader realizes soon that there is not anything else to discover and loses interest in the three guys and their adventures. The style is too easy and characters and places are not so accurately depicted. As a curious reader about new narrative proposals, I did not find the story so promising as I was expecting.
It is too early to express a judgment about the young author: I prefer to wait for another book, that, maybe, will be more mature than this one, easy as its leading motto “Io ci sto”.

And remember: this month, courtesy of author Betsy Hoffman, five of you will have the chance to win a copy of Dreaming of Sicily!

Book review: The Brave

2011-09-16T09:23:00.002+01:00

By Nicholas Evans
Published by Little, Brown

Borrow it from the library, buy it online or in a bookshop. Do whatever you have to do to get a copy but make sure that you read The Brave by Nicholas Evans. It’s amazing.

If you want to read on, be warned that this is a biased review!

Once upon a time, I read The Horse Whisperer by a certain Nicholas Evans, an author whom I had never heard of before. I don’t know what happened. I was suddenly under a spell. Nicholas Evans’s books, however, can literally be counted on the fingers of one hand. It was thus with great joy and expectation that I recently picked up The Brave, published this year after a (not so) patient wait of 6 years.

The only disappointment of The Brave is that, once you start reading it, you know that it will inevitably have to end.

So, what is so good about The Brave? First of all, a brief outline of the story. The chapters alternate between the childhood and the adulthood of Tom Bedford. As a child, Tom grows up in the Midlands (UK) and then moves to Hollywood to leave in a dream world with his sister Diane and her boyfriend, TV cowboy Ray Montane. Tommy, who is a huge fan of ‘Cowboys & Indians’ shows, couldn’t be happier. That is, until one tragic event turns his world upside down.

As a grown-up, Tom lives in Montana, has an ex wife and a son who hardly speaks to him. He has never told them the truth about his past and he lost them both. Life, however, is unpredictable and his son, a US Marine serving in Iraq, is suddenly in trouble, trouble that could have serious consequences all too similar to what happened so many years ago in Hollywood.

To answer my previous question, The Brave is an excellent example (and much needed reminder) of Evans special storytelling skills. He is able to completely draw readers into any story. You can be anyone when you open the book but you will soon become one with the people who populate his pages. Evans’s characters are well-rounded and extremely real. Settings are described so vividly that your surroundings will change as you read. Without being over-the-top, he easily sets whatever mood the story needs.

And what a good story it is too. When a book is divided in two storylines, I normally become more interested in one of the two, looking forward to pick the thread again as soon as one chapter or section ends. In this case, I found that both storylines were equally fascinating, which only made me read faster!

And now, I have to be brave myself and wait for the next work by Mr Evans.