BLOG TOUR: Virgin & Child - Maggie Hamand

A genre-busting, gender-bending Vatican thriller. What happens when everything you know is thrown into doubt?

And you’re the Pope?

The recently elected Irish Pope Patrick has plans for his future Church. Then he is attacked in St Peter’s Square. Cardinals turn against him. Shocking revelations threaten his traditional status and his faith. In this novel where nothing is as it seems, Catholicism and modern morality are held in tension. Pope Patrick has to face challenges and make choices he could never have imagined.

 

What did I think?

I was so intrigued by the synopsis of this novel that I just had to read it and I am so pleased that I did as I have never read anything like it.

Patrick is set to make history as the first Irish pope but his tenure may be short-lived when he finds himself in an impossible predicament.  The church will not survive such a scandal but its position is clear so Patrick has quite a dilemma.  Does he go against the church and his own beliefs or does he bring down the church and papacy?

What a dilemma!  It's so easy for people in power to make and enforce rules when it doesn't apply to them, but as soon as it affects them they want to break the very same rules.  It feels like almost every action and thought is a sin in Catholicism, but hypocrisy is more of a sin than the original sin, in my opinion.  I'm being purposefully vague about the highly original plot as it's really one to be experienced for yourself.

Maggie Hamand's groundbreaking novel is beautifully written and completely enthralling.  Brave, bold, powerful and incredibly thought-provoking, Virgin & Child prompts so much debate that I have continued to talk about it long after turning the final page.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

Maggie Hamand is a London-based novelist, journalist, and non-fiction author. She was the winner of the first World One-Day Novel cup and her novel, The Resurrection of the Body, has been optioned for film and television. Maggie followed a degree in Biochemistry and a Master’s in Theology with a PhD in Creative Writing, and lectures at the University of Hull.

Maggie has also taught at Morley College, Holloway Prison, and London University of the Arts. She pioneered creative writing teaching in London through The Complete Creative Writing Course at The Groucho Club, and is the author of the best-selling Creative Writing for Dummies and Creative Writing Exercises for Dummies. As a publisher, Maggie founded and ran the acclaimed independent The Maia Press. Maggie’s home is in Hackney, while Normandy provides a writing retreat. For more information visit: www.maggiehamand.com

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Femlandia - Christina Dalcher

Miranda Reynolds has lost her home, her job and her husband – all thanks to an economic collapse that has brought America to its knees.

The shops are empty; the streets no longer safe. Miranda and her daughter Emma have nowhere left to turn.

There is one final hope, a self-sufficient haven for women who want to live a life free from men. Femlandia.

For Miranda, the secluded Femlandia is a last resort. Life outside the gates is fraught with danger, but there’s something just as sinister going on within.

Welcome to Femlandia… It’s no place like home. 

What did I think?

I've loved Christina Dalcher's previous novels (Vox and Q) so I was eager to read her third novel, Femlandia.   It is exactly what it sounds like: feminist dystopian fiction and although I enjoyed it and it raises many topics for discussion, I didn't love it as much as Dalcher's previous novels.

Femlandia is the brainchild of renowned feminist Win Somers: a sanctuary for women with several location across America.  When the country's economy collapses, the only safe place is self-sufficient Femlandia so Miranda Reynolds and her daughter make their way there.  It may sound like a theme park but scratch the surface and it's more cult than community.

The story is reasonably fast-paced and intriguing as Miranda discovers more about Femlandia and her own secrets are revealed.  I don't want to reveal too much as it would spoil it for others, but there are a few surprises that kept me interested and entertained.

Chilling and incredibly thought-provoking, Femlandia is a shocking and terrifying read that I have continued to think about and discuss long after turning the final page.

I chose to read a digital ARC via NetGalley and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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The Boy I Am - K. L. Kettle

 

They say we’re dangerous. But we’re not that different.

Jude is running out of time. Once a year, lucky young men in the House of Boys are auctioned to the female elite. But if Jude fails to be selected before he turns seventeen, a future deep underground in the mines awaits.

Yet ever since the death of his best friend at the hands of the all-powerful Chancellor, Jude has been desperate to escape the path set out for him. Finding himself entangled in a plot to assassinate the Chancellor, he finally has a chance to avenge his friend and win his freedom. But at what price?

A speculative YA thriller, tackling themes of traditional gender roles and power dynamics, for fans of Malorie Blackman, Louise O’Neill and THE POWER.

What did I think?

I don't read a lot of dystopian fiction so I thought I'd take a little look at The Boy I Am and I could always put it down if I didn't get into it...almost 200 pages later, I did put it down but only because it was teatime.  I honestly didn't think it would be my kind of thing, but sometimes books that surprise you are the best books to find.

Jude lives in a world where boys have all choices taken away from them; they must act gentlemanly at all times, never look at a woman's face and only speak when spoken to.  Their only purpose in life is to be selected by rich women as companions and if they're not chosen they are sent to the mines and never seen again.  The Chancellor rules with an iron fist and it appears that everyone bows to her will, however, a resistance is growing with a plan to remove her from power.  The Chancellor has eyes everywhere apart from in the Outside...where the brave must venture in order to bring her down.

Turning gender on its head, K. L. Kettle has written a stunning dystopian debut novel; it's officially YA but it's most definitely suitable and hugely enjoyable for adults too.  It's as thought-provoking and imaginative as The Handmaid's Tale, The Hunger Games and many more books that I haven't read yet but really must read.  It's so provocative and memorable that I wouldn't be surprised to see future novels being compared to The Boy I Am.

I don't think I will ever forget The Boy I Am; it's a book I would like to read again which definitely makes it a 5 star read for me.  K. L. Kettle's imagination is jaw-droppingly brilliant and her writing is so vivid and perfectly crafted that The Boy I Am is nothing short of magnificent.  After seeing through Jude's eyes, I will never look at the world in the same way again.  An unmissable book and very highly recommended.

My rating:

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The Midnight Library - Matt Haig

 

Between life and death there is a library.

When Nora Seed finds herself in the Midnight Library, she has a chance to make things right. Up until now, her life has been full of misery and regret. She feels she has let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change.

The books in the Midnight Library enable Nora to live as if she had done things differently. With the help of an old friend, she can now undo every one of her regrets as she tries to work out her perfect life. But things aren't always what she imagined they'd be, and soon her choices place the library and herself in extreme danger.

Before time runs out, she must answer the ultimate question: what is the best way to live?

What did I think?

I think Matt Haig has written one of my favourite books of all time.  I am struggling to find the words to review The Midnight Library as it is so completely beyond exceptional that any words I use seem to fall short.  This is a book that everyone needs to read at least once; I know I will be reading it many more times.

Although I have read his Christmas books, I am ashamed to admit that this is my first adult Matt Haig book (so many books, so little time and all that) but what a book to start with.  The Midnight Library is about Nora Seed who is so unsatisfied with her life that she decides to die, nobody will miss her after all.  Caught between life and death, Nora finds herself in a magical library that contains her Book of Regrets along with every volume of her life and all those sliding door moments: the possibilities of lives she didn't choose to live.

Like a cross between Mr. Benn and It's a Wonderful Life, Nora tries out the other lives she could have lived and sees the snowball effect of decisions she made in her root life.  You can't help but think about your own life while you're reading The Midnight Library; what if I'd done this or what if I hadn't done that but unfortunately we can't rewind time and we're stuck with the life we're leading, for better or worse.

There is a veritable banquet of food for thought in The Midnight Library and every reader will take something different away with them after they finish reading.  One thing is for sure, The Midnight Library will remain in my mind forever.  I read an ebook version but now that I've seen the library card in the front of the hardback, I have to get a physical copy too.

Beautifully written, extraordinarily inventive and completely unique, every bookshelf should have a copy of The Midnight Library.  Believe the hype; this is one bandwagon you most definitely want to jump on.  5 stars just aren't enough for The Midnight Library, it deserves every single star in the universe to show how truly magnificent it is.  Extremely highly recommended.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Red Book - Davide Cortellucci

DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF THOUGHTS.

Martin’s life as he knows it has turned upside-down, and he decides to embark on a trip to give sense to his existence. Via coincidences and fabricated non-coincidences, he finds a group of people that helps him enhance the power of his thoughts to modify the physical world around him.

In a journey within a journey, Martin discovers the powers of visualisation and its pull.  And he acknowledges why he’s flooded by negative feelings when he’s close to certain people.

DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE ENEMIES.

Unless Martin finds the strength within himself to fight, he and everyone around him will cease to exist.

What did I think?

I have always said that I read anything except sci-fi but I was intrigued by the synopsis of The Red Book, which is officially in the science fiction genre.  I have to change that statement now as I rather enjoyed The Red Book and, it being the first in a trilogy, I'm looking forward to reading more.  The Red Book concludes very nicely though, as there's no cliffhanger ending which often leaves me unsatisfied until the next book comes along.

The main character is a young man from London called Martin Cloud who is given a red book by Professor Conti, one of his customers in the coffee shop where he works.  After a devastating event, Martin decides to go travelling and takes the red book with him.  When he begins his journey his eye catches a girl at the station and he glimpses her several times during his journey.  I love this twist of fate;  how two unrelated people take the same journey and run into each other several times.  On his travels he meets an American named Chuck and he finally catches up with Maria, the girl that fate has chosen for him.

Unbeknown to him, or perhaps more unacknowledged by him, Martin has a gift of visualisation and can turn his thoughts into reality.  He is drawn to a similar group of people led by Caesar, who reminded me of a cross between Yoda and Professor X, where he is taught to control his gift.  Martin has to undergo some rigorous training as a group of Sinisters are intent on destroying Caesar's group and a fight between good and evil must begin.

The Red Book is a very well written book, especially considering that English is not Davide Cortellucci's first language.  There are a few hints that this is so, coincidentally with 'a few' being one of them as Davide uses 'few' instead.  This isn't a criticism at all, more of a quirk, and for it to be the only one I noticed is remarkable.

I loved reading about how we are affected by our thoughts and how people can get inside our head and change our mood, although this was in a sci-fi setting you can easily relate this to things that happen in real life.  The Red Book is a really good introduction to the sci-fi genre for me, I think more so because I consider Star Wars and X-Men among my favourite films.  With the visualisation reminding me of Yoda and the gifted group fighting evil reminiscent of the X-Men, this book really was more my kind of thing than I expected.

Real life challenges mixed with super-human powers make The Red Book an action packed thrill a minute.  Real life makes it sad at times but where there is negative there is positive so it is also hopeful; ultimately, The Red Book is extremely thought-provoking.  Thanks to Davide Cortellucci's The Red Book, the sci-fi genre can consider my head officially turned.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

Davide Cortellucci is a writer and the author of The Red Book. He has spent the last few years working on an unnamed trilogy, friendly referred by him as Little Yellow Rubber Duck. The Red Book is the first book in the trilogy. He was born on the 25th of July 1978 in Belgium, to Italian immigrant parents. He grew up in Belgium, Italy, and in London, UK. Davide has done several jobs, from waiter to inventories, from sound engineering in shows to events manager, and many more. Davide is a college dropout with a couple of creative writing courses on his back. He has spent many years travelling around Europe, learning about cultures, and keeping an interest in the power of the mind. Davide loves writing stories that awaken the epic feeling within the reader. He now lives in South East London with his partner, he's curious about life, and he also makes a great pasta sauce.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/D.CortellucciAuthor/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/d.cortellucci/

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Ikigai & Other Japanese Words to Live By - Mari Fujimoto

Introducing and explaining some of the most poignant Japanese words, Ikigai is a lifestyle as well as a language book. From the wistful poetry of mono-no-aware, a word that asks us to recognize the bittersweet transience of all things, to the quiet harmony of wa, which knits together all of society’s structures, this book is an introduction to the intricacies and value of Japanese phrases and concepts. It hopes to inspire you to incorporate these words into your own lifestyle and adopt a more mindful attitude to life’s stresses, seeking meaning beyond materialism. 

In addition to over 40 ‘words to live by’, Ikigai features musings on the place of beauty, community, time and nature in Japanese thought, teaching mindfulness by way of compelling haikus, and illustrated by Michael Kenna’s reflective photography throughout.

What did I think?

When I think of Japanese people, a sea of serene and smiling faces comes to mind.  After reading Ikigai & other Japanese words to live by, I'm not surprised that they appear so happy and calm with such beautiful, meaningful words in their vocabulary.

The book is split into seven chapters: Harmony, Beauty, Nature, Mindfulness, Gratitude, Time and Respect, with a haiku (a 3 line Japanese poem) at the beginning of each chapter.  I've never been a poetry lover so these bite size poems are more my kind of thing and I rather surprisingly found myself lingering over the words and savouring their meaning.  Before we even get to the 'words to live by' there is a little essay on each chapter topic, however, this went completely over my head and I didn't really get it.  It might make more sense on the second reading, as I'm sure I'll be returning to this book for inspiration.

On to the words, which is the essence of the book.  My favourite section has to be 'Time' as I often say that time is something you never get back and particular moments in time cannot be repeated.  There's actually a Japanese phrase for this: 'Ichigo ichie' which means a once-in-a-lifetime encounter; a moment that cannot be repeated.  It's rather fitting for me (being a lifelong tea lover) that this phrase is attributed to renowned tea master Sen-no Rikyū and I'd already made a note to source some 'salty plum tea' that made my mouth water in the essay on gratitude.

I love black and white photography so I was completely spellbound by Michael Kenna's breathtaking images.  The images, coupled with the inspirational words and phrases, project an aura of calm and enlightenment, making Ikigai & other Japanese words to live by a book to savour and return to again and again.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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The Gift Maker - Mark Mayes

'Gifts ought to be free, but they never are. They tie you to the wishes of others. To your own sad expectations. To the penitentiary of your dreams.' 

Late one night, Thomas Ruder receives a strange package: a small blue box. Another such item is delivered to his friend Liselotte Hauptmann. These 'gifts' will change their lives forever. 

In the far-off border town of Grenze, a play is to be performed at the Sheol Theatre. Reynard the impresario expects a very special audience. Thomas and Liselotte, together with their friend Johann, are drawn into Reynard's seductive web, as Daumen, the gift maker, must decide who his master really is. 

The Gift Maker is a story about identity, about fulfilling your dreams and becoming the person you always were ... at whatever cost.

What did I think?

I'm not really sure what I've just read but you could have slapped me in the face with a wet kipper whilst I was reading The Gift Maker and I wouldn't have noticed.  This is PURE escapism, more theology than fantasy but with a massive thought-provoking ending that left my mouth open catching butterflies.

Thomas and Liselotte are students who each have a strange blue box delivered in the middle of the night.  Thomas wants to get back to bed so puts his box in a drawer and goes back to sleep, but Liselotte naturally opens hers straight away.  When Liselotte shares the contents of her box with Thomas, he rushes back home to find his box gone.  Enter Reynard (who I couldn't help but think of as the fox) and Thomas and Liselotte find their world spun on its head.

What follows would make Lewis Carroll wish he'd written it or Tim Burton wish he'd filmed it first.  So jump down the rabbit hole with Mark Mayes and prepare to be amazed, astounded and gobsmacked at this fairytale style unusual story.  The Gift Maker defies all genres and refuses to be put into a box, it's an absolutely magical, captivating story. 

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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Forgiveness: Effortless Inspiration for a Happier Life - Dani DiPirro

Packed with insightful quotes, thought-provoking reflections and empowering affirmations designed to make you think about forgiveness in new ways, this uplifting little book provides bite-sized inspiration for you to feel lighter, freer and more at peace in everyday life.

What did I think?

What a super little book, it's certainly small but mighty.  I've bought the odd self-help book in the past and got bored after a few pages, leaving them barely thumbed through.  I do, however, still have a bit of an addiction to this kind of book so I was really pleased to win a copy in a Goodreads Giveaway.  Forgiveness only takes about 10 to 15 minutes to read from cover to cover, depending on how much thought you give each quote or idea.  In just a few pages of Forgiveness, I was eagerly reading to see what pearl of wisdom or inspirational quote would be imparted next.  I was so taken with some of the quotes that I shared them immediately by reading them out to my family.

The book itself has beautiful purple pages throughout, which is not only my favourite colour but a colour I find very peaceful and spiritual.   Each little section starts with an inspirational quote, including many from literary favourites such as Anne Frank, Mark Twain, Virginia Woolf and Oscar Wilde.  The quote is followed by a little passage about forgiveness with some key words such as 'compassion', 'patience' and 'happiness' and then leaves us with a thought to ponder to help us achieve these feelings.

Forgiveness certainly made me think about life and how we sometimes make it difficult for ourselves.  We often love to wallow in misery and negativity, forgetting how much better we feel when we're happy, kind and loving.  This is definitely a book I will dip in and out of in the future, but more likely I will read the whole book over and over again.  Forgiveness is full of enlightenment and wisdom, I feel like a better person already after just reading it once.  I am so looking forward to how much better I will feel when I put it into practice.

Inspirational and thought-provoking, Forgiveness is a little gem of a book and the best self-help book I have ever read.  It may be small but it packs a mighty punch.

I'll leave you with the fabulous Oscar Wilde quote that is included in the book:

"Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much."

My rating:

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