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Review of Chronicle of a Last Summer: A Novel of Egypt by Yasmine El Rashid

About Chronicle of a Last Summer

Cairo, 1984. A blisteringly hot summer. A young girl in a sprawling family house. Her days pass quietly: listening to a mother’s phone conversations, looking at the Nile from a bedroom window, watching the three state-sanctioned TV stations with the volume off, daydreaming about other lives. Underlying this claustrophobic routine is mystery and loss. Relatives…

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#Coming of Age #Cultural Egypt #Historical #Yasmine El Rashidi

Review of Jihadi: A Love Story by Yusuf Toropov

About Jihadi

A former intelligence agent stands accused of terrorism, held without charge in a secret overseas prison. His memoir is in the hands of a brilliant but erratic psychologist whose annotations paint a much darker picture. As the story unravels, we are forced to assess the truth for ourselves, and decide not only what really happened on one fateful overseas assignment but who is the…

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#Literary #Religion Islam #Yusuf Toropov

Review of The Yoga of Max's Discontent by Karan Bajaj

Review of The Yoga of Max’s Discontent by Karan Bajaj

About The Yoga of Max’s Discontent

Max Pzoras is the poster child for the American Dream. The child of Greek immigrants who grew up in a dangerous New York housing project, he triumphed over his upbringing and became a successful Wall Street analyst. Yet on the frigid December night he’s involved in a violent street scuffle, Max begins to confront questions about suffering and mortality that…

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#Cultural Heritage #Historical #Karan Bajaj #Metaphysical & Visionary

Review of Too Close to the Edge by Pascal Garnier, Emily Boyce (Translation)

About Too Close to the Edge

Recently widowed grandmother Éliette is returning to her house in the mountains when her car breaks down. A stranger offers help and Éliette gives him a lift, glad of the company and interruption to her routine.

A tale of retirement and calm domesticity, with a hint of menace about to explode.

My Review

With each turn of the page the story becomes darker and darker.…

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#Cultural France #Mystery Noir #Noir #Pascal Garnier

Review of Confessions of a Paris Party Girl by Vicki Lesage

About Confessions of a Paris Party Girl

When newly-single party girl Vicki moved to Paris, she was hoping to indulge in wine, stuff her face with croissants, and fall in love. It proved to be much more “difficile” than she’d imagined. In this laugh-out-loud memoir, this cheeky storyteller recounts the highs and lows of her life in the City of Light. Sassy and shamefully honest, Vicki makes you…

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#Love #Marriage #Memoir #Satire #Sex #Vicki Lesage

Review of Street of Eternal Happiness: Big City Dreams Along a Shanghai Road by Rob Schmitz

About Street of Eternal Happiness

Modern Shanghai: a global city in the midst of a renaissance, where dreamers arrive each day to partake in a mad torrent of capital, ideas, and opportunity. Marketplace’s Rob Schmitz is one of them. He immerses himself in his neighborhood, forging deep relationships with ordinary people who see in the city’s sleek skyline a brighter future, and a chance to…

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#Biography #Cultural China #Historical #Memoir #Rob Schmitz

Review of That's Paris: An Anthology of Life, Love and Sarcasm in the City of Light

Review of That’s Paris: An Anthology of Life, Love and Sarcasm in the City of Light

About That’s Paris

If you’ve ever traveled to Paris or dreamed of setting foot on its cobblestone streets, you’ll enjoy escaping into this collection of short stories about France’s famed capital. From culinary treats (and catastrophes) to swoon-worthy romantic encounters (and heartbreaking mishaps), this anthology takes you on a journey through one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Vis…

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#Anthology #Cultural France #Short Stories #Travel #Various

Review of The Panda Theory by Pascal Garnier, Svein Clouston (Translator)

About The Panda Theory

Gabriel is a stranger in a small Breton town. Nobody knows where he came from or why he’s here. Yet his small acts of kindness, and exceptional cooking, quickly earn him acceptance from the locals.

His new friends grow fond of Gabriel, who seems as reserved and benign as the toy panda he wins at the funfair.

But unlike Gabriel, the fluffy toy is not haunted by his past . .…

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#Cultural France #Mystery Noir #Noir #Pascal Garnier

Review of Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency (The Killing of Historical Figures) by Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard

Review of Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency (The Killing of Historical Figures) by Bill O’Reilly, Martin Dugard

About Killing Reagan

Just two months into his presidency, Ronald Reagan lay near death after a gunman’s bullet came within inches of his heart. His recovery was nothing short of remarkable — or so it seemed. But Reagan was grievously injured, forcing him to encounter a challenge that few men ever face. Could he silently overcome his traumatic experience while at the same time carrying out the…

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#Bill O&039;Reilly #Executive Branch #Politics #Politics & Government #Social Sciences #United States

Review of The Phantom of Fifth Avenue: The Mysterious Life and Scandalous Death of Heiress Huguette Clark by Meryl Gordon

About The Phantom of Fifth Avenue

Born in 1906, Huguette Clark grew up in her family’s 121-room Beaux Arts mansion in New York and was one of the leading celebrities of her day. Her father, William Andrews Clark, was a copper magnate, the second richest man in America, and not above bribing his way into the Senate.

Huguette attended the coronation of King George V. And at twenty-two, with a…

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#Americas #History #Leaders & Notable People #Memoir Biography #Meryl Gordon #Rich & Famous #Specific Groups #State & Local #United States #Women

Review of There Was a Little Girl: The Real Story of My Mother and Me by Brooke Shields

About The Real Story of My Mother and Me

Brooke Shields never had what anyone would consider an ordinary life. She was raised by her Newark-tough single mom, Teri, a woman who loved the world of show business and was often a media sensation all by herself. Brooke’s iconic modeling career began by chance when she was only eleven months old, and Teri’s skills as both Brooke’s mother and manager…

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#Brooke Shields #Family Relationships #Motherhood #Parenting #Parenting & Relationships #Parenting Girls #Social Issues #Women&039;s Studies

Review: The Wolf of Wall Street (The Wolf Of Wall Street #1) by Jordan Belfort

About The Wolf of Wall Street

By day he made thousands of dollars a minute. By night he spent it as fast as he could. From the binge that sank a 170-foot motor yacht and ran up a $700,000 hotel tab, to the wife and kids waiting at home and the fast-talking, hard-partying young stockbrokers who called him king, here, in Jordan Belfort’s own words, is the story of the ill-fated genius they called…

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#Jordan Belfort #Memoir Biography

Review: The Abrupt Physics of Dying by Paul E. Hardisty

About The Abrupt Physics of Dying

Claymore Straker is trying to forget a violent past. Working as an oil company engineer in the wilds of Yemen, he is hijacked at gunpoint by Islamic terrorists. Clay has a choice: help uncover the cause of a mysterious sickness afflicting the village of Al Urush, close to the company’s oil-processing facility, or watch Abdulkader, his driver and close friend,…

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#Australia #Crime #Mystery #Paul E. Hardisty #Suspense #Thriller #Yeman

Review: The Removers by Andrew Meredith

About The Removers

A dark, poignant, and emotionally brave coming-of-age memoir: the story of a young man who, by handling the dead, makes peace with the living.

My Review

Interesting read, taking me by surprise, certainly wasn’t what I was expecting. This was a coming of age story, exploring the bruises left behind of a dysfunctional family. The funeral industry was part of the narrative but…

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#Andrew Meredith #Biography #Memoir

Review: Henna House by Nomi Eve

About Henna House

Nomi Eve’s vivid saga begins in Yemen in 1920, when Adela Damari’s parents desperately seek a future husband for their young daughter. After passage of the Orphan’s Decree, any unbetrothed Jewish child left orphaned will be instantly adopted by the local Muslim community. With her parents’ health failing, and no spousal prospects in sight, Adela’s situation looks dire until her…

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#Cultural Jewish #Cultural Yemen #Historical #Inspirational #Jewish #Nomi Eve #Relgion

Review: Two Dogs and a Parrot: What Animals Can Teach Us About the Meaning of Life by Joan Chittister

About Two Dogs and a Parrot

Joan Chittister, one of our leading inspirational writers, invites us to embrace and celebrate the deep bond between humans and animals. ‘Two Dogs and a Parrot’ offers both heart-warming stories and thought-provoking reflections about sharing life with an animal companion. The relationships we form with animals—with dogs, cats, horses, birds, rabbits, and other…

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#Essays #Inspirational #Joan Chittister

Review: How's the Pain? by Pascal Garnier, Emily Boyce (Translator)

Review: How’s the Pain? by Pascal Garnier, Emily Boyce (Translator)

About How’s the Pain?

Death is Simon’s business. And now the ageing vermin exterminator is preparing to die. But he still has one last job down on the coast and he needs a driver.

Bernard is twenty-one. He can drive and he’s never seen the sea. He can’t pass up the chance to chauffeur for Simon, whatever his mother may say.

As the unlikely pair set off on their journey, Bernard soon finds that…

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#Cultural France #Dark Humor #Mystery Noir #Noir #Pascal Garnier #Satire

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