The Lover of No Fixed Abode

The Lover of No Fixed Abode

By Carlo Fruttero & Franco Lucentini

Translated by Gregory Dowling

Genre:-Crime Fiction/Translated Fiction

Pages:-304

Publisher:-Bitter Lemon Press

Blurb:-The month, November. Glittering worldliness and dubious shabbiness overlap, passion and suspicion intertwine in a three-day Venetian adventure, bookended by the arrival of a plane and the departure of a ship.

 It begins with a troubling encounter on a flight to Venice. She is an elegant Roman signora on the search for undervalued paintings and he a mysterious tour guide. She is invited to cosmopolitan parties by Venetian social and art glitterati. Mr. Silvera, a guide whose erudition and distinction are in sharp contrast with his beat-up suitcase and stain-spotted raincoat, drags his shabby tourists from monument to monument.

 Their passion will last three days, long enough to be exposed to unscrupulous art dealers and other scammers, passing off worthless paintings as part of a famous collection. Silvera seems to know every language and all secrets. But who is he really? Around them, the canals and lagoons of Venice, a city which becomes a character in the novel in its own right.

 "Doyens of the Italian detective story, Fruttero and Lucentini, offer a perfect blend of the comedy of manners and the macabre..."Tim Parks, author of Hotel Milano.

 "A ladyrinth full of shapeshifting and ambiguity, sometimes sinister, often hilarious, for which Venice offers the perfect setting." Jonathan Keates, author of La Serenissima: The Story of Venice

 "An undiscovered gem, finally available in English...witty, moving and enthrallingly atmospheric." Philip Gwynne Jones, author of The Venetian Legacy

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My Review:-The Lover of No Fixed Abode has been translated from the original Italian into English Mr Silvera is a tour guide, along with tourists heading to Venice by plane, then to Greece on a cruise ship. He notices a young lady, she is an art appraiser from Rome. She works for an English auction house. After abandoning his tourists at the cruise shop, Silvera takes his company's money and spends a couple of days in Venice. Silvera and the young lady meet again in a cafe. 

 Silvera seems to speak every language as well as knowing almost everything about history. Is he just a tour guide or is there something about Silvera we don't know about him?

We have two main characters, Silvera and an unnamed young lady, as well as a few other characters.  It's a quick read with humour throughout the book.

An Honest Living

An Honest Living

By Dwyer Murphy

Genre:-Crime and Mystery Fiction

Pages:-240

Publisher:-Bedford Square Publishers

Blurb:-Dwyer Murphu is editor-in-chief of Crime Reads, Literary Hub's crime fiction vertical and the world's mostpopular destination for thriller readers.

・Atmospheric and suspenseful, An Honest Living will appeal to readers of Chris Offutt

・'A deliciously smart PI novel set in New York's antiquarian book world that channels Chinatown to take us into a recent past that already feels like a bygone era. Abrisk, funny, and fabulous debut.'-Adrian McKinty, author of The island

 Brooklyn, mid-2000s. After leaving behind the comforts of a prestigious law firm, a restless attorney attempts to make ends meet by picking up odd jobs from a colourful assortment of clients. When the Mysterious Anna Reddick turns up at his apartment with ten thousand dollars in cash and asks him to track down her missing husband, he trusts it will be an easy case. That is until the real Anna Reddick shows up-a magnetic but unpredictable literary prodigy-and he finds himself out of his depth and drawn into a series of deceptions involving Joseph Conrad novels, unscrupulous booksellers and seedy real estate developers.

Set against the tail end of the analogue era. An Honest Living is a gripping story of artistic ambition, obsession, and the small crimes we commit against one another every day.

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My Review:-Brooklyn, mid-2000s. An unnamed lawyer tells us his story. Anna Reddick is a successful author and heir to old New York money. She turned up at the door, she wanted some help to find out if her husband Newton Reddick, had stolen some books that had been handed down through the family. I was offered ten thousand dollars cash. After finding out where to find Newton, I made arrangements to meet up on the pretence I was after a few books for my new office. But things aren't as easy as it first seems, especially when the real Anna Reddick turns up. But who is the other Anne Reddick and what does she want? The author takes you on a journey from place to place, the Poquelin, bookshops, bars, libraries and more. We get to meet some fun and interesting characters, I did like Ulises. It did take me a few chapters before I got into the book, but once I did I enjoyed it.

Aria and Liam-The Druids' Secret

Aria and Liam-The Druids' Secret

By Alizee Monsarrat

Genre:-Children's Fiction-Adventure/Historical/Fantasy

Age:-9-12 Years

Publisher:-Apice Publishng

Blurb:-Inheritance is the climax of the Landscapes of Love trilogy. The sensual relationships of Charlie, Daniel and Anne Marie intensifies, as they track down the poachers to the gold mines og Western Australia. Charlie lives on the large family estate in the spectacular Yorkshire Dales. Since university, where she was physically abused by a wealthy American fellow student, she has had no interest in developing relationships and has thrown herself into managing the estate and enjoying her successful business as a landscape photographer. Daniel is an independent mercenary who works for governments and wealthy organisations around the world. He uses the financial rewards to run conservation programmes for white rhinos in Kenya and mountain gorillas in Rwanda. When his wife is killed, he uses his business skills to track down those responsible in the whole 'white gold' supply chain across the world and destroy them. Anne Marie is a very intelligent and extremely beautiful Afro-American who helps Daniel with his dangerous work. Anne Marie develops a passionate love for Charlie.

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My Review:-The author has included on intro at the beginning of the book where we get to meet two thirteen-year-olds, Aria and Liam. We learn a bit about them both and what they have been getting up to. If you know the story of King Arthur, you will love this, a different take on it. The Druids have the map that Aria and Liam need to help find the tree with lighten strip, three rocks, two horses, a squirrel and a lake. they need to find them before it's to late. I don't do spoilers so if you need to know why and if, you will have to read the book. I will be reading the other six books by this author.

Complication

 

Complication

By Fikret Pajalic

Genre:-Contemporary Fiction/Short Stories

Pages:-188

Publisher:-Pishukin Press

Blurb:-In this gripping short story collection, Pajalic depicts working-class characters in all their gutsiness and glory. Featuring animals in most stories as a motif for grief and hope, Pajalic alternates between tender stories of survival and the gritty underbelly of Melbourne's Western suburbs. Even when his characters are shady and flawed, morality and conscience shine through.

 Drawing on his own experiences, Pajalic recreates first-hand the reality of coming to Australia as a refugee because of war and persecution. While many of the stories focus on the experience of Bosnian disapora, it also tells the universal story of the refugee experience exploring homesickness, loss, grief, cultural shock, and making a new home in a landscape completely different to where you come from.

 'Raw, authentic and compelling, these stories of refugees' generational trauma and pain also honour the resilience and determination of the characters. Bracing and rewarding reading. 'Paddy O'Reilly author of Other Houses.

 'Reminiscent of Carver, Pajalic's stories are sharp, direct and austere. A fascinating read.' Ennis Cehic author Sadvertising.

'Like Chekhov who thinks that for a writer nothing should be unclean, Fikret takes us to murky places where English is broken and pit bulls are prized; bodies are ravaged by manual labour and generosity abounds as often as brutality. Humanity there is uncovered, revealing itself to be as instinctual and capable of ferocity and sacrifice as the many animals that populate Fikret's stories. In Complication Fikret uncovers the origins of violence with unflinching insight and unwavering compassion.' Lee Kofman author of The Writer Laid Bare.

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My Review:-Complication is a collection of short stories, based on Pajalic own experiences when being moved from Bosnia to Australia. Even though there is pain in these stories, I felt there was still a shadow of hope. One of the stories I liked was 'Wasps' about a man and a hive of mud wasps, I did find this is one of those of hope. I decided to read one of the shorter stories first, but ended up going to the beginning of the book and reading from there as they left me wanting to read more. Some of the stories are easier to read than others. There is a trigger warning at the front of the book, you can scan the QR code or go on the line to find these warnings. 

Inheritance- Landscapes of Love

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 Inheritance-Landscapes of Love

By Philip Tyler

Genre:-Contemporary Fiction/Literary Fiction/Romance

Publisher:-Pickhill Publishing

Blurb:-Inheritance is the climax of the Landscapes of Love trilogy. The sensual relationships of Charlie, Daniel and Anne Marie intensifies, as they track down the poachers to the gold mines og Western Australia. Charlie lives on the large family estate in the spectacular Yorkshire Dales. Since university, where she was physically abused by a wealthy American fellow student, she has had no interest in developing relationships and has thrown herself into managing the estate and enjoying her successful business as a landscape photographer. Daniel is an independent mercenary who works for governments and wealthy organisations around the world. He uses the financial rewards to run conservation programmes for white rhinos in Kenya and mountain gorillas in Rwanda. When his wife is killed, he uses his business skills to track down those responsible in the whole 'white gold' supply chain across the world and destroy them. Anne Marie is a very intelligent and extremely beautiful Afro-American who helps Daniel with his dangerous work. Anne Marie develops a passionate love for Charlie.

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My Review:-This is Book Three in 'Landscapes of Love'. I have had the pleasure of reading and reviewing Book One-Catharsis and Book Two-Retribution. In this book we met Sarah, who has inherited an old estate that once belonged to a distant relative. As Sarah starts to look further into the estate she becomes drawn into mystery and secrets that goes back through generations.

 Through the books we have seen Charlie, Daniel and Anne Marie relationship has developed, both within themselves as well with each other. Philip has managed to bring us conservation, family, mystery, friendship, relationship and romance wrapped up in these three books. I feel like I have travelled on this journey from the beautiful views of the Yorkshire Dales, to the plans of Africa and then to the gold mines of Australia with friends, sharing the good and the bad together. But I have to say I think Philip has kept the best to last. 

In Memory Of Us

In Memory Of Us

By Jacqueline Roy

Genre:-Literary Fiction

Pages:-384

Publisher:-Simon & Schuster

Blurb:-What does it mean to remember?

 Joined at birth, the pulled apart, Selina and Zora's relationship is marked by a pattern of closeness and separation. Growing up in 50s' and 60s' London under the shadow of Enoch Powell, they are instinctively dependent on each other, and yet Zora yearns for her own identity. But in the eyes of the people around them, the twins are interchangeable. They come as a pair. Thy are Selzora.

 Now in her seventies and living with the early stages of dementia, Selina is tracing shards of memory. She is intent on untangling the traumatic events of the past that changed the twins' lives. Perhaps Lydi, who has reintroduced herself to Selina with sharp, cool charisma, will help her find answers. But even as Selina struggles to make sense of her memories, it's all top clear that Lydia is hiding something.

 In Memory of Us is a profound evocation of memory, and the strategies employed for illusion and survival in the wake of racism. It offers an often-overlooked insight into life as a Black Briton after  the Windrush generation.

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My Review:-Zora and Selina are identical twins. They are so alike in many ways that people have given them a nickname 'Selzora'. Growing up in the 50s and 60s wasn't an easy time, especially with being identical, racism, having a white mother and a black father. W.hen the twins made friends with nine-year-old Lydia, it wasn't long before Lydia started playing Selina and Zora off against each other. But she didn't stop there, but I don't do spoilers, so you need to read the book to find out. As Selina's dementia progresses she gets in touch with Lydia to see if she could help with things that she's not clear about, but Selina decides not to tell Lydia about her dementia. Is Lydia going to tell Selina the whole truth about what happened. I loved everything about this book, the writing style made the book easy to read but also you don't want to put it down until you are finished

The Imposter Cure

The Imposter Cure

By Dr Jessamy Hibberd

Genre:-Self-help & personal development/Assertiveness, motivation & self-esteem/the self, ego, identity, personality/Popular, psychology/Coping with stress/Coping with personal problems

Pages:-304

Publisher:-Aster/Octopus Books

Blurb:-A solution-based self-help book that explores the psychological impact of imposter syndrome.

 A newly updated edition for 2024.

Imposter syndrome is a phenomenon in which people believe they are not worthy of success. They convince themselves that they have done well due to luck and are terrified their shortcomings will eventually be exposed, making it impossible to enjoy their accomplishments.

 the Imposter Cure explores the psychological impact of imposter syndrome and exposes the secrets fears and insecurities felt by millions of men and women. Dr Jessamy Hibberd provides sound expert advise to help the reader better understand the problem and overcome it, so they think differently, gain self-belief and learn to see themselves as others do. Filled with case studies to bring the concepts alive and packed with strategies to increase confidence, this book is a must-read for anyone who has struggled with their achievements.

'You've definitely heard of it, you've almost certainly felt it and it's actively stopping you from being your best self. In a new book on imposter syndrome Dr Jessamy Hibberd provides a definitive guide to understanding and tackling the psychological mind trap.'-The Sunday Times

'Dr Jessamy teaches you the tools to break free from those self[sabotaging thought patterns that are holding you back from your own success.'-Hazel Wallace, The Food Medic

'If you suffer from imposter syndrome, this is definitely a must-read!'-Goodreads reviewer

'I have suffered with imposter syndrome my entire life [...] in the few days I have been reading this book I have done an almost complete 180.'-Goodreads reviewer

'Dr Jessamy writes in a clear and accessible way and includes lots of practical solutions for overcoming the imposter thoughts.'-Goodreads reviewer

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My Review:-I've never heard of 'Imposter Syndrome'. Even if you have not got Imposter Syndrome you will find this a really interesting read. There are three parts of this book, Part One-Understanding Imposter Syndrome, Part Two-Why you are not an Imposter, Part Three-How to say Goodbye to the Imposter for good. Within each part there are chapters you will find everything you need to understand and start living an easier life. There are empty pages at the back of the book to write notes or anything else. There is also sections for Reference, Resources and Further information, along with an Index and a bit about Dr Jessamy.