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Review A Cornish Stranger – Liz Fenwick
25 December 2022

Review A Cornish Stranger – Liz Fenwick

When something happens in the life of Gabriella Blythe she decides to never sing in public again. Instead she will leave London and live with her 92 year old grandmother in a cabin in Cornwall. Far away from the hustle and bustle in London, it’s a bit difficult to adjust at first. ‘A Cornish Stranger’ is a book about secrets. Because Gabriella’s grandmother has a secret of her own.

Stranger

One night when Gabriella wakes up from the storm she looks out the window and sees a person struggling to survive in te river near the cabin. She doesn’t think twice and jumps in to save the stranger. Almost drowning herself she helps him to the cabin. Since his boat is smashed to pieces by the wind and the water, Fin is invited to stay with her and her grandmother for the time being.

Fin

Now Fin is a very handsome and very nice young man and Gabriella needs to keep her distance from him. Falling in love is the last thing on her mind. But grandma is enamored by Fin and wants him to stay as close as possible. Also grandma needs all the help she can get. She has decided to write her secrets down, so Gabriella will know her grandmother’s real life when she is gone.

More secrets

But who is this stranger Fin anyway? He seems nice enough but he won’t talk about his past and his way of making a living. Can it be he is here for reasons that will shock Gabriella and her grandma? In the meantime Gabriella finds it harder to stay away from singing in front of an audience. Even if it’s only for the people of her village who love her voice and keep asking her to sing at funerals and baptisms.

What happened?

What happened in her recent past? And what happened in the past of Jaunty Blythe, her grandmother? What is the real reason Fin is here? This is a book that won’t disappoint. It’s a relaxing read on a sunday afternoon, curled up on the couch. Be sure you have all chores done, ’cause once you start reading you don’t want to stop.

Liz Fenwick

Liz Fenwick was born in Massachussetts, were she grew up. She fell in love with Cornwall, however and has been living here for quite a few years now. She lets us, readers, know that she loves this part of England, because all her books are situated in this beautiful part of the world.

 

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Review The Maid – Nita Prose
18 December 2022

Review The Maid – Nita Prose

What a surprisingly good book. Well written, with lots of humor ‘The Maid’ is also sensitive and strong. I was sad to see it end. The story is about Molly who has been raised by her nanny. She never met her parents, but doesn’t feel like she missed out on anything.

Nanny

Her nanny raised her well and lovingly. She always gave Molly good advice and whenever they both felt a bit down their best remedy was to clean. No wonder Molly finds a job in a very prestigious 5-star hotel when she grows up. Molly is socially awkward though. Het co-workers don’t like her much and tease her behind her back. But nanny is always there to make her feel better.

Job

And Molly absolutely loves her job. She is proud to work in such a beautiful hotel and wants to clean rooms the best she can. And she is the best! It’s no wonder that guests love her. Especially the lady Giselle, who is married to a very successful and rich businessman. The man treats her bad though and Giselle confides in the maid. Who else is always in the background and never gets any attention from anyone?

Death

Then something terrible happens in the life of Molly. First her beloved nanny dies after an illness nobody can treat. Molly’s only other friend in the world runs off with their savings. Who else can she turn to for help? There is the handsome barman who seems to be just as much in love with Molly as she is with him. Surely Rodney will take care of her?

Favor

But first Rodney want Molly to do him a favor. Molly can’t think of a better way to win him over. Juan Manuel, the dishwasher, lost his work visa. Now isn’t Rodney the very best friend to want to help him out? If only Molly will help him, too. Then trouble for Molly starts. She finds Giselle’s husband in his room, murdered.

Suspect

And Molly is the suspect. She was the one to find him and she is the one telling tales and lies. She relies on het friends to bail her out. Where are they and why does it take them so long? Fortunately Molly finds out just in time who her real friends are. And all’s well that ends well. Something her nanny used to say.

Nita Prose

Nita is a long time editor and decided to try and write het own books. And we are glad! She lives in Canada and her own house is just moderately clean.

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Review The Party Crasher – Sophie Kinsella
11 December 2022

Review The Party Crasher – Sophie Kinsella

One day you think everything is just as it should be and the next day everything is different. This happens to Effie in the book ‘the Party Crasher’.  Effie spends Christmas with her family in their home Greenoaks. As always her dad and his second wife Mimi seem happy, her sister Bean and brother Gus are their usual joking selves and Effie can’t think of a better way to spend this special time of year.

Ex-boyfriend

When she runs into her ex-boyfriend Joe, her safe haven is about to crumble. Is this the omen for everything to go wrong? We skip more than a year in time. Dad and Mimi are divorced and her dad found himself a much younger, sexy, girlfriend who is only interested in one thing: money. Then Effie finds out they want to sell their family home. Can she change her dad’s mind?

Greenoaks

Apparently not and when dad and his young girlfriend throw a farewell party for the house, Effie is not invited. She falls out with her dad and always hated his girlfriend. And why does she keep running into Joe? She will not show up for the party. She will not! But when she finds out her beloved childhood souvenir Russian dolls must still be in the house, she decides to break into her family home to get them back.

Timing

What better time than to sneak in during the party? Everybody will be occupied and won’t notice. But things never work out as planned. Effie finds herself under the dining table as the party is in full swing. Will her family find out where she is and, oh horror, does she really want to hear them talk about her and about family secrets?

Happy end

Of course this book has a happy end. It’s a fun book to read, with Sophie’s well-known humor. A relaxing read before going to sleep. Sophie Kinsella is a British author and bestseller. Her ‘shopaholic series’ has sold millions all over the world. She lives in London with her husband and their five children.

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Review Unto us a son is given – Donna Leon
4 December 2022

Review Unto us a son is given – Donna Leon

The story of ‘Unto us a son is given’ tells the story of a police officer Guido Brunetti, who lives and works in Venice, Italy. Brunetti is happily married to Paola and they have two children, both teenagers. As with every Italian story family is important.

Father in law

So when Brunetti’s father in law, Count Falier, asks him to do him a favor he cannot refuse. The older man has a lot of influence in town and besides a title, he owns a lot of property. With all this wealth comes considerable standing. But even with all that he asks Brunetti for help in a delicate matter. His best friend, Gonzales, is about to make the mistake of his life.

Guido Brunetti

Can Guido Brunetti help the Count by talking to Gonzales and help him change his mind? Brunetti can only try. Gonzales is an elderly gentleman, who has made his fortune in the art world. Never married, he’s gay and openly so, Gonzales has a few brothers and sisters whom he never sees and lost touch with.

Adoption

Now Gonzales wants to adopt his much younger lover. In Italian law, the children inherit the wealth of their parents. All of Gonzales’ friends (including the Count) find it appalling to know his vast riches will go to some ‘gold-digging’ young man. Brunetti is pretty much the only person who believes Gonzales should do what he wants to do with his money. But he made a promise to the Count.

Death

Then Gonzales suddenly gets a stroke and dies. Berta, one of his best friends comes over to Venice to organise a memorial service. Nobody has ever heard of Berta before and when she is found dead in the hotel room some answers from the past come to light.

Story

The story is well written. I love to feel the charm of Italy throughout the book. The way the characters interact, the description of the beautiful city of Venice, the day-to-day business of taking the boat to wherever you want to go and the numerous cups of coffee people drink during the day and night.

Donna Leon

She was born in New Jersey but lived in Venice since 1985 for 30 years. Now she lives in Switzerland. She studied English in Italy and fell in love with Venice. All her books are situated in this beautiful town. She wrote in English. Her many books were translated into different languages but never in Italian. That seems odd, since the stories all happen in Italy. The reason she decided to keep them from the Italian people is because this way she feels more free to write about some of the malpractices in the Italian police force.

 

 

 

 

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Review Mimi – Lucy Ellmann
27 November 2022

Review Mimi – Lucy Ellmann

Had I not known the book ‘Mimi’ was written by a woman, I would’ve guessed. It’s obvious. Not that it really matters, but it sometimes irks a bit because she writes from a male perspective. The men I know don’t think like this. Honestly. But maybe she would like men to be like the male character in this book.

Harrison Hanafan

Harrison is a plastic surgeon, has lots of money and was stuck in a dead-end relationship with Gertrude. When he slips on a New York sidewalk and is rescued by an anonymous woman his life is literally and figuratively turned upside down. Mimi comes into his life as a tornado and won’t slow down.

Mimi

The woman ‘Mimi’ is everything Harry is not. She despises his job and doesn’t care about his money. She’s a feminist and tells him how she sees the world. In minute detail. Every topic he comes up with she has an outspoken meaning about. Its written in a humorous way. Still I felt tired after reading a few pages.

Dead

Then Harrison’s sister dies and he spends some time in the UK, where his artist sister used to live. Here he somehow comes to his senses and realizes that his sister and Mimi, and all the women in the world, know much better than men. OK, there are some poignant issues the author addresses. Like no war was ever started by women.

Abuse

All the abuse in the world is by the hand of men. Maybe I’m not such a feminist but I truly can’t see a better world when men give ‘power’ to women. Power in all the money, all the jobs and decisions. Men are only good for giving pleasure to women, sexually.

No way

No way will this world turn out better when it’s that one-sided. True feminism in my book is when everybody is equal. When men and women make the decisions together. I finished the book and yes, I had to laugh at times. But I don’t agree with her way of ‘changing’ the world for the better. Unfortunately women are as bad as men when it comes to power games.

Lucy Ellmann

Still I recommend reading the book. If only to see where you stand on this topic. I know most of the book was written as satire, something I not always understand. So, you might think this is the best book ever written. It had many great reviews. Lucy Ellmann was born in Illinois, USA, but lives in Edinburgh with her writer husband Todd McEwen.

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Review Little Secrets – Jennifer Hillier
13 November 2022

Review Little Secrets – Jennifer Hillier

In ‘Little secrets’ the nightmare of every parent comes true. Marin has it all: A husband she loves and who adores her, a chain of upscale hair salons, and a beautiful little boy Sebastian. But when Marin goes Christmas shopping and lets go of the hand of her little boy for just a second, her world falls apart.

Seconds

Her son is gone. In a panic she contacts her husband and security. When the camera footage shows a guy in a Santa suit has taken Sebastian, it will be clear this kidnapper will be hard to find. Sebastian happily follows him, while licking a lollipop, and chatting to ‘Santa’.

Guilt

From that moment on Marin is consumed by guilt. Although her husband tries to convince her it’s not her fault, she believes it is. She hires a private detective, when the police gives up the search. The P.I. tries to continue the search where the police left off. But instead of finding her little boy, she finds out a few secrets Marin had never imagined would experience to her. Her husband Derek is having an affair with a much younger woman.

Back to life

This sparks Marin back to life. She lost her son, she’s not about to lose her husband as well. She plots an attack on the ‘mistress’, with help from her long-time best friend Sal. This girl needs to be gone. Out of Derek’s life. No matter how. Will she be able to live with herself if or when she’s responsible for murder?

End

The end of the story is very surprising. I read a lot of detectives and usually know where the story leads. This was unexpected, however. Well written, an easy read and although there were a few unrealistic parts in the book I still enjoyed it very much.

Jennifer Hillier

Jennifer Hillier was born in Toronto, Canada. She moved to the Seattle area. She’s a big fan of the Seattle Seahawks and loves the books by Stephen King. She’s married and has a son. She had a rough time writing ‘Little secrets’, especially the part where Sebastian disappears in the book. Being a mom herself, it’s her worst nightmare.

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Review The Mother – Yvette Edwards
6 November 2022

Review The Mother – Yvette Edwards

The Mother tells the story of a happily married couple, Marcia and Lloydie, and their teenage son, Ryan. The boy is well behaved and cares for other people. Then one day Ryan is killed by another teenager. Lloydie’s and Marcia’s life fall apart. Marcia feels very certain about watching justice done to the killer. So she attends every meeting in court.

Husband

Her husband can’t do it. He tries to protect himself by ignoring everything around him. Especially anything having to do with his dead son. Including the care Marcia needs. Marcia needs to talk it through, Lloyd hides away. Their marriage is about to break up.

Court

Fortunately Marcia finds what little comfort she can get from her sister Lorna. The book mainly tells about the hours in court and Marcia’s reaction to the killer and his mother. How can the mother of the boy who killed her son seem so calm and uncaring?

Girlfriend

When Marcia finds out that Ryan had a girlfriend, she won’t believe it at first. Her little boy was nowhere near that stage in life, yet. But a mother doesn’t know everything about her teenage son, no matter how close they are. The girlfriend with the silly name of ‘Sweetie’, turns out to not only be Ryan’s girlfriend, but she’s also the ex-girlfriend of the killer. And she’s about to give the killer the strong alibi he needs to regain his freedom.

Unexpected

Sweetie is scared she will be the next dead teenager. Then everything takes an unexpected turn. And the people Ryan left behind seem to have a future they never believed in, anymore. The book ends in a hopeful message.

Author

Yvette Edwards grew up in Hackney, London, where she still lives with her husband. Her first book: ‘A cupboard full of coats’ was nominated for a number of awards and was the best book her mom ever read. This book ‘The Mother‘ is her husbands ‘one of the top two favorite of all times’, which shows you the family’s humor.

Not wrong

But both her mom and her husband can’t be totally wrong. And after reading ‘The Mother’ I have to agree that I really liked it and can’t wait to read her first book as well. She writes well and she knows how to give her characters a strong voice. A voice we can all recognize but hope to never find the use for.

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Review When the king dies – Elina Backman
30 October 2022

Review When the king dies – Elina Backman

In the story of ‘When the king dies’ we learn about Saana who loses her job as an online editor and decides to spend the summertime with her aunt in Hartola. Soon she is bored stiff in this sleepy little town. When her aunt tells her a story about an unsolved murder mystery that happened years ago, Saana can’t resist to do some research.

Police

At the same time the police works on a new murder case. Has this anything to do with the murder that happened 30 years ago? It seems very unlikely. Still there are some facts that are remarkable like the ones from the earlier murder case.

Love

Another reason Saana moved from Helsinki to Hartola is to get over a broken relationship. While police officer Jan has no time for love. Friends beg to differ, however, and get the two together for a blind date. Will it be love at first sight or are they both too busy? After all, Jan is working on the new murder while Saana works on the unsolved case from many years ago.

Together

On the other hand, the murder cases might just bring them together, both in work and in life. I don’t think I will spoil anything when I tell you: But of course they do! This book is anything but a predictable, sappy story, though. It’s humorous, the storyline is exciting and the writing is excellent.

When the king dies

‘When the king dies’ is the debut of Elina Backman. It’s her first book in a series that’s doing remarkably well in Finland. For now, the first book is the only one translated. Good news: the second one will follow shortly and is almost here. This book is also known as: ‘All the king’s men.’

Elina Backman

Elina Backman is creative director of a big media company. She was born in 1984 in Finland and lives with her family in Helsinki. I hope she will keep on writing to supply us with more wonderful books to read. I can’t wait for the follow up on this first one.

 

 

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Review The Salt Path – Raynor Winn
23 October 2022

Review The Salt Path – Raynor Winn

A friend suggested this book to me. And I’m so glad she did. No wonder ‘The Salt Path’ has won many awards and is still a bestseller around the world. It tells the true story about how resilient people can be, as long as we believe we can do more than we think we can.

Couple

The couple Ray and Moth have a very happy marriage. They have two kids, a boy and a girl, who both left home to study. Home is an old farmhouse, that they built together into a home they love. The little savings they had left, after all the remodeling, they invested in a friend’s business. Unfortunately this friend turned out to be someone other than the friend they thought he was. Ray and Moth lost every penny.

Years of law suits

Many years of law suits followed. To end in the worst possible way. Ray and Moth lost everything they worked so hard for. Because of bureaucratic ways and vague rules they lost their home, their jobs and all their money. Left with absolutely nothing they became homeless. After all their hard work they realized that all of a sudden they became ‘vagrants, alcoholics, drug abusers’ and much else we refer to people living on the street.

Down

And just when you think you can’t get any lower, you hear that your soulmate and best friend in the whole world is terminally ill. According to the doctors Moth has CBD, which means he has to take it very slowly and will eventually die. Ray’s life seems to be over, as well. How can she go on living without her mate?

Now what?

No home, no money, no hope for the future, now what? The couple decided to take a walk. Not just any walk in the park. No, they decide to walk the South West Coast Path. A 650 miles path along the coast. They don’t have much else to do, so they buy a small tent, a few cheap backpacks and with the last few pounds in their wallet go on their way.

Must read

I hate to use words like ‘must’, but there is no other word for this book. When you have ever felt down, or think the whole world is against you, read this book! Honestly, the true story of two people doing what they must by taking one step at a time are an inspiration to us all.

Cheering

I was soon cheering them on, while reading. And I finished the book in one go. I just had to know whether they could and would make it. It’s a book of hope over despair, of love over everything else. No wonder it’s still on the bestseller lists everywhere.

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Boekreview Hypnose – Lars Kepler
17 October 2021

Boekreview Hypnose – Lars Kepler

Ik las het boek Hypnose in de vorm van een dwarsligger. Ik moest er even aan wennen maar vond het uiteindelijk heel prettig. Maar Hypnose is er ook in een ‘normaal’ formaat en het is de moeite waard.

Joona Linna

De hoofdpersoon, Joona Linna, is rechercheur bij de politie. Hij is goed, daarom krijgt hij meer dingen voor elkaar bij zijn chef dan zijn collega’s. Ook nu lijkt hij het bij het rechte eind te hebben. Of is het dit keer toch een andere zaak?

Hypnose

Als hij er niet meer uitkomt vraagt hij de hulp in van een arts, die jaren geleden zijn patiënten hielp door middel van hypnose. Er is echter in het verleden van de arts iets gebeurd waardoor hij gezworen heeft nooit meer hypnose toe te passen.

Overhalen

De rechercheur en de arts raken bevriend en je voelt hem al aankomen… Erik, de arts, laat zich overhalen nog een keer het slachtoffer te hypnotiseren. Op deze manier komen ze achter een gruwelijke waarheid. Is dit wel de waarheid? De rechtbank zal hier anders over denken, omdat het onder hypnose gezegd is. Zijn er andere factoren in het spel?

Spanning

Het boek is razend spannend. Ik kon het niet wegleggen en wilde weten wat er gebeurd was. Als dan het verleden en het heden bij elkaar komen en de arts z’n leven en dat van z’n gezin wordt bedreigd, lijkt er helemaal geen uitweg meer te zijn.

Lars Kepler

Het schrijvers echtpaar Alexander en Alexandra Ahndoril kozen een pseudoniem Lars Kepler. Deze naam is bewust gekozen. Lars komt van de thrillerschrijver Stieg Larsson, die het paar inspireerde tot het schrijven van misdaadromans. Kepler is de naam van Johannes Kepler, een wetenschapper.

Hypnose

Het boek ‘Hypnose’ is het debuut van Lars Kepler. Daarna hebben zij meerdere boeken geschreven met Joona Linna in de hoofdrol. Ik wil ze allemaal lezen, want ik heb hoge verwachtingen gekregen.

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Boekreview De Alchemist – Paulo Coelho
10 October 2021

Boekreview De Alchemist – Paulo Coelho

Het boek ‘De Alchemist’ is een oudje. Ik zou haast willen vragen: ‘Wie kent dit boek niet?’ En dan te bedenken dat de schrijver het boek eerst niet kwijt kon via een uitgever. Niemand had er interesse in. Tegenwoordig is het een van de meest verkochte bestsellers ooit.

Schaapherder

Het verhaal gaat over een eenvoudige, jonge schaapherder die graag wil reizen. Op een goede dag besluit hij zijn schapen te verkopen en de wijde wereld in te gaan. Dat dit een heel dapper besluit is, lijkt duidelijk. Dat hij op zijn reizen ‘vreemde’ avonturen beleeft en ‘vreemde’ mensen ontmoet wordt gauw duidelijk.

Eenvoudig

Juist omdat het boek in eenvoudige taal is geschreven slaat het zo aan bij de hele wereldbevolking, denk ik. Het is een van de meest vertaalde boeken. Ik meen dat het bijna op hetzelfde aantal staat als de bijbel en dat zegt wel iets.

Spiritueel

Het is een spiritueel boek, maar niet zweverig. Duidelijk en eerlijk geschreven. Over dat we niet ons hele leven hoeven uit te stippelen, maar wel eigen keuzes mogen maken. Soms lijken die keuzes de verkeerde te zijn. Zoals de schaapherder die een jaar in loondienst moest werken, ergens onderweg, terwijl hij zo graag verder wilde reizen. Maar er moest ook geld verdiend worden.

Grond

Spiritueel dus, maar wel met beide benen op de grond. Uiteindelijk behaalt hij zijn doel. Ik zou haast zeggen: Natuurlijk. Want hij weet wat hij wil. Hij weet niet hoe hij dit doel zal bereiken en of hij dit ooit zal bereiken maar hij weet precies wat hij wil. En dan wordt hij (zoals wij allen) geholpen door omstandigheden en personen, die hij niet verwacht.

Prachtig boek

Een prachtig boek. Dat je niet alleen moet lezen, mocht je dit nog niet hebben gedaan, maar dat ook niet mag ontbreken in je boekenkast. Om steeds maar weer opnieuw te pakken. En weer even opnieuw te lezen.

Paulo Coelho

De schrijver Paulo Coelho werd in 1947 in Brazilië geboren. Hij heeft inmiddels meer dan 29 boeken geschreven. Ik heb er een aantal gelezen en zijn schrijfstijl bevalt mij zeer. Iedere zin, ieder woord, lijkt speciaal uitgekozen. Hij heeft niet zomaar wat neergekladdert. Hij heeft erover nagedacht. Hij schrijft met respect voor de taal, voor de woorden. En dat leest mooi.

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