Friday, 31 March 2017

A Month In Books - March 2017

Can you believe it is the end of March already? That's a quarter of 2017 gone!

I am delighted that Literary Flits hosted another four Guest Reviews this month. If you have an indie author, small press or global literature book review that you would like to share please do get in touch. It doesn't need to be exclusive content and you can check here to see if a book has already been reviewed. I look forward to hearing from you!

For myself, I read twenty books in March including biographies, thrillers and crime mysteries, short stories and poetry from as far afield as Brazil and Japan. Three have associated Giveaways which are still open for entries and another three of this month's books are free to download. Read on to find out which ones!


Guest reviews


Every Day Is A Holiday by George Mahood

Buy from independent booksellers via Abebooks
Buy the ebook from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository
Buy the signed paperback directly from the author

Read the original book review on Literary Flits

Author Barbara Venkataraman reviewed this humorous memoir of George's attempts to appropriately celebrate every Special Day over a six month period starting with National Bubble Wrap Day. If you've been following my reviews of Barbara's cosy mystery series, don't forget the final Jamie Quinn Boxset Giveaway.


Bonespin Slipspace by Leo X Robertson

Buy the book directly from its publisher

Read the original book review on Literary Flits

Rebecca Gransden chose Bonespin Slipspace for her third guest review. She says, "I love this novella unreservedly ... For its visionary energy, its call to the vanguard, its joyful mastication of boundary." Praise indeed!


The Trout by Peter Cunningham

Buy the book from Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from Speedyhen
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository
Buy the paperback from Waterstones

Read the original book review on Literary Flits

Anne Goodwin takes us to Ireland for her review of The Trout in which an Irish emigrant to Canada returns to his home country to unravel a buried childhood secret.


The Emperor’s Edge by Lindsay Buroker

Download the ebook free from Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk
Download the ebook free from Smashwords
Buy from independent booksellers via Abebooks
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository

Read the original book review on Literary Flits

Katherine Bogle shared her Emperor's Edge review because it is one of her favourite modern books. "Not only do we get strong women and plots that keep you on the edge of your seat, but we also get this amazing cast of characters thrown together by Ammy’s unusual circumstances."


My reviews

The Dollmaker by Harriette Arnow

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Buy the book from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from Speedyhen
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository

Read my original book review on Literary Flits

This newly republished 1950s story of a woman forced from her rural Kentucky home to wartime Detroit is absolutely brilliant and I loved every page every though it is by no means a happy book and at times made me very angry. My Book Of The Month!


Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Download the free ebook from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from Speedyhen
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository
Buy the paperback from Waterstones

Read my original book review on Literary Flits

The second of my Jane Austen Challenge 2017 reads and I didn't like Mansfield Park as much as Persuasion because it is incredibly slow. However I did appreciate the wonderful characters that Austen created.


Reejecttion by Daniel Clausen


Read the ebook free online via Issuu
Download the ebook free from Smashwords
Buy the ebook from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk

Read my original book review on Literary Flits

A surreal short story collection reminiscent for me of Daniil Kharms, and with its darkly themed stories interspersed with funny form rejection letters from increasingly bizarre publications.


Burnt Land by Tua Harno

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Buy the book from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository
Buy the paperback from Waterstones

Read my original book review on Literary Flits

I loved the atmospheric evocation of the heat and machismo of an Australian mining town in this Finnish novel. It's lead character s a thirty-year-old woman coming to terms with her life under extreme circumstances.


Marie Antoinette by Stefan Zweig

Buy the ebook from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from Speedyhen
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository
Buy the paperback from Waterstones

Read my original book review on Literary Flits

I expected this 1930s biography, now newly republished, to be quite dry, but it is actually a very readable account of the infamous French queen's life. Zweig was foremost a novelist so uses this style of writing to vividly portray Marie Antoinette's life.


In The Twinkling Of An Eye by Seyed Mehdi Shojaee

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Buy from independent booksellers via Alibris
Buy the ebook from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository

Read my original book review on Literary Flits

I chose this Iranian short story collection primarily for its beautifully serence cover art. The eighteen tale are a pretty quick read, by Shojaee uses them to delve deeply into universal themes of love, spirituality and family.


My Nuclear Nightmare: Leading Japan through the Fukushima Disaster to a Nuclear-Free Future by Naoto Kan

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Buy the hardback from Speedyhen
Buy the hardback from The Book Depository
Buy the hardback from Waterstones

Read my original book review on Literary Flits

I blogged my review of this memoir to coincide with the sixth anniversary of the Fukushima disaster. Naoto Kan, the then Prime Minister of Japan describes the terrifying experience, its aftermath and why he is now staunchly against nuclear power.


Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris

Buy the book from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from Speedyhen
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository
Buy the paperback from Waterstones

Read my original book review on Literary Flits

To Saudi Arabia for this American-authored young adult crime mystery. It's an exciting read, but does present Saudi Arabia from a very western viewpoint and factual inaccuracies detract from its feeling of authenticity.


Hurricane In Paradise by Deborah Brown

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Buy the ebook from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository

Read my original book review on Literary Flits

My first book tour of March is this light Florida cosy mystery. Very fast-paced and without any great depth, it is the tenth in a series and I felt I had missed out on too much of the previous back story.


Cal by Bernard MacLaverty

Buy the book from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from Speedyhen
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository
Buy the paperback from Waterstones

Read my original book review on Literary Flits

A complete contrast, Cal is set in 1980s Northern Ireland and portrays a young Catholic an caught between grinding unemployment and fervent sectarian violence. It's a book you know isn't going to end well, but MacLaverty gets convincingly under the skin of his characters so it is all too easy to understand why they choose their respective paths.


The Kolkata Conundrum by Kalyan Lahiri

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Buy from independent booksellers via Alibris
Buy the ebook from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository

Read my original book review on Literary Flits

I enjoyed this refreshingly dignified and elegant crime story. It is set almost entirely within Kolkata and I loved the rich descriptions of the city and its people.


What The Queen Wills by A J Tipton

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Read my original book review on Literary Flits

My worst book of the month! I had liked a Tipton book before, but this one is basically just lots of sex without any character development or emotional depth so instead of being sexy, I just found it dull.


Shadow Reaper by Amos Cassidy

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Read my original book review on Literary Flits

Gritty urban fantasy doesn't get much more exciting than  Amos Cassidy and I loved this dystopian story. Strong characters and the authors trademark vivid imaginations made this a fun and breathtaking adventure.


Into The Air by A K Downing

Buy from independent booksellers via Abebooks
Buy from independent booksellers via Alibris
Buy the ebook from Amazon.com / Amazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository

Read my original book review on Literary Flits

Another book tour read and if you like Amos Cassidy, I think you would enjoy A K Downing too. YA dystopia with an impetuous female lead character, this novel is also a fast-paced adventure and a coming-of-age tale. Don't miss the chance to win yourself a signed copy - there's a giveaway open until the 9th April.


Flesh And Bone And Water by Luiza Sauma

Buy the book from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the hardback from Speedyhen
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository
Buy the paperback from Waterstones

Read my original book review on Literary Flits

Like in The Trout, memories of home are triggered by an unexpected letter in this Brazilian novel. I loved Sauma's gorgeous depictions of 1980s Brazil. A thoughtful exploration of social issues - and encouragement to book a flight to Brazil!


Peril In The Park by Barbara Venkataraman

Buy the ebook or audiobook from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk

Read my original book review on Literary Flits

This is Venkararaman's third mystery in her Jamie Quinn series and I think this is definitely the best yet. Jamie's new boyfriend is under attack so she must pull out all the stops to save him - between meals of course! I've got an ebook boxset of the trilogy to give away. Entries close on the 6th April.


Half Of A Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Buy the book from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from Speedyhen
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository
Buy the paperback from Waterstones

Read my original book review on Literary Flits

If I hadn't already read The Dollmaker in March then Half Of A Yellow Sun would certainly have been my Book Of The Month. Adichie's exploration of events leading up to and during the late 1960s civil war in Nigeria is a powerful indictment of irresponsible colonialism and also an emotionally moving historical novel.


Apathy Will Kill Us All by Andy Carrington

Buy the ebook directly from the author
Buy the paperback directly from the author

Read my original book review on Literary Flits

I loved the energy and vivid scenes portrayed in this collection of angry political poetry. Andy is currently running a giveaway for a signed copy and links to enter are in the review post. Entries close on the 1st May.


One Indian Girl by Chetan Bhagat

Buy the ebook from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the paperback from Speedyhen
Buy the paperback from The Book Depository
Buy the paperback from Waterstones

Read my original book review on Literary Flits

Another on-a-whim purchase because I liked the cover image, I am glad I didn't allow myself to be put off reading by a string of bad Goodreads reviews. This light romantic novel does let itself down with clunky dialogue, but it's a fun read with an Indian flair.


Butterfly On The Storm by Walter Lucius

Buy the book from Amazon.comAmazon.co.uk
Buy the hardback from Speedyhen
Buy the hardback from The Book Depository
Buy the hardback from Waterstones

Read my original book review on Literary Flits

My final book for March is also my third five-star read. Butterfly On The Storm is being favourably compared to Stieg Larsson's Girl trilogy which I am not sure will do this Dutch thriller any great favours, but I loved its atmosphere, pace and diverse cast.


That's it for this month and I know I have already got some great books lined up for review in April including a Romanian dance memoir, a Korean novella and my first iRead Book Tours. Keep up daily on Literary Flits or I will see you here at the end of April for another round up. Don't forget the Giveaways!

7 comments:

  1. Wow, you read 20 books? I’m impressed! I had a terrible reading month. Happy April!

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was lucky to have lots of time - and some of the books were pretty short!

      Delete
  2. I've added this wrap-up post to Nicole's linkup at Feed Your Fiction Addiction :-)
    https://feedyourfictionaddiction.com/2017/03/march-wrap-round-link-2.html

    ReplyDelete
  3. You get the silver stars! Twenty books is super amazing! I can't even get finished with five. Hoping for April showers for all of us. Because more reading! 🙂

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Charlie! Fingers crossed :-)

      Delete
  4. Amazing amount of books read! And so diverse too. I love books set in foreign lands to get to know the culture. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
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