Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. Rain and Embers by Ali Nuri is one of the best poetry collections I have read in a while. His talent lifts each page and the words situated on it to tell a vivid story about identity, belonging and displacement as well as exploring love and what it’s like to live … Continue reading Review of Rain and Embers, Ali Nuri
A GIRL IS A SHAPESHIFTER is Higgins’ debut poetry collection - pieced together alone and across six months, it follows the voice of a young woman intent on loving herself fiercely and making a mark on the ever-widening world around her. From the opening poem, ‘nice to meet you’, I was in love with Higgins’ … Continue reading Review of A Girl is a Shapeshifter, Jasmine S. Higgins
Bray’s debut novel A Song for Issy Bradley is a beautifully written tale about how a Mormon family chooses to grieve and move on from a tremendous loss. Throughout, Bray weaves stunning images which capture how differently a mother mourns to her seven year old son, or her deeply religious husband. The story is also … Continue reading Review of A Song for Issy Bradley, Carys Bray
The President’s Gardens is a heartbreaking tragedy which spans generations, following the lives of Abdullah, Ibrahim and Tariq in a small village in Iraq. The cyclical narrative unravels a story of loss, love and brutality, within which three men suffer greatly as well as their families. Before reading, Iraq was a country I knew very … Continue reading Review of The President’s Gardens, Muhsin Al-Ramli
Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. Sassafras by Trish Heald is a stunning debut. I laughed and cried as Heald expertly told a story about healing and family (whether tied by blood or friendship). When Champ’s wife, Pat, dies, both he and his family lose their peacekeeper and grief, as it so often does, slips its fingers … Continue reading Review of Sassafras, Trish Heald
Last year was about making time to read and by the end of 2018 I had read 43 books. For me, it was a success. It also lit a fire in my belly - I wanted to read more. This year, via GoodReads, I set myself a target of reading 50 books. I read 100. … Continue reading Top Ten Books of 2019
Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. Shoukry’s writing is candid and pleasant to read and follow. There is no attempt to complicate his thoughts and feelings or frame them in more academic language; he simply tells his story as it happened. I enjoyed how his account was interspersed with thought provoking chapters on Pain, Death and … Continue reading Review of It’s Not Just About Running: Reflections on Life and Change in Egypt, A.I. Shoukry
Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. Sophistries of Summer Days follows the life of young Cherrimina into adulthood. Set in the West Indies from the 1930s onward, Lofters captures life on a small, sunny isle; how sheltered the islanders’ lives are and how they change. Cherrimina’s life is altered first by Dove’s arrival and then again as … Continue reading Review of Sophistries of Summer Days, Jenny Lofters
Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. Framed by the death of Chairman Mao and the student protests in Tiananmen Square, Horko's novel tells the story of Melissa; a woman from the UK whose life is tied to the events in China due to her relationship with activist Jianguo and the birth of her son, Justin. Through … Continue reading Review of A Book of Changes, Krystyna Horko
Originally published on Reedsy Discovery. There is very little I can say without spoiling Green's humorous thriller, and it is difficult to review after reading the Acknowledgements section which extolled and indicted this novel in equal measure; as Green essentially thanked others for their patience whilst he wrote this bizarre tale. The book is exceptional … Continue reading Review of Breakfast at Cannibal Joe’s, Jay Spencer Green
