Reviews (Author-wise)

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The Language of Love and Other Stories - Nancy Christie - ★★★★

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  AUTHOR:  Nancy Christie GENRE: Short Story Collection PUBLICATION DATE: February 4, 2025 RATING: 3.9 stars. In a Nutshell: A delightful short story collection focussing on all aspects of love. Yes, “love”, not “romance”! Interesting plots, multiple emotions, steady paced, beautiful endings ranging from sweet to bittersweet. Not corny or mushy as you might assume. Much recommended! I had misjudged this short story collection on initial glance, dismissing it as being cheesy romance tales. ( Very hasty and judgemental of me, I admit. No offence intended to readers of the genre. It is just that I no longer enjoy such stories .) As the cover gave me romance vibes, I almost decided that this is not for me. But then, the title made me pause, bringing to my mind the fabulous "The Five Love Languages of Children" by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell – probably the only self-help/inspirational book I've read that I found authentic and practical. I wondered if the "language...
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Shalama: My 96 Seasons in China - Jean Hoffmann Lewanda - ★★

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AUTHOR: Jean Hoffmann Lewanda GENRE: Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: October 15, 2024 RATING: 2 stars. In a Nutshell: Officially, a historical fiction based on the life of the author’s mother. However, the writing is heavily non-fiction in style and not character-focussed. This might work better as a memoir but after some finetuning of the presentation. Plot Preview: 1928. Harbin, China. Born to a Russian Jewish family who emigrated from Europe to Harbin a few years earlier, Shalama is intimately familiar with life in a city filled with European Jewish and Russian immigrants fleeing various pogroms. As Harbin, known as the ‘Paris of the East’ is a thriving village-turned-town thanks to these new citizens, it feels more like a white community than a Chinese town. When the Japanese come to Harbin in the 1930s, Shalama’s family moves to Shanghai, where she becomes a typist after her schooling, and marries an Austrian Jew named Paul. However, there are still some changes to come in ...
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A Council of Dolls - Mona Susan Power - ★★★★.¼

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  AUTHOR:  Mona Susan Power GENRE: Historical Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: November 5, 2024 RATING:  4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: A powerful multi-timeline narrative detailing the horrors faced by the indigenous citizens of the USA. Character-driven, introspective, brutal, slow-paced. Great use of the titular “dolls”. A book to be savoured than to be zoomed through. Recommended! Plot Preview: Sissy ~ a second-grader in 1960s Chicago. Has a volatile mother and a doting father. Loves her Christmas present: a Black Thumbelina doll named Ethel, who always supports Sissy and offers advice during tough times. Lillian ~ a child of the 1930s. Born at a time of turmoil and conflict. Her sister Blanche and her Shirley-Temple-lookalike doll named Mae are her biggest sources of support. When the sisters are forced to go to an “Indian school” run by nuns, Mae turns out to be Lillian’s guiding light during the dark days.  Cora ~  born in the 1900s during the “Indian Wars”. Fa...
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The Envelopes - Hasu August - ★★★

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AUTHOR: Hasu August GENRE: Contemporary Drama PUBLICATION DATE: January 14, 2025 RATING: 3 stars. In a Nutshell: A contemporary drama about the struggles faced by an ordinary family in China. Has some interesting topics that aren’t commonly seen in OwnVoices Chinese fiction, but the plot needs more structuring. The blurb is somewhat misleading, but surprisingly, the actual content is even better than the blurb. A good option if you aren’t too fussy about a meandering writing style. Plot Preview: Thirty-three-year-old Jade Bai, an HR professional with an MNC, is married into an influential family. Her father-in-law is a top-tier government official, leading to his getting many envelopes to earn favour, though he always refuses the offerings thanks to his uprightness. When Jade becomes pregnant, her mind goes to through the events of the past seven years, many of which have left long-term guilt, grief, and trauma. Can she let go of the past and accept the pregnancy? The story comes to ...
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Making Up the Gods - Marion Agnew - ★★★★.¼

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AUTHOR: Marion Agnew GENRE: Contemporary Fiction PUBLICATION DATE: October 15, 2023 RATING: 4.25 stars. In a Nutshell: An indie drama with some quirky characters and a great setting in Lake Superior, Canada. Mellow in tone, genuine in content, thought-provoking in themes. I enjoyed this unusual novel. Plot Preview: Simone, almost 70, is a retired widow who lives an isolated life in her cottage on the banks of Lake Superior and still misses her husband, though he’s been dead for five years. While she is now active in her local church and finds solace in baking for those grieving, she is fiercely protective of her privacy. But when the local reverend asks her to take care of nine-year-old Chen while his widowed mother goes on a much-needed trip, Simone finds it tough to refuse a fellow-mourning widow. Just before Chen arrives, a stranger named Martin knocks at Simone’s door, claiming to be her cousin. Simone is suddenly handling two strangers at once, and she worries that they will dis...
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