FROM CHERNOBYL, WITH LOVE: Reporting From the Ruins of the Soviet Union by KATYA CENGEL is a riveting memoir of this Award-Winning journalist’s time in the former Soviet Union including Latvia and the Ukraine. A Must Read worthy of 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Title: FROM CHERNOBYL, WITH LOVE  

Subtitle: Reporting From The Ruins of the Soviet Union  

Author: KATYA CENGEL  

Release Date: 2019

Genre: NON-FICTION, BIOGRAPHIES AND MEMOIRS

Number Of Pages: 310 Pages

Publisher: POTOMAC BOOKS  

Received From: THE AUTHOR

ISBN: 978-1640125728 

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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One of several awards this book has received.

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Last month (July 2023) Author Katya Cengel was featured on the “Bookable Space Podcast” and read from her amazing book “From Chernobyl With Love.” To listen to it, click on the photo.

DESCRIPTION:

Eric Hoffer Grand Prize Award Finalist

2019 Foreword INDIES Award, Gold for Autobiography & Memoir

Bronze Medal winner in the Independent Book Publishers Awards 

In the wake of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the late twentieth century was a time of unprecedented hope for democracy and freedom in Eastern Europe. The collapse of the Soviet Union left in its wake a number of independent countries and Communist propaganda was being displaced by Western ideals of a free press. Young writers, journalists, and adventurers such as Katya Cengel flocked from the West eastward to cities like Prague and Budapest, seeking out terra nova. Despite the region’s appeal, neither Kyiv in Ukraine nor Riga in Latvia was the type of place you would expect to find a twenty-two-year-old Californian just out of college. Kyiv was too close to Moscow. Riga was too small to matter—and too cold. But Cengel ended up living and working in both. This book is her remarkable story.

Cengel first took a job at the Baltic Times just seven years after Latvia regained its independence. The idea of a free press in the Eastern Bloc was still so promising that she ultimately moved to Ukraine. From there Cengel made several trips to Chernobyl, site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster. It was at Chernobyl that she met her fiancé, but as she fell in love, Ukraine collapsed into what would become the Orange Revolution, bringing it to the brink of political disintegration and civil war. Ultimately, this fall of idealism in the East underscores Cengel’s own loss of innocence. 

From Chernobyl with Love is an indelible portrait of this historical epoch and a memoir of the highest order.

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From Chernobyl with Love was awarded the Eric Hoffer Book Award for Academic Press. Chernobyl was on the Bookable Space podcast.  

https://shows.acast.com/bookable-space/episodes/bookable-space-with-katya-cengel

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MY REVIEW:

FROM CHERNOBYL WITH LOVE: REPORTING FROM THE RUINS OF THE SOVIET UNION  by Katya Cengel is a fascinating and entertaining memoir.

Katya may have a Russian first name, but she is decidedly not Russian. Instead, she is a white woman who was born and raised in California. However, that fact didn’t stop her from applying to a reporter position in the Latvia.

With both the enthusiasm and naivety of a young adult, Katya had absolutely no idea what she was in for. She didn’t speak the language. She knew almost nothing about the politics of the area.

You would assume that someone who had grown up in California with it’s temperate climate and easy access to health care and all other amenities of our first-world country would get the heck out of Eastern Europe after experiencing her first winter. Not Katya Cengel. She is made of sterner stuff than 99% of the rest of the citizens of the United States.

Reading about her exploits and adventures will hold readers riveted. From skydiving with questionable parachutes to visiting the restricted area at Chernobyl (twice) it is impossible to put this book down.

From Chernobyl With Love: Reporting from the Ruins of the Soviet Union has won multiple awards and each one is well deserved. This book has everything that a great read should have – with the added benefit that it is all true.

Travel, adventure, crime, corruption, food instability, harsh living conditions, friendship, love, lust and a medically life-threatening situation. This book has it all … and more.

Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of this book asap.

I rate “From Chernobyl with Love” as 5 out of 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

*** Thank you to the author for providing me with a free copy of this book. ***

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Journalist Katya Cengal (far right) with her translator, Sveta Ionova, and Ionova’s parents in Ukraine in the early 2000’s.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Katya Cengel is a freelance writer and author based in California. Her work has appeared in New York Times Magazine, Marie Claire,  and Wall Street Journal among other publications. She has reported from North and Central America, Europe, Asia and Africa and was based in the former Soviet Union for half a decade. She was a features and news writer for the Louisville Courier-Journal from 2003 to 2011.

She is the author of Eric Hoffer Academic Press 2023 award winner, Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY) 2020 winner and Foreword Indies 2019 winner “From Chernobyl with Love: Reporting from the Ruins of the Soviet Union”; “Exiled: From the Killing Fields of Cambodia to California and Back” and “Bluegrass Baseball: A Year in the Minor League Life”. Her latest book is Straitjackets and Lunch Money.

She has been awarded grants from the International Reporting Project, the International Women’s Media Foundation and the International Center for Journalists. Her journalism has been recognized with a Society of Professional Journalists Green Eyeshade Award and a Society for Features Journalism Excellence-in-Features Award.

To learn more about this author visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE 
https://katyacengel.com/home

GOODREADS

WIKIPEDIA

FACEBOOK  

CAL POLY

LINKEDIN

TWITTER  

INSTAGRAM  

NEW YORK JOURNAL OF BOOKS

AMAZON 

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STRAIGHT JACKETS AND LUNCH MONEY is now available for Pre-Order

Straitjackets and Lunch Money – PRE-ORDER NOW!!!

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ABOUT THE PUBLISHER:

Potomac Books has a long and distinguished pedigree. Founded in 1983 as the U.S. imprint of Brassey’s, a renowned British publishing house established in the nineteenth century, Brassey’s-U.S. was acquired by Books International in 1999 and renamed Potomac Books in 2004.

The University of Nebraska Press bought Potomac Books in 2013, acquiring its impressive backlist in military history, politics, current events, international affairs, terrorism, intelligence, and national security. As a general-interest imprint of UNP, Potomac continues to build on its strong roots in these fields, keeping readers informed about the critical issues and challenges of today’s world. 

To learn more about this Publisher visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE 
https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/potomac

FACEBOOK  – UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA PRESS 

FACEBOOK – POTOMOC BOOKS 

TWITTER  – UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA PRESS 

TWITTER – POTOMAC BOOKS 

INSTAGRAM    

PINTEREST   

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I will be reading this book asap

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COMING SOON is Katya’s new book called Straitjackets and Lunch Money – PRE-ORDER NOW!!!

AUTHOR’S UPCOMING EVENTS

Straitjackets and Lunch Money Signings:

Santa Barbara

September 14th, 2023 @ 6pm

Chaucer’s Books, 3321 State St., in conversation with Bookshop Podcast founder and host Mandy Jackson-Beverly.

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Berkeley 

October 3rd at 7 p.m. 

Books Inc., 1491 Shattuck Ave. in conversation with Berkeleyside and Cityside co-founder Frances Dinkelspiel.

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San Luis Obispo

Central Coast Writers Conference, October 14

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San Luis Obispo

October 21 at 2 p.m.

San Luis Obispo Public Library, 995 Palm Street, in conversation with young adult author Mark Parsons.

**If you are local and still want to get free parking be sure to register here.

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OUR VOICE OF FIRE: A MEMOIR OF A WARRIOR RISING by Métis/Cree Journalist and Author BRANDI MORIN is Now Available. Not only is this book on bestseller lists worldwide, but it has also won numerous awards. 10 out of 10

Title: OUR VOICE OF FIRE

Subtitle: A MEMOIR OF A WARRIOR RISING

Author: BRANDI MORIN

Release Date: AUGUST 2, 2022

Genre: NON-FICTION, BIOGRAPHIES AND MEMOIRS, INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, MULTICULTURAL INTEREST

Number Of Pages: 232 PAGES

Publisher: HOUSE OF ANANSI PRESS

Received From: EDELWEISS

ISBN: 978-1487010577

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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DESCRIPTION:

A wildfire of a debut memoir by internationally recognized French/Cree/Iroquois journalist Brandi Morin set to transform the narrative around Indigenous Peoples.

Brandi Morin is known for her clear-eyed and empathetic reporting on Indigenous oppression in North America.

She is also a survivor of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls crisis and uses her experience to tell the stories of those who did not survive the rampant violence.

From her time as a foster kid and runaway who fell victim to predatory men and an oppressive system to her career as an internationally acclaimed journalist, Our Voice of Fire  chronicles Morin’s journey to overcome enormous adversity and find her purpose, and her power, through journalism.

This compelling, honest book is full of self-compassion and the purifying fire of a pursuit for justice.

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MY REVIEW:

Content warning: rape, child abuse, racism, intergenerational trauma, suicide, and loss of a pregnancy.

Honest, compelling, and
one hundred percent real.

Brandi Morin is my new hero because she tells it like it is. No molly-coddling, no sugar coating, no lies to spare the reader from the ugliness of genuine truth.

Brandi Morin’s bravery is nothing short of inspirational. Her book: OUR VOICE OF FIRE is a memoir of her life. It is also a truthful (and sometimes ugly) look at the effect colonialism has had on Canada’s Indigenous peoples.

When Brandi discovered that her beloved kohkum (grandmother) had kept a journal of sorts, it set her on a new path in life.

“Each small scrap of paper, each page in her journal, fed the spark of curiosity within until it was a roaring fire of need. [Brandi] needed to know more. About Kohkum. About [herself]. About [her] people.” 

Brandi writes:

“Without my even realizing it, my feet were set on a new path. Over the next few years, I began to hunt for the truth…”

That path has led her to become a nationally recognized voice for Indigenous peoples, and ultimately led to the creation of this book.

Honesty is always the best policy in my opinion, however, Canada has continually glossed over the dark parts of its history. Brandi Morin’s journalism career calls the government out on their hypocrisy and on the deeply embedded and systemic racism that exists to this day.

In writing this memoir, Brandi is speaking out for all those women and girls, past and present, who have had their voices silenced in a variety of ways.

She is also speaking out for herself despite the fact that; “Sometimes it feels easier and kinder to just leave those smoking memories alone, protecting myself and my loved ones with silence.”

But, Brandi has learned that

“… silence is a tool of violence used against [her] people for generations in the attempt to erase and eradicate [them].” 

There is a belief held by Indigenous Peoples that trauma is intergenerational and that, on average, it takes seven generations to rid a family of the effects of that trauma. If that family experiences more trauma, such as the Residential School System, the Sixties Scoop, and the ongoing,  deeply ingrained systemic racism of Canada today, those seven generations start all over again.

As heart-wrenching as it must have been for her, Brandi bares her soul in this memoir.

“I endured beatings and verbal abuse from my mother, who was unwittingly passing along her inheritance of trauma and violence to me. There are bloody encounters that I can clearly picture today, but I won’t go into details. My dad would sometimes choke me against the wall until I was close to passing out at the requests from my mother to ‘deal with me’…”

Sadly, Brandi’s experiences are far from unique.

This must stop and it is through the publication of books such as this one that people are able to learn the truth and to actively seek to change things for the better.

OUR VOICE OF FIRE should be required reading for everyone, especially for anyone who doubts the lingering effects of familial trauma.

I rate this book as 7 out of 7 Stars

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

If you are interested in raw, unapologetic honesty, OUR VOICE OF FIRE by Brandi Morin is a Must Read.

*** Thank you to #Edelweiss for providing me with a free copy of this book. ***

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

BRANDI MORIN is an award-winning French/Cree/Iroquois journalist from Treaty 6, Alberta, Canada.

For the last ten years Brandi has specialized in sharing Indigenous stories, which have influenced reconciliation in Canada’s political, cultural, and social environments.

She is one of Canada’s most prominent voices on Indigenous issues.

Brandi has published or broadcasted with the New York Times, National Geographic, the Guardian, the Toronto Star, Al Jazeera English, Vice, Elle Canada, CBC’s Power & Politics , and the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network National News, among many other outlets.

Brandi won a Human Rights Reporting award from the Canadian Association of Journalists for her work with the CBC’s Beyond 94 project tracking the progress of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

To learn more about this author visit the following links:

GOODREADS

GOOGLE BOOKS

FACEBOOK 

TORONTO STAR

CBC

LINKEDIN

CANADA’S NATIONAL OBSERVER

ALJAZEERA CANADA

MUCKRACK

TWITTER 

INSTAGRAM 

CHAPTERS / INDIGO BOOKS

AMAZON 

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER:

Before there was a literary scene in Canada, writers Dennis Lee and David Godfrey founded House of Anansi Press to publish poetry. It was the heyday of hippie Yorkville, when Toronto teemed with draft dodgers and their youthful American energy, and Canada was celebrating Expo 67 and its 100th anniversary.

Change was in the air, and Canadians wanted to read books written by Canadians. Anansi expanded to publish authors such as Michael Ondaatje, Matt Cohen, Northrop Frye, Erín Moure, and Margaret Atwood (who worked here as an editor).

Now under the ownership of Scott Griffin, House of Anansi Press is Canada’s leading independent publisher. We continue to break new ground with award-winning and bestselling books that reflect the changing nature of the world and the country, and we help shape the national conversation with the publication of the annual CBC Massey Lectures (in conjunction with University of Toronto’s Massey College and CBC Ideas) with contributors like Martin Luther King, Jr., Ursula Franklin, and Tanya Talaga. Anansi continues to publish poetry, as well as fiction, nonfiction, drama, French-Canadian writers in translation, lifestyle, and authors from around the world. We take pride in finding and developing talent, publishing Indigenous, Black, and less mainstream writers, and firing up the imagination with Very Good Books.

House of Anansi Press respectfully acknowledges that the land on which we operate is the Traditional Territory of many Nations, including the Anishinabeg, the Wendat and the Haudenosaunee. It is also the Treaty Lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit.

To learn more about this Publisher visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE 
https://houseofanansi.com

FACEBOOK 

TWITTER 

INSTAGRAM 

FLOWERS OF FIRE: The Inside Story of South Korea’s Feminist Movement and What It Means for Women’s Rights Worldwide by HAWON JUNG is a book that needs to be read and discussed and passed on to every woman in every country in the world ***TODAY IS RELEASE DAY ***

Title: FLOWERS OF FIRE

Subtitle: THE INSIDE STORY OF SOUTH KOREA’S FEMINIST MOVEMENT AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR WOMEN’ S RIGHTS WORLDWIDE 

Author: HAWON JUNG  

Release Date: MARCH 7, 2023

Genre: NON-FICTION, WOMEN’S ISSUES, MULTICULTURAL INTEREST

Number Of Pages: 304 Pages

Publisher: BEN BELLA BOOKS

Received From: EDELWEISS

ISBN: 978-1637742419 

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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DESCRIPTION:

An eye-opening firsthand account of the ongoing and trailblazing feminist movement in South Korea—one that the world should be watching.

Since the beginning of the #MeToo movement, tens of thousands of women and girls in South Korea have taken to the street, and many more brave individuals took a stand, to end a decades-long abortion ban and bring down powerful sexual abusers—including a popular presidential contender. South Korean feminists know that the revolution has been a long time coming, between battles against its own deeply patriarchal society as well as combating stereotypes of docile Asian women in the Western imagination.

Now, author Hawon Jung will show the rest of the world that these women are no delicate flowers—they are trailblazing flames. 

Flowers of Fire takes the reader into the trenches of this fight for equality, following along as South Korean activists march on the streets, navigate public and private spaces full of spycams, and share tips and tricks with each other as they learn how to protect themselves from criminals and authorities alike.

Jung, the former Seoul correspondent for the AFP, draws on her on-the-ground reporting and interviews with many women who became activists and leaders, from the elite prosecutor who ignited the country’s #MeToo movement to the young women who led the war against non-consensual photography and revenge porn. Their stories, though long overlooked in the West, mirror realities that women across the world are all too familiar with: threats of defamation lawsuits to silence victims of assault, tech-based sexual abuse of women and girls, and criminal justice systems where victims’ voices are often met with suspicion and predators’ downfalls are met with sympathy. These are the issues at the heart of their #MeToo movement, and South Korean women have fought against them vigorously—and with extraordinary success. In Flowers of Fire, Jung illuminates the strength and tenacity of these women, too often sidelined in global conversations about feminism and gender equality.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/c/embed/1b45c0e7-1f51-4e36-ac5b-03b9decf32af

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MY REVIEW:

When I think of South Korea, the farthest thing from my mind is women’s rights. Women are treated as delicate flowers.

Found this quote online.
Click on it to be taken to the original post.

Maya Angelou said:

The women written about in FLOWERS OF FIRE embody this quote.

Maya Angelou once said: “Develop enough courage to stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else.” The women whose stories are highlighted in this book are the living embodiments of that famous quote.

I don’t think any of us who were born in Canada and who have grown up with the knowledge that we are valuable and that we can be, and do anything, could possibly understand the world of misogyny that is the norm in South Korea. Yes, the patriarchy exists in North America, but not to the extent that it exists in Asian countries.

When the #MeToo movement swept through the United States and Canada, women felt empowered to stand up for themselves and to say “NO MORE.” But, what about women in other countries? What about women who, because of government censorship, had no idea what was happening around the world?

Who was brave enough to stand up and to be the very first woman to tell her story? And, what would happen to her after she came forward? The fear would have been crippling. There was a very real chance that those women would be shunned, shamed, and would be branded as sluts and liars.

I am in awe of the women in this book. They are BRAVE … truly brave in a way that transcends time. Their stories are IMPORTANT.

FLOWERS OF FIRE – The Inside Story of South Korea’s Feminist Movement And What It Means For Women’s Rights Worldwide is not only an enthralling read, but also an extremely important one.

If you think of yourself as a feminist, or even if you don’t, if you care about human rights at all, then you simply MUST Read this book.

FLOWERS OF FIRE  is being released on March 7th, 2023 and can be pre-ordered now. I have a feeling that this book will sell out quickly, so I suggest that you preorder it to avoid being disappointed.

I would love to hear back from people after they read this book to discuss the details. I did not want to include any spoilers in my review, but I am dying to discuss it.

5 out of 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
5 out of 5 Flames     

*** Thank you to #Edelweiss for providing me with a free advance review copy of this book. ***

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More than 200 female protesters gather in central Seoul on Feb. 27, calling for women’s representation in South Korea’s presidential election.
(Min Joo Kim/The Washington Post)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Hawon Jung is a journalist and former Seoul correspondent for the AFP news agency with more than a decade of experience writing about the two Koreas.

She covered the 2011 death of then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the rise to power of his son, Kim Jong-un, the junior Kim’s first summit with Donald Trump, South Korea’s historic presidential impeachment, and K-pop’s rise on the world stage.

Her coverage of South Korea’s #MeToo movement was shortlisted in the 2019 Awards for Editorial Excellence by the Society of Publishers in Asia.

Born and raised in South Korea, she currently lives in Germany with family.

To learn more about this author visit the following links:

GOODREADS

TWITTER    

INSTAGRAM  

LINKEDIN

PUBLISHER’S WEBSITE

THE NATION

AMAZON  

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Kim Ju-hee protests in August 2021 in front of the National Assembly in Seoul with a sign that reads “Democracy without woman is not a democracy.” ( Min Joo Kim/The Washington Post)

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ABOUT THE PUBLISHER:

BenBella is a marketing-focused, author-friendly publishing house whose success is based on a few simple principles. We select our titles with care. We provide authors with first-class service and genuine partnership. And we provide aggressive, creative marketing for each title we publish.

To learn more about this Publisher visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE   

BLOG

PODCAST

FACEBOOK  

TWITTER  

INSTAGRAM  

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<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Leader of South Korea, which has one of the world’s worst gender gaps, argues that eliminating the ministry set up to protect women would actually help them <a href=”https://t.co/VGNGi9zeOt”>https://t.co/VGNGi9zeOt</a></p>&mdash; Bloomberg (@business) <a href=”https://twitter.com/business/status/1578269652618199041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>October 7, 2022</a></blockquote> https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

JUST RELEASED – A Children’s Book called FINDING FREEDOM – A Ukrainian Tale of Home – Gorgeously illustrated with bucolic scenes of life in the Ukrainian countryside – A MUST BUY

Title: FINDING FREEDOM  

Subtitle: A Ukrainian Tale of Home 

Author: MARYNA KARIUK  

Illustrator: KSENIA MARKEVYCH  

Release Date: DECEMBER 1, 2022

Genre: CHILDREN’S FICTION, UKRAINE, MULTICULTURAL INTEREST

Number Of Pages: 34 Pages

Publisher: KOHANA BOOKS 

Received From: NETGALLEY  

ISBN: 979-8-987015612 

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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DESCRIPTION:

Close your eyes, feel the breeze, and follow a young girl as she searches for Freedom through the beautiful landscapes and folklore of her native Ukraine.

Inspired by the resilience of the Ukrainian people to fight back against the invasion of their country, debut author and Ukrainian emigrant Maryna Kariuk brings lyrical rhymes to a powerful message that will kindle any heart.

Immerse yourself in charming illustrations by Ukrainian artist Ksenia Markevych and soar above the roaring rivers, feel the magic of the summer solstice and marvel at the boundless lands and at the spirit of those who call them home.

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MY REVIEW: 

Debut author Maryna Kariuk may live in California now, but her heart has never left her homeland of Ukraine. Born and raised there, she has crafted a beautiful children’s book highlighting scenes of a Ukrainian childhood.

When Vladimir Putin decided to launch an unprovoked attack on Ukraine, he probably thought his troops would quickly prevail. He could not have been more wrong.

The illustrations in FINDING FREEDOM are simply divine. Ksenia Markevych is a freelance illustrator based in Ukraine and her talent is considerable. She has woven the colors of the Ukrainian flag throughout the book, and the people in the story wear gorgeous and authentic traditional clothing.

The story itself highlights the beauty of the Ukrainian countryside as well as pride in their homes, families, and their country.

I am rating this book as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️  and I believe it would be a wonderful Christmas gift. It would also be a great book to use to show children that people are similar no matter where they live.

*** Thank you to the author, illustrator, the publisher, and to NetGalley for providing me with a free advance review copy of this gorgeous children’s book. ***

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Maryna Kariuk is a debut author, born and raised in Ukraine.

The childhood memories of her motherland, especially summers spent in the countryside with her Babusia, have always inspired her to write.

She resides in California with her husband and two children.

To learn more about this author visit the following links:

GOOGLE BOOKS 
https://books.google.com/books/about/Finding_Freedom.html?id=BbtizwEACAAJ

AMAZON 
https://www.amazon.com/Maryna-Kariuk/e/B0BNT6H6T5

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ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: 

Ksenia Markevych is a freelance illustrator based in Ukraine.

She draws both digitally and using traditional media (watercolor, colored pencils, MixMedia, graphics).

She cooperates with publishing houses, independent authors and magazines. She also creates illustrations for calendars, games and postcards.

Ksenia’s inspiration often comes from the beauty of nature, traveling, people-watching, and constantly learning something new.

Through her illustrations, she conveys lightness and movement, which adds dynamism and an inner childlike freedom to each story.

To learn more about this illustrator visit the following links:

BEHANCE     

GOOGLE BOOKS  

ETSY 

PINTEREST    

SHUTTERSTOCK     

INSTAGRAM    

AMAZON    

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Illustrator KSENIA MARKEVYCH

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MORE ILLUSTRATIONS BY KSENIA MARKEVYCH:

FLOWERS OF FIRE: The Inside Story of South Korea’s Feminist Movement and What It Means for Women’s Rights Worldwide by HAWON JUNG is a book that needs to be read and discussed and passed on to every woman in every country in the world

Title: FLOWERS OF FIRE

Subtitle: THE INSIDE STORY OF SOUTH KOREA’S FEMINIST MOVEMENT AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR WOMEN’ S RIGHTS WORLDWIDE 

Author: HAWON JUNG  

Release Date: MARCH 7, 2023

Genre: NON-FICTION, WOMEN’S ISSUES, MULTICULTURAL INTEREST

Number Of Pages: 304 Pages

Publisher: BEN BELLA BOOKS

Received From: EDELWEISS

ISBN: 978-1637742419 

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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DESCRIPTION:

An eye-opening firsthand account of the ongoing and trailblazing feminist movement in South Korea—one that the world should be watching.

Since the beginning of the #MeToo movement, tens of thousands of women and girls in South Korea have taken to the street, and many more brave individuals took a stand, to end a decades-long abortion ban and bring down powerful sexual abusers—including a popular presidential contender. South Korean feminists know that the revolution has been a long time coming, between battles against its own deeply patriarchal society as well as combating stereotypes of docile Asian women in the Western imagination.

Now, author Hawon Jung will show the rest of the world that these women are no delicate flowers—they are trailblazing flames. 

Flowers of Fire takes the reader into the trenches of this fight for equality, following along as South Korean activists march on the streets, navigate public and private spaces full of spycams, and share tips and tricks with each other as they learn how to protect themselves from criminals and authorities alike.

Jung, the former Seoul correspondent for the AFP, draws on her on-the-ground reporting and interviews with many women who became activists and leaders, from the elite prosecutor who ignited the country’s #MeToo movement to the young women who led the war against non-consensual photography and revenge porn. Their stories, though long overlooked in the West, mirror realities that women across the world are all too familiar with: threats of defamation lawsuits to silence victims of assault, tech-based sexual abuse of women and girls, and criminal justice systems where victims’ voices are often met with suspicion and predators’ downfalls are met with sympathy. These are the issues at the heart of their #MeToo movement, and South Korean women have fought against them vigorously—and with extraordinary success. In Flowers of Fire, Jung illuminates the strength and tenacity of these women, too often sidelined in global conversations about feminism and gender equality.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/c/embed/1b45c0e7-1f51-4e36-ac5b-03b9decf32af

****************************

MY REVIEW:

When I think of South Korea, the farthest thing from my mind is women’s rights. Women are treated as delicate flowers.

Found this quote online.
Click on it to be taken to the original post.

Maya Angelou said:

The women written about in FLOWERS OF FIRE embody this quote.

Maya Angelou once said: “Develop enough courage to stand up for yourself and then stand up for somebody else.” The women whose stories are highlighted in this book are the living embodiments of that famous quote.

I don’t think any of us who were born in Canada and who have grown up with the knowledge that we are valuable and that we can be, and do anything, could possibly understand the world of misogyny that is the norm in South Korea. Yes, the patriarchy exists in North America, but not to the extent that it exists in Asian countries.

When the #MeToo movement swept through the United States and Canada, women felt empowered to stand up for themselves and to say “NO MORE.” But, what about women in other countries? What about women who, because of government censorship, had no idea what was happening around the world?

Who was brave enough to stand up and to be the very first woman to tell her story? And, what would happen to her after she came forward? The fear would have been crippling. There was a very real chance that those women would be shunned, shamed, and would be branded as sluts and liars.

I am in awe of the women in this book. They are BRAVE … truly brave in a way that transcends time. Their stories are IMPORTANT.

FLOWERS OF FIRE – The Inside Story of South Korea’s Feminist Movement And What It Means For Women’s Rights Worldwide is not only an enthralling read, but also an extremely important one.

If you think of yourself as a feminist, or even if you don’t, if you care about human rights at all, then you simply MUST Read this book.

FLOWERS OF FIRE  is being released on March 7th, 2023 and can be pre-ordered now. I have a feeling that this book will sell out quickly, so I suggest that you preorder it to avoid being disappointed.

I would love to hear back from people after they read this book to discuss the details. I did not want to include any spoilers in my review, but I am dying to discuss it.

5 out of 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
5 out of 5 Flames     

*** Thank you to #Edelweiss for providing me with a free advance review copy of this book. ***

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More than 200 female protesters gather in central Seoul on Feb. 27, calling for women’s representation in South Korea’s presidential election.
(Min Joo Kim/The Washington Post)

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Hawon Jung is a journalist and former Seoul correspondent for the AFP news agency with more than a decade of experience writing about the two Koreas.

She covered the 2011 death of then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the rise to power of his son, Kim Jong-un, the junior Kim’s first summit with Donald Trump, South Korea’s historic presidential impeachment, and K-pop’s rise on the world stage.

Her coverage of South Korea’s #MeToo movement was shortlisted in the 2019 Awards for Editorial Excellence by the Society of Publishers in Asia.

Born and raised in South Korea, she currently lives in Germany with family.

To learn more about this author visit the following links:

GOODREADS

TWITTER    

INSTAGRAM  

LINKEDIN

PUBLISHER’S WEBSITE

THE NATION

AMAZON  

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Kim Ju-hee protests in August 2021 in front of the National Assembly in Seoul with a sign that reads “Democracy without woman is not a democracy.” ( Min Joo Kim/The Washington Post)

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ABOUT THE PUBLISHER:

BenBella is a marketing-focused, author-friendly publishing house whose success is based on a few simple principles. We select our titles with care. We provide authors with first-class service and genuine partnership. And we provide aggressive, creative marketing for each title we publish.

To learn more about this Publisher visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE   

BLOG

PODCAST

FACEBOOK  

TWITTER  

INSTAGRAM  

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<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Leader of South Korea, which has one of the world’s worst gender gaps, argues that eliminating the ministry set up to protect women would actually help them <a href=”https://t.co/VGNGi9zeOt”>https://t.co/VGNGi9zeOt</a></p>&mdash; Bloomberg (@business) <a href=”https://twitter.com/business/status/1578269652618199041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>October 7, 2022</a></blockquote> https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

THE WEHR WOLF – A SHORT STORY by Horror Queen ALMA KATSU is NOW AVAILABLE – This novella will hold you spellbound and is unlike any werewolf tale you have previously read ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Title: THE WEHRWOLF  –  A SHORT STORY

Author: ALMA KATSU 

Release Date: SEPTEMBER 27, 2022

Genre: FICTION, HORROR, HISTORICAL FICTION

Publisher: AMAZON ORIGINAL STORIES

Received From: NETGALLEY  

ISBN: 978-1-662507656

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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DESCRIPTION:

Alma Katsu, the visionary author of The Fervor, The Hunger, and The Deep, brings readers a terrifying short story about monsters among men—and the thin lines that divide them.

Germany, 1945. In the waning days of World War II, the Nazis have been all but defeated. Uwe Fuchs, never a fighter, feels fortunate to have avoided the front lines as he cared for his widowed mother.

But Uwe’s fortune changes when Hans Sauer, the village bully, recruits him to join a guerilla resistance unit preparing for the arrival of Allied soldiers. At first, Uwe is wary. The war is lost, and rumor has it that Hans is a deserter. But Hans entices him with talk of power, brutality, and their village’s ancestral lore: werewolves.

With some reluctance, Uwe joins up with the pack and soon witnesses their startling transformation. But when the men’s violent rampage against enemy soldiers takes a devastatingly personal turn, Uwe must grapple not only with his role in their evil acts but with his own humanity. Can he reclaim what this group of predatory men has stolen from him?

Or has he been a monster all along?

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MY REVIEW: 

“The Wehrwolf” by Alma Katsu is a definite Must Read for Fall 2022.

Do not let the title dissuade you from reading this novella. I guarantee it is unlike any werewolf tale you have previously read.

Alma Katsu chose to set the story in Germany just as WWII was coming to an end.Choosing this moment in world history as the setting of her tale was nothing less than inspired.

I have rarely encountered books that focus on the lives of ordinary German citizens at that moment in time, most of whom had no say in what the country’s government had chosen to do and wanted no part in the hate and the genocides.

The main character is Uwe Fuchs –  a simple man, a good man. A man who loves his family above all else. The question is not what he will do to keep his family safe, but what won’t he do? I think we can all relate to that.

The Wehrwolf held me rapt. Once begun, this tale is impossible to put down.

The characters are so real that you will find yourself wondering if somehow the author went back in time to observe them firsthand.

Alma Katsu’s previous career working for the CIA and the NSA has given her a perspective that us mortals could never comprehend. She knows evil and she knows people – their motivations, their fears, their very souls. She probably knows people better than they know themselves. It is this intense knowledge that kept me riveted by her story.

The Wehrwolf is very much worthy of 5 out of 5 Stars. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

*** Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free advance copy of this book. ***

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Alma Katsu (born 1959) is an American writer of adult fiction. Her books have been translated into over a dozen languages, and has been published in the United Kingdom, Brazil, Spain and Italy

Katsu was born in Fairbanks, Alaska, the daughter of an American-born father and a Japanese-born mother. She spent the majority of her youth living near Concord, Massachusetts, to which she attributes her interest in the early American history featured in her novels.[9] She attended Brandeis University (BA in literature and writing, 1981) where she studied with novelist John Irving and children’s book author Margaret Rey, and the Johns Hopkins University (MA in Fiction, 2004).

FROM THE OZY INTERVIEW ARTICLE:
https://www.ozy.com/the-new-and-the-next/my-eyes-dont-lie-a-navy-corpsmans-south-of-the-border-adventure/223656/  

“Alma Katsu spent more than three decades witnessing horror. It was part of her job: Katsu spent 25 years at the National Security Agency and eight years at the CIA. She still works as a consultant for the government, “but that’s all I can say,” she tells me with a little chuckle, taking a sip of Orangina. I want her to follow that up with “or I’ll have to kill you,” but that’s too Hollywood. Plus, I don’t want to offend a woman who spent decades clandestinely planning missions to protect our country — which left her with bouts of PTSD and a neurological disorder. We’re at a French bistro in suburban D.C. far from where she was born, in Alaska, but close to where she spent her career after growing up “on the wrong side of the tracks” in Massachusetts, near Lexington and Concord.”

“Katsu, 59, knows evil. In the 1990s, she ran “complex contingency operations” to stomp out mass atrocities around the globe. She’s used that knowledge to launch her second career as a popular horror writer.”

“I don’t think the book is super frightening,” says Katsu of her latest, The Hunger, which was named one of the best horror novels of 2018 by NPR, The New York Times and others, and earned front-cover kudos from Stephen King, the American icon of horror and suspense.”

“The Horror Writers Association defines horror not as a genre but as a feeling of dread and terror. And The Hunger, historical fiction based on the 1846 expedition known as the Donner Party, is just that. Katsu twists an overlay of the supernatural into the true-story tale of cannibalism. She says her book asks: “Under what circumstances could you be turned into a monster?”

“It’s not the monsters that are scary in this book; it’s the evil in man,” says her editor, Sally Kim of Putnam. “When I first signed up the book … I loved the idea of it and her writing,” says Kim, who is also Katsu’s editor on The Deep, historical horror fiction based on the Titanic out in March 2020.”

To learn more about this author visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE 
https://www.almakatsubooks.com 

GOODREADS 

WIKIPEDIA 

FACEBOOK   

TWITTER   

INSTAGRAM 

ALMA KATSU’S DAMNED HISTORY PODCAST

PINTEREST 

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One of Only 500 Special Edition copies of Alma Katsu’s THE HUNGER can now be pre-ordered

Link to special edition of THE HUNGER

SPECIAL EDITION DETAILS:   

* Signed Limited Hardcover Edition:
* Limited to only 500 signed and hand-numbered copies
* Personally signed by Alma Katsu on a specially designed full-colour illustrated signature page
* Larger 6.14” x 9.21” trim size
* Printed on a heavier 100gsm acid-free paper
*Bound in premium cloth with coloured head and tail bands
* Hot foil stamping on the front boards and spine
* Offset printed and bound with full-colour endpapers
* Sewn binding for increased durability
* Stunning dust jacket artwork and interior illustrations by Francois Vaillancourt 

https://sstpublications.co.uk/the-hunger.html

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Watch the video of the event HERE.

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/alma-katsu-in

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Contact Alma Katsu:

Publicity:
Please contact Katie Grinch
Tel: 212-366-2574 | kgrinch@penguinrandomhouse.com

Literary Management:
Please contact Richard Pine
Tel: 212-922-3500 | Inkwell Management

Film Rights
Please contact Angela Cheng Caplan
(Sera)Tel: 310-391-8898 | assistant@chengcaplanco.com

Book Clubs
Alma loves talking to book clubs via Skype!
Email her at almakatsubooks2@gmail.com

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CITIES OF THE DEAD – The World’s Most Beautiful Cemeteries by YOLANDA ZAPPATERRA is due for Release on September 26th – Check out some of the amazing photographs HERE

Title: CITIES OF THE DEAD

Subtitle: The World’s Most Beautiful Cemeteries 

Author: YOLANDA ZAPPATERRA

Release Date: SEPTEMBER 26, 2022

Genre: NON-FICTION, PHOTOGRAPHY, CEMETERIES, HISTORY, TRAVEL

Number Of Pages: 240

Received From: NETGALLEY

ISBN: 978-0-711265783 

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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DESCRIPTION:

Discover the fascinating stories of the world’s most beautiful cemeteries, featuring spectacular photography, unique histories and famous residents.

Cities of the Dead takes us on a tour of memorial sites, ranging from monastic settlements to grand cathedrals, Shinto shrines to Gothic chapels, tombs and crypts. Enjoy tales of myths and monsters, grave-robbers, pilgrimages, spiritual retreats, remembrance and community. Marvel in cemeteries with a hundred thousand to a handful of graves which feature famous headstones, weeping angels, ocean views, woodlands, thousands of glowing lanterns and a tomb of poets.

From London’s famous Highgate Cemetery, which houses famous names from Karl Marx to Malcolm McLaren, George Eliot to Christina Rosetti, to Hawaii’s breathtaking Valley of the Temples, this book spans the globe to bring you the most fascinating, intriguing and evocative cemeteries across cultures and continents.

Together with evocative images, the stories behind these notable burial sites bring these sanctuaries to life, detailing the features that make them special, highlighting both similarities and differences between time periods, religions and cultures, and showing how cemeteries are about and for the living as much as the dead.

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MY REVIEW:

This stunningly gorgeous book is now available and I can’t wait to receive a hardcopy of it. I received an advance ebook of CITIES OF THE DEAD to read and review. The result? Well, I have now added many of the graveyards shown in this book to my Bucket List of places I want to visit before I join the Cities of the Dead permanently.

The photographs are beautiful and perfectly described so that readers cannot fail to see the radiance and magnificence of the various monuments to the dead.

CITIES OF THE DEAD: The World’s Most Beautiful Cemeteries by YOLANDA ZAPPATERRA illustrates the fact that beauty and even tranquility can be found in the most unexpected of places.

Readers of this book will quickly realize that burial monuments exist for the living as much, if not more than as a way to honor the dead.

One of the things that struck me were the similarities between cemeteries all over the world, a fact that demonstrates that people everywhere have much more in common with residents of other countries than they might have originally thought. 

This magnificent book deserves a rating of 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Although the digital version of this book is lovely, I highly recommend pre-ordering it’s print version. I have already pre-ordered my copy and I am excited to be able to hold this exquisite book in my hands.

*** Thank you to #NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book. ***

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PREVIEW AVAILABLE BY CLICKING HERE

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

To learn about this author visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE 
http://t.co/PYzHFoxT

GOODREADS
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/685575.Yolanda_Zappaterra

TRAVEL WEEKLY
http://travelweekly.co.uk/articles/author/216  

LINKEDIN
https://www.linkedin.com/in/yolanda-zappaterra-41082027

TWITTER 
https://mobile.twitter.com/yzappaterra

QUARTO KNOWS
https://www2.quartoknows.com/authors/2867/Yolanda-Zappaterra

THE INDEPENDENT
https://www.independent.co.uk/author/yolanda-zappaterra

INSTAGRAM 
https://www.instagram.com/yolzappa

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ABOUT THE PUBLISHER:

The Leading Global Illustrated Book Publisher

The Quarto Group creates a wide variety of books and intellectual property products, with a mission to inspire life’s experiences. Produced in many formats for adults, children, and the whole family, our products are visually appealing, information rich, and stimulating.

The Group encompasses a diverse portfolio of imprints and businesses that are creatively independent and expert in developing long-lasting content across specific niches of interest.

Quarto sells and distributes its products globally in over 50 countries and 40 languages, through a variety of sales channels, partnerships, and routes to market.

Quarto employs c. 300 talented people in the US and the UK. The Group was founded in London in 1976. It is domiciled in the US and listed on the London Stock Exchange (QRT).

To learn more about this Publisher visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE 
http://www.quartoknows.com/

FACEBOOK 
https://www.facebook.com/QuartoKnows

TWITTER 
https://twitter.com/quartoknows

YOUTUBE
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg6_9Q3TbEXRPspas_bqPHw

INSTAGRAM   
https://www.instagram.com/quarto.knows

PINTEREST
https://www.pinterest.com/quartoknows

TIK TOK
https://www.tiktok.com/@quartobooks  

INSTAGRAM  – UK
https://www.instagram.com/quartobooksuk

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YOU STILL LOOK THE SAME by Multiple Award Winning Canadian Author FARZANA DOCTOR and Narrated by the Incomparable ULKA SIMONE MOHANTY has Finally Been Released – Sample Included With This Post

Title: YOU STILL LOOK THE SAME (Audiobook)

Title: YOU STILL LOOK THE SAME (Audiobook)

Author: FARZANA DOCTOR

Narrators: FARZANA DOCTOR and ULKA SIMONE MOHANTY

Release Date: MAY 1, 2022

Genre: POETRY, DIVERSE BOOKS, MULTICULTURAL INTEREST, CANADIAN

Length: 1 Hour and 21 Minutes

Publisher: ECW PRESS

Received From: THE AUTHOR 

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Today is pub day for my #poetry book! Available in #audiobook + #ebook WORLDWIDE and in #paperback in Canada/UK/US.

Here’s an audiobook sample read by @ulkaM.

Big love to @ecwpress for audio production + to @kelseyattard @fhbooks for publishing the e-book/paper versions. 💗
⁠ pic.twitter.com/gHwhAzHQhU

— Farzana Doctor 📖🔥 (she/her) (@farzanadoctor) May 1, 2022

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DESCRIPTION:

A moving collection of poetry about navigating mid-life, full of humour and wit, from acclaimed novelist Farzana Doctor.

This debut poetry collection from acclaimed novelist Farzana Doctor is both an intimate deep dive and a humorous glance at the tumultuous decade of her forties.

Through crisp and vivid language, Doctor explores mid-life breakups and dating, female genital cutting, imprints of racism and misogyny, and the oddness of sex and love, and urges us to take a second look at the ways in which human relationships are never what we expect them to be.

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MY REVIEW:

FARZANA DOCTOR is a Canadian author and now poet who has won many, many literary awards. Each one was well deserved. 

I admit I am not usually a big fan of poetry. I find much of it to be pretentious, sometimes even condescending to the reader. Thus is 100% NOT the case with “You Still Look The Same.”  In fact I enjoyed listening to Farzana’s debut poetry collection immensely. 

I love the fact that Farzana chose to narrate part of her collection and choosing Ulka Simone Mohantyto narrate the rest of the poems was the perfect choice. Both narrators were easy to understand, as well as speaking clearly and concisely. This allowed the words of the poems to be the listener’s focus … as it should be.

Each haiku and other poems showcased the author’s talent for description. I believe this is because Farzana Doctor wrote fiction books first, before trying her hand at poetry.

In my opinion, one of Farzana’s greatest gifts is her ability to connect with her audience. I found this to be true with her novels, and it is even more evident in her poetry.

It is my belief that audiobook listeners, especially women, will find that Farzana’s experiences will resonate with them.

I was already a fan of Farzana Doctor’s books. With YOU STILL LOOK THE SAME I am now an even bigger fan.

If you have not yet read any of her work, you are doing yourself a disservice. I suggest you run, not walk, to your nearest Indie bookstore to pick up your copy of this collection. While you are there, do yourself a favor and pick up copies of her other books as well. You just might find that you have a new favourite author. 

I rate “You Still Look The Same” as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 

*** Thank you to #FarzanaDoctor for choosing me as one of the winners of this audiobook through a #giveaway on her Instagram account. ***

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To read my review of Farzana’s book ALL INCLUSIVE. Click HERE.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

FARZANA DOCTOR was the WINNER of the NOW Magazine Best Author of 2015.

Farzana Doctor is the author of Stealing Nasreen and Six Metres of Pavement, which won the 2012 Lambda Literary Award and was short-listed for the Toronto Book Award.Farzana is one of CBC Books’ Ten Canadian Women Writers You Need to Read Now and the recipient of the Writers’ Trust of Canada’s Dayne Ogilvie Grant.

To learn more about this author visit the links below:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

GOODREADS

FACEBOOK 

TWITTER 

INSTAGRAM 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Farzana Doctor (@farzanadoctor)

LIBRO FM

AUDIBLE CANADA

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https://player.vimeo.com/video/675983527?h=96df725851

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ABOUT THE NARRATOR:

Photographer: Teren Oddo

Ulka Simone Mohanty is an actor, voice actor, dancer, choreographer and occasional professional chef.

This multi-hyphenated artist is known for her voice work on Pixar‘s Oscar and Golden Globe winner Soul, Warner Bros’ Jellystone and NBC Universal‘s Nina’s World; her film and TV work on FOX‘s The Moodys, and a supporting role in the sci-fi movie, Needle in a Timestack; and her choreography work on Disney‘s Rivers of Light,  The Jungle Book: Alive With Magic, and Disney-Pixar collaboration  Up! A Great Bird Adventure.

She has also appeared as a chef on The Food Network‘s Cutthroat Kitchen and has voiced numerous video games and audiobooks.

To learn more about this author visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE
https://ulkamohanty.com

GOODREADS

TWITTER 

INSTAGRAM  

IMDb

VIMEO

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL
ARTICLE AND INTERVIEW

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Tweets by ecwpress

THE TEACHING – A Thriller Based on the Author’s True Life Experience of Living In A Cult by T.O. PAINE is Coming Soon

Title: THE TEACHING

Author: T.O. PAINE

Genre: FICTION, MYSTERIES AND THRILLERS, BASED ON THE AUTHOR’S EXPERIENCE OF LIVING IN A CULT

Length: 381 PAGES

Publisher: DARK SWALLOW BOOKS

Received From: NETGALLEY

Release Date: MARCH 3rd, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-9992183-2-7 (PAPERBACK)
ISBN: 978-0-9992183-3-4 (HARDCOVER)
ISBN: 978-0-9992183-4-1 (EBOOK)

Rating: 4 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐

DESCRIPTION:

Based on the author’s true-life experience living in a cult . . .

Raine Harkins believes everything the Teaching tells her—forgiveness is freedom, there are no dead, and there is no dying. She has lived her entire life in the Haven, a small religious community buried in the hills of northern Nevada, and it’s been a good life.

But when she discovers a frightened teenage girl hiding in the forest, everything changes. Raine offers to help the girl, but gunshots ring out, and the girl runs away, never to be seen again. A week later, Raine finds a letter pinned to her cabin door—God doesn’t want you here. Leave the Haven now, before he runs you down.

Raine can’t bear the thought of leaving the only life she’s ever known, but the threatening letters keep coming, and her search for the missing girl leads her down a twisted path, unraveling the truth behind the Teaching. It’s not a good life—there are dead, and people do die.

MY REVIEW:

Debut author T.O. Paine did exactly what authors are supposed to do: he wrote about what he knows. Since he has lived in a cult, he was able to create a community that is believable and is populated by inhabitants that are so realistic that I had to wonder if they were based on people he had known in his past.

If readers are approaching this story hoping to discover that all the people in Haven are evil, they will be disappointed. However, this is exactly what makes this book all the more believable; it’s acknowledgement that not everything in life is easily classified into simple categories.

The mystery that is the main plot will keep readers guessing and has multiple twists and turns. There are also several other sub-plots that the author seamlessly weaves together which will intrigue readers just as much as the main plot does.

There are five novels planned, of which THE TEACHING is only the first. I have added myself to the Author’s mailing list and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

I rate THE TEACHING as 4 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book can be pre-ordered now and the official release date is set for March 3rd of 2022.

*** Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book. ***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

T.O. Paine is a suspense novelist whose authentic characters triumph over extreme situations in challenging, true-to-life settings. He enjoys delving into the emotional consequences of his character’s choices and taking his readers along for the ride. Though his novels are contemporary, things always get out of control. Cults are real, anger is a disorder, and everyone loses when a friendly competition becomes an obsession.

His first of five novels, THE TEACHING, is set for publication Spring of 2022.

T.O. holds a master’s degree in information systems, and when he is not writing, you can find him running or cycling through the mountains of Colorado, USA. He has run over thirty marathons, ridden over twenty 100-mile cycling events, and completed an IRONMAN.

T.O. resides with his wife, two children, and a Boston terrier who stares at himself in the mirror, questioning his existence.

To learn more about this author, visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

GOODREADS

FACEBOOK   

TWITTER

AMAZON

APPLE BOOKS

BARNES AND NOBLE

SLEWFOOT Audiobook by BROM – One of the Best Historical Horror Books I Have Ever Had the Pleasure of Reading – Creepy and Terrifying, SLEWFOOT will stay with you forever. 5+ Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Title: SLEWFOOT

Author:  BROM

Narrator: BARRIE KREINIK

Genre: FICTION, HISTORICAL FICTION, HORROR

Length: 14 HOURS and 15 MINUTES

Publisher: TOR NIGHTFIRE / MACMILLAN AUDIO

Type of Book: AUDIOBOOK

Received From: NETGALLEY

Release Date: SEPTEMBER 14, 2021

Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

DESCRIPTION:

Connecticut, 1666.

An ancient spirit awakens in a dark wood. The wildfolk call him Father, slayer, protector.

The colonists call him Slewfoot, demon, devil.

To Abitha, a recently widowed outcast, alone and vulnerable in her pious village, he is the only one she can turn to for help.

Together, they ignite a battle between pagan and Puritan – one that threatens to destroy the entire village, leaving nothing but ashes and bloodshed in their wake.

“If it is a devil you seek, then it is a devil you shall have!”

A Macmillan Audio production from TOR NIGHTFIRE

MY REVIEW:

World building at its finest. Characters so fully developed that it is impossible to not be invested in their lives. A build up in intensity that quite literally will have readers on the edge of their seats.

I was lucky to receive an ARC (Advance Review Copy) of the SLEWFOOT Audiobook from the Publisher through NetGalley. I am thrilled to say  listening to the story enhanced my experience.

Until I looked her up (yes, Barrie is female) after listening to her fabulous voice for hours on end, I had no idea that she wasn’t British by birth. Her website mentions her proficiency with accents, but actually hearing her performance, I realized she is not merely proficient, she sounds 100% as if she is a native Brit. Barrie is a masterful voice actor with an exquisite sense of timing. The way her voice rises and falls during particularly suspensful moments had me hooked. I will 100% be looking for more audiobooks featuring the skills of Barrie Kreinik in the future.

As for the story itself, the following offers a clue as to what I thought of SLEWFOOT…

From this day forward I will always think of Brom when anyone mentions historical horror fiction with fantasy elements. In fact, I don’t believe that any other author alive today even comes close to his skill level.

Because I do not want to give away any spoilers, I am not going to discuss the plot any further. Suffice it to say that this book is not just a story, it is an experience.

I rate SLEWFOOT as 5+ OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to the Publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this spectacular audiobook.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

BROM

Born in the deep dark south in the mid-sixties. Brom, an army brat, spent his entire youth on the move and unabashedly blames living in such places as Japan, Hawaii, Germany, and Alabama for all his afflictions. From his earliest memories Brom has been obsessed with the creation of the weird, the monstrous, and the beautiful.

THE ART OF BROM – HARDCOVER

At age twenty, Brom began working full-time as a commercial illustrator in Atlanta, Georgia. Three years later he entered the field of fantastic art he’d loved his whole life, making his mark developing and illustrating for TSR’s best selling role-playing worlds.

He has since gone on to lend his distinctive vision to all facets of the creative industries, from novels and games, to comics and film. Most recently he’s created a series of award winning horror novels that he both writes and illustrates: “The Plucker”, an adult children’s book, “The Devil’s Rose”, a modern western set in Hell, “The Child Thief”, a gritty, nightmarish retelling of the Peter Pan myth, “Krampus, the Yule Lord“, a tale of revenge between Krampus and Santa set in rural West Virginia, and his latest concoction, “Lost Gods” one man’s determined trek through the brutal landscape of purgatory, “Slewfoot” a historical horror novel of witchery and vengeance, set in colonial America.

Brom is currently kept in a dank cellar somewhere in the drizzly Northwest. There he subsists on poison spiders, centipedes, and bad kung-fu flicks. When not eating bugs, he is ever writing, painting, and trying to reach a happy sing-a-long with the many demons dancing about in his head.

To learn more about this author, visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE
https://www.bromart.com/

AUDIBLE

GOODREADS

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM

TWITTER   

AMAZON  

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ABOUT THE NARRATOR:
[headshots by David Perlman]

Barrie Kreinik is an award-winning audiobook narrator with titles produced by

Macmillan, Hachette, Penguin Random House, Harper, Podium, Tantor, Audible, and AudioGO.

She specializes in accents and dialects, particularly those of the British Isles. And she does it perfectly.

To learn more about this Narrator, visit the following links:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE
https://www.barriekreinik.com/

AUDIBLE

GOODREADS

FACEBOOK

INSTAGRAM  

BLOG

AMAZON  

PUBLISHER’S WEBSITE

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