Clarissa's Warning by Isobel Blackthorn - Book Review

Book: Clarissa's Warning

Author: Isobel Blackthorn

Publisher: Creativia

Publishing date: 30 November 2018

Clarissa's Warning by Isobel Blackthorn is a brilliant novel set on the Spanish Canary Island of Fuerteventura! Simply WOW!

The book begins with a strong opening both in terms of story and tone. The idea of the warning is delivered in the first chapter, keeping the reader on edge throughout the book.

Clarissa's Warning is narrated in the first person perspective of Claire Bennet, who often talks about herself in the third person in a humorous way. Claire is a British bank teller, who has won a lottery making her a millionaire. Now she's bent on buying and renovating a ruin on the island of Fuerteventura, which is the second largest of the Canary Islands.

"The stubborn Senor Cejas had not come across the likes of Claire Bennet, a woman fixated on a dream, a woman prepared to offer fat in excess of the already overly inflated amount offered by the government."

This is not my first read for Isobel Blackthorn, whose prose continues to inspire and captivate. In 2017, I read and reviewed The Drago Tree and conducted an exclusive interview with Blackthorn.

"Despite the wind, there were pockets of stillness and the ruin exuded a timeless quality. Embedded in its dilapidated stated remained faint echoes of its history, overlaid with sorrow, as though the very stones and ancient timbers mourned their former selves, when they were united as one, strong and proud and true."

One of the things I liked about Clarissa's Warning was how Blackthorn kept the reader and the protagonist, Claire, guessing if there is a paranormal element at play. We learn from the beginning that Claire's aunt Clarissa believes in astrology, the signs, and ghosts but are unsure if there is something paranormal about the ruin Claire acquires.

"I am not sure how to tell you this, but I thought I'd better warn you. I wish you'd told me before you went ahead and bought the place…You have Moon and Saturn both in the twelfth house, the house of sorrows."

As the book progresses, Claire meets a photographer who is interested in the ruin she is renovating and obsessed by late travel writer Olivia Stone. The photographer, Paco, is convinced that Olivia Stone had once lived in Claire's ruin and that if the ruin housed a ghost, it would be Stone's.

"The workmen believed the house was cursed and a curse could mean only one thing – something terrible and tragic had happened there. Maybe Olivia Stone died there and her ghost was trapped for some reason.

On Fuerteventura, Claire is literally alone. She tries to make friends but isn't always successful considering how people look at her, the British millionaire who acquired a possibly haunted ruin on their island. Bit by bit, she comes to rely on Paco and gets close to him.

One thing that struck me about Clarissa's Warning was the pace. I can't decide if it was quick or slow. It includes Claire's day-to-day activities and some days it's uneventful but still the pace was quick in a way. I can't decide but I enjoyed it – the book and the pace. :D

"Aunt Clarissa said the spirits of the dead became trapped on the earthly plane due to their intense emotions."

As Claire moves into her half rebuilt home and begins to settle in, thoughts and memories of her mother, who had died in a tragic accident when she was a child, begin to resurface. Blackthorn sprinkles Claire's tragedy bit by bit in the book, but the scene with the actual accident brought tears to my eyes.

Character development is kind of different in Clarissa's Warning because Claire doesn't exactly mature, she's already sane and makes good decisions. But rather, she opens herself to possibilities she had never thought possible, like the paranormal. This allows her to take control of her house and her life.

Overall, I enjoyed the language, imagery, word choice, visual, and emotions I've found in Clarissa's Warning. I know that they say not to judge a book by its cover but having read Isobel Blackthorn before and with the cover as a bonus, I had a feeling this would be a great book. And I was right!

Overall rating: 5 stars

Note: I received a free copy of Clarissa's Warning from its author Isobel Blackthorn in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my review in any way.

Update: Clarissa's Warning by Isobel Blackthorn has made it to Nadaness In Motion's Top Books of 2019!

Cleopatra's Spring by Nada Adel Sobhi - Poem

I see you

Travelling from the shores

Of the mighty Mediterranean

To a lonely oasis

In the heart

Of a thousand palm trees

I see you

Shrugging off your sandals,

The weight of the world

For a warm water dive

Your little spring

Where you let go,

Breathe

And heal

Where the water washes it all away

And you let it

Over

And over

With every dive

And every plunge

Cleopatra's Spring. Image via Let's Explore Siwa Group on Facebook

You paint your skin

And traverse the land

Like a queen

And you are a Queen

Close your eyes, Cleopatra

And let the water drench you

Let the world and its wars

Drop to the bottom

Inhale

And open your eyes

See with a new vision

A clear sight

Close your eyes, Cleopatra

Then open them

And decide…

By: Nada Adel Sobhi

This poem was written while on a trip to the Siwa Oasis in Egypt. Amazing place. A desert but full of beauty and natural scenery and simplicity.

Image taken from Facebook group Let's Explore Siwa, which is moderated by Siwa resident Yahya Moussa, who was also part of my tour.

Cleopatra's Spring via Trip Advisor

Exclusive Interview with Author-Poet Sophie Schiller

Today I'm featuring an author and poet whose poems just spoke to me. Meet Sophia Schiller, whose poetry collection On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles I read and reviewed recently and gave a 5-star review.

The interview and review were originally planned to published in April 2019 for National Poetry Month, but due to some setbacks from my end, both were delayed.

About Sophie Schiller

Sophie Schiller was born in Paterson, NJ and grew up in the West Indies. She is a novelist and a poet. Kirkus Reviews has called her "an accomplished thriller and historical adventure writer." Publishers Weekly called her Island on Fire, “a memorable romantic thriller,” her Race to Tibet, "A thrilling yarn," and her Transfer Day, “a page-turner with emotional resonance."

On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles is her first collection of poetry. She graduated from American University, Washington, DC and lives in Brooklyn, NY. She is presently working on a novel about a Founding Father. 

Connect with Sophie Schiller via Facebook, Twitter, and her blog.

On to Nadaness In Motion's exclusive interview with Sophie Schiller!

Q: Did you do anything special for National Poetry Month?

Sophie Schiller: I conducted a giveaway on my Facebook page for 5 free copies of my poetry book. I’ve been posting my poems online to get people to take a few minutes of their day to look at the world a little differently, through the lens of poetic verse. Almost any topic can become more salient through the use of poetry. Poetry allows us to discover more about ourselves.

Q: Your poetry collection On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles was inspired by the Caribbean, what other countries have inspired your writing?

Sophie Schiller: No other countries, but other poets have inspired my writing, such as Emily Dickinson, Derek Walcott, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Rudyard Kipling, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats. Their poetry inspired quite a few poems in my collection, such as “I Found a Danish Skilling” which was inspired by “I had a Guinea Golden” by Emily Dickinson, and “Annaberg” was inspired by “To Helen” by Edgar Allan Poe, and “A Song to Hugo Larsen” was inspired by “Ode to Salvador Dalí” by Federico García Lorca.

Q: Where else do you plan to travel in search of other adventures and inspiration?

Sophie Schiller: I think the West Indies is the place where my soul is most at home, and where my creativity comes alive. I would love to see St. Vincent, Nevis, and St. Lucia, not necessarily in that order.

Read Nadaness In Motion's 5-star book review of On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles by Sophia Schiller.

Q: I noticed that your poetry mostly rhymes, do you have difficulty with rhyme while not making it sound forced? Have you tried writing in free verse?

Sophie Schiller: During the course of my writing I have found that for every problem (in rhyming) there is a solution. If you work on a poem for a long time and it’s not working, in other words, it if sounds too forced, it probably means you have to approach it from a different angle. The solution will come to you eventually. Sometimes you have to put the poem away for a few weeks or a few months and approach it from a fresh perspective. I have never tried writing in free verse. I would have to take a course in it to really understand the technique and the artistic elements of it.

Q: I see you have several books of historical fiction. Are you a history teacher?

Sophie Schiller: No, I discovered late that I love history and stories set in the past, so all my novels are historical. There’s so much to discover!

Q: What are you currently working on? And what books are set to be released in 2019?

Sophie Schiller: Currently I’m working on a novel about Alexander Hamilton’s boyhood in the Caribbean. The novel should be released in 2020. The only book I released in 2019 was my poetry book and it has turned into one of the most fulfilling projects I have ever worked on.

Q: If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring writers, what would it be?

Sophie Schiller: Never give up. Nothing good ever came without some sacrifice.


Check out more exclusive author interviews on the Nadaness In Motion book blog.

On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles by Sophie Schiller – Book Review

Book: On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles

Author: Sophie Schiller

Number of pages: 76

Publication date: 31 January 2019

ISBN13: 9781794456693

This review was originally meant to be published in April for National Poetry Month 2019 but better late than never. Today, I'm reviewing a poetry collection titled On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles by Sophie Schiller. The collection features poems inspired by Schiller's visit to the Caribbean.

Comprising 30 poems, On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles is a collection of mostly rhymed and absolutely picturesque verse. The poems paint pictures or tell the history of some of the Caribbean's historical figures.

Each poem is followed by a colourful illustration by Skaidra Zayas

One of the most beautiful pieces in the collection is "There Is a Wise Man in the Sea" with the "wise man" being a surprise.

He was at least three feet in length

With flippers that showed that greatest strength

This mast of his aquatic domain

Taught me that "Nature does nothing in vain."

Another picturesque piece is "I Found a Danish Skilling" which tells the story of a Danish ship buried in the sand since 1767. The image it paints is beautiful and each time I read it, takes my mind to an image of ship buried in the sea with divers surrounding it and marveling at it.

In her poems, Schiller uses her surroundings including lizards, birds, and flowers, for inspiration. Her poem "The Oyster" and "I Dive Beneath the Ocean's Waves" are examples of that and must-reads.

As I said, Schiller dedicates several pieces to historical figures in On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles including "The Land of Alexander Hamilton," "The Legend of Kong Juni," and "Queen Coziah."

"In 1733, as the legend goes

In St. John of the Caribbees

Arose a slave both brave and both

Whose name was Kong Juni

This African, a warrior chief

With each whipping he endured

Decided he would never rest

'Til his liberty he had secured."

Some poems are also dedicated to historical places like "Annaberg" and "Charlotte Amalie."

Schiller concludes her poetry collection with notes on some of the poem's topics and historical figures like Kong Juni and Queen Coziah added to Danish impressionist painter Hugo Larsen, who had lived in the Danish West Indies and painted between 1904 and 1907.

It is rare that one falls in love with an entire collection. There were may be one or two poems that weren't "amazing" for me but the collection On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles is definitely one of the best I've read. It's a must-read picturesque selection of poems. I hope Schiller visits more places and writes about them.

Overall rating for On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles by Sophie Schiller: 5 stars.

Note: I received a free copy of On a Moonlit Night in the Antilles from its author Sophie Schiller in exchange for an honest review.

Update: Check out Nadaness In Motion's exclusive interview with Sophie Schiller, where we talk more about her debut poetry collection, finding inspiration in travel, and more.

Connect with Sophie Schiller via Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

An Early Wake by Sheila Connolly - Book Review

An Early Wake by Sheila Connolly is the third book in the County Cork Mystery series. I was surprised to discover that it was the third book (didn't realise it when I bought it) because it reads like the first. Connolly gives great background so you don't feel like you've never met the characters before.

The novel is set in Leap, a small town in Cork Country, Ireland. Maura Donovan has inherited a pub from her grandmother. This was six months ago, but Maura still has a lot to learn. She interacts well with her part-time employees, even those that had been hoping for a share in the business but didn't get it.

One day a musician who had been famous a few decades back enters the pub and talk ignites of a musical reunion. Business kicks is better than the whole tourist season on the day of the music event, but the following morning Maura opens the pub to find a dead body.

One of the things I liked in An Early Wake was the use of Irish pronunciation and occasional Old Irish words, stuff like good morning and good luck. Some of those weren't translated, which was a bit hard to understand, but can easily be skipped. Irish pronunciation gives a strong feel for the novel. It had me practicing speaking like the characters a bit (don't try it out loud in public, you'll look weird).

"We've set the bird to flight and the ball to rolling and the clock to ticking. It'll be a day like no other since yer arrival."

On the flipside, I found Maura's character as difficult to believe. She repeatedly mentions that she's around 25 years old but surprisingly doesn't act like it. She doesn't have a mobile phone that takes images and is entirely unfamiliar with such technology. Throughout the book, I often felt that she was over 50 not just 25, even when she compares her age to the slightly younger police officer Sean Murphy, making him look like a kid, while she deems herself more mature as if she were his mother.

It took a long while for the death and mystery to take place, a little over 100 pages in fact. The bit at the beginning isn't boring but I picked An Early Wake for the mystery not just the background information, so I was disappointed that the "mystery" was delayed.

The characters are down to earth and likeable. They are a close community that Maura is surprised to discover she's become part of. A family she's never had. One of the things I liked was the touch of romance but that comes towards the end. I'd love to learn what happens in that area.

The mystery could use more suspects and more action. The setting, characters, background are great, but the mystery, which should be the focus of the novel, isn't. I felt it was kind of stuck in the novel.

The dialogue was shabby and often didn't reveal much. There was a TONNE of repetition, with Maura having to repeat conversations to various characters. This could have been skipped or just mentioned as "Maura repeated what Sean had told her to Mick and Jimmy" or "Maura described the situation to Mick but decided to keep the...information to herself." This over-repetition bothered me (so I'm docking 1 star because of it). Imagery was minimal, if any.

The way the music event takes off is repeated so many times in almost the same way, it was over the top annoying. Sadly this book isn't an e-book, otherwise I would have pointed out the number of time that was repeated.

An Early Wake does contain a lot of history and background on Irish music, which I found interesting. Maura has no idea about it and neither did I. But I liked seeing a few band names I recognised and had no idea were Irish.

Overall, I think An Early Wake could have been a lot stronger and more memorable. I liked the characters and the way they take care of each other, and the romance bits.

Overall rating for An Early Wake by Sheila Connelly: 2.5-3 stars. It needs more work.

Takhayyal Writing Prompt 86: Raging Sea

Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; Welcome EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's monthly picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal/Imagine.

I was a bit stumped with what to post for June, the first month of summer for a lot of schools here, although I must note that sweltering heat has already started here (Egypt). We had a couple of 40-Celsius weeks already and they call it spring!

Anyways, this is an image I took last year of the Mediterranean Sea towards the end of the season. The sea had gnawed at the rocks and it was impossible to swim at this point.

I hope you find inspiration in this sea as it has inspired me year after year.

 

North Coast, Egypt, KM 87. Photography by Nada Adel Sobhi/Nadaness In Motion

Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a challenge for writers of all ages and genres; a place to spark creativity and explore new genres.

Your post can be in English or Arabic, prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction; you name it and write it.

General rules:

·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.

·        Leave the link to your post in comments below OR post your piece as REPLY to this post

·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture

·        Multiple entries allowed

·        It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.

·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets!

Let's IMAGINE!

Around the World in 80 Tales by Dave Tomlinson – Book Review

Book Summary

80 Stories, 25 Countries, 5 Continents, One Heck of a Ride! A journey of captivating true travel stories from that will inspire, amuse and amaze. This fascinating kaleidoscope of people, places, food and culture brings to life the colourful experiences of travelling the world on a budget!

Book Review by Nadaness In Motion

Around the World in 80 Tales by Dave Tomlinson is a contemporary journey across several continents and countries. Tomlinson says he's been to five continents and almost 60 countries, and in his book, he tells the reader about his adventures.

The book is an excellent example of travel literature. Tomlinson makes sure that the reader does tire of any of his stories by ensuring that none of his tales exceeds 500 words.

I must say the opening was a little rough for me though. The first tale in the book annoyed me because of the author’s negative comment on something religious. Awakened by a resounding Islamic prayer, the author's description of “the rudest wake-up call imaginable” irritated me. Still, I had never considered how others might view the prayer calls, so I let it slide while bearing in mind that some places might have it higher than others, especially the dawn prayer, when everything is very calm and there isn’t the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

After that first bit, the book moved smoothly and was quite exciting in certain places. Among my favourites were the stories on the Cambodian and Indian temples.

"My first experience on the Indian railway wasn't just a train journey, it was an endurance test."

Tomlinson has a thing for hiking – in fact you might get a little tired just reading about all the hiking he does. But there are other times when he recommends certain beaches, how to get there and informs the reader what each country, region or place is popular for.

One of the things I liked about Around the World in 80 Tales was the way Tomlinson gives recommendations and sometimes warnings, particularly about dangerous roads, hikes or simply areas popular with pickpockets. He also makes a lot of notes on what to do if you're travelling on a budget.

"There is something about clinging to a rope on a steep granite slope in bone-chilling wind that almost makes you question your sanity a little. The mountain is unforgiving and if you don't rise to its challenge it will defeat you." From “Climbing Mount Kinabalu in Malaysia”

In Around the World in 80 Tales, Tomlinson provides a photograph after each tale, commemorating the event or the adventure. Almost all images are his own with the exception of two or three.

The Camel safari in India’s Thar Desert is definitely one of the funniest stories in the book. Tomlinson is honest, often sarcastic and definitely lands himself in a few dilemmas and funny situations.

"In the first hotel the staff looked at me like I'd just crawled out of a swamp. I wouldn't have boarded my dog at the second one. Another didn't have any vacancy followed by one where nobody seemed to know English." – From "Trouble in the capital city of Sri Lanka"

I also liked that Tomlinson isn’t merely promoting certain places in Around the World in 80 Tales, but is rather giving his honest opinions and experiences.

At the beginning, Tomlinson says that he separated the tales so that they are not all grouped by country. Having finished the book, I felt that I would have preferred reading the tales of each country separately instead of jumping from Australia to Morocco to India then back to Australia or going to Ecuador then jumping around a bit then back to Ecuador 10 tales later. However, that is just a personal preference.

Around the World in 80 Tales is a quick and light read. You don’t need to read the stories in order. The book serves as a small guide to places worth visiting – or worth skipping – depending on your taste and preferences.

Overall, I’ve found Around the World in 80 Tales by Dave Tomlinson to be exciting, interesting and most importantly informative. I highly recommend it.

(There are a few stories that contain adult content due to the nature of certain temples and you can tell those from the names given to them, but otherwise the book can be read by all ages).

There are places in the book that I would never have considered but now might put them on my list, while I’m satisfied to merely learn about others or know they are not for me.

 

Overall rating: 4 stars

Note: I received a free copy of Around the World in 80 Tales from the author, Dave Tomlinson, in exchange for an honest review. 

Purchase links for Around the World in 80 Tales by Dave Tomlinson: Amazon Kindle, Step Ahead Travel. 

Connect with Dave via Facebook and Twitter.