#bookreview — Public Fediverse posts

Book Review: Sandcastle by Pierre Oscar Lévy (translated into English by Nora Mahony) and Frederik Peeters

#ReaderCommunity #ReadingCommunity #BookCommunity #Reading #Books #BookReview #Review #GraphicNovel #ComicBook #Sandcastle

http://georgelthomas.com/2026/11/06/book-review-sandcastle-by-pierre-oscar-levy-translated-into-english-by-nora-mahony-and-frederik-peeters/

Book Review: Sandcastle by Pierre Oscar Lévy (translated into English by Nora Mahony) and Frederik Peeters

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today is Friday, and it’s time for another review! Today, I’m sharing my review of Sandcastle by Pierre Oscar Lévy (translated into English by Nora Mahony) and Frederik Peeters.

Sandcastle was published in 2011 by Atrabile (French version) and in 2013 by SelfMadeHero (English version) and is 112 pages long.

The Plot
Sandcastle begins with a simple premise: a group of strangers arrive at a secluded beach. Within a short time, they begin to realise that something impossible is happening.

Time is accelerating.

Children age into adults within hours. Adults grow old before the day is finished. Attempts to leave the beach fail mysteriously, and communication with the outside world proves impossible. Trapped together in this strange pocket of distorted time, the group must confront a terrifying reality: they may live out their entire lives before the sun sets.

Characters
Amesan
A Kabyle jeweller, Amesan, is the first character we meet and the easiest target for others’ prejudice. When the young woman’s corpse is found, he’s immediately suspected—racially profiled and scapegoated. He becomes both a moral barometer and a kind of storyteller; late in the book, he tells an allegorical tale about a king trying to outwit death, which doubles as a commentary on their own situation.

Robert & Marianne; Felix & Zoe
Robert and Marianne are a fairly typical middle-class couple. Robert is quick to judge and keen to assert authority; Marianne tries to maintain some normality for the children as things spiral. Felix and Zoe are the clearest embodiment of the time-distortion horror: their bodies jump forward in age, while their emotional understanding lags behind. Zoe’ssudden puberty, sexual curiosity, and instant transition into motherhood are some of the book’s most disquieting sequences.

Charles, Nathalie, Louis, Sophie & Nathalie’s mother
This second family mirrors the first but skews older and more brittle. Charles is quick to blame Amesan, embodying fear-driven racism; Nathalie is caught between caring for her children and her ageing mother; Louis and Sophie, like Felix and Zoe, become a living time-lapse of childhood, adolescence, and the horror of growing up when there’s literally no future. The grandmother’s rapid decline and death underline how brutally the beach accelerates the life cycle.

Henry Lascaride
Lascaride is a science fiction writer and one of the more overtly intellectual characters. He gives voice to theories and speculation, helping frame the beach as a mystery while also reinforcing that the novel is more interested in existential dread than full and tidy explanations.

Oliver and Florence
Oliver and Florence are a couple whose response to the situation is more existential than practical. As the horror becomes undeniable, they choose to walk into the sea together, their decision framed almost as a dark, romantic refusal to endure the final stages of decay.

Writing Style
Pierre Oscar Lévy’s writing is restrained and philosophical. The dialogue often feels natural and understated, allowing the book’s bizarre premise to unfold without too much explanation.

Instead of focusing on elaborate backstories, the script concentrates on reactions—fear, confusion, anger, acceptance. This approach keeps the story grounded in human emotion rather than science-fiction exposition.

One of the most striking choices is how little the book explains about the cause of the phenomenon. The mystery remains largely unresolved, encouraging readers to interpret the story metaphorically. It becomes less about why time is accelerating and more about how people respond when they realise their lives are whizzing past.

Artwork
Frederik Peeters’ artwork is one of the graphic novel’s greatest strengths.

His black-and-white linework is expressive and fluid, capturing subtle emotional shifts in the characters’ faces. As the characters age, Peeters illustrates their transformation with remarkable sensitivity—wrinkles appear, posture changes, hair greys, and bodies weaken over the course of a few pages.

The beach setting is deceptively calm; wide stretches of sand, cliffs, and ocean create a sense of isolation that reinforces the characters’ entrapment. The peaceful environment contrasts sharply with the existential horror unfolding within it.

Peeters also excels at pacing through visual storytelling. Panels often linger on small gestures—a glance, a hesitation, a hand reaching for another—allowing the emotional consequences of the premise to resonate.

Final Thoughts
Sandcastle is a haunting and thought-provoking graphic novel that blends science fiction with existential drama. Its unusual premise creates a powerful meditation on life, ageing, and the fleeting nature of time.

While the story’s ambiguity and philosophical tone may not appeal to everyone, its strong thematic ideas and Frederik Peeters’ striking artwork make it a memorable read.

I’m giving Sandcastle a 9/10.

Have you read this one, or watched M. Night Shyamalan’s film adaptation titled “Old”? How do you think they compare?

As ever, thanks for stopping by and reading my review!

Until next time,

George

© 2026 GLT

Violeta by Isabelle Allende

This is the saga of Violeta del Valle who lived for 100 years. She is born in 1920 during the flu pandemic and dies in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. I liked how she bookended the story that way.

Violeta is born into a privileged family, but when the stock market crash happens during the great depression, her father loses everything. Her family retreats into exile to a country in South America. The author deliberately doesn’t tell us what country.

The story is made up of so many characters. Violeta has many friends who help them. She has many siblings, but most don’t appear in the book. She has an older brother Antonio who is a lawyer and he is a major character.

Violeta becomes engaged to a man who is part of a wealthy German family. I got the feeling they might be connected to the Nazi’s who hid in South America after the war. They married and she met someone else she lusted after more. I say, “lust because it didn’t feel like love”. The first husband was Catholic and refused an annulment.

She had a son and a daughter. The husband hated the son and doted on the daughter. Their lives were tragic, but Violeta seemed to care more about her business than her family. She wasn’t the best role model. I guess I didn’t really like her very much.

Her brother fell in love with her nanny who we eventually discover is a lesbian.

There are so many characters that I can’t say much about many of them without spoilers.

Isabelle Allende is a good writer. I enjoyed – The House of Spirits many years ago. I think this story started out slowly and I found it difficult to believe a lot of what was told.

Violeta was always the best at whatever she did. She made money easily even with all the tragedy in her life.

It was interesting but not a book I would have chosen on my own. This was a book club pick. The book club is part of my local library, and they were having a celebration of South America and that is why this book was chosen. The discussion was interesting because they invited a lady from South America to read it and lead the discussion.

It wasn’t one of my favorites. It felt too much like reading someone’s diary.

I did love the cover. It is beautiful and does catch your attention. The story was too slow for me.

Published January 25, 2022.

I include links to purchase. As an associate, I earn from qualified purchases. Thanks to all my readers who continue to support me.

Books by Isabelle Allende:

Violeta

The House of Spirits

A Long Petal of the Sea

Upcoming Reviews:

The Invited by Jennifer McMahon

What I am currently reading:

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

Clear Water by Gabrielle Lucille Fuentes

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson

Stone Mad by D M Pulley

I am looking forward to the election being over. I am so tired of the political ads. Luckily, I escape often from the television by reading.

I met D M Pulley at an author event recently and couldn’t wait to start her book. I will tell you more about her once I review the book. I am about a hundred pages in and it is so good.

Are you reading something you think I need to get on my radar?

Happy Reading!

If you like a bargain. Check out my Pango Book Shop.

https://pangobooks.com/bookstore/virginia468417

Requiem by Robyn Young Review

#Requiem #RobynYoung #HistoricalFiction #medieval #book #bookreview

https://popculturemaniacs.com/requiem-by-robyn-young-review/

Judge Stone by Viola Davis and James Patterson Book Review

https://williammcginn.com/2026/11/05/judge-stone-by-viola-davis-and-james-patterson-book-review/

The bit that you skip #308: Matchbox 20 – Rest Stop

As I mentioned before, Matchbox 20’s 3 AM was an inspiration for a whole novella that I ended up abandoning. The reasons are not complex, and although I’ve tried time and time again to salvage it, I can’t find a way.

It happens to some ideas, and I’ve been guilty of being an “idea guy” instead of a “writer”. Idea guys have excellent pitches, but falter on the road building. Perhaps some thing are best left unwritten.

A lot of that novella, which was going to be titled “3 AM: the coldest hour”, focused on feelings of loneliness and a never ending estrangement, not only from friends and family, but oneself. By the end, the main character (Tocayo) loses everything, including his beloved car, a well-preserved 1977 Ford Maverick.

The car was pristine on the outside, but the axle breaks down while driving back from Mazatlán to Guadalajara. He abandons the car, and as he walks back to Guadalajara, the entirety of the novella is told as a flashback. A sort of walk of penance, hoping for atonement of past sins.

I always think of songs as being ripe with ideas for writing, and that novella had inspiration drawn mainly from Matchbox 20, Fastball, Semisonic, Lauren Christy, and Underworld. The title comes from Matchbox 20’s own 3 AM, and Rest Stop, with its feeling of abandonment felt right at home as the pivotal.

An abandoned novella feels like a massive learning experience. Sometimes you really have to let go of something when it doesn’t work out. Most of the time, you need external voices for this, but then again, you can’t grow as a writer if you don’t start being critical of yourself. I’ve revisited several drafts I had of this novella and maybe, just maybe, it could work as a small piece for something larger. I’ll worry about that when the time comes.

I’m attaching the VH1 Storytellers version, as I feel it’s Matchbox at its most intimate. If you can, watch the whole special, it’ll shine a new light on their discography.

-Sam J. Valdés López

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPUF49AEVXw

Book Review: Daughters of Yangtze by Chun Xiao Bleau

Title: Daughters of Yangtze

Author: Chun Xiao Bleau

Publisher: Pagoda Hill Press

Publication date: October 23, 2026

Genre: Historical Fiction

I wanted to read Daughters of Yangtze for personal reasons, so take my review with a grain of salt. As a Chinese American with one side of the family that fled China for Hong Kong to escape Chairman Mao, this story deeply resonated with me. I know extremely little of that part of China’s history, and have honestly always been a little afraid to know more. This story, one that follows two sisters who end up on different paths, was bittersweet and painful in so many ways, but there was always a flicker of hope.

In the late 1930s, the Japanese invaded China and sisters Mingyan and Shuyan were told by their father to jump in the well to preserve their honor if the Japanese made it to their village. Fortunately, the Japanese invasion ended, but Chairman Mao began his rise to power. While away at school, Mingyan fell in love with a young man, Ruifeng, already set on a path to support Mao and communism. When his work for the communists takes him to Shanghai, he brings Mingyan with him, where she finds work as a governess to two little boys. But Ruifeng’s work soon drives a wedge between them. When Shanghai becomes unsafe for Mingyan and the family she works for, she decides to go to Hong Kong with them, where her life is completely reshaped and she finds a future she never dreamed of having. Meanwhile, Shuyan has grown up enough to head for school. There, she meets an older student, Daoren, who eventually becomes her husband. But Mao’s policies prevent them from sharing a home until well after Shuyan gives birth to their daughter Lingling. Life isn’t easy for them, and they find themselves apart from their young daughter for long stretches of time, giving other caregivers the opportunity to ensure Lingling is a staunch supporter of communism. As time goes on, and Lingling grows up, Lingling begins to discover her parents’ family secrets and finds she must reconcile her beliefs with her family’s history even as events threaten to shatter everything she held dear.

The writing left a little to be desired, feeling more like it was mostly telling what happened to the sisters and keeping the story going instead of immersing me in their lives. But I still found myself enthralled by the sisters’ journeys. I do think this was mostly for personal reasons, as I tried to piece together part of my own family’s history that I’m not sure anyone’s left to really tell me what, exactly, happened during that time. But I found this story eye opening in so many ways. While I had hoped for the sisters to take turns telling their stories, it ended up being more chronological with the sister having the meatier story telling what was happening at that point in history. I was a little disappointed the times weren’t concurrent, but I suppose I can understand Mingyan’s story in Hong Kong while Shuyan lived under Mao’s rule wasn’t quite as exciting. The story flowed from the Japanese invasion in the 1930s to the rise of Mao during Mingyan’s student days to Shuyan’s life as a student and doctor in the 50s and 60s before finally settling on both sisters during the 70s. In the end, I was happy to get both of their stories, and I found the ending to be bittersweet but full of hope and love.

I enjoyed Mingyan’s story, and I would have loved more of how she and the Li family navigated life in Hong Kong. I really would have loved to see more of Hong Kong during that time. She experienced so much upheaval and uncertainty, but still managed to hold herself with grace. I especially loved her when she was with the two boys she worked as governess for. She was so calm and elegant, always keeping her head high when life threatened to hurt her. The way she was always able to carry on was extraordinary. I do feel like her romances didn’t quite do her justice, but she always felt content and I like to think she found her own version of happiness.

Shuyan’s story was really the meat of this book since she was trapped in communist China. The things she and her family were forced to go through were hard and heartbreaking, especially since the reader understands where she and Daoren were coming from and how their daughter was being raised. As much as it hurt to read about their tough lives under communism, it was definitely eye opening. I learned so much about that time period and the things the people had to live under. It was heartbreaking to understand the previous lives of Shuyan and Daoren and see their daughter set herself on a completely different path. At some point, this became less Shuyan’s story and more Lingling’s. It was rough to read about her ideologies and her disappointment in where she came from. But it was also beautiful to see her ideas change as events occurred. I loved the way she could be open and find the truth.

As tough as it sometimes was to read about Shuyan’s life, I really enjoyed Daughters of Yangtze. It felt like history and fiction merged into one in the best way. I don’t know if anything historical was exaggerated or altered, but I could completely believe all of it. It felt like I was reading about people who had actually lived during that time as they told their stories. I appreciated how historical events were folded into the story and helped drive the sisters’ stories forward. But what I really loved was the way this family held themselves together, as safe as they could be. It’s heartbreaking, but also hopeful, and I loved the way they were able to hold onto their family ties despite the distance and amount of time that passed.

How many cups of tea will you need?

4 cups

Amazon | Bookshop (The Lily Cafe is a Bookshop affiliate and may earn a small commission if you use this link to make a purchase)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Head over to the Bookshelf to check out my reviews of books from the Big 5 and self-published, indie, and small press books.

This blog is my home base, but you can also find me on:

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How do spy movies compare to real espionage? Ronen Bergman's Rise and Kill First shows the real thing.
#BookReview #Espionage
https://smpl.is/ao13d

134years ago today, #JBSHaldane was born. Read more about him in A Dominant Character, an incredibly enjoyable #biography that never seeks to downplay the complicated character of this British polymath.

https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2021/05/12/book-review-a-dominant-character-the-radical-science-and-restless-politics-of-j-b-s-haldane/

#Books #BookReview #Bookstodon #Genetics #HistoryOfScience #ScienceHistory #HistSci #SciComm

The Rough Side of the Mountain: Keisha Lance Bottoms on Climbing the Hard Way

The Rough Side of the Mountain: A Memoir asks what it means to carry your whole self into public life, not just the polished parts that fit neatly into a campaign story. In this warm, candid, and quietly courageous memoir, Keisha Lance Bottoms, Atlanta’s former 60th mayor and a Georgia gubernatorial candidate, revisits the family, faith, adversity, and personal history that helped shape her leadership, and she does so with a grace and generosity of spirit that makes the book hard to put down.

For Urbane Renaissance Society, this story has a special Atlanta resonance. At our Unknown Chapter literary event on August 8, 2026, guests discovered that the mystery book was Bottoms’s memoir, and each guest received a personally autographed copy. This review grows from that shared encounter, while remaining a reading of the book on its own terms.

Content note: The memoir discusses childhood sexual abuse and eating disorders. Bottoms approaches painful experiences as part of her life story, without making them the whole of it.

Revisit the story behind the public image

Published by Mariner Books on April 21, 2026, The Rough Side of the Mountain is a beautifully told account of a remarkable life, following Bottoms from a modest Atlanta upbringing toward political prominence. Its central movement is inward as much as upward: how a public-facing version of herself took shape, and what it cost to leave parts of her history in the background.

Bottoms writes about her father, soul singer Major Lance, and about difficult experiences of her own, sharing each with honesty and grace. Her sensitive subjects are treated as elements of a larger family and personal history, never as shorthand for who she is.

The title draws on a gospel-song lyric, and its mountain image suggests a hard route toward the summit. That idea fits the book’s focus perfectly: the difficult parts of a life can shape a person without diminishing her.

Recognize the strength in the full story

One of the memoir’s most compelling ideas is that Bottoms had learned to prune her personal history to preserve a polished political image. As she revisits what she once set aside, she makes a generous case for authenticity, not as a slogan, but as the brave work of allowing your life to be seen in its fullness. It is writing that only someone who has lived every chapter could produce, offered with warmth, wit, and remarkable openness.

That invitation reaches beyond politics. Many readers will recognize the pressure to present a streamlined version of themselves. Bottoms’s memoir gently challenges that frame: a life is not less worthy of respect because it includes pain or family struggle.

Feel the Atlanta connection

For us, this is also a book rooted in our home city. Atlanta is not just a backdrop to Bottoms’s public life; it is the ground from which her story rises.

That connection made our August gathering feel especially meaningful. Every guest left with an autographed copy, but the larger gift was the conversation the book opened: about who gets to tell their story, and how personal history shapes public leadership.

Consider the memoir’s shape

The book’s strengths are its candor, its warmth, and its clear movement through Bottoms’s life. The structure is largely chronological, which makes the story wonderfully accessible, and Bottoms has a natural storyteller’s voice: direct, disarming, and often funny, even when the subject is hard. The honesty never wavers.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution covered the memoir in April 2026, and Essence featured Bottoms in November. Kirkus Reviews also reviewed the book, describing it as a memoir of private struggles and public service.

Keep the conversation going

The Rough Side of the Mountain is a moving, deeply rewarding memoir about identity, inheritance, and the courage of telling a fuller truth. It is a book that will stay with readers long after the final page, and for anyone interested in Black women’s memoir or Atlanta stories, it is an essential read. You can find the book on Amazon or learn more from Mariner Books.

Urbane Renaissance Society participates in the Amazon Associates program and may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through this link.

Connect with us through our contact page, visit urbanerenaissancesociety.com, and follow @urbanerenaissance on Instagram to discover the magic of a shared literary story.

A Review of Deal’s Worth: https://lydiaschoch.com/a-review-of-deals-worth/

#ScienceFiction #Books #BookReview #Fantasy

@bookstodon

Agatha Christie as a ghost AND a sleuth? Amanda Chapman sold me on the whole series. My 4 star ARC review of Mrs. Christie and the Mystery in the Mews is up now on Views She Writes. Out December 8! #CozyMystery #AgathaChristie #BookReview

https://viewsshewrites.com/mrs-christie-and-the-mystery-in-the-mews/

What happens when you expose fraud inside a system built to protect it? Magnitsky paid with his life.
#BookThreads #BookReview #RussianCorruption #HumanRights
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/red-notice-bill-browder-book-review/

Did America and Russia quietly shape the outcome of the 1967 war? This book digs into that fight behind the fight.
#books #bookreview #ColdWar #Geopolitics
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/1967-arab-israeli-war-history-impact/

Legacy of the Bluffs by Loretta Marion

An enticing double mystery with paranormal elements set in the New England summer
The post Legacy of the Bluffs by Loretta Marion appeared first on Independent Book Review.
https://independentbookreview.com/2026/11/05/legacy-of-the-bluffs-by-loretta-marion/

#bookreview #indieauthor #indiebooks #indiemystery #legacyofthebluffs

The abuse broke the prisoners. It also broke the soldiers who watched it happen.
#books #bookreview #BlackSites #NationalSecurity
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/cia-torture-whistleblower-review-convenient-terrorist/

ブログに投稿：Bunjin's Books Reviews：
『脅威の鈍器本 人生最重量級！厚さ5cmの『動物系統分類学』に驚愕』

#鈍器本 #動物系統分類学 #中山書店 #生物学 #書評 #読書感想文 #BookReview #本 #読書

https://www.bunjinbookreview.com/2026/11/05/the-thickest-book-ive-ever-bought/

Glo-Kids by Jane Haltmaier

New town, new school, new powers. Learning to navigate two worlds is the least of Ellie’s problems in this thrilling YA sci-fi.
The post Glo-Kids by Jane Haltmaier appeared first on Independent Book Review.
https://independentbookreview.com/2026/11/05/glo-kids-by-jane-haltmaier/

#bookreview #indiebookreview #JaneHaltmaier #YoungAdult

Review - Embers of the Hands, by Eleanor Barraclough: discusses some fascinating finds that speak to everyday "Viking" life. Definitely interesting detail! Rating: 4/5 ("really liked it").

Full review: https://breathesbooks.com/2026/11/05/review-embers-of-the-hands/

#bookstodon #BookReview

Hastings follows General McChrystal and his team on long trips. He shows how pride and pressure shaped the war.
#books #bookreview #WarJournalism #MilitaryHistory
https://smpl.is/ao139

ICYM yesterday, my review of Saved by the Spell by Tanya Huff. Overworked teacher at magic school is tasked with finding a Villain to a Hero that has emerged in her homeroom class.
https://susannashore.blogspot.com/2026/11/saved-by-spell-by-tanya-huff-review.html

#bookreview #cozyfantasy #bookstodon

Revenge has a price. Someone always pays. Vengeance tells this story straight, with no judgment attached.
#books #bookreview #TrueStory #Justice
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/vengeance/

Would you risk execution to copy KGB files by hand for over a decade? Vasili Mitrokhin did.
#BookReview #Espionage
https://bookreviews.thisgrandpablogs.com/mitrokhin-archive-book-review/

Would you ask a writer to tell the ugly parts of your life? Steve Jobs asked Walter Isaacson for the whole truth.
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https://smpl.is/ao12s

How did old school ties help a Soviet spy hide inside British intelligence? This book explains it all.
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https://thisgrandpablogs.com/kim-philby-betrayal/

How far will a son go to win his father's approval? This true story pushes that question hard.
#books #bookreview #FatherSonEspionage #NathanNicholson
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/cia-espionage-true-story/

Felt met Woodward late at night in a parking garage. He gave tips but never allowed a direct quote.
#books #bookreview #BobWoodward #Journalism
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How do you beat terrible odds? Lance Armstrong chose the hardest treatment path and wrote about it in It's Not About the Bike.
#BookReview #Survival
https://bookreviews.thisgrandpablogs.com/lance-armstrong-memoir/

Audiobook Potpourri

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How does a poor street kid become one of the richest men on earth? Escobar began with stolen cars and fake diplomas.
#BookReview #TrueCrime
https://bookreviews.thisgrandpablogs.com/pablo-escobar-biography-2/

In less glitchy news - Dannye Chase has just written this delightful little review of A Queer Inheritance!

https://www.tumblr.com/holycatsandrabbits/832288057301614592/a-queer-inheritance-by-narrelle-m-harris-mm-low

#bookreview #bookstodon #queer #romance #paranormal

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https://thisgrandpablogs.com/steve-jobs-book-review/

Finished reading: Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea: Journeys Through Ancient Literature by Emily Wilson 📚: https://cliff538.com/2026/11/04/finished-reading-crossing-the-winedark.html

I’m not quite sure how to review this book properly. It wasn’t what I expected, but it did offer enough of what I hoped to read and learn.
At its heart, the book is about translation and the difficult choices translators must make, many of which readers may never consider. A translator’s background and life experience...

#books #BookReview

Ever wonder what real spies do? This book reads like a thriller, but every word is true.
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https://smpl.is/ao12j

Pfarrer breaks down DEVGRU training and night raid tactics. Military history fans will find plenty of new detail.
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This true spy story reads fast and pulls no punches. Check out my full take.
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#booksky 💙📚 #bookstodon TCL's #ThrowbackThursday and #LinkParty #81 - November 5-December 2, 2026, on my #bookblog now. Find out what #bookreview I'm remembering from a 2014 novel! Remember, if you have a #bookblog, you are welcome to join this #bookmeme any day of the week, all month long.

http://tcl-bookreviews.com/2026/11/05/tcls-throwbackthursday-and-linkparty-81-november-5-december-2-2026/

What is this, a second book review? Well, I read more than one book in October after all...

This is the spookiest of the bunch! The House on the Borderland, by William Hope Hodgson

Post 63 of #100DaysToOffload

https://joelchrono.xyz/blog/the-house-on-the-borderland

#Books2026 #BookReview

Here's an excellent review of Sit: Twenty-Eight Days to a Rock-Solid Daily Meditation Habit by @bodhipaksa

But even better than a book review, pick up a copy at wisdom.org. #meditation #buddhism #bookReview #book_review

https://www.buddhistdoor.net/features/book-review-sit-twenty-eight-days-to-a-rock-solid-daily-meditation-habit/

Inside Henry Cato by Katharine English

A fourteen-year-old boy escapes the claustrophobic 1960s Midwest in pursuit of the unfettered American Dream and a wider selection of footwear in this impressive literary novel.
The post Inside Henry Cato by Katharine English appeared first on Independent Book Review.
https://independentbookreview.com/2026/11/04/inside-henry-cato-by-katharine-english/

#bookreview #AtmospherePress #indieauthor #InsideHenryCato #KatharineEnglish

I finally had time to share some thoughts on #TheLeftHandOfDarkness by #UrsulaKLeGuin

This is day 63 of #100DaysToOffload

https://joelchrono.xyz/blog/the-left-hand-of-darkness

#Books2026 #BookReview

ICYMI a review of all 4 Blasta cookbook titles released in 2026 - Beans, Samba, Toasties and Dinner
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RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:k4ve2amrop3ji2mouqg3jcap/post/3mz3kcynk4k2d

The Museum of Lost Things: Stories by Dennis Pahl

Kafkaesque and self-referential, this sophisticated collection of short fiction hits home hard.
The post The Museum of Lost Things: Stories by Dennis Pahl appeared first on Independent Book Review.
https://independentbookreview.com/2026/11/04/the-museum-of-lost-things-stories-by-dennis-pahl/

#bookreview #indieauthor #indiebookreview #LiteraryAndGeneralFiction #shortstories

The Museum of Lost Things: Stories by Dennis Pahl

Kafkaesque and self-referential, this sophisticated collection of short fiction hits home hard.
The post The Museum of Lost Things: Stories by Dennis Pahl appeared first on Independent Book Review.
https://independentbookreview.com/2026/11/04/the-museum-of-lost-things-stories-by-dennis-pahl/

#bookreview #indieauthor #indiebookreview #LiteraryAndGeneralFiction #shortstories

🆕 blog! “Book Review: Practice by Rosalind Brown”
★★★★☆

I have a simple rule - if I meet someone at a party and they say they've written a book, then I will immediately buy that book. It's a strategy which has worked out well; leading me to some truly interesting and delightful prose.

Rosalind Brown (a fellow UEA graduate) has written a stunning little book.…

👀 Read more: https://shkspr.mobi/blog/2026/11/book-review-practice-by-rosalind-brown/
⸻
#BookReview #NaBloPoMo #oxford

Book Review: Practice by Rosalind Brown

I have a simple rule - if I meet someone at a party and they say they've written a book, then I will immediately buy that book. It's a strategy which has worked out well; leading me to some truly interesting and delightful prose.

Rosalind Brown (a fellow UEA graduate) has written a stunning little book. Practice is an almost Proustian meander through a day-in-the-life of a young woman going through an essay crisis. Much like R. F. Kuang's "Katabasis", I'm rather glad the author found university to be a bewildering and, at times, upsetting experience as it provides rich fodder for this tale.

There is an inherent tragedy in studying English literature. The more you read, the more futile it becomes. Just like repeatedly saying a word aloud creates semantic satiation, so to does the repeated reading of sonnets drive away all their meaning. The closer you study a poem the further it slips from your grasp. The more introspective you become, the more you lose sight of what you really want out of life.

As Proverbs 26:11 suggests, some students are like a snake which is compelled to eat its own tail. The protagonist, Annabel, isn't a caricature but she sure is a trope that you've met in halls. She's a woe-is-me wretch who'd rather cultivate a "Heated Rivalry" style interior monologue rather than engage with those around her. So self-absorbed to that she doesn't realise that, not only do other people have feelings, other people are carrying the same burden she does. I suspect her essay research really should have widened to include the seminal "Male gays in the female gaze"!

It's a short novel, but pleasingly thorough. Although there aren't any major twists, I can't say I predicted how the story would evolve and conclude. The punctuation and sentence structure is charmingly idiosyncratic and, I think, perfectly fits the story.

A note on formatting. The ePub has hard page breaks. That means some "pages" contain little more than a paragraph. I suspect that's intentional as it gives a wonderfully staccato pace to the text. Our day is broken up into little moments which don't quite fit the strictures of a chapter, yet we experience the day as a cohesive whole.

An excellent book - but one to read after you've finished your homework.

Blades of Resurrection by Michael Grayson

An inspiring memoir about surviving what you can’t control and choosing yourself anyway
The post Blades of Resurrection by Michael Grayson appeared first on Independent Book Review.
https://independentbookreview.com/2026/11/04/blades-of-resurrection-by-michael-grayson/

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Can one nation's fear of nuclear war explain decades of conflict? This book makes that case.
#books #bookreview #WarBook #GeopoliticsRead
https://thisgrandpablogs.com/israel-at-war-book-review/

A Knight on Wolf Island by Ray Tigerman

Stranded between history and myth, a young man must fight for survival in a strange land in this dreamlike historical fantasy.
The post A Knight on Wolf Island by Ray Tigerman appeared first on Independent Book Review.
https://independentbookreview.com/2026/11/04/a-knight-on-wolf-island-by-ray-tigerman/

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A couple of recent reads

The Inugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo

This is the 6th (or 29th) in the Detective Kosuke Kindaichi series, depending on where you look. It is the second one I have read, after The Honjin Murders, which crossed my path in 2021. If the numbers don’t quite add up, it’s because only some of the 77 (seventy-seven) books have been translated into English. Amazon lists The Honjin Murders, 28th in the Japanese series, as the first in a sequence of eight books, of which The Inugami Curse is the second. So it’s the 2nd, the 6th, or the 29th. Hope that’s clear.

I don’t know how I feel about them all really. Moderately diverting, the solution to the mystery is suitably convoluted. On the other hand, the detective is called in and then there are four murders, so you could argue he doesn’t do anybody much good. None of the victims are particularly sympathetic, so there’s little sense of a burning injustice or a world turned upside down.

What does make the book and interesting read is the setting and the culture, and the sense that you’re spending time in a very unfamiliar milieu. The writing (or translation) is workmanlike, but I found the detective’s reactions cartoonish. A few choice quotes will illustrate my point:

“Kindaichi felt as if he had been struck by lightning.”

“…he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.”

“Her words hit Kindaichi like a bolt of lightning.”

All the emotional reactions are like this, a bit over the top and wild, and you can almost picture a stereotypically raging Japanese man as you read.

A lot of these books are 99p at the moment. Culturally interesting, mildly diverting mysteries for the Japan-curious.

Hemlock Bay by Martin Edwards

This is another second for me. I’d previously listened to Blackstone Fell, which was #3 in the Rachel Savernake series. This one is #5, but as I said the first time around, I don’t think it really matters.

We’re between the wars, and we have our very clever and independently wealthy woman investigator and her team, who head off on an open-ended mission to the titular resort. Why they go is all down to a particular surrealist painting, which appears to show a dead body. Intrigued, Rachel heads off to investigate the artist and the location. By coincidence (or is it), the reader knows that somebody else has headed to Hemlock Bay – in disguise – in order to murder a man he doesn’t know and has never met.

Another mildly diverting cozy mystery, with a little social history thrown in, this is narrated by Helen MacFarlane, whose mannerisms take some getting used to, but who manages to imbue the individual characters with personality. In the end, it works.

I will confess that I probably drifted off at several points, so it’s lucky the detective explains everything at the end.