Easy cheese straws with crushed pretzels and Movie Night & Halloween Degustabox

 

While the weather is abysmal, with the incessant rain and dreary darkness in the afternoon, it's not all gloom and doom. Food-wise, November has a lot to offer, for many people this cold dark month means hearty soups and stews. 

Home-baked bread is a wonderful treat to go with a hot bowl of soup, but it takes time and effort, while cheese straws are so easy to make and take hardly any time at all. Zing them up with toppings of your choosing and serve with a lovely hearty soup.

For my easy cheese straws you will need:

1 pack of Jus-Rol shortcrust pastry

about 60g grated cheese (like Emmental)

1 egg yolk

half a pack of Olly's Pretzel Thins (optional), crushed

Remove the Jus-Rol pack out of the fridge at least an hour before using. 

Cut in half, spread grated cheese on one half, and put the second half over. 

Slice the dough into thin strips, around 3cm in width. Twist the strips and arrange on the baking sheet.

Place the baking sheet on the tray in the oven preheated to 180C.

Bake for about 5 minutes then take out the tray, glaze the straws with a beaten egg yolk and scatter crushed pretzels over them. Bake for another 8-10 minutes, until the straws are golden.

You can use puff pastry the same way, in fact, I would usually go for the puff pastry, making cheese straws, but I had a pack of shortcrust pastry instead. 

I like adding crushed Pringles over the egg yolk before baking. Sesame seeds are another great topping.

This time I wanted to try a different version, especially that I had a small packet of Olly's Pretzels Thins (Multi-Seed Sesame) from the October Degustabox food box. These are oven-baked, low fat, thin and crispy vegan pretzels. A small 35g packet offers 98kcal per serving. You can sprinkle them over salads or crumble into brownies, or just dip into hummus or taramasalata. 

There were two varieties of pretzel thins in the box - Multi-seed sesame and Salted original (£1 each), both lovely.

Available on Amazon and Olly's online shop.

You can easily make these straws with children. They disappeared very fast.

It's not much of a recipe, I know, more of a recipe idea, but try it, and play with flavours.

What else did we find in October Movie Night & Halloween Degustabox?

As you can see, it was jam-packed with all kinds of tasty foods and drink.

My personal favourite was Costa Instant Coffee (£5.50). I'm a big fan of Costa coffee in general, and miss their latte during the lockdown. I know you can have a takeaway, but by the time you arrive home with a takeaway cup, it's already tepid. Instant coffee from Costa is the next best thing - make a cup of tasty coffee in the comfort of your own home, and get a perfect balance of delicate Arabica and strong Robusta beans, slow-roasted for a smooth and nutty flavour and rich aroma.

I enjoyed this instant coffee a lot, and hope to get more, when I have a chance to visit our local Costa.

Maltesers Instant Hot Chocolate (£2.59 for 350g) hits the right spot, when you fancy a sweet hot drink. It will delight the fans of Maltesers - top up with whipped cream and mini marshmallows for an extra indulgent treat.

Available at Morrisons, Sainsbury's and ASDA.

More treats for chocoholics - KitKat Senses Chocolate Selection Gift Box 240g (£5) - a selection of three delicious flavours, all individually wrapped: Salted Caramel, Double Chocolate and Hazelnut.

My family loves KitKit, but we were saddened to read that KitKat will no longer contain Fairtrade cocoa and sugar. This is the step backwards, I hope that Nestle will reconsider this move, and start using Faitrade produce in making this much-loved brand.

Available in all major supermarket chains.

Reese's Peanut Butter Minis (£1.50) offer a delicious mix of chocolate and peanut butter. Now available in minis, bitesize cups in a convenient share bag. Lovely added to the brownie batter before baking too.

More chocolate - Whaoo! chocolate filled crepes (£1.75) are made without any preservatives. They are individually wrapped for convenience, and might work as a sweet snack for a school lunchbox (if having chocolate treats is not against the school policy).

Available at ASDA, Morrisons, Ocado, Spar and Go Local.

Did you hear there was more chocolate? yes, you heard it right.

Brynmor Chocolate Flapjack (£1.29) is a healthier treat for chocoholics - it is packed full of high quality, natural ingredients. Lovely with a cup of tea, for elevenses or when you're feeling peckish.

Available in Ocado, Waitrose, NISA, WHSmith Travel, Grapetree, www.brynmorfoods.com and independent health shops.

Kookie Cat Wild Berries was a little gift, and most welcome it was too. This is a cashew and oat cookie, with tasty cacao butter drops and sweet and sour lingonberries.

Available in organic food stores.

YES! Plant protein bars (£1.59) are the product of the month. They are gluten free, contain 10g protein, and are powered by pea and nut. The wrapping is recyclable paper.

There are two delicious new flavours - Almond, Peanut and Double Dark Chocolate (yum, I love the nuts and chocolate combination) and Cashew, Blueberry and Dark Chocolate.

Available at Holland and Barrett, BP, Moto and WHSmith's.

Just look at that bar - it's so good. 

We all have our favourites in each Degustabox, and St Pierre Brioche Burger Buns (£2) were a big hit with my guys. I didn't serve them with burgers, but with cheese and chutney instead, and they were delicious. Definitely will buy them, when I have a chance. They are pre-sliced, and make a versatile vessel for any kind of filling - from meat-based to vegan products.

Available at Tesco.

Attack A Snak Original Nachos (£1.50) is a lunchbox selection of tortilla chips, smoky chipotle dip, and cooling sour cream with chives. It's a good source of fibre.

Nutritional information: 313kcal and 12g of sugar per 90g serving. Available at Morrisons and ASDA. 

You might have spotted promotional packs of Attack A Snak - currently you might win w Cinewrold tickets every day, simply find a code inside of the film and enter online.

Naked Malaysian Rendang Veg Pot (£1.50) is 100% plant-based. There are three authentic flavours in the range, offering Korean BBQ Ramen, Malaysian Rendang and Chinese Green Vegetable Broth. Simply add water for a quick and easy lunch. Very handy to eat in the office.

Available in Tesco.

And finally, there was a fully redeemable voucher for a box of Strawberry Yollies (£2). These are yogurt snacks on a stick. They are a good source of Calcium and Vitamin D. 

Available at ASDA, Tesco, Morrisons & Sainsbury's (our local Co-Op has them too).

Degustabox is a monthly food and drink subscription box. It's an excellent way of discovering new products which have only just appeared in the shops, or those which have been around for a while, but you haven't had a chance to try them yet.

Thanks to Degustabox, I have found new favourites to add to our shopping list, including some products which I probably wouldn't have tried otherwise.

Each time the monthly box arrives, its contents are a total surprise. You get a good selection of foods and drinks.

If you haven't tried Degustabox subscription box yet, and would like to have a go, I have a £3 off discount from your first box (and you can unsubscribe any time), just use code DKRLN when you place an order.

The Tobacconist's Wife by AnneMarie Brear

To survive, she had to be strong and reliant only upon herself. To ask for help would cause more problems than it solved. Besides, no one could help her. She was married to a monster and if she left him, she would have no home and no money.

 The Tobacconist's Wife by Anne Marie Brear is a historical romance set in Victorian England. 

York, 1855

Thea Goodson had loving parents, and enjoyed serving customers in their cobbler's shop. Her mother died when she was 18, and two years later he father had a stroke. Their savings dwindled, and the shop closed. Ernie Goodson, "an acquaintance of her father's suddenly became a close friend... His polite manner and gracious smiles warmed Thea to him". He seemed to be genuinely kind to her father, and when her father suggested she should marry Ernie, she gave it considerable thought. Evicted from her home by the landlord after her father's death, "alone, without money or a home, she accepted Ernie's marriage proposal".

Being a single woman without means is a hard lot in any times, and Thea's options are very limited.

"To be a married woman would give her status and security. She liked the idea of running her own home, of creating the family life she hadn't properly felt since her mother died".

Within four weeks of burying her father, Thea is married and moves into the rooms above Ernie's tobacconist's shop on Coney Street. She is eager to start this new chapter of her life.

"However, on her wedding night the man she married showed his true colours. Gone was the kindness and soft manner, replaced with a short temper, flying fists and impotence to consummate the marriage".

And now Thea is trapped, chained to a man who abuses her daily. In front of the shop's customers she has to pretend that everything is fine, and she is happy. If she doesn't smile to their customers, her husband will beat her up later. "Mostly, he hit her where it wouldn't show. He was proud of his business and didn't want customers, many of whom were the wealthy folk of the area, to see her in a battered state."

Their closest neighbours, the Joneses, are aware of her predicament. Their drapery shop is just next door, and they can hear the sounds of abuse. Sadie becomes another mother to Thea. When the Joneses decide to move to Australia to join their son, they invite Thea with them, hoping to take her away from the life of domestic violence. 

"How could she possibly go? She'd be forever tied to Ernie, and not free to marry again should she meet someone else. A tiny voice in her head whispered, what would that matter? She'd be free of him."

When Sadie and her husband leave England, Thea is left alone in the world. She endures the beatings, powdering up her bruised face, and smiling to the customers in the shop. 

Her husband Ernie, a nasty bully, has great ambitions of bettering himself in the society and building a big house in the prestigious area of the city. He has secrets of his own, which he doesn't share with his wife. His dealings on the wrong side of the law bring danger close to their home. "Whatever Ernie was up to, she wanted no part in it".

Adam Fitzwilliam rents the premises next to the tobacconist's (that used to be the draper's). He comes from a wealthy family, but has no aspirations to follow in his father's and older brothers' footsteps.

When Adam announces that he wants to open a shop for his furniture-making business, it causes a huge row with his family - "numerous arguments with his father, fits of rage from his mother and laughter from his siblings".

His mother is particularly vicious about his ambitions, she leaves him in no doubt of her disgust at the whole venture, "It won't do for them to know that you're lowering yourself to become a member of the trading class. Think of your family. Why should we suffer the gossip and humiliation because of your selfish decision to work with your hands like a common labourer?" 

(Adam's mother is clearly not aware that King Louis XVI of France was a skilled carpenter and locksmith. Nowadays, even a member of the Royal family can have his furniture-making business. David Linley makes bespoke furniture. If you've ever visited Blenheim Palace, you might have seen his work, Blenheim Bureau)

From the moment Adam moves into Coney Street, there is an immediate attraction between Thea and him. But Thea is married, and Adam has a casual relationship with a willing maid from the pub.

Adam and Thea are drawn to each other, but they cannot be together. Is there hope for their love?

Written with great empathy, The Tobacconist's Wife evokes the social norms of the Victorian England, where a woman's lot was to marry and have children. That was the main goal of a woman's life. Their rights were extremely limited. They were expected to endure their husband's control, domestic violence and sexual abuse, as well as economic deprivation.

A moving family saga, rich with historical detail, this novel speaks to the strength of the women in the most hopeless circumstances.

Potential triggers: domestic violence, death of a child.

Purchase Links 

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tobacconists-Wife-emotionally-absorbing-Victorian-ebook/dp/B08G9N75NX 

US - https://www.amazon.com/Tobacconists-Wife-emotionally-absorbing-Victorian-ebook/dp/B08G9N75NX

Author Bio – Award winning & Amazon UK Bestseller AnneMarie Brear has been a life-long reader and started writing in 1997 when her children were small. She has a love of history, of grand old English houses and a fascination of what might have happened beyond their walls. Her interests include reading, travelling, watching movies, spending time with family and eating chocolate - not always in that order! She is the author of historical family saga novels.

Social Media Links – 

http://www.annemariebrear.com 

http://www.facebook.com/annemariebrear 

http://www.twitter.com/annemariebrear 

http://www.instagram.com/annemariebrear

Happy publication day to The Tobacconist's Wife and her author!

Many thanks to AnneMarie Brear and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book!

Into the Void by Christina O'Reilly

 

Archie studied Richard Harper's photograph. He certainly looked like a player: revoltingly handsome, enhanced white teeth, a tan that was probably fake, an aristocratic nose and a smile that blazed with smug self-satisfaction.

"Looks can be deceiving," he muttered, partly in reply and partly to remind himself of the old maxim. Already he could feel an instinctive dislike for Harper welling up inside him.

DSS John (Archie) Baldrick is the main protagonist of Christina O'Reilly's debut crime novel Into the Void.

The plot revolves around the disappearance of the banker Richard Harper. His wife Helena reports him missing. He was meant to leave on a business trip to Auckland, but he doesn't come back home. Helena is seriously ill, undergoing a chemo, and insists that he wouldn't leave her deliberately. Archie and his side-kick Detective Constable Ben Travers are not so sure. 

Another woman, Lisa Carpenter, has come forward claiming that she and Richard are in a relationship. Moreover, she is expecting their child, and believes her lover would never abandon her in this situation. Two women, both claiming that he would not do a disappearing act on them.

Digging into Harper's business affairs, the investigation team discovers that he has been receiving abusive emails from his desperate clients in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis, "You do that and I'll kill you... Remember, I know where you live".

And then Lisa is savagely attacked in the evening. She has been in hiding from her abusive ex for two years. Did he finally manage to catch up with her?

Archie's home life is also fraught with tension. His wife prefers to spend her time, doing yoga and coming up with annoying positive-vibe slogans, like "You've got to stop being so negative and start believing that everything is going to be OK... Leave it to the universe". Well, you know the type. His teen daughters are asserting their independence by being difficult and getting in all kinds of trouble.

And while Helena Harper looks frail and vulnerable, she appears kind and wise, and ready to listen sympathetically to Archie's problems. As a former nurse, she dispenses useful advice on the eating disorders in teens. Archie is a relatable character, he is very patient with his womenfolk, who are basically a pain in the neck. The wife cannot seem to see any issues with her daughters, happy in her little hippie world. The daughters, like typical teens, are testing the boundaries.

I also liked the character of Travers, who is the epitome of the human hoover and is constantly hungry. 

Archie is struggling, trying to find out who is responsible for Richard's disappearance and attack on Lisa. The list of suspects and possible leads is growing. It is a race against time for the investigation team to find what's happened to Richard Harper before it's too late.

I have probably read way too many mysteries and crime novels, as I sussed out the main culprit early in the story. 

This tense mystery is tightly written, with deft characterisation, and keeps you turning the pages. It's a look inside of what's really going on behind the closed doors.

I hope this is the first book in the series, and we'll see more of Archie and Travers.

Longlisted for the 2019 Michael Gifkins Memorial Prize for an Unpublished Novel.

Finalist in the 2020 Ngaio Marsh Awards for Best First Novel.

Purchase Links 

US - https://www.amazon.com/Into-Void-Christina-OReilly-ebook/dp/B08529J3DY

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Into-Void-Christina-OReilly-ebook/dp/B08529J3DY 

Or readers can email Christina via her website www.christinaoreilly.com or her Facebook page Christina O’Reilly – Author for a paperback copy.

Author Bio –

Christina is an author and proofreader living in the Waikato region of New Zealand. Several of her short stories have been published in anthologies, most recently in Fresh Ink: A Collection of Voices from Aotearoa New Zealand 2019. Into the Void is her first crime novel and was longlisted for the Michael Gifkins Memorial Prize in 2019. It is also a finalist in the 2020 Ngaio Marsh Awards for Best First Novel. 

Social Media Links – 

https://www.facebook.com/Christina-OReilly-Author-102419694721372/?modal=admin_todo_tour

Many thanks to Christina O'Reilly and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book.

The Purple Shadow by Christopher Bowden

 

Was he being threatened or merely warned off? Why should any harm come to him anyway? He'd just been asking a few questions.

The Purple Shadow by Christopher Bowden is a mystery with a supernatural twist.

This is a slow-paced and slightly unsettling read, with mystic goings-on, related to a strange piece of art. 

Colin Mallory, the main protagonist of the novel, is an actor between jobs, who happens to be in Paris on his own, while his girlfriend is elsewhere with a film crew. 

He meets Madame Ducasse at the exhibition organised by the partner of his sister. Madame, "embodying the chic, the quiet authority, of the gallery itself" invites Colin and Paul for dinner at her place. While the hostess is headed to the kitchen, two men look at the eclectic collection of pictures and ornaments in the sitting room.

They are both drawn to a painting above the fireplace, it is a portrait of a woman in her mid-twenties, painted in the 1930s. She is looking directly at the viewers "with a knowing smile and a hint of complicity. Or so it seemed. The effect was disconcerting".

Paul, who's an art expert, thinks this is a work of Vuillard. Marion explains that this is the portrait of her great-aunt Sylvie Charlot, who died a few years ago at the age of a hundred and something. She lived in this apartment all her life.

Later Paul and Colin discuss the painting's details and the lack of the artist's signature. There is a stain on the rug in the picture which looks odd, "almost random, as if it's a shadow of something outside the picture".

What's even more odd, that the stain shifts its position, when they look at the photos on the phone later.

Colin cannot explain why he is so drawn to the artwork. "The history of the painting was none of his business and he would be back in London before long... But there was something about the portrait of Sylvie Charlot, something compelling, that was driving him on. He could not let go".

He tries to find out who Sylvie was, and what is the creepy mystery behind the painting. Colin discovers that Sylvie was a star of the fashion world before the war and was hobnobbing with the most famous artists, musicians and artists. Now her legacy is mostly forgotten. As for the portrait, it has a life of its own.

"Sylvie herself was enjoying the attention, Paul said. Her smile seemed to become broader, her expression more knowing, almost mischievous, as if she were playing a game. And the shadow on the rug... The only thing was, its position in the photographs wasn't quite as he remembered from the painting; the shadow seemed a slightly different size and shape and a bit closer to Sylvie".

Paul is trying to monitor the position of the shadow by marking its position in each photo with Post-it notes. "There was no doubt that the shadow had shifted. Not just once and not just closer to Sylvie".

The enthusiastic duo come to a conclusion that the picture must have been a double portrait, which was cut in half. Colin feels captivated by Sylvie, as if they have an invisible connection. Is she appealing to him, hoping he would reveal the mystery? 

His pursuit of the origins of the painting are not as harmless as they sound. He is warned against it, the people who know its secrets "would not want any harm to come to you", they tell Colin.

"Harm? Why should I come to any harm?"

"All being well, you won't. But I must advise you not to pursue your interest in the portrait of Sylvie Charlot".

Despite the warning, Colin is determined to find out the truth about the painting, why it was divided in two, and why it was hidden from view for many years. Was it a sensible decision? Colin is feeling troubled. "It was the nights, the dark shadows in passages and doorways, the feeling that he was being followed, that it was unwise to linger. He no longer felt comfortable, even in places he knew well".

Colin's research brings him into the past of the film and theatre world of Paris and London before the war, and to the present-day Sussex. As the secrets keep unravelling, the seems little doubt "that the portrait, and images of it, had unusual properties, almost a life of their own".

The Purple Shadow is an enjoyable and enthralling mystery, which will keep you baffled until the very end. This book transports you to the theatre and film world before the war.

Purchase Links 

UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Purple-Shadow-Christopher-Bowden-ebook/dp/B01JLMD7N4/ 

US - https://www.amazon.com/Purple-Shadow-Christopher-Bowden-ebook/dp/B01JLMD7N4/ 

France - https://www.amazon.fr/Purple-Shadow-Christopher-Bowden-ebook/dp/B01JLMD7N4/

Author Bio – Christopher Bowden lives in south London. He is the author of six colour-themed novels, which have been praised variously by Andrew Marr, Julian Fellowes, Sir Derek Jacobi, and Shena Mackay. 

Social Media Links – 

https://www.facebook.com/christopher.bowden.90 

Website - http://www.christopherbowden.com

This book review is part of the blog tour.

Many thanks to Christopher Bowden, Langton & Wood and Rachel's Random Resources for my copy of the book!

The Forger and the Thief by Kirsten McKenzie

The River roared, her rage palpable as she whipped Galileo into a maelstrom of bones and dirt and filth, mixing his remains with those of Michelangelo and Niccolò Machiavelli. Her fury implacable as she rushed through the empty tomb of Dante, screaming his name. Dante's vision of hell nothing compared to what she was unleashing upon Florence's population.

The Forger and the Thief by Kirsten McKenzie is a historical crime mystery, with the supernatural twist. It grips you from the beginning.

It is wonderfully dark and original, drenched in a sense of place. 

The action is expertly constructed as a series of tableaux, coming to life.

At first glance, the short chapters occur disconnected and having not much in common between them, except the location. Then gradually, there's a build-up of stories and actions, and they all end up inter-connected and inter-woven into one masterful tapestry.

There are several characters whose lives we follow, they appear as the cast on stage, one by one.

The Guest:

We meet Richard Carstone who arrives to Florence to attend the wedding of his brother's widow, Julia. She'd fallen in love with the Italian guy. "The Italian swooping in, sweeping her off her feet with his European charm and his money and his connections to the art world Julia adored, a world closed to Richard". He is resentful and cherishes a secret dream of winning her over, after all, she was his girlfriend before she married his brother.

The Wife:

Rhonda Devlyn first appears as a fugitive from America. "Terrified of losing her newfound liberty, Rhonda... is fully expecting an official tap on the shoulder, to send her back to America.

She'd never been to Italy, but Florence felt like an old friend, reminding her of a comfortable quilt stored in the cupboard waiting till winter hit". A victim of domestic violence, Rhonda hopes to sell a valuable piece of antiques which she stole from her husband to enable her to start anew, away from abuse.

The Student:

Helena Stolar's plans are to stay on the intern programme at the Manzoni Art Institute for three months, learning the advanced technique for fresco painting and restoration. Her tutor is a renowned artist and restorer Feodor Sim.

"It had fascinated Helena to watch Sim mix his concoctions, sampling them on tiny pieces of prepared canvas or board, depending on which artist he was mimicking. He would make a superb forger with the attention to detail he gave every sweep of the brush".

Like all the characters in the book, Helena has a hidden agenda of her own:

"Helena chose Florence for her work experience, to access the best tutors and base materials, but also to look for the art stolen from her family during the war."

The Cleaner:

Stefano works at the cleaner in the museum, but he is more than that. He notices everything happening around him, not trusting the security staff to keep an eye on the public. The galleries are his domain.

"It filled Stefano's heart to see Italy's cultural treasures on show. As he stood in the darkened reception rooms, he imagined hearing the voices of the past - plotting and planning, scheming and salivating over secrets and lies. His life was nothing like that of the families who'd lived within these walls, but he didn't envy them their lives. His was a simple one, one he enjoyed living. He lived for art, and knew he appreciated it more than the visitors who traipsed the halls, ticking off another museum on their grand tour". He is a tragic but disquieting character.

The Policeman:

Antonio is a misogynistic, unpleasant man, lazy at work, who doesn't seem to have any redeeming features. His career is almost over. While waiting for his retirement, he has to deal with pickpockets and theft in the hotels.

Five people with secrets and lies become entangled in the forger's sinister web. The drama unfolds against the devastating flood of the Arno river.

The River:

The river is the living creature, with the mind and memories of its own. Its descriptions are most powerful and reflect the real events which happened in Florence in 1966. The flood of the Arno killed 101 people and destroyed thousands of artwork and rare books.

These are the main characters in the story.

And while not being given a separate order of entry, there is a piece of art, which brings several characters together - The Wreck by Nicolae Vermont. "A canvas no bigger than a magazine, oil on wood depicting a small tender wrecked on an outcrop of rocks in a storm with a man and a woman huddled under the darkened clouds, their faces turned from the artist showing only a profile of fear."

Helena is able to pick up a faint trace of where the painting might be. She doesn't accuse the private collector of holding pillaged artwork, but she is not careful enough in dealing with the dangerous art world.

I didn't know much about this episode of history of Florence, and found it fascinating and also heart-breaking.

While the river was raging, volunteers rushed to the art galleries and libraries to rescue Florence's masterpieces. Helena also joins "one of the world's greatest civilian-led rescue and recovery operation of priceless art, antiquities, and books. Tens of thousands of books and manuscripts, attacked by the unprecedented flood waters.. All that mattered was saving the art, the statues, the books, the icons".

I was less keen on the supernatural element introduced later in the story, about the artist with the devil-like attributes. I understand this character appears in another book, which probably explains some of his back story and magical abilities. For me that addition to the plot was more of an after-thought, which didn't bring much to the real drama of what was happening in Florence. 

Purchase Link - https://www.books2read.com/forgerandthief

Author Bio:

 

A full time author, Kirsten is a former customs officer and antiques dealer, and who has also dabbled in film and television.

 

Her historical time-slip series - The Old Curiosity Shop Series, has been described as 'Time Travellers Wife meets Far Pavilions', and 'Antiques Roadshow gone viral'.

Kirsten released her bestselling gothic horror novel Painted in 2017, with her medical thriller - Doctor Perry, following in 2018.

 

Her latest thriller - The Forger and the Thief, is set in 1966 Florence, Italy, amidst the devastating floods. Kirsten lives in New Zealand with her husband, her daughters, two rescue cats.

 

Social Media Links:

Website: www.kirstenmckenzie.com

Twitter: @kiwimrsmac

Facebook: www.facebook.com/KirstenMcKenzieAuthor

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/kirstenmckenzieauthor

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Kirsten-McKenzie/e/B01F0R5TPS

BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/kirsten-mckenzie

Pinterest: www.pinterest.nz/kiwimrsmac

Instagram: @kiwimrsmac

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/KirstenMcKenzieAuthor

This book review is part of the blog tour.

Many thanks to Kirsten McKenzie and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

Rachel to the Rescue by Elinor Lipman

"The Trump book that could only be published abroad"

Stacy Schiff

RACHEL TO THE RESCUE

By Elinor Lipman

Will Rachel Klein bring down the President?

Or will he do that all by himself?

3 November 2020 *paperback £8.99*

ISBN: 9781785632556

Rachel Klein is sacked from her job at the White House after she sends an email criticising Donald Trump. As she is escorted off the premises she is hit by a speeding car, driven by what the press will discreetly call ‘a personal friend of the President’. Does that explain the flowers, the get-well wishes at a press briefing, the hush money offered by a lawyer at her hospital bedside? Rachel’s recovery is soothed by comically doting parents, matchmaking room-mates, a new job as aide to a journalist whose books aim to defame the President, and unexpected love at the local wine store. But secrets leak, and Rachel’s new-found happiness has to make room for more than a little chaos. Will she bring down the President? Or will he manage to do that all by himself?
 Rachel to the Rescue is a mischievous political satire, with a delightful cast of characters, from one of America’s funniest novelists. Uniquely among Elinor Lipman’s 13 comic novels, it is being published in the UK first. ELINOR LIPMAN was born in Massachusetts and is the author of 12 previous novels. Her first one, Then She Found Me, was published in 1990 and was adapted into a film starring Helen Hunt, Bette Midler and Colin Firth. She won the New England Book Award in 2001, and her novel My Latest Grievance won the Paterson Fiction Prize. She lives in Manhattan, as well as in upstate New York. ‘Like an inspired alchemist, Lipman has converted serious subjects into humour’ New York Times
 ‘An enchanting, infinitely witty yet serious, exceptionally intelligent, wholly original and Austen-like stylist’ Fay Weldon
 ‘Elinor Lipman writes witty and smart Cinderella stories. Imagine an American Anita Brookner with younger and more spirited protagonists’ Times Literary Supplement *  

Ebook published 16 October. Print edition out on US election day, 3 November *

More information: Scott Pack scott@eye-books.com 

Lightning Books is the fiction imprint of Eye Books | www.eye-books.com

The Game Weavers by Rebecca Zahabi #BlogTour

It's a long walk down the field, and while he treads the soft ground, everything is focused on him. The people. The cameras. The people behind the cameras, watching the match live. He can feel the pressure of their gazes: the men seated around him roughing their throats by screaming his name, the ones yelling in their local pub as their friend brings pints to the table.

 

The Game Weavers by Rebecca Zahabi (Zuntold Publishing) is an inspired mix of genres - YA fantasy/magical realism and dystopian fiction with LGBTQ+ themes.

Seo and Minjun are two brothers, Korean by birth, adopted by the British parents. Abandoned by their birth mother, they had to support each other from an early age.

There is a special bond between the brothers, who had nobody but each other to rely on through their childhood in the orphanage, and were later adopted by Papa who only sees them as valuable money-spinning tools and not people to love and take care of.

"Seo swore he would never leave Minjun's side, that he would hang on to him with both hands, that he would tie himself to his brother, that he would howl and break tables and that theyw ould never, ever succeed in separating them... They were never separated, but the shadow of that threat hung over them".

Minjun grows up in the shadow of his superstar brother. Minjun is an endearing child, who loves his big brother. 

Seo is a gifted weaver. This is where the magical realism is at its best in the novel. Weaving is the futuristic game of great creativity and possibilities. The scenes of Twine battles are exceptionally detailed and will appeal to anyone who enjoys artistic side of gaming. The creatures appearing on the battlefield are fantastical - they made me think of the compound animals and demi-humans from Hieronymus Bosch's artwork.

Twine is woven via the fingertips of players. This game is taxing on the players' health, and they retire from the big game while still very young.

"He spreads out his hands. They glow yellow, then orange. threads emerge from underneath his nails, shining out of the skin. They weave themselves together, the fingers knitting their light-made lace until the threads form a fabric heading out of the glass panes and towards the field. They cross the glass without so much as a shudder. Seo crafts his land".

Seo is intuitive, sharing the thoughts and moods of his pawns (Twine creations). "Pawns don't think. They don't articulate complex ideas like those. But they feel deep, primitive sensations - and Seo senses it too, the greatness of space above his head, the tug upwards. And he can put words on it. He can understand it in a way they don't..."

Seo is at first a tragic character, he's hiding his sexuality and thus denies his identity, as his chances of a professional weaver would dwindle drastically if he comes out as gay. He knows how cruel and hostile the world of Twine is to anyone who doesn't conform.

And when he's forced to come out, he drops down from his god-like position to the one, where he's derided and mocked even by his former fans. The scenes of jeering and taunts are painful to read.

The world described in the novel is a dystopian present, where the society has taken a step backwards in regards to the LGBTQ+ rights.

Twine is Seo's world, and to keep his fans at bay, he announces that he is bi. He is hiding his true feelings for Jack, from everyone around him, and even from himself. Only Minjun and Jack's flatmate know about his visits to Seo's flat. 

Seo is socially awkward, and while his understanding of the pawns is intuitive, he finds the real life relationships difficult to decipher. Jack is torn between caring for Seo and being angry with him. For him, his lover is "computer-like. Seo's a drone, that's what he is, manipulated at a distance by someone who has no understanding of how humans are supposed to work..."

With the biggest match of his career ahead of him, Seo has to find his place in the world. Will he reveal the secret which could change everything?

As a book blogger, I often find that I might be reading books on a certain topic/theme in a close succession by pure accident (several books that I'm going to review soon are all about art and mysterious paintings). LGBTQ fiction is not a genre I read often, but in the last month, I finished two books, where the main protagonist is exploring their sexuality (this was one of the plotlines in a wonderfully creative Bjørn Larssen's Children) and is also displaying characteristics of higher functioning autism. 

The Game Weavers is an exploration of self-identity and accepting who you really are.

The book will appeal to the fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent.

Many thanks to Rebecca Zahabi and ZunTold for my ARC!