Book reviews and a free book

Teric Darken's U-Turn Killur (yes, there's an I and and You in the title) is free on Kindle today (just follow the linke), so don't miss this chance to sample the author's seriously edgy Christian writing. He's been bleeding ink from his heart onto paper for the last twenty-five years and his cutting-edge thrillers have become known for their innovative nature:  filled with darkness, despair, light and redemption.

Meanwhile I've been letting ink from other writer's books feed my fevered brain for another week and here are very English book reviews from my vacation in England.

Brick Lane by Monica Ali combines the scents of India and the streets of London in a tale of belated coming of age where people hide truth behind tatoos, cultures hide behind the promise of fate, and society hides its secrets behind bricks and laws. Humorous, deeply absorbing and filled with great characters, this is one to enjoy with a 4-star elegant complex cup of coffee.

Children of Men by P. D. James is so much more than the movie drawn from the book. Combining global and intimately personal viewpoints on a world without children it's haunting, harried and hopeful all together and a really good read. Enjoy with another elegant complex 4-star coffee.

Black-Eyed Devils by Catrin Collier is a much shorter tale, dealing with a smaller-scale end of the world as union and management clash in the mines of Tonypandy in the early 1900s. A short sweet romance with hints of mystery and a well-researched social conscience, this is one to enjoy with 1 3-star well-balanced coffee.

 La's Orchestra saves the World by Alexander McCall Smith is a thoroughly evocative and absorbing tale of England during World War II where the small betrayals of love are set agains the larger ones of war, and human hearts win through. Enjoy with a 3-star well-balanced cup of coffee.

Plus one American novel, set in America, that enjoys a peculiarly European feel in the writing: The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender tells of a girl with a remarkable talent for reading people's emotions in the food they cook--a talent which renders family meal-times almost unbearable as she bends under the weight of too many secret thoughts. With gentle hints of the paranormal and a thoroughly engaging teen protagonist, this is one to enjoy with a 4-star complex cup of coffee.


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