The Secrets We Keep - A Review

I normally love action packed and fast reads. This one was a really, really, really predictable slow paced story, anti-climatic at times but I didn't mind it at all because the narration was very creative; very descriptive. A few punctuation errors though but that's understandable. Editing is costly and editors are human too.
Also, not only in India that widows shave their heads ;)... In many non-Muslim tribes in Africa, it's a custom for mourning.
The letters to the dead felt like info dump at times and strained me but I understand it's also a grieving process and very therapeutic so I guess it's alright.

Other things I loved about this story are the flowers mentions, drawings, and the creative way of no actual chapter numbering. I liked it.

My Rating : 3/5

Papatya* (Daisy)

The Packing House by G. Donald Cribbs

Wow! The Packing House is so poetic, so sad, and so moving all at the same time. G. Donald Cribbs's debut novel is about Joel Scrivener, a 16 year old boy who has been a victim of CSA (Child Sexual Abuse). A thing he has repressed for years without even knowing but will have to get to the bottom of before he can be whole again or at least attempt to move passed it.

The summary goes as this : "When sixteen-year-old Joel Scrivener has a raging nightmare in study hall and someone records it on their phone, he awakens to a living nightmare where everyone knows the secret he's avoided for ten years. Reeling from a series of bullying incidents posted on YouTube and an ill-timed mid-year move, Joel takes to the woods, leaving the bullies and his broken home behind. However, life as a runaway isn’t easy. Joel finds it difficult to navigate break-ins, wrestle hallucinations, and elude capture. He races to figure out who his dream-world attacker could be, piecing clues together with flashes of remembered images that play endlessly inside his head. Besides these images, the one constant thought occupying Joel’s mind is Amber Walker, the girl he’s been in love with for years. Amber sees little beyond the broken boy Joel has become, despite the letters they’ve written back and forth to each other. But Joel is stronger and more resilient than he looks, and it’s time he convinces Amber of this fact, before he runs out of chances with her for good."

Cribbs' writing is so smooth, lyrical, and so elegant. I can't 'un-picture' what Joel went through even though the narrative wasn't graphic. I recommend his book to anyone as it raises awareness about Child Sexual Abuse; a thing very close to home for me. We need to watch our children carefully especially around non-relatives we label family. Even with blood relatives, the line can be blurred. It's sickening. Statistics for CSA are alarming and ever growing. But speaking up and not turning a blind eye is the key to eradicate this wrong. Joel is a survivor and so are many of us. We need to keep writing like Cribbs and we need more stories like his to continue to raise awareness on CSA and any type of abuse out there.

I raise awareness on intimacy for the same reason because where there is no awareness, human nature become predator like and hurt lives by using unlawful and traumatizing outlets to relieve the urge. Born and made predators can be dealt with if children are being taught at a young age what boundaries they need to put on their bodies and on others trying to violate their privacy. Open the line of communication about sex the moment your children start talking. I mean it.  Start the conversation early with your children so they can tell you right away when bad things occur or they can avoid putting themselves in situations where they can be taken advantage of or in situations where they can take advantage of others. And stand by your children when they relate a disturbing tale to you and don't make them out to be liars. Children for the most part don't lie. They usually say it how it is.

In conclusion,  G. Donald Cribbs is a damn good scrivener! Excuse my language but this is how I feel about his writing skills. Get your copy by contacting him via his website  .

Thank you for reading,

Papatya*

Juniper Smoke by Sadia Ash - A Time Stopping Tale Review

Juniper Smoke is the debut novel of Author Sadia Ash. From her website, Sadia loves volunteering, fundraising, and has worked for the film/ TV industry. As an art lover, her protagonist Juniper Mills also shares the same passion. For me, Juniper was a big dork I really liked. A strong headed and independent 26 year old virgin, her life is thrown upside down when Kyle Paxton, CEO of a successful company, crosses her path. Having said that, Kyle's life also pauses because time never stops with him. I mean it literally and you will understand better what I mean when you read the book.

Now, to be honest, both leading characters were a bit reminiscent of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. However, the plot is different, not graphic at all, yet very arousing to the standards of pure romance reads. And Juniper Smoke has a steady pace. Thus, I slowly savored this 600 page + book contrarily to my past reads where I all but devoured my reading list.

For the setting of the story which revolves around history, medieval elements, pop culture, museums, and Celtic arts in particular, I believe the writing style-the name dropping- is befitting. I've always believed that this type of writing will be valuable in the future as it consolidates and reflects the age in which the writer lived. These things still date the story to some extent in my opinion. Now, it's true that technology is evolving but if no one is including the age of texting, emojis, the pop culture, etc. in their writing, there is a big chance that future generations won't have any ideas of what our lives entailed if the virtual world collapses or crushes for instance. There is a need for a paper trail as back up and I think this is the accountant part in me kicking in. To end this part, I was familiar with many references and name dropping and that made me smile because I felt like I was still culturally aware of this age I live in. That said, I had to look up a few references and I feel no shame. Just pure enlightenment.

Above all, Juniper Smoke is a very hot romance read I really enjoyed. I felt the feelings and emotions in my CORE because the narration and romance were on point. What else can I say? I'm a sucker for good romance stories. I'm looking forward to read book 3 since this version includes book 1 and book 2.

My Rating: 4.5/5 .

**I received a free ARC file in exchange for my honest review**

Behind Picket Fences – A Review

Behind Picket Fences is the second novel of Hend Hegazi, an Egyptian-American writer who lives in Alexandria, Egypt with her husband and four children. Her second novel just like the first one is nothing short than a masterpiece mA. It follows the lives of four suburban American families; one of which is Muslim. Compared to her first one, Normal Calm, Behind Picket Fences is more of a mainstream novel.

So we have Sidra and Farris, Mariam and Morgan, Summer and Porter and May and Hasan.

Sidra and Farris are successful. She’s a case worker and her knight in shining armor is a lawyer. She just yearns for one thing that money can’t buy.

Mariam is a stay home mother and this is about to change when Morgan starts having financial troubles to support her and their four beautiful children.

Summer is a vibrant young woman who is the prized possession of Porter; a semi-uptight successful Business man.

Finally, May is a mother of two who is dreaming to go back to her guaranteed editing job while she is trying to get over a little malaise so she thought.

The book stirred many emotions in me. When I first read it, I was pregnant so I attributed my feelings to my hormonal stage and brushed it aside. But it was to my surprise that when I read it again for a review, I was an even bigger emotional mess. I really enjoyed the story as it makes us realize that we should count our blessings and stop wishing for what other have behind their picket fences. Every blessed family in our eyes is facing a struggle we have no idea of because Allah never gives everything to His creations.

Hegazi captured very well the weaknesses of human nature in her second novel and hats off to her for crafting and writing so beautifully mA. I wish her all the success she deserves with this book.

Looking forward for her third novel. I know! I don’t even know if she has started penning one but I’ll be in line to read it if I live to see iA.

The book ends realistically and I’m curious to know what’s next for at least two members of these two families; Hasan + May and Morgan + Mariam. Will their paths meet somehow in the future? I wonder!

You can follow Hend Hegazi on Facebook and/or on Amazon. Finally, Hegazi also blogs at hendhegazi.wordpress.com.

**I received an advanced eCopy in exchange for my honest review**

So Complicated by Rumki Chowdhury - A Review

So Complicated is a mainstream novel I really enjoyed. The writing was very clever and deals with feminism, humor, and romance. It's also Rumki Chowdhury's second novel.

From her Amazon page, Rumki Chowdhury has an MA in English Literature from the Queen Mary University of London and a BA in English Writing from the William Paterson University of New Jersey. She was an Editorial Assistant at Pearson Education and interned at Simon and Schuster Inc. Now, she is an English teacher and writes for Hayati Magazine, while living with the best husband in the world and their two gorgeous daughters.

So Complicated centers around a die hard feminist Julie Radcliffe, the author of a very popular feminist blog called 'The Independent Woman' and James Chopin, a famous masculinist blogger whose blog's is titled 'Alpha James'. The battle of the sexes between the two lead to their overnight notoriety, and they are forced together to regain their audience back. I loved the characters of their assistants and sidekicks in this book.

The book is very funny and Chowdhury pulled off the privacy of the characters by being very subtle with her writing. Many intimate things that could easily make certain readers uncomfortable were left off to the reader to imagine. It's a great read and I give it a 4/5 stars.

Thank you for reading,

Papatya*

My thoughts on Americanah

Peace be unto you readers and bloggers. This is a different read and review compared to what I normally blog about…

Anyways, I enjoyed reading this book for many reasons. One is the fact that it addresses so well the challenges immigrants face abroad; especially the United States and the UK.

Another reason is the fact that it felt a little too real for me as I’m also an Americanah to some extent. I immigrated to the USA to further my studies when I was in my late teens. I felt the struggles of the protagonist and lived many scenarios as well. All I can say that, I’m grateful to have succeeded abroad because many loose their ways.

So race, love, bigotry, culture, corruption, religion and almost all other social ills; the book addresses it tactfully. It’s hilarious yet serious.

Three quotes stayed with me amongst many others and there are true:

• Enemy of progress (This was used to denote a uppity black British woman who looked down on African Immigrants)
• Immigrant is code for Muslim (This was used in a conversation to refer to the state of politics in the UK at some point in time)
• An African becomes black when he or she comes to the USA. Before that, race doesn’t matter to him or her and it’s a rude awakening.

I give it a 4/5. Not 5 stars because in writing you have to show rather than tell and this book does it well. However, sometimes, things were so subtle and if you didn’t carefully read between the lines you missed the point.

Overall, it’s very thought-provocative and spares no one or no race!

Thank you for reading and Gob bless!

Papatia Feauxzar

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