I cannot express enough how grateful I am to Alison Menzies for a copy of Literary Wonderlands, edited by Laura Miller, in return for an honest review.

Published by Modern Books on 26th October 2017, Literary Wonderlands is available for purchase in hardback here.

Literary Wonderlands

Imaginary worlds have captivated readers since the first works of literature.

Lovingly researched and beautifully produced, Literary Wonderlands explores the timeless, captivating features of literature’s greatest fictional worlds and the minds that created them.

The book is comprised of nearly 100 sections, each of which details the plot of a famous fantasy world, the historical circumstances that surrounded its production, the author’s inspiration, and the place it holds in the public imagination.

Roaming from classic tales including C.S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia to Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials, this truly global collection chronicles over two thousand years of literary creation.

Accompanied by stunning visuals that elucidate the production of each work, Literary Wonderlands is an enchanting read for anyone who has ever been transported to another place through the power of the written word.

My Review of Literary Wonderlands

Literary Wonderlands explores the settings and creation of books spanning 4,000 years.

If you’ve ever read a book of any kind and enjoyed it then Literary Wonderlands is the book for you. It is a stunning book to have. I absolutely love it.

One of the great pleasures of ‘real’ books for me is the presentation. It might sound ridiculous, but Literary Wonderlands appeals to almost all my senses. The quality of the materials here is so lovely to touch with smooth, crisp pages that make the spine give a satisfying creak as they are turned. The book even smells like a book should. However, the real triumph is in the fantastic illustrations. There’s everything from classical art to film stills, author images to book covers that make simply flicking the pages a delight. I was almost tempted to lick it to see if taste was represented too, but stopped short of that!

Sublimely researched, there is an eclectic mix of books to discover and enjoy in Literary Wonderlands. Each entry has detailed information such as the original date of publication, a brief synopsis, something about the author, the book’s impact in society, different versions and representations as well as glorious illustration so that there is so much more to discover and enjoy even for those not especially interested in books themselves.

What I especially enjoyed was plotting my bookish journey in life through the pages of Literary Wonderlands. Books I read as a child like Peter Pan, books I studied at university such as One Hundred years of Solitude and books I have taught to students such as The Time Machine, or enjoyed as an adult like Pullman’s trilogy drew me in and rekindled long forgotten memories.

It’s difficult to express what an outstanding book this is. Opening the pages of Literary Wonderlands makes my heart glad and my soul sing. It’s just perfect and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

About Laura Miller

Laura Miller is currently books and culture columnist at Slate. In 1995, she co-founded Salon.com and worked there as an editor and staff writer for 20 years. Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, Harper’s, the Guardian, the Los Angeles Times, the Wall Street Journal and many other publications, including the New York Times Book Review, where she wrote the Last Word column for two years. She is the editor of The Salon.com Reader’s Guide to Contemporary Authors (Penguin, 2000). She lives in New York.

You can follow Laura Miller on Twitter @magiciansbook.

I’m so pleased to welcome Anna-Maria Athanasiou, author of La Casa d’Italia For Starters, to Linda’s Book Bag today. I really wish I had had time to read La Casa d’Italia For Starters as it looks a smashing narrative, especially as Anna-Maria’s guest post today about fate really resonates with me and I’m delighted to be sharing it with you.

Published on 7th December 2017, La Casa d’Italia For Starters is the first book in Anna-Maria’s new trilogy La Casa d’Italia series and is available for purchase in e-book and paperback here.

La Casa d’Italia For Starters

Step into La Casa d’Italia, a place for new beginnings, and let destiny take care of the rest.

When Dani’s trust is shattered, her life disintegrates around her. She loses her home, her job and her man. With few choices left, she starts over again, hoping to forget her hurtful past and move on.

Fate leads her through the doors of the popular Italian restaurant La Casa d’Italia, and into the path of Jerome Ferretti, a married man and highly successful leisure industry mogul. A man who seems to have everything he could ever want: a thriving empire, a beautiful family, good looks and the respect of everyone who knows him.

She is everything Jerome has ever needed. He is everything Dani could ever want. Their chemistry is undeniable, their paths destined to cross, their fate ultimately sealed. Except he’s off limits.

A story of new beginnings.

Written in the Stars? My Brush with Fate

A Guest Post by Anna-Maria Athanasiou

I have always felt that some great power is leading us onto a certain path. I’m not necessarily talking about a religious greater power, just some force that sets us in a specific direction. We have choices along this path but ultimately the final destination is always the same, though the journey may meander a little.

I’ve often thought to myself “Why am I going through this?” or “Why am I even in this place?” and then suddenly it all makes sense. It’s my destiny or fate, or just how it’s meant to be.

I’m of Greek Cypriot origins but was born and brought up in the north of England. While I was proud of my heritage, I fully embraced the British culture too. I had decided from an early age that I wanted to make a career for myself; marriage was the furthest thing on my mind. My dear departed grandmother always told me I’d marry a Greek man and I would always scoff at her words. It was a running joke between us, my point blank refusal and rejection to the idea and her constant teasing.

I was lucky enough to secure a place at college to study Hotel Catering and my dream to have my own restaurant one day started to look attainable. My studies took me to Switzerland which I can easily say was one of the best experiences of my life, even though it meant I was away from my home and family. This was a time without mobile phones, internet, social media and telephone calls were expensive! So a once a week phone call back home and endless letters were the only way to keep in touch.

At the same time as I was embracing further education and a new adventure, a young man was reluctantly leaving his home in Cyprus to go and study in the UK. The idea of further education was the last thing on his mind but his parents insisted that he should get a degree. He was flung into a completely contrasting culture and country, unable to communicate and make friends. The Cypriot consulate took him under his wing and introduced him to my cousin and brother. The three of them became firm friends and spent the next couple of years partying hard and embracing the single student life. They holidayed together on a few occasions, staying with family and friends and basically caused havoc!

Throughout my time away the weekly phone calls home were peppered with news of my brother’s antics and his new friend Marios. The letters I received were also full of stories of what my cousin, brother and Marios had been up to.

After securing a job in Switzerland for once I’d finished my degree, I returned to complete my last nine months of studies. I had one week at home after an absence of two years to spend with my family before I went back to college.

I’d put my car in for a service and was frustrated that I couldn’t do the last bits of running around before I was due to leave. I would’ve normally borrowed my brother’s car, while he was sleeping off the previous evening’s antics, but he’d let his friend Marios drive it as he was over the limit.

I was stranded at home until lunchtime when there was a hard knock at the door. I opened it to find a tall, dark, brooding man holding my brother’s car keys. His handsome face broke into a big smile and said.

“Oh you must be Anna-Maria.”

To which I replied,

“And you must be Marios.”

Nine months later we were married.

Marios had never wanted to study, let alone come to the UK. Out of all the Greek Cypriot men in the large community, the consulate contacted my cousin and brother to befriend him. Over the two years I’d been studying I’d had the odd visit back home but Marios had always either been away or studying for exams, so our paths had never crossed until that moment.

I wasn’t supposed to be at home that morning and in fact it was unusual for Marios to be up that early, but his girlfriend was leaving that day! Oh yes I forgot to mention that. Needless to say they didn’t last.

We’ve been together 30 years last October. I guess my Grandmother knew a thing or two about my fate!

(This is just brilliant Anna-Maria. My husband was delayed getting to Nottingham University to do his PGCE by a year because he’d been writing up his PH.D and looking after things at home following his father’s massive stroke. I was late to a seminar as I’d got lost on campus. There was one seat left next to him. We moved in together less than a week later and got married ten months after that. 2018 sees our 35th wedding anniversary! So, yes, I agree – we all get a brush with fate!)

About Anna-Maria Athanasiou

Anna-Maria Athanasiou wrote her first books, The Waiting for Summer novels in secret, firstly because she never thought she’d finish them and secondly, it was a completely new territory for her. Throughout her life Anna-Maria had regularly created scenarios and stories in her head, thinking that one day she would finally put them down on paper. Eventually, in the September of 2011 she took the plunge and started to write down an idea that she’d been creating for almost ten years. Waiting for Summer books one and two are the result of her small idea, and she finally had them published in September 2013 and June 2014.

She lives in Cyprus with her family and has penchant for cake, tea, whisky, wine and a healthy obsession with shoes. Anna-Maria loves the fantasy land of romantic fiction, and is passionate about bringing her stories and characters to life.

You can find Anna-Maria on Facebook and can follow her on Twitter @AMAthanasiou.

I absolutely adore Shelley Wilson, author of Oath Breaker, and she has become a genuine friend since I began blogging so I’m delighted to welcome her back Linda’s Book Bag today to stay in with me and tell me more about one of her novels.

I’ve previously interviewed Shelley here on the blog and she has explained here why she also writes for the self-help market. Speaking of which, I have reviewed one of Shelley’s self-help books, Motivate Me: Weekly Guidance for Happiness and Wellbeing here too.

If you’re an author who’d also like to stay in with me to tell me about one of your books, please click here for more details.

Staying in with Shelley Wilson

Welcome back to Linda’s Book Bag, Shelley. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Hi Linda, thanks for inviting me along for a lovely night in. I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve brought my slippers and a bag of popcorn!

(That sounds like my kind of evening – nice and comfy and some snacks!)

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

As you know, I’m a huge fan of paranormal, mythology, and fantasy stories. My reading pile resembles the library at Hogwarts! As an avid fantasy reader, it was inevitable that I’d write for the same genre, so I’ve decided to share my latest young adult book with you. Oath Breaker is about werewolves and hunters so you might want to grab that cushion, Linda!

(Oh you know me too well!)

The reason I decided to bring Oath Breaker with me is to try and tempt you over to the dark side, oops, I mean paranormal side. People often shy away from this genre because they don’t understand it, but at the heart of any story are the characters and their goal. It’s the mc and their band of merry men that entice the reader to turn the page. One of the best reviews I received for Oath Breaker was from a reviewer who doesn’t like fantasy or young adult novels but saw the positive feedback I received and was tempted to give it a go. She messaged to tell me she was reading it and would be honest with me. As I know YA isn’t her thing I had no expectations. When I received a glowing four-star review, I was blown away. She had connected with the characters, could feel their pain, joy, and passion, she wanted the heroine to succeed and was happy when the bad guys got what they deserved. Yes, there are werewolves in it, but at the heart of the story is a sixteen-year-old girl with a strong heart.

Never be afraid to read an alternative genre to your usual choice, you might be surprised.

(Actually, I agree. I do avoid paranormal or horror very often, but I have always been surprised by how brilliant the books are when I read them. I may be approaching my 60s but I love YA fiction so I think you may just have persuaded me to read Oath Breaker!)

What can we expect from an evening in with Oath Breaker?

Okay, I’ll admit it. There might be a little bit of blood and gore, but no more than you’d find in a crime novel, or a horror book. Oath Breaker starts when a giant wolf jumps through the window and rips out the throat of our heroine’s dad. Don’t worry; she’s fine – a bit shook up, understandably, but she’s okay.

(Er, yes. Understandably!)

Not sure what’s going to happen to her now, Mia wishes she could find her brother who walked out ten years earlier after their mother died. Instead, a mysterious uncle arrives and takes her to a boarding school deep in the woods. However, Hood Academy isn’t a normal school, it’s a training academy for werewolf hunters.

Mia trains as a hunter, but she doesn’t feel right about it. Thanks to the school bully, Felicity, our heroine spends a fair bit of time running away. She meets a handsome young man in the woods who tells her about the wolves and his fears that the academy is evil.

Mia discovers a dark secret beneath the school and learns a tough truth about her family and the wolves.

Will she destroy the pack, or will she follow them?

(This sounds really exciting Shelley.)

As you know, I’m a sucker for a vampire story (no pun intended!), but I’ve never felt the pull to write my own vampire novel. Werewolves on the other hand just sprang to mind when I was helping my daughter with her creative writing homework. She had to think about re-writing a fairy tale. I offered up an idea of turning Little Red Riding Hood into a werewolf assassin. My daughter (chick flick lover) was not impressed (I’m sure you can picture the eye roll), but I couldn’t get the story out of my mind, so I developed it into Oath Breaker.

(I love hearing where authors get their inspiration.)

What else have you brought along and why?

I hope I’ve managed to convince you to give Oath Breaker, and the young adult paranormal genre a go, but if not I’ve brought along my character scrapbook, hopefully, this will calm your nerves after all the claws and teeth action.

I’m a visual learner, and this seems to have transferred over to my writing. Before I start a new book, I’ll create a Pinterest board and add images and ideas for the novel. I also choose celebrities to ‘star’ in my book. When I’m writing, I see the story playing out in my head like a movie so picturing a specific character as an actor/actress brings the role to life for me. It’s also a great excuse for spending an hour drooling over handsome chaps! My scrapbook is full of character inspiration for Oath Breaker.

Adelaide Kane (Reign) is my inspiration for Mia with a younger version of Alex Pettyfer (The Last Witness) as Cody. Elizabeth would be played by Nicola Peltz (Bates Motel), and Lucien Laviscount (Waterloo Road) is Adam. Sebastian and Miss Ross were inspired by Dylan McDermott (The Practice) and Halle Berry (X-Men). It’s huge fun to cast famous celebs in your work in progress. You can check out Oath Breaker’s Pinterest board here.

Thanks so much for staying in with me to talk about Oath Breaker Shelley – you never know, it might reach the top of my TBR sooner than you think.

Thank you for inviting me over, Linda, I had so much fun. Now, pass the popcorn!

Oh! Were we meant to share it…

Oath Breaker

Will she follow the pack…
Or will she destroy them?

A dead mother.
A violent father.
A missing brother.

When Mia’s father is murdered, it’s her estranged uncle that comes to the rescue, but what he offers her in return for his help could be worse than the life she is leaving behind.

Taken to Hood Academy, a unique school deep in the forest, she discovers friendships, love, and the courage to stand on her own.

As she trains hard, Mia takes the oath that seals her future as a werewolf hunter, but not everyone wants Mia to succeed.

Screams in the night. Secret rooms. Hidden letters. Mia becomes an important piece in a game she doesn’t want to play.

Will the truth set her free, or will it destroy her?

Published by BHC Press you can purchase Oath Breaker through the links here.

About Shelley Wilson

Shelley is a multi-genre author of non-fiction self-help and young adult fantasy fiction. Her How I Motivated Myself to Succeed is being dubbed as the sequel-that’s-not-a-sequel to her bestselling book, How I Changed My Life in a Year. She writes a personal development blog (www.motivatemenow.co.uk) as well as an author blog (www.shelleywilsonauthor.com) where she shares book reviews, author interviews, and random musings about writing. Shelley was thrilled to win the Most Inspirational Blogger Award at the Bloggers Bash in 2016, and to scoop second place in the same category in 2017. She is a single mum to three teenagers and a black cat, loves pizza, vampires, and The Walking Dead, and has a slight obsession with list writing.

You can find out more about Shelley on her author blog or via her personal development blog. You can also follow Shelley on Twitter @ShelleyWilson72 and find her on Facebook (or here on Facebook for YA writing) and Instagram.

You’ll find all Shelley’s books here.

I think I’m regressing to my past the nearer I get to 60 as I am finding I love reading children’s fiction more and more. Consequently I’m delighted to be part of this celebration of two books by Ron Butlin, illustrated by James Hutchinson; Here Come the Trolls and Day of the Trolls and I would like to thank fellow blogger Kelly at Lovebooks for inviting me to participate.

Here Come the Trolls is available for purchase here and Day of the Trolls here.

Here Come the Trolls

Through gaps in the roof we didn’t repair

through cracks in the walls we pretended weren’t there…

…the trolls have come creeping

while we were all sleeping.

Trolls on your chair, trolls in your bed –

is anything worse than a troll on your head?

What happens when your house is invaded by trolls – mischievous creatures who do nothing but cause havoc and mayhem? Find out in this zany and charming book which tells you how to get rid of them for good and make your house a troll-free zone!

Day of the Trolls

It’s the Day of the Trolls: Fart-Fart and all the trolls are back!

Join them in the shopping mall where they go wild, causing havoc as they overrun the place. But when they follow sign saying All Trolls – This Way, things turn out very differently to what Flycatcher, Bumscratcher, SnotFace, Squeer and the rest of them expected …

There’s a free audio book version of each of these books available and all you need to do is email BCBBooks@Birlinn.co.uk and say ‘Hello! Please send me my free audio copy of Here Come the Trolls/Day of the Trolls’ and you’ll receive an exclusive download code and link.

My Review of Here Come the Trolls and Day of the Trolls

Trolls are rude, ill-mannered and thoroughly revolting as they creep through holes in houses or cause havoc in shopping centres.

These two books are brilliant. Children of all ages will love the irreverent behaviour of the kind we’ve all wanted to carry out at times like poking our tongues out at others and mis-behaving in public.

I always revert to being a literacy consultant when faced with children’s fiction and look for the opportunities to promote reading, speaking and literacy in children’s fiction. Ron Butlin’s books do that in spades. The rhyme schemes are great, allowing children the opportunity to explore and have fun with language. I especially liked the invented compound adjectives like ‘fart-ripping’ that will appeal to even the most reluctant of readers. The rhythms of the language are vibrant and engaging and there’s a good use of an almost musical refrain too in Here Come the Trolls so that I think the books lend themselves brilliantly to reading aloud with children. The onomatopoeic words add to this effect with lovely examples like ‘slurp’ and children can enhance their vocabulary with new words like ‘luminous’.

Aside from the language development aspects, both The Day of the Trolls and Here Come the Trolls have really good narratives too with all kinds of adventures as the trolls create havoc so that not only are both books educational, they are fun too.

However, I actually felt sorry for the trolls as they are vilified in a window display or kicked out of the house and I think there are so many possibilities for discussion with children about how the trolls behave and are treated.

It’s impossible to review these two books without actually paying tribute to the phenomenal illustrations too. James Hutcheson enhances Ron Butlin’s words brilliantly so that each page is a real work of art.

I loved both Here Come the Trolls and Day of the Trolls and think children aged 3 – 93 will love them too.

About Ron Butlin

Ron Butlin is a poet, playwright, novelist, short story writer and opera librettist whose works have been broadcast in the UK and abroad and have been translated into many languages. His volumes of poetry include the award-winning Ragtime in Unfamiliar Bars (Secker & Warburg, 1985) and Histories of Desire (Bloodaxe, 1995). His New and Selected Poems was published by Barzan in 2005. His novels include the novels The Sound of My Voice (winner of the Prix Mille Pages 2004 and Prix Lucioles 2005, both for Best Foreign Novel), Night Visits and most recently Belonging. He was appointed Edinburgh Makar in May 2008.

You can follow Ron on Twitter @RonButlinMakar. You can also visit Ron’s website.

About James Hutcheson

James Hutcheson is Creative Director at Birlinn. He has been designing books, book jackets and album covers for many years. Based in Edinburgh UK, working as an illustrator, typographer, cartoonist and graphic designer James’ portfolio includes album covers for artists as diverse as Steve Winwood, The Incredible String Band and the mighty Phil Cunningham.

You can follow James on Twitter @SKARPHEDON.

There’s more with these other bloggers too:

My enormous thanks to Matt Hutchinson at Penguin Random House for sending me copy of The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas, translated by Elizabeth Rokkan, in return for an honest review.

The Ice Palace will be released as a Penguin Modern Classic in e-book and paperback on 25th January 2018 and is available for pre-order here.

The beautiful cover of The Ice Palace was designed by Hsiao-Ron Cheng.

The Ice Palace

‘She was close to the edge now: the ice laid its hand upon her’

The schoolchildren call it the Ice Palace: a frozen waterfall in the Norwegian fjords transformed into a fantastic structure of translucent walls, sparkling towers and secret chambers. It fascinates two young girls, lonely Unn and lively Siss, who strike up an intense friendship. When Unn decides to explore the Ice Palace alone and doesn’t return, Siss must try to cope with the loss of her friend without succumbing to a frozen world of her own making.

My Review of The Ice Palace

When newcomer Unn strikes up a sudden and intense friendship with Siss, there will be terrible consequences.

I haven’t a clue how I’m going to review The Ice Palace because I’m not sure I fully understood it. I couldn’t decide if it was a straightforward narrative, an allegory of life and death, or innocence and evil, the spiritual and the corporeal, or a combination of those elements and much more besides. I found it totally enigmatic. Whatever the intention of the writer, Tarjei Vesaas, and despite my perplexed bewilderment what I do know is that reading The Ice Palace is moving, intense and completely spellbinding. My inability to comprehend it all seemed to mirror Siss’s problems of understanding so that I almost felt myself becoming her as I read.

The construction of this novella is so clever. Firstly, other than titles like Mother, Father and Aunite, only Unn and Siss are actually named, giving them supreme importance. I have no idea if the snakelike hissing sibilance of Siss’s name was deliberate to instill an undercurrent of evil to the narrative, but her emotional and physical isolation seemed to me to fit her name and to represent the loss of innocence found between these pages as she, Unn and the boy with the boot explore their symbolic burgeoning sexuality too.

The book is divided into three sections, making me think of the holy trinity and lending the experience of reading The Ice Palace a spiritual and almost religious experience – and I am the least religious person I know! I could feel the link between the real ice that captures Unn and the emotional ice in Siss’s heart almost physically.

The language is beautiful and poetic. I found myself reading slowly to savour every word and I thought The Ice Palace was intense, captivating and magical. I loved the terrifying power of nature presented through fabulous use of the senses as we hear the cracking ice, feel its threatening cold and see its myriad colours, so that reading The Ice Palace is a completely immersive experience.

I feel awful that I cannot convey adequately what sort of book The Ice Palace is, but I can say this: I feel moved and changed by it. Read it.

About Tarjei Vesaas

Tarjei Vesaas died at the age of 72 in the same small village where he was born: Vinje in Telemark, an isolated mountainous district of southern Norway. He wrote more than twenty-five novels and was nominated thirty times for the Nobel Prize.

Having previously been privileged to interview Magdalena McGuire about Home is Nearby (here), I’m thrilled to welcome her back to Linda’s Book Bag to stay in with me and tell me a little more about the book. I also reviewed Home is Nearby here so you might like to check out that post too.

If you’re an author who’d also like to stay in with me to tell me about one of your books, please click here for more details.

Staying in with Magdalena McGuire

Welcome back to Linda’s Book Bag Magdalena. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

Thanks so much for the invitation, Linda! I’m a huge fan of your blog so it’s lovely to be featured here.

For our night in I’ve brought along my novel, Home Is Nearby. Personally I love a bit of armchair travelling – there’s nothing like journeying to different countries and different times, all from the comfort of your own home. My book, Home Is Nearby, will transport us to 1980s communist Poland, where we’ll fall in love, create art, and be forced to make a decision that will shape the course of our lives…

(Oh yes! Love travelling through fiction and I can vouch for the fact that Home is Nearby gave me incredible insight into that era of Polish history.)

What can we expect from an evening in with Home Is Nearby?

Readers have said that they ‘lost themselves’ in the world of the narrator, Ania, that they were immersed in a world of beauty amidst loss. That’s exactly what I want readers to do – to lose themselves in the book, to feel that, in this moment, Ania’s world is their own. I loved the way that you put it in your review, Linda, when you said, “The emotion I felt at the end of the book was physical so that the experience of reading Home is Nearby will stay with me for a considerable time.” That’s a huge compliment for a writer!

(And I meant every word too.)

I also hope that the book will inspire readers to think about the value of art in politically challenging times. This theme is, of course, relevant not only to Ania’s time but to our own.

(You certainly made me think about art and if you don’t mind, I’ll quote from my own review too. I said ‘Magdalena McGuire’s writing helped me appreciate and understand what art’s various forms can add to our lives. I thought the exploration of the links between art and life was incredibly interesting.’)

What else have you brought along and why?

I’ve brought along a photo of myself taken in Poland in the 1980s. We moved to Australia shortly after this photo was taken. Whenever I look at it, I can’t help but wonder what life would’ve been like if we’d stayed in Poland. In fact, that’s part of the reason why I wrote Home Is Nearby – to explore this notion of an alternative life, a life that could have belonged to me, but didn’t.

(What a gorgeous picture. I think you’re quite right. There are an awful lot of ‘what ifs’ in life.)

Thanks so much for staying in with me to talk about Home Is Nearby, Magdalena. I’ve really enjoyed it.

Home is Nearby

1980: the beginning of the Polish Crisis. Brought up in a small village, country-girl Ania arrives in the university city of Wroclaw to pursue her career as a sculptor. Here she falls in love with Dominik, an enigmatic writer at the centre of a group of bohemians and avant-garde artists who throw wild parties. When martial law is declared, their lives change overnight: military tanks appear on the street, curfews are introduced and the artists are driven underground. Together, Ania and Dominik fight back, pushing against the boundaries imposed by the authoritarian communist government. But at what cost? ‘Home Is Nearby’ is a vivid and intimate exploration of the struggle to find your place in the world no matter where you are.

Published by Impress Books on 1st November 2017, Home is Nearby is available in e-book and paperback through the publisher links here.

About Magdalena McGuire

Magdalena McGuire was born in Poland, grew up in Darwin, and now lives in Melbourne. Her short stories have been published in the UK and Australia by The Big Issue and The Bristol Prize, and by Margaret River Press respectively. She has published widely on human rights topics, including women’s rights and the rights of people with disabilities. She is an avid reader and particularly enjoys reading books about girls who like reading books. Her first novel, Home Is Nearby, is set in Poland, Australia and the United Kingdom, in the eventful period of the 1980s. She is also working on a collection of short stories that focus on questions of place, identity and unbelonging, particularly in cross-cultural contexts, as well as another historical fiction novel.

You can follow Magdalena on Twitter @Magdalena_McG and visit her website.

My grateful thanks to Anne Cater, fellow blogger and organiser of Random Things Tours, for inviting me to be part of the celebrations for Unbroken by Madeleine Black. With such an important subject I was honoured to take part.

Unbroken is published by John Blake and is available for purchase here.

Unbroken

For many years after that night, my memories of what happened after he held the blade to my throat and threatened my life were fragmented… difficult to piece together. It was too extreme, too violent for me to understand.

Violently gang-raped when she was thirteen years old, and raped three more times before the age of eighteen, Madeleine has experienced more trauma in her life than most ever will.

Living in a state of shock and self-loathing, it took her years of struggle to confront the buried memories of that first attack and begin to undo the damage it wrought, as men continued to take advantage of her fragility in the worst possible way.

Yet, after growing up with a burden no teenager should ever have to shoulder, she found the heart to carry out the best revenge plan of all: leading a fulfilling and happy life. But the road to piecing her life back together was long and painful. For Madeleine, forgiveness was the key. True forgiveness takes genuine effort. It takes a real desire to understand those who have done us so much harm. It is the ultimate act of courage.

In Unbroken, Madeleine tells her deeply moving and empowering story, as she discovers that life is about how a person chooses to recover from adversity. We are not defined by what knocks us down – we are defined by how we get back up.

My Review of Unbroken

Being abused and broken in the past does not have to define negatively who we are in the present.

My goodness Unbroken is a powerful read. It’s not for the fainthearted as Madeleine Black is uncompromising in her descriptions of what has happened to her in the past. It is this bald honesty that makes Unbroken such a compelling and frequently quite horrifying read. Madeleine Black’s style is focussed, simple and clear with no mealy-mouthed and obfuscating euphemisms. She tells things as they really are so that the reader is left with pin-sharp understanding and I have the utmost respect and admiration for her for doing so. I feel as if I have been thoroughly enlightened and jolted out of my day to day complacency. Whilst I may never have endured the kind of events Madeleine Black has taken her strength from, reading Unbroken has made me grateful for my life and determined to make the most of every day in the future. It is not just those who have had similar experiences who can benefit from reading Unbroken, but all of us, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, class, race or place in society. I’d like to see parents, teachers and teenagers especially reading it because I think it could prevent future crime and future damage to young lives.

In a world where much is made of the ‘journey’ we’ve all been on, whether that’s learning to dance or to iceskate on national television, Unbroken truly is Madeleine Black’s journey. She has several false starts and there are times when I felt frustrated by the way she was shaped by the events in her life, but not once did she lose my sympathy and my fascination. I was very interested in the different approaches and therapies she tried in order to regain control over her own destiny so that there are activities I think I might like to try out too that I wouldn’t have otherwise known about.

I can’t say I enjoyed reading Unbroken because of the terrible subject matter. However, I was moved by it, educated and ultimately uplifted and inspired.  I hope Madeleine is now truly free to fly – she absolutely deserves it. I genuinely think Unbroken might be one of the most important books of its generation.

About Madeleine Black

The sharing of her story on The Forgiveness Project’s website in September 2014, opened many doors for Madeleine in ways she never imagined and the invitations started to pour in.

She has taken part in both TV and radio interviews and has been invited to share her story at conferences, events and schools.

She recognises that she was a victim of a crime that left her silent for many years, but has now found her voice and intends to use it. Not just for her, but for so many who can’t find theirs yet.

She is married and lives in Glasgow with her husband, three daughters, her cat, Suki, and dog, Alfie.

You can find out more by following Madeleine on Twitter @madblack65, visiting her website and finding her on Facebook.

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Every time I’ve seen the cover of …to the moon and back by Patricia Asedegbega I’ve thought how much it entices me to want to read it, so I’m thrilled Patricia has agreed to stay in with me today and tell me more about it.

If you’re an author who’d also like to stay in with me to tell me about one of your books, please click here for more details.

Staying in with Patricia Asedegbega

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag Patricia. Thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

Today, I´d like to share …to the moon and back with you all. I chose this book because though it has its share of suspense; it is different from my other novels and very special because the story takes place in the city I spent my childhood in.

(I love hearing about the pull of the places from our past Patricia.)

What can we expect from an evening in with …to the moon and back?

I  loved this review about the book (because it sums up what I was trying to achieve when I wrote it), so I’d like to share part of it:

“Emotional Gripping Must Read…

Wow!!! To The Moon And Back is one emotional and gripping read, with relatable character’s who take you on a very personal and emotional journey that will leave your heart pounding, emotions running high and praying for things to work out for Anne and her life…”

(And now of course I want to read …to the moon and back even more – my TBR will never reduce!)

I hope that this book will help submerge the reader into a world that is not always easy to understand due to cultural differences; but still one rich in tradition. I tried to develop three dimensional characters that one can agree or not with, but somehow feel some degree of empathy for them. Above all, I do hope it provides an entertaining read, because as an author; one of my goals is for my reader to enjoy my work and relax with it.

(That’s one of the joys of reading Patricia – we can travel and meet new people and cultures without ever leaving home.)

What else have you brought along and why?

I am a foodie, so because of the setting of this story; I would recommend a plate of suya (hot and spicy barbecued meat which is very typical in Nigeria), some homemade bread (for those that can’t stand the heat) and of course…a glass of an excellent red Spanish wine.

(That sounds perfect. I love spicy food – though the wine is no good to me as it makes me ill so you will have to drink it all!)

…to the moon and back

Is there always a light at the end of every tunnel?

26 year old Anne is seriously beginning to question if she is ever going to find it.

After a series of devastating blows, the young nurse finally catches a break; Ben, the love of her life asks her to marry him and it suddenly feels like she can start to smile again.

But Anne has a secret that is threatening to destroy it all and this time, there is no easy way out.

Will she be able to beat the odds and have the happy ending she has always longed for?

…to the moon and back is available for purchase in e-book and paperback here.

About Patricia Asedegbega

Author of I stand corrected, …to the moon and back, When I grow up… Patricia Asedegbega Nieto was born to a Spanish mother and a Nigerian father in Madrid. As a child, she relocated with her family to Nigeria and later returned to Spain, where she acquired her BSc and master’s degree. She is currently living near Madrid with her family and her very stubborn cat, Merlin Mojito.

You can find Patricia on Facebook and visit her website. She’s also on Twitter @Patricias_Place.

It is so lovely to welcome back T.A. Williams, author of Dreaming of Florence, to Linda’s Book Bag. I’ve met Trevor on many occasions and he’s such a wonderful person that it gives me great pleasure to support his latest book.

Previously on Linda’s Book Bag T.A. Williams has written about how much of himself goes into his books here, and on why he writes books for women here.

I have also reviewed Trevor’s Chasing Shadows here, Dreaming of Venice here and To Provence, With Love here.

Dreaming of Florence was published by Canello on 8th January 2018 and is available for purchase here.

Dreaming of Florence

Fresh pasta, red wine, fine art… and love? Find enchantment this year in the magical city of Florence

When Debbie Waterson’s bicycle crashes into handsome doctor Pierluigi, she wonders if her luck has changed. Determinedly single after ending a long relationship, at last, a man worth bumping into!

Inspired to visit Florence, she soon runs headlong into that old foe: reality. But is Pierluigi the man of her dreams? Then there’s her booze obsessed boss, his forbidding secretary and her noisy inconsiderate neighbours. But could her luck be about to change? Will she find love after all?

Should a Man write Chicklit?

 A Guest Post by T.A.Williams

Wikipedia defines Chicklit as, ‘…genre fiction which addresses issues of modern womanhood, often humorously and lightheartedly.’ It seems to me there is a potential conflict here. That word issues all too often has nothing to do with humour. We all have issues and few of them make us laugh. Issues can involve work, relationships, health…. You name it, there are issues connected with it. So, as an author setting out to write about issues in a lighthearted way, I knew I would have to tread lightly.

The next problem I had to face was to what extent women readers react differently in the face of  issues, as compared to men. My own experience tells me that when it comes to the big stuff, our reactions are strikingly similar. I cried when my mum died. I cried when I had to take the old Labrador to the vet to be put down. When my business hit a bad financial patch, my wife and I were equally worried for the future. When our daughter got a place on a round the world sailing voyage, we were both concerned for her wellbeing. So, I would suggest, we all react the same way as far as the big stuff is concerned. We maybe show it in different ways, but that is as much to do with upbringing and conditioning as gender. The days of the Victorian father who hurrumphs quietly and returns to his newspaper after receiving the news of his son being eaten by cannibals are long gone. Emotions are closer to the surface nowadays for men as well as women.

The small stuff is a different matter. I acknowledge that. Shoes to me are things I put on my feet to help me walk. They are not objects of desire to be hoarded and cherished. And we all know, boys like toys. I freely admit it. Take a look in my shed. I still have wetsuits from thirty years ago and enough pieces of bikes to build a new one. But even there, that’s as much down to personality as gender.

That leaves the prickly subject of emotions. Women are moody. Women are touchy and neurotic. Men are feelingless, football-obsessed morons. Need I go on? We’ve all heard it before. But I don’t buy it. Stereotypes abound, but that doesn’t mean they are generic. I know some miserable, apparently emotionless women, and some soft-hearted men. We shouldn’t assume each sex always reacts as the stereotype dictates.

So where does that leave me? I’ve been writing for years. I write all sorts, from historical novels to thrillers. We writers have to draw upon our imagination as far as plot and characters are concerned, so why not use this same imagination to think ourselves into the heads of our readers?

My books are mostly written from the perspective of the main, female, characters and Dreaming of Florence is no exception. Debbie is no shrinking violet. When her whole world feels as if it’s falling apart, she takes a deep breath and gets on with it. I would like to think that her reaction is the same as mine would have been. Does that make her more masculine or me more feminine? I don’t think so. I think it makes us human. That’s what we all are, after all.

(Well said Trevor!)

About T.A.Williams

T.A. Williams lives in Devon with his Italian wife. He was born in England of a Scottish mother and Welsh father. After a degree in modern languages at Nottingham University, he lived and worked in Switzerland, France and Italy, before returning to run one of the best-known language schools in the UK. He’s taught Arab princes, Brazilian beauty queens and Italian billionaires. He speaks a number of languages and has travelled extensively. He has eaten snake, still-alive fish, and alligator. A Spanish dog, a Russian bug and a Korean parasite have done their best to eat him in return. His hobby is long-distance cycling, but his passion is writing.

You can find Trevor on Facebook, Goodreads and Amazon. You can also follow him on Twitter and visit his website.

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I’m so excited to welcome Cara Hunter, author of Close to Home to Linda’s Book Bag today in celebration of this first DI Fawley investigative novel. Cara has written a fabulous guest post about the positive use of social media and I would like to thank Poppy North for inviting me to be part of these celebrations for Close to Home.

Published by Penguin on 14th December 2017, Close to Home is available for purchase here.

Close to Home

HOW CAN A CHILD GO MISSING WITHOUT A TRACE?

Last night, eight-year-old Daisy Mason disappeared from a family party. No one in the quiet suburban street saw anything – or at least that’s what they’re saying.

DI Adam Fawley is trying to keep an open mind. But he knows the nine times out of ten, it’s someone the victim knew.

That means someone is lying…

And that Daisy’s time is running out.

Positive Social Media

A Guest Post by Cara Hunter

This time of year we get a lot of media stories looking back on the past twelve months, and I’ve been really struck by how negative many of those have been about social media. It’s not just the fake news or the trolling or the hate campaigns – we already knew about those – it’s deeper than that. Even the things we used to praise about social media are under scrutiny now – EM Forster may have urged us to ‘only connect’ but it seems too much connection is just as bad for you as too little. I’ve lost count of the number of New Year’s resolutions that include a commitment to live in the real world more and the virtual one less, and India Knight (one of my favourite Twitter feeds, incidentally) is not alone in deciding that she’s going to make some serious changes to how she uses social media in 2018. In short, less (depressing) news and comment, more (uplifting) nature, cooking and books.

So where does that leave us authors on social media? First and most obviously, let’s seize the chance to be positive. In every sense of the word.  More talk about writing and less about politics. More conversations, less sounding-off, however desperate the world seems.  And this isn’t just about what we say, either: making social media more positive is also about ensuring that the way we use all these infinitely distracting platforms adds to the work of writing, rather than detracts from it. We all know that social media will devour every second you give it, so it does need to be rationed. On the other hand, writing is a solitary life, and if you work from home (as most of us do), social media can limit the loneliness. Probably the best analogy is the office water cooler – great to swing by for a few minutes’ chat, but no sensible person would dream of spending the whole day there. Not least because you wouldn’t get anything done.

The other thing that the best of social media can do is widen your world. I did a lot of the research for Close to Home on Twitter, where one of the main themes is how social media responds to – and can even influence – the investigation of a crime. But it’s broader than that. At its best, social media doesn’t just find you answers to questions, it drops things in your lap you didn’t even know you were looking for. Images, anecdotes, snippets, memories. And as any writer knows, that’s where all good stories start….

(So lovely to have a positive article about social media. Thanks so much Cara.)

About Cara Hunter

Cara Hunter is the pen-name of an established novelist who lives in Oxford, in a street not unlike those featured in her series of crime books, who is starting a new life of crime in a series of Oxford-based books to be published by Viking/Penguin.

She also studied for a degree and PhD in English literature at Oxford University.

Close to Home is her debut featuring DI Adam Fawley, and her second, In the Dark, is coming soon.

You can follow Cara on Twitter @CaraHunterBooks.

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