In the Review’s April 20 issue, Negar Azimi reviews the irresistibly titled Walking Through Clear Water in a Pool Painted Black, a collection of Cookie Mueller’s “by turns shocking and disarming, homespun yet wildly entertaining” short stories. It’s impossible to pin Mueller, an actress, writer, and indelible figure of New York’s counterculture in the 1980s, […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2023/04/15/urban-picaresque-negar-azimi/
It’s hard to imagine two women more antithetical than the visionary singer-songwriter-poet Patti Smith, winner of the National Book Award for her memoir Just Kids (2010), and the Seagram’s liquor heiress Phyllis Bronfman Lambert, a trained architect and the founder of Montreal’s Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA), the world’s foremost museum of the building art. […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/online/2023/04/15/the-architect-and-the-rock-star-martin-filler/
In Alex North’s latest thriller The Angel Maker narrated by Rosalie Craig the author weaves together a dark and suspenseful tale about siblings, fate and a serial killer. Grab a cup of coffee and see what I enjoyed about this twisted tale.
The Angel Maker
by Alex North
Narrator: Rosalie Craig
Length: 8 hours and 1 minute
Genres: Thriller
Source: Library
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Rating: 
Narration: 4.5 cups Speed: 1.25x
A dark, suspenseful new thriller about the mysteries of fate, the unbreakable bond of siblings, and a notorious serial killer who was said to know the future.
Growing up in a beautiful house in the English countryside, Katie Shaw lived a charmed life. At the cusp of graduation, she had big dreams, a devoted boyfriend, and a little brother she protected fiercely. Until the day a violent stranger changed the fate of her family forever.
Years later, still unable to live down the guilt surrounding what happened to her brother, Chris, and now with a child of her own to protect, Katie struggles to separate the real threats from the imagined. Then she gets the phone call: Chris has gone missing and needs his big sister once more.
Meanwhile, Detective Laurence Page is facing a particularly gruesome crime. A distinguished professor of fate and free will has been brutally murdered just hours after firing his staff. All the leads point back to two old cases: the gruesome attack on teenager Christopher Shaw, and the despicable crimes of a notorious serial killer who, legend had it, could see the future.
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It took me a bit to get settled into The Angel Maker, but this isn’t uncommon with Alex North’s stories. We follow several threads that all lead us to the truth and a suspenseful ending.
The threads are delivered from the main characters who are Kate Shaw, mother, wife & sister of Chris Shaw, Chris Shaw a tormented young man, Detective Lawrence Page who is trying to solve a murder and stumbles into something more, Edward Leland, and Alan Hobbs, a professor.
This was a dark thriller with lots of twists and it all begins with a chilling prologue that sets the tone of the story. We have a dual timeline. We traverse from present day to events in 1956. At times, the storyline was very dark, especially as things wove together.
Detective Page is investigating the murder of an old man. Kate is looking for Chris and trying to keep her child safe from a man who appears to be stalking them, but there is so much more at play. This is the type of story that I am sure I will pick up on things a second time through. It was clever as North’s books tend to be and you need to follow along carefully or you’ll miss something.
Fans of suspenseful dark thrillers that skirt horror will find North’s book captivating. Rosalie Craig, a new to me narrator, did a splendid job with these characters all delivered in 3rd person point of view. She did a fine job with the male voices and captured the tone perfectly.
Amazon | Audible
Alex North was born in Leeds, England, where he now lives with his wife and son. The Whisper Man was inspired by North’s own little boy, who mentioned one day that he was playing with “the boy in the floor.” Alex North is a British crime writer who has previously published under another name
Rosalie Mae Craig is an English actress, noted for her performances in musical theatre. In 2013 she received her first major award, a London Evening Standard Award for Best Performance in a Musical.
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Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2023/04/the-angel-maker-by-alex-north.html
Hidden Shadow follows a down-on-her-luck psychologist who inherits a haunted speakeasy and unravels family secrets and uncovers the legend of the Blue Owl while navigating a web of deception and self-discovery. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
The initial idea for the story was sparked by a dream I had in the middle of the night about ten years ago. I woke up from a nightmare with an eerie feeling and an echo of a mystery woman’s voice asking me a question. After a few days of this eerie feeling nagging at me, I felt compelled to write down more of the details. The idea of turning it into a story or possibly writing a novel intrigued me, even though it seemed so far out of reach at the time. I embedded some of the details of the dream in the novel and the story snowballed from there, taking on a life of its own. Even changing direction from its original intent. The inspiration was also driven by a love of mysteries and ghost stories, along with a fascination of psychology and human behavior, including my own. What started from an idea to create a story turned into a cathartic writing experience for me, working out some of my own hidden shadows.
Sophie Thomas is an intriguing and well-developed character. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?
The driving force behind the character Sophie Thomas was the goal to create a relatable character that persevered through challenging, seemingly overwhelming circumstances. I wanted to create a character that lived in the duality that her mind was her superpower and her enemy at the same time. It was up to her to choose how to view her circumstances and the actions she would take to guide her forward. Being a psychologist, as well as having a more creative aspect to her personality would allow her to have the education, training and yet still be able to think out of the box. I wanted to create a character that was unusually empathetic and compassionate enough to consider other character’s positions. This may have clouded her logic at times but overall, her compassion, empathy and unrealized intuition helped her navigate uncharted territory and create opportunities in the unexpected, leading her to complete her quest.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Two of the themes I thought were important to explore in this book are the power of the mind and the unexpected. The power of the mind can influence our thoughts, emotions and behavior. We are engineers of our own future and how we think, our perceptions and even the way we view our circumstances shapes the outcome. I wanted to explore how the characters viewed their circumstances and how their mindset determined the way they handled their consequences. Life is the greatest challenge — trying to remain calm in the midst of chaos while maneuvering through all the unexpected changes we are presented with along the journey. The goal in this book was to explore the unexpected throughout Sophie’s quest. She found herself in a new set of circumstances, surrounded by the unknown, searching for opportunity in the unexpected through connections, relationships, and the choices she made.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I am currently working on the sequel to Hidden Shadow. My goal is to create a series of four books that will follow Sophie and explore more of her intuition. Availability of the next book in the series is still to be determined but I will be sharing updates on my author Facebook page.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook
A puzzling question from a mysterious woman in a dream disturbs the subconscious of psychologist Sophie Thomas, expert on the human mind. At the same time, shattered future plans implode her life as she knows it—leaving her single, homeless, and jobless. At a pivotal moment in her life, she inherits a building that is a 100-year-old speakeasy, which turns out to be occupied by the unexpected. As Sophie tries to adjust to her new life, she discovers her inheritance has more to it than she initially thought and the mystery surrounding the old building is drawing attention of friends and foe alike. Not knowing who to trust, Sophie nevertheless sets out to find answers. She must delve into mysteries of a past, veiled with revenge and tragedy, to uncover secrets surrounding the legend of the Blue Owl, not expecting that along the way she will also find connection she desperately craves.
In Hidden Shadow, by Jennifer Bourland, we experience a journey through time to unlock family secrets, unexpected connections, and the power of the mind.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/04/15/a-cathartic-writing-experience/
The Forever Young Prisoner follows a curious inmate who tries to uncover a hidden mystery of a prisoner that does not age. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Locked up for over 2 years in Colorado penitentiaries, I deemed it on par to an obligation, as an aspiring writer, to write a novel or short story set in the unique setting which is prison. Time lapses differently in prison. Six months may pass, a year, or five years, but the same white walls, orange scrubs, and iron bars remain ever the same. In prison, “time” is a subject on everyone’s mind: time left to parole, time down, length of sentence. But in the moment, in everyday life, it is an abstract thing. There are no deadlines, no workweek, no foreseeable future, no change. Prison. Time. Suddenly, I had the premise for a story.
How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists? Or can they be the same thing?
They can indeed be the same. They were certainly for me, while writing The Forever Young Prisoner. With only a sketchy outline of a basic plot, I just wrote. Usually, the shocking plot twists popped into my head no earlier than one or two chapters in advance of their place in the novel. Inspiration is sometimes a funny thing. The deeper I advanced into the novel, the more familiar the characters and setting became. With that familiarity came a wellspring of potential plot-lines. As the characters came to life, so did their stories. Sometimes, plot just happens.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Impulsiveness can be a problem for anyone, but tends to be a big problem for the incarcerated. Goal setting, looking at the big picture, and maintaining a vision, are things convicts often tend to struggle with. Prison helps along those lines because it provides a framework of constancy. Henry Heck, The Forever Young Prisoner, had a vision, which every day over the course of his 100 years behind bars he repeated, out loud. Our words, what we say, has incredible impact on who we are and where ourlives end up. That’s the theme of the story: the power of words.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’ve titled it Fairy Tale Girl. It’s about a flighty, fair-haired young woman who inhabits a house on federal lands in the middle of nowhere, central Missouri. Living all alone, she is never quite that, as she hosts and harbors the wayfaring spirits of the dead. An escaped convict finds his way to her remote residence. Raised on fairy tales and ghost stories, and naive to the point of otherworldliness, she harbors him, too. His first-person narrative recounts the discoveries and adventures he shares with his gracious and mysterious host. The novel should be available sometime in 2024.
Author Links: GoodReads | Website | Facebook
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/04/15/time-lapses-differently-in-prison/
The Spirit of Ruchel Leah tells the story of a woman living during the Holocaust and her struggles not just to survive but see her family escape to America away from the Nazis. Why was this an important book for you to write?
The Spirit of Ruchel Leah revolves around the letters that Ruchel Leah, my aunt, sent to my grandparents and father from 1938-1941 and subsequent letters from extended family members after the war. These letters, as the only remaining connection with Ruchel Leah and her family, were saved and passed on to my father, Abraham. After several years, he took on the task of translating the letters from the original Yiddish, Polish, Russian, and French so that his sister, brother, brother-in-law and nieces would not be forgotten by future generations.
Upon reading the translations, my sister Elaine and I told our father that the story is not just for our family, but needs to be exposed to a wider audience. When we inherited the letters and preliminary work from our late father, we embarked on an extraordinary research mission to bring the village, the family, and the era accurately to life. This was our inheritance and legacy.
We must learn from the past in order to engage in the present and have an impact on the future.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
It was important to share the strength, courage, hope, and resiliency of one woman as she struggled for mere survival against unimaginable obstacles. To me, Ruchel Leah represented the essence of our people. It is also important to be aware that social and political implications direct decisions, such as the restrictive 1924 immigration laws, which impacted many individuals in the past and can affect the future. This generation needs to be proactive to change those implications for the good.
Did you find anything in your research of this story that surprised you?
Everyday of research produced surprises. We had to identify the individuals and events written about in Ruchel Leah’s letters and place them into the appropriate historical context. Being able to trace information about Ruchel Leah’s brother-in-law in Paris and sister-in-law who ultimately immigrated to Israel was perhaps the most surprising research. Tracking down the disposition of the visa application was also amazing and telling.
What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this book?
The biggest challenge in writing The Spirit of Ruchel Leah was presenting a Holocaust story capturing the emotions and feelings of the individuals in the book in a manner that transcended being just the story of our family but also offered the reader a microcosm of the entire Holocaust experience.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Facebook | Website
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/04/15/our-inheritance-and-legacy/
Surf the Seesaw: Unconventional Essays on Balance, Beauty, and Meaning in Life shares with readers your insights on how to build a purposeful life with less drama and achieve a life balance. Why was this an important book for you to write?
All writers, whether fiction or non-fiction, write because they have seen something important about reality and they want others to see what they have seen. That is certainly true of me; I write to share something true.
I think fiction attracts us especially with its elegant use of narrative and its indirect approach to revelation. Often times in comparison, non-fiction is terribly boring and intolerably preachy. So, though Surf the Seesaw is clearly a non-fiction work, I’ve tried to incorporate the features of fiction literature that I love: the narrative scene-setting and the indirect approach to revelation that allows the material to morph uniquely in each reader’s mind.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
Well, that is a question worthy of roughly 220 pages! In a nutshell, I would say that I wrote the book with my children and grandchildren in mind, with the idea of sharing a few handfuls of key concepts that when properly understood can transform a human lifetime into something spectacular – something with so many positive consequences that the universe’s norm of entropy will have a hard time erasing the evidence of the person’s existence.
What is one piece of advice you wish someone had given you when you were younger?
You can do hard things. In fact, most of the worthwhile things on which you can choose to spend your time are hard things.
In western culture, we glorify the natural gift and the extraordinary imagination, which programs many young people that life is supposed to be easy. Human beings evolved to tackle immense challenges and reshape our world to our vision – through the hardest of efforts. But, the culture’s present obsession with imagination and natural skill can turn a young human of near limitless potential into something more akin to water: lazily flowing to the lowest point.
I wish I had been exposed to the power of tenacity and discipline earlier in life. But, the good news is life taught me those lessons anyway – albeit in a more painful way.
What is one thing readers take away from your book?
The magic is in the middle. Extremes are almost always destructive, but for various reasons human beings are blindly attracted to extremes. Surf the Seesaw is full of stories on a wide variety of topics, but most of them share the common thread is active balance: the most productive and harmonious solution to important challenges is to operate in a zone in which we constantly, actively balance two ideas in tension with one another. To maintain active balance is to turn tension in to power, like in a dynamo.
That is actually the source of the book’s title. Surfing the seesaw is standing on top of the seesaw with each foot on opposite sides of the fulcrum, and actively working to keep both seats in the air. It’s one of my favorite memories from childhood, and it captures visually the core idea of the book.
Author Links: Twitter | Facebook | Website
Each entertaining essay concludes with an invitation to put core concepts into action, so that you can work toward more effective behaviors. For anyone searching for lasting satisfaction and meaning in their life, Surf the Seesaw offers the essential toolkit needed to create balance, accountability, and greater happiness.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/04/15/i-write-to-share-something-true/
“I Like Mud” is a collection of poetry written by Margaret Grote about the simple joys of everyday life to remind readers to appreciate each day and enjoy the small moments. What inspired you to publish your mother’s work 17 years later?
It had been in the back of my mind for quite a while. Several years ago I had the idea that it would be cool to have 1st and 2nd graders illustrate the poems with their artwork. I had an entire class of 2nd graders do illustrations for two of the poems with the idea that I would pick the best ones to use. It was a nice idea but the illustrations were not what I had hoped. Then a couple years ago my cousin visited and I showed her the poems. She was excited about the idea of doing some illustrations. And you can see the results. I think she did an amazing job of capturing the sentiments in the poems.
What was the collaboration process with your cousin and illustrator Marcia Wheelan Coles like to bring this collection of poetry to life?
It was great. She showed me her work in progress and I gave my comments. But the book is Marcia’s accomplishment much more than mine. I contributed my mother’s poetry and she took off with it. We originally had 27 poems, each with its own page. Because of the awesomeness of the illustrations, I suggested we do a full spread for each poem and do two books. So the next book will be out shortly with the other half of the poems.
What is one of your favorite memories that come to mind when reading the poems your mom left for you to publish?
Nothing too specific, but my mom passed along her love of dogs to me. So the “My Dog” poem is especially emotional to me, thinking back on a couple of the dogs I grew up with and loved with all my heart.
What is one thing that you hope readers take away from “I Like Mud”?
To take the time to appreciate all life has to offer. It is easy to take so much for granted. Children are better at living in the moment and getting joy from things like the ice cream truck, or the beach, or playing in the mud. That ability disappears for most adults, although I think many grandparent-age adults are able to regain that. I know it is a children’s book but I believe I Like Mud has as much to offer adults as it does to children.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/04/15/appreciate-all-life-has-to-offer/
Our picks for the best books of April
Original source: https://www.amazon.com/amazonbookreview/editorspicks.html?ref_=abr_widget_nav&theme=light
What to read next if you loved ‘The Last Thing He Told Me’
Original source: https://www.amazon.com/amazonbookreview/editorspicks.html?ref_=abr_widget_nav&theme=light