Humans of New York: Stories By Brandon Stanton Book Review

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

Humans of New York: Stories By Brandon Stanton is as wonderful as the Humans of New York blog. Already famous, Brandon was even invited to the White House to interview the president, this book is both life-affirming and heartbreaking. I just loved it. Many of the stories stick in your mind, some for their tragedy, others for their humour. Common themes run through the book and Brandon has made great effort to make the book cohesive. The photography is as great as the structure. Many of the people in the book will not leave you, their stories resonate for their beauty and honesty.

A great book to dip in and out of, or to read cover to cover, get your hands on a copy. Humans of New York: Stories is available here.

Humans of New York started off as a blog project Brandon Stanton wanted to single-handedly create a photographic census of New York City. The first Humans of New York book (based on the blog) immediately catapulted to the top of the NY Times Bestseller List. It has appeared on that list for over twenty-five weeks to date. The appeal of HONY has continued to increase substantially, with over 12 million followers currently on Facebook.

Brandon’s dialogue with people on the streets of NY, has increasingly become as in-depth, intriguing and moving as the photos themselves. Humans of New York: Stories presents a whole new group of humans, complete with stories that delve deeper and surprise with greater candour. Let Brandon Stanton and the people he’s photographed astonish you.

Brandon Stanton is the creator of the #1 New York Times bestselling book Humans of New York as well as the children’s book, Little Humans. He was a 2013 Time magazine “30 people under 30 changing the world” and an ABC News Person of the Week. In the summer of 2014, the UN chose him to travel around the world on a goodwill mission that had followers meeting people from Iraq to the Ukraine to Mexico City via the photos he took. He lives in New York.

Life On Planet WWF By C.Y. Chong Book Review

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

Life On Planet WWF by C.Y. Chong gives an insight into the workings of one of the world’s largest conservation organisations. Far from being a boring business book it has amusing stories about various royal families and even an archbishop. It is an interesting book which is outright funny in places. It certainly is entertaining and fun as well as being well written and easy to read. I actually managed to read it in a few hours. The stories about Prince Philip are my personal favourite. Did you know that Buckingham Palace has a library and a copy of every book published goes there? I certainly didn’t. There is a lot to be learned from this book and I found it very enjoyable.

An interesting memoir that amuses and entertains in equal measure.

C.Y. Chong’s captivating and insightful revelation about what it’s like to spend over two decades at WWF.

This light-hearted collection of memoirs tells the compelling story of a company executive who walked away from global corporations and immersed himself in the world of non-profit – in this case, WWF, one of the world’s largest conservation organisations.

After years of working in the corporate sector, C.Y. Chong decided to pursue a new avenue of work. He joined WWF International as a finance manager and was soon promoted to Director of Finance – however, this book is about his non-financial experiences…

Life on Planet WWF follows Chong as he travels and tells of a myriad of interesting and unforgettable happenings – being attacked by a mad crow being one. From fitting the letters ‘WWF’ into a television interview as many times as possible, to having cocktails with HRH Prince Philip, he recalls visits to conferences, field projects or other events – each anecdote providing a unique insight into some of his truly extraordinary experiences at WWF.

This book makes an interesting read for anyone thinking about a career outside the corporate sector as well as for the five million supporters of WWF and everything it stands for.

Life on Planet WWF: From Archbishops to Belly Dancers – My Time at WWF is available here.

‘This is’: Goya, Monet and Kandinsky

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Margaret Graham

I spend a great deal of my spare time dawdling around art galleries. Every time I wish I knew more about the paintings. As I stand there, appreciating the works, I am aware that I am looking at complicated ideas and histories but not really seeing or understanding the concepts.

Laurence King Publishing has brought out a new series called This is…

I have read This is Goya, This is Monet and This is Kandinsky, by different authors. These books are well presented, with clear and understandable text, accompanied by the artists’ paintings, as well as especially commissioned illustrations.

Let’s take Goya by Wendy Bird with illustrations by Sarah Maycock. Did you know that Francisco de Goya y Lucientes was the first artist deliberately to pursue creating works of art for their own sake? I didn’t.

Monet I knew was a leading member of the French Impressionists.

I was looking at one of his many paintings of haystacks in the National gallery, the other day, (He painted the same haystacks but followed the play of sunlight on them throughout the day). Go and have a look. He never rested, evolving his art way into his eighties. Learn more from Sara Pappworth with illustrations by Aude Van Ryn.

Kandinsky looks more like a clerk, or bank manager, than a painter.

He seems almost a cypher, but inside this misleading façade lived a sensitive artist who produced forceful genre defying work. I knew little about his work and am not sure I particularly like it, but this book by Annabel Howard with illustrations by Adam Simpson has created an interest. This in itself is a virtue.

A truly lovely series.

Twisted by B A Morton Reviewed by Margaret Graham

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Margaret Graham

Blimey, talk about tense …

In Twisted, Jack Miller’s been playing a dangerous game, and the stakes are about to be raised.

I read the first few lines and was hooked.

Poor old DI John Samuels is on the trail of a bank robber, but he has no idea of the people he’s dealing with. In particular, let me introduce you to Spook, who is one of the most balmy and evil characters I’ve come across. How on earth did B A Morton conjure her up, let alone all the others. You see, so few are conventionally good people, but they’re so interesting. I was totally engrossed, and found myself – understanding? Well no, not understanding why they were as they were, but close to that.

The pace, the story, the characters are all spot on. So, let’s get back to the book: the ruthless robber is Miller, for whom bank robbery is simply a means to an end. Wounded while making his escape Miller has half a million in used notes and a hostage that wasn’t part of the plan. As the police close in, Otto, the crime boss wants his cash, and someone wants Miller silenced – forever.

Then there’s the weird misfit Spook. Unstable and fearless, she’ll go to any lengths to get what she wants. Then a judge’s daughter disappears and evidence points at Miller. It is then that Miller discovers just how crazy Spook really is. (Ah ha, but I knew it all along, so very there). With every twist and turn, and even with the rapid pace, Morton keeps us with her.

Published by Caffeine Nights, Twisted surely lends itself to a series. I do hope so.

B A Morton lives in the North East of England, and writes across a number of genres, including crime, romance, horror and historical fiction. She lives in a cottage built on the remains of a medieval chapel.

She is a member of the Crime Writers’ Association. In 2011 her debut novel, Mrs Jones, a crime thriller set in New York, took second place in the international literary competition, The Yeovil Prize, and launched her extremely successful career.

The Reluctant Pilgrim by Penny Gerrard Reviewed by Margaret Graham

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Margaret Graham

At the start of The Reluctant Pilgrim, Penny Gerrard asks, ‘How do I capture the contrasts using what can hardly be more than verbal snapshots? Can I bring you the sights, sounds and smells which for me, in the future, will immediately say ‘Israel’?

Well, she can, and she does.

The Reluctant Pilgrim records a journey Gerrard took which showed her some of the best and worst of the troubled land she has been reading about in the Bible since she became a Christian forty something years ago.

Starting at the shore at Caesarea Philippi Gerrard immediately brings to life the shore: I felt the warmth of the sun, the blue of the sea, and the five desalination plants of today’s Israel. And this is how the journey continues, history mixed with today, conveyed in straightforward prose and using interesting photos.

I was actually in Israel quite a while ago, cycling on and off road. I saw the parched land bloom, I visited places named in the Bible, I would, however, have liked to read Penny Gerrard’s journey before I went.

Why? She weaves us through past and present. The present being 3 shekels to reserve yourself a music filled cubicle in a public loo, the past being the fact that Roman soldiers were known to use dead chicks in lieu of the more usual sponges. Oh joy.

We go with her to Tiberius, founded on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. And onwards to, amongst others: Bethlehem, then the home of Dead Sea Scrolls and finally Jerusalem.

The Reluctant Pilgrim is a journey through faith, as well as a country. Gerrard has the happy knack of being able to bring a place to life. How? She doesn’t ignore detail, she writes with a great sense of place. The Reluctant Pilgrim is thoughtful, and evocative.

Bravo.

The Reluctant Pilgrim by Penny Gerrard can be obtained from Amazon.co.uk

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff Reviewed by Margaret Graham

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Margaret Graham

Fates and Furies

This is a novel that deserves its hype, and trust me, not all do.

At age twenty-two, Lotto and Mathilde are tall, glamorous, madly in love, and destined for creative greatness. A decade later, their marriage is still the envy of their friends, but by now we understand that things are even more complicated and remarkable than they have so far seemed.

Lauren Groff is in full command of her perspectives. She reveals each new twist effortlessly, and her vibrant prose keeps us gripped and involved over more than two decades. Basically, Groff explores the unsettling truth: that secrets are often the cement – or do I mean the engine? – of relationships.

I really enjoyed Fates and Furies, and admire the oomph of the prose and profound understanding of creative, and relationships, that Groff displays. It’s a clever, accessible, and resonant novel. Brilliant.

Lauren Groff is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Monsters of Templeton, the short story collection Delicate Edible Birds and Arcadia. She has won Pushcart and PEN/O. Henry prizes, and has been shortlisted for the Orange Award for New Writers. Her stories have appeared in publications including The New Yorker, the Atlantic, One Story, and Ploughshares, and have been anthologised in Best American Short Stories 2007 and 2010, and Best New American Voices 2008. She lives in Gainesville, Florida, with her husband and two sons.

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff. Published in hardback by William Heinemann in September 2015 at £14.99

Love You Better By Natalie K Martin Book Review

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Frostie

By Frances Colville

Natalie K Martin’s second book Love You Better is about domestic violence. Set in London, Thailand and Ibiza with links to other parts of the world, the story is fast paced with well-drawn characters and a good if somewhat predicable story line. We all know that domestic violence can occur in all sorts of households and relationships, and any book which reinforces this and flags up some of the telltale warning signs is welcome. The author has done her research well. And her love of travel shines through too.

However, the ending of the book was clearly signposted from the early pages and for me this detracted from the impact of the story as it evolved. It’s hard to care enough about the development of a character – even one you empathise with as much as Effie – if you’ve already worked out what is going to happen to her. There were a few other things which pulled me up short. Is the character Oliver intended to be the same age as the other main characters (that is, mid twenties) and if so, how can he possibly be one of the most sought-after lawyers in London? A three storey whitewashed Georgian house in a quiet street in Clapham for £500,000? I don’t think so. Nitpicking? Yes. But why not get it right?

This book is still a good read though. It flows well, it’s interesting and I did actually want to know if I guessed the right ending. And I liked the play on words in the title. A book worth reading in fact. I’m going to search out the author’s first book Together Apart and look forward to future offerings as well.

Love You Better is published by Lake Union Publishing and will be available in the UK in paperback and ebook versions from 8th October 2015.

Above Us The Sky – Milly Adams Book Review by Kathleen Thompson

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Frostie

An unputdownable debut from an exciting new author.

Phyllie, a young teacher, finds herself acting mother to her pupils, and to a Jewish boy, Jake, in particular, when the school is evacuated from London to rural Dorset. She bumps into a childhood sweetheart, Sammy, as they wait to board the train, and he mock proposes, to amuse the children. But did he mean it? And will he be safe in the submarine where he and Jake’s father patrol the dangerous waters of Norway?

Phyllie gradually adjusts to country life. Fiercely protective of her wards, she overcomes misunderstandings and conflict. But as her circumstances take a turn for the worst, she discovers genuine friendship and love—from unexpected sources.

Millie Adams weaves a compelling story of love and loss in war-time Britain. She draws the reader in with her intense details of life in those times. I truly felt the claustrophobia and stress of life within a submarine—and started to appreciate the constant danger and the frequent death or ‘burn-out’, of so many young men.

She describes life in the countryside with such detail and accuracy that one feels she lived through it herself —the reality of sugar rationing and ‘making do’ and the often forgotten role of the Women’s Institute, in holding things together and organising food supplies.

She touches on many influences on life in those troubled times—the festering anti-semetism, fuelled by Mosley’s ‘black-shirts’ and ignorance; the reality of the bombing and airborne raids on civilians and the ubiquitous pain of loss, often of someone far too young.

As I said, unputdownable. A truly excellent read, a book that is well-written, compassionate, amusing, observant, and so tense I could hardly turn the pages quickly enough. I can’t wait for Milly Adams’ next book.

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