Old City Hall by Robert Rotenberg

Author, Robert Rotenberg, is a native of Toronto who brings his years of experience as a criminal lawyer and a radio producer for the CBC together to create a highly readable work of fiction titled OLD CITY HALL.


I really loved this book. First of all the city itself, Toronto, becomes a living breathing character in its own right under the writing skills of Rotenberg. And Rotenberg's characters are truly three dimensional people that the reader will identify with and care about.


Although the book follows the formula pattern for traditional criminal thrillers, Old City Hall is definitely going to take you on some very unexpected twists and turns.


I call this one a page turner and I am delighted that this will be an ongoing series.

 1/2

(3.5 out of 5 stars)  




Old City Hall on sale at You Are What You Read Book Store

LEARN MORE:





Author's Website : Robert Rotenberg

Old City Hill: Toronto


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See How Much I Love You by Luis Leante

See How Much I Love You  by Luis Leante (Translation by Martin Schifino ) is an enticing tale of love between two Barcelona teenagers, Montse and Santiago,  that spans thirty years.

I would not dare call this book a romance novel; definitely, the wrong genre, but it is a love story. And the backdrop of the Western Sahara leads the reader into a world that few of us truly understand.

The plot has the impact of a thriller novel. (So much so,  that I have passed my copy on to my husband.)

Santiago escapes to the Spanish military in 1975 and is stationed in Spain's only African colony. Unlike his fellow soldiers, Santiago is befriended by the native Sahawari people. When General Franco dies, Spain pulls out of the colony and Santiago chooses to stay to help his Sahawari friends as Morocco invades their land.

Montse discovers a photo of Santiago thirty years after the conflict and goes on a life threatening quest to find him.

This book has been compared to Michael Ondaatje's   The English Patient by the INternational Literature Festival of Berlin 2010. ( 1 )

The translation is flawless, the story is gripping and the author's cause behind the writing of this story is enlightening.



(4 out of 5 stars)

See How Much I Love You available at You Are What You Read Book Store


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Luis Leante teaches classic in a high school in Alicante. He holds a degree in Classical Philology from the University of Murcia. He has written six novels and two novels for children. See How Much I Love You was inspired by a 2005 humanitarian trip to the Western Sahara. In 2007 it won the Alfaguawa priza for fiction.

The Whispers of the Tribe (Author's Blog via Google translator)



LEARN MORE:

Sahawari Women of the Western Sahara

National Union of Sahawari Women

ZEINA - Blog by two Sahawari women

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The Lost Child by John Hart

The Last Child by John Hart is the story of a thirteen year old child's quest to find his missing twin sister.



Being that I am a parent... I usually do not seek out tales involving child abduction; just way too scary a subject to contemplate. Now that being said, Hart's page turning suspenseful plot touches at the deepest core of human emotions: profound grief and how one comes to terms with catastrophic loss. I am glad I took the time to read this book.


John Hart accurately portrays subjects such as domestic violence, drug abuse, and child neglect. Hart's characters struggle with the limitations encountered in law enforcement and child protection agencies.


If you are a fan of murder mysteries and well polished suspense novels, this book will keep you on your toes with unexpected twists and surprising turns from the first to the final page.


 
(3 out of 5 stars)


The Last Child available at You Are What You Read Book Store

LEARN MORE:

JOHN HART: Author's Official Web Site

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Scars and Stilettos: The Transformation of an Exotic Dancer by Harmony Dust

The story of Harmony Dust is frankly honest and compelling.



I could not put the book down.


She truly describes the life altering trauma of sexual abuse and how a person can succumb to life in the sex industry.


She found her way out through a spiritual conversion.


The telling of her conversion is never preachy, just simple and real.


She turns her suffering into a labor of love by establishing an outreach ministry to other sex workers.






I highly recommend this book, and would (if I could) make this mandated reading for professionals in the field of treating people who have experienced the trauma of sexual abuse.




(4 out of 5 stars)

Scars and Stillettos available at You Are What You Read Book Store

Learn more about the author's outreach program here: TREASURES