Blog Layout
Picture in the Sand by Peter Blauner
Stacey Irving • February 9, 2023
My favorite read of 2023 so far
I finished reading Picture in the sand by Peter Blauner and here is my review.
Alex has it all. The family, an Ivy league college acceptance but after a misunderstanding with the FBI, a misunderstanding that was racially motivated, Alex feels disenchanted with the Egyptian-American dream and suddenly disappears from his home leaving a note behind. He has run off to become part of a holy war…. A war his grandfather knows more about than he lets on.
Alex, refusing all contact with his family, does answer an email from his grandfather and in it, his grandfather weaves the story of his own life and what led up to him living in America. A story of a young man with a dream of working in motion pictures and it all starts on the set of the Ten commandments…. During a time in Egypt where the people revolted against their King but a new dictator took the reins instead…
A story so compelling and dangerous that spans 50 years yet the story is eerily similar.
I finished this book a few weeks ago and I got the worst writer's block ever. I don’t usually not have the words to write a review but this book left me speechless. The writing was so hypnotically beautiful that I read the whole thing in one sitting. I loved how the story was told from the grandfather's perspective and Alex came through via the emails he sent to his grandfather.
Alex literally left because he felt America had disrespected his family and that the reason for it was because they tried to assimilate to a place that would never accept them. He gets himself into a situation he can’t understand and doesn’t fully appreciate the trouble he is in but his grandfather sharing his story helps him immensely.
The story made me cry so hard at the end. I felt truly invested in Ali during his time in Egypt as a young man and the tale he weaves of meeting Mona and landing a job on a real movie set in hopes that one day, he can move to the land where dreams come true. Egypt is in upheaval and Ali spends his time trying to navigate his precarious position between the Americas filming and the Egyptian activists that want to take their country back by any means necessary. You can truly feel his fear for his grandson for getting himself into the predicament he is in.
Loved the descriptions of Egypt but I am biased because I am a lover of Cairo and one day I will make it back there again. The connection between the two men was tangible and raw which I found so enchanting and relatable.
This book ticked every box for me and it is definitely a book I would reread again one day.
5 stars. If you are looking for an intergenerational book then look no further because it really will hit you in places you didn’t know you had.
Thank you St Martin's Press for sending me my review copy!
#pictureinthesand #peterblauner #historicalfiction #stmartinspress
#bookstagram #bibliophile #igreads #currentlyreading #bookreview #instaread #lovetoread #booksarelife #readingisfundamental #whatimreading #bookreviewer #bookaddicts #bookpost #tbrpile #justread #bookishphotography #whattoreadnext #readallday #bookworms #booksofinstagram #bookwormproblems #bookaholic #bookpic #newreads #booknerd
Finlay Donovan Knocks em’ dead…. Elle Cosimano @ellecosimano Book 2 in the Finlay Donovan Series Finlay is back and she is still trying to finish her novel and keep her head above water.. She is feeling more confident though with her nanny Vero always having her back and the only dead body lately is the fish. No matter how Finlay feels about her ex husband Steven, she has never wished death… well maybe she has but she didn’t mean it but there is a hit out on him and trying to him alive… is harder than she bargained for. OK I love Nick. The cop… Love him. I hate love triangles and Finlay has trapped herself between a hot cop and her feelings for the young lawyer Julian. I was hooked right into the mayhem that picked up right where the last book dropped off. The book was bonkers. The more Finlay tries to dig them out of the hole… she literally makes it worse. The duo have to try and save Steven even when Vero is against the idea of it haha. They find out there is a forum where people add their “cleaning jobs” and there is an assassin who takes the jobs on. Finlay offers to kill Steven and its a race between her and the contract killer and you won’t believe who puts the hit out… I haven’t laughed this hard in ages. The writing is always stellar and the book was beautifully paced with some excellent suspenseful moments! 5 stars I’m loving my Finlay week! Thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley #finlaydonovan #finlaydonovanknocksemdead #ellecosimano #mysteryread #mysteryseries #funnybook #bookreview #bookishblog #bookblog #readervlog #bookishgirlgang📚 #bookishcanadians #bookishfeed #bookishmoms #bookishvibes
I just finished Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney Grady is finally getting the accolades he deserves and all he wants to do is tell his wife. She answers but something happens and she disappears… He still can’t get over it a year later.. At the bequest of his agent he goes to a remote island in Scotland to try and write and heal… Trouble is he spots a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife… This book sent me on a tailspin. I was in its clutches right from the first chapter. I am a bit of a Feeney fan so maybe I am a tad biased but anyone who follows my reviews, knows I tend to be more critical of my favorite authors. The book had the perfect low key thrum of tangible darkness seeping from its pages. It felt really ominous. Not only did he end up on an island with no phones and no way off except the ferry, he thinks he is seeing a bloody ghost there too. The house is supposed to be deserted, no one knew he was coming but the place was dust free? EEKKKK!! I had mild heart palpitations for most of the damn book! The anticipation was the winning factor for me in this book. You knew something was coming and you didn’t know what. The pace was moderate, which is something the author does on purpose I am sure. I loved the setting of the island and there are so many easter eggs in the book that I totally missed and I don’t normally miss the clues but this was artfully executed and I was hella pleased. The narration was awesome and I already bought the hardcover… 4.5 stars!! It was truly brilliant Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillanaudio for my gifted copy #alicefeeney #thriller #mystery #mysteryreader #beautifulugly # thrillerbook #macmillanaudio #smpinfluencer #booklover #bookreview #bookish #igreads #igbooks #bookalorian #netgalley #audiobooklover
Finlay Donovan is Killing it…. Finlay has so many balls in the air and she is dropping them one by one. Her ex husband is useless and fires her nanny… Her agent wants the manuscript she was promised and she needs to make ends meet. When a woman overhears her talking with her agent about the plot to her new book, it sets Finlay on a path of hilarious disaster. So we meet Finlay.. Single mother who needs something stronger to drink at bedtime and is on the verge of total collapse… Vero is her nanny and to offset some of the cost of having her, she allows Vero to move in and the two of them together.. Non-stop, laugh out loud antics. Finlays money issues can be solved by a misunderstanding… She is hired to bunk off a ladies husband.. The stuff she gets up almost had me peeing my damn pants. I haven’t laughed so hard in my life. I was listening to the audio while I was working out the first time I read it and I laughed so hard I fell off the elliptical trainer. I am not even joking. The writing is phenomenal. The banter is absolute perfection and the storyline was done with expert level finesse. It's the best start to a mystery series I have ever read. 5 explosive stars!! #finlaydonovan #finlaydonovanseries #funnybooks #funnyreads #booktok #booktube #booklover #bookcommunity #igreads #igbooks #igreader #mysteryseries #mysterybooks #vero
I just finished The Propaganda Girls by Lisa Rogak and here are my thoughts. Did you know that there were 4 women that helped change the course of WWII? Betty MacDonald…. Zuzka Lauwers…. Jane Smith-Hutton and Marlene Dietrich.. The 4 of them conspired together to bring down the Axis Soldiers.. They were the armies that fought against the alliance. I vaguely remember touching on them when I was at school but this book really shed a light on exactly what they wanted to do and how they achieved their goals. I am in awe of these women. It was their job as OSS (it was the CIA before it was called that) to create propaganda to break the axis soldiers morale and it worked. They did things like creating entire newspapers, forged official documents. These women did things for the world and weren’t ever acknowledged. This book is a powerful reminder that just because we don’t know the names of the people that save the world, doesn’t mean they didn’t exist. The writing was well done and I blew through the book in a few hours, I couldn’t put it down. I definitely want to read more about this time in our history and the amazing women who changed the course of our history. 4 stars. Thank you to @stmartinspress for my gifted copy. OUT NOW #propagandagirls #lisarogak #nonfiction #bookreview #booksih #readbooks #readingtime #readingforpleasure #readingnow #booksofinsta #booktok #booktube #bookaholic #booklove
I just finished The Trial Period by Auburn Morrow and here are my thoughts. Two girls, one shared friend… one thing in common… They both can’t seem to make relationships last. When enemies are made to spend time with each other… 30 days feels like forever. This book took a little bit to get going. The switching between POV was a bit irritating at first but I actually got into it more the longer I read. It was a bit of a slog to start with but trust me, it’s worth it. The biggest problem for this book… both girls aren’t likeable. I couldn’t connect with either of them but honestly, it made watching them having to “date” for 4 weeks, quite entertaining. The pacing was done right which made the book move along in a pleasing way. I liked how well the LGBTQ themes were handled and it felt If you like: Enemies to lovers Slow burn Bickering Fake dating Teen romance It’s pretty light hearted and has some really tender moments once you get through all the drama 4 stars Thank you to @wattpadbooks for my gifted copy OUT NOW #thetrialperiod #autumnmorrow #lbgtq #queerread #wattpadbooks #wattpad #booklover #bookreader #bookreview #igbooks #igreads #booktok #booktube #bookreel #bookishreel #bookalorian #bookblog #bookishblog #lionessofliteracy
I just finished The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia and here are my musings. What do two women who have never met have in common? They both took the same flight, they both vanished and it all seems to be connected to a man called Trent McCarthy…. This was clever, really clever. The narration was amazing and I love how well it was done. There was a lot of POV set into different parts and I think it all held together really well. I did find that all the twists and turns got to be a bit much. I don’t think it needed so much. Sometimes, less is more and I think it could have been scaled back a bit and it would have blown me away. I wasn’t a fan of the ending. It felt really meh and lacked lustre. Pancake like… not a waffle… it fell too flat. I was waiting for this beautiful crescendo of chills and it missed the mark. It was a real shame because the rest of the book was really well done. It felt ludicrous, truly not what I was hoping for. It definitely made my pulse thrum and that’s enough from a thriller for me. I definitely want to read more from this author because if this is her debut novel and she came out the starter gate swinging… She is definitely one to watch. 3.75 stars Thank you @macmillionaudio and @netgalley for my gifted copy
I just finished The Lost House by Melissa Larsen and here are my thoughts. Agnes has a dark family history. The murder of her grandmother and her aunt who was just a baby… no clues, no arrests… just 50 years of pain. After her grandfather dies, she travels back to the country her father moved away from.. The town has never forgotten the fact that they all still think that her grandfather was guilty… I got the audiobook of this one from @netgalley and @minotaurbooks and it was done very well. My biggest issue was the pacing. It was a tad slow and it’s lucky I was listening opposed to physically reading because I don’t think I would have kept going. The author weaved in a current mystery with the old mystery and honestly, I get why but it didn’t work well for me. Now the characters were great. I feel like that's where the magic was and the narrator did an awesome job. She kinda saved the day for me. I liked the plot, the idea of a cold case and a family member wanting to know more. I liked the landscape of where the book was set as well. Something didn’t jell with all the components and had the pace been faster, it might have worked, it had all the right elements. I didn’t feel it was much of a horror and it didn’t really tick the thriller genre for me either. The spark was missing I think.. 3.5 stars My opinions are my own. #thelosthouse #melissalarsen #bookreview #bookinfluencer #lionessofliteracy #bookalorian #booktok #bookstagram #bookish #readerblog #readingblog #bookblog
I just finished Learning to Trust yourself - Breaking through the blocks that hold you back by Tama Kieves and here are my thoughts. Firstly, I don’t read a lot of self help books. I find they kinda pigeon hole people into one direction and I’m a free little Beeatch so I don’t gravitate to them. This one was different. It hit me with the title. The cover.. I dunno I just felt like there could be something in there just for me. Maybe that’s a bit egotistical but I was right. I felt the practice parts were easy to fit into my day and didn’t take up a lot of time but I got something from it. Has the book fixed me?? I’m feeling more optimistic in not punishing myself and trusting in myself. The writing was great. I felt connected. I felt heard, which is insane. I understand that haha. I did make notes which I never do! I even annotated it… with the sticker tabs I’m not a complete heathen and I did recommend my friend to grab a copy because I’m not giving her mine.. sorry J! 4.5 stars. I’ve made some changes in my habits that I know will last a lifetime. Be kind to yourself and I will remember to be kind to myself too. Thank you @stmartinspress for my gifted copy. #nonfiction #learningtotrustyourself #smpinfluencer #stmartinspress #selfhelp #igreads #romancebooks #libri #goodreads #bookclub #readmorebooks #literature #readingtime #bookobsessed #fantasybooks #currentlyreading #libros #libridaleggere #ilovebooks #instagood #livre
This book will take the edge off of a stressful day... I just finished I got Abducted by Aliens and Now I'm trapped in a rom-com by Kimberly Lemming and here are my musings. When Dorothy, while working on her wildlife biology PhD, is attacked by a lion, she doesn't expect her saviors to be... aliens. When the ship crashes on a planet inhabited by dinosaurs and the lion that attacked her can now talk and is her trusty sidekick. Navigating herself through a new world with 2 very sexy aliens to keep her company... What can go wrong? I swear I did not know this was an alien smut book when I started to read it. Cross my heart and hope to..... OK fine... I figured it must have been spicy from the cover.. sue me. It was a hilarious adventure with witty banter and some serious steam. I love me a good smutty read and I wasn't 100% I was ready for intergalactic hobnobbing but I enjoyed the heck out of this book. I thought the storyline was really solid, I didn't see any plot issues... Not that there was a lot of plot... It's most *cough cough* getting down and dirtttyyyy. It was really well paced and funny as all hell. The alien boys were awesome. Couldn't have had more different personalities. I thought Dorothy was a great MC, quirky and brilliant. It's the first book in the series so never fear! There is more to come. One heck of an intro to alien smut and I bow my head to the author. 4 stars Thank you @berkleybooks and @netgalley for my gifted copy. OUT NOWWWW
I just finished The Bones beneath my Skin by TJ Klune and here are my thoughts. When Nate Cartwright goes to his dead parents cabin after being fired from his job as a journalist… He didn’t expect to find it inhabited with a man and a little girl and they are running from something that even Nate can’t wrap his head around… I finished this book weeks ago.. Have you ever had a book just sit right on your chest and you need to just let it rest before you think about how it made you feel? This book did that to me. It’s rare I even get a book hangover and this was no book hangover I ever had. I felt lost when it was done. I felt like I was saying goodbye and it didn’t sit right with me (I am crossing my toes for more with these characters). I loved Nate and Alex. So different but the same. They have the kind of protective instincts some parents don’t have with their own children and they protected Art with their lives. There is so much to unpack here. Art was spectacular. I don’t want to spoil it for you but her journey and the love she has for the two men made me tear up. She is so special and even after everything she went through, she still chose loving people. UGH I’m tearing up again. I thoroughly enjoy that love is love no matter how it comes to you. It was really well paced and I loved all the banter. I am already a superfan of TJ Klune and this should tell you that my expectations are already in the stars and I hold the books they write to very high standards. The characters are so real and that’s one of the things I’ve come to expect from the author and the storytelling is like a whisper in the wind. It’s gentle in its beauty and powerful without shouting. It’s graceful… impactful… it will charm the pants off you. 5 stars If you haven’t gone down the Klune rabbit hole yet, this would be a great one to start with. Thank you to @netgalley and @torpublishing for bringing this book into my life.
