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!
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Book Review - Fiction - ARC - Small town - Rom Com - Forced Proximity I just finished It Seemed Like a Good Idea by Lauren Blakely and here are my musings. When Banks finds a beautiful woman in a bar.. He never imagines she will be his next job.. So we start with the meet-cute. Banks meets Riley. He saves her from a douche. They have drinks and decide to….. you know… He’s supposed to meet her in her room but a call and an email has him ghosting.. They tell you right here why. I would have liked that it was a mystery. To find out the why when Riley does and that was a major bummer for me. Whenever I read the word sweetheart.. I automatically go to the hunger games and Haymitch and it does not work for Me haha I hate miscommunication and he didn’t even miscommunicate, he literally didn’t even bother to talk face to face so it was hard to forgive him. I loved the lavender farm and I do have a bit of a soft spot for bodyguards… I did like the banter and the tension was tensioning. All in all it was a solid book 4 stars Thank you @netgalley for my gifted copy #bookalorian #bookpodcaster #bookcommunity #readersofig #bookinfluencer #bookblogger #bookbusiness #bookishpodcast
Book Review - E-book - Kindle - Paranormal romance - Cozy Fantasy - Small Town I just finished Books & Bewitchment by Isla Jewell and here are my musings. Rhea likes her life… It’s small and mundane but it is hers. Things change when a grandmother she never met passes away and leaves everything in her will… But it’s not just buildings… It’s a magical legacy. A place her mother begged her not to go back to. Renovating the old video store into a book store, she needs help from the hunky handyman but their families… are enemies and his grandmother has a beef with her dearly departed granny! Can she figure out what happened to the town’s magic and fix the balance in her new home before it is too late? I loved this book! I am a sucker for a small town cozy book and this one had everything I wanted in spades!! A magical legacy Rhea knew nothing about… EPIC! I loved the themes and Hunter was DREAMY!! The writing was so cute and it was exactly what I needed and the fact this is the start of a series… I’M IN LOVE!!! I felt the characters were really well defined and I was totally charmed by this book. 4 stars If you love small town with enemies to lovers… Grab this one! Thank you @netgalley for my gifted copy Qotd if you found you had a magical legacy.. would you embrace it or run? #bookishreels #bookcommunity #bookalorian #readingabook #bookinfluencing #bookblog #lionessofliteracy #bookpodcast #bookishpodcast #booklover #bookinfliencer
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Book Review - Fiction - ARC - Ebook- Dark comedy - Cozy Mystery - Anti hero I just finished I’m Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home by Fergus Craig and here are my musings. Carol is so glad to be leaving her tiny prison cell and take her place in a retirement home. Her serial killer life is in her rearview mirror…. What she doesn’t expect is for the place to be full of ex cops…. And when a police commissioner drops dead and people realize who she is… things get even more awkward… She knows she didn’t do it and now she has to prove she didn’t do it… without killing anyone. I just read the Thursday murder club so this book is right up my alley! I love the older sleuths and the fact that Carol is actually a criminal… Just really set this book into a new league. It was such a clever book! The pacing was slower and I think that’s ok for a book like this. It was well written and I was rooting for Carol the whole time. I enjoyed the dark comedy aspects of the book too. I really was charmed by the book and I highly recommend it if you like fun seniors who like to be arm chair detectives!! 4 stars Thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley for my gifted copy QOTD do you think it would be fun to live in a retirement home? #bookish #booklover #bookinfluencer #booktok #readingallday #lionessofliteracy #bookishblog
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Book review - Fiction - ALC Audiobook - Dark comedy thriller - unreliable narrator A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage by M.K. Oliver ⭐ Star Rating: 4 This book felt like…fast paced, unhinged drama filled ride I was hooked… after a few chapters. The book took a little to get going but my oh my it launched! Did I care about the characters ? I was invested for sure. Laila went from likeable to unlikeable a lot and it was fun. She made a lot of decisions that don’t make sense to normal people but to sociopaths.. oh yes haha Tropes included: unreliable narrator, sociopath in suburbia, stepford wives, blackmail, incompetent husband, morally grey Narration star rating and feelings.. 4 stars well narrated! The story had a couple of laggy moments but honestly the pacing was on the slower side but it worked for the comedy. It was really well written. This book made me feel: 100% unhinged! Honestly I loved every second of Lalla’s journey. This book might make you lose sleep! Perfect for readers who love… Dexter, Finlay Donovan.. 🚫 Not for readers who dislike… books with no romance 😈 Petty Complaint… I would have liked a bit more carnage haha All in all superb! Thank you to @netgalley for my gifted copy. Qotd what do you need from a book review to keep checking that reviewers other reviews? #booktok #bookcontent #bookcommunity #happyreader #bookalorian 4d
Book review - Fiction - paperback, ebook and ALC Audiobook - Dark Fantasy - Horror - Hidden Magic Only Spell Deep by Ava Morgyn ⭐ Star Rating: 5 This book felt like… a dark monstrous nightmare! It felt like a cold wind wrapping around you.. the smell of the ocean has never felt so dangerous I was hooked… page 1. I couldn’t put the book down. It really started out strong and didn’t let up. Did I care about the characters? Oh yes! I Judeth is incredible. She didn’t want to continue the insanity of her family after they all died and she walked about from the money.. I have mad respect for that. I was so concerned for her. Tropes included: generation trauma, reclaiming power, enigmatic mentor, ancient being, hidden magic, hidden identity, feminine rage These tropes delivered!!! yes they did. The book didn’t just touch on them, they dug deep and delivered a power whammy!!! Narration star rating and feelings.. I read the book and listened. The narration on the audio was a 5. Pacing? It was moderately paced but it didn’t lag at any point. The story kept going! It really built the tension. Honestly it was so well done This book made me feel: terrified! There was something trapped and it wanted to get out so badly it was taking control of people with powers.. once unleashed… ughhhh!! It really was a solid gothic read. This book WILL make you lose sleep! From needing the lights on to being utterly binge able! Perfect for readers who love… Rebecca.. the craft.. anything dark and witchy! 🚫 Not for readers who dislike… being scared. There is nothing warm or fluffy here. I loved it! Thank you to @netgalley @stmartinspress for my gifted copies. #readertok #booklovers #bookinfluencer #reading #welovebooks #bookcommunity #readingblog #bookreviewer
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Book Review - ALC Audiobook - Sapphic Romantic Comedy - Forbidden romance Greta Gets the Girl by Melissa Marr When Greta and Lee have a one night stand in a hotel room… They never expect to see each other again but they keep in touch and can’t help meeting again.. Something is blooming here.. That is, until Kaelee walks into a meeting to meet her new editor and finds Greta sitting in the editor chair.. Things go even further awry when Kaelee’s family want her book shelved for being Sapphic leaving Greta to decide what is more important.. Her heart or her career… TOO DANG CUTE!!! I love this author's writing style so I definitely will grab more from her! The book has some pretty heavy topics and they were covered so well and I felt like even with the tone… The book still had a lovely message. I do feel the first half of the book was better than the conclusion. It felt rushed and crammed in. I like it wasn’t a total HEA though because they will have things to face moving forward but I enjoyed how it all turned out. I liked the characters and how they progressed as the book went on and the narration was solid! 4.25 stars Thank you to @netgalley #netgalley #alc #audiobookreader #cutereads #romancebook #bookblog #bookinfluencer
