Mariana Leky: Was man von hier aus sehen kann, Dumont  Paperback, 9783832164577

ENGLISH: What you can see from here, Bloomsbury

Schon lange kein Buch mehr in Deutsch gelesen, dass so hinreissend komisch, spinnert, rührend und einfach zauberhaft war wie " Was man von hier sehen kann". Habe die Geschichte um Selma, ihre Enkelin Luise und ihre schrulligen  Mitbewohner in einem Kaff im Westerwald mit immer grösser werdender Begeisterung gelesen, weil es mich so an meine Kindheit in einem kleinen Dorf im Rheinland erinnerte und sich gleichzeitig fast wie ein Märchen las  . Wenn Selma von einem Okapi träumt, stirbt jemand im Dorf....Der grosse Erfolg dieses Buches in Deutschland wundert mich nicht mehr, wunderbar erzählt und geschrieben. 

Its been a while since i have read such an enchanting, potty, moving and simply magical novel as "What you can see from here" . I read the story of Selma, her granddaughter Luise and her eccentric fellow neighbours in a tiny village in the Westerwald with growing enthusiasm particulary since i was so reminded of my childhood in the Rheinland growing up in a little village. When Selma dreams of an Okapi, someone in the village dies.....The huge success in Germany of this book is no longer surprising to me, i hope Bloomsbury have the same publishing success. Simply wonderfully written.

 Maggie O'Farrell: The Marriage Portrait, Tinder Press, 9781472223852, large format paperback

(German edition: Portrait einer Ehe, Piper Verlag, 

A book that stays in your head after you have long finished reading is my criteria for an ace read. " The Marriage Portrait" by Maggie O'Farrell defintely falls into this category. 

I was completely drawn in by the fate of  Lucrezia de Medici who became the Duchess of Ferrera at the tender age of 15 and O' Farrells extraordinary writing.  Based on historical facts taking some fictional liberties, the story starts with Lucrezia being convinced that her husband Alfonso is taking her to an unexpected visit to their country fortress in order to murder her.

This delicate, sensitive and artistic young woman who was married off to Alfonso, Duke of Feŕrara by her father Cosimo de Medici against her will and expected to produce a male heir,  was completely ill suited to the brutal and restrictive court life of a noble woman in Renaissance Italy.  Some of the happenings made me gasp. It is a fascinating story and O' Farrell narration is so fine and nuanced.

Loved ever page of it and still cannot get some the characters, particularly Lucrezia and Alfonso, out of my head. 

 Donna Leon: So shall you reap, 9781529153316, Heinemann /Penguin Random House, coming March 3, 2023

Thanks to a Penguin netgalley proof ,  I was able to read the upcoming  Donna Leon, comfort reading for me always and this week especially;  it has been a couple of challenging weeks.

"So shall you reap" is one of Leon's  better books in my opinion, dealing with the murder of a Sri Lankan immigrant whose body  had been found in the canals. As Brunetti discovers he has been quietly living in a garden house on the grounds of one of Venice's noble families,  with one family member having past ties to Red brigades terrorists.  As always Brunetti's subtle, calm but determined investigation leads to results with no Hollywood ending,  a colorful portrait of human behaviour with Donna Leon's narration making this so enjoyable. I once had the pleasure of spending time with her at the bookfair and her kindness and keen observations transpire into her writing. 

Loved it, as always. Coming in March 2023

 Kate Atkinson: Shrines of Gaiety, large format paperback 9780857526564, Doubleday / Penguin Random House UK

I have to confess I had a bit of a hard time getting into "Shrines of Gaiety" which has probably something to do with the multiple string of characters and the parallel stories it needs to built up this terrific 450 page plot. The story reminded me in its complexity of Dickens novels,  but once i got into it and the story gathered speed,  I had the best time, particularly during the second half of the book. Set in the 1920ties world of seedy Soho clubs, run by the formidable Nellie Cocker and her more or less capabable six children, it is a fabulous portrait of the underbelly of London after WWI,  the damage it did to a lot of men who found work as policemen or gangsters and the desire it left for entertainment, drugs and diversion amongst the wealthy. A fresh supply of innocent young runaways looking for adventure often end up as hostesses in Nellie's clubs but then a few turn up dead suddenly with corrupt policemen showing little interest to solve their murder. Enter Inspector Frobisher who is installed to take down Nellie and corrupt fellow policemen. A great story of betrayal, seduction, innocence and crime, ended up loving it!

 Raynor Winn: Landlines, hardback 9780241484562, Michael Joseph /Penguin Random House UK,

Raynor Winn's autobiographical  book "The Salt Path" was one of those true book finds, just blew me away and i wanted to know what became of her and husband Moth.

 Her third book "Landlines" has them walking the Cape Wrath Trail, an ancient gruelling path through Scotlands lochs and mountains which is started for the same reason as their other hikes, Moth neurological degenerative disease which seems to improve whenever they start arduous walking.  Winn's prose has some incredibly beautiful nature writing in "Landlines" which is topped by her recounting the hardship they put up with to reconnect with their love for Scotland and their hope that Moth's worsening illness might go into reverse. While hiking the Sheigra Trail, Moth's health seems to become steadier and they take the decision to carry on walking the Westhighland Way, The Borders, the Pennine Way and even further..

I cannot fathom the conditions they endured on these hikes.
Winn is an excellent chronicler of their emotions, love and trust in each other but The Salt Path remains my favorite of her writing,

Kali Fajardo-Anstine: Woman of Light, One World/Penguin Random House Usa, 9780525511328, hardback

Kali Fajardo-Anstine's short stories "Sabrina & Corina" made it to the finals  of the National Book Award and where a true discovery  for me. I knew she would be someone to watch, her writing  is exceptional. 

But i really fell in love with her latest book, "Women of Light".  The novel just tugged at my heart with all the betrayal, heartbreak and injustice that befell  Luz Lopez, the main character, and generations of her mixed Native American and Latino family. The story switches between the voices of her anchestors beginning in 1868, following her Native American grandfather Pidre and her grandmother Simodecca and finishes in 1934 Denver, Colorado. 

All the characters are strong and stuck in my head whenever I stoped reading but Luz, who has the gift of seeing like her aunt Marie Josefina and her grandmother Simodecca,  shines particularly as does her brother Diego and her aunt Marie Josefina. The novel reminded me of Julia Alvarez's or Louise Erdrich's storytelling but Fajardo-Anstine has her very own distinct voice.  "Women of Light" is one of my favourite books of the year so far and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next...

Cassandra Leah Quave: The Plant Hunter, A Scientist's Quest for Nature's Next Medicines. Penguin Books USA, 9781984879134, paperback 

Found Dr. Cassandra Quaves enlightening book " The Plant Hunter" at one of the airport bookshops in Austin. I have always been interested in the medicinal healing power of plants, something i remember as a kid from my mother and grandmother who would  consult their herbal knowledge before using pills.  So naturally i was drawn to Quaves very personal story in the search of natural compounds who might be helpful in keeping multi resistant  bacteria at bay. 

Her life story is an extraordinary one.

Born with a birth defect and living with a prothetic leg, having undergone multiple surgeries herself, nothing stops her during her field research to find healers with ancient knowledge in the Amazon, Italy, Kosovo, even as a young mother, or her tireless effort to apply for grants to fund her research projects. For someone who is not a science wiz , I had a hard time occasionally staying focused when she goes into scientific explanations. Her personal story however is exceptional, an example of willpower, perseverance, never giving up and raising three children with her husband Marco while plunging herself fully into her mission. Perhaps a bit too detailed at times for myself but all in all a fascinating memoir, i hope she is succesfull in her quest. The world needs scientists and mentors like her. Nothing was ever achieved if you do not think outside the box.