The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

HI there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

So, I have to apologize...or rather I guess I don't, but I choose to explain by more recent spotty posting, here on my site.  It's stress, honestly.  The reading has been getting done as have any agreed to dates/posts, but I'm completely wiped between work, trying to get my house repaired still from Hurricane Michael, the death storm that is Hurricane Dorian putting everyone's life in such a tizzy, and regular old life worries.  It just feels like too much, so yeah...when I get off a long shift at work, I'm over tired to do anything else.  When I get a day off, after I finish everyone else's running around and try to catch up with the other balls in the air, I'm not really feeling the desire to get online and do much.  Sorry, and yet not.

I still ADORE reading, sharing, and indulging in everything that is the MAGIC of the written word...I just have to take a bit of me time now to try to get things centered again.  So yes, if I'm silent sometimes, I apologize and I hope you stick around because I promise what does make it up here will be worth your venture!  Now, speaking of worth the venture...

The title in today's spotlight is an ARC I received from Ballantine Books that just celebrated its BOOK BIRTHDAY August 27th, 2019.  Ironically (or perhaps not), it's not the happiest of stories, but it is relevant, very much NOW, and so heartbreakingly beautiful at times despite the darkness throughout, it needs to be read.  Without further ado, I give you today's book of choice...

The Beekeeper of Aleppo

 by

Christy Lefteri

9781984821218

Ballantine Books

About the book...

Nuri is a beekeeper and Afra, his wife, is an artist. Mornings, Nuri rises early to hear the call to prayer before driving to his hives in the countryside. On weekends, Afra sells her colorful landscape paintings at the open-air market. They live a simple life, rich in family and friends, in the hills of the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo—until the unthinkable happens. When all they love is destroyed by war, Nuri knows they have no choice except to leave their home. But escaping Syria will be no easy task: Afra has lost her sight, leaving Nuri to navigate her grief as well as a perilous journey through Turkey and Greece toward an uncertain future in Britain.

Nuri is sustained only by the knowledge that waiting for them is his cousin Mustafa, who has started an apiary in Yorkshire and is teaching fellow refugees beekeeping. As Nuri and Afra travel through a broken world, they must confront not only the pain of their own unspeakable loss but dangers that would overwhelm even the bravest souls. Above all, they must make the difficult journey back to each other, a path once so familiar yet rendered foreign by the heartache of displacement.

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So, I actually finished this one over the course of a week, and while not my normal reading speed, it simply felt right for this novel.  It's not an easy read, by any means, and the subject matter is painted with darkness both literally and figuratively, but even so...it's very moving. 

From the moment you step between the pages, you become a part of the story.  You are there with Nuri as he discovers his passion for something outside of the family business much to the chagrin of his father. You too revel in the beauty found within the beekeepers landscape, and equally feel the emptiness left behind when it's all taken away.  You can't escape the blackness painted on his soul when his son goes somewhere he can't simply follow, though at times he may wish to with all his might.  As time progresses, you are still there, a silent shadow, witnessing what true hardship can do to a person physically, mentally, and emotionally.  How DO you carry on when everything is taken from you, including your freedom?  How indeed...but the question posed doesn't merely belong to Nuri, nor the sorrows experienced, challenges faced, and hardships survived, for Afra was with him every step of the way.  His wife had her own troubles brought on by everything that transpired, including the loss of her sight.  It's bad enough when the world around you is crumbling into nothingness, casting you out like so many fallen leaves, but to not be able to see past the memories in your own mind, to lose the chance to move forward from the beauty it once possessed and into the reality it has become visually...I'm not certain if that was a blessing or a curse. 

In the end, no one would ever accuse this one of being filled with sunshine and rainbows, and happily ever after is certainly not seen in the short run (more like through the lense of the Hubble telescope), but it's all the more beautiful for the heartache, pain, tragedy, and darkness LIVED through.  

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About the author...

Christy Lefteri was born in London in 1980 to Greek Cypriot parents who moved to London in 1974 during the Turkish invasion. She completed a degree in English and a Masters in creative writing at Brunel University. She taught English to foreign students and then became a secondary school teacher before leaving to pursue a PhD and to write. She is also studying to become a psychotherapist.

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Special thanks to the Penguin Random House team for the ARC for review.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above.  This title is available now via Ballantine Books, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf or virtual retailer of your choosing.

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!

Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber

Alaskan Holiday by Debbie Macomber
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Palmer, Josie, and who can forget Jack, along with the whole of Ponder, Alaska, steal into your heart like a cold wind on a dark winter night, illuminated by the brilliance of the Northern lights.

What begins as a job between jobs turns into the possibility of something more for Josie when connections are made and relationships are forged that were never expected. The romance is demure, but their hearts are fully invested, even if some are slower than others to admit that simple fact...and surprise, it's not the guy! But I digress...we've a bumbled proposal, a lack of shared worries to complicate things, and the classic appearance of the green-eyed monster when there was really no need to worry that keep the story interesting...though I for one was happy enough with the long-distance romance that seemed meant to be, but the HOW was up in the air!

This was only my second read of this author's work, but I definitely enjoyed it. A great read this time of year or any for that matter...and a great big thanks to dear old mom for the Christmas gift (nice pick!)! Recommended for Contemporary Romance fans as well as Women's or General Fiction.

**from my own personal library

View all my reviews

BLOG TOUR: At the River's Edge by Mariah Stewart + CONTEST!

Hi there!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers…the place to be when you’re in need of something new, something exciting, something you may not have picked up off the shelf otherwise; no worries, we’ve got you covered.

Speaking of “not picking up otherwise”, today’s blog tour guest (AND BOOK BIRTHDAY celebrant) definitely falls into that category…at least for this reader.  As many of you know, I’ve only more recently begun exploring the Romance genre.  Sounds corny or prude-ish, I know, but I’m not a fan of “too much” in a novel and the classic definition of a Romance novel to me, screams of this…not to mention the covers, the titles, etc.  How can I be blamed for my assumption…fully at least?  Am I right?  *waits for response*  Of course…and not just because it’s me either.  (^-^) Once again those who are frequent readers here will remember the appearance of some of my more recent dabbles here and there, as well as my surprise as to their actual content for both better and worse.  Today’s pick, definitely for the better!  Coming to us via TLC Book Tours, today’s blog tour guest and book of choice is…

The Chesapeake Diaries, Book 7:

At the River’s Edge

By

Mariah Stewart

9780345538420

Ballantine Books

Okay, so I was going to go with the usual “about the book”  section here, but realized after placing it just so, it told a wee tad more than I myself wanted to reveal.  Yep.  So, for today, we’ll go with a slightly more heavy air of mystery as we shine the light on this wonderful read…because it truly was wonderful.

Though classified as a Contemporary Romance, I wouldn’t be hard pressed to shelf it among the Women’s Fiction reads either.  How come?  I’ll tell you…..because though there is a personal relationship or two within the novel, that’s not what it’s solely about or even primarily.  What it’s really about it finding out balance in life.  Discovering the “we” that we are meant to be, rather than the version of us that is purely expected.  It’s great to fall into line with the family business, being a lawyer is certainly a respectable career, but if you’re afforded the chance to not only make a living but also BE HAPPY….who wouldn’t take that?  Thus we being our tale…

Sophie Enright, our leading lady, is thrown a massive curve ball in the shape of a two-timing boyfriend who, if truth be told, just isn’t cutting it as her forever option.  I know the opening scenes are not the best for the characters involved but wouldn’t you know it, they totally endeared them to my heart…well, at least her; him, not so much.  Her reaction was realistic but also hilarious and I loved how even in the heat of the moment, she couldn’t bring herself to harm an innocent book.  (Page 9…read it, you won’t be sorry!)  Despite it being a time she’d rather forget, we actually have this butt head former beau to thank because without his indiscretion, Sophie would not have been motivated to try something new. 

Now, her new personal challenge is not something the family is exactly behind as far as support; in their minds, lawyers breed lawyers and with her father having been such a disappointment, her success was the bright shiny penny in their loafers.  Her challenge, her commitment is not only to aiding her brother in unburying the family’s law firm from paperwork Hades, but to have her own restaurant.  Nothing fancy, just  a local joint that she could call her own and maybe the town would be inclined to as well.  Thing is about dreams, sometimes they come true with a little hard work and an awful lot of faith.  Will Sophie’s?  That’s not for me to say….but then again, that’s not the only thing she has worth fighting for.  Enter Jason Bowers….

He would be our leading man whether or not he became tangled up in Sophie’s story.  He has a tale all his own that I shan’t lay bear at the moment, but suffice it to say that the school of hard knocks gave him a great big WHACK on several occasions and yet…he’s still coming back for more.  He is a generous soul with a heart of gold even if he can be stubborn as a mule at times (he’s a guy…need I say more?).  With his local business keeping the community visually appealing, a gentle helping hand to lend to those in need, and a heart growing fonder of this small town with every passing day, it’s easy to see that Jason Bowers is a keeper…it doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes too.  (^_^)  Only problem?  Stubborn pride.  Who has to deal with it?  Well, himself of course…but also our leading lady.  That’s right!  It’s one of those occasions where love was the last thing on either of their minds and yet, here it is…live and in living color, if only they can hold on to it.  *le sigh*

Aside from the stories and characters already made note of above, there is a whole town of colorful folks just waiting to be discovered.  From the local business owners that while one might assume would be leery of possible competition moving in on their turf, are more than happy to lend a hand if the chance presents itself, to a family tree coming to life right before our eyes.  Sophie’s grandfather, Curtis, is a formidable man but with a tender heart that beats strong and true for who else…his family; that doesn’t only include blood relations either.  Violet, dear friend to Curtis but also his late wife Rose (two parts of the Blossoms as they called themselves in their youth) and a relation by association, is a permanent fixture around the Enright & Enright offices.  She knows who’s who, what’s what, and is ready to help in any capacity she is humanly capable of…we’ll leave the super human aspect to Rose who may have passed on physically but the lingering Gardenia scent around her home every now and then, begs otherwise.  I liked her attitude towards life and her spunk.  She struck me as a woman not to be ignored but not in the looming gloom and doom sense, just someone you’d rather have ON your side.  *ahem*  Then there’s Jesse and Brooke, her brother and his fiancé, Logan, Jason’s nephew, Grace and….well, I think you get the picture.

Author Mariah Stewart

In short, a story that will touch both your mind and your heart, inviting you back for another visit as soon as the opportunity presents itself.  It tells of life, love, family, and all the heart we lose and gain along the way.  It’s a reminder that dreams can come true, but they often need a little help from us to be realized…and all the hard work put into it, makes it that much sweeter in the end.  Though several books into this particular series, it reads perfectly fine as a standalone…or as an introduction because the first six books are now on my “to read” list and book eight is coming soon according to the last pages of this one.  (YAY!) Recommended read for Contemporary Romance fans as well as those more into Women’s Fiction. 

Review copy received courtesy of Lisa at TLC Book Tours.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this tour as well as those forth coming, be sure to stop by the official site, like them on Facebook or catch up on Twitter.  This title is available now via Ballantine Books, a division of Random House, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf near you.  Now for the piece de resistance….

....it's CONTEST TIME!

Thanks to the generosity of TLC Book Tours and Ballantine Books, YOU have the chance to win a copy of this title to call your own!  All you have to do is submit your information below and you’re in it to win it.  Entries accepted today through midnight CST, February 7^th, 2014.  US entries only, no P.O. Boxes please.  Of course…if you’d like some EXTRA ENTRIES, you’ll be afforded the opportunity.  Just check out the form for all the details.

Until next time…GOOD LUCK…and happy reading!