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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week sponsored by the Book Date at http://bookdate.blogspot.ca/.

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About the Night Paperback– June 1, 2016 by Anat Talshir (Author), Evan Fallenberg (Translator)

From the Publisher. On a hot summer day in 1947, on a grandstand overlooking Jerusalem, Elias and Lila fall deeply, irrevocably in love.

Tragically, they come from two different worlds. Elias is a Christian Arab living on the eastern side of the newly divided city, and Lila is a Jew living on the western side. A growing conflict between their cultures casts a heavy shadow over the region and their burgeoning relationship. Between them lie not only a wall of stone and barbed wire but also the bitter enmity of two nations at war.

Told in the voice of Elias as he looks back upon the long years of his life, About the Night is a timely story of how hope can nourish us, loss can devastate us, and love can carry us beyond the boundaries that hold human beings apart.

This is my Kindle First pick for the month of May. This is for Amazon Prime members where you get to make a Kindle selection of pre-selected upcoming releases for free each month.

 

 

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The Blue Bath: A NovelHardcover – May 3, 2016 by Mary Waters-Sayer

From the Publisher. Kat Lind, an American expatriate living in London with her entrepreneur husband and their young son, attends an opening at a prestigious Mayfair art gallery and is astonished to find her own face on the walls. The portraits are evidence of a long-ago love affair with the artist, Daniel Blake. Unbeknownst to her, he has continued to paint her ever since. Kat is seduced by her reflection on canvas and when Daniel appears in London, she finds herself drawn back into the sins and solace of a past that suddenly no longer seems so far away.

When the portraits catch the attention of the public, threatening to reveal not only her identity, but all that lies beyond the edges of the canvases, Kat comes face to face with the true price of their beauty and with all that she now could lose.

Moving between the glamour of the London art world and the sensuous days of a love affair in a dusty Paris studio, life and art bleed together as Daniel and Kat’s lives spin out of control, leading to a conclusion that is anything but inevitable.

 

 

I have mixed feelings about this one. I liked it as a whole but it seemed almost like two different styles mashed together. The first 75% was descriptive and layered in writing and the remainder read almost like a thriller. It was like two books were put together. I would be interested to hear from anyone else who read this one.

Received from NetGalley.

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It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again: Discovering Creativity and Meaning at Midlife and BeyondPaperback – April 19, 2016 by Julia Cameron (Author), Emma Lively (Author)

From the Publisher. “The book you hold in your hands is the distillate of a quarter century’s teaching. It is my attempt to answer, ‘What next?’ for students who are embarking on their ‘second act.’”
—Julia Cameron

Julia Cameron has inspired millions with her bestseller on creativity, The Artist’s Way. In It’s Never Too Late To Begin Again, she turns her eye to a segment of the population that, ironically, while they have more time to be creative, are often reluctant or intimidated by the creative process. Cameron shows readers that retirement can, in fact, be the most rich, fulfilling, and creative time of their lives.

When someone retires, the newfound freedom can be quite exciting, but also daunting. The life that someone had has changed, and the life to come is yet to be defined. In this book, Cameron shows readers how cultivating their creative selves can help them navigate this new terrain. She tells the inspiring stories of retirees who discovered new artistic pursuits and passions that more than filled their days—they nurtured their souls.
A twelve-week course aimed at defining—and creating—the life you want to have as you redefine—and re-create—yourself, this book includes simple tools that will guide and inspire you to make the most of this time in your life:

–  Memoir writing offers an opportunity to reflect on—and honor—past experience. This book guides you through the daunting task of writing an entire memoir, breaking it down into manageable pieces.
–  Morning Pages—private, stream-of-consciousness writing done daily—allow you to express wishes, fears, delights, resentments, and joys, which in turn, provide focus and clarity for the day at hand.
–  Artist Dates encourage fun and spontaneity.
–  Solo Walks quell anxiety and clear the mind.

This fun, gentle, step-by-step process will help you explore your creative dreams, wishes, and desires—and help you quickly find that it’s never too late to begin again.

I’ve been a fan of Cameron’s since I read The Artist’s Way and although some of the information is similar, like morning pages, there are differences. This is a good book for anyone looking for that creative breakthrough.

Received from NetGalley.

What am I reviewing this week?

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Deception Island Hardcover – May 31, 2016 by Brynn Kelly

 

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The Girl Who Stayed Hardcover – April 19, 2016 by Tanya Anne Crosby