magical realism – Book Dust Magic

Movie Monday: The Black Phone #MovieMonday #TheBlackPhone #Horror

Movie Monday is a feature here on my blog, in which I’m rambling about movies I’ve watched lately.

Today I want to talk about the best movie that I have watched this year (so far): The Black Phone

The Black Phone

Guys, what a great movie I watched recently!! The Black Phone was amazing. I went into it with somewhat high expectations but I was still surprised how good and captivating it was.

In case you didn’t know, it was based on short story written by Joe Hill. I never read the story as I didn’t know about it after after I finished the film, but even though I now know how it goes, I would still take a chance to read it.

This movie is generated as a horror. It was scary at some moments, but I would rather prefer to say that it is a fiction set in late 70s with elements of magical realism.
Still, it was very violent so keep that it mind. There were scenes with brutal bullying and peer violence but also with parent hitting a child (or beat her to blood to be precise).

Otherwise, it was even a relaxing movie when all of the violence and main fabula gets out of the way, the setting was kind of nostalgic.

Actor performances were great and I am sure future big movie stars played in this movie.
As for the already acknowledged actors, Ethan Hawke’s performance was appreciable. To me he gets better and gets better roles as he gets older.

The story was well done and the only thing that was missing was the motive behind it all, but then again it reminded me how evil sometimes doesn’t need the motive. It just is.

If you could call your loved ones: You’ve Reached Sam by Dustin Thao #BookReview @WednesdayBooks

you've reached sam by Dustin Thao book cover

GIFTED / Today I am bringing you my review for a book I read several weeks ago. I was happy to see it was READ NOW on Netgalley.

You’ve reached Sam comes out tomorrow, on November 2nd and it has 304 pages. Thank you Wednesday Books for giving me an opportunity to read and review it.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS /

Seventeen-year-old Julie has her future all planned out—move out of her small town with her boyfriend Sam, attend college in the city, spend a summer in Japan. But then Sam dies. And everything changes.

Heartbroken, Julie skips his funeral, throws out his things, and tries everything to forget him and the tragic way he died. But a message Sam left behind in her yearbook forces back memories. Desperate to hear his voice one more time, Julie calls Sam’s cellphone just to listen to his voicemail.

And Sam picks up the phone.

In a miraculous turn of events, Julie’s been given a second chance at goodbye. The connection is temporary. But hearing Sam’s voice makes her fall for him all over again, and with each call it becomes harder to let him go. However, keeping her otherworldly calls with Sam a secret isn’t easy, especially when Julie witnesses the suffering Sam’s family is going through. Unable to stand by the sidelines and watch their shared loved ones in pain, Julie is torn between spilling the truth about her calls with Sam and risking their connection and losing him forever.

Review:

When I picked You’ve Reached Sam I was ready to be emotionally wracked. Just reading the premise I expected to be at least touched with the story, if not literally crying (because I don’t do that often).
Instead, most of the time, this book made me feel… confused.

It had original part: the phone calls between late boyfriend and alive girlfriend, and I do appreciate it’s uniqueness, but if I am being completely honest, after a while I just didn’t see the point.
I blame the execution for that part. The idea was good.

I also blame the main character who seriously lacked manners and empathy.

I also didn’t understand how she, and people around her, acted as if everyone should move on so quickly. She getting rid of all of her stuff, her mother advising her and people in school in general. One would say it’s been 6 months since Sam’s accident, not a week.

The book was written in first person, following Julie’s POV.
The author’s voice was good and I believe with time it will improve with time.

In my opinion this was a solid ya book with magical elements that made it unique, and it was good for entertainment purpose.

The most beautiful book about love and loss: The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silber (BookReview) #BookLovers #WomensFiction #LoveStory

GIFTED / Today I want to talk about the book the I read in 2019, the one that has stolen my heart. When I read it in November it was my absolutely favourite read of 2019 and I hope my words will make you give this beautiful novel a try.
The Two Lives of Lydia Brid should be published as an e-book today, on January 30th 2020, and the paperback comes out on March 5th 2020. It is published by Penguin and it has 432 pages.
I want to say thank you to lovely people from Penguin for sending me an invitation to read this book via Netgalley.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS /

Lydia and Freddie. Freddie and Lydia. They’ve been together for almost a decade, and Lydia thinks their love is indestructible.

But she’s wrong. Because on her 27th birthday, Freddie dies in a car accident.

So now it’s just Lydia, and all she wants to do is hide indoors and sob ’til her eyes fall out. But Lydia knows that Freddie would want her to live her life well. So, enlisting the help of his best friend and her sister Elle, she takes her first tentative steps into the world and starts to live – perhaps even to love – again.

But then something inexplicable happens, which gives her another chance at her old life with Freddie. A life where none of the tragic events of the past few months have happened. But what if there’s someone in in her new life who wants her to stay?

Review:

Perfection. That is the one word I would use to describe The Two Lives of Lydia Bird.

This novel has stolen my heart with it’s beautiful storyline, with the intensity of emotions it awoke in me.
I honestly can’t even remember when was the last time I fell in love with the book so hard…

If I’m not mistaken, it was back in 2018 when I read One Day in December, that was one of my favourite reads that year.

If nothing (but it’s not nothing, it’s everything) this book showed just how amazing Josie Silver of a writer is.
She wrote two novels, and they both were stunningly written with emotional, heart shaking but beautiful plots, and characters one can’t help but get attached to.
I now am sure I don’t want to ever miss a piece of work written by this incredible author! I want to support her as long as my eyes can see, as long as my brain can recognize the sentences…

I loved the magical element that is the foundation of the story, but also how it affected the main character and the way the story developed.

The story is written in first person, with Lydia as a narrator.
It is beautifully written and even though the book has more than 400 pages it didn’t feel like it.
I wished it was longer, so I could spend more time in this world, with these wonderful characters.

I rarely cry while reading, but this book made me shed some tears.
That one scene, with lighting up candles, was especially emotional. It was my favourite scene in the whole story.

The story wrapped up in the most satisfying way. I hoped it would end up that way, and when it did, I was overwhelmed in a good way. I approve it 100%.

I will mention only one more thing: I want to praise Josie Silver for mentioning my county, Croatia. I was in Makarska many times in my life and I loved reading about it in one of the most beautiful books.

In the end, if I could make you want to read one book from my recommendations list, I would chose this one, because I am sure it will touch many hearts and I hope it will move yours too.
I am so thankful I had an opportunity to read this wonderful novel and I truly believe I will carry it in that part of my heart reserved only for favourite stories, for the rest of my life.

Beautifully written: The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman (Book Review) #Magic #Witches #BookLovers

GIFTED / Today I bring you my review for the book I should have read ages ago, but I only finished it this year. Sometimes we think we have all the time in the world to pick up the book, and that was my case when it comes to The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman.
This novel was published on October 10th 2017 by Simon & Schuster, and it has 369 pages.
I want to say thank you to Simon & Schuster pr team for sending me a Netgalley widget for an eARC, in an exchange for an honest review.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man.

Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the sixties, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique. Difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk.

From the start Susanna sets down rules for her children: No walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. And most importantly, never, ever, fall in love. But when her children visit their Aunt Isabelle, in the small Massachusetts town where the Owens family has been blamed for everything that has ever gone wrong, they uncover family secrets and begin to understand the truth of who they are. Back in New York City each begins a risky journey as they try to escape the family curse.

The Owens children cannot escape love even if they try, just as they cannot escape the pains of the human heart. The two beautiful sisters will grow up to be the revered, and sometimes feared, aunts in Practical Magic, while Vincent, their beloved brother, will leave an unexpected legacy.

Review:

Few years ago I read Faithful by Alice Hoffman and I loved it. It was one of the best books I read that year and I knew I wanted to try Hoffman’s other work at some point.
When nice people from Simon & Schuster provided me with an eARC of The Rules of Magic I was pretty happy, but then life got in a way and this magical book was left behind, neglected.
This year, I made a decision to read all the books from my dusty to-be-reviewed pile and this prequel to Practical Magic shined it’s way to my hands.

I have to confess that I have never read Practical Magic, but I’ve seen the movie many times, because it is a good movie and it’s also very popular in my country because it has Croatian actor in it (Goran Višnjić) along with two famous actresses (Nicole Kidman and Sandra l).

However, it is not obligatory to read or watch Practical Magic to read The Rules of Magic, because it is it’s prequel, and it features different characters.

What won me at the very start of my reading journey was the beautiful writing style that almost read as sing-song in some parts.
I remember I loved it the most in Faithful too, so I guess it’s save to say that Hoffman’s writing is one of the most beautiful voices out there that I have come across.

This novel is written in third person, following perspectives of three siblings who have magical abilities.
I enjoyed following each character, and I honestly can’t even say that one’s story sticks out from other. I liked them all similarly.

The story takes place in New York in sixties (and after as the story progressed) and in the small town Massachusetts. I usually love small town stories, and this time was the same, but I have to admit that I enjoyed New York parts more.

I love how this book roused emotions in me, even though the story itself wasn’t too sad or too emotional. It is a story of life, with magical realism in it.

The Rules of Magic will stay in good memory with me and my only regret is that I haven’t read it sooner.

Alice Hoffman is well received writer with a reason, and I highly recommend you to give her a try. Read this novel, Faithful, her newest release The World That We Knew, or any other of her many novels. I truly believe that you won’t regret it!

Solid contemporary with a magical feeling: Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg (Book Review) @PRHGlobal #partner #Books

GIFTED / Today I bring you my review for the book I read lat week, and fairly liked it.
Night of Miracles was published on November 13th 2018 by Random House and it has 267 pages.
I want to thank the team from Penguin Random House Global for sending me an e-galley of this novel (in an exchange for an honest review).

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / A delightful novel about surprising friendships, community, and the way small acts of kindness can change a life, from the bestselling author of The Story of Arthur Truluv

Lucille Howard is getting on in years, but she stays busy. Thanks to the inspiration of her dearly departed friend Arthur Truluv, she has begun to teach baking classes, sharing the secrets to her delicious classic Southern yellow cake, the perfect pinwheel cookies, and other sweet essentials. Her classes have become so popular that she’s hired Iris, a new resident of Mason, Missouri, as an assistant. Iris doesn’t know how to bake but she needs to keep her mind off a big decision she sorely regrets.

When a new family moves in next door and tragedy strikes, Lucille begins to look out for Lincoln, their son. Lincoln’s parents aren’t the only ones in town facing hard choices and uncertain futures. In these difficult times, the residents of Mason come together and find the true power of community–just when they need it the most.

“Elizabeth Berg’s characters jump right off the page and into your heart” said Fannie Flagg about The Story of Arthur Truluv. The same could be said about Night of Miracles, a heartwarming novel that reminds us that the people we come to love are often the ones we don’t expect.

Review:

I went into Night of Miracles not knowing it was a sequel to an already published book The Story of Arthur Truluv.
Thinking it was a standalone I fairly enjoyed it, but as the story progressed I realized I should already be familiar with the characters or things that happened to them before.
Therefore, even though this book does work as a solid standalone, I think I would appreciate it more have I read it’s predecessor before giving it a try.

At the beginning of the book we read about our main character Lucille who is 88 years old.
If I’m being completely honest, I had no idea about her age before picking up this book, and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to connect with the character who is so much older them me (we talk about 50+ years gap here).
In some way my feeling was right, but thanks to other characters that are part of the story I still enjoyed the novel.

This is pretty short book and it can easily be read in one sitting.
It is written in third person and it follows multiple characters.

I liked the positive atmosphere through the entire book.
If you need a story that will come as a chicken soup for your soul, this book is a perfect choice.
Small town setting contributes to this feel-good vibe too.

Out of all the stories, my favorite was one centred around Tiny and his love interest.
I think it is because those characters were the closest to my age.

The magical aspect of the story really took the book to another level, and I enjoyed it very much, because it gave the magic to this solid novel and made it whole.

I would recommend Night of Miracles to readers who enjoy feel-good books that follow many characters and perspectives.

Middle Grade with beautiful setting: A Swirl of Ocean by Melissa Sarno (Book Review) @PRHGlobal #partner #BookReview #MiddleGrade

GIFTED / Today I bring you my review for the middle grade novel I have read lately: A Swirl of Ocean. I liked the atmosphere in this book so much!
I want to thank the team from Penguin Random House Global for sending me an e-galley of this novel (in an exchange for an honest review).
The book was released on August 6th 2019 and it has 224 pages.

About the book:

FROM GOODREADS / A girl discovers that the ocean is holding secrets she never could have imagined.

Twelve-year-old Summer loves the ocean. The smell, the immensity, the feeling she gets when she dives beneath the surface. She has lived in Barnes Bluff Bay since she was two years old, when Lindy found her on the beach. It’s been the two of them ever since. But now, ten years later, Summer feels uncertainty about her place with Lindy and starts to wonder about where she came from. One night, Summer goes for a swim and gets caught in a riptide, swallowing mouthfuls of seawater. And that night, she dreams of a girl. A girl her age living in the same town, but not in the same time. Summer’s not persuaded that this girl is real, but something about her feels familiar.

Summer dreams again and again about this girl, Tink, and becomes convinced that she is connected to her past. As she sees Tink struggle with her sister growing away from her and her friends starting to pair off, Summer must come to terms with her own evolving home life and discover how the bonds that make us family can help heal the wounds of the past.

Review:

When I first saw the cover for this middle grade novel, few months ago, I was swept away. I mean, just look at this gorgeousness! Who wouldn’t want to have something so beautiful in his hands?
When it comes to cover design, this book (or should I say author) really hit the jackpot!

The story itself was good, although if I’m being honest, not much happened in it.
I liked the atmosphere and setting the most, and the way the writer put an ocean as part of the story was so brilliantly done, that it felt like the ocean was the character itself.
It does play big part in this sort of coming of age story with magical realism elements.

I loved to read about Summer and Lindy‘s relationship and how their dynamic was shaken after Lindy’s boyfriend came around.

Also, Summer’s friendship with her best friend was so much fun to follow.

The story is written in first person following Summer’s POV, but there are also parts written in third person that talk about Summer’s dreams, featuring a girl named Tink who is somehow connected to Summer.

I have to admit that while I enjoyed following Summer, I simply didn’t care about Tink.
I knew Tink’s story was important but somehow I just couldn’t make myself care enough.

In the end, when it all connected and magical realism played it’s part, I realized that I wasn’t connected to the story enough to be thrilled, which is a shame.

Still, I think many readers will enjoy this book and I feel like it’s a perfect pick for late summer nights.

Movie Monday: Before I Wake – magical realism with horror elements #BeforeIWake #MovieMonday #MovieReview

Movie Monday is a feature here on my blog, in which I’m rambling about movies I’ve watched lately.

This week I want to talk about the movie I watched few days ago, that touched my heart.

Before I Wake

There’s not much one can do when all she has to do is rest, then watch plenty of movies (and tv shows).
I was lucky enough to find some good ones for the past few days, and today I want to tell you all about the one that impressed me the most: Before I Wake.

Before I Wake was recommended to be by my friend recently, because it’s a good story with horror elements, and she knows how much I enjoy horrors.

At first I was sceptic whether it’ll be just another horror that I’ll forget as soon as it’s over, but I trusted her and gave it a shot with some expectations. They weren’t extra high, but they surely weren’t low either.

The story follows a young orphan boy who was adopted by a young couple who lost their son few years ago.
The story is actually magical realism and the boy has the ability to transfer his dreams in the real world.
Everything is fine and magical while the boy sleeps well, but what happens when he has nightmares?

Guys, this movie is one of the best I’ve watched this year.
I have no doubt that the story will stay with me for the longest time, and I will recommend it to everyone I know, who still hasn’t watched it.

At first I thought this was a horror, but as the story was developing, it transformed into a beautiful piece of art that touched my heart, and I still shiver when I think about it.

It talks about child’s perspective on life and hard circumstances when one is still very young, and the love children and adults need.

I highly recommend Before I Wake to everyone. I hope this movie will touch you as it has me.

Book Review: Every Time a Bell Rings by Carmel Harrington #EveryTimeABellRings #BookReview #Christmas #MagicalRealism

Title: Every Time a Bell Rings

Author: Carmel Harrington

Publisher: HarperImpulse

Date: November 19th, 2015

Pages: 416

Format: Paperback

Source: Purchased

Synopsis (from Goodreads): An angel gets its wings…

Belle has taken all the Christmas decorations down. This year they won’t be celebrating.

As foster parents, Belle and Jim have given many children the chance of a happier start in life. They’ve loved them as if they were their own. They shouldn’t have favourites but little Lauren has touched their hearts. And now her mother is well enough to take her back and Belle can’t bear the loss.

Hence, Christmas is cancelled.

So when Jim crashes his car one icy December night, after an argument about Lauren, Belle can only blame herself. Everything she loves is lost. And Belle finds herself standing on The Ha’Penny Bridge wishing she had never been born.

But what happens to a Christmas wish when an angel is listening…

Will Belle realise, before it’s too late, that her life is the most wonderful life of all?

Inspired by the timeless tale of beloved Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, Carmel Harrington’s next book tells the story of Belle, a young woman and foster carer from Dublin who faces the hardest decision of her life this Christmas on The Ha’Penny Bridge.

Full of Irish charm, magic, and the warmth of the festive season this is an emotional, heartwarming story that will stay with you long after you’ve reached ‘The End’. Perfect for fans of Cecelia Ahern & Jojo Moyes.

Review:

Trigger warning: This book talks about child loss.

Every Time a Bell Rings was on my wishlist for the longest time, and this year I decided to grant my wish and bought myself a nice paperback to start a festive season. It was my first Christmas read of 2018 and I am so glad I chose this novel to be the one, because I loved it so much.

Fist advice that I’d give to everyone who wants to read it is to avoid synopsis on the back (or on Goodreads, and yeah, I know I am guilty of pasting those here) because they give too much away.

The story follows Belle and Jim from their early age. We get to see their lives trough years, and most of the events we see happen’ around Christmases.

The story talks about fostering and it manly focuses on this topic, showing us what it’s like to be foster child but also what it’s like to be foster parent. Because of that factor, I can say that I learned a lot about something I knew very little about.

From all the serious subjects this story brings, there is one particular that can be triggering (I mentioned it in the trigger warning) and that is just heartbreaking.

After something like two thirds of the book we get to see the heart of the story, as dash of magical realism plays it’s part.
When I reached that part, the Christmas Spirit really hit me hard, filled my heart with joy and made me want to celebrate life.
I understand my words may sound like exaggerating to you, but if you(‘ll) read the story, you(‘ll) probably get them.

The writing style was really good. The novel is written in first person, from Belle’s POV.

The cover is so beautiful and eye catching, and it was the first thing that caught my attention, but after reading the book I do have one comment, a thing I’d like to be different.
Belle represents POC, she is black, so I wish the girl on the cover was black too. I wish they showed her curly hair because it was mentioned more then few times in the story.

As you could conclude from my words, this book represents diversity, because main character is POC and it also talks about fostering.

In the end, I just want to mention that my copy of the novel has an interview with Carmel Harrington in it, and I really enjoyed reading her words, hearing her say she believes in angels and where her idea came from.

I’d recommend this novel to readers who’d like to read something to put them into Christmas Spirit, but don’t hesitate when it comes to books with more serious topics.