Venetian Blood - Christine Evelyn Volker

Title: Venetian Blood: Murder in a Sensuous City
Author: Christine Evelyn Volker
Pages: 329
Published: 2017
Genre: Mystery
Edition: E-book
Source: Personal library

Description: To escape a failing marriage, Anna Lucia Lottol goes to Venice to visit an old friend-and becomes a suspect in a brutal murder echoing a gruesome homicide that happened decades ago. Fearful of foreign justice and hoping to prove her innocence, she gathers clues before the real murderer comes for her. At the climax of her journey, she discovers a secret that will change her life. (via Goodreads)

Thoughts: I really enjoyed the engrossing nature of the book, but for whatever reason I just was unable to connect with the book in a way that I really wanted to.  Partly I think it was that I felt that the beginning of the book happened a little too quick for my liking and I didn't like that there wasn't a set up for the murder.  As a result, I felt lost from the get go, even though by the end of the book I was able to connect better with the story.

As I read the book, I really struggled to understand what was going on and therefore I struggled at time to get through it.
Part of the reason that I disappointed with the book and had frustrations with reading it was that I had different expectations of the story that were clearly not there. 

But I did enjoy the description of Venice itself and felt as though I was there in the city myself, even though I have never been to Venice myself.  I also liked that it wasn't just your standard mystery; there was emotional depth to the book and created empathy for Anna and how she wanted to move on with her life and have the ghosts of her past disappear.

Bottom line: It was an okay read, as there were time that the book dragged itself along, but there were also times that the book was engaging.  I felt that the ending could have been a few pages shorter.  But overall it was a decent read and something that may need a re-read in the future.  Recommended.

Rating:  3/5

2017 Thankfully Reading Weekend

I am going to do this again, since I have most of the weekend off (have bookclub on Saturday and a shift at my job on Sunday).

I am going to work a few books, but mainly Venetian Blood by Christine Evelyn Volker and Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.  I will also read Outlander.  

I will read a combination of print and ebook, but mainly print.

Hope you all have a great weekend of reading.

Wanderers No More - Michelle Saftich

Title: Wanderers No More (Port of No Return Book 2)
Author: Michelle Saftich
Pages: 303
Published: 2017
Genre: Historical Fiction
Edition: E-Book
Source: I chose to read this book after receiving a free copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

Description:  The war may be over, but the fight to belong is just beginning.

Left homeless, starving, and almost killed by the Second World War, the Saforo family are refugees fleeing Italy for a better life. The shores of Australia are calling to them and they head off, packing dreams of jobs, a home and … soccer.

But from the moment they get off the boat, adapting to the Australian way of life is harder than it seems. Their family doesn’t speak right, eat right or even look right. As they struggle to build a simple life against the backdrop of 1950s racism, they start to wonder if they will be outsiders forever.

A true family affair, Wanderers No More will make you laugh, remind you of your family, and warm your heart.

Thoughts:  When I saw that there was a book for the sequel to Port of No Return, I knew I had to return to the loving Saforo family, who we last saw leaving for Australia at the end of World War II.

This book spans about a 30 year time span and shows the children of the Saforo family grow up and make their own way in the world.  It also shows the struggles of the family as they slowly rebuild their lives after the ravages of World War II and migrating to a new country, which has a different culture and language.

I liked that it was a heartwarming story of struggle and sacrifice of a family landing in a country in which the language and culture was different from their own.  It reminded me of my own family coming from Soviet Russia to Canada in 1926, as they struggled and sacrificed to make a new life in a new country.

While the family struggles to adjust to a new life in Australia, there are also tender and touching moments that make the story that much more human, especially when Nonna takes over the kitchen at one of the migrant camps.

Bottom line: I really liked how the author brought the story full circle in concluding the story of the Saforo family.  Highly recommended.

Rating: 3.75/5

Meet the Author:

Michelle Saftich resides in Brisbane, Australia. She holds a Bachelor of Business/Communications Degree, majoring in journalism, from the Queensland University of Technology.

For the past 20 years, she has worked in communications, including print journalism, sub-editing, communications management and media relations.
Born and raised in Brisbane, she spent 10 years living in Sydney; and two years in Osaka, Japan, where she taught English.

Her historical fiction novel, Port of No Return, was inspired by a true family story. It was published by Australian independent publishing house, Odyssey Books in 2015. Its sequel, Wanderers No More was released in August 2017. Michelle is married with two children.

Connect with the author: Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook