Murder Under the Bridge by Kate Raphael

Murder Under the Bridge:
A Palestine Mystery
by Kate Jessica Raphael

Find out more about this book and author:
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Published: 2015
Publisher: She Writes Press
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, LGTBQ, Middle East, Palestine
Paperback: 400
Rating: 4

A Palestine Mystery series:
Murder Under the Bridge
Murder Under the Fig Tree

First sentence(s):
Rania placed the little brass coffee pot on the flame, resting one hand no the long handle so she could snatch it up before it boiled over.

When Rania―the only female Palestinian police detective in the northern West Bank, as well as a young mother in a rural community where many believe women should not have such a dangerous career―discovers the body of a foreign woman on the edge of her village, no one seems to want her look too deeply into what’s happened. But she finds an ally in Chloe―a gay, Jewish-American peace worker with a camera and a big attitude―and together, with the help of an annoying Israeli policeman, they work to solve the murder. As they do, secrets about war crimes and Israel’s thriving sex trafficking trade begin to surface―and Rania finds everything she holds dear in jeopardy.

My two-bits:

A bit slow in some parts but got a sense of Palestine and the people with this mystery. The focus seemed to revolve around the women's relationships more than the mystery.

~*~
* part of Books, Inc. Foreign Intrigue Book Club (here)

Foreign Intrigue Book Club 2018

Foreign Intrigue Book Club
face-to-face (details)
Books, Inc. Laurel Village
Do you like to travel? Experience a country through the eyes of a local? Try the food of another country?

I tried this back in October and got hooked as it includes some much needed arm-chair traveling.

2017

October pick:

Murder Under the Bridge:
A Palestine Mystery
by Kate Jessica Raphael
-Mystery, Thriller
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 4

2018

January pick:

Whitefly
by Abdelilah Hamdouchi
translated by Jonathan Smolin
-Mystery, Africa, Morocco
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 4
February pick:

The Dry
by Jane Harper
-Mystery, Australia
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 5
March pick:

The Neruda Case
by Roberto Ampuero
-Mystery, Historical, Chile
Amazon | Goodreads | my review: DNF
April pick:

Death Going Down
by María Angélica Bosco
translated by Lucy Greaves
-Mystery, Crime, Thriller, Argentina, Buenos Aires
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 4
May pick:

Needle In A Haystack
by Ernesto Mallo
-Mystery, Argentina, Buenos Aires
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 4
June pick:

Hotel Brasil
by Frei Betto, Jethro Soutar
-Mystery, Argentina, Brazil
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 4
July pick:

Another Sun
by Timothy Williams
-Mystery, Caribbean, Guadalupe
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 4
August pick:

Havana Lunar
by Robert Arellano
-Mystery, Cuba, Havana
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 4
September pick:

Death On Demand
by Paul Thomas
-Mystery, New Zealand
Amazon | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 5
October pick:

Murder at the House of Rooster Happiness
by David Casarett
-Mystery, Cozy, Thailand
Goodreads | my review: tba
November pick:

Ghost Month
(A Taipei Night Market #1)
by Ed Lin
-Mystery, China | Goodreads | my review | my rating: 4
December & January pick:

Six Four
by Hideo Yokoyama
translated by Jonathan Lloyd-Davies
-Mystery, Thriller, Japan
Amazon | Goodreads
my review | my rating: 4

Lovely Books and Things - 12.2.17

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update
Linking up with:
Stacking the Shelves (details)
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

~*~
Spent the week wrapping up the month of November to make way for December and its holiday festivities. The first holiday party happens next Friday.

Also, been thinking of what I want to do with this blog in the next year. I want to read more books from my shelves. There are so many good books there that I have neglected. Which means I may have to do less requested reviews.

Reading is slow going. And may continue to be so until January. Too many fun things to do.

Current happy things:

1. Yin Yoga - a slow-paced style of yoga with postures, or asanas, that are held for longer periods of time
2. Warm evenings for night walks
3. Pizza with BBQ chicken topping -first time to try this combo and it was delish :-)

~*~
Bought:

Murder Under the Fig Tree
by Kate Raphael
-Mystery, LGBTQ, Palestine
Amazon | Goodreads
LIKED the first book in this series and wanted to read more with this female detective.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
by Philip K. Dick
-SciFi, Cyberpunk, Dystopia
Amazon | Goodreads
WANTED to read this as it inspired the making of the film Blade Runner.


For Review:

A Crazy Kind of Love
by Mary Ann Marlowe
-Contemporary Romance
courtesy of author -Thanks!
Amazon | Goodreads
THE premise sounds fun.

Beautiful Redemption
by Jamie McGuire
-New Adult, Romance
courtesy of Romance Read-of-the-Month Club -Thanks!
BarnesNoble | Amazon | Goodreads
LOVED the first book in the series and looking forward to reading more about the other characters.


UNBOXING:

From Owlcrate package (details & signup):
OwlCrate is a subscription service that sends you magical monthly boxes tailored to a chosen theme. Each OwlCrate will contain one new Young Adult novel, as well as 3-5 other bookish treats to help you get your nerd on. @owlcrate

NOVEMBER Box includes:
theme: Castles, Courts and Kingdoms

- Owlcrate spoiler card (not pictured)
- The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano
- Signed bookplate, letter and Gemstone Tattoos from author
- Harry Potter “Expecto Patronum” Winter Beanie
- A Court of Thorns and Roses – “Don’t Let the Hard Days Win” Notebook by Stella's Bookish Art
- The Grisha Trilogy inspired Brooch from Juniper and Ivy Designs
- Game of Thrones theme Lip Balm from Geek Fire Labs
- Elven Bread Soap (Hobbit theme) from Fizzy Fairy Apothecary

The Glass Spare
by Lauren DeStefano
-Fantasy, YA
Amazon | Goodreads
The first in a new fantasy duology, The Glass Spare is a gorgeously told tale of love, loss, and deadly power from Lauren DeStefano, the bestselling author of the Chemical Garden series. Perfect for fans of Shannon Hale and Renee Ahdieh.

Wilhelmina Heidle, the fourth child and only daughter of the king of the world’s wealthiest nation, has grown up in the shadows. Kept hidden from the world in order to serve as a spy for her father—whose obsession with building his empire is causing a war—Wil wants nothing more than to explore the world beyond her kingdom, if only her father would give her the chance.

Until one night Wil is attacked, and she discovers a dangerous secret. Her touch turns people into gemstone. At first Wil is horrified—but as she tests its limits, she’s drawn more and more to the strange and volatile ability. When it leads to tragedy, though, Wil is forced to face the destructive power within her and finally leave her home to seek the truth and a cure.

But finding the key to her redemption puts her in the path of a cursed prince who has his own ideas for what to do with Wil’s power.

With a world on the brink of war and a power of ultimate destruction, can Wil find a way to help the kingdom that’s turned its back on her, or will she betray her past and her family forever?


OTHER things (kinda book-related):

Book Blogger Hop
features a book related question
Sponsored by The Coffee Addicted Writer (details)
This week's prompt: What is your favourite Christmas-themed read?
(submitted by Kristin @ Lukten av Trykksverte)

NONE. I do not have one. Yet. I have not read enough in the genre to come across a book that I came to really love.


AND watched: on Netflix

Mudbound (2017)
Director/Screenplay: Dee Rees
Writer: Virgil Williams
Screenplay: Virgil Williams
Based on book by: Hillary Jordan
Stars: Garrett Hedlund, Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Rob Morgan
-Drama | imdb | my rating: 5
Two men return home from World War II to work on a farm in rural Mississippi, where they struggle to deal with racism and adjusting to life after war.

REALLY got the setting, location and feeling of being stuck/unstuck.

AND watched: in theatre

Darkest Hour (2017)
Director: Joe Wright
Writer: Anthony McCarten
Stars: Gary Oldman, Lily James, Kristin Scott Thomas
-Biography, Drama, History | imdb | my rating: 4
During the early days of World War II, the fate of Western Europe hangs on the newly-appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who must decide whether to negotiate with Hitler, or fight on against incredible odds.

HISTORICAL bit that pairs well with the film Dunkirk which came out this summer. Gary Oldman captures Winston so well.

Bright Star
Written and composed by: Steve Martin, Edie Brickell
at the SF Curran Theatre
-Musical | my rating: 4
Set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in 1945-46 with flashbacks to 1923. The musical is inspired by their Grammy-winning collaboration on the 2013 bluegrass album Love Has Come for You.

GREAT gothic southern storyline. There was not any particular song that stuck. Loved the instrumental pieces though with the banjo and mandolin solos.


AND watched: on DVD

Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)
Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Writer: Dan Fogelman
Starring: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore
-Comedy, Drama, Romance | imdb | my rating: 4
A middle-aged husband's life changes dramatically when his wife asks him for a divorce. He seeks to rediscover his manhood with the help of a newfound friend, Jacob, learning to pick up girls at bars.

For Fall Film challenge bonus round: fourteen. ncis. Liza Lapira

LOVED the scene where everything clashes. Got some on-screen chemistry between Ryan and Emma which is renewed in La La Land.

A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014)
Director/Writer: Seth MacFarlane
Writers: Alec Sulkin, Wellesley Wild
Stars: Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson
-Comedy, Romance, Western | imdb | my rating: 3
As a cowardly farmer begins to fall for the mysterious new woman in town, he must put his new-found courage to the test when her husband, a notorious gun-slinger, announces his arrival.

For Fall Film challenge bonus round: two. the big bang theory. Kaley Cuoco

CUTE take on western movie stereotypes.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
Director: George Roy Hill
Writer: William Goldman
Stars: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross
-Biography, Crime, Drama | imdb | my rating: 4
Two Western bank/train robbers flee to Bolivia when the law gets too close.

For Fall Film challenge bonus round: seventeen. dr. quinn, medicine woman. George Furth

THIS one has charismatic outlaws with a kind of bromance thing going on. Such loyalty to each other. The Raindrops song was an odd choice, but I loved that bicycle scene.

Annie Hall (1977)
Director/Writer: Woody Allen
Writer: Marshall Brickman
Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton
-Comedy, Romance | imdb | my rating: 4
Neurotic New York comedian Alvy Singer falls in love with the ditzy Annie Hall.

For Fall Film challenge bonus round: twenty-five. the young pope. Diane Keaton

WELL made analysis of a couple's relationship.

Chef (2014)
Director/Writer: Jon Favreau
Stars: Jon Favreau, John Leguizamo, Emjay Anthony
-Adventure, Comedy, Drama | imdb | my rating: 4
A head chef quits his restaurant job and buys a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise, while piecing back together his estranged family.

For Fall Film challenge bonus round: nineteen. sex and the city. Amy Sedaris

HAPPY doses of father/son bonding, road trips and foodie scenes.

The Bourne Legacy (2012)
Director/Screenplay/Story: Tony Gilroy
Screenplay: Dan Gilroy
Based on the novel series by Robert Ludlum
Stars: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton
-Action, Adventure, Mystery | imdb | my rating: 3
An expansion of the universe from Robert Ludlum's novels, centered on a new hero whose stakes have been triggered by the events of the previous three films.

For Fall Film challenge bonus round: twenty-one. the unusuals. Jeremy Renner

LOTS of action scenes which Renner does well. Not my favorite Bourne film. Probably because I was missing Bourne. But got to know more about the "project".

~*~
* checkout the sidebar for current giveaways

* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

:-)

Lovely Books and Things - 10.14.17

Lovely Books and Things
My Weekly Books and Films Update
Linking up with:
Stacking the Shelves (details)
Sunday Post (details)
Mailbox Monday (details)

~*~
The air quality has been poor here in the Bay area this week. Smoke hazed days since Monday has put a damper on outdoor activities and lots of stress, worry and sadness emanates from the fires up north. I am looking forward to being able to take a deep long refreshing breath outside soon.

Uhhh, OK. I am resigned to a slower reading pattern nowadays. With the holiday season kicking in starting with Halloween festivities there is a lot of competition to go out to fun events and parties.

NOTE to self: next year, avoid booking requested book reviews from October to December

Current happy things:

1. Fall Film Challenge (here) - I enjoyed good ones this week. And now, inspired to see more films with or directed by Clint Eastwood.

2. Thick slice of toast topped with honey and peanut butter from Trouble Coffee. The honey and pb combo was a first, yum.

3. Pedicure treatment with a purple color called, Serenity. I treat myself to this once in awhile. So relaxing. It is especially fun to see pretty colored toes while doing certain yoga poses.


~*~
Bought:

Murder Under the Bridge:
A Palestine Mystery
by Kate Jessica Raphael
-Mystery, Thriller
Amazon | Goodreads
PICKED this up for a face-to-face book club that reads foreign mysteries. This is the third club I am trying out this year.

Bookshop in West Portal, San Francisco, CA hosted a panel discussion on the current state of activism featuring:

Kate Harding – Nasty Women Editor
Samhita Mukhopadhyay – Nasty Women Editor
Carolyn Jasik – Director of California Women’s March

Nasty Women:
Feminism, Resistance, and Revolution in Trump’s America
edited by Samhita Mukhopadhyay
-Essays, Feminism
Release date: October 3, 2017
Amazon | Goodreads
Twenty-Three Leading Feminist Writers on Protest and Solidarity

When 53 percent of white women voted for Donald Trump and 94 percent of black women voted for Hillary Clinton, how can women unite in Trump’s America? Nasty Women includes inspiring essays from a diverse group of talented women writers who seek to provide a broad look at how we got here and what we need to do to move forward.

Featuring essays by REBECCA SOLNIT on Trump and his “misogyny army,” CHERYL STRAYED on grappling with the aftermath of Hillary Clinton’s loss, SARAH HEPOLA on resisting the urge to drink after the election, NICOLE CHUNG on family and friends who support Trump, KATHA POLLITT on the state of reproductive rights and what we do next, JILL FILIPOVIC on Trump’s policies and the life of a young woman in West Africa, SAMANTHA IRBY on racism and living as a queer black woman in rural America, RANDA JARRAR on traveling across the country as a queer Muslim American, SARAH HOLLENBECK on Trump’s cruelty toward the disabled, MEREDITH TALUSAN on feminism and the transgender community, and SARAH JAFFE on the labor movement and active and effective resistance, among others.


Author event:

Booksmith in San Francisco hosted an event with Celeste Ng to celebrate the release of Little Fires Everywhere. Her inspiration for the book was a place - Shaker Heights, Ohio.

Little Fires Everywhere
by Celeste Ng
-Contemporary, Family
Amazon | Goodreads
From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You, a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives.

In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned – from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules.

Enter Mia Warren – an enigmatic artist and single mother – who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community.

When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs.

Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.


For Review:

Mary Rose
by Geoffrey Girard
-Horror, Gothic, Ghosts
Release date: April 17, 2018
Amazon | Goodreads
ADDED this to my FrightFall readathon (here).


OTHER things (kinda book-related):

Book Blogger Hop
features a book related question
Sponsored by The Coffee Addicted Writer (details)
This week's prompt: Who is your favorite horror/suspense author and why?
(submitted by Kitty @ Vicarious Bookworm)

Stephen King tops my list for the horror/suspense genre because his stories are meaty even without the horror element.


AND watched: on DVD

This Beautiful Fantastic (2016)
Director/Writer: Simon Aboud
Starring: Jessica Brown Findlay, Jeremy Irvine, Andrew Scott
-Comedy, Drama, Fantasy | imdb | my rating: 5
A young woman who dreams of being a children's author makes an unlikely friendship with a cantankerous, rich old widower.

For Fall Film challenge: about prudence

SWEET feel good film with quirky characters. Sherlock Cumberbatch fans will be treated with a performance by a very un-Moriarty. Inspired me to do some gardening.

The Accountant (2016)
Director: Gavin O'Connor
Writer: Bill Dubuque
Starring: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons
-Action, Crime, Drama | imdb | my rating: 4
As a math savant uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities, and the body count starts to rise.

For Fall Film challenge: released last year and reviewed on slothsandmovies.com (here)

ANOTHER trademark performance from Ben with an interesting autistic take.

The Beguiled (1971)
Director: Don Siegel
Screenplay: Albert Maltz, Irene Kamp, Claude Traverse
Based on book by: Thomas Cullinan
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Geraldine Page, Elizabeth Hartman
-Drama, Thriller, War | imdb | my rating: 5
While imprisoned in a Confederate girls' boarding school, an injured Union soldier cons his way into each of the lonely women's hearts, causing them to turn on each other, and eventually, on him.

For Fall Film challenge: about envy

CLINT is so charming in this. He also sings in it. I was amused with this jibe "hussy is a hussy." I liked how still photos depict a flash of history during the beginning credits.

Unforgiven (1992)
Director: Clint Eastwood
Screenplay: David Webb Peoples
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman
-Drama, Western | imdb | my rating: 5
Retired Old West gunslinger William Munny reluctantly takes on one last job, with the help of his old partner and a young man.

For Fall Film challenge: about wrath

CLINT is charming in his cowboy way. This captures the gritty wild west story with a melancholy vibe.


~*~
* comment and TELL me what you have acquired for your shelves recently

:-)