Sunday 7 February 2016

A blonde Bengali wife

A BLONDE BENGALI WIFE
 BY ANNE HAMILTON



Travel/Memoir
Release Date:       Originally released October 2010.
Reprinted 3 November 2015

They all said that Bangladesh would be an experience...
For Anne Hamilton, a three month winter programme of travel and ‘cultural exchange’ in a country where the English language, fair hair and a rice allergy are all rare in the extreme was always going to be interesting, challenging and frustrating.  What they didn’t tell Anne was that it would also be sunny, funny and the start of a love affair with this unexplored area of Southeast Asia.
A Blonde Bengali Wife shows the lives beyond the poverty, monsoons and diarrhoea of Bangladesh and charts a vibrant and fascinating place where one minute Anne is levelling a school playing field ‘fit for the national cricket team,’ cobbling together a sparkly outfit for a formal wedding the next.
Along with Anne are the essential ingredients for survival: a travel-savvy Australian sidekick, a heaven-sent adopted family, and a short, dark, and handsome boy-next-door.
During her adventures zipping among the dusty clamour of the capital Dhaka, the longest sea beach in the world at Cox’s Bazaar, verdant Sylhet tea gardens, and the voluntary health projects of distant villages, Anne amasses a lot of friends, stories...and even a husband?
A Blonde Bengali Wife is the ‘unexpected travelogue’ that reads like a comedy of manners to tell the other side of the story of Bangladesh.

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ABOUT ANNE HAMILTON


Anne Hamilton wrote A Blonde Bengali Wife after she fell in love with Bangladesh on her first (of many) visits there. The travelogue inspired the charity, Bhola’s Children, and continues to support it. Before she became a full time writer, editor and tutor, Anne’s career was in social work and community health – which led to many of her earlier international travels.  Anne can never quite decide if she comes from the East of England or the West of Ireland, so she compromises by living in Scotland, with her small son; they still travel when they can. Anne has a PhD in Creative writing from the University of Glasgow, and is the editor of local online magazine, Lothian Life. She is currently revising and seeking representation for her first novel, Chasing Elena, and working on her second.
Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/ablondebengaliwife
Twitter:        @Anne_ABBW     & @AnneHamilton7
http://anne-ablondebengaliwife.blogspot.co.uk/


GIVEAWAY
AN ECOPY OF THE BOOK


My Review


Not having read the blurb for this book, I was expecting a novel. Instead I got a wonderfully humorous account of Anne's visit to Bangladesh. I loved the easy writing style and the characters almost jumped off the page. Even though I have never been to Bangladesh I found myself looking back to when I first lived abroad and agreeing with so many things that Anne faced - the language barrier, cultural differences and the desire to feed any stray foreigner are top of the list.
This memoir also serves as a reminder of what Bangladesh must have been like at the beginning of the twenty-first century - when Anne returns three years later the advent of technology makes it a changed place. Somehow she manages to create a humorous account without being disparaging or condescending. I also learnt a lot about local customs from this book.

4/5

The rest of my life

THE REST OF MY LIFE
 BY SHERYL BROWNE


Genre: Contemporary Romance : Release Date: 1st July 2015
Publisher:  Choc Lit @ChocLituk

Recommended by the WH Smith Travel Fiction Buyer
Shortlisted for the LoveStories Awards 2015
A Being Anne’s Book of the Year 2015

The Rest of My Life - When is it time to stop running?
“You can’t run away from commitment forever … “
Adam Hamilton-Shaw has more reason than most to avoid commitment. Living on a houseboat in the Severn Valley, his dream is to sail into the sunset – preferably with a woman waiting in every port. But lately, his life looks more like a road to destruction than an idyllic boat ride…
Would-be screenplay writer Sienna Meadows realises that everything about Adam spells trouble – but she can’t ignore the feeling that there is more to him than just his bad reputation. Nor can she ignore the intense physical attraction that exists between them.
And it just so happens that Adam sees Sienna as the kind of woman he could commit to. But can he change his damaging behaviour – or is the road to destruction a one-way street?

WATCH THE VIDEO!! https://youtu.be/7p319itbVKg

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ABOUT SHERYL BROWNE


Heartache, humour, love, loss & betrayal, Sheryl Browne brings you edgy, sexy, poignant fiction. A member of the Crime Writers’ Association, Romantic Novelists’ Association and shortlisted for the Best Romantic e-book Love Stories Award 2015, Sheryl has seven books published and two short stories in Birmingham City University anthologies

Sheryl’s new contemporary romance novel was recommended to the publisher by the WH Smith Travel fiction buyer. THE REST OF MY LIFE comes to you from award winning Choc Lit.




Giveaway
Win 1 ecopy of a Sheryl Browne book! You pick what book you want!!




My Review


Sheryl Browne really knows how to dig deep when it comes to characterisation - the portrayal of the hero had me hating him one minute then feeling sorry for him before realising he was a prat and then finding him quite endearing. In between it was a hell of a journey, not just for the reader but for the heroine too. Realistic dialogue, wonderful characters and a heap of romance - let's not forget Toby the dog too! Anyone who likes romance that isn't too sugar-coated will love this book.

4.5/5