Wednesday 31 August 2011

"...Life in Taiwan and much more in the 90s." Book Review

The Bookshop Guru

A book review of Cadillac Fin Suitcase by Michael Walsh

Cadillac Fin Suitcase is a collection of 18 short stories written by an American author and photographer Michael Walsh about life in Taiwan and much more in the 90s. Some of the stories are very short and others not so, but the writing is descriptive where you can imagine the atmosphere and the everyday life of the Taiwanese. I found several of the stories engrossing, especially as the writer has developed the characters and the location to such extent that you end up reading until you have finished that story.

My favourite short story is the ‘The Pigeon Races’ which Mr Big Guava the lead character is drawn into. I didn’t realise how pigeon racing would involve so many nasty characters, but because of the nature of Taiwanese to gamble it becomes obvious why so much money is involved. The story begins with Guava being asked to visit a pigeon racer who has had some birds stolen. There are several twists and turns in the story, you cannot help but want to follow him in his quest to find out why and who has stolen the birds. The rich texture of the language used to describe the scenes gave me a sense of being there. In one way Guava is like Marlowe in ‘The Big Sleep’ by Raymond Chandler who is a character that you can identify with you want to be him, speak the same language because you as the reader believe in the story and then your mind does the rest. Throughout the story Guava is faced with people being murdered around him with the narrative expressive such as "I shuffled around chain smoking until it felt like I'd swallowed a comet." The Pigeon Racers I felt could have easily been developed into a novel, but I still enjoyed it as a short story.

Another story which makes you think is about the relationship between young and old. The story is called ‘Mango Road’ which is a tale about a young boy, an old man, and a Japanese officer. Curtis the young boy soon learns the harsh reality of hard work when he is left with his grandfather to make a man of him. At first Curtis dislikes the regime his grandfather demands, but he soon learns and begins to enjoy his grandfather’s company and the induction into caring and growing mangos on his farm. Curtis is curious why people refer to his grandfather as a ‘boy hero’ and eventually his grandfather tells him what happened to him back in 1944 as a 12 year old boy when Taiwan was occupied by the Japanese. This turn in the story is an interesting aspect which bonds the characters together and is a satisfying conclusion to this story.

Cadillac Fin Suitcase is a story where the writer recalls his first experience of Taiwan as a photographer that is a pastiche of street life. The language is engaging to the reader like   "...Threw my bag on a chair, set the Cadillac fin suitcase on the bed, and opened it...the bourbon sleeping comfortably between my camera, the gars, and thirty rolls of film in Ziploc baggies...grabbed one of the plastic cups in the bathroom and poured three fingers of the paint, drank half of it in one gulp, then walked across the street to a 7-Eleven." This story is the first in the collection of stories which helps to set the scene for the rest of the book. Some of the stories are true and some not, either way this book of short stories gives you a remarkable insight and experience of Taiwan.

There are many more stories which the writer has spun a tale around the life of the island of Taiwan. The characters and the storylines that have been developed easily transport your imagination to the place and time. I would recommend this collection of stories for your Kindle which is also available in paperback.

Are you listening,  what are you dreaming?

As Jesus said, “belief is everything.”

In my latest book “It’s Never Too Late” read how dreams do come true, but be careful what you wish for. Understand the secret of greed and you will attain one of the secrets of prosperity. The book will also take you on a journey and explores love, money, luck, and much more.

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Hey, Chuck. Did you bring any spending money? Viva la vida loca.

Conducting Survey into Precognitive Choices

Which would you prefer half-price digital or paperback?

 Read my latest book "It's Never Too Late" by Anthony Fox,  published by Chipmunka Publishing

Thursday 18 August 2011

English as “Apple crumble and cream, and a celebratory glass of port.” Hooray! Hooray!

The Bookshop Guru

A book review of  'Before the Daisies Grow’   formerly Escapades of Glamour Grannies by Micki Street

There are a lot of characters to get your teeth into in this book. The leading characters are English as “Apple crumble and cream, and a celebratory glass of port.” Hooray! Hooray! The ladies get more than they've bargained for. The comedy is driven by the antics the ladies get up to or want.

This is a kind of novel to read while winding down on the holiday on the beach. Get ready to laugh because some of the things the ladies get up to will make your hair curl. 

Wilma, Dotty, and Nora are the leading characters which you could identify with as they make their way to a mysterious island where the trap has been set to capture some rather unsavoury drug smugglers who seem hell bent of doing the most stupid things, but then again it is a comedy. So, it’s easy to read and enjoy the intrigue that surrounds their adventure. Although the ladies are set for a sunny adventure it turns out that they are being watched over by an undercover police force, just as well because the jails are not a welcome the ladies envisage. 

Glamour grans on holiday is more like what the hell are these ladies thinking about. Some of the language is tongue and cheek, “I’m going for a quick bikini wax." “'Wilma, I'm really worried about her and the ridiculous things she's doing lately. I wonder if she's had a stroke." 

But then again what do you expect from a comedy. It’s not easy to write a comedy, but I think the author has done a real job on creating the scenarios and characters where you can laugh and at the same time feel for the characters. The bad guys, the undercover police and the maids are well developed characters that all add to the scene and mix well with the ladies efforts to enjoy themselves, yet unbeknown to them the police and the bad guys are all using the ladies for their own ends. 

At one time I did think and worry about what these ladies got into, but then that’s fiction you go where the story takes you. The book is overall a good read and something to laugh about while you watch the tide come in on the beach. But, I hate to think what my granny was up to if they were anything like these funny characters. A good read to have on your Kindle.


Are you listening,  what are you dreaming?

As Jesus said, “belief is everything.”

In my latest book “It’s Never Too Late” read how dreams do come true, but be careful what you wish for. Understand the secret of greed and you will attain one of the secrets of prosperity. The book will also take you on a journey and explores love, money, luck, and much more.

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Hey, Chuck. Did you bring any spending money? Viva la vida loca.


Conducting Survey into Precognitive Choices

Which would you prefer half-price digital or paperback?

 Read my latest book "It's Never Too Late" by Anthony Fox,  published by Chipmunka Publishing

Friday 12 August 2011

“…back to the 1980s…” Short Story Update

The Bookshop Guru

I finished and submitted my entry. What a task, as you remember from previous articles posted here, that writing a short story is no easy task. But one, that has been a challenge and a goal over the past months for me. Not for lack of trying I have explained how I have written several short stories and not been happy.

Anyway, the task is complete and only a few hours before the deadline for the competition, which ends today at 5.pm UK time.

The process of writing of writing a short story is arduous, to say the least. But, I am happy with the result. A readable story in 3000 words or less is the criteria. It has taken several stages from creation and idea to writing dialogue. Framing a story and reading how to write a short story have been all part of the mix.


I reflected back to the 1980s for the era and the mood of the story. I created characters and set the scene and let events tell the story. I used an approach made famous by Hemingway called the ‘iceberg theory’ which characterizes many of his books.

Relieved, I can now get back to writing my next book. Writing a short story takes a lot of time, from research to writing dialogue, it’s no easy task. And then the editing, the same for writing a book you need to use the same professional approach applied to the task of writing a short story. I wanted to improve my writing skills and at the same time test and challenge myself. A job well done!

Currently reading:  
Time Riders by Alex Scarrow

Cadillac Fin Suitcase by Michael Walsh

The Escapades of Glamor Grans on Holiday by Micki Street

P.S. Sponsored by Madbrokes a comedian on antidepressants.


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John Newman - Love Me Again

Love and Listen

In my latest book “It’s Never Too Late” read how dreams do come true, but be careful what you wish for. Understand the secret of greed and you will attain one of the secrets of prosperity. The book will also take you on a journey and explores love, money, luck, and much more.

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Hey, Chuck. Did you bring any spending money? Viva la vida loca.


Conducting Survey into Precognitive Choices

Which would you prefer half-price digital or paperback?

 Read my latest book "It's Never Too Late" by Anthony Fox,  published by Chipmunka Publishing

Thursday 4 August 2011

"What Really Attracts Women"

The Bookshop Guru 

The other day I saw an internet headline that read, ‘What really attracts men.’ Curious cat, I clicked the link to find out about the top mistakes women make that men find unattractive. And, sure enough I was wrong; the one mistake I thought would be in the list wasn’t there. So, I was wondering what you thought, please make your comments and I will poll and later reveal. Oh, by the way, one that was on the list was ‘money’ which isn’t surprising... .


In the meantime, I need a holiday to catch-up on all the books I want to read...

Now available on Amazon in paperback: My new book "How to Pass a Degree with Confidence."

Read my stories...

Click on the image for more information

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Are you listening,  what are you dreaming?


As Jesus said, “belief is everything.”

In my latest book “It’s Never Too Late” read how dreams do come true, but be careful what you wish for. Understand the secret of greed and you will attain one of the secrets of prosperity. The book will also take you on a journey and explores love, money, luck, and much more.
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

Hey, Chuck. Did you bring any spending money? Viva la vida loca.


Conducting Survey into Precognitive Choices

Which would you prefer half-price digital or paperback?

 Read my latest book "It's Never Too Late" by Anthony Fox,  published by Chipmunka Publishing

Monday 1 August 2011

"What Really Attracts Men"

The Bookshop Guru 

The other day, I saw an internet headline that read, ‘What really attracts men.’ Curious cat, I clicked the link to find out about the top mistakes women make that men find unattractive. And, sure enough I was wrong; the one mistake I thought would be in the list wasn’t there. In fact, the one thing that attracts me to a woman is beauty. And of course a short skirt, that always helps.

We all make assumptions invariably they turn out to be wrong. It’s fun being right sometimes, though…

The Bookshop Guru

This {extract} below is from one of my short stories.

“As I snaked onwards I passed a small village with a sign that said, ‘Beware of frogs crossing.’ I could feel the goodness of being with nature and the countryside. I found myself thinking: It would be nice to live here, in a small village away from the noise of suburban life.” 

Currently Reading:

Time Riders by Alex Scarrow

Liam O’Connor, Maddy Carter and Sal Vikram are the three main characters all from different epochs of time recruited seconds before dying, to police time travel before it’s too late. In the future the ability to time travel has been invented; the problem is now the future.

I found this book by pure chance on the way-out of the bookshop, so I stopped and starting reading a few chapters and wanted more, and so I bought the book.  A full review of this interesting book to follow shortly... 

Cadillac Fin Suitcase by Michael Walsh

Cadillac Fin Suitcase is a collection of 18 stories written by an American author and photographer Michael Walsh about life in Taiwan and much more in the 90s. The writing is great, even too good, but I like it. I can feel my imagination take me into the story. I don’t need much else.

“I sprawled out of the back seat…hoping we’d stop at a blood bank for a take-out” I like that, with shades of Marlowe in the ‘The Big Sleep’ by Raymond Chandler. Each story is different, some true some not, so my full review will try to encapsulate the essence, stay tuned…


Glamour grans on holiday, fancy a laugh then this is the book. I could imagine the three main characters Wilma, Dotty, and Nora getting stuck in the proverbial pie. It’s a story where the ladies get more than they bargained for. I like it!


Exotic locations and drug barons, English as “Apple crumble and cream, and a celebratory glass of port.” Hooray! Hooray! Review of ‘glamour grans on holiday’ coming shortly…

Are you listening,  what are you dreaming?


As Jesus said, “belief is everything.”

In my latest book “It’s Never Too Late” read how dreams do come true, but be careful what you wish for. Understand the secret of greed and you will attain one of the secrets of prosperity. The book will also take you on a journey and explores love, money, luck, and much more.

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Hey, Chuck. Did you bring any spending money? Viva la vida loca.


Conducting Survey into Precognitive Choices

Which would you prefer half-price digital or paperback?

 Read my latest book "It's Never Too Late" by Anthony Fox,  published by Chipmunka Publishing