Book Review: The Border by Steve Schafer

The Border

by

Steve Schafer

Publisher: Scourcebooks Fire
Publication date: 5th September 2017
Pages: 364
Format read: eBook
Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Netgalley

A band plays, glasses clink, and four teens sneak into the Mexican desert, the hum of celebration receding behind them.
Crack. Crack. Crack.

Not fireworks--gunshots. The music stops. And Pato, Arbo, Marcos, and Gladys are powerless as the lives they once knew are taken from them.

Then they are seen by the gunmen. They run. Except they have nowhere to go. The narcos responsible for their families' murders have put out a reward for the teens' capture. Staying in Mexico is certain death, but attempting to cross the border through an unforgiving desert may be as deadly as the secrets they are trying to escape...

The Border is the debut novel of author Steve Schafer.

Four Mexican teenagers witness the cold blooded murder of their families, by a band of Narcos, whilst attending a 16^th Birthday celebration. They flee into the darkened night with the sounds of death threats ringing in their ears.

Schafer has lived, worked, volunteered and travelled throughout most of latin America, including northern Mexico and it is clear he has extensively researched his topic.

The story is narrated in the first person by 16 year old Pato. But we also get a good sense of the other three main characters, Arbo, Marco and Gladys.

When they realise their only means of escape is across the Sonoran Desert into the USA the teens are naive and unprepared. Desperate situations call for desperate measures.

It’s easy to feel empathy for these four teens. Good kids who have been placed in a life or death situation. Throughout the story they bicker, they get along, they dream and occasionally the leadership role shifts but most of all they are scared; just like normal teens.

This is a timely and relevant story with the immigration debate currently storming in America.

The Border is a highly emotional and thought provoking read with palpable suspense and page turning action.

Highly recommended!

A few words from the author:

Political discourse often loses sight of the individuals at the heart of the issue. To generalize they are people in need. They leave desperate situations to  find an opportunity for a better life.

                                        

My rating    5/5 

Content: violence

                 mild sexual reference

                                🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟  

Photo credit: Goodreads

 

Steve Schafer is an avid cultural explorer, animal lover, bucket-list filler, and fan of the great outdoors.

He has a master’s degree in international studies from Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania. He lives in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, with his wife and two children. The border is his first novel. 

Book Review: A Life of Her Own by Fiona McCallum

A Life of Her Own

by

Fiona McCallum

Publisher: Harlequin Australia 
Imprint: HQ Fiction
Publication date: 18th March 2019
Pages: 405
RRP: $32.99 
Format read: Trade paperback
Source: copy courtesy of the publisher 

 

Alice Hamilton loved being a mature-age student, but now she's finished her university degree she needs to find herself a career. But the job market is tough and it doesn't help that her partner David keeps reminding her about their sizeable mortgage. When she's offered a role in a major real estate agency, she jumps at the opportunity. David is excited by her prospects in the thriving Melbourne housing market, and Alice is pleased that she'll be utilising her exceptional people skills.
But Alice quickly realises all is not as it seems. What is she doing wrong to be so out of sync with her energetic boss, Carmel Gold, agent extraordinaire? Alice is determined to make it work, but how much will it affect her values?
As everything starts to fall apart, a sudden visit home to the country town Alice escaped years ago provides an unexpected opportunity to get some perspective. Surrounded by people who aren't what they seem, or have their own agendas, can Alice learn to ask for what she really wants ... on her own terms?

‘It’s hard when it feels like the whole world is against you.’

A Life of Her Own is a heart-felt story of a woman with low self esteem, from years of mental abuse, and how she gets her life back on track.

I didn’t like Alice at all and then I felt bad for not liking her. She’d had a bad upbringing, always put down by her mother, always being told she was not good enough and her dreams were a stupid waste of time. Alice seemed to attract bullies and I feel that may be the way with people with low self esteem; they are an easy target.

McCallum did an excellent job of portraying how a narcissist works. There were a lot of relevant issues explored in the book. Narcissism and gas lighting are real and I think those involved need to be called out on their behaviour.

I don’t think the development of Alice’s character was well executed. We never did get to see the happy Alice she says she was before the bullying by her new boss. All we got was a confused person that didn’t like anyone. She didn’t like her mother or sister, she didn’t like her first husband, she didn’t like her present partner, she didn’t want the well paying job offered to her, she had no respect for her brother-in-law, she liked her step-father but couldn’t understand why he was so stupid to stay with her mother, she didn’t like Helen (even though she never took the time to get to know here) and the list goes on. If you always focus on the negative, life will be negative.

Lauren was the shining light in this story. She was a true and loyal friend to Alice. Always calling her and checking if she was ok. Dropping in to lend a shoulder to cry on and listen to Alice’s problems. Lauren is the one to eventually encouraged Alice to follow her dreams and supported her in ways only a true friend would.

It took a while for Alice to find herself and work out exactly what she wanted in life and to be responsible for her own happiness. Alice’s final chosen career was a surprise. I think she will need to toughen up to get through it though.

As much as I didn’t connect with Alice the story still grabbed me. I couldn’t stop reading. I picked the book up whenever I had a spare minute. And isn’t that what a great story is all about?

 🌟🌟🌟

My rating  3/5

*This review is: 
Part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie author challenge
& Book #14 in the Australian Women Writers Challenge

 

 

Photo credit: Goodreads

Fiona McCallum spent her childhood years on the family cereal and wool farm in rural South Australia and then moved to inner-city Melbourne to study at university as a mature-age student. accidentally starting a writing and editing consultancy saw her mixing in corporate circles in Melbourne and then Sydney.
She returned to Adelaide for a slower paced life and to chase her dream of becoming a author - which took nearly a decade full of rejections from agents and publishers to achieve. Fiona now works as a full-time novelist and really is proof dreams can come true. Fiona writes heart-warming stories of self-discovery that draw on her life experiences, love of animals and fascination with the human condition. 

She is the author of ten Australian bestsellers: 'Paycheque', 'Nowhere Else', 'Wattle Creek', 'Saving Grace', 'Time Will Tell',  'Meant To Be', 'Leap of Faith', 'Standing Strong', 'Finding Hannah' and 'Making Peace'. A Life of Her Own is Fiona's eleventh novel.   



 

Mailbox Monday - April 29th

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog. Head over and check out other books received during the last week. 


This week I didn't receive any books for review. I didn't win any books and I didn't buy any books. (I've been very restrained with my ARC requests). 
But the lack of new additions to my 'to be read' pile gives me a good chance to catch up on some of my outstanding Netgalley reads. I've recently seen some excellent books on Netgalley that I would love to request but I feel I need to get my outstanding books read first.

During the last week I've read 

A Life of Her Own by Fiona McCallum
A story about a 30 year old woman who has low self esteem, due to her harsh upbringing, working out what she wants from life.

The Border by Steve Schafer
Follows four teenagers who escape from Mexico with a band of Narcos after them and a bounty on their heads.








I enjoyed a lovely lunch out with my daughters on Saturday and had the grandchildren over for Sunday night dinner.
Our pre-lunch coffees. 

 

What Books did your postman deliver this week?

Post a link to your Mailbox Monday or simply list your books in the comments below.

 

 

 

Storybook Corner Book Review: I Love My Mum Because (Children's Picture Activity Book)

I Love My Mum Because

by 

Petra James

Illustrated by Alissa Dinallo 

Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publication date: 26th March 2019
Pages: 32
RRP: $14.99
Format Read: Hardback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher

This book is for you and your mum.

Draw, decorate, colour in, count, spot the mum, make a butterfly (or two) and then present the book to your mum for any special occasion: birthday, Xmas, Mother's Day ... or just because.

An interactive picture book to personalise for your mum.

Out in bookstores in time for Mother’s Day giving, what could be more cherished than a book completed by your own child. There are activities to share; colour the flowers, write a wish inside the bubbles, play hide & seek, go on an ice-cream hunt, help the tooth fairy find the tooth. Thirty two pages of fun colouring and activities for you to share and keep as a lasting reminder of your little ones thoughts and dreams.

Dot loved this book! The only thing she loves more than craft and colouring-in is drawing pictures of her mum and the first pages of the book have gorgeous frames to draw pictures of Me and my mum. Jay didn’t get a look in with this book so I was delighted to see that I Love My Dad Because will be out in August 2019, just in time for Father’s Day.

Dot's drawing of her mum.

                             

The book, designed and illustrated by Alissa Dinallo, features bright engaging colours and the illustrations have a childlike whimsy about them that is sure to appeal to young children.

I Love My Mum Because is an interactive picture book perfect for ages 3 – 7

Dot & Jay's rating 5/5  🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 

About the author 

Petra James is the author of ten books for middle-grade readers. She has worked in publishing for more than twenty years, and has been a children's publisher for thirteen years.

About the  illustrator

Alissa Dinallo has been a book designer for eight years. In  2015, she started her own company and won the Australian Book Design Association Award for Young Designer of the Year. She has designed more than 200 titles and was featured on the Forbes 30 under 30 Arts list 2018.