One month to Halloween! Win a free review copy of The Witch's List ebook! #thewitchslist

Get in the mood for Halloween with a suspenseful scary read: The Witch's List! In the run up to Halloween you can win a free copy of the ebook in exchange for a review. Check out the deal on librarything.com: http://www.librarything.com/er_list.php?program=giveaway&sort=enddate

Free review copies of The Witch's List!

In an effort to obtain more reviews for The Witch's List, I've just launched an ebook review copy giveaway on librarything:
http://www.librarything.com/er_list.php?program=giveaway&sort=startdate
100 copies of the ebook are available! Sign up any time within the next month for a chance to win one for Halloween!

"Definitely one of my best reads this year!"; - excellent 4.5 star review by blogger Janna Aguilar! #thewitchslist #FridayBlogs #FridayFeeling

Reviewer Janna Aguilar, aka Bibliophilemom, had this to say about The Witch's List:
I was amazed by how totally hooked I was! On the day that I received my copy, I immediately started reading it and find myself already halfway through it after two hours. It is a combination of magic, love, life and series of horrifying events. To say that this book is good is an understatement; this is definitely one of my best reads this year!

See her full review on: http://bibliophilemom.wordpress.com/2016/09/23/book-review-38-the-witchs-list-by-andrew-cairns/

Wow! Thanks, Janna, for the great review! Thanks also to socialbookco.com for helping to make my book available to independent reviewers. http://www.socialbookco.com/book/9781785353482/the-witchs-list?rid=136

A real rollercoaster! #thewitchslist #MondayBlogs

Another great 4-star review just in! The reader describes The Witch's List as a "real rollercoaster" and "My jaw literally dropped and my hands started to shake."
See full review on
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2HWFLGPCWIWE1

or

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1762130108
If you've read it, please zap a quick review on the net too!

H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald - my review!

I received H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald from socialbookco.com - http://www.socialbookco.com/book/9780099575450/h-is-for-hawk?rid=17 - in return for an honest review. It is an autobiographical account of her endeavors to train a goshawk, as she tries at the same time to come to terms with the death of her father. 

I was initially attracted to this book by the striking cover of a goshawk, outlined in bold which makes it looks even more menacing, and perhaps a bit like an owl.

I also read a few reviews in the press, which said that it was a moving account of a woman's attempt to come to terms with her father's death by training a hawk which she purchased in Scotland. This sparked my interest, and I wanted to find out more about how the human emotions of grief and bereavement might tie in with a human / animal / nature interactions. It also seemed like a rather original story, although I vaguely remember reading or watching something about a boy training a Kestrel when I was younger (a quick search on Google jogged my memory on this: it was of course the amazing Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines, and film adaptation Kes directed by Ken Loach). I am a fan of Jack London, and books like White Fang, Call of the Wild, etc. and was curious to see what new could be brought to the genre. The title of the book is also quite captivating, promising adventure, and made me think of spy / thriller stories, even though this book has nothing to do with this. I think deep down we have an innate awe of birds of prey: their freedom, their power, but also  their fragility in the modern world, notably due to being hunted or exterminated by humans. 

The descriptions of goshawks are detailed and largely interesting, even if at times the author comes across as rather aloof and arrogant, in putting down other bird-watchers and enthusiasts who are not as expert as she. At least she recognises this, at one point describing herself as a 'falconry bore'! 

In the first couple of chapters, it does go off on a bit of a tangent by looking at the life of author, T H White, just because he wrote a book about training a goshawk, which influenced her. 

About a third of the way into the book, she finally gets her hands on the bird she so ardently desires. I found her initial dealings with the hawk to be engrossing, but as the story drags on, describing the taming or training in intricate detail, it becomes rather tedious.

There are passages on her bereavement which are touching and sad,  especially how she tries to come to terms with her loss by adopting this rather strange and solitary hobby, partly because birdwatching was one of her father's main interests. Perhaps the saddest thing in her story, is how she projects a large part of her emotions and sensibilities onto the hawk, rather than relating more to fellow humans who might offer more comfort and understanding.

Overall,  I wouldn't really recommend this book to anyone who doesn't share the author’s rather obscure interest in taming hawks. For me, this book doesn't live up to the hype in the press. 

Great read for back to school/uni/work... #thewitchslist

Escape from the routine to Scotland, France and the Ivory Coast in the gripping story, The Witch's List.
It's still on offer at Booksetc for only £6.07 p&p included!!
http://www.booksetc.co.uk/books/view/-9781785353482

La FNAC stocke The Witch's List!

Bonne nouvelle pour les lecteurs français : The Witch's List sera bientôt disponible à la FNAC ! Déjà en vente sur leur site en version électronique -
http://www.fnac.com/livre-numerique/a9726210/Andrew-Cairns-The-Witch-s-List#FORMAT=ePub - la version papier devrait apparaître très prochainement.

Mimosas movie review

Went to see the film "Mimosas" at the weekend, as part of my research for book two in The Witch's List trilogy. It's a hauntingly beautiful, mesmerising movie based in the Atlas mountains of Morocco. It has a moral and spiritual message of redemption. Highly recommend!

https://youtu.be/tazR3jGYip0

Déchaîné à Paris / unchained in Paris! #thewitchslist

Just handed my book in for review at The American Library in Paris, near the Eiffel Tower. Hopefully they will be able to organise a reading / meet the author / signing event sometime in the next couple of months.
Watch this space for more details...

Will the Americans back The Witch's List? #thewitchslist #FridayFeeling #FridayBlogs

I plan to check out The American Library in Paris tomorrow, to see about organising an author event there. It's the largest English-language lending library on the European continent.
Also hope to do some research for book two, which is coming on strong.
https://youtu.be/lqS5DxWvi3Y