North to Paradise: one man's journey to a better life

North to Paradise: A Memoir by Ousman Umar is one man’s journey from a rural village in Ghana to the streets of Barcelona. Ousman Umar is the son of the village shaman. When his mother dies giving him birth, a tribal tradition would have him abandoned as he was considered to be born under a curse. However, his father intervenes. He spent his childhood working the fields, setting traps in the jungle and living off the land. When he sees the strange but wondrous flying machines fly across the sky, he begins to dream of a different life. At twelve years old, he leaves his home and begins a journey to Europe. A journey that would take five years! Traveling through three different cultures, three different realities, from the Ghanaian jungle to the Arab world to Spain, Ousman encountered violence, exploitation and racism. He also found friendship, generosity and hope. It is a story of extraordinary resilience, the beauty of kindness and the power of giving back. 

North to Paradise is the inspiring, emotional and somber true story of Ousman Umar’s journey toward a better life. Once in Barcelona and achieving all he wanted, he couldn’t help but remember those he left behind. He then was determined to give back to his home village and help better their lives in any way he could. His descriptions of his experiences on his journey were heartstopping and heartbreaking. It’s hard to admire such tenacity and determination when most would have given up. The prologue states that a group of 46 started for Paradise, the Promised Land and near the end, only 6 survived! Mr. Umar states that given his experiences it would be easy to think of people as bad but with the goodness he has received, he likes to believe that most people are good, “It’s just that the good people make less noise.” How very true! I highly recommend North to Paradise. 

North to Paradise is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook

The Angel's Game: a Gothic novel of mystery and suspense

The Angel’s Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon is another exciting mystery thriller in the heart of Barcelona in the days leading to Spanish Civil War and the dictatorship of General Franco. Told in three acts, the story follows David Martin, a young writer who becomes entangled in the mysteries of the underworld and his fight to break free.

The story opens in 1917, David Martin has led a harsh life. His mother abandoned him and his father. He is abused at the hands of his father until his father is brutally murdered in front of him.  He writes short stories for the local newspaper until he is approached to write Gothic novels. He is soon able to rent a home and he chooses a tower house which no one wants and everyone warns him against living in. He moves in anyway and he soon meets the mysterious Andreas Corelli, who commissions a book. His deal is almost too tempting to resist. He soon receives devastating news that he throws caution to the wind and agrees to write Corelli’s book. Soon strange events occur and David doesn’t know if he is going mad or if someone is playing a cruel game. He begins to research the previous owners of the house and he becomes entangled in a murder mystery which someone fights hard to keep buried. Will David find his way out? Or will he become another victim of the mysterious Andreas Corelli?

The Angel’s Game is a prequel to Zafon’s The Shadow of the Wind (another awesome book). The Angel’s Game is thrilling adventure where shadows lurk and alternative motives are everyone. Like a great Gothic novel, The Angel’s Game answers the main question of the mystery of the tower house but leaves open the question of who the mysterious Andreas Corelli is. I like that the author leaves that question to be answered by the reader. I can’t really say who I think he is without giving too many details. I highly recommend The Angel’s Game. It will have you hooked.