In a Nutshell: A short story collection about “ordinary people confronting extraordinary circumstances.” Literary in feel. Diverse in content. But somIn a Nutshell: A short story collection about “ordinary people confronting extraordinary circumstances.” Literary in feel. Diverse in content. But some stories didn’t suit my reading preference, and the slice-of-life writing style isn’t a favourite of mine.
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This collection has fifteen short stories across 300 pages. While there is no author’s note introducing his intent or the theme, the blurb states that these stories involve “ordinary people confronting extraordinary circumstances”, where the characters lead us to wonder if we shape the future, or is it the other way around. This theme is adhered to diligently in the stories, though it isn’t always done justice to.
The title comes from the epic quote by Heraclitus (also mentioned at the start of the book): “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.” It’s a great way of representing the situations in the stories, where a character might face a similar quandary for the second time in their life, but their reaction differs, and changes the course of their trajectory. (The above quote reminded me of a favourite quote by Canadian poet John Barton: “You can never step into the same book twice, because you are different each time you read it.” How true is that!)
Most stories are from the male perspective, which is common for a book by a male author. (just as most women authors tend to have female protagonists.) But to my surprise, a couple of the stories do come from women characters’ points of view, and even handled well. The timeline, plot, and setting varies across the stories, and the descriptions are always vivid.
The writing approach is a combination of literary and slice-of-life. As such, the plot progression isn’t in the typical start-middle-end style, but somewhat random. Though each story has a clear focus, the tales often go meandering through various topics and backstories on their way ahead. A common plot structure for many stories is that it begins in the contemporary timeline when the main character is older and facing a conundrum, then the character goes reminiscing into past memories of a similar conundrum or a related person, and at random, resurfaces in the current timeline, and ambles and rambles a little more before the story reaches the end. So the timeline is, at times, tough to keep track of.
Some of the tales weren't really my kind of stories, being too “macho male” in approach, or having certain triggering content related to animals. The endings were also a mixed bag to me. Though they never felt abrupt, they also didn’t offer satisfaction or closure in many of the cases.
As always, I rated the stories individually. Most of the stories ended up around the 3-star mark, meaning I liked them but they didn’t blow me away. These were the few that touched or crossed four stars: ...more
In a Nutshell: A thought-provoking short story about how second chances work. A bit stretched out in content, but great introspection.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In a Nutshell: A thought-provoking short story about how second chances work. A bit stretched out in content, but great introspection.
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Plot Preview:
Autumn isn’t in a great emotional place. After eight years of marriage, her relationship with her husband seems to be almost dead. Combine this with the emotional baggage from childhood when her father abandoned their family for another woman and her mother became an alcoholic to cope with her grief, and the bittersweet news that Autumn is finally pregnant. Autumn thus has a lot to deal with. Can she let go of the past in order to give her future a better chance? The story comes to us in Autumn’s third person perspective across two timelines.
This is the sixth standalone story in the 'Good Intentions’ series, described on Amazon as “a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood.” (I usually go in series order, but this time, I decided to begin from the lowest-rated ones on GR and work my way upwards.)
There’s nothing bad per se about this story. It has some flawed humans. It sheds light on how childhood trauma can affect adult decisions. It describes the uncertainty of being the vulnerable one in a marriage. It shows the trauma of being forced to parent your parent. It highlights the emotional grief that can come after a loved one abandons you. It also shows how simple incidents in our day-to-day life can offer great learnings. This last point is depicted through Autumn’s work as a marine scientist. The past timeline serves to highlight the incidents that led to Autumn’s behaviour in the present timeline.
In other words, there are plenty of great arcs in this story. But when the page count is just 35 pages, it feels like a bit cluttered. There are too many subplots, and while the ending still handles the situation well, I felt like I couldn’t bond with any of the characters because of the hurried exploration of emotions. The writing was also needlessly poetic at times. While this is okay in long fiction, a short work with so many subplots doesn’t afford much leeway for metaphorical writing.
That said, the story fits the theme of the collection perfectly. Because of the introspective tone of the writing, the story offers an insight into Autumn’s journey of healing and forgiveness and also depicts the importance of communication. I even felt sorry for one character, but I totally understand where the other character was coming from – forgiveness isn’t always easy.
All in all, a decent introspective story. Not a must read but a good one when you need something to ponder over. Don’t pick it up if you prefer likeable leads.
3 stars.
This standalone story is a part of the ‘Good Intentions’ collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
In a Nutshell: The third book in the Tessa Burns series. Works as a standalone but preferably, read in series order. Decent premise, over the top deveIn a Nutshell: The third book in the Tessa Burns series. Works as a standalone but preferably, read in series order. Decent premise, over the top developments, too smooth an ending. Not my favourite of the series, though it has its great moments.
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Plot Preview:
Cork, Ireland. A young girl named Ellie has just walked into the local police station with her parents, claiming that she has psychic abilities and has foreseen a murder. As expected, she is politely turned away. But when her prediction comes true two days later, the gardai call the family back for questioning. Tessa and her team are despatched by Commissioner Wilson to help with Ellie’s investigation. But before they have a proper handle on things, an aggressive local officer and some bad guys come into the picture and Tessa’s team is left scrambling. The story comes to us in the third person perspective of the core trio (Tessa, Danny and Maggie) and of some secondary characters, including Ellie.
I had enjoyed the first Tessa Burns book, but the second book had been a slightly mixed bag, with Tessa becoming annoyingly cocky and rash. The only reason I continued with the series was that the epilogue of the second book revealed a promising titbit – that a child claims she's psychic and foresaw a murder. The premise is handled well in this third novel, but certain factors stop it from being a memorable read.
In a Nutshell: An intelligent sci-fi short story but essentially plotless. Suited to a mood when you just wanted to hear someone talk than for when yoIn a Nutshell: An intelligent sci-fi short story but essentially plotless. Suited to a mood when you just wanted to hear someone talk than for when you want to read some sci-fi action. I might have liked it better had I been prepared for something more introspective.
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Plot Preview:
There’s no plot! The entire story is a rambling narrative in the first person point of view of a sentient spaceship who reveals to us its origin at the hands of humans, the purpose behind its existence, and its current and future intent. All this is told to us while it is on a long journey lasting millions of years.
This is the sixth and final standalone story in 'The Far Reaches’ series, described on Amazon as “a collection of science-fiction stories that stretch the imagination and open the heart.”
In a Nutshell: A sci-fi anthology by Ukrainian writers, both citizens and diasporic. Varied in genres and innovative in presentation, but somehow, theIn a Nutshell: A sci-fi anthology by Ukrainian writers, both citizens and diasporic. Varied in genres and innovative in presentation, but somehow, the content and the approach didn’t click with me. I think this is more of a ME problem, so take this review with a pinch of salt.
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This anthology contains thirty stories penned by Ukrainian writers living within the country (with their works being translated to English for the first time) and those living in other nations. The stories come from a variety of SFF genres such as science fiction, space opera, horror, fantasy, dystopian, and even slipstream.
I always lament when anthologies don't come with introductory notes about the theme. This one spoilt me for choice. It had not one but two brilliant introductory notes written by the three editors. These offer a touching tribute to stories and the Ukraine context, and also explain why escapist fiction such as mysteries and fantasies are so common in that country. I love how heartfelt the tone was, especially in the first note. This line will especially stay with me: "Stories reveal something about the people telling them."
The editors describe these tales as “stories of transformation, by luck or achievement, through wit or sacrifice, with the characters experiencing moments of rebirth, reconsideration, renewal.” Most of the tales were thus quite poignant or dramatic, though a couple had a touch of wry humour.
So far, so good. The intent proved itself. But the content… that was a different experience altogether.
I had grabbed this anthology mainly for the ethnicity of the writers. One of my favourite indie sci-fi writers is Anton Eine, who is also Ukrainian. (I was a bit disappointed to see nothing by him in this collection.) I was hoping to experience a somewhat similar high on reading this book, but that wasn’t to happen.
Did I get a sense of Ukrainian culture from these tales? Not really. But SFF writing is not about cultural representation, so I wouldn’t dock off points for this.
While I followed my usual pattern of reading 1-2 stories a day, it took me more than an hour to complete each session. This is partly because of the length. 460 pages is much too long for an anthology. The page count itself will dissuade many readers. Also, 30 stories is way too many for a single collection, and when the stories are not distributed appropriately across the volume, they start generating a feel of déjà vu.
No matter how much I tried, my mind kept drifting away from the tales. I am not sure if it is the writing approach (either too conversational, or hopping across various characters within the same tale, or with multiple scene changes that felt jumpy), the repetitiveness at the start (with all the initial stories being space adventures), the sluggish pace (most tales were too meandering and/or too verbose) or the translation (a tad too literary; unless someone reads the original tales and compares the tones, it's tough to say if the literary feel is the author's intent or the translator's prerogative or simply an awkward turn of phrase from a non-native speaker.) The innovativeness of the tales was clearly visible, but the style of presentation didn’t suit my reading tastes.
As always, I read the stories individually, but most of them fell between the 2 to 3.5 star mark for me, with very few exceptions. There were no standout stories that I would count as memorable.
Maybe this book might work better for those readers who are more attuned to this meandering kind of writing style. It could also be a good fit to more avid SFF fans; I am just a dabbler in this genre. If nothing else, it serves as a great way of showing your support to indie Ukrainian writers, even though there is not much about Ukraine in the stories.
Hitting the midway mark in solidarity with the writers, in the hope that this book might find the right reader. My average rating for all the stories also rounds up to 3 stars, so it is fairly accurate of my feelings about the content as well.
My thanks to Atthis Arts and NetGalley for the DRC of “Embroidered Worlds”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
In a Nutshell: A family-drama with a decent dollop of magical realism. The premise was great, but the execution was a little too longwinded and confusIn a Nutshell: A family-drama with a decent dollop of magical realism. The premise was great, but the execution was a little too longwinded and confusing for me. This writing style doesn’t usually click with me, so take this review with a pinch of salt.
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Plot Preview:
After her father passes away, forty-year-old Emma’s life goes topsy-turvy in ways she never expected. Strange letters and flower bouquets keep popping up around her, her father has somehow reincarnated as a willow tree, and even more baffling is the reappearance of her mother Cassie, whom Emma had presumed dead all these years. Cassie is back in town with some mysterious agenda just as Emma’s beloved pet dog Bob is ill with a strange illness. As Emma and Cassie strive to make sense of their new normal while also attempting not to kill each other, many old mysteries and family secrets come tumbling out. The story comes to us in the first-person perspective of Emma and the third-person perspective of Cassie.
Mixed feelings all the way. Some of the negatives are due to my reading preferences, so they may not be applicable to all readers.
In a Nutshell: The term ‘dictionary’ led my expectations askew. The book contains distinctions, but not just limited to common words. It covers too maIn a Nutshell: The term ‘dictionary’ led my expectations askew. The book contains distinctions, but not just limited to common words. It covers too many topic areas and hence feels needlessly complicated. I did have fun with it and learnt much, but I wish it had stuck to more practical distinctions.
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Confusables (words/phrases that are easily confused with another in meaning or usage) are common in every language, but English is possible the champion when it comes to having the maximum number of confusables, courtesy its eclectic composition. Whether homonyms or homophones or homographs, English does its best to muddle up not just newbies but also native speakers. As such, a book that clarifies confusables is always welcome to teachers as well as students.
Except that this one does not exactly fit the above requirement.
I must begin by appreciating the efforts behind the book. The amazing array of distinctions clearly indicates the hard work put into compiling these terms and their differences. Over 200+ pages, the book covers many pairs, triads and quartets of confusables across a medley of subjects.
There are many word sets where I was already aware of the exact distinction (Goblin vs. Ogre vs. Troll), some that I didn’t know precisely (Pidgin vs. Creole), some that I never consciously thought about until I encountered them herein (Convince vs. Persuade), and some that I have read before but still get confused about as understanding them is beyond my mental processing power (Latte vs. Flat White vs. Cappuccino vs. Cortado.) Some were very common terms (Electric vs. Electronic) while some were more obscure comparisons (Hermit vs Anchorite.) A few were words I have never heard of in my life! (Schlemiel vs. Schlimazel!?)
Many words and examples are specific to the USA, which is fine as the book is meant for American audiences but this restricts its appeal outside of the country. Not docking off points for this.
There are extensive notes at the end for further elaborations on some of the words. There are also B&W illustrations for every distinction.
A special note of appreciation for the comparative pairs that begin and end the book. They were brilliant, and an apt way to set the ball rolling and bring it to a stop respectively.
Where I feel the book could have done better is in restricting itself to more practical and common distinctions instead of focussing on a wide range of topics. The ‘dictionary’ covers not just confusables in ordinary English vocabulary but also muddling terms from other subject areas such as geography (Great Britain vs United Kingdom), mathematics (Natural Numbers vs. Integers vs. Rational Numbers vs. Real Numbers), history (Flail vs. Mace vs. Morning Star), architecture (Porch vs. Veranda vs. Deck vs. Patio), and so on. There is even some jargon from topics that only professionals/enthusiasts would need to know, such as music (4/4 Time vs. 2/2 Time), computers (UI vs. UX), and sports (Deadlift vs. Romanian Deadlift.) Why would most people need to know these technical terms? By broadening the scope of topics too much, it ends up being a ‘jack of all trades, master of none.’
A few of the comparisons are unnecessarily convoluted. For instance, there’s one entry for ‘Irony vs Sarcasm’, which contrasts the two words taking into account just one meaning of ‘irony’, ignoring its alternative synonym of paradoxical contrast. And there’s a separate entry many pages later that explores ‘Verbal Irony vs. Dramatic Irony’. Such pairs of words could have been easily combined.
Moreover, with such eclectic topics, I would have preferred the book to have some kind of an organisational method, maybe by grouping the distinctions as per topic/subject or listing out the distinctions alphabetically. At present, the entries are too random and hence feel very jumpy when almost every turn of the page brings a word set from a new subject.
Honestly, I might have enjoyed this more had the content stuck to the fundamental differences between general language-related confusables. By delving into esoteric pairs, the book restricts its target audience. I might have said that this would be a great option for school libraries, except that a few entries are suitable only for adults (Kink vs. Fetish.)
All in all, this would still be a good gifting option for adult word nerds. But it is too abstruse to be recommended to a general reader and not child-friendly enough to be recommended to schools.
Just to clarify: My dissatisfaction has nothing to do with the topic or a lack of interest in it. I'm a language enthusiast and a huge grammar nerd. This was totally my kind of book had it lived up to the title.
3 stars.
My thanks to Union Square & Co. and Edelweiss+ for the DRC of “Dictionary of Fine Distinctions: Nuances, Niceties, and Subtle Shades of Meaning”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
In a Nutshell: A short story combining a psych thriller and a legal drama. Nicely written, but didn’t hit me as hard as I thought it would. Still, a dIn a Nutshell: A short story combining a psych thriller and a legal drama. Nicely written, but didn’t hit me as hard as I thought it would. Still, a decent finish to this Amazon story collection.
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Plot Preview:
Nick Collins has just been handed his first client accused of murder, a welcome change from his typical civil case clientele. As he strives to find the truth, he discovers that the small town in which his client Ryan is imprisoned has its own way of doing things. Unless he finds some concrete proof about Ryan’s innocence, Ryan seems to have already been judged guilty. Can Nick save Ryan? Is Ryan truly innocent?
This is the fifth and final standalone story in the 'We Could be Heroes’ series, described on Amazon as “a darkly inquisitive collection of short stories that examines heroic intentions versus their real-life consequences.”
I enjoy psych thrillers (when well written) as well as legal dramas. So this story should have been a winner. But somehow, the swing in tempo and style resulted in a hodgepodge reading experience.
With a title like this, I didn't know what to expect. The series has consistently focussed on people being ‘heroes’ and the outcome of their heroism, not always positive. In that sense, this story was more or less as expected. No surprises to offer, at all. Moreover, the title ‘Kill Night’ isn’t exactly indicative of the whole story, just of the first chapter.
Chapter 1, which comes from Ryan’s third-person perspective, is a cracker! I picked up this story before bedtime, and when I reached the end of the first chapter, I regretted not having waited till morning. However, the next chapter shifted gears into Nick’s pov, and when I say ‘shifted gears’, I don’t mean just the change of character perspective but also the change of genre into drama mode and the alteration of tone from dark to general. This immediately dampened the high, and I actually went to sleep in between the story at about the midway mark. Imagine that! Just a 58-page story and I still couldn’t complete it in one go!
I wish the whole story had retained the creep vibe of the first chapter. But it shimmies through typical territory until it revs up the tempo in the climactic scenes and suddenly becomes an action thriller. As such, the overall result was confusing. What was the story trying to be?
What was most disappointing is that many of the interesting sequences happen off the page. The story answers just as much as needed, and either explains the rest through the future conversations or leaves it for us to guess. While there are no major incomplete threads to the narrative, I still felt like it could have done better in this respect, especially in regards to the big reveal.
Not to forget, the forced potential romance annoyed me – I always turn into the Grinch when I see romance in a non-romance work, even if it is limited to the setting up of a first date.
In short, definitely interesting but not memorable. I might have enjoyed it better had it not been split across multiple and distinct writing moods.
I have seen good reviews of this author’s full-length works, but haven’t read any yet. Maybe this author writes novels much better than short stories. I hope to find out for sure some day!
3 stars.
This standalone story is a part of the “We Could Be Heroes” collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
Thus ends my tryst with the ‘We Could be Heroes’ series. Overall, it has been a good series for me. This was the lowest rated of the five stories, so no duds as such. Definitely recommend the series to short story lovers.
In a Nutshell: A contemporary sci-fi mystery that’s the first of a planned series. The blurb reveals almost half of the suspense. The other half staysIn a Nutshell: A contemporary sci-fi mystery that’s the first of a planned series. The blurb reveals almost half of the suspense. The other half stays hidden, and will probably be revealed (at least to some extent) in the next book of this intended trilogy. Slow pacing, not so likeable characters, cliffhanger ending. So I didn’t have as much fun with this read as I had hoped, though I did like it.
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Plot Preview:
In 1995, nine-year-old Bella D’accourt is stunned when her mom takes her to a stranger and declares, “Bella is defective. You need to take her back.” This is when Bella learns that she was the result of a controversial “designer baby” eugenic program. In 2018, Bella realises that someone from her past has discovered her identity and she is on the run. However, it is not easy to escape when you have a twelve-year-old daughter. Ariana has never been happy at her mom’s insistence on keeping away from social media, and with this latest demand of leaving everything behind to flee, Ariana is not sure if she wants to trust her mother anymore. Now Bella has to convince her daughter of her intentions as well as outrun a powerful enemy. The story comes to us in Bella’s first person perspective for the present (2018) timeline and for the past (2005 timeline), AND in third person perspective for Ariana and some other characters (2018 timeline.)
I can’t discuss this story without spoiling it. So much of it is left unsaid that any inadvertent revelation would sully your fun. So here’s a somewhat vague review that will still hopefully help you take a call on this novel.
In a Nutshell: A contemporary fantasy about Matthew, Lucifer’s younger brother, who wants his daughter back from the mortal world. The storyline is goIn a Nutshell: A contemporary fantasy about Matthew, Lucifer’s younger brother, who wants his daughter back from the mortal world. The storyline is good, but much darker than I expected it to be, and has some triggering content as well as a writing style that doesn’t work well for me.
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Plot Preview:
Eight years ago, Matthew’s life changed when his wife Emily died and his daughter Lucy was forcibly taken away by Gabriel, the archangel, and given to a mortal family without their knowing about the swapped baby. Now Matthew, back from his self-imposed exile spent grieving his dual loss, wants his daughter back. He enlists the support of his elder brother Lucifer. But the process of getting a mortal back to their world and making her immortal again is not easy, and with Gabriel refusing his support, Matthew and Lucifer face a tough task ahead. The story comes to us in the third person perspective of various characters.
The cover and the blurb made me feel like this book was a perfect fit for me. Having enjoyed ‘When the Angels Left the Old Country’ and ‘Good Omens’, I was raring to read another book with the angel-devil combo in the lead. While parts of this book met those expectations, the core content turned out to be different from what I had assumed.
Because of the cover art, I thought that the plot would have a touching tale of a father seeking to be reunited with his daughter. It certainly is that, but it doesn’t stop at that. Despite Lucy being just eight at the start of the book, the book is strictly for adults. There is much triggering content in the plot, and the overall storyline is quite dark and gloomy. I still wish I had known about all this beforehand so that I could have been better prepared for such a read. I had to realign my mood to match the tone of the book; only then did it work better for me, thankfully.
Matthew - with his grief over his wife’s death and his love for his almost-stranger daughter, Lucifer in a role we rarely see him perform – that of a loving elder brother, little Lucy – trying her best to deal with the abuse doled out to her by her human family, and Howie – Lucy’s mortal father who isn’t strong enough to speak against his wife but loves his ‘daughter’ nonetheless – these four characters make the book what it is. I did not expect such a sensitive portrayal of the devil and his brother. Rare for male characters to be shown with such deep emotions where they cry without inhibition! I wish we could have known more about Emily – she seemed like a wonderful character, but her arc is cut as short as her life.
I also wish Matthew had a different name. I found it tough to accept such a common Christian name (and one of the apostles’ names, at that!) as belonging to the Devil’s brother. It should have been something fancier, more fantastical! (Aziraphale and Crowley have clearly elevated my requirements from every angel-demon book!)
Lucy’s human family doesn’t have any redeeming feature except for Howie. Her ‘mother’ Karen is especially abusive and manipulative, but she’s not the only toxic member of the family. It is easy to feel sorry for poor Lucy stuck in a family where no one understands her or cares for her.
The book is set mainly in our world, even though there are enough scenes set in the immortals’ domain. As such, the worldbuilding feels a bit lacking. If only there had been a greater exploration of the immortals’ domain!
I feel the book could have benefitted with a round of editing to tighten the flow. The plotline gets a bit affected by some repetitive scenes and emotions, grammatical issues such as run-on sentences (this won’t bother those who don’t bother about grammar while reading fiction, but run-on sentences are my bugbear), and detailed inner monologues, especially in the first half. All these factors make the book slower and longer than necessary. There are random perspective changes without clear delineations, and also flashbacks popping in sometimes without a clear indication. Plus, four of the five key human women in the book have similar names: Karen, Kathy, Katie, and Kirsty – so confusing! [Note: I read an ARC, so it is quite possible that some of the above issues have been addressed in the final version.]
All in all, this is a valiant debut, with an imaginative plot and interesting characters. With some finetuning, I think this indie novel can create a greater impact. I was caught unawares by the darkness of the storyline and the abuse triggers, which is probably why it hit only at the ‘good’ level for me.
Recommended to those looking for a dark contemporary fantasy, albeit set mostly in our human world, as long as they are prepared for the content triggers and not as fussy as I about editing issues.
3 stars.
My thanks to Zooloo’s Book Tours and author Bethany Russo for a complimentary digital ARC of 'The Devil Inside'. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
In a Nutshell: A middle-grade anthology about children who are a “little bit super”, i.e. they have one only little superpower. An interesting and a dIn a Nutshell: A middle-grade anthology about children who are a “little bit super”, i.e. they have one only little superpower. An interesting and a diverse assortment of stories herein, but as often happens in a multi-author collection, the result is a mixed bag.
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The introductory note sets the right tone for this thirteen-story collection. I love the theme of having a “little superpower”. Superhero stories are usually about great powers such as invisibility or superhuman strength or flight, so imagine having not-so-super powers: a time travel ability where you cannot control where/when you land, or a power that tells you whether a fruit is ripe, as long as the fruit is an avocado. It’s like the superpower adding a clause saying, ‘Conditions apply.’ That uniqueness is the biggest appeal of this book.
The stories are contributed by some of the best contemporary MG-fiction authors such as Pam Muñoz Ryan, Remy Lai, Linda Sue Park, and Daniel Nayeri, among others. The diverse background of the authors also ensures a diversity in the character representation.
The genres are quite varied, ranging from ordinary drama to science fiction to even a story-in-verse.
There appear to be some graphics in between each story. I’d have loved to see these, but the images were missing from my ARC. Graphics would certainly add to the fun of the book.
There is a detailed bio for each author at the end of the book. I wish these were written immediately after the story, so that it would be easier to look up other books by those authors whose stories worked best for us. One thing I liked is that each bio included the mention of one minor superpower the author would choose for themselves; these were fun to read.
As always, I rated the stories individually. Most fell in the mid-range for me, primarily because I liked them but was not blown away by them. My favourite stories were:
In a Nutshell: This indie picture book began well but some of the writing choices didn’t make me happy. The illustrations are mostly gorgeous.
~~~~~~~In a Nutshell: This indie picture book began well but some of the writing choices didn’t make me happy. The illustrations are mostly gorgeous.
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I had loved Michael Wong’s I Will Always Be Proud of You for its writing as well as artwork. So it was tough to resist this one when I saw it on Edelweiss, especially as the cover is equally stunning. The execution, though, was a bit of a mixed bag for me.
The story is mainly a loving narration from the mother to her newborn daughter, talking about how she will always adore her child and be there for her. The “always” in this case covers a couple of decades, ending with the cycle of life moving on to the next generation. As the mother is addressing her newborn child, detailing her thoughts about what the future might hold for them, the book works for new parents looking for a book to read to their (girl) child.
Some of the situations, such as the first words spoken by the baby or the first day of school, resonated with my very core. The sentiment was completely relatable, and I could see why the mother was so emotional about seeing her child reach new milestones. Up to page 34 or so (in this 50 page book), the content is about the mother reassuring her baby that she is always going to be around, supporting her, helping her, and cheering for her. I found everything till this point pretty good, though a bit too cloying.
However, the remaining few pages had the “child” graduating, leaving for “her own home”, getting married, and having her own baby. Three reasons why this didn’t satisfy me: 1. No mom is going to dream of her newborn baby having *her* baby a couple of decades down the line. This stretched too far into the future to be convincing. Who dreams of becoming a grandmother immediately after becoming a mother? 2. Why is the girl shown with no job/career/professional aspirations? Why are marriage and a baby the goal? 3. How do we assume that the child will grow up to be a heterosexual and get married to a man? I can still understand pt 3 as that is the default thought setting for many parents, but I cannot accept pts 1 & 2.
The story is written in rhythmic prose, and the rhymes are spot on. This makes the book a good option for reading aloud.
The illustrations are as stunning as they were in the other book I read. Every page is vibrant with colours and the characters seem to glow. The sketches are inclusive whenever possible. I am somewhat undecided about the decision to plug the author’s earlier two picture books within the story illustrations. Though these don’t obstruct the flow, they were distracting to me as it felt like too obvious a marketing attempt. The main thing I did not like was the way the mother was sketched. Even when the baby is just a newborn, the mother is as thin as a rake. No sign of a postpartum belly at all! Even until the end, when the mother becomes a “grandmother”, her looks and her dress size stay unchanged. Can we please be realistic about women’s bodies?
Overall, a major part of the book is still good and saccharine sweet. But the final section somewhat messed up my experience.
If you are okay with the ending, then this book ought to work well as a gift option for new mothers.
3 stars.
My thanks to Picco Puppy and Edelweiss+ for the DRC of “I Will Always Love You”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
In a Nutshell: Liked the disability representation, but have mixed feelings about the message. The label of ‘eco-thriller’ doesn’t suit the book perfeIn a Nutshell: Liked the disability representation, but have mixed feelings about the message. The label of ‘eco-thriller’ doesn’t suit the book perfectly. This is more of a teen mystery with subtle shades of psychological horror.
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Story Synopsis:
Fourteen-year-old Max has been wallowing in self-pity ever since he lost his hearing in a trawler accident a couple of years ago. Struggling to adapt to his new situation in school and at home, Max is quite frustrated. The only thing he is looking forward to is the network connectivity promised by the company who is building wind turbines on the remote Scottish island Max calls home. However, most of the islanders are protesting the turbines, which Max finds unfathomable. Why say no to free Internet? However, he soon notices a change in the behaviour of those around him. Do the turbines have anything to do with this? The story comes to us from Max’s limited first person perspective.
PSA: The blurb reveals too much.
I’ve read quite a few books by this author, and she targets different age groups and different genres with each story. I like that she isn’t afraid to go dark, and pens her books according to the audience she has in mind. However, this book is my least favourite of what I have read from her oeuvre.
The biggest pro of the book has to be the way it handles disability representation. Max has a lot of anger and frustration in him. His pity party never ends, thus making his struggle to accept his new situation come across as very realistic. His constant comparison of his life before and after hearing loss helps us realise how much we take our senses for granted. There are some offensive words in his thinking, but the author helps readers understand what is not acceptable in inclusive language.
Unlike most books with the main protagonist having some kind of disability, Max isn’t a likeable lead character as he wasn’t really a ‘good boy’ when his hearing was intact. The struggle of being on the OTHER side of bullying is something he cannot attune himself to. This internal conflict makes for much thought-provoking writing, and will hopefully make little readers understand that life can change for anyone, anytime. Bullying is never right.
Other than Max, we also have Erin – who was born deaf, Beanie – who has Down Syndrome, and David – who is restricted to his wheelchair because of cerebral palsy. There is also a revelation at the end about one prominent character having a learning disability. Through these characters, the story explores varied facets of living life as a disabled person and helps generate not sympathy but empathy towards them. Because of Max and Erin’s deafness coming from different reasons, we also see the difference between those born with a disability and those who become disabled at a later stage in their lives. This is all handled sensitively. I also loved all the aspects related to sign language and how it works. There’s even a picture of the British sign language alphabet at the start of the book. As the book has been whetted for language and deafness portrayal by the British Deaf Association, we can be sure that the deaf rep is authentic.
At the same time, I wasn’t happy when David was revealed to be a secret genius. It is a cliché probably inspired from Stephen Hawking, but not everyone who has cerebral palsy is a genius, and a character with cerebral palsy must be accepted even if he is on the opposite end of the genius spectrum.
I also don’t agree with the label of ‘eco-thriller’. There is a mystery in the book, but the slowburn pace and the writing style don’t make it a thriller. Some of the content is disturbing enough to qualify it as a mild psychological horror. The story is divided into sections, with the key chapters being titled around the arrival of the turbines. i.e. 'Two Years Before the Turbines', ‘One Month After the Turbines’,… This makes it clear that the turbines are at the core of the story. However, the sections are titled as “Experiment – Phase 1/2/…”, thus revealing a huge spoiler even before the readers know that there’s an experiment. What’s the point of the book’s being a “mystery” or a ”thriller” then? This naming decision should have been reconsidered.
The ‘eco’ tag also is not justified because though turbines are at the core of the book, their depiction is lopsided. My biggest worry is that children shouldn’t come away with the idea that wind turbines are destructive. With the planet needing more sustainable clean energy models, wind turbines are definitely to be encouraged. However, once the conspiracy in the book is sorted out, there is just a single line to establish that turbines are innocent. All the adults seem to be protesting the turbines because of relatively trivial points and ignoring everything connected to energy generation. Those who want the turbines do so only for the free internet and connectivity promised by the company. Turbines are so much more than this! This was a great chance to educate children (without getting preachy) on clean energy, but it was missed out. A couple of the negatives mentioned in the book about the ill effects of turbines on human health are claims based in reality, but there’s no conclusive proof yet. I wish there had been a stronger focus on the advantages of turbines. The balance is very much missing in this book.
The ending is worth it in terms of resolution, but the final confrontation is a bit of a downer in terms of how quickly it is completed.
This book is aimed at teens aged 11-15, so it covers the upper MG – lower YA group. Some of the content, however, might be a bit too dark for the lower of this age segment. The animal deaths, in particular, might be disturbing. Proceed with caution in case you plan to read this with or gift this to a sensitive animal-loving child.
All in all, this is a good story, but not exactly as I expected. It had tremendous potential, but in not addressing turbines in a balanced way, it ended up disappointing me a bit. I can’t enthusiastically advocate a book that casts doubts on an important renewable energy resource. Nevertheless, the depiction of deaf characters is a huge point in its favour.
20% of the author royalties for this novel will be donated to the British Deaf Association.
3 stars.
My thanks to TheWriteReads, Neem Tree Press, author Victoria Williamson, and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of 'War of the Wind'. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
Short review, coz I really don’t have much to say about this.
I picked this up only for the title. Didn’t realise that it was a true story based on theShort review, coz I really don’t have much to say about this.
I picked this up only for the title. Didn’t realise that it was a true story based on the last wish of the author’s terminally ill father.
The initial part is quite moving, where senior Kirn insists that he wants to spend his final days in a remote Montana cabin. The bear makes an appearance only for a brief time, and because the title is such a spoiler, any element of surprise about encountering a bear is ruined. The covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown also play a role in this mini-memoir.
I liked the emotional elements about grief and loss much more than the bear encounter. The pain of watching a loved one close to death while being unable to do anything comes out strongly.
The use of actual photographs, including one with the bear, adds to the impact. Better if you check out the photos on a colour screen device because on the kindle e-reader, they look boring.
A onetime read for me. Might have worked better had I known in advance that I was reading a true-life narrative and not a fictional story about a bear. It wouldn’t have seemed so disjointed then! My fault for jumping at the work on reading just the title and nothing else.
3 stars.
This standalone anecdotal narrative is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
In a Nutshell: An anthology of lesbian romances set around Christmas. A good collection for the right reader. Unfortunately, many of these weren’t my In a Nutshell: An anthology of lesbian romances set around Christmas. A good collection for the right reader. Unfortunately, many of these weren’t my kind of romance stories, so please take this review with a pinch of salt.
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This anthology has eleven stories of Sapphic love connections written by lesbian fiction writers. I never pick up a romance anthology because the genre is a mixed bag for me. What made me opt for this book was one magic phrase in the blurb: “Curries in India.” A lesbian love story set during an Indian Christmas? The curiosity of this Indian Christian was immediately piqued!
What worked for me is the intent and the approach of the collection. The collection is diverse in terms of inclusivity as well as cultural setting, with the stories being set in Australia, England, India, Jamaica, South Africa and Germany amid other locations. Most of the stories, except one (which is about Chanukkah), are set around Christmas time. The themes are also varied, with some stories being lighthearted and other being more sombre. Authenticity of voice is not an issue at all, thanks to the background of the authors. The beautiful cover is the perfect representation of the heterogeneity of the tales.
Where the collection didn’t suit my reading palate is in the writing style and romantic content of a few of the tales. The tagline promises a ‘flirty’ anthology, so I knew there would be oodles of romance herein. But many of the tales had almost insta romances, and one even went too steamy – both of which aren’t what I enjoy reading. Moreover, there is a distinct YA flavour to quite a few tales, again something that isn’t my cup of tea. Because of the YA and insta love factor, the emotions felt somewhat superficial and light-hearted, even when the plot itself was emotionally charged.
As always, I rated the stories individually, but most of the tales ended up on the mid-range of the scale, not because the tales were bad, but because they didn’t suit my reading preferences. My favourite story was Sheryn Munir’s ‘Mask’, which not only was a touching story of closeted lesbian feelings but also had a beautifully representation of an Indian Christmas celebration. I relished the experience of seeing a Christmas tale where holiday food included delicacies like mutton cutlets, fish fry, onion salad, and rose cookies. The traditions of family carol singing and exchanging Christmas sweets with all neighbours – Christians and otherwise – also finds a mention. Indian Christians rarely get a fair representation (if at all we are represented) in fiction, even by Indian writers, so this story made me feel seen.
All in all, this isn’t a bad collection, but I wasn’t the right reader for it. If you enjoy more YA-style romances, and don’t mind insta attraction, you might like this better. I am just going hit the midway rating for this one as the lack of connect was mostly due to my romance-reading tastes.
3 stars.
My thanks to Ylva Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC of “Language of Love”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
In a Nutshell: A twisty fantasy-horror short story. Plenty of surprises and also shocks. Too gross for my taste! But might work better for the right rIn a Nutshell: A twisty fantasy-horror short story. Plenty of surprises and also shocks. Too gross for my taste! But might work better for the right reader.
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Story Synopsis:
Starr, a newcomer to town, is appointed by a dangerous crime boss to be a bodyguard to her ghoul. The ghoul however turns out to be atypical for her kind, having awareness and control of her surroundings. I really can’t tell you more. The twists begin very early and it’s better you experience it for yourself. The story comes to us mostly from the limited third person perspective of Starr.
This short story is a part of ‘Into Shadow’, described by Amazon as ‘an enthralling collection of dark fantasy stories about the lure of forbidden knowledge.’
Y’all! What did I get myself into with this work? ...more
This is a cute and informative little book for young readers. As the tagline suggests, it focuses on the smells of Jupiter the gas giant.
Pros: - The boThis is a cute and informative little book for young readers. As the tagline suggests, it focuses on the smells of Jupiter the gas giant.
Pros: - The book is really informative on its subject of choice. It explains about the various gases that creates Jupiter's smell in an interesting manner.
- There is an lot of humour in tackling the topic of smells. I'm sure kids will enjoy the funny remarks.
- The illustrations are absolutely adorable.
Cons: - It only focuses on smells. There is hardly any other information about Jupiter. So while it stays true to its purpose, kids looking for more information on Jupiter will have to look elsewhere.
- Io and Ganymede are a part of the book but they aren't introduced at all. Kids might assume that Jupiter has only two moons as none of the other moons, not even Europa and Callisto, make an appearance.
- I'm not sure of the target age group for this book but younger readers might find the content difficult to understand. The chemical names are tough, no doubt, but there are other difficult words too in the content.
This could be a good book for tweens who want a funny yet informative book.
3 stars.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book at my request and these are my honest thoughts about it.
[Read and reviewed in June 2021. Book wasn't on Goodreads then. Hence this late update.]
In a Nutshell: A short story inspired by Homer's Odyssey, but set on a distant planet. Good enough.
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Have you ever read a stIn a Nutshell: A short story inspired by Homer's Odyssey, but set on a distant planet. Good enough.
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Have you ever read a story that you liked enough, where the characters were appealing enough, where the setting was intriguing enough, where the prose was compelling enough, and yet, when it comes the time to review it, you don't have anything much to say?
Yeah well, that's going to be me for this review.
Inspired by Homer's Odyssey, this story talks of two strangers whose life paths collide due to an accident. The bond between them develops, but can it be strong enough to contain the wanderlust of one of them while the second is content to be at home?
Everything about this story is at the 'good enough' level, but somehow, nothing went beyond that scale. There were enough details to make me read it without distraction, but not enough that would make it last in my mind. Last para done, story forgotten. The abundance of conversations and lack of action might have had a small role to play in my disconnect. For a change, I even wished for the love track to be more detailed. After all, how often do we get to see (in fiction) romantic emotions bloom between two middle-aged men?
A one-time read for me, evoking tender yet bittersweet feelings. You might like it better if you are a fan of The Odyssey. I’ve not read it, and don’t even intend to, so I couldn’t judge this story on its performance as an inspired retelling.
3 stars.
This standalone story is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
In a Nutshell: A sweet story about a magical grandfather clock who sets to teach a young boy an important life lesson. This is a picture book retellinIn a Nutshell: A sweet story about a magical grandfather clock who sets to teach a young boy an important life lesson. This is a picture book retelling of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Good intent, but will work even better with some finetuning.
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Story Synopsis:
Written from the first person point of view of Grandfather Time, the magical narrator tells us of a little boy named Eb, short for Ebenezer, who is selfish and doesn’t share his toys. To teach him the value of caring and sharing, Grandfather Time calls upon the ghosts Past, Present, and Future. These three special characters then set out to show Eb the error of his ways.
At my grandparents’ house, there used to be a huge grandfather clock. Whenever I visited their place in my childhood, I was fascinated by this beautiful giant as it seemed so mysterious and exotic. One thing that always startled me was its huge “Boing” gongs at every quarter of an hour. Twelve o’clock was particularly tough on the ears. ...more
In a Nutshell: An imaginative story for middle-graders. Loved the focus on words. I wish the pacing and story development had been more consistent, buIn a Nutshell: An imaginative story for middle-graders. Loved the focus on words. I wish the pacing and story development had been more consistent, but children won’t be bothered by these aspects.
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Story Synopsis:
Eleven-year-old Florence Ibbot loves logic and fairness and words. She also loves visiting her grandfather Davey every Christmas and spending precious time with him in the whimsical village of Inkwell. But she doesn’t know that this year’s visit is going to be an eventful one. The words inside books are being destroyed! With a magical bookmark, an evil imp, a sentient book, and some devious sorcerers, Florence and Davey have their task cut out.
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