Starting the competition of stories for every alphabet from today.
Just posted the first short story “A for Anomaly”
Check it out by clicking the link and share your thoughts
Strangers!
Imagine you’re looking through a collection of short stories. One of the titles catches your interest. That’s the story you want to read first. What might the title be? Invent a title that would make you want to read the story. Now, write a story to go with that title…
Check out the story which is inspired from the above lines on my blog under the name Strangers
Click on the link, read and share your thoughts on the Short Story
Book Review of “Hurricane Force (Miss Fortune Mystery #7)” by Jana Deleon
Blurb
From New York Times bestselling author Jana DeLeon, the seventh book in the Miss Fortune series.
A force to be reckoned with…
During missions as a CIA assassin, Fortune Redding saw and overcame most every obstacle, but Sinful, Louisiana, keeps producing new challenges for her. When a hurricane blows through, it brings a shower of counterfeit money raining down on the tiny bayou town.
When the money is linked back to Ahmad, the arms dealer who issued the kill order on Fortune, everyone is worried that her nemesis is far too close for comfort. When Ahmad’s men turn up in Sinful, the situation becomes life-and-death for Fortune, Ida Belle, and Gertie, and Deputy Carter LeBlanc learns Fortune’s true identity.
As Swamp Team 3 rushes to locate the counterfeiter, Fortune hopes to take down Ahmad and free herself from her fake life. But will her relationship with Carter make it now that he knows the truth?
Genre: Cozy Mystery / Thriller
My Review
Jana Deleon has never failed to impress me. But this time she has gone over and beyond impressing and went to outright fabulous. I have never fell in love with any of the other books more than this one. This is by far the best in the Fortune Redding series. This book caps it all in one go and takes the best to give.
Fortune Redding’s shield is almost blown off when it is rumoured that Ahmed might be looking at Sinful with new eyes. This definitely puts up Fortune, Ida bella and Gertie on high alert, but it also involves telling Carter the truth. The way all these are twisted and turned and brought out in this novel is a real amazing reading experience. You feel for Fortune and empathize with her at every step of the book. Every scene is emotionally connecting and every page ties you closer and closer to Fortune. By the end of the book, you will not be able to distinguish your own feeling from that of Fortune.
The book ended on a slightly sad note, but somehow, I do not see that as the end of that chapter. I have all the faith in Fortune, Ida Bella and Gertie to turn this situation around. But more than that, I trust Jana to bring out another miracle in her next book. There are no words how much I am waiting for her next one to come. Cozy Mystery has never become so addictive before.
Star Rating : 5 Stars
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Book Review of “Right Click” by Lisa Becker
Blurb
Love. Marriage. Infidelity. Parenthood. Crises of identity. Death. Cupcakes. The themes in Right Click, the third and final installment in the Click series, couldn’t be more pressing for this group of friends as they navigate through their 30’s. Another six months have passed since we last eavesdropped on the hilarious, poignant and often times inappropriate email adventures of Renee and friends. As the light-hearted, slice of life story continues to unfold, relationships are tested and some need to be set “right” before everyone can find their “happily ever after.”
Genre: Romance / Chick Lit / Internet / Emails
My Review
And then we come to the end of the series. So not only there is a lot of waterworks (from the characters and also from me) but the plot is just as amazing as the other two, if not more than that. Lisa Becker has a talent which is unparalleled by all my reading experience so far. Her chick lit are something to be not only read and shared with every lady in the world, but also to be treasured for the lifetime as you never know when you will require a pick-me-up and want to read the series all over again.
Everyone who is a fan of Sex and the City will adore this book. Try it at your own risk, once you enter this, then there is no turning back.
Star Rating: 5 Star
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Book Review of “Double Click” by Lisa Becker
Blurb
Fans of the romantic hit Click: An Online Love Story will enjoy another voyeuristic dive into the lives of Renee, Shelley, Ashley, Mark and Ethan, as Double Click picks up with their lives six months later. Are Renee and Ethan soul mates? Does Mark ever go on a date? Has Shelley run out of sexual conquests in Los Angeles? Will Ashley’s judgmental nature sabotage her budding relationship? Through a marriage proposal, wedding, new baby and unexpected love twist, Double Click answers these questions and more. Readers will continue to cheer, laugh, cry and cringe following the email exploits of Renee and friends.
Genre: Romance / Chick Lit / Internet / Emails
My Review
An even better one than the first – if at all that is possible. The mood of the book has evolved from general flirting and one night stands to serious contemplation of life in terms of career and relationships. Beautiful story line. The development of the main characters are truly amazing to watch. It is like seeing your friends evolve in front of you.
The story took off well connecting the first book and turned out to be something even beautiful than the first one. It is a must read for all Chick Lit lovers
Star Rating: 5 Star
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Book Review of “Click” by Lisa Becker
Blurb
Fast approaching her 30th birthday and finding herself not married, not dating, and without even a prospect or a house full of cats, Renee Greene, the heroine of Click: An Online Love Story, reluctantly joins her best guy pal on a journey to find love online in Los Angeles. The story unfolds through a series of emails between Renee and her best friends (anal-compulsive Mark, the overly-judgmental Ashley and the over-sexed Shelley) as well as the gentlemen suitors she meets online. From the guy who starts every story with “My buddies and I were out drinking one night,” to the egotistical “B” celebrity looking for someone to stroke his ego, Renee endures her share of hilarious and heinous cyber dates. Fraught with BCC’s, FWD’s and inadvertent Reply to All’s, readers will root for Renee to “click” with the right man.
Genre: Romance / Chick Lit / Internet / Emails
My Review
“Click” was an amazing reading experience, an amazing book. It had a different approach of writing a story through series of mails. But with such a refreshing change. You cannot help but love every bit of it. I did not feel confused over any mails or the line. Loved the sync, the flow and the story line with its adorable characters. Not once did it go slack anywhere. The word play, jokes, tongue in cheek humor and slap stick lines are too good. The flirty ways in which the mails are written and the hilarious dare stories are truly amazing. Not one single thing to point out as a flaw. Nothing at all.
Every single person should try this series. Not only is this addictive but the out of the way manner in which the story is written is simply too good. It will be difficult to go back to conventional novels after this one. Raised the standards of my expectations so much with this book. Others might suffer unduly.
Star Rating: 5 Star
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Book Review of “A Little Chorus of Love” by Anmol Rawat and others
Blurb
What is love? The question brews a million different answers. Love is not an entity. It is an emotion that embraces several hues and shades within. ‘A Little Chorus of Love – Love through Ages’ simply follows the same idea and assembles 24 different writers portraying love in a form they acknowledge the best.
Immerse yourself into the most powerful emotion with 24 different stories set in different time periods and feel your heart beat for that one special person in your life.
Genre: Romance / Short Story
My Review
Love stories are always amazing to read. Normally they are sweet, but “A Little Chorus of Love” gives love in all its shades. The book takes the reader through a roller coaster of emotions. Love ranging from parents to lovers to friends, everything is there in the book. Just like life, not all love stories have a happy ending but every story is given an adequate closure. Sometimes it is not enough and you keep longing for a Bollywood-esque happy ending. But in spite of all that, the stories do touch you at the heart and makes you think of your loved ones in fondness at every page. Almost all the stories successfully dampen your eye.
The experience with this book was something I truly had not imagined but something that I will always cherish. This book shall be very close to my heart for a long time to come. It is something you can go back to at any point of time. And rest assured, I am definitely going to read it all over again soon.
Star Rating: 5 Star
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Book Review “Pieces like Pottery” by Dan Buri
Blurb
The first collection of short fiction from Dan Buri, Pieces Like Pottery is an exploration of heartbreak and redemption that announces the arrival of a new American author. In this distinct selection of stories marked by struggle and compassion, Pieces Like Pottery is a powerful examination of the sorrows of life, the strength of character, the steadfast of courage, and the resiliency of love requisite to find redemption.
Filled with graceful insight into the human condition, each linked story presents a tale of loss and love. In Expect Dragons, James Hinri learns that his old high school teacher is dying. Wanting to tell Mr. Smith one last time how much his teaching impacted him, James drives across the country revisiting past encounters with his father’s rejection and the pain of his youth. Disillusioned and losing hope, little did James know that Mr. Smith had one final lesson for him.
In The Gravesite, Lisa and Mike’s marriage hangs in the balance after the disappearance of their only son while backpacking in Thailand. Mike thinks the authorities are right—that Chris fell to his death in a hiking accident—but Lisa has her doubts. Her son was too strong to die this young, and no one can explain to her why new posts continue to appear on her son’s blog.
Twenty-Two looks in on the lives of a dock worker suffering from the guilt of a life not lived and a bartender making the best of each day, even though he can see clearly how his life should have been different. The two find their worlds collide when a past tragedy shockingly connects them.
A collection of nine stories, each exquisitely written and charged with merciful insight into the trials of life, Pieces Like Pottery reminds us of the sorrows we all encounter in life and the kindness we receive, oftentimes from the unlikeliest of places.
Genre: Literature / Short Fiction
My Review
Pottery is a beautiful art – the art of molding clay into various shapes. The art is truly for the beholder as something which can seem random to someone can mean something incredible for someone else. Dan Buri’s “Pieces like Pottery” is very much like the art of Pottery, and therefore apt with the name. The stories are all molded like clay into some incredible pieces of stories which force the reader to ponder on their meanings and relate it to their lives in some or the other way.
The book is an anthology of 9 stories, each very different from the other. Each stories bring out different layers of human emotions in a slightly grey light but still shining bright. There is something in each of the stories which gives you goosebumps and leaves a lasting impression in your mind about the characters and the setting of the story.
- The Grave Site is tragic way in which relationship affects in face of hardships and tough times
- Twenty Two is a brilliant tale on misery, guilt and how life changes depending upon how you handle these emotions. The characters in this story will never leave your mind. The twist in the story will be like a punch in your gut.
- Expect Dragons talk about the wonderful relationships you foster with some particular people in the growing years of your life. There are always someone who inspires you to go beyond your capability and face life with all its darkness and come out strong.
- Father talks about the strength of the character versus the power and hold society has over you.
- Dies Cum Anxieta is yet another beautiful story acknowledging your insecurities but still overcoming it to excel in the task at hand
- Two Friends talk about the inseparable friendship between Joy and Sorry. Where one is, the other is bound to be.
- The Ballard of Love and Hate really makes you introspect on your relationship and see it in the light of the events that are mentioned in the story. You cannot have a dry eye after reading this story.
The book is something to be cherished and re-lived for many more times.
Rating: 5 Stars
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Book Preview of “Pieces like Pottery” by Dan Buri
Excerpt
From the short story “Expect Dragons”
Between the two notebooks was a sheet of paper. At the top it read: “40 Tips for College and Life.” On the last week of high school, Mr. Smith handed out his college advice, the same college advice I was now holding. I sat and read through each of them.
40 Tips for College and Life
- Life’s too short to not seize the opportunities with which we are presented. Always take the chance to do what you love when it comes along.
- Question authority.
- Question those who question authority.
- Don’t be afraid to see dinosaurs even when everyone else around you doesn’t.
- Be kind. Kindness can change things far beyond your wildest dreams. They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, but it’s kindness that makes the heart grow softer.
- Walk barefoot through grass.
- Be quick to show compassion and empathy.
- Don’t dress like a bum all day long.
- Have a routine, but avoid being routine.
- Smile.
- We are all intelligent, thoughtful individuals. Don’t let others tell you something has to bethat way. It doesn’t. The world is far too complex for it to have to be that way.
- Be conscious of the present. Time is your most valuable asset.
- It’s easy to doubt. Don’t be easy. Hold on to faith and hope.
- Love a little more. You can always love more.
- Don’t jump at the first chance to go out. There will always be another party. It’s college.
- Live with purpose.
- Not everything you do has to have apurpose. Folly can be quite satisfying.
- Don’t act like you know more than you actually do. There’s no shame in admitting you don’t know the answer.
- Remember that the things you do know are of value. Don’t act like you know less than you do. Share your knowledge.
- Don’t spend each day only staring at a screen. Put down your phone. Close your laptop. Turn off your TV.
- Share laughter. There’s far too much that’s funny out there to take yourself too seriously.
- Share tears. There’s far too much pain and hurt out there not to take others’ struggles seriously.
- Enjoy music.
- Remember to get lost in your mind from time to time.
- Breathe slowly.
- Don’t be afraid to be alone. Everyone knows: “Not all who wander are lost.” Few realize: Not all who are alone are lonely.
- Take in the beauty of nature. Look around you. Don’t take it for granted.
- Take in the beauty of mankind. Look around you and see how wonderful your neighbor can be.
- Dance in the rain.
- There will come a time in college, and in life, when you are presented with decisions that compromise your values. Know how you will respond to those times before they ever happen.
- Have resolve.
- Share excitement when you’re excited. People that hold that against you are most likely projecting their own feelings of inadequacy.
- Remember to read, and something more than a blog. Pick up a book from time to time.
- There is only one you.
- Laugh hard, kiss softly, disparage slowly, and forgive quickly.
- Eat fully, drink deeply, and always remember to give often.
- Decide what you believe, know who you are and live accordingly. Don’t apologize to anyone for that.
- But if you realize later on that you were wrong, admit it. Ask forgiveness.
- Maya Angelou has a great quote: “If I’d known better, I’d have done better.” We can only do the best we know how, but there’s no excuse for not striving to attain the know-how. And there’s certainly no excuse for not doing better once we have it.
- Expect Dragons.
I stared at the list thinking about how influential Mr. Smith was in my life. At a time late in my high school career when I felt lost and alone, he inspired me to believe life was full of wonder and hope. Now, just two hours before, I found out he was dying. I placed the list back into its box and slid into the front seat of my borrowed car. It was 4:25 in the afternoon and I eased the car onto the I-84 heading east, on my way to say goodbye to my beloved teacher one last time.
Look out for the Review of this book soon at this section
Author Bio
Dan Buri’s first collection of short fiction, Pieces Like Pottery, is an exploration of heartbreak and redemption that announces the arrival of a new American author. His writing is uniquely heartfelt and explores the depths of the human struggle and the human search for meaning in life.
Mr. Buri’s non-fiction works have been distributed online and in print, including publications in Pundit Press, Tree, Summit Avenue Review, American Discovery, and TC Huddle. The defunct and very well regarded Buris On The Couch, was a He-Says/She-Says blog musing on the ups and downs of marriage with his wife.
Mr. Buri is an active attorney in the Pacific Northwest and has been recognized by Intellectual Asset Magazine as one of the World’s Top 300 Intellectual Property Strategists every year since 2010. He lives in Oregon with his wife and two-year-old daughter.
Book Review of “Experiment of Dreams” by Brandon Zenner
Blurb
Benjamin Walker’s lifelong career of testing experimental drugs and medicines, as well as participating in fascinating sleep-related studies, has come to an end. A new and lucrative job opportunity is offered to Ben, working on a project named Lucy, a machine capable of reading and recording a person’s dreams in intimate detail. All is finally going well for Ben . . . until strange dreams of a town named Drapery Falls begin to plague him, and memories once hidden begin to reveal themselves. The doctors and staff onboard team Lucy are not who Ben thinks they are, and Mr. Kalispell will stop at nothing to keep Ben’s emerging memories buried for good. Ben is put on a collision course that will bring him to the brink of total insanity, and perhaps even death. At the heart of it all, Ben’s worst enemy is his own mind, and he must confront his past in order to save his future. The twist and turns in The Experiment of Dreams will keep you guessing, down to the very last line.
Genre: Psychological Thriller / Suspense / Mystery / Thriller
My Review
Psychological thriller is always an amazing novel to read. The blurb of most psycho-thrillers are way too interesting than the book. There are very few books that matches their blurb. And this book kept up with the expectations. The story started on running feet and almost always maintained the pace. There were some parts where a bit excess explanation was provided but it can be overlooked as they can be either skipped or fast read with no data loss. The pace being set and the thriller being said, the story was an amazing adventure right from the start till the very end of the book. The twist was interesting and unexpected. A clean close to a brilliant book.
Overall a brilliant reading experience
Star Rating : 5 Stars
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