Thank you so much to Shalini for arranging an awesome book blitz for me and for this thoughtful review of my new poetry collection, Lockdown Innit Poems About Absurdity.
A cute collection of poems where some like a little library made me long for one. Danger to the pedestrians reminded me why I don’t go out. Some people are just rude and have no civic sense. Road rage is another one that is so relevant. I remembered being the brunt of one.
Author Marjorie Mallon’s keen sense of observation came to play in the way the poems were penned. Different emotions like fear, anger, longing, desire, humor were evoked while reading them. I am not a connoisseur of poems as I feel they are too personal to be judged or rated. But these were easy to understand.
The words also showed how people behaved during these tough times. It is the truth that some have still not learned after losing so many lives across the world. Many in the book were hard-hitting, some were humorous, and the best ones were, where the spoke of her love for her daughters through her words. Hope sailed through in them.
Then the author sneaked in a wispy one longing to be like the cat, dreaming peacefully of normal times. A perfect way to end the book.
All in all, at 35+ pages, the poems were eclectic and would touch everyone who has survived this pandemic.
Imagine a shift to the way you see the world that arises through poetic narration.
Imagine the world, at its base level, is a collection of selves. These selves collide, disperse, intermingle, and share themselves in lines of free verse. Such is the premise of Versions of the Self, poetry that assumes multiple types of selves exist and relate in ways that alter them. Each of the eight chapters looks at a different type of self, including the singular “I” and romantic interactions. These unique 80 poems definitely color themselves outside of the lines.
Book Review:
This is a wonderful collection of personal poetry which gives a fascinating insight into the concept of self and how our selves are affected by and change due to outside factors such as our loves, vulnerability, family, friendships, and relationships.
It doesn’t shy away or hide from difficult themes, the words are there for the reader to see and interpret in free verse which flows like a river.
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of poetry. It’s a little different, quite deep and intense in parts and fascinating throughout.
D.G. Kaye is back, and as she reflects on some of her more memorable vacations and travel snags, she finds herself constantly struggling to keep one step ahead of the ever-changing guidelines of the airlines—with her overweight luggage in tow. Her stories alert us to some of the pitfalls of being an obsessive shopper, especially when it comes time for D.G. to bring her treasures home, and remind us of the simpler days when traveling was a breeze. In her quest to keep from tipping the scales, D.G. strives to devise new tricks to fit everything in her suitcases on each trip. Why is she consistently a target for Canada customs on her return journeys? D.G.’s witty tales take us from airports, to travel escapades with best friends, to reflections on how time can change the places we hold dear in our hearts. Her memories will entertain and have you reminiscing about some of your own most treasured journeys—and perhaps make you contemplate revamping your packing strategies.
My review:
I read this as part of #ireadcanadian., @ireadcanadian #nowmorethanever.
This is such a hoot, what a laugh!
Have Bags Will Travel is such an entertaining read which gives you an insight into D G Kaye’s character, her shopping obsession, packing troubles, germaphobia, and brushes with airport security. Enjoy her recollections on the glamour and glitz, her love to travel and a nostalgic aspect to it all.
Her friend Zan shares her shopaholic tendencies too. The two of them together… can you imagine? A red head, blonde explosion of zaniness! I love the part when they end up at Buckingham Palace and chat to a Beefeater, the royal guard and after which… it gets funnier by the moment.
Have Bags Will Travel gives a historical account of how much easier it used to be to take overstuffed baggage through airports in the good old days. Now, it seems that D G Kaye will resort to anything to get her shopping home.
Zan and D G Kaye also travel to Paris and end up shopping for shoes!
There are manmade toboggan rides in Muskoka, Canada.
Trips to Venezuela: Margarita Island and Caracas with cousin Eileen.
Las Vegas, Then and Now – gambling/casinos, fond memories of the author’s love of the desert.
Have Bags Will Travel is just what we need right now, a good giggle! There is also a section at the back of the book with Helpful Travel tips.
A short, entertaining read. Highly recommended, especially for the shopoholics and travel enthusiasts in your life!
Amanda Ross is an average twelve year old Canadian girl. So what is she doing thousands of kilometres from home in the United Arab Emirates? It’s her own fault really, she wished for adventure and travel when she blew out those candles on her last birthday cake. Little did she know that a whole different world awaited her on the other side of the globe, one full of intrigue, mystery and folklore. A world with a beautiful princess, a dangerous desert and wonderful friends. Join Amanda on her first adventure as she discovers the secrets behind The Perfume Flask.
My review
Such a cute middle grade book about Amanda venturing to the United Arab Emirates. It is educational too, various aspects of living in the desert and the culture and customs of the people are explained in an interesting way throughout the book. It is descriptive, fun, and amusing too. I particularly loved the sections with camels and how the author explained different types of camels and how wonderful the camel is especially in a sand storm!
What a great way to educate youngsters about the diversity of cultures in this world.
It transported me away for a while, and made me smile, which I’m grateful for particularly at the moment when we can’t go anywhere.
No More Mulberries is a story of commitment and divided loyalties, of love and loss, set against a country struggling through transition.
British-born Miriam’s marriage to her Afghan doctor husband is heading towards crisis. Despite his opposition, she goes to work as a translator at a medical teaching camp in a remote area of rural Afghanistan hoping time apart will help are see where their problems lie. She comes to realise how unresolved issues from when her first husband was killed by a mujahideen group are damaging her relationship with her husband and her son – but is it already too late to save her marriage?
I really enjoyed No more Mulberries. The story’s strength lies in its cultural detail, and in its great variety of characters. The tale transports you away to Afghanistan to a country we all have heard a lot about, but few have ever been there. It doesn’t shy away from mentioning the truth of living in Afghanistan where losing face and a woman’s place and freedoms are far different than in the west. It also touches upon the stigma of leprosy. And yet, with all the trials and tribulations there is a sense of how much Miriam loves this adoptive country, so much so, that she decides to convert her faith and become a muslim.
It is a slow burn of a story, with much detail in the beginning explaining the path that took Miriam from Scotland to living in Afghanistan. It is also a love story, and in some ways a love triangle between the ghost of her dearly departed first love, who was killed, and her new husband Iqbal with tensions apparent especially towards the end of the story.
The ending was emotionally powerful and brought all the threads of the story to a satisfying conclusion. I began to understand Miriam’s motivations and her actions.
A well-written, engaging story which I would highly recommend especially to those who appreciate cultural stories about family, marriage, love and honour.
Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries: Sometimes Bitter, Sometimes Sweet is a collection of short stories with scattered poetry, reflecting the complexities of life, love and loss.
The stories in the collection dip into the lives of men and women who are faced with an ‘event’ that is challenging and in some cases life changing.
Even something as straightforward as grocery shopping online can be frustrating, and a DNA test produces surprise results, the past reaches out to embrace the present, and a gardening assistant is an unlikely grief counsellor. Romance is not always for the faint-hearted and you are never too old for love. Random acts of kindness have far reaching consequences and some people discover they are on a lucky streak. There are those watching over us who wish us well, and those in our lives who wish us harm.
MyReview
Well, what can I say about Sally Cronin’s latest collection of short stories and poetry?
It is a brilliant mix of bitter and sweet, a fine collection that I’m sure will appeal to everyone. In fact, I had so many favourite short stories and poems that I’d be hard put to try to pick just a few to highlight. Life is Like A Bowl of Cherries is a snapshot of life embracing all its complexities, with humour, joy and kindness.
Here were some of my personal favourites:
Short Stories:The Weekly Shopping (this will make you chuckle! A special one with dieters in mind!) The Date – (so humourous and sweet, think old lady out for a date but she sure does it in style!) The Wedding Day, The Scratch Card, (So lovely – a short excerpt of this particular story is available below in the author interview link,) Long Lost Love, The Night Shift (A lovely tale of a Care home and a cat,) Gaffer Tape (about fortitude and overcoming domestic abuse,) The Gardening Assistant (Loss of a baby – this will touch the heart of many, especially those who have experienced such sadness, or miscarriage (as I have,) but the ending with the help of a furry friend brings light and hope.)
Some of my favourite poems: The Visitor, Garden Birds, Ritual of Mehndi
I featured Sally with an interview and excerpt recently:
What’s a girl to do when she wants to hit boundaries but life throws her beamers?
Saru expected her life to turn for the better when she found love and married. Instead, she kept getting deliberate yorkers from her mother-in-law. She hit a sixer when a baby arrived, but things got worse soon after. Her appeal to the umpire fell on deaf ears. Finally, she walked out of the stadium, and let go of the first love of her life.
Then she flew off to New York for her Masters.
Will Saru get a second chance at love and marriage and get to hit a century? Will her daughter ever form a relationship with her biological father?
Bowled, but Not Out is an entertaining family drama full of heart and thoughtful life lessons and will resonate with anyone fond of cricket.
My review:
An entertaining read pertinent to women in Indian culture and also relevant to those of us who find ourselves at the mercy of the interfering mother-in-law and frustrated by the “mummies boy.”
The strength of the story lies in the characters and familial relationships which are well detailed, with Saru, struggling at first with the overbearing nature of her mother-in-law and her hubby’s weakness and inability to take her side. Saru is all the more admirable as she turns the situation around for herself and her daughter Simrn with the help of her family.
A lovely tale which will appeal to those who like cultural, family, and romance stories.
There are many references to cricket showing Saru’s need to raise her game to overcome her difficult circumstances. I am not a cricket fan, those who are may take away more from the story if they are.
Some of the phraseology was a little unusual which took me out of the narrative a few times but other than that I enjoyed the tale, finding it to be amusing, and charming.
The ending was well played out!
Many thanks to Ruchira Khanna for sending me a copy.
My rating: 4 stars. A recommended, enjoyable read. I particularly enjoyed the cultural and family references.
Have you read Bowled But Not Out? Please do comment below, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Thank you so much to Diana for featuring my poetry, prose and photography book Mr. Sagittarius amongst so many wonderful book reviews.
Makes me feel very happy!
From Diana: My 60-book Autumn Reading Challenge speeds toward the finish line. I’ve read and reviewed 54 books!!
Ten days to read 6 more. Piece of Cake!
December’s Part I book reviews include my 4 and 5 star reads of fantasy, sci-fi, paranormal fiction, thrillers, a memoir written by a dog, poetry, and a children’s book! I hope you enjoy the browse.
There are such a great variety from authors Cathleen Townsend, Terry Tyler, Luanne G. Smith, Mara Rutherford, Toni Pike, Sally Cronin, Teagan Geneviene, Celestine Nudanu, Cynthia Reyes and yours truly!
To see all the fantastic book reviews click on the link:
Due to personal reasons, I decided to bid for No More Knives in the Children in Read auction for Children In Need.
In my parcel I discovered that the author Christina Gabbitas had kindly added a beautifully illustrated book: Share Some Secrets (illustrated by Ric Lumb) complete with audio written and narrated by the author, plus a poem about the importance of our environment ‘save us from plastic.’ Both of these books and poem are about subjects which matter greatly.
So why did I bid for No More Knives?
If you’ve ever had the misfortune to come into contact with gangs, (as my daughter and her boyfriend did,) you will realise how frightening and dangerous it can be. Luckily, they both survived to tell the tale and thankfully, no knives were involved, but I doubt the experience will ever be forgotten.
So, that is why this is so important to me.
Education is key to ensuring that youngsters understand the very real dangers of drugs and how bad friendship choices can lead to crime.
Blurb – No More Knives
Friends, Siobhan, Ellie, Luke, Jamie and Mo, meet in the local park as usual to hang out. There is a new guy in town, Steve, wo offers them money to deliver packages to different areas.
The promises of close freindships and what they thought was easy money, don’t quite work out.
A story of choices and consequences.
Christina was approached to work with the Police & Crime Commissioners Office to help educate and work with children aged 10-16 on the topic of Knife Crime. Christina will be producing and online digital magazine that will be used as a resource for children, teachers and parents. The delivery of the project will be January 2020.
My reviewof No More Knives – Christina Gabbitas, illustrated by Evie Hurst.
This is a beautifully illustrated book on such an important subject. I love the cover art showing all the children linking arms and smiling.
The youngsters portrayed in the story are from different cultural, family and socio-economic backgrounds. From the first page, we learn that Jamie, Luke, Siobhan, Ellie and Mo rang in age from pre-teens to teenagers – ten to sixteen years old.
When the youngsters meet Steve, who’s involved in a drug gang, they are encouraged to think they can make ‘easy’ money.
The children soon realise that nothing is easy, friendly or safe about this at all.
I’d recommend this book to help educate young people about the dangers of crime, drug taking, and the very real threat of knives and violence, which sadly are becoming all too prevalent in our society.
The simple but effective illustrations in a comic graphic strip style will appeal to young people. These convey with ease how young people can end up in dangerous situations.
A fantastic book and a lovely project for Christina Gabbitas to be part of.
My recommendation: Highly recommended, particularly as an educational tool to use in schools.
Christina Gabbitas is an award winning children’s author, poet and voice artist. A successful author and businesswoman, and unrecognisable from her younger self. At school she was a pupil who preferred to sit at the back of the classroom and blend in with the furniture, scared of people and anything that moved. She was a quiet, shy character who nearly lost her first job, as she found it difficult to converse with people. Over a period of time she had to teach herself not to be so self-conscious and gradually she flourished with an abundance of energy, ideas and passion to achieve. Christina not only writes but stages storytellling sessions, engaging with primary age children, encouraging imagination through writing. Christina equally enjoys inspiring older children to believe in themselves, as she talks eloquently about her journey from wallflower to author, poet, voice artist and director.
Christina has made her dreams become a reality and feels privileged to be able to pass on her experience to others.
