Book Review: Coming Home by Smitha Vishwanath @SmithaVishwana4

Cover of the book 'Coming Home' by Smitha Vishwanath featuring a couple holding hands at the beach during sunset.

SYNOPSIS

Twenty-six-year-old, Shaynaya’s world is shattered at the death of her beloved mother. In spite of career achievements, there’s a vacuum in her heart caused by the questions raised by her mother’s sudden death which remain unanswered. In her quest for peace and the need to hold her family together, she leaves her job in the Middle East and moves to India; journeying across geographical planes and inner landscapes to finally reach ‘home’.

Coming Home is a heartwarming story about self-discovery, relationships, loss, love, destiny, the choices we make, and how these choices eventually lead to what we are destined for.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Smitha Vishwanath is a banker turned writer. She began her writing journey in 2016 through her blog, https://smithavpen nings.com. Her poetry has been published by Thieving Magpies, Spillwords Press, Silverbirch Press, Borderless Journal, and Rebelle Society, amongst others. In 2019, her poem, ‘Omid’ was nominated for Best of the Net and her poems, ‘Do you have dreams?’ and ‘Forgotten’ were given special mention in NaPoWriMo, 2021 and 2022, hosted by Maureen Thomson. In addition, she was awarded the Reuel International Prize for poetry by the online group, TSL in 2022.

In 2019, she co-authored a book of poetry, Roads- A journey with Verses which received positive reviews. She was nominated poet of the month in May 2021 and voted ‘Author of the month’ for January and February, 2023 by Spillwords Press. Smitha’s writing is peppered with the lessons learned from the plethora of invaluable experiences that come from having travelled widely, lived across India, UAE and Iran and worked in a multi-cultural environment.

She currently resides in Dhaka, Bangladesh, with her husband and two daughters. When she is not writing, you can find her painting, travelling or sharing reviews of books she has read, on Goodreads, Amazon and her blog.

ABOUT THE EDITOR

For Kaye Lynne Booth, writing is a passion. Kaye Lynne is an author with published short fiction and poetry, both online and in print, including her short story collection, Last Call and Other Short Fiction; and her paranormal mystery novella, Hidden Secrets; Books 1 & 2 of her Women in the West adventure series, Delilah and Sarah, and book 1 in her Time-Travel Adventure series, The Rock Star & The Outlaw, as well as her poetry collection, Small Wonders and The D.I.Y. Author writing resource.

Kaye holds a dual M.F.A. degree in Creative Writing with emphasis in genre fiction and screenwriting, and an M.A. in publishing. Kaye Lynne is the founder of WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services and WordCrafter Press, where she edits and publishes two short fiction anthologies and one poetry anthology every year amidst her many writing projects. She also maintains an authors’ blog and website, Writing to be Read, where she publishes content of interest in the literary world.

My Review (Updated For New Edition)

I am delighted to receive an updated edition of Coming Home with a pleasing new cover designed by WordCrafter Press.

At the beginning of this tale, Smitha Vishwanath recounts the sad passing of the main protagonist Shanaya’s mother with great love and understanding, introducing the other members of her family ,  (and the 11 day funeral and cultural rituals,) in particular, her aunt, younger sister and the characteristics of her father.

Her friend Thishani picks her up in Dubai. Her senior work colleagues, Rohit and Anil seem unaware of her loss which causes her further distress. She takes a banking career break to be with family, goes to an Ashram, for yoga, prayers, and meditation, and to find peace from her mother’s loss.

What follows is a lovely heartwarming and perceptive story of love, loss, family, friendships and finding yourself, with relationship/romance aspects in the love interests provided in the form of two very different possibilities: Suresh, (a surgeon,) and Jai (a banker.)

Also, I’d like to add that I liked the relatable quotes and pearls of wisdom that were included at the beginning of each chapter from various sources, and the delectable food mentioned in various passages which made my mouth water!

I really enjoyed Coming Home and would definitely recommend for readers who seek out cultural, family tales with looking for your soul mate type of romance vibes.

Purchase Link: https://books2read.com/ComingHome-SmithaVishwanath

Welcome to the WordCrafter “Coming Home” Release Party Post | Writing to be Read

PREVIOUS TITLES

Previous WordCrafter Press titles compiled and edited by Kaye Lynne Booth include Visions, Once Upon an Ever After, Refracted Reflections, Tales From The Hanging Tree, and the Midnight Anthology Series.

Midnight Dark Fiction Anthology Series | Writing to be Read

WordCrafter Press is a mid-size new-model publisher founded by author Kaye Lynne Booth. You can find us at https://writingtoberead.com/readings-for-writers/wordcrafter-quality-writing-author-services/wordcrafter-press/ .

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Launch Day, Shh Purely Poetry #poetry #sensual #love #poems

Delighted to announce the launch day for my new poetry collection, Shh Purely Poetry.

Blurb

A compilation of sensual, love and relationship poems. Quirky, unusual and evocative.

Shh, Purely Poetry is a collection of poetic pieces about love, sensuality and relationships with sections entitled: love as fuel, (food and coffee love,) the summer and winter of love, strangers in love, quirky aspects and nature as sensuality.

Inspired in part by daily prompt poems written for the 365poetrypromptchallenge, observations of places, people and my travels.


Early Reviews

I have been delighted by some of the wonderful comments I have received via early reviews… here are some…

Thank you so much to wonderful author and poet D L Finn for reading and reviewing. And for being my first review and my first 5 star review!


Thank you so much to Amy B Garratt Author and Poet for reading and reviewing and creating this lovely graphic for me. Amy is a fantastic poet you will find on Instagram.

Thank you to a new reader Reggie for the above quote via Book Sirens!

E E’s name came to my mind while reading M J’s poems; I felt a similar sweetness, honesty, pleasant rebelliousness and force in their writing. The major concerns are about readership: is it the same numeric audience today like one hundred years ago? And who’s still reading poetry in 2024? We witness the fact that it is more and more difficult for the modern society to cultivate reading habits and a culture of written (and published) words, when it lacks a reading culture. Thus, I ask myself: how brave must an author be to write poetry in the 21st century?

Mrs Mallon proved (again) her bravery in the first line of the poetic flank on the publishing battlefield. I have come to believe that almost ninety percent of the art of versification is about courage, and that the courage to spend time with yourself and write poetry is much more than daring of letting lines go; it’s about allowing the life experiences to inevitably unfold and evoke powerful pictures in the reader’s mind. And yes, poems don’t exist on their own, but are co-created by observers; like beauty in the eyes of the beholder. No question or doubt about it.

“I can still feel her lips on mine
Salty like the caramel snack
That she turned down for peanuts.
My hands caress her breasts
They sit up pert. Asking – no begging to be touched.”

~ fragment from ‘Valentine’s In Chocolates’ Review Quote – Dan Quijote Book Sirens. Thank you so much for Dan for his considered and utterly wonderful 5 star review!

Thank you so much to Richard Dee for featuring me on his blog. Below is a snippet of his wonderful review. Touched to read that I am amongst his favourite poets! Please pop over to his awesome blog to read the full review: https://richarddeescifi.co.uk/book-review-purely-poetry/

Thank you so much to author, poet and short story writer Sally Cronin for not only reading and reviewing but also featuring me on her blog. How awesome is that! https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2024/05/18/smorgasbord-new-book-spotlight-and-review-poetry-shh-purely-poetry-sensual-love-and-relationship-poems-by-m-j-mallon/

Love in the romantic sense is a heady complex combination of physical and emotional attraction to another, sometimes bordering on the obsessive that completely takes over to the point of shutting out everything around you. Senses are heightened bringing a new perspective to the most mundane of activities, sights and sounds.

The author captures the depth of this sensual awakening and also the changes it brings to our lives in her poetry.  The poems start slowly taking the reader through courtship into full blown relationships highlighting the highs and the lows along the way. The path of true love is not always smooth and as well as passion, one needs forgiveness and compassion. Review Quote Sally Cronin.

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Shh-Purely-Poetry-Sensual-Relationship-ebook/dp/B0D12C3329/

Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Shh-Purely-Poetry-Sensual-Relationship-ebook/dp/B0D12C3329/

Amazon Spain: https://www.amazon.es/Shh-Purely-Poetry-Sensual-Relationship-ebook/dp/B0D12C3329/

The paperback will be out soon. I will be making a separate announcement about when it is okay to order.

In the meantime, please do support me by sharing the good news and downloading your kindle copy.

Many thanks.

A new review, many thanks from Julia Sutton, 5 stars!

Shh, Purely Poetry #newbook #preorder #poetry #love #relationships #sensual

I’m delighted to announce that I have a new book on preorder, Shh, Purely Poetry.

It’s different from my usual poetic pieces here’s the …

Blurb

A collection of poetic pieces about love, sensuality and relationships with various sections including: love as fuel, (food and coffee love,) the summer and winter of love, lost love/discovering love, forgiveness, strangers in love, quirky aspects and nature as sensuality. Inspired in part by daily prompt poems written for the 365poetrypromptchallenge, observations of places and people on my travels. My latest poetry collection Shh, Purely Poetry in kindle is now available to preorder !

Kindle Buying Links

Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D12C3329/

Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D12C3329/

Amazon Canada:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0D12C3329/

Amazon Spain:

(English Edition) https://amzn.eu/d/biJvDBl

This is to be published, (as is all my poetry,) under my publishing imprint Kyrosmagica Publishing. I’m keeping my rights, my way! That way I can get these darlings in UK libraries, choose or create my own cover, etc, etc.

Release date June 2nd. Will also be available in paperback.

Cover created by myself with images in Canva, line drawing of girl by Victoria Rusyn.

ARC’s are available via this google sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Kl0kATAedSY8CCKouoc7MT2H2pnrLFa5zwHFcXa3lz4/

I’d be delighted if you would download a copy via Amazon, link below.

Word Crafter Poetry Treasures Book 2 : Relationships Book Launch @bakeandwrite @GodsAngel1 @artsrosch @ElizabethMerry1 @harmony_kent @linesbyleon @ColleenChesebro @mhurdle112

I’m pleased to announce I am a contributing author to WordCrafter Poetry Treasures Book 2: Relationships compiled and edited by Robbie Cheadle and Kaye Lynn Booth.

This is a fabulous collection of poetry! So, grab a copy while you can…

Contributing authors are: Arthur Rosch, Elizabeth Merry, D Avery, Robbie Cheadle, Harmony Kent, Lauren Scott, Jules Paige, Leon Stevens, Colleen M. Chesebro, Miriam Hurdle, Lynda McKinney Lambert and myself!

Many thanks to Kaye Lynn Booth and Robbie Cheadle for all their hard work bringing this anthology to life!

Here is the buying link: https://books2read.com/u/3kP8aK

There will be a book blog tour – April 25 – May 1, so look out for the tour then.

Enjoy! Do comment below, I’d love to hear from you. x

Book Review: Words of Alchemy by Camilla Downs #FreeVerse #Poetry #Nature #Family #Relationships #Love

Goodreads Synopsis:

The poetry of nature, the poetry of healing, the poetry of appreciation, the poetry of love …

In Words of Alchemy, Camilla Downs invites you to walk with her to share her love of Nature and Life through a free-verse poetry memoir.

During her daily strolls she is mindfully present as she delves into life in the raw and experiences her heart’s observations.

Camilla embraces what happens when she opens her heart and invites the written words to flow.

The Alchemy of Love and Healing is what happens. 

My review

What a joy it is to read this gem of a poetry book. Full of beautiful free-verse, a memoir about friends, family, relationships and the love of the nature. This is for you if you enjoy the natural world, (as I do,) if you appreciate poetry that delves into the heart and doesn’t hold back. In many ways it is an intimate and brave expression of the author – Camilla Down’s – thoughts and feelings.

I highly recommend.

5 stars.

I had the pleasure of an engaging author interview with Camilla on my blog:

https://kyrosmagica.wordpress.com/2020/04/12/author-interview-camilla-downs-poet-writer-wordsofalchemy-nature-inspirational-family/

Praise for Words of Alchemy

“Words of Alchemy, a heartfelt new collection by Camilla Downs, lives up to its namesake in numerous ways. Downs spans the broad range of nature, healing, love, and parenting, while making sure we have a little fun along the way. And the bridge she creates from the mindfulness of how we see the world at large to the poetry of everyday life is certainly worth a stroll or two across its borders.” – Thomas Lloyd Qualls, Award-winning author of Painted Oxen

“This poetry collection offers contemplative words, soothing thoughts and peace to the reader.”

– Sue Bentley, Bestselling author of Second Skin

“Camilla Downs shares truth, vulnerability and wisdom in her Words of Alchemy collection, inviting readers to be inspired, contemplate and dive into her world of self-awareness and growth.” –

 G. Brian Benson– Award-winning author, actor and spoken word artist

“These poems take you on a calm and loving walk through the verses of the author’s thoughts. Alchemy is a perfect word for the title as Camilla Downs understands nature; connecting with its magical, medicinal qualities and beauty which she conveys throughout her poetry.”

– Ailsa Craig, Author of The Sand Between My Toes

“Words of Alchemy is a chronicle of hope. These poems are an encouragement, especially when we are feeling at our lowest, to keep seeking the light that is our way forward, and focus on the real. This collection is a walk through the positive nature of life. Camilla Downs is to be commended.”

– Frank Prem, Author of free-verse memoir Small Town Kid

About Camilla: Camilla Downs is a bestselling author, indie publisher, mentor, and mom. Nature and life experiences are a constant source of inspiration for her writing. She enjoys living a minimalist lifestyle, practicing meditation and mindfulness, reading, going for walks, and capturing nature’s essence with photographs. Camilla is the founder of MeetingtheAuthors.com and lives in Northern Nevada, USA with her two kids.

Author Links:

Website: http://camilladowns.com/

Family Website: http:/theteamtlc.com/

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CamillaDownsAuthor/

twitter: https://twitter.com/camilladowns

instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CamillaDowns/

pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/camilladowns/

Amazon Author Central:

amazon.com/author/camilladowns

Meeting the Authors:

http://meetingtheauthors.com/

Where to Buy:

Words of Alchemy: If you’re in the U.S. and would like a personalized, signed book – free shipping! (I will ship internationally, if the reader would like to pay the international shipping fee): https://camilladowns.com/books/words-of-alchemy/

Amazon – Words of Alchemy: mybook.to/WordsofAlchemy

Amazon Author Central:  amazon.com/author/camilladowns


All of our books: http://camilladowns.com/books/

Have you read Words of Alchemy? do comment below if you have I’d love to chat about Camilla’s poetry book…

My #Review of Poetic Rituals by Ritu Bhathal

 

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Delve into a book of verse exploring different topics and different genres, all with a RITUal twist.
A collection of poetry drawing on the experiences of the writer, ranging from matters of the heart, love for the family, situations in life and some verses written with a humorous twist.

My review

Anyone that follows this blog will realise just how much I love poetry. I enjoy writing it, and reading it too.

Ritu Bhathal’s collection of poems is accessible, easy readable poetry that warms the heart and keeps you smiling. It would appeal to everyone. It’s not high brow, it’s very down to earth, human and touches upon so many topics that readers will relate to – such as the trials and tribulations of bringing up children, family life, and relationships. It’s very witty, and made me smile in lots of places.

The chapter headings give you an excellent indication of the breadth of poems covered:

Family Rituals, (children, motherhood, being a daughter and sibling, even a few poems about cats!)

Life Rituals – Life, Different cultures, Christmas and positivity – and Ritu’s poem But I Smile Anyway that is the title of her blog: https://butismileanyway.com/

Rituals of The Heart. Tender first love and sizzling passion too !

Rituals to make you Smile. Lots of witty ones in this section!

Would I recommend it?

Indeed I would. I rate it 4 stars, a very lovely collection of poems.

 

DISCLAIMER: “As of 13th September 2017 we are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”
My opinions are my own and any reviews on this site have not been swayed or altered in any way by monetary compensation, or by the offer of a free book in exchange for a review.

Amazon UK Buying Links -kindle : http://amzn.to/2xqb7rE

Amazon UK Buying Links – paperback: http://amzn.to/2yU1xks

Have you read Ritu Bhathal’s Poetic Rituals? Do comment if you have.

Bye for now,

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