Reviews Written in 2020 & Before

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(This page is a work-in-progress as I have yet to copy all my old reviews here.)

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Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories - Nancy Christie - ★★★.¾

AUTHOR: Nancy Christie GENRE: Short Story Collection. PUBLICATION DATE: October 22, 2019 RATING: 3.7 stars. In a Nutshell: A short story collection filled with characters who face life’s challenges in an atypical way. Excellent plots, characters, emotions and endings in most of the stories. Very impressive, especially for a debut collection. Recommended! This book contains eighteen stories, each of which has a character in a tough situation. When such cases usually occur in fiction, you will see the character’s resilience, bravery, and hopefulness. Not in this book, though. To some extent, the response given by the lead characters in most of the stories to such life-altering issues is more the kind we see in real life. The reactions you find in this book cover everything except anything inspiring. You have characters fuming at their fate, or escaping their burdens, or repeating previous mistakes. The result is a strange medley of disturbing and entertaining. Let me tell you a funny b...

AUTHOR: Padma Prasad Reddeppa GENRE: Middle-Grade Fiction. PUBLICATION DATE: May 6, 2025. RATING: 2.5 stars. In a Nutshell: A middle-grade fiction set in 1970s South India. First person narrative, meandering plotline, interesting child characters, lacklustre adults, emotionally intense themes. Didn’t click with me as much as I had hoped. Plot Preview: 1974. Nine-year-old Pavithra (known to us as ‘Pavi’) lives with her extended family in Madras. Life is an adventure with companions such as cousin Ruku, younger brother Arun, and granduncle Chanki. But there’s always a shadow over Pavi. Her mother’s brother Selva died exactly five months after she was born, and some family members seem to hold Pavi’s birth as the trigger for the loss. Pavi obviously never knew Selva personally, but she feels like she has a strong tie to him. When the grownups in her life don’t offer her satisfactory answers, she uses her imagination to find the way ahead. The story comes to us in Pavi’s fi...

AUTHOR: Neil Randall GENRE: Literary Fiction. PUBLICATION DATE: May 2, 2025 RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A literary drama about a young girl with an extraordinary ability and some humans with a limited moral compass. An original storyline, character-driven, whimsical and thought-provoking. Offers the fine balance between comedy and tragedy. Recommended if you are looking for something unusual and introspective. Plot Preview: Right from the moment Milica Stankovic was born, she wouldn’t stop crying. No matter what her parents tried, Milica kept yelling her lungs out, much to the annoyance of the neighbours and other townspeople. Her parents are loving and supportive, and never stop doing their best for their only daughter, whose sobs dwindle but never cease as the years go by. When circumstances go beyond their control, Milica’s father gets coerced into using her as a ‘professional mourner’, ensuring that her wails help other attendees at funerals release their gri...

AUTHOR: H.G. Parry GENRE: YA Fantasy RATING: 4 Stars. In a Nutshell: A lovely coming-of-age historical fantasy with magical elements and creatures. Slow but enjoyable. Though YA in style, recommendable to all readers. Story Synopsis: 1912. For as long as she can remember, sixteen year old Biddy has lived on the magical island of Hy-Brasil with her beloved but mercurial guardian Rowan and his magical familiar, Hutch the rabbit. As Biddy is not a magician but still confined to the island, she begins to feel stifled by her loneliness. One night when Rowan fails to come home from his nocturnal outing, Biddy connects to him using his dream. Thus she discovers a little about where he goes every night, what’s worrying everyone in the world of magic, and what enemies lie awaiting Biddy, Rowan, and Hy-Brasil. At the same time, she learns that Rowan has not been honest about his past as well as hers. Can she continue to trust him? Is she safe at Hy-Brasil? The story comes to us in the limited th...

AUTHOR: Susie Bower GENRE: Middle-grade Fantasy. PUBLICATION DATE: June 5, 2025. RATING: 3.75 stars. In a Nutshell: A middle-grade fantasy-adventure about friendships, mistakes, and magic. Interesting characters, great plotline, some cool magic. A bit confusing in some segments and some unanswered questions. Overall though, it kept me hooked. Recommended. Plot Preview: It’s tough to preview this book without spoiling anything. The GR blurb also reveals too much. So this is just a barebones hint of the storyline and its key elements. ( I’ll keep my review equally vague so that I don’t inadvertently leak out key plot points. ) Land of Magics – friends – egos – libraries – danger – exile – Wasteland – amnesia – rebellion – adventure. The story comes to us in two voices: one in first person from a narrator who has lost her memory and one in third person from the character who initiates the chain of events. Bookish Yays: 🔮 The very first section of the book, titled “Before”. Outstand...

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