Reviews (Author-wise) - Multiple Authors

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

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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...
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Flying in Colors - Padma Prasad Reddeppa - ★★.½

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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...
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The Professional Mourner - Neil Randall - ★★★.¾

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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...
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The Magician’s Daughter - H.G. Parry - ★★★★

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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...
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Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers' Rights - Edited by Ashley Hope Pérez - ★★★★

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EDITOR:  Ashley Hope Pérez GENRE: YA Nonfiction Anthology. PUBLICATION DATE: March 4, 2025. RATING: 4.1 stars. In a Nutshell: A YA anthology that focusses on the power of books and the impact of banning them. Mostly nonfiction with entries in the form of essays, comics, and poems. OwnVoices. Inclusive, informative, incisive and inspiring. Most of the write-ups are great; some are also a bit disturbing. Definitely recommended, and not just to the YA audience. I don’t think I need to offer any introduction on why banning books is a ridiculous notion. Even progressive societies opt for book banning, and worse, books are banned for the silliest of reasons. As such, the next generation must understand the futility of such actions and necessity of standing up for everyone’s right to read what they want. Of all book-related social topics, this is the most relevant issue today. Several shocking stats connected to book challenges and bans in the USA are contained in this anthology, and...
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