Review Tales
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Playing Hurt by Gerald Nardella (Book Review #145)
Playing Hurt is a fiction novel written about a story that begins in the year 1960. It surrounds the lives of the main characters, Brian and Deanie and it all begins at a game.
Brian is the quarterback of the high school football team. The game they are playing is very important as it is his last and they are trying to get their first win of the season. Brian and Deanie are an item, but Deanie wishes to end the relationship between them. The atmosphere is tense and as tempers boil over there is a massive brawl. During this brawl, Deanie’s ex-boyfriend appears, and when Brian leaves on the team bus, he sees Deanie getting out of her car and leaning in the window of an unknown car in the parking lot.
As the drama continues between the two men and Deanie, things turn from good to worse making you confused at times and eager to figure out what is going to happen. Some scenes may be uncomfortable to read, and the subject matter is not suitable for the younger audience.
I found the plot and storyline to be ordinary. There was nothing novel about the book. The characters development was good, and the layout appeared to be sufficient to keep the reader’s interest. I particularly found Deanie interestingly weird. Her character could not have been more annoying than it was written.
The only thing I liked about this book was that it kept your attention with the twists and turns on every page. It was interesting to see, how authentic the author had portrayed the period. There were some things that in today’s society we would not approve of, but in the 1960’s they were part of the social norms. At times the story was a little easy to predict, but the ending of the book was not one that I expected.
I would recommend this book to a mature crowd looking for a short fiction story that you could read in one sitting. It does contain several adult subjects and language that may not be appropriate for younger readers.
Written by Jeyran Main
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How to be owned by a cat by Kate Chen (Book Review #367)
This book stands different amongst its peers because it provides a step by step take on this transition being smooth and practical instead of just dumping plenty of information about cats and how to care for them.
Besides the basics being how to prepare your home or how to protect your furniture, the author also informs the reader of the animal’s personality and traits. The key is communication, even when you are dealing with a pet and it is no surprise that this book also emphasizes on that subject matter as well.
I found the literature standard to be in good shape. The chapters are short and easy to understand. Anyone that has an intention to buy a cat or to adopt will find this book to be useful.
I especially liked the part where the author discusses bizarre behaviors in cats. It stipulated a more psychological aspect of the animal and provided a personal touch to considering this big responsibility.
I would recommend this book to people who are into cats, are proud owners of one or are considering to adopt or purchase this furry animal.
Written by Jeyran Main
This review was requested by the author and Underrated.com
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Tin Cans by Lise Freeman (Book Review #142)
Tin Cans, is a fictional story about a determined woman named Lana. This comedic book focuses on her ability to juggle her barely afloat business, family, friends and everything in between. Her business is situated in Florida, and although it is not just about the money, Lana’s beautiful personality cannot find the heart to let go of the team she works with as she deems them, family.
Everything gets thrown at our wise and witty lead character, and yet she still manages to pull it together and make things work out somehow. The plot and the storyline are mostly regarding interconnected coincidences and domestic situations where things collide, creating this excellent dynamic story.
The literary standard of the book and the layout of the story is written and designed very well. I found the story to be very appealing. The character development is in my opinion, the main reasons for the success of this book. They are all relatable, and as you read along, you get to feel and bond with them. That is a display of good writing, and this author succeeds in achieving that.
I recommend this book to anyone that likes to read funny and relatable fictional stories.
Written by Jeyran Main
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Cancelled by Michael Pinsky (Book Review #146)
This is a political thriller story written about a President that is willing to do anything to remain in power. His time is up, but he wishes to stay, and so he decides to create conflict in the country by planting situations where the country begins to fall apart, and the only way to save it would be him becoming the dictator of the United States.
Austin Howard, a Republican candidate, and William Mendenhall, an ex-general are too busy to figure out what is going on. William places the puzzle pieces of what is aspiring to become a chaotic situation together. The president’s tactic needs a great deal of reinforcement, which William needs to pull together and that is how the author induces political theory into the minds of its readers. Could this happen to our America today?
Many of the references, acts and choices of words were clearly indicating the political struggle between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. However, the author strategically choose not to say.
The literary standard of the work was in good standing, and the connectivity between the chapters and the layout were smooth enough to keep the reader’s interest. What it may have lacked was originality. The works and theories were all dramatic but were not novel. The ending of the plot was climactic, and I liked the fact that each character had their own intentions and backstory.
I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to read political thrillers and is open about the current political situation America is facing today.
Written by Jeyran Main
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Vasa and Ypres by J. B. Chisholm (Book Review #366)
What I believe would have worked better was if the story was written in the third person narrative. It is instead written through Vasa which for a short book, made things complicated because the humor and dialogue were between Vasa and Ypres.
If you are from England and are familiar with the slang, you can easily blend into the content and enjoy the witty literature. This is a short book, and so it was a fast and enjoyable read. The work focuses on social observation, and the character personality was created in a unique way.
There isn’t much of a world setting, but the dialogue and observations covered up for it. The character development, I believe, was the strong aspect of the storyline.
If you are looking for a fast and fun read, then this book is the right one for you.
Written by Jeyran Main
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The Slope of Kongwa Hill: A Boy’s Tale of Africa by Anthony R. Edwards (Book Review #147)
This review was written for Online Book Club “I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars.” This book was an “OnlineBookClub.org Book of the Day.”
This is an autobiographical novel written about a boy named Anthony Edwards. He moves from England to Tanganyika (situated in East Africa). The story entails his journey from the age of nine to fourteen including everything that he goes through, living at the boarding school.
The setting of the story is in the year 1948. Edwards’s relationship with his parents is odd. They have no idea what this boy is going through. The book is in three sections (The Foreigner, One of the boys, and Growing Up). Every section has its own story regarding Edward being bullied, running away, making friends, and meeting girls. At the same time, the three sections are connected creating this intriguing tale in Kongwa Hill.
I enjoyed the truthful tales of the story written by the author. The emotions and hardship Edward was enduring clearly made you feel for the boy. The year in which the story is based from was also authentic to how it used to be back then. The literary standard was of good quality, and I barely saw any editing issues or typos.
I believe the story would have had a better start if the pace was not so slow and unclear. The prologue in particular talks about things that had nothing to do with the story. The backstory also did not assist in providing enough foundation for the rest of the tale to be built on. There were too many descriptions that didn’t allow the characters to develop to their full potential and although the ending was hopeful it still was vague and did not define any clear summary.
I would recommend this book to those that like to read autobiographies situated in Africa.
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Coping With Death & Destruction by Arrison Kirby (Book Review #150)
This review was kindly requested by Arrison Kirby.
Coping with death and destruction is a collection of fictional stories written with the intent to make you smile, cry, and ponder as you read. This twelve-chapter book, blends in with the deaths that occurred in 2016 losing people like David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Prince, Carries Fisher and more. The stories are written to bring out the sense of endlessness and to provide comfort. Each story is a standalone short segment of what surpasses to be covering themes that you would ultimately enjoy reading by the end of the chapter.
I felt that the book was providing a text under its subtext and attempting to deliver a more in-depth meaningful message by covering it up with comedy and realism. This may work for some and may not work for others. The comprehension and wordings used to describe the stories were sometimes too heavy to transcend. This is not to word anything against the book. It just means that not everyone would possibly get it.
The literary standard within the content of the short stories was in high standing. I appreciated the prologue explaining the reason why they had featured a dog on the cover. There is much more love and kindness in this book rather than death and dying. The setting of the stories is another feature that works in making this book different. They are all situated in various countries in the world.
I recommend this book to anyone that wishes to read about pop science fiction, fantasy, fiction and all other good things.
Written by Jeyran Main
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Perceptual Hypnosis by Dr. Fredrick Woodard (Book Review #365)
I personally found this book very interesting. The work was clearly written with much care, research, and love. I felt that the book was the work of an author who has taken years of his time attempting to create a masterpiece of which empowers and lightens the reader using a new approach based on the past. It expands the knowledge and comprehension of the hypnotic process.
The key feature is that Dr. Woodard believes that to understand hypnosis one would need to involve differentiation rather than the traditional dissociation. The literature is written in an effortless and organized way. It had a nice flow to it and would suit the open mind and professionals that are studying the subject.
I would recommend this book to people that are interested in the paranormal and spiritual journey. Anyone with psychological and hypnosis background would also find this work to be worth reading.
Written by Jeyran Main
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The Curious Case of William Alexander Redwood by Mark Benjamin (Book Review #137)
This is a short horror story revealing events in the life of William Alexander Redwood, and his efforts to find out what was in his Grandpa’s secret room.
The tale begins as William wakes up under a rough hood and is tied to a chair. He doesn’t remember how he got there or why he is there. As he awakens, his body and mind begin to function again. He realizes that he is not alone. He hears noises and starts to whimper and then scream. A swift blow to the back of the head silences him once more, and that is when the reader enters the memories of William Alexander Redwood.
This short story has many twists and turns. It leaves you continually guessing at what William is hoping to find in Grandpa’s secret room. I enjoyed the suspense in this short story. The writing was dark and mysterious right up until the end.
This horror story would be the perfect for Halloween with an older crowd. Although the book is thirty pages, it still manages to have a substantial plot and many horrific scenes that would not be suitable for the younger crowd.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes to read a book in one sitting and enjoys horror stories.
Written by Jeyran Main
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