Review Tales
Trusted Reviews and Author Features Since 2016
THE FINE ART OF SAYING NO by BIBIANA KRALL
THE FINE ART OF SAYING NO | BIBIANA KRALL
We have all been there…wanting to do more, get more accomplished and helping our community. What we are not necessarily taught is how to say no with tact and mindfulness. Before you consider this a negative post and walk away, please just listen for a moment.
Life for all of us in 2017 is busy, excruciatingly busy. Focus has become a rare gem and what we are left with is a frazzled mess inside our minds and our lives.
Lately, the stress levels in my life have been higher than normal. There are many reasons for this. Loss of loved ones, deadlines and juggling life. I am sure you can relate to your own experience as well.
Flyor Y Fuego by Bibiana Krall (Book Review #59)
I want to do more, get it all done and help my friends whenever I can. When I wake up in the morning I have a solid plan, but then someone reaches out and asks, “Can you help me with this?” and you truly don’t have one more second to spare… do you say yes or no?
I have been kicking this question around a lot lately. Having the energy to add more can be a feat well beyond just getting your tasks done. So I am asking you to consider the possibility of simplifying and not choosing no as a daily option, but to use your wisdom. Listen to your heart when you know you cannot do your best.
There is nothing more difficult than realizing that you and I are both human and we need to have time for ourselves, our family and simply to breathe and take in life. Teach yourself diplomacy and whether you say yes or no, be true to what will be accomplished and can be accomplished in the time you have and proceed with grace and passion.
Prospect Hill by Bibiana Krall (Book Review #54)
The most beautiful aspect of the art of saying no is honesty, integrity, and respect. Needless to say, this goes both ways, and in the long run, you will know this truth. Just to throw a little wrench in this philosophy, there is always tomorrow, and you can schedule in that little extra then.
Just give yourself a break from time to time, because you are awesome and you deserve it.
Bibiana Krall is a novelist, short story writer, blogger, graduate student, mother, and wife. WWW.BIBIANAKRALL.COM
What Would a Muslim Say Islam by Ahmed Lotfy Rashed (Book Review #364)
The most interesting thing about the book was that the author himself is an interfaith volunteer. Therefore, I found the perspective of the literature to be very intriguing. Would I see this book useful for everyone? No. I do, however, feel that this book is more for the open and curious mind. Anyone that appreciates and understands the concept of religion would enjoy this book.
Islam seekers and Muslim practitioners may also find this book useful as no matter how much you think you know of your own religion, there is always something missing.
The content was easy to understand and to read. In addition to all said, the work was divided well and had a nice flow to it. The author has taken a novel approach and has potential to create respectable work. I look forward to reading more from him.
Written by Jeyran Main
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Chaste by Jesse Teller (Book Review #135)
Chaste is a dark, horror fantasy story written about a girl named Cheryl. This is the third book of the tales from Perilisc. Chaste is a town suffering from a plague. The town is dedicated to Cory-lyn-ber, who is the father of Hope and Light.
Cheryl witnesses her mother and father being murdered. Her parents were the religious leaders working for Cory-lyn-ber. Losing them really shakes her belief in everything. The story is full of murder, sickness, agony, pain, rape, and abuse. However, there is some hope for this town, and that comes from five strangers, Ruther, Sai, Trevonne, Sob and Ambul who happen to visit the town. Each of them has an interesting backstory and come to Chaste noticing that something really weird is going on. After staying for a little while they decide to find the source of the sickness and to save the town.
Liefdom by Jesse Teller-Book Review
Cheryl’s destiny from the start begins to be very harsh but as the story develops she also transforms and develops into a much stronger person. She faces everything that she has been trying to avoid including Cory-lyn-ber.
I found the story to be really dark and twisted. It is filled with sadness and sorrow. The killing of children and murders were gruesome. Some possess the talent of reading about these sensitive topics without having it take much effect on their mood, but for me, it was a hard pill to swallow.
This, of course, does not indicate anything negative about the book. In fact, it was written so well that it managed to have such an effect on me. The literary standard was excellent. The plot was very well thought out, and the layout was superbly placed together. I can strongly say that Jesse Teller is an excellent writer and I look forward to reading more of his books.
Written by Jeyran Main
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No Greater Love by Eris Field (Book Review #138)
There is no greater love when two people meet under the most unusual circumstances. As fate works against them, their desire to be together is compromised yet their hearts remain bonded forever. This is a romance novel written about a Turkish immigrant named Janan and a Dutch psychiatrist named Pieter.
Pieter has traveled all the way from Amsterdam to Western New York to find out if he has cancer. Once in America, he decides to see his friend and mentor, Carl. He resolves in buying a bottle of premium Dutch as a gift to give Carl. At the liquor store Pieter bumps into a beautiful woman named Janan and is instantly smitten with her Circassian beauty. After Pieter arrives at Carl’s house, he notices that the same beautiful woman he met in the liquor store also works and often lives at Carl’s home. That is where he realizes that Janan is not only beautiful, but she is also intelligent, loving and has been through a traumatic life growing up. Pieter learns that her family was killed in the 1992 earthquake in Turkey. Continue Reading…
The Second Cup by Sarah Marie Graye (Book Review #363)
As the author decided to use four women in the story, it was inevitable for each one to have their own personality and niche. I believe that part of the plot was accomplished quite well. What I found a little irritating was that the narration kept changing from first to the third person. While some may find this okay and acceptable, I find it confusing and unnecessary. That, of course, did not take away any intrigue from the storyline plot or its development. However, it made it confusing to follow, and sometimes it was hard to know who the story was talking about.
Having said that, I enjoyed the dynamic between the girls, the relationship between them, and what transpired as their own individual growth challenges. I believe the author has great potential in creating good literature.
The content also discusses sensitive topics such as depression, suicide, and other mental health issues. I would recommend this book to people that like a more serious take on real-life issues and relationships.
Written by Jeyran Main
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Once a God: The Spirit of Miriam by Victor Wilkie (Book Review #130)
This review was kindly requested by the author, Victor Wilkie
This is a fictional story written about a millionaire named Jonah. It’s very intriguing character has a dark past and has grown up enduring hardship. However, his strength and determination have driven him to be very successful by the age of thirty. He strongly believes that everything that happened in his childhood was due to his weakness and that he would never let that happen again.
Jonah gets married and has two sons. He, later on, has a daughter named Lara. Unfortunately, Lara passes away in her sleep, and that is when everything begins to change for Jonah and what is left of his family.
Jonah meets another woman named Miriam, and from the start, she seems to have an unyielding power over him. He is smitten with her, and by being with Miriam, he forgets the piercing feeling of losing his daughter. Although Miriam is acutely aware of Jonah being married, she still pursues him, and this love relationship grows to become one dramatic story.
Everything begins to get really exciting when Jonah is hospitalized, and his mind awakens to a completely different and darker space.
There are several beautiful facts within the story. One, in particular, that strikes the attention is how you adore and love the lead character and then hate and despise him towards the end. The writing and the skill in portraying such strong layered emotions of losing a child and how emotional one clings on to the only shed of light in the hope of gaining happiness back was intensely satisfying. The literature standard was of good quality, and I barely noticed any editing issues, which rarely happens in books nowadays.
I recommend this book to anyone that wishes to read on in-depth human emotions, drama, and plays.
Written by Jeyran Main
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The Magician’s Workshop by Christopher Hansen (Book Review #132)
This is the first book of its series. It is a young adult fantasy novel situated in the land of O’Ceea where everyone has the ability to create magic. However, some have stronger projections than others. Projections have the power to alter reality for good or for evil. The ones that have more substantial projections also have the possibility of having “color” within them. These are people that are able to join the magician’s workshop becoming the most powerful, successful, famous, and influential of all.
The ability for using projections is very cool. They can change the taste of something atrocious to something superb. Or you can send projected messages to one another without anyone hearing it. You can project rain and so many interesting things.
The festival of stars is where the color ceremony commences. This is where the panel decides if you have color or not. Hence, it is an immense deal for everyone that comes of age to attend, and almost everyone wishes that they get chosen.
Layauna is living with her mother. Her father has gone, and all she has is her family. She believes that her projections are worthless and that she is weak, however, when her famous grandfather, Eyan comes to visit her, he discovers that she possesses an unyielding potential of having color. He takes her back with him so that she could have better training. Eyan is a retired yellow magician of the third magnitude, which is a big deal. Everyone with such a status has a collar and carries it with themselves as a proud item.
Kai, on the other hand, is desperately trying to fit in. Everyone believes that he is tainted and that he anyone associating with him will lose his color. There is a little backstory exampling why everyone thinks this way, and so Kai is desperate to prove everyone wrong. This places a lot of pressure on him. His friends, Talia, snap, Weston, and luge are all also looking forward to the ceremony.
In summary, there are nine colors, five regions, and three privilege levels in this magical world. I found the book to be written excellently for the young adult audience. The flow and connectivity of the chapters were in good standing. There is an immense amount of dialogue on the content of the book. I believe this is a beautiful thing for the young reader but for adults, this may come as annoying.
The entire book provides sufficient backstory for the second book. You can easily and fully comprehend the world’s setting and the characters before they attend the ceremony in book two. Therefore, I believe anyone considering buying this book might as well benefit from buying them all, as they are not standalone novels.
Written by Jeyran Main
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MindField By DS Kane
MindField By DS Kane
Genre: Thriller
The eighth book in the gripping technothriller series, Spies Lie, perfect for fans who love Robert Ludlum, Lee Child, and Barry Eisler.
When Stanford University sophomore and budding computer hacker Ann Sashakovich meets senior Glen Sarkov, the CEO of a budding new startup, she is smitten. Glen is young, bright, and going places, and his innovative tech startup is seeking money to get them off the ground. But when Glen and his team find a venture capitalist willing to give them money, the offer turns out too good to be true. Worse, it seems the strings attached to the funding are tangled in a conspiracy deadlier than they can imagine…
Meanwhile, the world’s intelligence services have all been looking for a less-obvious way to fund weapons development, reaching out to entrepreneurs to help them create new tech. When they find tech capable of being weaponized, they have the creators murdered before taking control of the company for their own use. Now the lives of hundreds of the world’s brightest entrepreneurs hang in the balance, and Glen Sarkov is next on the list to die. Can Ann, Cassandra Sashakovich, and Jon Sommers figure out who at the CIA is ordering these killings, or will the CIA’s contract assassins wipe them off the Earth?
Author Bio
DS Kane worked in the field of covert intelligence for over a decade. During that time, his cover was his real name, and he was on the faculty of NYU’s Stern Graduate School of Business. He traveled globally for clients including government and military agencies, the largest banks, and Fortune 100 corporations, and while in-country, he did side jobs for the government. One of the banks DS Kane investigated housed the banking assets of many of the world’s intelligence agencies and secret police forces, including the CIA and NSA. Much of his work product was pure but believable fiction, lies he told, and truths he concealed. Secrets that–if revealed–might have gotten him killed. When his cover got blown, he fled the field and moved 3,000 miles.
Now, DS Kane is a former spy, still writing fiction. Through his novels, he exposes the way intelligence agencies craft fiction for sale to sway their countries and manipulate their national policy, driving countries into dangerous conflicts.
To learn more about DS Kane and his books, visit www.dskane.com or join him on Facebook for book giveaways and details on espionage at https://www.facebook.com/DSKaneAFormerSpyStillTellingLies.
https://www.facebook.com/DSKaneAFormerSpyStillTellingLies
GIVEAWAY
The author is giving away an ebook copy of MindField to one lucky reader!
She Can Find Her Way: Women Travelers at Their Best by Ann Starr (Book Review #362)
What I enjoyed most about this book was the fact that in the world we live in, the notion is that women only face trouble and possible discrimination at work or other public organizations. However, here you realize, that even traveling alone has its own troubles and difficulties if you are a woman. I have to, of course, add that it does not only emphasize on this topic alone. It also provides tricks and provides tips on how to travel better, as women.
The stories, in fact, imply on demonstrating how flexible and lenient women are when it comes to dealing with whatever that gets thrown at them. The literature and writings are in various formats. Some are witty, suspenseful, or even seriously worrying.
I felt that the division and organization between the stories kept each of them to be sweet in their own space and that made the work more enjoyable to read.
I recommend this collection to people that enjoy reading women studies.
Written by Jeyran Main
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