Book Review: Echoes of Paradise by Deanna Kahler

Echoes of Paradise by Deanna Kahler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Echoes of Paradise by Deanna Kahler is one of those books which remind the reader of the loss of their loved ones. Celeste meets Connor on a blind date set by her friend Sue. Celeste has come out of a very abusive relationship with Sue's cousin Andy and is not interested in dating for a while. After being persuaded by Sue for a significant amount of time, Celeste gives in and agrees to meet Connor. To her surprise, she feels an instant connection with Connor and is highly impressed by him. They begin seeing each other very often; however, Connor loves his freedom and wishes to travel the world. Celeste, on the other hand, has other plans for her future. Thus, they go their separate ways. Connor goes on to live in Rome, whereas Celeste marries Dave. Their love, however, does not die. Soon after marrying Dave, Celeste gives birth to a baby boy, Chip. In Chip, she finds her lost life and showers him with affection and care. Dave is an ambitious man, and he treasures his role as a provider to his family. He spends most of the time in his office while his wife, Celeste, craves for a companion. These differences lead them to the road of separation. Therefore, when she receives a message from Connor that he is coming back and wishes to meet her, she is ecstatic. But as luck would have it, Connor's plane crashes and he dies. Celeste's world comes crashing down, and she spends her each waking moment in mourning for her lost love. Little does she know that Connor is trying to connect with her from another realm. She notices signs everywhere but overrules these as her imagination. But when she receives a pink rose from Connor, her world is turned upside down.

As a reader, I found it easy to connect with the characters. Dave's jealousy with his wife's relationship with Connor, even after his death, is very realistic. Their marital problems are not out-of-the-world and, in fact, we are surrounded by a number of such couples, and this is another factor that adds to the practical approach that the author has taken. Deanna has poured all the emotions to express the pain that Celeste felt on losing the person whom she considered being her real love. The author has done a flawless job in bringing a life to all her characters. I believed the presence of these characters around me, rather than just in the book.

The story that the author has picked up is positively practical, and most of us are -- at present -- living it. And this is what has added to the believability of the plot. We have all heard about the signs that the dead ones send to their relatives, which some of us swear to have experienced ourselves, whereas the other skeptical set of people refuse to accept. What's true and what's not, is beyond the scope of my ability, let alone this review; however, the author's narration is quite entertaining and thought-provoking. I found myself pondering over the life after death while reading this book.

It was fascinating to read Deanna's perspective of an afterlife. Her vision of heaven is very refreshing; however when she went on to write about the activities that Connor could do in heaven seemed a little bizarre to me. When Connor goes on a fishing trip or when he skates in heaven, that's where the author lost me. Of course, an opinion on the afterlife is subjective and may differ from one person to another. For me, though, this view did not work.

I would rate Echoes of Paradise 4 out of 5 stars. I found the characters, their emotions, and the overall plot considerably easy to connect. The only problem I had was in believing that Connor was skating, fishing, and what not in heaven. This strange depiction was somewhat distracting for me. I would recommend this book to the readers who enjoy taking a walk down the memory lane, exploring intense emotions, and imagining what the life could be post death.




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Book Review: Remember This by Shae Buggs

Remember This by Shae Buggs My rating: 4 of 5 stars Remember This by Shae Buggs is a romantic comedy with comedy being the main ingredient of its recipe. Lucy is a talented, beautiful, and independent woman. She is married to an amazingly handsome man named Mason. They have been married for about six years now. If I say that, their marriage is in a rough patch then that would be an overstatement of the year. A colleague of Lucy, Eli, is having a major crush on Lucy, even though he has a girlfriend. Lucy is enjoying the attention she is receiving from Elie. Although Lucy and Mason are living in the same house, they neither talk to each other nor share their bedroom. You see, what I meant by the overstatement. To add to the chaos and confusion, Lucy comes home to find an object to prove her husband’s infidelity. Mix her rage to many glasses of Alcohol and what you get is Lucy throwing a wine bottle over the head of Mason, which leads him to the road of amnesia. What follows next is a hysterical ride of Lucy helping Mason to bring back his memory.

 The main characters of the plot, other than Lucy and Mason, are Kara and Drey, who are Lucy’s best friends. The character sketch of Kara and Drey reminds me of Charlotte and Samantha – in the same order – of SATC. For the readers, who have not watched SATC, Charlotte is an innocent, family-oriented, a tad old-fashioned woman, while Samantha has a never-ending tendency of hopping on the bed with a variety of men. So, replace the name of Charlotte with Kara and Samantha with Drey, you have got yourself the perfect description of these characters. I believe the author got the inspiration for these characters from SATC, but one cannot be sure of these things. Anyways, the author has done an excellent job in drawing an image of the characters in the reader’s head by using the strings of words. Each character is believable and has a purpose to serve. The detailed description of their clothing helped in imagining the characters.

 The plot is very realistic. The cause of most of the marital problems, lack of communicating real feelings and not spending enough time with one’s life partner, is used as a foundation of Lucy and Mason’s problems. This increases the believability of the story. I am highly impressed by the writing style and narration skills of the author. I could not resist myself from making time to read this book until the end. There are minor mechanical errors in the book, like a few missing words, “I keeping watching, and others on the same lines; however, these do not make too frequent appearances and didn’t spoil the fun by reading this book. There is one loophole, which I believe the author missed. Towards the end, Lucy wonders how did Eli find out where she lives; however he had sent her flowers in one of the earlier chapters. Nevertheless, we can ignore it since there are many wonderful things in the plot.

My favorite thing about this book is the manner in which the author has captured little emotions of people. Like the irritation of Lucy, which she feels when Eli talks ill of her husband, is something that I can relate to. I can describe my hubby in whichever way I feel, but -- god forbid -- if someone else chooses to point out even one of his irritating habit, I would fry that person. Although humor remains the central theme of the book, there is one chapter in which I had to hold my mouth from making sounds while laughing; it was that funny. One thing that disappointed me was that after that instance, I kept waiting for another “ha-ha” moment, but that did not arrive. Having said that, a slight smile kept making its way on my face on several clumsy moments of Lucy. To conclude, I would say that, this is a book, which is worth the time of the readers, who enjoy romantic comedies.

 
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Official Book Review: A Dance with the Corporate Ton: Reflections of a Worker Ant

A Dance with the Corporate Ton: Reflections of a Worker Ant by Lata Subramanian
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Dance with the Corporate Ton: Reflections of a Worker Ant by Lata Subramanian is, to say the least, an insightful narration of the author's journey in the corporate world. She has started the book from the moment she started looking for a job to the point when she walked hand in hand with the top players in various industries to her early retirement from it all. She started her career as a Room Service Order Taker in The Oberoi Towers. According to her observation, she was not offered a job at the front desk of the hotel because that place was reserved for very attractive people. Anyways, she took her job very seriously but grew tired of the routine work involved in this job profile. Soon, she decided it was time to move ahead. She joined one of the leading advertising companies of that time in India, Lintas, and climbed a ladder of success almost reaching for the stars. With the zeal to work hard and constantly learning every aspect of the advertising industry, including the complicated lingo, she received various recognitions. However, these recognitions did not succeed in tying her to this one company, and soon she moved on to the next venture.

Her journey is a very mesmerizing one. I felt motivated, fascinated, and inspired while reading her story. It was as if Lata showed a mirror to me. I could relate to her feelings towards the bell curve involved in the appraisal process. As she felt overwhelmed by the process of grading her team members according to the requirement of this curve, rather than based on their hard work and dedication, similarly I feel every time the time of appraisal comes on my head. This strange criterion of judging and rating the people made her realize that she cannot get a flair for management. Her anger towards one of the organizations, where she worked, for handing over pink slips to the clueless employees after a merger is visible in every word of that chapter. That anger shows the purity of her heart and I admire her for it.

Lata has not just narrated her journey, she has given several pieces of wisdom. Her best advice is that one must be prepared and not depend on their employer's mercy. Throughout the read, she reminded me of myself. Her tendency to stand her grounds even when everyone stands against it is admirable. When everyone in her office was insisting her to get a makeover, she did not crumble, rather made a statement that she wishes to be judged by her work and not by her appearance. The evidence of her high moral values is visible until the last chapter. She has cracked open the corporate world and presented the forensic report of this entity for the world to see. I am sure the readers will be able to connect to her perspective of the world.

To keep the book entertaining, she has used humor, which is not "haha" funny, but is capable of bringing a smile to the readers. One thing that I particularly enjoyed was the cute graphics that are present here and there in the book. While reading, I used to get very excited to find these illustrations.

An illustration from the book: A Dance with the Corporate Ton

The mention of various famous TV segments, such as Mad Men, set the right mood and laid a fantastic foundation for the facts that she was making.While narrating her story, she paused at various places to ponder over a word and its origin, for instance. In the beginning chapters, when I was trying to understand where the story might flow to, I was fascinated by these interruptions; however, later these seemed like speed bumps and very distracting. Other than this minor issue, I loved Lata's writing style and her intense journey.

I would recommend this book to the readers who enjoy reading the journey of an individual in the field of career and wish to gain a deep insight into the corporate world. This book has everything for the readers of this category: humor, facts, inspiration, and an extraordinary experience.

Disclaimer: I have received this fabulous book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

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Read Confessions of an Ugly Girl to Know What Goes on inside the Head of a Girl who Considers Herself Ugly!

Confessions of an Ugly Girl by Alice Wasser
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Confessions of an Ugly Girl by Alice Wasser is written in a journal style. You know how much we get tempted to read someone’s personal diary. Well, this book provides a way to pacify that temptation. Instead of chapters, this book is divided in months. The self-proclaimed ugly girl, Matilda Glockenfeld (Millie), writes about her everyday activities, fears, and passions. While reading the book, I got the feeling that Millie was talking to me. She is in love with statistics, so there are many stats related to various fields throughout the book. I found some of the stats quite fascinating. Like the one about “100 people die every year from choking on a ballpoint pen” was especially interesting. Who would have known that the simple act of chewing on a ball pen could lead you to death? Not me, for sure! Anyway, Millie writes about the fact that her suspected notion of not being beautiful received an affirmation by the total ignorance of boys towards her, throughout her life. There have been several failed attempts made by her only best friend, Donna Matthews, and her mother to get her to hook up with somebody. She gave up the hope of ever finding any guy who would be interested in dating her, let alone marrying her. Things take a turn when she meets a man named Sam, who shows an interest in her. He asks her out but she declines his offer. One major reason for this denial being her low self-esteem that has made it impossible for her to believe that any man could be interested in her; however, another reason that holds her back is the fact that Sam is in a wheelchair. After giving many thoughts to his proposal, Millie finds it hard to deny the attraction she had for Sam and finally, gives in. Although thinking about how people would react to seeing an ugly woman on a date with a handsome man in a wheelchair, she struggles to give this relationship all her heart. This is fascinating to read whether, against all odds, the relationship of Sam and Millie would survive or crumble under low self-esteem of Millie.

Alice has kept the tone of the tone mostly upbeat. Even though this is a story about a girl who considers herself ugly, the book has not drowned in melancholy. The humorous take of Millie about her “flaws” and all the problems of the life, in general, has kept me entertained to read more.

I don’t like to stare too long at the mirror in a public place, though. I don’t want someone to come in and God forbid, think I’m admiring myself. I don’t want people to think that I’m deluded enough to believe I look good. Usually, when I’m in a public place, I take a quick glance in the mirror to make sure there isn’t toilet paper stuck to my face or something, then head out.

Millie’s craving to be on good terms with her sister is relatable. I have a sister and whenever we have a fight, I cannot rest before things go back to normal; therefore, I understood her desire to be able to have a healthy, instead of pretentious, relationship with her sister. Her family situation is written with perfection and that was an element that made me connect with Millie, almost instantly.

Millie’s difficulty in coming to terms with having a long-lasting relationship with a man, who is in a wheelchair, is quite realistic. Whatever I would have thought if I were in her shoes, is written in the book and that increased the believability quotient of the overall plot. The impact of mean remarks made by the boys on girls is evident in this story. If Millie’s self-critical thought process had not received rude affirmation of the boys, she might not have the low self-esteem of this extent. There are many other takeaways in the book, which I leave for the readers to discover.

I had only two problems with the book. The overall confession of an ugly girl focused only on her romantic life for last chapters. In the beginning, there was a variety of her confessions, but in the end, it became like any other romantic fiction. The second problem that I had with the book was its predictability of twists. The problems that arrived in the relationship of Millie and Sam due to his ex-GF seems adapted by any romantic movie.



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Set Your Priorities Straight with Ordinary Life

To check out the summary and review of Ordinary Life by Stacy Baggett, please click here. I am dedicating this post to the amazing highlights of the book in an easy to read format. There is a variety of factors embedded in this fascinating book, and I wish to put the readers face to face with multiple shades of all of those factors.

• Deep Thoughts - The conversations between Sera, the guardian angel, and Sherrie is very deep and exhibit the depth of thoughts of the author. These dialogues reflect the true meaning of the life, as seen by Stacy. 

"For every negative thought you inflict upon others, a flower withers and dies."

Do you see the deep meaning in it? We are, in general, full of negativity. We think of ways to  belittle our enemies, justify our actions, and hold on to our ego; while, in reality we are breaking down our own chatracter, one bit at a time. 

The author has also written a genral perception of the people regarding death, and it is worth mentioning here: 

Death belongs to the others; the old, the sick, the accidental. Death is a disease that the outsiders catch. It's all aorund us; we see it, yet we deny it.

• Invisible Scars of Bad Parenting - To call the parenting style of Sherrie's parents a bad one is an understatement of the century. Grace, the mother, and Stephan, the step-father, show exactly how a parent should not be. This goes for all the parents, who believe in tormenting their children and then, blaming them for all of their mistakes, that just because they have a child under their care, it does not give them a right to leave a scar on their child's innocent heart. Sherrie struggled to heal this scar even after her death. Even though this story is a figment of the author's imagination, the effect is close to what one may expect to happen in the reality. If I had a parent that got a kick out of beating me up, I don't think only the boundary of life and death could have stopped me from hating them.
• Bringing a Child into the World is Not a One Time Activity - One cannot wash their hands off a child after bringing it into the world. This is a job for a life time. Grace decided to keep the baby, but turned her back from her when she realized that Stephan is sexually abusing her. Instead of standing as a rock between her husband and her helpless child, she decided to be jealous of her -- I mean, seriously, how can a mother behave this way. Therefore, this is my request to every mother all around the globe that please do not leave your child to the mercy of an insane man, who cares only about himself. This is not your child's mistake that your man is being an animal that he is. Walk with your child and shower as much love as you can. Impart descipline to shape their life in a better way and not to impart fear in their hearts. 
• Live in the Today - I believe, this is the most important lesson in the book. We postpone the important things, which are not related to our jobs, we postpone talking to our loved ones because we are too busy, but imagine, what if, god forbid, you do not have a tomorrow to reevaluate your life and care for your loved ones.
• An Important Social Message - Please do not risk conceiving a child before you are absolutely prepared, this is an important social message conveyed by the author. Teenagers jump up and down to lose their virginity without considering the consequences. It is not a joke to bring a life into the world, only to hate it in the future. 

Stacy has included many significant and valuable social issues and life lessons in the book. I encourage the readers to read it with an empty head and try to set their priorities in life, straight.

Highlights of the Book 'Salsa and Speed Bumps' by Susan M. Baganz

Image Credit: Amazon.com

If you are thinking about picking up this romantic fiction and need a detailed insight to know what to expect from 'Salsa and Speed Bumps,' then you have landed in the right post. Stephanie commits one mistake of dating a shrewd and ill-mannered man, Luis, and faces the consequences for a long time. She breaks up with him on realizing the flaws of his character; however, she cannot get rid of his threats. To add to her problems, she gets pregnant with his child. A handsome man, Roberto Rodriguez, enters her life during this dramatic situation. Roberto, himself, is far from perfect; he has a history of being a drug addict, and presently he is struggling to keep himself on the right path far from the addiction. Whether Stephanie gets this man or surrenders to Luis' demands for the sake of her baby, that is for the readers to find out. Nonetheless, this post gives a few highlights of the various attributes of the book. 

1. Romance - This is the key attribute of the book. The attraction of Stephanie towards Roberto and his intense feelings towards her remain the central subject of the book. Events, accidents, and tragedies happen around them, and yet, romance remains the central theme of the book. This should not come as a shock because this is a 'Romantic Fiction.' 
2. A Web of Twists - I cannot insist upon it enough that this book is full of numerous twists and turns. Susan has definitely done a lot of research before writing this book. There are medical problems, family troubles, and -- even -- judicial conflicts in the plot. The best part about these twists is that they continue to keep the readers on the edge of their seats, throughout the read. 
3. Emotional Journey of a Single Pregnant Lady - The life of a single mother becomes very complicated. We can all imagine that, but only the ones who go through this difficult journey can tell the heights of the problems that they go through. Nonetheless, Susan has captured fears, problems, confusions, and anger of a single mom with utmost care. Stephanie's struggle with making a decision to whether to keep the baby or give up for adoption is very believable.
4. Constant Struggle of a Drug-Addict in Recovery - Any addiction is easy to take but very difficult to give up; once you give it up, keeping your feet firm on the ground is another task, altogether. By narrating the determination of Roberto to continue on the right path, Susan has described an addict's everyday struggle.
5. Immense Faith in God - God has been mentioned consistently throughout the book. To me, it became an overdose after a while; however, the plot of the book demanded an exhibition of the characters' dependence on God to get through their problems. 
6. The Importance of Friends in Life - Each character in the book has an important role to serve. I could not find even one character who had no role in the normal flow of the story. Tony and Renata -- Steph's best friends -- stand with Steph through thick and thin. While reading this story, it is only normal that one may think about their own friends.

Having said all of that, I found that Salsa and Speed Bumps is an interesting book and you will enjoy the rollercoaster ride of twist and turns of this book. 

Check out the review of Salsa and Speed Bumps by clicking here.

What to Expect from the Book 'Stalking the Shadows'

Stalking the Shadows is a book filled with action and magical events. The factors that keep readers on the edge of your seat are:

1. An Exceptional Plot - BJ Edwards, the author, has written an extraordinary story. First, the time selected for the characters - between the upper Palaeolithic and lower Mesolithic eras - is very different. BJ's keen eye for details is worth an applause. Two human races are fighting to declare superiority over the other race. During the same time, there is a conflict between good and dark gods. Dark gods - Balor and Camulos - are controlling the minds of people, who lack a strong will. They wish to end the golden road by which soul travels when a human dies. Other than that, they want to destroy the silver bridge, by which souls enter into the world. Good gods - Vantis and Modron - are determined not to let the dark gods win. Humans are also divided into the good ones and the evil ones, based on their actions. Dark gods begin interfering with evil humans to drive them towards the destruction of good humans.
2. Magnificent Description of Animals - BJ did not keep animals devoid of his excellent penmanship skills. His description of horse, wolf, unicorn, mammoth, and other animals is written with utmost accuracy and intelligent words. For instance, look at the portrayal of the mammoth in BJ's words - "She stood tall, proud, majestic and huge, her form mountainous and dark against the grey sky, her tusks long and curved shafts of ivory, pointed and deadly. She surveyed the land below her, her huge ears flapping gently, her trunk questing. With an effort, she shook her massive head and tried to make for the thick cover of the distant forest, but her joints ached and her great heart pounded with the effort of movement." Another unique characteristic of this book is that the animals narrate their tale by themselves. Mammoth tells her emotion, unicorn remembers her past, and horse thinks about the events that happened in his past. 
3. Majestic Glory of Nature - Description of river, mountains, sun, moon, land, etc. is very attractive. "The warriors had never seen the great river before, or even sand – the strange colour intrigued them; but the river awed them. It was huge and silver, deep and mysterious. It lapped gently at the shore, moving like a living thing and calling with a soft voice."
4. An Outstanding Portrayal of Physical Appearance - BJ's selection of words to describe the physical appearance of the characters of his story is absolutely perfect. He paints the physical appearance of neanderthals and homo sapiens is worth mentioning - "The men who inhabited this land were one of the surviving pockets of Homo neanderthalensis. They were a robust species; tall, proud, strong and viciously territorial. Their features were strong, their foreheads narrow, their jaws and brows slightly jutting. Their bodies and limbs were thick with muscle, and although slightly hunched they were fast and athletic. The enemy was a new breed of man, the Homo sapiens sapiens. They were taller and more wiry; where the Neanderthals had hair and muscle, the Homo sapiens had paler skin and sinew, their foreheads broad, their lips thinner, and their noses sharper. They lacked the power and the strength of the Neanderthal, but they made up for it in intelligence, adaptability, and resilience." This is just one instance. There are several characters, and description of each of them is marvellous.
5. An Accurate Expression of Emotions - This book consists of various emotions and actions, such as fear, cruelty, bravery, etc. BJ chose his words flawlessly to impart the emotions as per the plot's demand; the best part is that the readers begin feeling the same emotions in their heart and head. When he described the acts of cruelty of evil men, I actually felt a shivering down my spine - "She smiled up at him, and his rage and revulsion boiled over and exploded. He took his stone club and smashed her baby’s skull; she screamed with terror and grief." 
6. An Epic War - Although I do not like the action genre in books, BJ's writing changed my viewpoint about them. His words drew a painting of warriors and gods fighting against each other in epic battle, in front of my eyes. I am sure other readers will agree with my opinion.

This book has a lot to offer to its readers. Experience an excellent combination of rich vocabulary and excellent plot when you read it.

Tuesdays with Morrie - Wonderful Compilation of Life Lessons

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It has been a long time since I came across a book, as powerful and inspiring as, 'Tuesdays with Morrie.' Author, Mitch Albom, compiles all the lessons, he received from his teacher - Morrie - in this book. His words are motivating, soothing, and uplifting.

Mitch is lost in a busy corporate world when he hears about his beloved teacher's condition. Morrie is diagnosed with ALS - brutal, unforgiving illness of the neurological system. Mitch describes the deteriorating condition of Morrie, throughout the book. Families, who suffered the loss of a loved one - or ones who are still going through this painful phase - will go on an emotional journey while reading this book.

Morrie does not lose his spirit even till his last breath. He shares his wisdom with Mitch. In our fast pacing life, we forget to appreciate the people, whom we love. Morrie explains to Mitch that we should not run behind money. He tells him that now when he is closer to death, he relates to other people's sufferings as if these were his own. He cries while reading about the pain others are going through.

His lessons are thought-provoking. I have summed up most of his preachings in my blog: Live Life “Morrie” Way!

Mitch supports his preachings with wonderful explanations. In his own words: if you're trying to show off for people at the top, forget it. They will look down at you anyhow. And if you're trying o show off for people at the bottom, forget it. They will only envy you. Status will get you nowhere. Only an open heart will allow you to float equally between everyone.

This is just an instance of the beauty of Mitch's magnificent thoughts. Readers, who enjoy going on an inspirational voyage with a book, must read it. Mitch did not write the book that pushes down the author's beliefs down the readers' throats, rather, he narrates his conversation with his teacher in a capturing flow of words. Also, he remembers a few incredible moments with his teacher and presents them in the book; these reminiscences helped me in feeling more familiar with Morrie and Mitch.

I encourage everyone to read this book; this book should work as a guide whenever we feel lost in our long struggle - called life.



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