Posted in blog tour, bookreview

Girls Like Us

girlLikUsBanner

GIRLS-LIKE-US-COVER
Girls Like Us

by Elizabeth Hazen
Publisher: Alan Squire Press
Release Date:  March 2020

 photo addtogoodreadssmall_zpsa2a6cf28.png photo B6096376-6C81-4465-8935-CE890C777EB9-1855-000001A1E900B890_zps5affbed6.jpg

 

synopsis

Girls Like Us is packed with fierce, eloquent, and deeply intelligent poetry focused on female identity and the contradictory personas women are expected to embody. The women in these poems sometimes fear and sometimes knowingly provoke the male gaze. At times, they try to reconcile themselves to the violence that such attentions may bring; at others, they actively defy it. Hazen’s insights into the conflict between desire and wholeness, between self and self-destruction, are harrowing and wise. The predicaments confronted in Girls Like Us are age-old and universal—but in our current era, Hazen’s work has a particular weight, power, and value.

review

I love reading poetry, and mostly I instantly feel them connected to me. But with Girls Like Us, it started slow I was confused at the beginning. But as I kept reading, & the poem’s came across as a rebel, and what WE (girls) go through most of our life. Called by names, Eyes those see us, Feeling we go through, Fears our mind has and Thoughts that keep us awake at nights.

I liked how different were each poem’s crafted, with different ideas portraying issues Girls/Women have. The book cover is exactly what the book talks about.

I like poems those rhyme, and this one has only one such poem. But still I quiet liked this whole book, and I would recommend whoever reads it, please read it like a “Spoken Poetry” because that way you will connect more to the poems and words. I realized this a bit later in 3-4th poem and after that, each poem spoke to me.

I would recommend these to everyone, who likes reading meaningful poetry that don’t naturally rhyme.
favQuot

Moving Day

My mind’s
an emptied drawer, its clutter filed away.

Photograph

He left no trace
but an edge of shadow, the picture’s only flaw.

Driving Home at Dawn

Even now,
my fingertips tingle,
your name like a host
on my tongue.

Electricity

I lie until his
breath deepens and the ticking
clock becomes a heartbeat.

ratingne

⭐ ⭐ ⭐  .5

authorDets
author

Elizabeth Hazen is a poet, essayist, and teacher. A Maryland native, she came of age in a suburb of Washington, D.C. in the pre-internet, grunge-tinted 1990s, when women were riding the third wave of feminism and fighting the accompanying backlash. She began writing poems when she was in middle school, after a kind-hearted librarian handed her Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s A Coney Island of the Mind. She has been reading and writing poems ever since.

Hazen’s work explores issues of addiction, mental health, and sexual trauma, as well as the restorative power of love and forgiveness. Her poems have appeared in Best American Poetry, American Literary Review, Shenandoah, Southwest Review, The Threepenny Review, The Normal School, and other journals. Alan Squire Publishing released her first book, Chaos Theories, in 2016. Girls Like Us is her second collection. She lives in Baltimore with her family.

earcne

Follow Poetic Book Tours : Girls Like Us

GIVEAWAY
Giveaway runs May 4 Through July 10 and you must be 18 or older and have a U.S. Mailing Address to qualify.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

*I received an advance readers eBook copy of Girls Like Us, as part of Poetic Blog Tour in return of an honest review. 
The views are my own. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in 
final publication.*
Posted in bookreview

Happy Fat : Taking up Space in a World That Wants to Shrink You

happyFat.png

Book : Happy Fat
Author : Sofie Hagen
Pages : 336

Love Yourself, even if you are BIG FAT or VERY THIN.

My Thoughts

I am fat, and believe it or not I have been ALWAYS happy with my body. Even though I have heard too many of “You got to lose weight, check what you eat, it’s because you eat too much junk, being fat makes you prone to disease and early death”.
And I still haven’t done and nor will do anything for getting this weight, sheds, it can go like it came. I have been chubby since childhood and I am fine with it.

So I knew, I am gonna like this book so very much, which talks about How you can be Happy & Fat together.

Though the book has some very, very sad moments from Sofie’s life, and I can’t imagine myself in her shoes. Sofie has been brave enough to accept her body, and do so much publicly which she was afraid of. Hats off to her.  * I got teary on so many moment’s author shared of her life..*

I would love to recommend this book to people who are non-fat, because it will give them a perspective of how fat people go about through a day. And how you sometimes be just a jerk and say “mind your calories”. WE DON’T WANT YOU TO TELL US WHAT TO EAT !

There are so many lines that will surely struck the chord in your heart.
like

Part of me loathed the boys & girls who liked me, because surely they were either lying or horrible people themselves.

God, imagine if – and this goes for not just all people during your teenage years but essentially for all people in the world – imagine if people were just nice to each other.

Trying to shame people into being healthy is like trying to get someone to smell less of piss by pissing on them

Empathy should not be the hardest thing for people. But identifying which situations call for your empathy is different and a lot harder.

Another thing I liked about this part memoir by Sofie is how she brought other voices who are mostly ignored in form of Interviews. The perspective from LGBT+, & Color community is what makes this book a well researched and well thought book.

The author has checked on researches and came up with analyzed data on how BEING FAT doesn’t always mean we are more unhealthy than the thin ones.
A shared experience with doctors, how she and some other have faced the dilemma of not properly getting checked because the only visible reason was they “being fat”

Do we actually want for fat people to be healthy or do we want them to be ashamed?

Sofie also talks about the trolls, and I hate trolls, and meme makers (who laugh on risking others)
Sofie quoted “these trolls are sad people” , and I totally wish that to be true. Because you can’t make someone feel less and be happy about it. You have to have something less in your life to make others feel this way.

Final Note :

I liked it, though there are parts which can trigger people who are facing fat-phobia and for some it may feel repetitive. But believe me, it’s 24×7 what we generally go through so bear it and go through 320 pages.
You are not going to see the Comedian Sofie you know via social media, this is a Sofie that has gone thru this much to become “Comedian Sofie Hagen”.

Cover: 5/5
Title: 4/5
Blurb: 4/5
Theme: 5/5
Overall: 4.5/5

*-*-*-*-*-*-*Book Challenges*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Read this book, as part of
>> Pop Sugar Challenge Prompt 25 : A debut novel
>> Reading Women Challenge 2019 Prompt 21 : Book bought/borrowed in 2019
>> Write Tribe Reading Challenge Prompt 20 : A book which is a 2019 release
>> bnbreadathon May-June Prompt 1

Posted in bookreview

For a Girl in a Star

PhotoGrid_1526502668593.jpg

Book : For a Girl in a Star
Author : Ratna Chandu
Pages : 216
Price : 195/-
Publication : Srishti Publishers Distributors

Story

Story starts with a gruesome murder, yet the person who died knew what was about to happen. And with this author takes us few months back to Avinash & Sahas born and brought up in a tiny village near Bangalore. Avinash moves in Banglore leaving back home the old mundane life of his farmer parents to pursue his God-gift talent of being an artist.It took 2 yrs for him to settle down a balanced life and now he was soon to be joined in by his best friend Sahas. Sahas came to Banglore for pursing his studies and both of them stayed at Avinash’s apartment which was a mess due to his work and schedule. Sahas tried to make it like home, with keeping things clean and place. Everything was going good, as Avinash helps a girl and falls in love the very moment. As the time passes, girl also starts feeling same towards Avinash.
On the other side, Sahas being a shy person finds that Aarti his batch mate making him more comfortable to talk to girls. How it was easy for Sahas to be around her and not feel weird. He starts falling for her.
The time goes on and one day Sahas tells Avinash that his mother is not feeling good now-a-days and asking him to get married. And Sahas open ups with Avinash for her love towards her batchmate. One fine day, Sahas takes Avinash to meet the girl. And the GIRL is common between friends.

Which one will give away her love for his friend ?
Will they be friends with each other ?
Who was the person killed in the starting ?

For all these you need to read book 😛

Writing

The story and the Blurb looks like another love triangle. As it simply gives out two friends falling in love with same girl. But what blurb doesn’t tell us is, this romantic fiction takes much twist and turns before it is ended. There are relationships that the blurb doesn’t talk about. There are deaths before everything gets settle.
The language is easy to understand, and characters are given enough time to settle themselves in your mind. Like you know how Sahas would react to a certain situation, or like how Avinash will still care of his best friend even after differences occur.
But we don’t know that there is a murder involved and people die in the book.
For 80% of the book, I couldn’t relate to the title of book UNTIL *I don’t want to give out the spoiler* 😛
I could make out some of grammatical mistakes as well, it errked me out. Would have been better with a round or two of editing of book.
The middle part was something which was not predicted, and things happened. There came in too many relationships/character that you will think of no use. But some of them make the core plot of novel. *believe me*

Things that worked out for me :

> Narrative of story worked for me.
> How authoress has complexed a simple plot of love triangle.
> Characters were given time to get explored, and their emotions were depicted well.
> I loved Cover.

Things that didn’t worked for me :

> Grammatical and spelling mistakes.
> Story looked dragged sometimes.
> Too many relationships catered, mother-son, friendship, love triangle, father-son, husband-wife.
> Tittle of book, looked like not so much intervened with the story.

Final Note :

If you are looking for a love triangle, but it also has some action attached to it. If you can ignore grammatical and spelling mistakes, with lots of melodrama, this book is for you.

Cover: 3.5/5
Title: 2/5
Blurb: 2/5
Theme: 2.5/5
Story: 3/5
Characters: 2.5/5
Overall: 2.5/5

**Book was provided by Author, in return of an honest review.**
Posted in My Words

~ A Little Reminder ~

No automatic alt text available.
picture is taken from internet

And we often forget the spark of being self.
Be You-ng
Be-You-tiful

Our inner spark is what people see outside. No it’s not the face, it’s the glow on your face. The radiance pours out of you.
It’s only possible, when you are happy to be you.
It’s only possible, when you are content where you are.
It’s only possible, when you don’t see the flaws of people and only appreciate their uniqueness instead.

Let yourself live today like you have just started in the world.
Age doesn’t matter when you have your head and heart both into it.
Happiness is what will take you a long way, and Being You is what will make you happy forever.

This is just a reminder for you
To Be You ! 
To Be Happy ! 

Posted in bookreview

Saudade

IMG-20180301-WA0007.jpg

Book : Saudade
Author : Husna Mohammad
Pages : 149
Price : 250/-
Publication : The Write Place

I picked this book in crossword Mumbai, when I went to meet my booksta kid reader_Vidh .
And this was TOTALLY a Cover BUY at first. But then I read it’s blurb, and it was short stories. I knew it, this will be a great read. Because RECENTLY I love reading short stories compilation (yesh yesh, I have told this too many time)

Saudade : (n.) A deep emotional state of nostalgic longing.

And I clearly remember 2 of the stories gave me a nostalgic feel. Also other stories were written in old times I liked them too

The setting of all stories are in Kerala, and as Authoress herself is from same location. There was detailing for places, people. And I loved it.
The characters were special, short stories don’t have much time to grow their characters. But I LOVE when author in just few pages describe the aspects, the habit, and much more about the character and Husna has surely captured this very well in her stories.

Stories

Che Guevera’s Legacy
Is story of a 22-year-old boy Krishnan aka Kitu. Who believes in Che Guevera’s words and can do anything to bring justice to Che Guevera’s legacy of removing individualism.

The Calling
Is story of Mullah Masood, an Imam at mosque who got a higher calling for his life. I loved how the author has shown Aysha (Masood’s wife) thoughts of what happen to women behind the veil, how they feel and how they sometimes react that outside people can never think about

Beevitha
Is one of a kind supernatural/paranormal story of Beevitha (Beevi), how she found her child after 3 months with no memory of her.

The Commodore’s Daughter
story that touches your heart, how a daughter guards his fathers secret for her lifetime. Even though the thought of such can hurt someone badly, still she accepts it and keep with her and not letting anyone know about it.

The Inscrutable Case of a Lilac Saree
is another story with paranormal touch. The end left me in a state of fear, what alone people go under.

A Walk in the Rain
This one was one of my favorites, as this one had a poetic touch in it. The protagonist Naaz married to a man who kept her well, loved her, gave her everything a women wants yet she couldn’t love her back. Her heart belonged to something else, and then came a night and an old friend and the walk in the rain. Believe me this is not a love story.

The Dairy of an Insomniac
MY FAVORITE, as I could relate so much from this one. No not the heart-break, or anything. But a DAIRY, and an Insomniac well that’s me. Story of Ashiana who finally gets over insomnia after writing all her thoughts in dairy, and finds the beauty of life in the end.

The Empty Canvas
Story how an artist feel connected to a place, that when she is brought away from the place and lost people she loved. She goes into depression. And how once again, she finds the will to fill that Empty canvas with her thoughts. Another favorite.

My Name is Arif Mushtaq and I am Gay
This story is so gross in a way, and yet so touching in another way. A child, who doesn’t know about sexuality loses virginity to another 18 yrs old child/man. And then in future Arif marries a girl, just because she loved him too much. But will this unison be for long time ?

Writing

Each story takes you to different state of emotion, and some takes you under many emotions in one story. It’s commendable on author’s part that the roughness of characters are kept in it. Characters are flawed, and yet their stories will make you like them. The language is simple and no extra heavy words are put in to show off. As the stories are based on Kerala, the culture, places are well researched off.
The only thing that didn’t worked for me was Grammatical errors. The book need more editing.

Words that touched

That strange sense of being different stays with you. You long to be with people who are more like you. Similarities are what bonds humans than differences, Beevitha.

– that no matter how unconditional a love may seem between two people, there could still be instances in time when that love pales in significance before far more powerful forces of emotion, or perhaps temptation.

As children we see everything in hues of white, in harmonious balance. look deeper and there would be parallel narratives – A Pandora’s box just waiting to be opened.

So much has changed and yet everything remained the same.

Between the thin red line
Of words restrained and controlled
Where thoughts are veiled
And emotions guarded
Time lies witness to all that’s unsaid
Mired in the dichotomy of You

That a love as intense between two people who thought themselves to be unbreakable, could just vanish was simply another learning curve.

I guess that is what wounded souls do. They carefully annihilate the essence and self-worth of another, embedding seeds of their sinister darkness into them, so that with time, they create prototypes of themselves.

 

Final Note :

If you can ignore grammatical mistakes, like I did many-a-times. This book is perfect coffee-read on any evening and you should read if given a chance. Author Husna has tried so much to convey in these compilation of short stories.

 Rating: 4/5

Posted in bookreview

Stepping Stones Taking Towards the Goal

IMG-20180301-WA0010.jpg

Book : Stepping Stones Taking Towards the Goal
Author : Lubhna Dongre
Pages : 344
Price : 290/-
Publication : Notion Press

Book is written by a 16-year-old Author Lubna Dongre, who was 12 when the first thought of writing came into her mind. At 14 years old, she was successful in deciding that this is it. This is what she wanna do, to write for people. To motivate them, while she herself got motivated in writing the Book.

The book starts with recognition and praise for Lubhna from various known people. In whole book covers 10 Main topics, and author make sure to cover them line by line and with subtopics. In the book author talks about how a normal teenager she was, & had this idea of writing this book came to her in 12 at midnight.

She has covered the topics in P’s.
> Potential
Covering all about an individual. Before we start doing anything big, we have to start by thinking about ourself and evaluate what we want to do in life.
> Purpose
This cover’s the reason WHY am I doing this. What will I leave to this society once I am gone? what is purpose of me being here in this world?
> Programming
This one is the one I concerned the most ‘self-help’ related topic. This covers with the mentality of us for doing something. The positive or negative impact our purpose will make in the society and to us. How learning always affect what we do in life. And Learning here only doesn’t mean the education we take up on, it’s the self learning, experience that we go through that teaches us.
> Progress
After we have learnt how to program our mind towards our purpose with our potential, we need to keep looking at the progress we are making. Dream something, and make it happen. The progress should not be of selfish type, someone’s progress always affect others around. So be considerate when making progress, it’s not just you but the society should progress too.
> Plan
Planning is what we need to do make an actual progress. So make some ground rules to the road ahead, how you gonna manage the time for all the activities you gonna do in life, the resources and energy are equally important while planning
> Problems
It happens major time, that when we are on a path we are faced with problems. Before we learn to step on those stones and make our way towards our destination, these are the pebbles that make our walk more difficult. But don’t be afraid of it, keep walking towards the end and see the LIGHT.
> Persistence
We should have the passion, persistence and consistently keep moving towards the path. Problems will come, but we have to keep moving and never give up until the very end. Be persistent to what we have already started.
> Power
> Performance
> Pleasure/Peace
All these three chapter are about the power we put in to keep the persistence and reach out goal. How our performance gratitude to others who helped us in this journey. And in the end we all are forced to ask ourselves ‘what will be the last thing you do before dying? ‘

I would like to say, for an age this small I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to have for dinner. No clear path was defined when I was a teenager. Author Lubhna has surely made me realize that age doesn’t matter, if a person thinks he can do it. They can do it, everything else turns to be a Stepping Stones when we are clear about our destination.

The language used is good, and we can have many quotes take out from this book. How Author included her story leading herself to write this book is commendable. The thing that didn’t worked out for me was the length of book, its 344 pages big book. But around 150 pages are all about the author and influenced people emails, appreciations. They helped the author to write this book, so for sure they hold a very special place in author’s heart. But as a reader they were like starring in start and end of a movie. I have to be honest about this, the end emails I just skimmed over them.

Overall: 2.5/5

I would like to thanks Author for providing me the book in return of an honest feedback.
Read this book as part of femmeMarchFest, dedicated to read only women writers in March 2018.
Posted in bookreview

VANYA – Collection of stories and poems

IMG-20180301-WA0004.jpg

Book : VANYA
Author : Multiple Authors
Pages : 66
Price : 199/-
Publication : Artson Publishing House

Compilation of poetry & stories on theme grace, courage and strength of women.

Poetry are not very easy to read and understand. Some are simple, some are deep.
This book contains both in equal mixture.

The book is contains words from 23 writers who understand a woman in their own ways. Yet all the poetry and story can show case one common thing, the Courage woman has shown.

Poems

There are 21 poems by multiple writers. And I being one of them, are so amazed how we all think so differently and all have a unique way of writing. But the theme of book is not lost in any of the poem.
Apart from my own poems (2 poems are written by me), some of my favorites are (Rhapsody of a woman, a journey from childhood to adulthood, and SHE)

Poems having simple language, but the effects go in deep.

Stories

There are 9 stories in total written by multiple writers. While some stories gave me chills, because I was terrified when I read ‘The Night Not Less Than A Nightmare’ . It is the very first story, and I had to take time off after this one. Woman go under so much and we are thought to keep silent and be patient MORE.
Another story to mention is ‘The Men Of A Woman’, as the name suggest the story revolves around a lady and men in her life. A husband, a son, after marriage they are her life.
Last but not the least, ‘Colour’ showed how easily colour in a women’s life can be taken away. It’s sad that society and emotions of a woman never give justice to her life. And that’s exactly what is shown in this story.

Stories are written in a way, that show struggle of a woman in everyday life. The sacrifice, the fear, the little things that bring her happiness, all are spread across wonderfully in these 9 stories.

Final Note :

If you haven’t read any poetry, this one is perfect to start with. As it is simple, but it also has depth. If you like mini-short stories, well this one has 9 🙂
Go Grab it. 23 Author (including me) will be grateful to you.

Link To Buy : VANYA

 Overall: 5/5

Huge Thank to Artson Publishing House for trusting these budding authors, 
and giving them chance in this amazing collection.

This book was read for a readathon #femmeMarchFest
Posted in DPChallenge

Micro – DP Challenge

On Daily Prompt : Micro

dailyPrompt.png
P.C Internet: GurBani Judge

I love BANI, and her attitude to stand up to wrong doings. The above written piece is completely what she has gone through, and that too in this so called ’21st Century’.

————-

Do check other entries for the DPChallenge too, following are some I checked

https://ohborder.wordpress.com/2018/03/27/micro/

https://mypinkbujo.wordpress.com/2018/03/27/management-fine-details/

https://paeansunpluggedblog.wordpress.com/2018/03/27/micro/

https://emo1956.wordpress.com/2018/03/27/micro/

https://constantvariablesite.wordpress.com/2018/03/27/micro/

https://hotwhitesnow.wordpress.com/2018/03/27/microfiction-madness/

https://naikanlens.wordpress.com/2018/03/27/creating-ripples/

http://iamnottaan.com/2018/03/27/raindrop/

 

 

Posted in bookreview

SEVEN….

seven_.png

Book : SEVEN….(years,days,minutes)
Author : Aditi Nath
Pages : 7 page
Price : 9/-
Format : e book

Short story, that will definitely leave you believing in love….

Story

Swarna, a married women for 7 days and on eighth day his husband Deep goes for his assignment as Military man. And haven’t returned for 7 years. And for 7 years, she has kept calling the headquarters to hear back any updates about Deep.
Aditya a tourist guide, meet her in Nainital to give her a tour for 7 days.

Will Swarna move on with her life ?
Will Deep return after 7 years ?
What’s Aditya doing in the story ?

For all this, you all need is an hour to get know about their story.

Writing

Writing is basic, and simple language is used by Author. The story is short of 7 pages, but is packed with emotions and feelings and HOPE. Finding love and having patience to see it go for 7 years and keeping the Hope that the love will return.

Even though I loved what I read, I would have enjoyed it more if characters were given more details and story was a bit long. A short story is great, but covering it in just 7 pages without much background is what I thought was missing in the novel/short story.

Rating: 3.5/5

**The book was provided by author Aditi Nath in exchange of an honest review.**