Poetry Friday & Book Reviews

Colleen’s 2020 Weekly Tanka Tuesday Poetry Challenge No. 163, Poet’s Choice!

Photograph by Lacie Slezak @nbb_photos

I’d like to share the latest books I’ve read and my reviews for them. Firstly, I will share my poem called Book Reviews.

I adored this book

You hated every word

This book gave me chills

but for you, it was as if

you had taken sleeping pills

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On any one book

we may not agree, and what’s

good for you may not

be good for me. If we all

agreed how boring we’d be

Book Reviews:

Caste Metal by Fiza Pathan

My Review:

Caste Metal is a fascinating and powerful short story about the life of an Indian boy and his family during the year 1877.

Cacchar was a gifted boy who had taught himself how to read, but because he was born an “untouchable” outside of the Hindu caste system, he was considered “the scum of the Earth” and was meant only for a life of slavery. He was not allowed to read or even touch books or scrolls. However, Cacchar was addicted to the sacred Hindu texts and was unaware of the severe consequences if he were caught reading.

He collected books and scrolls discarded by priests. He read them every day, sitting under a holy peepul tree, which he had cultivated using his own water supply, since the tree was dying in the heat, leaving him with only animal urine and blood to quench his thirst. He loved the words of the Hindu scriptures and enjoyed reciting the holy prayers.

I was outraged by the treatment of the “untouchables” and by the brutality, depravity, and hypocrisy of the so-called “holy” priests. Who determined how the Hindu people were divided into the different castes? If you’re poor, you’re automatically an untouchable, despite your intelligence and other gifts? And it seemed hypocritical how the girls in the lowest caste had to be married off at age ten in order to prevent priests and others in higher castes from raping them. These children are seen as disgusting subhumans––untouchables––whose footprints pollute the land, but it’s okay to have intercourse with them?

Fear not; in the end, the wrongdoers get their comeuppances.

This short story is fierce and not for the faint of heart, but I believe it needed to be so. Things happened that I wish had not; however, I was satisfied with the ending. The author’s writing style is beautiful and engaging, and I loved the way she pointed out the hypocrisy of the priests and rituals in subtly sarcastic ways. Like what she wrote at the end, “It had been a long ‘holy-day’ and he needed some refreshment.” I highly recommend this short story.

Just Her Poetry by D.L. Finn

My Review:

Author D.L. Finn’s diverse poetry collection Just Her Poetry is full of reflection, creativeness, and soul searching. The book is divided into nature poetry, the seasons, poetry written by her while riding on the back of a Harley, and emotional contemplations.

I enjoyed every poem in this book; although, the poems about nature and the seasons were my favorite. The heartfelt poems in this section reflect her love of nature. It seemed the author drew inspiration from nature to impart hope. As an animal lover, I enjoyed the poems “The Dog Stare” and “The Huntress.”

The poems in the other sections were meaningful and thought provoking. One poem in particular, “Your Words,” struck a chord with me in a positive way.

D.L. Finn’s free-style poetry is genuine, vibrant, and full of imagery. Her words came to life in living color in my head, invoking a plethora of emotions. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys beautiful poetry.

2121: Twilight’s Last Gleaming by Karl Morgan

My Review:

This is a fast-paced sci-fi dystopian novel about the USA in 2121, and a group of people fighting to stay alive, trying to take back a corrupted and decaying America from crooked politicians. The issues they faced were overwhelming: starvation, global warming, terrorists, and a bankrupt Medicare system.

A fourteen-year-old Jack Kennedy and his girlfriend are forced to leave their childhood behind in order to fight for their lives and the future of America. Senior citizens are thrown out of protected areas to die. There are cities governed by cannibals while gangs and terrorists overrun others. The weather is greatly affected by climate changes, causing deadly storms and famine.

Although there was plenty of action from beginning to end, some of the fight scenes dragged a bit. I was a little confused by some of the military jargon, and there were minor editing issues. Overall, it was an enjoyable read.

What I appreciated most was the characters, especially Jack Kennedy. I also enjoyed the underline messages of love, hope, and friendship throughout. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fun, fast-paced read with messages of love and hope and wonderful characters.

If you’d like to purchase any of the books on Amazon, just click on the cover image, and if you’d like to connect with any of the authors on Twitter, click on the author’s name by the book’s title. I hope you enjoyed today’s post. Happy Friday!

Celebrating Short Stories!

Hello! I hope everyone’s had a great start to the new week. I’m always grateful for your visit.

Today I will share two short stories I read recently. The first, Voodoo or Destiny: You Decide was written by Jan Sikes. The second, Red Eyes in the Darkness was written by D. L. Finn. Both of these authors are extremely talented storytellers, skilled writers, as well as great supporters of the indie community and overall wonderful people. I truly enjoy their work.

 

Author Jan Sikes

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Bio:

Multi-Award winning author, Jan Sikes, weaves stories in a creative and entertaining way. She has been called a magician and wordsmith extraordinaire by her readers and peers.
Jan self-published a series of four Biographical Fiction books with a musical twist. They chronicle the life of Texas musician, Rick Sikes, a pioneer in the Outlaw Music movement before it ever had a name. She also released a music CD of original songs which match the time period of each story.
Her newest self-pub is a unique book of poetry and art, which combines heartfelt poetry with pen-and-ink drawings.
Jan has written songs, poetry, short stories, screenplays, and novels.
She is passionate about her writing projects and is driven to tell a story with the hope that it might touch someone’s heart or life in a positive way. 

 

Only 99¢! Click to purchase on Amazon.

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My Review of Voodoo or Destiny: You Decide:

Claire’s husband asked for a divorce after confessing he was in love with another woman. Devastated she turned to her friend Jade who remained by her side to console her.

After polishing off two bottles of red wine, Jade, whose grandmother was one of New Orleans Voodoo Queens, convinces Claire to perform a mock Voodoo ritual ceremony. They dressed the part, lit red candles, and Claire even made a Voodoo doll from yarn, fabric from one of her husband’s shirts, spare buttons, and her husband’s blond hair, retrieved from his comb. Then, she stabbed two pushpins right through the doll’s heart.

The next morning Claire received an alarming phone call which made her and her friend rush out of the house. What happens next will surprise you and you’ll have to decide, was it Voodoo or destiny?

I’d recommend this story to anyone who enjoys fun, quick reads.

 

Connect with Jan Sikes on Social Media:

TWITTER

FACEBOOK

BLOG

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

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Author D. L. Finn

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Bio:

D. L. Finn is an independent California local who encourages everyone to embrace their inner child. She was born and raised in the foggy Bay Area, but in 1990 she relocated with her husband, kids, dogs, and cats to Nevada City, in the Sierra foothills. She immersed herself in reading all types of books but especially loved romance, horror, and fantasy. She always treasured creating her own reality on paper. Finally, surrounded by towering pines, oaks, and cedars, her creativity was nurtured until it bloomed. Her creations include children’s books, adult fiction, a unique autobiography, and poetry. She continues on her adventure with an open invitation to all readers to join her.

 

Click on image to get your 99¢ copy on Amazon.

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My Review of Red Eyes in the Darkness:

This well-written short story hooked me from the beginning and kept me at the edge of my seat with its perfect amount of delectable tension in every page.

Cass and her husband, Will were wrongfully accused and arrested for the murder of her sister. In time, they were released for lack of evidence but the damage had already been done. Family and friends no longer wanted anything to do with them and kept away.

During a visit to Cass and Will’s home, Ronald, Cass’s brother-in-law confessed to having killed her sister and threatened to do the same to them.

Cass and Will immediately called the police and informed them of everything Ronald told them but the police didn’t believe them. Ronald was a well-liked and respected individual and he had already gone to the police to tell them awful lies about the older couple. He was the one who framed them and spread rumors about them to family and friends.

Cass and Will were in a terrible predicament but they were not alone. Someone was helping them and it wasn’t the police.

I recommend this riveting short story to lovers of the supernatural.

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Connect with D.L. Finn on Social Media:

TWITTER

BLOG

AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

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**For more information on the authors click on their pictures or social media site. For more information on their books click on the book image or Amazon Author Page.

 

Enjoy the week, my friends!

Author, D. L. Finn in the house!

Have you ever read a book that haunted you for weeks afterward? That’s what happened to me when I read “The Button”, a paranormal thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Today I am exited to feature the talented author of The Button,

D. L. Finn.

D. L. Finn (Denise) is not only a talented writer, she’s a woman to be admired. One of the many things I love about her is that she isn’t afraid to embrace her inner child and enjoy life. She’s a quirky book “Dragon”, a massive supporter of other writers, book blogger, wife, mother . . . I could go on and on, but I’ll let her take it from here.

 

Bio:

D.L. Finn is an independent California local, who encourages everyone to embrace their inner child. She was born and raised in the foggy Bay Area, but in 1990 relocated with her husband, kids, dogs and cats to the Sierra foothills in Nevada City, CA.  She immersed herself in reading all types of books,but especially loved romance, horror andfantasy. She always treasured creating her ownreality on paper. Finally, being surrounded by towering pines, oaks and cedars, her creativity was cradled until it bloomed. Her creations vary from children’s books, young adult fantasy, adult paranormal romance to an autobiography with poetry. She continues on her adventure with an open invitation to her readers to join her.

 

Click book image to get book on Amazon.

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The Blurb:

Lynn Hill left a difficult childhood behind when she turned eighteen. The 1980s were going to be the beginning of a great life. Then what started as an ordinary evening out with her best friend, Stacy, turns into a nightmare. Lynn hears warnings: “Go!” “Leave!” Believing she is hearing things after partying too much, she goes back for one more drink before going home. That decision sets off a chain of events that nothing could have prepared her for. While humans and not-so-human beings are attempting to either help or harm her, Lynn risks everything to find the only person she trusts, Stacy. Who can help her? The stepbrother who shows up right when she needs him or the attractive, helpful bartender who gives her his phone number? Lynn must learn to trust again. Her survival depends on it in this paranormal thriller.

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“The Button” excerpt is from the beginning of Chapter 2. Lynn had gone out to a night club with her best friend, Stacy. When she wakes up the next morning, she doesn’t recognize her surroundings:

 

Beep! Beep! Beep!

 

The alarm sounded before Lynn had even started dreaming. It took a couple of attempts to stop the irritating sound.

 

“Who moved the button?” she mumbled, finally making the sound stop. Her stomach flopped, and she quickly threw back the unfamiliar silky black comforter and ran to a strange yellow bathroom, where she threw up.

 

She had no idea where she was, but at least the resident was still asleep. Funny, she thought she had gone home last night. Wow, that was some strong whiskey.She quietly sneaked back into the room, grabbed her scattered clothes, and got dressed.

 

She noticed black hair sticking out from under the black satin bedding. His wallet was tossed on the floor. She carefully picked it up and found his driver’s license. His name was Todd John Smith, and he had turned twenty-four last month. The name and the good-looking face didn’t trigger any recognition. No one she remembered dancing with. Did we have sex?Not that it mattered; she’d started taking the pill a couple of years ago, but there were other things. Well, she wouldn’t worry about that. He had a Kaiser medical card, twenty dollars, an ATM card, and a AAA card. A rather empty wallet, by her standards. It was time to get out of there, and quietly. She’d find a pay phone and call Stacy to come get her, unless she found her car outside.

 

She surveyed the room to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything. She put on her shoes, and as she picked up her purse, she saw that his hairy foot was sticking out of the covers. She tried to cover it up and touched it briefly. It was ice cold. She wanted to get out of there, but she couldn’t. What if there’s something wrong with him? She set her purse down, lifted the comforter, and peeked at his face. Why is he so pale? He was either the quietest sleeper or very sick.

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My review of The Button:

Lynn grew up in an abusive home. She tried to commit suicide when she was only fourteen years old. When she turned eighteen she left home and tried to make a better life for herself. She began to think that the worse was behind her, until one night out partying with her best friend Stacy turned her life into a whirlwind of nightmare proportions filled with murder, drugs, fear and so much more.

Lynn has two guardian angels looking over her but their actions are limited due to the fact that they cannot interfere with mankind’s free will. They leave clues for her and communicate one-word warnings to try to help her any way they can. Will this be enough to save her from the demon behind all the chaos?

The Button by D.L. Finn is a suspenseful, well-written story that at moments will have you sitting at the edge of your seat. The characters are well developed and interesting. Lynn and her best friend are very relatable and I found myself rooting for them. The evildwel is a great villain––one you’ll love to hate. Overall, this book is a fun and entertaining Paranormal Suspense story that I highly recommend.

 

 

**You can watch and listen to Denise reading The Button here.

 

Follow the lovely and talented Author, D.L. Finn on Social Media:

 

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Pinterest

D.L. Finn blog

 

Purchase Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Smashwords

Be sure to check out all of author, D.L. Finn’s books on Amazon. Click on image to go to Amazon.

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Have a great new week!