The compassionate writer by Annie Beall

The Compassionate Writer: Find Your Voice, Enhance Your Story, and Touch Lives by Anne Beall
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is for those who have a writer’s block or struggling to write their piece of work. The biggest hindrance is to silence the inner critic, which says our own work is not good enough. The book is a calm push to look beyond the criticism and get creative. The exercises are very encouraging and tap your brain to bring the creativity from old memories and experiences.
The book is like a warm comfort blanket which cozily wraps around and gently nudges you to move forward. So, if you are an aspiring writer and have a writer’s block, this book is for you.

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Alli the Alligator by Cindy Miller

Alli the Alligator: A Children's Book About Kindness, Bullying, Courage, and Celebrating Differences by Cindy Miller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is such a sweet gentle book, it is sure to resonate with every reader’s heart however old they are. Because in the books and every around, being different is not wrong. But when reality hits and you see people with their cold stealthy eyes and low whispers, the ache is real. We all have faced it.
Alli the Gator is sweet and gentle; she is loved by her family in the river. But she dreams big of going to school, she enters the school with high expectations and big smile. But when she is instead slapped with a cold demeanor and hostile attitude, her heart sinks.
But Alli keeps her head high and responds to everyone with kindness. It takes time to fit in, but eventually people see her bravery, courage and kindness. It is a soft victory, but a huge one.
I loved this book and would recommend it to everyone of any age. This topic is relevant to all of us.


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Hop's Tales: The Kind Bunny by Evelina Ruimy

Hop’s Tales: The Kind Bunny by Evelina Ruimy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is a rhyming picture book about Hop the bunny who is so excited to go to school. He loves exploring and wants to learn a lot in school. A mischievous pup named Ruff tells him he is not cool and Hop shrinks inwards. His mom’s soothing assurances and guidance show him a direction towards kindness, empathy and courage.
This is a picture book but the essence of this book is applied universally. Many a times I have a conversation with my kids or my friends about how to react when they someone is rude to them. The first reaction is of course hurt, and wanting to avoid meeting the rude person again.
The second reaction would be to hurt the rude person back which we all try to do.
But Hop’s mother’s assurance to him that rudeness speaks more of the speaker than the victim and letting go of the hurt and trying to offer kindness and empathy to the rude character speaks of far higher maturity. This message is beautifully captured in this book.
I would recommend this book to everyone. We all can do better with a little more kindness and empathy.


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Adventures off the Printed Paige by Kelly Swan Taylor

Adventure Off the Printed Paige by Kelly Swan Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was such a breezy romance novel. The book is about Paige, an aspiring author living in the shadows of her mom, a best selling author. There are big shoes to fill and lot of expectations. Her friends push her to an adventure in Hawaii. The shy, behind the computer girl gets a taste of a whirlwind romance , when she meets a confident adventure guide Griff, who pushes her limits. With a series of mishaps in the breath taking landscapes of Hawaii, this beautiful romance unfolds between totally two different characters. With their witty banter and slow romance, this book is a sure shot win. I loved it !!

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Murder by White Tiger by A.J.Ullman

Murder By White Tiger by A. J. Ullman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you are a murder mystery fan, you will definitely enjoy this book. I picked up the book because of the compelling title and it starts with a bang; a body is fed to the white tiger in a Cincinnati Zoo. But is that a murder?
The body is moved in a wheel barrow and fed to the tiger in its cage. There ends the tiger mystery in the book. Enter the two main protagonists, North and Huxley to solve this case.
As they delve deeper into the case, they clash head on with the internal politics of the police department and it gets very complex. There are a lot of red herring chases, twists and political ambiguities to be solved before they crack open the case.
The chemistry between the leading duo is quite impressive and the mystery itself is very gripping until the very end. Though it did not have too much of tiger, I did enjoy the book.


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Shattered Peace : A Century of Silence by Julie McDonald Zander

Shattered Peace: A Century of Silence by Julie McDonald Zander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a very well written novel in a dual timeline . The story toggles between 2019 and 1919, a century apart , with two protagonists experiencing a similar aftermath after witnessing the horrors of two wars , Iraq war and WW 1.

In 2019, Colleen Holmes returns back from Iraq war and is suffering from the post war trauma. She plans to move into the house of her grandmother who has inherited it from her great great grandparents . When she remodels the house , she finds diaries and letters which belonged to her great great grandfather Michael , who was a WW 1 veteran.

The letters describe the horrors faced by Michael during WW 1 and the bitter aftermath of the war .
Colleen finds a striking similarity between her current plight and Michael’s situation.

It is a well researched novel bringing a lot of lesser known historic events into light . It also delves deep into the post war trauma which the soldiers and the veterans face. Horrors do not end with war . It stays in the minds of the survivors till the end of their lives .

I really liked this book , it deserves time and respect from its readers .

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Madly Deeply Always by Jules Starbrook

Madly Deeply Always by Jules Starbrook
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Obviously, this book got my attention because of the comparison with the sense and sensibility romance. Lily, grieving the death of her dad and just out of a toxic relationship. comes to England hoping to resume her passion for music. She seeks refuge at her father’s ex music manager, Brandon’s sea side cottage residence. And then, well nothing happens! At least for a while. The love story builds very slow. Both Brandon and Lily have past scars to get over with. The connection builds slow and steady. There is a lot of hullabaloo from other characters, but the highlight of the story is the slow burn romance.

It is a good read , though the pace is very slow at times. But overall I enjoyed the book.


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The Forgotten Garden by G Pa Rhymes

The Forgotten Garden: A Children's Chapter Book About Kindness, Teamwork and the Magic of Pollinators by G Pa Rhymes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very enticing read for kids who have stepped into chapter books, The forgotten garden has some lyrical rhymes, a neat story line and few pictures with some nice morale packed into it.
The book takes the readers on an adventure from a beach to a forest. A bunch of friends set out on a journey to go to the woods to find a treasure which is long forgotten. They meet few critters along the way and with some great teamwork learn about environment and the life cycle of a plant. This book blends relationship skills along with science very beautifully. Young readers will love this book. I would definitely recommend it.


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Cyber Case Thorn (The Cyber Case series Book 1) by Ken Tentarelli

Cyber Case Thorn by Ken Tentarelli
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a different kind of a suspense thriller where the chase is to track a cyber security hacker. Thorn enters the dark web for fun but later gets too involved into it and becomes dangerous. Persephone (Seph) works for cyber security agency and takes a lead to track down Thorn. It is a psychological thriller because no one expects what Thorn does next.
I liked the plot, though it isn’t something which kept me on the edge, it is a very fast read. I really enjoyed it and looking forward to more in the series.

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You from my world by Nicole.C.W

You From My World by Nicole C.W.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was an interesting read, a very creative and impossible fantasy/ romance genre. Le Haul, a south Korean author is in the process of writing a book when one fine day one of her antagonist character from the book comes out and attacks her. It takes a while for her to get over that incident when he comes again and drags her into his world. He is apparently not happy with his role and circumstances in the book. It’s a very creative concept, I liked it. The narrative is a little flat at places and there could be a little more depth in the characters but overall I liked the book.

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