BoyzNite by Xane J Fisher – Review

Hello all!

As part of the Blog tour of BoyzNite by Xane J Fisher, I’d like to share my review of the short story, BoyzNite.

About the author:

Originally from the Salt Lake City area, Xane Fisher has spent most of his life living out of a backpack or suitcase. Along his travels, he has been blessed with an amazing family, a college education, and the opportunity to see the world from the skyscrapers of Abu-Dhabi to the third world markets of Angola. From a young age, he has felt compelled to write and share experiences through a pen or keyboard. He is currently living in southwest Germany, serving in the United States Air Force with his wife Autumn and their son Judah. He hopes to have his first novel completed soon.

His website: http://poetryforpeopleihate.com

Blurb:

Law school wonder student Ian Peters chronicles his first night home for the summer in Piedmont, Washington. What starts with a pleasant drive up the Pacific Northwest Coast leads him into a night of self discovery, contemplative self-assessment, and ultimately the question of what kind of man does he want to be? Along the way, he reconnects with friends, family, and an old flame who changes his world forever.

What started as a typical night of partying quickly becomes BoyzNite!!

My review:

BoyzNite is a short story by Xane J. Fisher. I was forwarded the Advanced Reader Copy by Royal James Publishing. I’m really glad they sent me a copy as it allowed me to know about an amazing writer.

The tag line of the book, “Living is easy with eyes closed” caught my attention. I am firm believer in this thought, so the interest was expected. The story begins with another amazing thought which I believe is what we all may not be aware of, but we do the same! I am not giving out any spoilers so you’d have to read it to know what it is.

The story moves slowly and steadily into the life of Ian Peters. He could be just any other guy tired of his college and traveling back home to meet his family. The description is so detailed that you can very well see what the author is talking about. The imagery and the smooth flow of the story kept me engrossed till I moved to the last page.

Ian Peters is returning home to visit his father,step mother and brother. The moment he reaches, he has got back to his friends and they all plan a boyznite to celebrate his homecoming. Well, today we have so many books that revolve around women plots and their get-togethers, so when we are part of a night when men collect to enjoy and celebrate, it’s a reliever.

And everyone knows ‘men will be men’. Their party can’t be without booze and women, can it? They party and dance till they fall exhausted while Ian starts feeling sick. That is until he meets a girl, who brings back some memories of the past. His and her past. His and her present.

The writing is lucid and captivating. As a reader I was left with many questions and I really wish to know what had happened and what will happen for both of them. The other characters part of the story are also well described.

When you turn the last page, you totally agree with the first line of the book. The line on the cover, “living is easy with eyes closed”. Are we all living in the same way? Are our eyes closed or open to the world around us? Are we aware of the people around us and their turmoils? The book might just make you think about it!

Best wishes.

Thank you,

Syeda FR

The Soft Target by Kalyan Nanda – Review

Hello friends!!

Finally I finished reading the book which I had started! Though there are piles yet waiting, this book was sent to me by a friend. A worthy recommendation. And here I wish to review it. As a good reader, I feel obliged to review the book on my blog and Amazon, if I really like the book. Else it just makes it to my blog, wouldn’t want to leave a bad review. Some mad ethics or thoughts of mine! 😀

So here it goes:

The Soft Target by Kalyan Nanda.

Blurb: Via Amazon.in

Is God good? Or is He a manipulative villain who plays with the lives of his creations in the name of karma? As far as Mohan Mishra is concerned, God is a villain. Mohan is God’s soft target, for He ‘blesses’ him with a strange mental problem and kills his support system when he needed it the most. The Soft Target is the story of a boy’s journey into manhood, as he takes on God with his mental prowess, defeating Him at every stage, thus making God his soft target. Supported by great friends and a loving wife, Mohan fights an epic battle against the murderous society, the conniving legal system and ultimately God himself, with remarkable courage and spirit.

Review:

It took me a little long to start this book but I must say once I started it, there was no way I could keep it down. As the story kept moving, it was hard to keep the book down for anything. I am glad to have read it and reviewing it just makes me feel excited.

The story starts with Mohan, a young boy with a big problem. His life isn’t simple. It is just different, as much as he is different from the rest of the people around him. As the story about him moves, we also meet two new men, Brij and Nikhil. Another two men, with their own set of insecurities and point of views. They chance to meet and then grows a bond among them. The thing which makes them click is that they are humane to each other, rather than anything else. The ups and downs the three of them face while at college, adds more character and value to the story.

A constant thing recurrent in Mohan’s life seems like a trivial thing and then all comes falling as the sudden downpour from the grey thundering clouds. The stories and incidents happening here and there, all get intertwined. Then the story takes one direction. And all starts happening at a thrilling pace.

The thrill and imagery created by the writer is really worth mentioning. The reference to the various concepts, beliefs and details about the Indian society should make the international readers understand the story too. The little snippets of life, middle class family traditions and practices, the common scenarios we come across and the little fun filled moments shared by friends make it enjoyable.

I’d seriously recommend it to you if you are someone who loves to read a thriller-political drama-inspirational story in one place. I found it a little Bollywood-ish, and that wouldn’t be a bane in my view, because isn’t Bollywood one of the things that we really love too! Do get your hands onto it and give it a reading.

The only things that didn’t appeal to me was its cover and the thing that God is man’s enemy. The latter has something to do with my own beliefs. About the former, I feel that a story, sensitive, about emotions and humans, should have had a humanistic look. The cover made me think if it was a self-help or a theoretical or a robotic kind of book. Only when the story kept moving, did I feel that the cover just misled me!

Thanks for reading my review!

Lots of love and best wishes to all!

-Syeda FR

It’s raining love! – Poetry/Collab

Few days back, while I was lost deep under the workload, I received a message on Insta. There was this young girl who wanted to follow me. While I checked her profile, this painting stood out. 

I thought of doing a collaborative piece and this was what I could create! Hope you like it!

Going quite slow on a lot of things, and blogging too is one of them. Sadly.:(
Stay happy and blessed!

©S.F.R.

Peter’s Sisters by LM Foster – Book Review

Ever read a book, which while it ends leaves you baffled as the characters in it? How lost are you in it even after you’ve turned over the last page!?

 That’s exactly the state you’d be (like me!), when you reach the last page of Peter’s Sisters by L.M. Foster.

Blurb & Cover: via Amazon.com

Sue’s in the mental hospital and she’s only partially surprised. There had been that thing, that . . . interlude with her sister’s new boyfriend. When he’d started it – what possible choice did she have but to go ahead and finish it? 

Bonnie wanted to be fair. Her sister had just snapped, and Bonnie reckoned that such a thing could happen to anybody. She’d almost gone over the edge herself once. On the other hand, what Susan had done, the things that she’d said . . . Bonnie wanted to be fair, but she wasn’t sure she could forgive Sue. Not for any of it.

Review:

The story revolves on three main characters Susan or Sue, Bonnie and Peter. Well as the title suggests, there’s something about Peter’s sisters! 

A mesh of relationships, ups and downs of life, people coming and going in the journey of life, and feelings which these things bring with them, make the story an intriguing one. And then, how far can one be sure about the intentions of the others around you, whom should you trust? Can you even trust yourself? Well that is what I kept thinking hours after reading the book.

The story starts with slow uncovering of Susan and then Peter’s character. And then comes Bonnie. The story moves forward as journal entries and that’s made it all the more interesting. 

The cover attracts the attention as it is exactly where the story begins from. The writing is smooth and crispy. It keeps the attention and the interest intact until you reach the end, rather it makes you feel there should have been more! More about Susan. More about Peter. More about what happened next? Was it anything real? Was it just illusion? Could that really happen? And that’s what made me feel content and happy that I read it. Though a little over the boundary about incest and list, it is not an erotica.

 Just the story to give a quick read, as it is just a 116 pages of thrill and shock! It will leave you questioning your sanity for sometime. 

I wonder, did I just read it or did I just make it up in my own mind? Any ideas? 😮

To purchase the book from Amazon.com, click here!

-Syeda

Death, bring us closer!

Sharing my post from The Scribblers!
Hope the week has begun well for all. Lots of love and best wishes!
S.F.R.

The Scribbler

Is there no way, I can reach you?

No outlet, no escape from this monotonous

and drab life, wherein I breathe?

 

I am tired, woefully lost, left abandoned.

You’re gone and there isn’t a flicker

of hope left in me. All dead within.

 

To reach you, I’ll have to swallow

the bitter drink of death,

Yet I’d rejoice in the sweetness of your company.

 

Envelop me in your embrace,

Let my eyes slowly sleep off,

merging the venomous fluid with my blood.

 

The unbearable sip from the cup of death,

I am willing to taste,

Just to be back again with you my love!

View original post

‘Cause of you!

Finallllly I am done with the test papers! Next on the list of responsibilities is the preparation of result and report cards for the test conducted. 😒😒

After that is the task of conducting Declamation Contest for the students. Goodness! Selecting good speeches is such an upheaval task. I mean content, context, relevance to children and their mindsets and then the selection of inspiring and ‘good’ celebrities, all these are to be kept in mind while selection of speeches. 😟😰

Anyways as that shows my hectically-maddening next days, I can’t help but apologize to all for not reading your efforts. 😦

And it was sweet of you all to read up whatever little I was posting. Thanks a lot dears.😍😘

A little poem while I go:

The little steps and nudges

The soft whispers of faith

The tiny flame of hope flickers

When friends like you walk along.

When times may turn against me

Or wash me down with pain

When no one in this world trusts me

I will look up to your eyes.

I know there won’t be questions in them

They won’t have hatred or angst for me

The pain and venom thrown at me

Your love and faith will bequeath me the power!

©S.F.R.

BOYS DON’T CRY

Originally posted on The Scribbler:
Don’t cry, no tears they said, Weeping is the sign of the weak. Those words kept resonating in my head, I was a strong breed, not one of the meek. Boys don’t wail and hurt, they made me believe, The…