Special edition of the Thursday Quotables today! Blogchatter is a community of bloggers I met during the AtoZ Challenge. They are very much active in supporting authors, especially in encouraging writers to publish their work and then supporting them after the book is published. They do this through a variety of initiative, one of which is the Blogchatter EBook Carneval, which takes place after the AtoZ Challenge. Bloggers are encouraged to published their challenge as an ebook, they get published at the same time and listed on the Carnival page, where they can be downloaded for free. Writers taking part in the EBook Carnival are encouraged to review at least three of their fellow writers books, and so here I am, paying it forward. Do visit the Blogchatter blog. They’re an amazing community and so welcoming and active. You’ll enjoy it.
THE FRAGRANCE OF TRUE LOVE
That day the very silent and firm Meer had taken her to the temple on the outskirts of the small town they studied in and there they stood in front of the giant statue of Lord Shiva in the secluded premises. There was no one there and amidst jaw-dropping pin-drop silence, he had placed one hand on his chest and the other on Priyam’s head and with evident sincerity prayed as if making some deep vows for a few minutes and as he did so, tears rolled down his eyes. Priyam stood there staring her him with moist eyes and even more moist heart. Her heart went out to him as his integrity, dedication, pain and infinite love all oozed out of his eyes simultaneously. Looking at her firmly he only said “Here, today we unite our souls forever,’ to which she slightly nodded.
The Fragrance of True Love by Roma Gupta Sinha is a sweet love story set in modern day India. True, it isn’t my usual fare of stories, but I enjoyed reading of this far away country seen from the eyes of its younger generation.
It’s the story of a union made in heaven, opposed by education paths, but helped by technology. A life where aspirations may require big sacrifices, but also where hard work rewards. And through it all is the guidance of love, the ultimate goal.
Life in Local Train by Paresh Godhwani is the account of the year and a half the author sped commuting for work on a local line in India. Maybe because I’m a commuter too, I felt for this guy, whose experience in India is very different from mine in Italy, but still, in a way, is very much the same. The constant tyranny of time and schedule, the delays of trains, which means a total reorganization and often a waste of time. Struggling with finding the best solution, getting angry at the unilateral changes. Bonding up with fellow commuters, finding a routine. Commuting is a big investment of time and energy, and you have to find a way to cope with it. Paresh seems to have found many crafty ways to cope. I also enjoyed very much the possibility to see a picture of modern India, which transpired in so many episodes. This is an account of true life, and I really appreciated that.
WRITING TOOLS: 26 TIPS ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING
Writing Tools, 26 Tips on How to Improve Your Writing by Cheryl Sterling is a quick guide for the modern writer. The title may be a bit deceptive, since the guide doesn’t just cover ways to improve our writing. A good part of the book is devoted to how to promote your writing too. But as the author points out, in today publishing world, an author must be a master of the storytelling craft and be adequately apt at promoting their own work too. Clearly intended for the newbee more than the veteran author, this is a short book, but packed of into. And it’s true, it might be a bit essential, since the space didn’t allow to get too much into details, but there’s a lot of introduction, so that we know what’s out there, what are the possibilities, and we can start to explore from here. But you will also find actual directions, especially in a few of the sections. I particularly liked the one about the hero journey, which gets in great details and helps shape the structure of a story from scratches. A fun, quick guide to keep at hand.
HELLO DESSERT
So fine, now I have to confess that I love cooking and I’m particularly partial to desserts. No surprise that I love Hello Dessert by Tina Basu. This is a collection of very easy desserts that can be backed and cooked with what you have in the kitchen. No fancy ingredients or tools are needed.
Easy to follow directions, pictures to help you imagine how to serve it, this is a quick guide, since all the recipes are simple… but they look so tasty. I’ll tell you the truth, I’m going to try all of these desserts!
In post is part of the Thursday Quotables meme. If you want to discover more about this meme and maybe take part in it, head over to Bookshelf Fantasies
LIFE IN LOCAL TRAIN
8 Comments
Margot Kinberg
What I like about these choices is that they’re quite different. I respect a community that encourages different sorts of writers to do their work.
jazzfeathers
The Blogchatter community is indeed very diverse.
Tina Basu
aww thank you so much for your lovely words. I hope you enjoy the desserts when you make them!
jazzfeathers
Prepared the frozen banana icecream yesterday. Loved it!
Nick Wilford
I hadn’t heard of this carnival. Sounds like a great idea. Quite an eclectic mix of books here, too!
jazzfeathers
It’s a very supportive initiative. I’m happy i stumbled upon it 🙂
Cheryl
There’s some interesting reading options! What a lovely group of writers!!
jazzfeathers
And very supportive too. They’re fantastic!