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Thursday, September 27, 2018

Purple Kisses by Priya Prithviraj – Book Review





Purple Kisses by Priya Prithviraj is a short hopeful, colourful book featuring a single poem with several illustrations.


 I was honestly expecting several poems so I could comment on them but this was a different read for me.

As the name suggests, Purple Kisses is a beautiful piece and book full of colour. While the poem is smooth, the accompanying images are an outburst – a good one.

Note: I received a free copy of Purple Kisses from its author Priya Prithviraj in exchange for an honest review as part of a blog tour for the book.




Enter the GIVEAWAY as part of the tour and book launch to win an e-copy of Purple Kisses.




About the Author: 
Priya Prithviraj writes poems which appear in journals such as Eastlit and the New Plains Review. She also writes about books, writing and publishing on her blog at priyaslitblog.com. Her book of illustrated poetry, Purple Kisses, published by the Linnet's Wings press, is out now.


Purchase Purple Kisses by Priya Prithviraj via Amazon





About the Illustrator:

Niveditha Warrier is a fine art photographer whose work has been published in international magazines like the International Contemporary Artists Magazine, Toer Magazine and White Crow Art Daily. Learn more about her at www.nivedithawarrier.com  

Friday, September 21, 2018

The Blood Moon – Spiritual Poem by Nada Adel Sobhi



Once white
Now soaked with the blood
Of centuries gone
And more to come

The ivory sphere
Forever waiting and watching,
Watching and waiting
Until the end of time
When all shall come,
Before the Lord
Begging for forgiveness
– Not matter what they claim in life
They will beg –
"Have mercy on us!" They will say

Until then,
The moon, with its creator,
Shall stand
Waiting and watching,
Watching and waiting
For that final day.


By: Nada Adel Sobhi

Written Friday, 27 July 2018 at 23:20 (Blood Moon night)



I hope you've enjoyed reading my spiritual poem "The Blood Moon".
Your comments and thoughts are highly appreciated it. If you liked what you've read, please feel free to share it via social media. You can tag me on FacebookTwitter, Pinterest, and/or Instagram.

Sunday, September 16, 2018

The Language Thieves – Book Review


"Were there actually people called Cerebrals who could steal languages from your mind?
They sounded like vampires draining words from people."

The Language Thieves by Marc Remus is fun, quick-paced young adult story for anyone who is a fan of languages.

Daniel is moving to a remote area in Scotland with his parents after his mother suffers a strange disease that renders her unable to speak or move and after his father is cured of cancer. His father brings everything Irish and green along with them, while Daniel resents his Irish roots.

On board the ferry transporting him and his parents from Ireland to Scotland, Daniel encounters a strange scene where a man somehow steals a language from a boy who had been speaking Irish Gaelic earlier. After that, a girl, Jenny, warns him not to mention to anyone that he speaks a second language at the island, Inverdee, where he would be living.

Shortly after we are introduced to strangely-dressed people, known as Cerebrals, who are believed to be the language thieves.

"It was happening all over the world. Languages were disappearing every day. It seemed as if someone was deleting one language after the other."
"But that's been happening for centuries. Languages just keep dying out."
"And this is what they want you to believe," Jenny said. "They want you to think it's normal that people pass on their languages to the next generation. But I think it's a cleverly-devised plan by the Cerebrals."

The novel moves as Daniel attempts to learn more about the Cerebrals, who are superb at covering their tracks, and as he wonders if they had a hand in his mother's illness. Along with Jenny and Connor, the trio infiltrates the Cerebral village, trying to discover the Cerebrals' agenda for stealing languages. What they uncover is brilliant!

I enjoyed the pace in The Language Thieves, which was mostly quick. I think the book would make for a good movie, especially with all the architecture involved in the Cerebrals' village.

We also meet the Cerebral Emily, whom Daniel has a crush on and who is terrified of the Cerebral tradition, a kind of rite-of-passage, where children often return changed or don't return at all.

"This is very serious. If you don't keep this to yourself, you will be in great danger. This language will be taken from you, and if you are really unlucky, you will be left with an empty mind."

The Language Thieves is Remus' first young adult novel. He previously wrote the middle grade series Magora. I felt that some of the text was still in the middle grade range, even though Daniel, Connor, and Jenny are within the 15 to 16-age range.



I also liked how Remus kept me guessing throughout the novel whether it was fantasy or science fiction. No, I'm not telling.
I also felt the ending was slightly rushed; that there should have been more emotions and development at the end.

The writing was easy, too easy. I liked the use of Gaelic and the overall plot of how and why the languages were being stolen. I felt that Jenny was the most mature of the trio but I think they all developed in one way or another. There weren't many images to quote but the book read like a movie with lots of vivid description.

"I have finally figured out a secure way to get rid of all the languages in the world. Once this is accomplished, they'll all speak the old language again."

Overall rating: 4 stars

More on the Magora books.

It is worth mentioning this part from Remus' bio:
"Marc Remus has travelled many times to Ireland and Scotland and developed a passion for these countries over the years. While he stayed with his family in Arizona, he began writing his first young adult novel. The Language Thieves interweaves the writer's fantasies with his experiences in Ireland, Scotland, Arizona, making the book a unique multicultural blend.



Monday, September 10, 2018

Cover reveal for Purple Kisses by Priya Prithviraj


Today, I'm taking part in a cover reveal for PURPLE KISSES by Priya Prithviraj. The book, a poem with illustrations is having a new cover. It was launched earlier this year with a different cover and now it's time for a makeover.

I'll be reviewing the book on 27 September, so stay tuned for that.

Oh, the cover! Here it is

Behind the book... Meet the author and illustrator

Priya Prithviraj

Niveditha Warrier



Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Impulsive Bones, poetry collection – Book Review



Impulsive Bones by Molly Madd is a collection of poetry ranging from pieces from her childhood to topics tackling drinking and drug use – no idea if these are personal experiences or part of the inspiration process – and love.

I felt the collection could be divided into themes, since some of the love poems in there were a bit sappy, I figured they were written earlier in Madd's life, as opposed to other poems that were deep.

There are a few heartbreaking pieces in there. The collection encompasses 108 poems!

Impulsive Bones opens with two emotional pieces, namely "Nani" and "Heavenly Sight"; although I wasn't sure if Nani, in the first, were a mother's name or someone else. Both are recommended pieces.

Both "The Darkness" and "Disappear" are five-star pieces that would be great reads at a poetry recital.

But not all is beautiful or interestingly dark. Several of the pieces had unnecessary repetition, or jargon that isn't fitting for a poem. In one piece "Comfort from a Stranger" I felt like I was reading an economic news article rather than a poem. Similarly, "The Book" was one of those pieces where redundancies weakened what would have been a great poem; the same for "Finger Printed Breaths".

The fear of emotional melancholy
I feel it anyway, in my bones, it fries
Like chips in sizzling water
I hope for a higher feeling of numbness
Of comfort
My soul deprived
Needy of the casing to cover me
Only to be left in silence as I wait.
From "Opiate Haze"

"He's Calling You Upstairs" and "Mum's Meds" are two of the most painful and heartbreaking pieces in Impulsive Bones. They are also the strongest and they made me shiver. Along with "Bathroom Lunch", these poems highlight personal and societal problems. Each of them gets five stars.

I love poetry, but at one point I considered dropping this collection. Many pieces just didn't make sense. Still, going back to the book, there were several beautiful pieces.



I was despairing then a poem like "Duplicate Dreams" came along and my vigour in the collection was restored. I wish I can quote this poem whole.

Other recommended poems in Impulsive Bones: "Running Wild", "Your Presence", "Your Touch", "Cup of Love", "Voices of the Unheard", "Unknown", "Carbon Polo", "Selfless", "Car Weather", and "Magic.

One of the things that bothered me about Impulsive Bones was the spelling mistakes. Moreover, I felt that some poems could have been lengthened or shortened to bring a closer meaning and a stronger emotion to the reader. Poems, unlike stories, can't handle redundancies and over-the-top repetition.

Last but not least, I liked the cover.

I'm still a bit unsure about how to rate Impulsive Bones. I had originally given it a 2-star review, but while rereading my notes and the poems I liked, I've moved it up a notch to 2.5 stars. I think the collection needs work to reach 3 or more stars.


Sunday, September 2, 2018

Takhayyal Writing Prompt 89: #amwriting by the Sea


Welcome back Ladies and Gentlemen, Artists, Poets, Writers, Authors, Dreamers, Friends and Family; Welcome EVERYONE to Nadaness In Motion's MONTHLY picture-prompt writing challenge Takhayyal/Imagine.

I honestly didn't know what to post this month. Kept going through lots of pictures, some on my phone, some on my computer, Pinterest, Facebook…

Then I thought I could use two images I took with my phone that well I think might be inspiring. September is when people are leaving the beach behind and getting ready for school, so here are two images for the hearts we're leaving by the sea (I know I am) with a final dose of salty sea spray.

I've also heard or seen a few people who dream of being able to be inspired to write by the sea; this is for YOU!


Ready?

Get set...


Here we go!

Photography by Nada Adel Sobhi. Taken at Egypt's North Coast 2018.



Photography by Nada Adel Sobhi. At Egypt's North Coast km 89. 




Arabic for Imagine, Takhayyal is a challenge for writers of all ages and genres; a place to spark creativity and explore new genres.
Your post can be in English or Arabic, prose, poetry, short story, flash fiction; you name it and write it.

Give credit where due, the images were taken by me, Nada Adel Sobhi at Egypt's North Coast.

General rules:
·        No nudity, violence, and/or abuse.
·        Leave the link to your post in comments below OR post your piece as REPLY to this post
·        Your piece MUST be inspired in some way or other by the above picture
·        Multiple entries allowed
·        It is not required but it is a nice and encouraging gesture to comment on others' pieces.
·        Feel free to add your Twitter handle (@....) so I can tag you in my tweets!

Let's IMAGINE!