Review: A Tapestry of Tears by Gita V. Reddy

A Tapestry of Tears by Gita V. Reddy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this book free of charge from the author.

Well, this was a treasure. You all know I don’t like short stories. I like getting to know characters deeply. That is why I read so many series. But Gita V. Reddy has pulled off keeping the story short while not leaving the reader empty.

If there was a theme running through these stories it would be “Love”. Though the stories are about Indian families/couples the American reader isn’t lost in cultural differences. The stray non-English word helps in keeping the story authentic but those aren’t over done.

The female dilemmas that plague many countries are merely spoken of in fact as part of the story and not the end goal. That made the stories more interesting.

I found re-reading the last couple stories from other books a little boring but if it were the first time for a reader to see them they might find these interesting.

Well-done, Gita! I do recommend that everyone read this book. It can make you see some of your own flaws to work on in love. It isn’t just for Indian women. It is for everyone!

View all my reviews

#JusJoJan Daily Prompt – Jan. 31st/17–Detritus

Detritus

Wow! I made it through a whole month. I managed to write ever day! I just hope it wasn’t too much detritus. There is still so much I need to know about making my blog look nice and have consistency in my writing. I would like to be more organized in my thoughts. But as with NaNoWriMo, I seem to do better off the cuff if I want to keep a habit of writing. 

I have made new friends by checking out other blogs doing this JusJoJan. Does anyone have any ideas to help me keep this up? I do best with some kind of prompt.

Anyway, thank you, Linda G Hill for this fun experience. And thank you, Lorraine of My Frilly Freudian Slip, for the prompt I had to look up. By the way, Linda says we should say, “Hi!” so Hi!

#JusJoJan Daily Prompt – Jan. 30th/17–Blue

Blue

Okay, this isn’t today. This was when the snow was deeper. But the picture grabbed me. It echoed what I have been seeing in the snow daily. It doesn’t matter if it is a sunny day or gray day, the photos seem to come out with a blue tinge.

Today was sunny. I needed my sunglasses along with my coat to take the dog out. But sunny and blue makes more ice. So I don’t walk her. I stay on the porch as she goes to sniff out her special spot for the moment.

Aren’t dogs silly with all that sniffing around and finding their piddle or poo spots? It’s like how I go to sleep laughing every night. She crawls under the covers with me. She turns around in circles at least three times. Then she plops down and sighs a deep sigh. Why? Oh, and the way when she’s in her own bed how she scrapes up the blanket and piles it this way and that, only to do that turn around and around and plop and sigh. Sometimes I wish I could read her mind to see WHY she does these things.

But I digress. Blue is the word.

I think I am avoiding it. I keep hearing Cabaret in my head and feel it is time to rewatch it. I know a lot of people are discovering 1984. If we aren’t careful and learn the good our country has to offer in constitutional law and “We the people…” who are the popular vote, we could find ourselves singing Cabaret as was sung in the last scene.

Blue is such a lovely color. Why is it given to the word that means depressed or apathetic? I love the ocean. But surrounded by the sea and sky with no land in sight, possibly falling in and being engulfed–that is the ‘blue’ that is painting my world lately. Loving so many people that just don’t see the world the way I do. That I feel are singing the opening scene of the play. Blue.

Much as we want to bring our friends and family to our way of thinking, it can’t be done. It’s all emotion and little reason, even when facts are right there. I get it. There are beliefs I have that no fact can change, beliefs that give me faith and hope. But at some point, we have to realize the truth, even if it throws us for a loop. Walk in the other person’s shoes.  Allow for those emotions. But somehow, before the end of this play, we need to remember. Before we find ourselves surrounded, engulfed by this sad blue ocean and drowning in something we can’t pull ourselves out of.

This meandering BLUE is brought to you by Linda G Hill. Thank you for helping me write every day of January! What happens in February?

 

#JusJoJan Daily Prompt – Jan. 29th/17–History

After much thought on the subject–the history of my life, in fact. This is the shortest blog for me. I hate history. I prefer Herstory. See all my reviews to understand.

Prompt of History brought by KL Caley

Thank you, Linda G Hill for a wonderful month. What will I do to continue this next month?

Ferocious Women

I loved this so much I had to share.

Friendly Fairy Tales

Ferocious Women
who never bring you coffee
dream in poetry

View original post 533 more words

#SoCS and #JusJoJan Jan. 28/17–wood/would

wood/would

wood/would wood/would

wood/would wood/would wood/would

There. Now that we’ve piled them up neatly we can start a good fire to keep us warm while we let our collective consciousness flow. Nice. Hot cocoa and marshmallows would be nice. But in all this imagining, I feel one consciousness. Everyone seems off on their own ventures so I guess this one is up to me. Pass the melty s’more? Please? Please? Please?

The empty echo reminded me that I may be one of the only folks in the world who has never had one of those yummy tidbits. Went camping with the family all of my childhood yet no one in my family had ever eaten one–at least back then. Now, with diabetes, I guess it is good no one is here to pass me one. They do sound decadent.

All this reminds me of those camping days. The family would go on three-week vacations. Mom saved up every penny and Dad saved up every bit of vacation time. I had a love-hate relationship with camping. I have memories of sitting up on the highest rocks with pencils, crayons, papers to draw on and lots of books. Those peaceful moments away from family were the best.

I have memories of sitting up on the highest rocks with pencils, crayons, papers to draw on and lots of books. Those peaceful moments away from family were the best.

Waking in the cold with the tiny pebbles eating their way through flattened blowup raft-bed, sleeping bag, and my very flesh. Not the best memory. Worse, waiting for the sun to warm the world enough to crawl out of the sleeping bag to make the mad rush to the stinky non-flushable toilet maddeningly painful.

Evening ranger talks and sing-a-longs with educational slides–wonderful! Daytime hikes with rangers to learn of local flora and fauna–Heavenly.

Dirty nails, dirty everything. Cold baths in the tent. Dragging heavy pails of water from the faucet that seemed miles away, getting to camp soaking wet from being splashed the whole way, then still having to wash dishes in the plastic container–Ugh!

Was it any wonder that by the time I was an adult I refused to camp unless there was an automatic dishwasher, washer, dryer, full bathroom facilities, comfy beds, etc.?

Still, I remember the time, BC (before children), that their father and I were forced to camp out under the stars. We got to camp too late to set up a tent.We zipped our sleeping bags together to make it cozy for the newlyweds we were. A biker had this campsite alone and he invited us to share his site. A little scary but he seemed nice. But the biker would prove to be the least of our worries.

As morning came around I heard bumping and crashing. An old pro at camping, I knew bears were looking for food. I was on my back looking up at the sky through the tree branches. Suddenly a big black nose was sniffing at my nose. I closed my eyes and hoped sniffing was all this brute was going to do. As soon as I felt the footsteps walking away, I nudged my husband and whispered, “Bear.”

No sooner had I said that there was a great big string of obscenities shouted as the biker woke to the same visitor. He scared the bear so much that the bear knocked everything off the table and cookstove and slid down the hill out of sight. The biker was pretty shook-up until he started laughing.

The bear had left a huge path of catsup, mustard, and other foods strewn all over then on either side of the bear butt prints all the way down the hill.

Good times! Let’s sing: The Bear Went Over the Mountain…

Now let’s recite:  How much wood would a woodchuck chuck… Ah, never mind.

Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday and Just Jot It January is: “wood/would.” Use one, use both, use them any way you would like. Have fun!

Thank you, Linda G Hill for a fun January! Whoever would have thought I would get through a whole month of blogging daily?

#JusJoJan Daily Prompt – Jan. 27th/17–Incomplete

Hi Cyn Thank you for the prompt of the day. Incomplete.

Thank you, Linda G Hill for the fun of Just Jot It January!

Incomplete

Here are two hats and a scarf that I am currently working on. I always have three to five or more projects going at the same time. And that is true today. I have two more shawls and a doll and gloves all in various stages of incomplete. For many that would be unbearable. Especially, if they are goal oriented. But I have found that my hands hurt less when I switch around between projects. And some projects use all my concentration, those that take constant counting, like the green hat on the purple loom. The white hat on the light green oval loom is the most comfortable as it is loose with no counting. The scarf is just a garter stitch, knit a row purl coming back, on the smaller oval loom. Yes, all are incomplete but make me absolutely happy as I chug along. It isn’t the destination, as they say, it is the trip getting there. In this case, I go into physical shock when I’ve completed something. I need to find the next and get started NOW. That goes for my knitting and reading the most.

#JusJoJan Daily Prompt – Jan. 26th/17–Extraordinary

The Just Jot It January 26th prompt, brought to you by Kelli of Forty, c’est Fantastique! is: “Extraordinary.” Use it any way you’re inspired to. And make sure you stop by and say hi to Kelli as well! Here’s her blog:  https://fortyandfantastique.wordpress.com/ .

Extraordinary

 The only thing I can say is that life is extraordinary! I can’t believe how fast a day goes nowadays. How can that be when I am just at home not doing more than knitting (loom), hitting FaceBook, taking the dog out, doing dishes. You know, those ordinary things.

Okay, yesterday and today I felt the need to play a game or two. They’re those hidden objects games, Return to Ravenhearst and Love Story: A Beach Cottage. Every now and then I feel the need to change it up. I let time lapse between playing so I don’t get used to the games and they stay the challenge. I know, I don’t do the shoot ’em ups. Never could quite figure those out. My kids love them: EQ etc.

But I only played yesterday and today. These are the only time wasters I feel I have in my life. I do have the TV on. I do that so that I have something to distract me from my fibro. And it gives me background noise for the knitting. I need no meds if I can be distracted enough. I think that is better for me than any of the drugs the doctors have put me through.

The snow is melting. The sun was shining. That made today extraordinary. I actually stepped off the porch and walked a few feet with the dog and didn’t feel I was going to slip or soak my only-in-crocs feet. That was special. That and doing a Goggle Hang-0ut with a special friend.

Well, though I did do my Spanish for the day. I need to at least put in a few minutes on German before I go to bed. Hubby is already asleep. Vicodin is doing its job. Night, everyone, I hope your life is extraordinary, too!

Thank you, Linda G Hill for this fun blogging experience and all the help and encouragement along the way!

One-Liner Wednesday & #JusJoJan 25/17 Prompt

When will spring get here?

Congratulations, Linda G Hill!

#JusJoJan Daily Prompt – Jan 23rd Compromise

Compromise

Well, I just realized that my computer calendar says it is 12:32 AM on 1/25/2017. Yet I know for a fact that it is 11:34 on the 24th. Is there a compromise for this? I guess I will need to check the clock on my computer when I am finished writing all this. Hopefully, this is something fixable. I think it may have happened when we had our last fall back/spring forward thingie. I hate those and I guess my computer hates them, too.

Compromise seems to be something missing in the political system for quite some time now. That is very sad. And it has led us all into some really strange and scary times. But that is all I will say on that matter.

What might be even better is the way the mister and I handle our disgrumpiness. That is all I can call our disagreements. We are usually a bit grumpy and disagreeable when we need to find answers–we laugh. We make fun of ourselves and realize that being kind to each other will get us farther than grumping back and forth. It works for us and has for more than 2 decades. Choosing our battles and finding common ground within the ‘fight’ is indeed humor. The minute we can take ourselves lightly we can find what small compromises might be necessary but quite bearable.

Okay, I could go on but it is after midnight and I am sure I am late for this one for sure!

Thank you, Linda G Hill for JusJoJan and Ritu of But I Smile Anyway for the prompt.