Smorgasbord Cafe and Bookstore – Author Updates – #Poetry Balroop Singh, #Children Janice Spina, #Poetry Bette A. Stevens

Welcome to the third update this week for authors on the shelves of the bookstore with recent reviews.

The first author today is Balroop Singh with a review for her poetry collection Timeless Echoes.

About the book

Certain desires and thoughts remain within our heart, we can’t express them, we wait for the right time, which never comes till they make inroads out of our most guarded fortresses to spill on to the pages of our choice. This collection is an echo of that love, which remained obscure, those yearnings that were suppressed, the regrets that we refuse to acknowledge. Many poems seem personal because they are written in first person but they have been inspired from the people around me – friends and acquaintances who shared their stories with me.

Some secrets have to remain buried because they are ours
We do share them but only with the stars
The tears that guarded them were as precious as flowers
Soothing like balm on festering scars.

While there are no boxes for grief and joy, some persons in our life are more closely associated with these emotions. Their separation shatters us, their memories echo, we grieve but life does not stagnate for anyone…it is more like a river that flows despite the boulders. When imagination and inspiration try to offer solace, poetry that you are about to read springs forth.

A recent review for the collection

Robbie Cheadle 5.0 out of 5 stars Deep and meaningful freestyle poetry January 22, 2020

I started reading this collection of poetry by Ms Singh without reading the blurb and I soon picked up the subtle undertones of wistfulness and almost melancholy that run through these poems, linking them all with this common theme. This did make sense to me as the book is called Timeless Echoes. After I had finished the book, I looked up the blurb and knew that the emotions I had sensed were indeed a vital part of the book as the poems are intended to reverberate with the reader in the manner of the echoes of past loves, yearnings and regrets.

This is not to say that the poems are sad or depressing as there are many delightfully uplifting ideas that support the fact that who we are is a factor of the events and circumstances of our lives. The echoes of past joys, pains, trails, failures and successes are woven through the fabric of our souls.

“The dew on my dreams is still fresh

Sunbeams add a sparkle” is one of these inspirational lines from a poem called Echoes Of Life.

Some of the poems dwell on a love lost in the past:

“I know I made a wrong choice

Intoxicated by the wine of youth” from Silent Echo are lines from such a poem.

The poem reflects on life’s fleetingness and impermanence:

“Echoing within her … nothing is permanent from Captive.

There are reminiscences of love lost or unworthy:

“Dark despotic attitude…

Arguments I could never win” from Sardonic Shadows

I enjoyed these deep and meaningful freestyle poems and recommend this book to lovers of poetry and life.

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US

And: Amazon UK

Also by Balroop Singh

Read the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US

and : Amazon UK

Read more reviews and follow Balroop on: Goodreads

Connect to Balroop via her blog: Balroop Singh on WordPress

Now a recent review for the third book in the Abby and Holly Series: Secrets of the Trunk by award winning author Janice Spina..

About the book

Join Abby and Holly in Book 3 as the cousins discover a new presence in their old Victorian while they are cleaning out the library of old books. They are not sure if this specter is benign or otherwise. This being leads them to the old trunk they discovered in Book 2 which holds many secrets and puzzles that they feel compelled to solve.

They enlist the help of their ghost friend, Felicity, who inhabits their home. She is a benevolent entity that once lived in their house from a century ago. She watches over the girls and vows never to leave them unless they request her to do so.

There will be surprises and ghostly visits that will keep readers enthralled as Abby and Holly work together to uncover the secrets of the trunk.

One of the recent reviews for the book

Nov 24, 2019 Victoria Zigler rated it it was amazing Five Stars

This was an excellent read for middle graders, and those who are grown up but still enjoy children’s stories – especially fans of paranormal mysteries. The whole series teaches valuable life lessons children should be taught – and even some of us adults could sometimes do with a reminder of – but in a fun way. As with the previous books, this one has a fantastic plot, and a wonderful cast of well-rounded and relatable characters.

A very small selection of children’s books by Janice Spina

Also as J.E. Spina

Read the reviews and buy the books:  Amazon US

and on: Amazon UK

Find more reviews and follow Janice: Goodreads

Connect to Janice via her blog: Jem’s Books

The final author and poet today is Bette A. Stevens and a recent review for her poetry collection My Maine.

About My Maine

Inspired by The Pine Tree State—Maine’s diverse landscape, natural beauty, rural communities, and independent people—the author’s 150 haiku poems, along with her photographs, reflect the Maine she knows and loves. Bette A. Stevens’s imagery draws the reader into her world of wonder and delight. My Maine takes readers on a poetic journey through Maine’s four seasons. Whether you’re a native Mainer or from away, Stevens’s short story poems and photographs will resonate.

The collection opens with a haiku tribute, “Maine Pines and People.” The journey continues with the rejuvenating spirit of “Spring Awakenings” and “Summer Songs”; then on to more of the magic and majesty of the places and people of Maine in “Autumn Leaves” and “Winter Tales.” This is a poetry collection to be slowly savored, made even more delectable with the author’s original drawings and photographs. In addition to its poems and photographs, My Maine includes state symbols and interesting facts about The Pine Tree State.

One of the recent reviews for the collection

Annika 5.0 out of 5 stars A Precious & Beautiful Book that captures the very heart of Maine!

13 January 2020

‘My Maine’ is a gem of a poetry book celebrating the state of Maine through 150 haikus. Bette A. Stevens captures the essence and heart of Maine with wonderful and evocative poetry that flows easily from one to the next. Divided into four seasons each page is accompanied by a photograph taken by the poet, all stunning, reflecting the brimming beauty of her words. I am in awe how the poet has not only managed to bring alive the grandeur of the landscape, its mountains, pine trees and lakes but also writes with skill and a sense of humour about the minutiae of life in the state! The writer’s keen observation of life is evident throughout and her passion for nature and the wildlife is extraordinary and she conveys this to the reader with exemplary skill. This is a book I treasure and which I’ve read many times. I’m absolutely captivated by the ‘story’ of Maine, a state I feel I can now rightly call, every so slightly, ‘My Maine’!

Read the reviews and buy the book: Amazon US

And : Amazon UK

Also by Bette A. Stevens

Read all the reviews and buy the books: Amazon US

and Amazon UK: Amazon UK

Read more reviews and follow Bette: Goodreads

Connect to Bette A. Stevens via her blog:  4 Writers and Readers

Thanks for checking in today and I hope you will be leaving with some books under your arm.. thanks Sally.