The Grey Forest - Maureen A. Griswold (Review)

The Grey Forest by Maureen A. Griswold
Genres:  Fiction, Short Story
Publication date: January 25th 2016
Publisher: Smashwords Edition
Format: ebook, 76 pages
How I got it: From Maureen Griswold in order to provide an honest review
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My rating: 4/5
 
Yes, traveler, you’ve discovered

The Grey Forest

You’ve arrived at a crosspoint: a collection of short stories from a parallel terrain of shadow and light, of illusion and truth, of mystery and revelation.

* a Tibetan mandala services the enigmatic, reclusive, son of a Silicon Valley magnate.

* mysterious mental imagery spontaneously appears to young Army nurse.

* a unique U.S. mass shooting poses a special challenge for an iconic gun lobbyist.

* when a foolish marketing letter is mailed to a long-departed businessman, an unexpected, otherworldly, response results.

* for a few predestined moments, an unlikely pair of soulmates find each other.

These and other stories await and beckon. Breathe deep and step into a landscape of twists, turns, and ironies in this collection of tales from The Grey Forest.

..............................................................................

  

My thoughts:

The Grey Forest is a book of short stories.

The first story talks about a son who recently lost his very wealthy father.  The son is a Buddhist who is trying to figure out what to do with his father’s fortune and also wants to continue to practice Buddhism.   The father names the son the same name so he could pass on the legacy.   The ending of this story is great! I think it is unexpected what the son did and the monk seemed scared! 

The second story follows a military nurse who goes from studying to practicing nursing.  The guy she meets along the way deceived her and was married.  It was an interesting read and I love the ending of trust. 

The third story talks about mass shootings and gun control laws.  The story is a very interesting read and ironic.  I enjoyed what the author did with this piece a lot.    This by far was my favorite short story and one that applies to the everyday now. 

The fourth short story talks about a mother and son where the son was paralyzed who visited a shop a bunch to buy some pieces for a collection or browse.  The owner really liked talking to this pair and learned a lot of about the mother and son during their visits.  I think the author did a great job with this story and showing how the owner of the shop found peace.  Also, I think the author did a good job explaining how sometimes after a tragedy occurs people work on it and then sort of forget about it and move on.  The author had great points in this short story.  This story was my favorite by far I could easily relate to the story and found interesting views of the author. 

The firth story is about a Dead Man’s mail which I can completely relate too.  I am not sure why these companies sending mail don’t take the time to see if the person is alive or even living at that address.  This is a quick read that in my mind is very funny!! 

The sixth story talks about the war in Iraq.  This story takes an interesting view based on not everyone supporting the war right away.  It looks at the war based on it going on for one month.  The author does a great job telling a story about a child who was harmed in Iraq and showing that innocent civilians where involved.   It does a great job showing that people can change their opinions.  

The seventh story talks about four high school girls who are not good at sports.  I enjoyed this story I can relate to being uncoordinated when it comes to sports.   

The eighth story talks about a cartoonist who created a fake boy and fake mother.  When the storyteller was at a fair she met the real boy who the fake boy was based on.  He was a Marine serving in Vietnam.  The father and son did not get along in real life and had a bad relationship.  The storyteller took it upon herself to research the pair a few years later and only found that the real boy didn’t attend the father’s funeral.   This story wasn’t really for me, I am not sure why but I couldn’t relate. 

The ninth and final story follows a woman who lost everything when her husband committed fraud at his company.  Her son committed suicide and her husband died in jail.  She was without everything now in the world she loved.  She goes to visit sick children who soon will not be living any longer.  It is in giving these children some of her time she finds what pure love was.  This was an interesting story to read and an interesting perspective the author took. 

I enjoyed reading this short story book.  I would suggest this as a read for the beach, each story gives you a lot to think about and ponder.  Some stories I had to reread since I felt like I wanted to hear it again and see what I missed.  

I would also suggest this as a great book for a book club.  There are so many topics covered and the author takes one approach so it would bring up great discussions. 

I received a copy of this book from Maureen Griswold for the purpose of providing an honest review.  This does not effect my opinion of this book. 

 ..............................................................................

About the Author

Maureen A. Griswold has authored fiction and nonfiction. She resides in northern California.

After serving in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps, she returned to her alma mater, San Jose State University, and earned her journalism degree. She was senior editor for the (former) California Nursing Review, a bimonthly magazine for California RNs and eventually worked as a medical writer in the pharmaceutical industry.

More information is available at her website, Facebook, LinkedIn, and her YouTube channel.

Author Links:

  

Royal Day Out - Meg Cabot (Book Review)

Royal Day Out: A From the Notebooks for a Middle School Princess e-short by Meg Cabot
Series From The Notebooks of a Middle School Princess #1.5
Genres: Short Story, Middle Grade
Publication date: May 10th, 2016
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Format: ebook, 33 pages
How I got it: Netgalley Publisher Approval
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
My rating: 4/5
 
Olivia Grace Clarisse Mignonette Harrison never thought that being a real life PRINCESS OF GENOVIA could ever be boring, but with all of the new vans and paparazzi staked out in front of the palace, the whole family has been on lockdown for weeks. So when Grandmere suggests a shopping trip to buy a small present for Princess Mia, Olivia jumps at the chance—especially since the shopping trip comes with the promise of lunch at the Royal Genovian Yacht Club (makers of the best ice cream sundae in the world)! Surely nothing could go wrong with such a simple day out, could it?

A quick shopping trip with her royal Grandmere turns into a much bigger deal than Olivia Grace, the newest Princess of Genovia expected in this e-short edition to Meg Cabot's illustrated chapter book series From the Notebooks of a Middle School Princess.

..............................................................................

  

My thoughts:

I haven't read a Meg Cabot book in a little while, but do love her writing style.  The stories are always super cute and a light-hearted read! 

This book follows Olivia and her grandmother on a day out around town.  Olivia is new to being a Princess of Genovia and still learning how to be a princess.  Grandmere has been a princess in Genovia for a long time is set in her own ways.  Olivia really looks up to her Grandmere and does enjoy a day out.  They are trying to find a gift for her sister Mia and also going to the Genovian Yacht Club for lunch.  Olivia loves the Yacht Club because they always bring her exactly what she loves! 

This book is a super short read and very cute! There is a little bit of action and some comedy, which makes it a fun read.  I haven't read the previous books before this, but you don't need to read them to understand what is going on. 

Olivia is a super cute character that the author developed who is trying to learn her role as a new princess.  She is easy to relate to because sometimes children are just trying to learn there way around.  Also, Olivia is very respectful of Grandmere, which is refreshing to read.

I would suggest this as a quick read when you really need an escape or a change up between your reading.  It didn't take long to read and it was funny!   
 
I was received this book from the Netgalley for the purpose of providing an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

 ..............................................................................

About the Author

Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.

She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.

Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.

Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.

Author Links: