Weepin' Willa by Nariscia Lott

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Extraordinary and Honest

Weepin' Willa by Nariscia Lott is her first book of short stories which revolved from her past to present life. At first, I asked myself how I should read this book because as you may see, the stories are not in chronological order, but as I continue reading each story, I begin to understand why she wrote her book this way. Her stories are so real you can even see the characters' faces, smell their skin, touch and feel their emotions and even hear their heartbeat as they entwined their selves to the stories. Each character has its own color and vivid image that you will never forget.

Somehow the way Ms. Lott wrote her stories are what readers really missed from reading books. Though I'm not against with the edited versions but the way Weepin' Willa was presented is like as if Ms. Lott is actually sitting right next to you with a cup of lavender tea on hand while she unfolds all her happiness, sadness, loss and even her deepest secrets to you. You'd feel like as if you are Ms. Lott's best friend.

Weepin' Willa is a kind of book that will make you look out in the window and sigh and think about how you live your life. Her stories were filled with love, faith and straight from the heart words. No hypocrisy. Just plain love, love and more love.

No wonder Weepin' Willa, the tree, just keeps on shedding those tears for Ms. Lott's first collection of short stories is so deeply felt and beautiful. One of the many books I will never forget.

Lanie Shanzyra Rebancos is a published author of three anthologies, a book reviewer, Pushcart Prize nominee and one of the associates editors of Canadian Zen Haiku Journal. You may see more of her works at http://cobwebsandmemories.blogspot.com/

And Thereby Hangs a Tale by Jeffrey Archer

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Telling short stories is something that comes naturally to Sir Jeffrey Archer. His entertaining, stylish and witty short stories are just the right showcase for his expertise of characterization as well as unexpected plot twists in the story. The book And Thereby Hangs a Tale gives you all the reasons to understand why Jeffrey Archer is one of the bestselling authors of the world. All the short stories collections produced by him so far have turned out to be among the top ten bestsellers.

Consistently Producing Bestsellers

His books have sold more than 210 million copies all over the world and these include A Twist in the Tale, Kane and Abel and Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less. His most recent novel titled Paths of Glory ruled the Sunday Times Bestseller list for more than two months. He himself appears to be very well satisfied with the youth of the country and says they read well and are not at all swayed by Television and Internet.

The Effort That Goes Into the Book

When new writers look towards him for advice, he says he puts in about 1000 hours of hard work to write just one book. He further says it's essential to read a lot in order to become a better writer as great writing can only emerge from great reading. The author also says the Indians have great taste for stories, as they love stories which have beginning, middle and an end, and preferably, a twist in the tale also. Malgudi days is a perfect example of that, says Sir Jeffrey.

Based On His Own Experiences
There is a story in the latest collection about an Indian couple titled Caste-Off which touched Sir Jeffrey the most. It is about an inter-caste marriage and the consequences suffered by the couple due to the marriage. The collection reflects Sir Jeffrey's own experiences in the last six years, the book contains 15 short stories, complete with wit, entertainment and of course, great punch lines.

Some Stories Will Be Relished More

The story Members Only is about the young man who tries hard to get into a prestigious Golf Club. It is a typical Archer book, therefore the language had to be solid and lucid at the same time. All the stories are so different, but the readers are likely to relish some stories such as "The Queen's Birthday Telegram" and "The Undiplomatic Diplomat" more than the others. Some stories, however, are somewhat predictable but it only happens when you have read numerous such stories. These stories have been collected from all over the world and they come from as far as Germany, Italy, UK, France, and of course one from India.

The author Prasoon Kumar works for http://www.uread.com/ which is the leading online bookstore that offers all the current and all time great titles at never before prices. Sir Jeffrey Archer has established himself as the top author in the short stories genre. His latest book available at http://www.uread.com/book/and-thereby-hangs-tale-jeffrey/9780330513685 at huge discounts shows us just that.