Down Time, and a review!

I've not done much this week, not much at all. I thought I was getting better from these allergies, but they've just eased off a little, not totally gone! And they're still draining me, I still have headaches daily, still stuffed up, still coughing, I have hardly any energy at all -what's a girl to do?  Well, I could knit or I could read . . . . Or, I could do BOTH :-)  And of course that's exactly what I have been doing, knitting and reading - two of my favorite things!

A few months ago I was contacted by a local writer! Jeremy came across my blog then emailed me to ask if I would be interested in reviewing a book he was soon to have published. I wasn't sure whether I would or not at first, I'm not really that good at writing reviews, I either like a book or I don't, or I think it was just ok! But I thought about it and finally said yes, I'd read the book and review it for him. I thought at the time the book was a novel, but it's actually a collection of short stories.  To be honest I've never really read short stories other than a few from 'Chicken Soup for the Soul'!  

A passionate December love affair.
The meeting of an unexpected traveler.
The consequences of protecting a young new acquaintance.
A journey into an unknown past.

In the stories of While I’m Still Myself, Jeremy Lane eloquently describes the life changing impact of the brief encounter, showing that life and love are not shaped by an entire lifetime, but by the fleeting moments with unexpected people in unexpected places.

I've really enjoyed reading these short stories, I'd like to read more. "A Brief Encounter"! It makes me think about the reasons people come in to our lives, some for a reason, some for a season. I would think it must be hard to write a short story knowing you have to develop the characters quickly so as to captivate your audience - just my opinion, because I really know nothing about writing stories - but isn't that what we like about the novels we enjoy, getting to know and like (or dislike) the characters involved. I think Jeremy has done a great job with these stories, the characters were warm and very likable, I like his style of writing. I can see myself reading more of his stories on my Ipad at bedtime. You get a nice sense of accomplishment when you read something from beginning to end, just before you turn out the light :-)  I don't want to say anything about the actual stories themselves, for fear I would give too much away. I will say I think my favorite story was 'The Guest' :-)

While I'm Still Myself is due for release on January 10th. You can also check out some of Jeremy's other books on his website JeremyMarkLane.com They're available on Kindle, Nook and other devices!

 

My thanks to Jeremy for the opportunity to review his book.