Bitmo Sunday book review

Sunday Book Review – Featuring Sally Cronin’s #NewRelease – Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries

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Welcome to my Sunday Book Review. Today is somewhat of a double-header for my friend and author/blogger Sally Cronin. I recently invited Sally over for a Q & A where we got some good insights from her on marketing and blogging and more, as I featured her newest release, which I’m featuring here today again with my review – Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries – Some Bitter, Some Sweet.

 

For those of you who enjoy Sally’s heartfelt stories that pack a punch in the heart zone, and for those of you who’ve yet to enjoy one of Sally’s books – Sally never disappoints! Sally takes us into stories sure to tug at our hearts in her latest book of heartfelt stories and accompanying poetry.

 

 

Blurb:

Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries: Sometimes Bitter, Sometimes Sweet is a collection of short stories with scattered poetry, reflecting the complexities of life, love and loss.

The stories in the collection dip into the lives of men and women who are faced with an ‘event’ that is challenging and in some cases life changing.

Even something as straightforward as grocery shopping online can be frustrating, and a DNA test produces surprise results, the past reaches out to embrace the present, and a gardening assistant is an unlikely grief counsellor. Romance is not always for the faint-hearted and you are never too old for love. Random acts of kindness have far reaching consequences and some people discover they are on a lucky streak. There are those watching over us who wish us well, and those in our lives who wish us harm.

 

My 5 Star Review:

I was eagerly looking forward to Sally Cronin’s latest book of short stories that take us in and to other places and time. And although each story is individual to itself, as with all of Cronin’s stories, they share a common theme – kindness, humility and the human condition.

Cronin writes stories about everyday humans, situations, love, loss, courage and hope. Several of the stories end or begin with an accompanying poem which reflects on the tone of the story. The author has an innate gift for syllabic poetry – especially the Cinquain.

I love the title of this book because, as it implies, such as in life we enjoy the sweet moments, but must also endure the bitter sometimes in life. The book reads like an anthology, encompassing stories that warm our hearts, as well as a few surprise stories with a futuristic edge – that may not really be so far in the future.

Just a sampling of a few of my favorites in this book are:

The Weekly Shopping – The first of the stories to grab our attention where Barbara encounters what many of us feel nowadays – Big Brother watching our every move. But how far is far enough?

Winning Streak – “They say you can’t buy happiness, but you will be surprised by the power of a fiver in the hands of the right people.” This poem alludes to two of Cronin’s stories about luck, below.

The Scratch Card – following circumstances after Elsie Thompson wins $20 on a scratch card, and we discover how much those meager winnings hugely touch a few people’s lives as ‘pay it forward’ progresses.

The Charity Shop – have you ever had the good fortune to find a sweet cheap deal in a charity shop? Find out what Mary Jane picked up for a ‘fiver’ and how it changed many other lives.

The Date – Elsie Windsor buys a raffle ticket, hoping to win the tin of biscuits and wins a lot more than she could even imagine. At age 95, Elsie is not too old to feel young again.

Friday Night – An empowering little tale about Lizzie who learns her value and takes back her power.

Gaffer Tape – More Karma, and a bit of sweet deserved revenge when Jennifer has taken back her power and teaches her husband a well-needed lesson.

The Florist – It’s never too late for dreams to come true, even when you think love has passed you by.

Sally Cronin is known for her books that go straight to the heart, so if you enjoy feel good stories for a lift, you will surely enjoy this latest book of heartfelt stories.

 

Sally Cronin's Books

Visit Sally’s books on Amazon

 

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54 thoughts on “Sunday Book Review – Featuring Sally Cronin’s #NewRelease – Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries”

  3. Hi Debby, Congratulations to Sally on her new release, and it’s lovely to see it here. I love how you’ve written this fabulous review, really whetting our appetite with some of the stories. I’m reading it at the moment, and loving it. Toni x

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  6. Hi Debby – thank for writing up about Sally’s short stories … just right for reading at this time of year – always something else to do.

    I do hope all goes well with you – take care … and lots of thoughts … Hilary

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      2. Thanks Terri. And right, who doesn’t love short stories? I love them, they’re bite-sized to either read in a sitting, or come back to each new story – kind of like how I write too. ❤

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  8. Nice work on the review, Debby! I know that I’m going to enjoy Sally’s book from the samplings. I normally read things in order from the date I pick them up on my Kindle, but I’ll move this one up past many of the other books waiting to be read. I’m doing that for two reasons: (1) It is a small token of my thanks to Sally for being such a fantastic supporter of the indie community. (2) Having read three of her earlier titles, I know it will be great.

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    2. Thanks for the lovely comment Pete and that means a great deal.. my apologies to the authors who I am leap frogging…only a short read so hopefully won’t old them up too long.. Merry Christmas…xx

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  9. Debby! I have ben looking forward to your review! What a gift you’ve shared here. I am now reading this book and, in lieu of my forthcoming review, once finished, I can say now I concur with your well-wrought words. Our Sally is SOMETHING! So impressed!

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  15. Your review made me laugh, Debby. I had the same problem picking favorites – I wanted to list them all. I whittled my list down, but I see you went for it and just listed the table of contents. LOL. I love your enthusiasm. It’s a wonderful read. Kudos to Sally, and Merry Christmas to you both! See you in the new year!

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    2. Thanks again Diana for your review and I have had an amazing couple of weeks which finishes off this disfunctional year with something special.. I am hopeful it will continue into 2021 … enjoy your break..hugs ♥

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  17. I love the title of Sally’s new book as well, Debby. She couldn’t have picked a better one. Thank you for this lovely review – I enjoyed reading the snippets you included here – and I agree this would-be the perfect book to read during these challenging times!

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  18. I love Sally’s stories and books, and it’s one piece of good news in this less-than-stellar year. Thanks for your review, Debby. The book sounds gorgeous and a perfect self-gift for Christmas. Take care and congratulations to Sally!

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  19. Debby, after reading Sally’s latest book and posting a review on it, I found that your review in some ways complimented mine but also added so much to it. We all have our own take on what we read and what we retain. Your review emphazed the kindness and humility of humanity. Also, I hadn’t connected the peoms to the stories. Thanks for pointing this out. 🙂 ❤

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    1. Thanks so much for your compliment Carol. I read your beautiful review too. I love reading reviews of others to see what they got out of a same book I read or want to read. I see you are the same. 🙂 ❤

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