Book Review 
Title of the Book: Mindful musings & Peaceful ponderings
Author's Name:     Manali Desai 
Available on:     Amazon   
 

About the Author :

Manali is a full-time freelance writer, editor, and blogger. She has had experience in fields like marketing, teaching, and content writing. Currently, apart from her ad hoc writing & editing assignments, she is a partner with Pachyderm Tales. She finds solace in the company of books and runs her blog which is a potpourri of her thoughts, contemplations, and musings that range from stories to poems to book reviews and many things more. She is an active book reviewer as well as a voracious reader. Her books titled: “The untold stories” and “The art of being grateful & other stories” have brought a lot of recognition to her and she has gained an appreciation for the same. In the year 2019, her story “The Walls Have Ears” won the best short story award. She has also won the Best Author: Fiction Award, and the Book of the Year title in 2021 for her debut novel, Love ( Try ) Angle, This book is her second poetry Anthology.

Narration: This book is a collection of 50 poems that have been artistically presented in this book by the Author. The portrayal of various human emotions finds a place in this anthology. The poet swiftly glides from one emotion to the other and captures the essence of feelings that we all go through from time to time. The use of illustrations and the embedded videos are very different and it definitely gives the book a very unique touch.

Book Cover & Title:

I loved the book cover which is so unique and intriguing at the same time. The dual shade color and the blurred merging of them signify that there is meaning in duality which this book tries to decode!

Content:

Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found its words- Robert Frost.

Writing poetry is not for all because probably those who feel deeply are able to write poetically. Manali, in her book tries to bind feelings with her words and gives them shapes through poetry. This book is a collection of fifty poems that make one pause & reflect. The poems are easily relatable and touch upon many aspects of life ! The skillfully crafted verses showcase that life is different for all and that everyone goes through different emotions at different levels. Ranging from anger, grief, love, and body shaming, the Author has brilliantly touched upon many shades of life.

When you read the poems, you quickly get the emotion behind them but what is unique is somewhere or the other it feels personal and we are reminded of an event that we might have experienced in the past. This kind of keeps the readers interested. The poems are short but the depth of emotions displayed is huge.

Each poem has a distinct pattern, whether it’s the rhyming pattern or the way it is presented, and each one is different from the others. One can finish this book in one sitting and this is sure to warm your heart and will make you realize many flashback moments or experiences and one can strongly relate to the emotions being talked about. Some of the poems are also inspirational and show that we all go through downfalls but what is essential is getting up and keep giving your best. I appreciate the concise, artistic & unique verses created by Manali which are like beautiful paintings on the wall, each with its own color; each with its own pattern! Some of my favorite poems are Moments of Joy, Scared for life, Hello, Old Friend, Lost at First Sight , Strength , not strong & Closer Than They Appear apart among many others.

A few lines from the poem Moments of joy which I loved is as below:

A few sources of joy
Bucket full of popcorn with your favourite movie
Catching up with an old friend
Discovering a new place do
Endings that turn out better than you expected to
Finding money in the pocket of your trousers have
Going out for a walk on a sunny day in your trousers ... 

Want to know some such more moments that bring real joy? All you have to do is grab this book which is available on Amazon as an E-book and enjoy it. A must-read for all poetry lovers.

Love,

Chinmayee