We often get suggestions for new features for our site. We note them all down and introduce the ones we are interested in, one of which was a book recommendation feature. There are many cases in which we get submissions for book reviews, but we cannot review them all, as we get hundreds of reviews requests per month. Instead, we do look over the submissions, and if a book stands out to us, we now offer book recommendations for our readers. However, it is important to note that we don't just recommend books we don't have time to review, the books we choose to recommend possess the quality standard that we require from books to even be featured on our site. These books are represented by true professionals in the publishing industry and are written by authors that possess and invaluable talent and respect for the publishing industry. As the saying goes, many authors write books not because they want to be authors, but because they want to have been published; we can recognize the latter, and do not reserve space for these.
This next book is the first feature of our Book Recommendation section.
At First Glance
Pieces Like Pottery: Stories of Loss and Redemption
Author: Dan Buri
Publisher: DJB Publishing
Pages: 179 (Print)
Amazon Rating: 4 Stars w/ 24 reviews
Short Stories: 9
This this book captured our attention, because it's one of the few short story compilations that we receive. We don't often review or select short story books, because they lack a bit of substance if not written in a very powerful manner. This book, however, includes five sorrowful mysteries, which have all of the ingredients to produce a powerful, poetic description of a tale the author is trying to tell. In the publishing industry there is something deeply connective about classic tragedies and sorrowful mysteries. They are outlets for emotions that live deep within our souls, often never seeing the light of day, because there aren't many art forms available that can reach into our inner selves and pull these emotions out. Tragedies and sorrowful Mysteries do.
We came across a two-star review on Amazon that read: “Basically this is the story of the stress and endurance of a rocky love. Of course, some might appreciate this, but others might find it a bit of.....(yawn.)”
We have to personally say that this person does not understand what a sorrowful mystery is. In reference to the first tale, “The Gravesite”, the reviewer talks about the author’s poetic description of a floundering love and all of the heart-wrenching emotions that come with it, the disappointment of losing a planned future. In this case, the author has done his job.
There is a great selection here, the book includes nine short stories, well above the usual 5 included in most books of the genre; and there is a story for everyone.
Stories Included:
The Gravesite
(The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery)
The Dominance of Nurture
Twenty-Two
(The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery)
Breathe
Expect Dragons
(The Third Sorrowful Mystery)
Dies Cum Anxieta
Father
(The Second Sorrowful Mystery)
Two Friends
The Ballad of Love & Hate
(The First Sorrowful Mystery)
Our Recommendation
We recommend this book as a good “in between” book. Avid readers tend to take breaks in between reading books because they either don't have enough time to commit to one book given all of their other responsibilities, or they're just not ready to jump into a new world with new characters. Short stories can serve as great entertainment during these “in between books” phase where you can just pick up a story and read it without worrying about neglecting any of your duties. Since the author says that the stories link with one another, the next time you're ready for a good read, you’ll have a completely new story with still a bit of the context of what you're already used to.
We also recommend this book to readers who enjoy melancholy or are going through rough patches and need a outlet for their sorrow. Reading through the pages of this book connects you to the side of you that hasn't yet been desensitized by modern society. In other words how young readers might say, "It hits you in the feels".
We do plan on diving completely into this book in the future.
About the Book
A collection of nine stories, each exquisitely written and charged with merciful insight into the trials of life, Pieces Like Pottery reminds us of the sorrows we all encounter in life and the kindness we receive, oftentimes from the unlikeliest of places.
Filled with graceful insight into the human condition, each linked story presents a tale of loss and love mirroring themes from each of the five Sorrowful Mysteries. In Expect Dragons, James Hinri learns that his old high school teacher is dying. Wanting to tell Mr. Smith one last time how much his teaching impacted him, James drives across the country revisiting past encounters with his father's rejection and the pain of his youth. Disillusioned and losing hope, little did James know that Mr. Smith had one final lesson for him.
In The Gravesite, Lisa and Mike's marriage hangs in the balance after the disappearance of their only son while backpacking in Thailand. Mike thinks the authorities are right—that Chris fell to his death in a hiking accident—but Lisa has her doubts. Her son was too strong to die this young, and no one can explain to her why new posts continue to appear on her son's blog.
Twenty-Two looks in on the lives of a dock worker suffering from the guilt of a life not lived and a bartender making the best of each day, even though he can see clearly how his life should have been different. The two find their worlds collide when a past tragedy shockingly connects them.
About the Author
Dan Buri is the son of an indie author and a lifetime writer. His first collection of short fiction, Pieces Like Pottery, is an exploration of heartbreak and redemption. His writing is uniquely heartfelt and explores the depths of the human struggle and the search for meaning in life.
Dan’s non-fiction works have been distributed online and in print for over a decade, including publications in Pundit Press, Tree, Summit Avenue Review, American Discovery, and TC Huddle. The defunct and very well regarded Buris On The Couch was a He-Says/She-Says blog musing on the ups and downs of marriage with his wife.
Dan’s day job is as a lawyer in the Pacific Northwest. He has been recognized by Intellectual Asset Magazine as one of the World’s Top 300 Intellectual Property Strategists every year since 2010. He lives in Oregon with his wife and two-year-old daughter
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