Vidisha Chandna Dua is quite the Renaissance woman. Born and raised in India, she has also lived in Australia, the United Arab Emirates, and Norway. She’s traveled all over the world and got to know what it’s like to be a fighter pilot. After working as a chartered accountant and raising a daughter, Ms Chandna Dua decided to indulge in a childhood passion of hers-writing. She has written several books including the novella Love and Hate.
Alia is an independent and educated young woman. She has a great career in human resources and lives in her own apartment.
But all is not wonderful. She is still heartbroken over love gone wrong. She was betrayed by an ex-boyfriend, but she also made some bad decisions. Will she she ever trust another man and herself?
As Love and Hate begins, Alia meets her neighbor, Vikrant. Vikrant is handsome and charming. Alia can’t help but be attracted to him
They become close and flirt with a potential romance. Yet Alia is hesitant when it comes to Vikrant. Are his intentions sincere? Or is something a bit sinister bubbling under the surface? Alia is still bitter over her past romantic entanglement with her traitorous ex-boyfriend.
Vikrant has a friend named Rahul. And that’s where Love and Hate takes an interesting turn. Alia despises Rahul. But why? Is he just another unlikable jerk. Or is he Alia’s dastardly ex who made her go against her principles that didn’t only affect her but also affected her family.
As Love and Hate unfolds, we learn more about Alia, Vikrant, and that rat bastarf, Rahul. We gain insight on the decisions they made. And though Alia’s bad decision affected her and her loved ones poorly, you do want to root for her. Hopefully, she can rise above her past.
I do wish the characters in Love and Hate were more fleshed out. But considering this novella is less than 100 pages, it’s to be expected. Ms Chandna Dua has written an interesting tale that proves our choices in life make a huge impact on us and our relationships.
If you’re a rock star you must feel you’re at the top of the world. Your songs are at the top of the charts and you play to thousands at sold our concerts. The riches! The fame! Who wouldn’t want that?
Well, pull back back the curtain of rock and roll and you’ll see something quite different. The life of a rock star isn’t always that glamorous. And writer Paula Dombrowiak tells us this sad tale in her book Blood and Bone.
Jack O’Donnell and Mia Stone were frustrated in their small town and going nowhere. So they decided to go nowhere together and ran off to Lis Angeles.
Music was in their blood so they were driven to make a life in rock and roll. Their high school chums Cash and Wade joined them and the four of them formed a band called Mogo.
After years of struggle, Mogo made it big. Their songs are huge hits and they are playing sold out concerts everywhere.
But behind the scenes things aren’t always so harmonious.
Blood and Bone begins just as New York City-based music journalist Erin Langford is sent to Los Angeles to interview Jack O’Donnell. Now considered a bit washed up, Jack isn’t too happy to see Erin. He’s at the lowest moment in his life. He’s divorced and his teenage daughter Hayley seems to hate him. Jack’s a recovering addict and is estranged from so many people, including his bandmates.
Suddenly, Jack turns to Erin when his ex Amber overdoses and he needs a ride to the hospital.
It isn’t long before Jack realizes Erin isn’t just some nosey journalist. She’s kind and empathetic and has issues of her own. Her father was a musician and she relates to Jack all too well.
As Blood and Bone unfolds we learn more about Jack’s past. He opens up to Erin telling her about his dysfunctional upbringing and Mogo’s struggles both before and after they reached rock and roll stardom. He tells her about his and Amber’s toxic relationship, how they couldn’t live with each other, but couldn’t quite quell their lust for each other. He’s also brutally honest about his addiction issues and his struggles to stay on the straight and narrow.
But what Erin learns the most about was Jack’s relationship with Mia who was so much more than a bandmate. Was she his soulmate?
Blood and Bone is told in chapters that encompass both the present and past of Jack’s crazy life. And though there are a few spelling mistakes in the novel I was too gripped by Jack’s story to be bothered. It’s the characters who compelled me to keep reading. Erin is a woman of substance. Jack could be a jerk, but I felt a great deal of compassion towards him. And Mia? I was so intrigued by her character I wanted to get her side of the story.
Blood and Bone is an impressive tale for anyone interested in the rock and roll world and richly drawn characters.
Dealing with mental health issues of my own (depression and anxiety), I am always interested in how mental health issues affect others and those who love them. So when I saw Sonja Wasden and her daughter Rachael Siddoway on the morning news discussing their book on Sonja’s battles with bipolar disorder, I knew I had to read their book An Impossible Life. I sent off an e-mail to Sonja requesting a copy of her book to read and review and she was kind enough to send it to me. Here is my review.
On the surface, Sonja Wasden had it all. Her husband Mitch was a successful CEO of a local hospital. Her children Rachael, Alex, and Lincoln were healthy, smart, and accomplished. And she lived in a lovely upper-class suburb.
But looks can be deceiving. Sonja was barely covering up a devastating battle with bipolar disorder and it wad consuming every aspect of her life.
An Impossible Life begins in 2007 and Sonja is in the emergency room. She’s been brought against her will be her husband and father. She is spinning out of control and she needs psychiatric care. Sonja is defiant. There is no way she could be crazy. She’s just over-stressed, right?
Well, there is over-stressed and then there is mental illness. Sonja is fully engulfed in bipolar disorder and it’s destroying her.
What is bipolar disorder? According to my research, bipolar disorder is a mental illness where a person goes from one extreme mood to another. At times, a person can experience mania, or a very elevated mood. And a times, a person can fall into the pits of depression. People with bipolar disorder can have difficulties dealing with their home and/or work life. Even the simplest tasks like doing a load of laundry can be insurmountable. People with bipolar disorder often have troubled relationships and a multitude of other problems. Sadly, there is no cure, but bipolar disorder can be managed through various methods including medication and therapy.
An Impossible Life begins with Sonja describing her hellish stay at the psych ward in heartbreaking detail, claiming she wants to die.
But her hospitalization is only part of her story. An Impossible Life also tells the before and after of Sonja’s time in the psych ward.
She opens up about growing up in a well-to-do family, which had its own dysfunction and tragedy. She describes the early days of her marriage and young motherhood, a task she didn’t always accept willingly. She wanted the life of a carefree teenager.
Sonja recalls in agonizing detail of in inflicting self-harm with knives, battles with binge eating, and spending sprees that made a serious dent in the family finances. She was also tortured by suicidal thoughts and attempts.
But most of all An Impossible Life describes how her mental illness and struggle with recovery impacted her family and loved ones. She also conveys how bipolar disorder affected her own sense of self-worth. Sonja is unflinchingly honest on how she coped with her internal battles and the expectations of the real world. She’s also quite honest with the problems she had with some healthcare professionals who didn’t always have her best interests at heart.
Going in zigs and zags Sonja found the methods and resources to help her get better. She will never fully recover from bipolar disorder, but she has improved greatly. And her loving family and friends continue to support her. It’s very touching.
An Impossible Life is not an easy book to read. At times I found myself gobsmacked over what Sonja went through and how she acted. At other times I had to put the book down, too overwhelmed. I felt so much for Sonja and her family.
I hope An Impossible Life opens up a dialogue about mental health issues and inspires compassion. I believe it is a book that should be read by those who deal with mental illness and those who care for them.
*Sonja Wasden and her daughter Rachael Siddoway have traveled all over the United States donating their book to various libraries. An Impossible Life is part of a series, including An Impossible Wife: Why I Stayed, An Impossible Childhood: Rachael’s Story, and An Impossible Mother: Lincoln’s Story.
Hello everyone. I hope my readers are dealing with this fresh new year as well as possible. I’m keeping busy myself. I’m currently looking for a new job, and I’ve been applying at several places. I’m also practicing yoga, working out, journaling, and trying to keep a smile on my face in these crazy times.
What else?
Oh, yes. Reading! I just finished two books and I hope to have a book review or maybe two up next week. I also have other books in my pile to read, and those will also be reviewed.
I really appreciate everyone’s patience and support as I get back on the reading and reviewing track.
thebookselfblog 