WWW Wednesday (51)

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

01. Currently Reading:
Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. The final book in the Beautiful Creatures series. After everything that's happened, good and bad, it all comes down to this. Excited to see how the characters can redeem themselves and perhaps even save someone that seemed so lost.

02. Recently Finished:
Unfolding Soul by Dennis T. Maglinte. A collection of poetry that explores the ways of the world by asking questions and seeking answers with an open mind.

03. Reading Next:
Faceless by Dustin Sanchez. When an engineered spy escapes to find his lost love, assassins are sent to finish him off. It'll come down to blows when they all finally meet. Hoping this fantasy thriller will satisfy!

Unfolding Soul

What has been written has been rewritten. What has been spoken has been forgotten. What is inscribed in the heart and the soul are eternal. Timeless, and beyond manipulation, unconditional love is forever unfolding. It is an unending Source of inspiration. When I put together the writings for Awareness of the Heart, I was not sure whether I would write again or if there was a need to write again for each person must find themselves and know what is in their heart and soul.

I can only offer what I feel is in my mine. Many will try to tell you what is in yours. Some may see all of you. Some may see part of you, and others still, will look pass you. What matters is not what they can accept of you, but what you can accept of yourself. The soul is forever unfolding. As I take this opportunity to share what is in mine, I hope you will take the opportunity to share what is in yours. And perhaps when we are all ready, we can accept that we are sharing this Soul and sharing this journey.

So whether you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist, Sufi, Wiccan, non-denominational, or simply a person seeking to understand, allow your soul to unfold, and your heart to sing its song.

Perhaps in finding yourself, you will inspire others to find themselves. Spread your wings and show others how to fly.

**

I thoroughly enjoyed Unfolding Soul by Dennis T. Maglinte, a collection of poetry. The poems and prose within have a unique openness that is often appealing when questioning the world in which we live. A few of the pieces resonated deeply with me and I'm sure other readers will find the same solace in the words. 

The collection asks questions while studying the possible answers, calling to the reader to align itself with the hope that is born from asking. I think many people will form an attachment with the work inside Unfolding Soul and even more will be inspired by the words. For lovers of poetry, I think this book would be a great add to the reading list. 

Teaser Tuesday (60)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read

• Open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Unfolding Soul (p.12)
   - Dennis T. Maglinte

When whispers abound, enjoy the silent lashes.

from the poem Silent Lashes

And the Soft Wind Blows

Timmy Enosh is a peculiar, small man: fivethree, onehundredandfifteen pounds, and is a pharmacist in Ashton City, Tennessee.


He finds himself at fortythreeyearsold as his life starts to fall apart: his threehundred pound wife disappears, his romantic interest has lost interest and has gained hatred toward him, his coworkers harass him, customers verbally assault him, and he has the strange urge to adopt his foulmouthed, eighteenyearold coworker, Alex.

When things start to pile up, Timmy must find a way to deal: he turns to Alex to supply him with marijuana, starts sewing an elaborate Mr. Mistoffelees costume, finds solace in the wild, etc., etc., etc.

And the soft, constant wind of change blows him on, on, and on.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Lance Umenhofer shares a character study in his novella, And the Soft Wind Blows. The main character, Timmy, is a middle aged man whose wife is nothing to be proud of and his life is, to say the least, not a full one. He lacks the love that we all desire, the pride that we all strive for, and the strength to reach for more. 

The entire novella covers a very small section of Timmy's life. The reader gets an in-depth glance at a man who settled for a woman who doesn't love him and a job that doesn't make him happy or proud. As the life he tiptoes around crumbles, Timmy succumbs to nothingness, choosing to erase his entire life and pharmaceutically invent another one. Readers will be able to connect with Timmy based on his hope that someday he may achieve what he dreams of. But by that same token, I think readers will wonder if Timmy's choices actually align with those dreams, or if he takes the easy way out of a difficult situation. 

It asks the question: how easy or difficult would it be for the average person, whom I think Umenhofer based Timmy on, to mentally re-create the life they've always wanted. If you could take a pill that would let you forget your life and replace it with one you've made up, would you do it? I think the spur of the moment answer would be yes, but in all reality could you so easily give up what you've spent your entire life building? 

And the Soft Wind Blows is a study of the character that lives inside of everyone. The character that bargains for more. The character that we all can connect with and never understand.

Rating: 3/5 Cups

And the Soft Wind Blows