November 2025 Book Reviews #bookreview #books #amreading #readingcommunity #shortstories @KarensStories @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! The sun sets earlier, making the days seem shorter, and my days are so busy that I definitely feel that time has been robbed from my days. Still, I do my best to find time to read. I only made it through one book this month. I thought I'd finish the book I'm currently reading, but I'm not done just yet. I'll review that one next month.

Five Stories Short: A Supernatural Quintet

by Karen Black

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy

Pages: 250

Book Blurb:

Take a supernatural tour with this collection of contemporary fantasy stories. Read with an open mind and you just might begin to wonder if all things could be possible.

Are spirits hovering around us? Do ghosts watch over us? Are your pets communicating telepathically? Can card readers predict the future? Is it possible to see the little people? Do artifacts or fetishes have power? In this collection, the answer to all those questions is yes. But the real question is whether the stories are pure fiction or based on fact.

The Legacy: Lydia is a psychic. When her grandson becomes the catalyst for a spirit's plot to kill his mother, she joins forces with a natural witch to defeat the entity. As a battle rages, Lydia learns she has more power than she'd realized.

Laughing Hills: The little people of Laughing Hills call on centuries of magic to stay safely hidden after their guardian is killed and their entire community is placed in jeopardy.

Mommy, Look: With her husband in a coma, finances tight, and a toddler to raise, Bianca needs help. But when it comes, it's in disguise and is provided by someone she didn't believe existed.

The Ancient Ones: After Brian and Tammy visit an antique shop, their lives are changed by a lion and a raven.

The Last Act: While renovating an old theatre, Carolyn is befriended by Jolene, an actress who haunts the building and who takes their friendship quite seriously.

My Review:

Every single one of these stories were fabulous! They all focus on some kind of paranormal entity, which I loved. Not all of them end with a happy ending. Well, I guess it depends on which character you are rooting for. Lol! Each story is captivating. The characters are well created, even though these stories are short. The plot moved smoothly and kept me wanting to turn the pages. This author is a master storyteller, and I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys paranormal stories! :-)

Have you read any great books this month? I'd love to hear from you. :-)

Giving Thanks - #TankaTuesday #DoubleEnnead #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity #gratitude #thanksgiving @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I have had a wonderful week off from work. My son came down from college, and I enjoyed every minute with him. This week, Melissa at #TankaTuesday invited us to write a Double Ennead about what we are grateful for. A Double Ennead consists of three stanzas. Each stanza has five lines with a syllabication pattern of 6-5-11-6-5. 

(courtesy of @Ennaej at Pixabay)

Giving Thanks

open your soul fully

get a glimpse of grace

fluttering butterflies to flowering buds

beauty is all around

waiting to be seen

take a walk through nature

embrace time to ground

feel the sweet serenity surrounding you

absorb Gaia's goodness

such peaceful moments

joyous family time

rambunctious laughter

board games, camping trips, movie nights, bike riding

never a dull moment

always full of love

Would you like to write a poem about gratitude? Join us here.

The Sands of Time - #WDYS #TankaTuesday #Shadorma #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I have finally found a moment to write. Today is my last day of work before I have a week off for Thanksgiving break. I am looking forward to turning off my alarm for the next week. I am most excited about my son coming home for the holiday! I miss him like crazy and can't wait to wrap my arms around him. 

I've decided to combine these two prompts because the image reminded me of my trip with my son to the upper and lower Antelope Canyons in Arizona a few years back, a trip that holds wonderful memories for me. My poem isn't about my trip, but the memory drew me to the photo.

The first challenge is Sadje's What Do You See? prompt, which contains the photo I mentioned above. The second challenge is the #TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge where Willow invites to write a Shadorma Prose. A Shadorma poem has six lines with a 3-5-3-3-7-5 syllabic pattern.

(image credit; Salva Jamm @ Unsplash)

The Sands of Time

I stand before you in awe. My racing mind calms as wonder sifts through my frivolous worries and seeks out my soul. Your grandeur reveals how I am but a passing thought in the great scheme of existence, and I embrace both the simplicity and depth of such a revelation. The hardened scars on your walls tell of your troubles and of your resilience while the soft sands sifting beneath my feet exude your grace and strength, knowing that only through flexibility and change can one continue to exist.

beautiful

nature's miracle

perfectly

imperfect

wonders for all to behold

embrace sands of time

Would you like to write a poem for one of these prompts? Click the links below:

Sadje's What Do You See? prompt

#TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge

The Answer Is... #FFFC #WDYS #W3 #TankaTuesday #poem #Nonet #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! Another busy week for me, but finally, it was in a great way! After months of dealing with a nightmare of a contractor, my kitchen is finally complete. Also, my parents came down to visit, and we had a wonderful dinner with my siblings to celebrate my dad's 80th birthday. Still, as they were staying at my house, it left me no time for much of anything else. They left this morning for a cruise, and since my weekend is beyond packed, I figured I'd use this time to try to write a poem.

I've missed so many wonderful prompts lately and wanted to partake in as many as I could. Luckily, four of them all seemed to have the same theme for me: love. (Or, at least, I made it fit...lol!) Melissa's Flash Fiction Fandango Challenge, Sadje's What Do You See? prompt, and #TankaTuesday's Poetry Challenge all provided images that reminded me of love. We'ave Written Weekly (W3) encouraged us to write a poem of 8-16 lines with internal rhyme. So, I chose to write a Nonet, which consists of nine lines and added internal rhyme to some of the lines.

 

The Answer Is...

magical charms within someone's arms

simple caress softens the soul

loving touch warms the heart much

days shine bright with a smile

sweet nothing whispers

tender kisses

hands held and

warm hugs

love

Would you like to write a poem for any of these prompts? Click the links below:

We'ave Written Weekly (W3)

#TankaTuesday's Poetry Challenge

Melissa's Flash Fiction Fandango Challenge

Sadje's What Do You See? prompt

Image Credit Photo 1 - "Dream Your Joy Oracle Cards' by Judy Mastrangelo

Image Credit Photo 2 - Hannes Richter on Unsplash

Image Credit Photo 3 - C Valdez on Unsplash

A Moonlit Veil - #TankaTuesday #tanka #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

 

Hello, beautiful readers! I tried every day last week to find a moment to write poetry, but every day got away from me. By the time I was able to rest, it was past 8 pm, and my brain was too exhausted to function. I missed a lot of great prompts last week, but I wanted to make the effort to at least write about the prompt I created for the #TankaTuesday prompt last Tuesday. The prompt asked writers to focus on the word veil. So, I wrote a tanka.

(image courtesy of @Iffany on Pixabay)

souls from yesteryear

cross beyond the moonlit veil

a balm for loved ones

visits comfort grieving hearts

if only for brief moments

Would you like to write a poem using the word veil? Join us here.

Autumn's Celebration - #TankaTuesday #Tan-Ku #poem #poetry #poetrycommunity @YvetteMCalleiro

Hello, beautiful readers! I cannot believe another week has already passed. I don't seem to have a moment to rest. I can finally say that my kitchen is finally done! A project that should have been completed in early June is finally complete. Now, I just have to deal with the nightmare of a contractor to finish the final paperwork and payment. I cannot wait until I never have to deal with them again.

For this week's #TankaTuesday Poetry Challenge, Melissa invites us to write a Tan-Ku, which is a poetry form written by two people where one person writes a tanka and the other responds with a haiku. The challenge is to write a Tan-Ku sequence. Melissa provided the first tanka, so I've added a haiku and then began the second set with a tanka. I've put Melissa's words in blue and my additions in black.

(courtesy of @StockSnap at Pixabay)

Autumn Celebrations

fireside marshmallows

melting onto graham crackers

season of the s'more

cheery trick-or-treaters

like king size candy bars

dance around fire pit

Halloween's moon opens gates

spirits cross the veil

crisp breeze blows through hair

a welcomed shift in weather

Gaia repaints leaves

vivid transient canvas

I love nature's masterpiece

blustery evening

leaves roll across the street

crinkling underfoot

Would you like to participate this week? Join us here.