Friday, June 18, 2021

7 Short & Quirky Soul-Stirring Poems | #Nanotales | Neha's Notebook

Hello & Good Day! 🌹
In this video, I present seven short poems featuring words which I have written with much depth of attention, fun and curiosity. In different points in time, of course. In addition to stirring your soul, these poems can act as some excellent prompts for your own self-reflection or daily writing practice. Plus, they are super fun and enjoyable to read. Which one turns out to be your favorite; you can share with me in the comments box below!



#1    A drop in the ocean is lonely and will ever be.

Water in the drop is not, and will never be.

#2   Bodies everywhere
are mirrors
of certain parts
of my infinite mind
revealing to me
the indicators
of my own darknesses,
sometimes, my beloved,
and sometimes, a creature unloved.

#3   When living takes much of your life,
when life appears to die a little,
let life come to living,

and let living die a little.

#4   The worst thing about the best of things is that they do not remain the best forever. The best thing about the worst of things is that they do not remain the worst forever.

#5   Discovering the positive in a negative appearance can turn out to be a negative thing sometimes. Discovering the negative in a positive appearance can turn out to be a positive thing sometimes. Knowing the positivity in a positive is only possible when you know the negativity in a negative. Knowing the negative in a negative is possible only when you know the negative in a positive and positive in a negative.

#6   If you turn right, don’t look what’s left

If you don’t turn right, what’s left will take you to what’s right.

Even after turning right, if you are left with what doesn’t seem right,

Be alright, what’s left is left only because it is right for you.

What’s right will come right away if you rightly look at what’s left.

Am I right?

#7   Treat everyone in your life like a stranger 

until you no longer are a stranger to yourself.

Friday, June 11, 2021

Review: The Thirteenth Pearl

The Thirteenth Pearl The Thirteenth Pearl by Carolyn Keene
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

This is the story about the theft of an unusual pearl necklace featuring a set of thirteen pearls, with the thirteenth and the center-most pearl bearing a special significance. All the clues to the mystery lead Nancy to Japan, where she accompanies her father.

During their stay in Japan, they are attacked with ghastly clues and threats, which warn them to take off the mystery. By the ending of the mystery, the clues lead Nancy inside a terrible pearl worshipping cult, where she find herself and her friend almost trapped inside an isolated house.

The creepily insane ceremonies being carried out in the cult are described very well, including the woman in the white dress muttering some unusual words to herself.

I loved the beautiful detailing the book mentions about the breeding of pearls, the pearl culture and how the descriptions of oysters are elaborated with much of a human-like emotion. Also, there are some fine tidbits of Japanese culture, out of which, I particularly liked the Japanese wedding scene.

A marvellous and scenic novel to read. By the way, “4 + 9 = 13”? Yikes!


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Review: The Sign of the Twisted Candles

The Sign of the Twisted Candles The Sign of the Twisted Candles by Carolyn Keene
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

A lightweight plot rooted in a generation conflict pertaining to family property between the two families Faynes and Marvins. The mystery is plotted in an old-world mansion, in the tower room of which, lives a hundred-year old man named Asa Sidney. He is almost a captive of a couple called collectively as the Jemitts. The Jemitts are the caretakers of the mansion, which nowadays, is being partially used as a restaurant.

The property conflict further exponentiates after the sudden death of Mr. Sidney. As Nancy encounters the culprits, she is faced with kidnapping, drugging, foul play and what not. Despite of which, she manages to discover some valuable treasures including a special kind of music box, some ancient swords, and above all, some secret letters written by Mr. Sidney, and hidden in a place no one could decipher. The mystery is solved with not just the cooling of family dispute but a secret being revealed that left all the family members awestruck with wonder and surprise.

I liked the detailed descriptions of the mansion including the candles and the attics in the tower room. They transported me into a vintage-like era as if I myself am strolling through a palatial monument.

Also, there is a moment in the novel when the Jemitts leave the mansion and Nancy has only a small window of time to make her search. As she is hurrying from room to room and from wardrobe to wardrobe along with Mr. Sidney’s maid Carol, the feeling of urgency could be experienced by the readers.

The entry into this ancient-built tower mansion offers enough of the spooky element that makes the mystery quite immersive from the very beginning. Overall, an intriguing mystery to delve into!


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Review: The Spider Sapphire Mystery

The Spider Sapphire Mystery The Spider Sapphire Mystery by Carolyn Keene
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

This is a story about an ancient sapphire gem belonging to a renowned Indian Shastri Tagore. This is a special kind of sapphire with a spider naturally embedded inside it. The gem is reported to be stolen and the blame of the theft is put on Dr. Ramsey who has produced an exactly similar gem but rather synthetically. Dr. Ramsey is also a dear friend of Nancy’s father, who is sure that his friend is totally honest in this regard. So, Nancy decides to unfold the mystery behind all of this. As a coincidence, the mystery appears to be connected to her venture safari trip to Africa with her friends and a group of Emerson college students are going to take. The mystery begins with the kidnapping of Nancy’s boyfriend Ned. Yet, the clueIn the end, a predictable yet highly dramatic scheme is unfolded behind the theft, which, the reader discovers in the ending chapters. Apart from finding the sapphire, she also discovers a lost jungle guide who is the brother of a Swahili singer Madame Bulawaya whom she had met in River Heights.

I have been reading the Nancy Drew series quite on repeat since the first time I started reading it during my school years. And I must say that some of the scenes depicted in this novel have stayed the very same with me each time, especially the chapter relating to the Baboon thief as well as their adventures in the treetop house. Also, I particularly loved the chapters which outline the detail of various animals they encounter during the safari.

Packed with thefts, warnings, and other obstacles, the mystery settles into Nancy unfolding the scheme behind the thievery, tracing the fabulous spider sapphire and catching the man who is the master mind behind all this. As always, it was absolutely entertaining to read the novel!


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Review: The Secret of the Forgotten City

The Secret of the Forgotten City The Secret of the Forgotten City by Carolyn Keene
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

This is a novel about Nancy Drew’s adventures about re-discovering and locating a lost Indian city, as well as the gold treasure hidden therein. The treasure hunt is joined by her two best friends Bess and George, their respective boyfriends and some students from the University of Nevada. The gold digging is carried out with the help of clues and symbols depicted on seven petroglyphs, each featuring a moon phase symbol, and a shiny golden chuckwalla symbol.

While the thief named Fleetfoot Joe tries to stop then, to warn them and to create obstacles repeatedly in their way, he is in the end caught and arrested by the police.

In the end, Nancy almost loses her life to the waters of underground river, but comes out saving her life, as well as discovering the package with the ancient gold plates.

This is one of my favourite novels from the entire Nancy Drew-Carolyn Keene series. Part because it features India, my hometown, and part because of its plot which features the gold-digging theme which matches many of the Indian mythological texts.

I immensely enjoyed reading it!


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Review: The Clue in the Jewel Box

The Clue in the Jewel Box The Clue in the Jewel Box by Carolyn Keene
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

This is a chapter-novel magnifying the mystery of a woman named Madame Alexandra, who was a former queen; pertaining to her lost grandson - the prince as well as the number of clues cleverly hidden inside her recovered treasures, among which were a prettily-tiered porcelain jewel box and a gold-trimmed Easter Egg featuring a singing nightingale. In addition to all the items of her treasure, these two items particularly, paves way for Nancy to move forward with several encrypted clues as the mystery unfolds before her. As both a writer and a reader, I found the treasure item descriptions to be intriguing. I also liked the character of the fake prince represented by Michael, especially the quality of stubbornness that his features and mannerisms depicted in the novel. Other characters that stayed with me after the completion of the novel were Mr. Faber - the antique jewel dealer, Anna – Madam queen’s maid, and the Helen-Ellington couple with their love story reaching a happy ending in the finale. I also loved the moments of dinnertime at Madam queen’s house, the table setting, the silver cutlery, luxurious dishes and all; which, literally transported me into a regal feel as I read along, through these!

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