Around the World Collection Series

Could you live without love? Would you want to?     Love can take on many forms, each as unique as the individuals who experience it. In this collection of stories, multiple hues of love are brought to life in vibrant detail.         Discover the unlikely love of outcasts who find each other in unexpected ways, the hesitant hope of an evening's encounter that could blossom into something more, and the raw emotion of a woman still grieving for her mother.   From the mundane to the supernatural, these stories offer a captivating exploration of love's various incarnations. Through the heights of romantic passion, the depths of unrequited longing, and the complexity of familial devotion, each tale is a reminder that love is both fragile and enduring; a powerful force that shapes our lives in countless ways.   Unwrap a world of flavour and fantasy: the perfect mix of sweetness and storytelling!     CAUTION: These are NOT conventional love stories. If you are looking for romantic tales, please look elsewhere.   Trigger warnings: Mental health, suicide, death.  

What if… anything was possible?   What really lurks beneath the humdrum and the mundane, the ubiquitous and the familiar? And what if you came face to face with it?   Enter a world where goddesses descend to earth, mythical creatures materialise out of thin air, ghosts mean well, and limbs have minds of their own. In a series of tales that explore the fantastical and the surreal, the lives of ordinary people are upturned by bizarre incidents and mysterious happenings.   Gloriously imagined, deliciously crafted and wickedly entertaining, Eight takes you on a fabulous romp around multiple countries and cultures of the world, with just a wee bit of something extra in the mix.   Sit back, relax and get ready to savour a slice of some delectably fantastical cake!         Netgalley reviews: "Delightful light confection that goes around the globe with short fantasy stories. From Argentina to somewhere in the air Hitting Germany, France, Egypt, Korea, China, India in-between. Little quick tastes of a dot of sweet, sour, spicy, hot & cold tidbits to make you smile or think. Most poignant I thought was the German & the rabbit, but they were all tasty fare." "One of the reasons I love Gabriel Garcia Marquez is because of the magic realism.These 8 short stories take place in different countries and while dealing with very serious subjects(disability, addiction, loss, loneliness...)each of them has a touch of magic realism that make it very easy to get immersed in them." "This was such a magical book. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of reading it. It was well written with such brilliant imagery. A great read." "I'll be honest straight away and say I have a hate/hate relationship with short stories and all my previous reviews will attest to that. No matter how many I read, I just don't enjoy them. They're not for me and never seem to grab me or keep me interested. But I think I've finally found the one collection that has shown me what a good short story can be. They're whimsical and magical and almost fairytale like but steeped in realism with an important life lesson at the end, but by approaching it in this way, they don't become corny or preachy or over the top."

Choices. Life offers us plenty. How do you know you chose correctly?   From the streets of West Berlin to the lush tropical climes of Bali, from New Delhi to New York - these stories follow characters faced with choices that could send their lives in different and sometimes opposite directions.    A daughter who wants more from life, a father who contemplates ending his; a love lost, a love retained, a love forgotten. Regret, retribution and remorse are liberally sprinkled through this diverse and eclectic collection of short stories. In surprising, vivid and thought-provoking journeys across continents, cultures and landscapes, an indubitable truth emerges - human emotions are essentially the same world over.   Savour this collection of tales that range from smooth to dark, nutty to silly, and bitter to sweet.   Which story would you like to bite into today?     ***** Reader reviews:   "Truly like a box of chocolates, something for everyone, lovely short stories. There's dark, light, salty, and sweet, my favorites being the darker stories! I always enjoy the author's beautifully descriptive prose, takes me away to far flung locales, exactly what we all need these days!"   "As per her usual style each story draws you in from the very first sentence. Each story has a completely different narrator and is written in beautifully rich prose. In this book the stories are set in different countries and even ages. But Poornima took care to enter a little commonality into each story, thus connecting the individual stories. Clearly the theme for this book was 'a story with a twist'. A joy to read!"   ​"This was a very enjoyable book with varied themes, different voices and locations - all from one very talented author. I will be adding more of her books to my reading list and would encourage anyone who is not familiar with her to give her a try."