Review of A Compilation of Tales: Where to next?

[Seetha E]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Compilation of Tales: Where to next?" by Vickey Robinson.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Vickey Robinson had always dreamt of becoming a renowned journalist, from her early school days until she graduated. However, she soon realized that her passion for the field was fleeting and became bored. At 29, she joined the United States Army as a trainee and excelled in her career. As she puts it, she chose to wield an M16 rifle instead of a pen and pad. She underwent grueling training sessions throughout her military service and became a technical expert in one of the Army's high-altitude weapon systems. As a military officer, college instructor, and combat veteran, she has demonstrated her exceptional skills and abilities. Her writing and journalism skills were employed in the book A Compilation of Tales, which is a collection of short stories divided into three sections: fiction, fiction with her perspective on others' work, and non-fiction.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading all the stories in the fiction section. The author has done a commendable job of maintaining just the right amount of tension throughout the book. It's remarkable how the author manages to develop the reader's connection with the character in just around five pages. The story of Shane and Terrell was particularly interesting, and the stories of Tim, baby Tim, and Mia had me teary-eyed. Additionally, I cannot ignore the subject matter in the third chapter, which deals with our increasing connection to social media instead of the humans around us.

The second section shares the author's perspective on other people’s works. She selects characters or scenes from movies and presents her interpretation of them. I found these characters interesting, especially the ones about Yoyao, Nasim, and McMurphy. Although I do not have a reference for comparison, as I haven’t seen those movies, I liked what I read.

The third section deals with non-fiction, where the author describes her personal experiences during her training days, which led to a significant transformation in her life. She also shares her opinions on who shouldn't be leaders and does so quite strongly. The chapter about NASA's Challenger shuttle is also well-written.

I chose this book because I was looking for something light to read. Each piece was well-written and left me feeling satisfied with the time I spent reading. The variety of subjects and the author's engaging writing style were impressive. I agree with the author's thoughts on creative nonfiction writing and was pleased with how the Christa McAuliffe piece ended.

I do not have anything negative to say about this book. I did encounter a few errors, and I would recommend another round of editing to make it completely error-free. As the errors were few and did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the book, I rate it 5 out of 5 stars.

This book is suitable for anyone looking for a quick and interesting read. It has a nice blend of short fiction and non-fiction stories and a unique writing style that makes it appropriate for all age groups.

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A Compilation of Tales: Where to next?
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[Bettny Andrade]

I am amazed by this great change in the choice of the protagonist. Going from wanting to be a flight attendant to enlisting in the army and excelling in that area is truly impressive.

[Kirui Collins]

The author's writing style, as explained by the review, captured my attention. Thanks for the review.