Book Review - Tea-20

‘Tea-20’ is simple, sweet, and teaches many lessons.

Genre: Anthology of fictional stories

Publishers: Frog books/ Leadstart Corp.

‘Tea-20’ is a collection of twenty simple, fictional yet very realistic stories. Penned by first time writer, Vinod Kumar S., almost each story in ‘Tea-20’ conveys a certain message, a lesson, worth learning. The hook of the book says, “This anthology will not only entertain you, but will also give you a generous dose of laughter; it will make you think and contribute to the society, teach simple things about life, and also take you by surprise.”

I must say, Vinod’s book, almost, delivers what it promises. The stories are simple, sweet, well narrated and conveys some important messages. As a reader, the stories will make you think and analyse yourself, and maybe, they will help you develop into a better person. The stories are short; most of them are only 4-5 pages long. So, you can sit back and enjoy a story, while sipping your tea. And, that’s what the tag line of the book is – Perfect companion for your teatime.  I really appreciate those writers, who fulfill the promises made by their story’s title and the hook. Vinod’s book succeeds in justifying the title, as well as the short synopsis (hook) behind the book.

I may not be able to write the gist of each story, but I can surely share a few of my favourites. I really liked how Vinod used coffee as a medium, in the story ‘A Cup of Coffee’, to explain that one should live a balanced life. One should not be too serious, and at the same time, one should not be too nonchalant. Similarly, the story ‘A Beauty that turned Dirty’ will highlight how and why basic etiquette are more important than the physical beauty. Stories, like ‘Bye’ and ‘My Dog – an Amazing Teacher’, highlights the importance of family and loved ones. Similarly, there are stories that will teach you to live your life with contentment and happiness, and a few stories will make you ponder – ‘How good a person you are?’ 

One of the very few negatives, which I felt, is the lack of humor quotient in the stories, which were supposed to be humorous. Secondly, too many stories revolve around the lives of IT professionals, maybe because Vinod is an IT professional himself. As a fiction writer, I personally feel, one should try to come out of his/her own domain.  There are a few editorial mistakes, but I won’t blame the writer for this.

In a nut shell, 'Tea-20' is a well-written compilation of short, yet meaningful stories that convey many lessons worth learning. As promised in its tag line, it is a perfect teatime companion. And, those who don’t drink tea, like me, can enjoy reading this book while doing, just about anything. I am going with 3.5 out of 5 stars for Vinod Kumar’s 'Tea-20'.

Verdict: Sweet, Simple, Well Narrated, Conveys some Important Messages and a Perfect ANYTIME Companion.