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Think Again: A Captivating Compendium by Renee Marie Philomena Therese Kray
A young boy learns the legend of the ghost in the walls. A woman rediscovers the first love of her life twenty years later. An unusual dollhouse haunts the mind of its new owner. Discover these and other dilemmas in this compendium of eight original short stories that may delight, confuse, astound or confound. So if you thought you knew it all, be prepared to THINK AGAIN.
Paperback
First published October 31, 2013
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About the author
Renee M.P.T. Kray
12 books30 followersRenee M.P.T. Kray grew up in Michigan with eight siblings and a small army of cats. Her love of reading and writing went into maximum overdrive when she read The Lord of the Rings at age 10 and since then she’s spent her time obsessively scribbling story ideas into notebooks. After being homeschooled all through elementary and high school, she earned her BA in Literature from Ave Maria University and her MFA in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. She has self-published two collections of short stories: Think Again: A Captivating Compendium and Restless: A Year of Ghost Stories. However, none of these pursuits have been as challenging as trying to get her pug, Potato, to stop eating dirt.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 10, 2018
I absolutely loved this, each story is like an episode of the Twilight Zone. The characters are all so unique and vivid. The stories are never what you expect them to be, and the writing is relatable. Really enjoyed it. I highly recommend grabbing a copy!
June 12, 2014
Kray's first collection of short stories were wonderfully unique, mysterious, and playful. She mixed realism, magic, and mystery flawlessly to create a "Time Burton" like collection of stories. Every story had me on the edge of my seat wanting to know what happened next.
"First Love" is a flash fiction piece tells the story of a woman's love for the young man she meets at the coffee shop. However, the love she feels for this man is different from the average love story, and Kray uses this twist to amp up the emotion in the piece.
"The Ghost in the Walls" is the tale of a haunted house and the past events that lead to its ghostly fame. It's easy to get absorbed in the tale, just as young James does. Kray blends the sense of lightheartedness with eerie suspense in this fantastic urban legend.
"Love is Blind" twists what you would expect completely on its head. A tale of infatuation and love that is not at all what it seems. Kray plays with your mind in this piece, and just when you think you have it figured out, she gives another twist!
"Employee of the Month" follows a greedy store owner and the demise of his store after his best friend doesn't show up for work. This was by far one of the most confusing stories in the collection. While others may be easy for some readers to figure out, this one is a mystery until the very end.
"Dreams for Maria" is tragic and heartbreaking. This flash fiction tells the story of a mother, her daughter, and the dreams of owning a pet. Be warned, just when you think a happy ending is coming, Kray makes you "think again", and instead subjects you to a much different range of emotions.
"The Dollhouse" is a perfect example of having a moral. Having this story directly after "Dreams for Maria" was a brilliant choice. The symbolism weaved through the tale is phenomenal and teaches a wonderful lesson about realizing what you've got, and not taking anything for granted.
"Faerie" is probably the weakest of the pieces, but it is not at all bad. This flash fiction describes human nature, the magic that people carry within them, and how every simple action can affect another person. Though it can be built upon, the structure of this story is great.
"Ring Around" is, in my opinion, Kray's strongest piece. Having it as the final story was a great choice. The story follows a simple ring, and how its presence changes the lives of many people as it gets passed around from person to person. Once again, Kray mixes the fantastic with real life perfectly.
Overall, Kray's first ever collection of short stories is a strong piece of work in itself, and I would highly recommend this to my friends and family to read. I would suggest this book for ages 13+, due to some mild language in some of the stories.
"First Love" is a flash fiction piece tells the story of a woman's love for the young man she meets at the coffee shop. However, the love she feels for this man is different from the average love story, and Kray uses this twist to amp up the emotion in the piece.
"The Ghost in the Walls" is the tale of a haunted house and the past events that lead to its ghostly fame. It's easy to get absorbed in the tale, just as young James does. Kray blends the sense of lightheartedness with eerie suspense in this fantastic urban legend.
"Love is Blind" twists what you would expect completely on its head. A tale of infatuation and love that is not at all what it seems. Kray plays with your mind in this piece, and just when you think you have it figured out, she gives another twist!
"Employee of the Month" follows a greedy store owner and the demise of his store after his best friend doesn't show up for work. This was by far one of the most confusing stories in the collection. While others may be easy for some readers to figure out, this one is a mystery until the very end.
"Dreams for Maria" is tragic and heartbreaking. This flash fiction tells the story of a mother, her daughter, and the dreams of owning a pet. Be warned, just when you think a happy ending is coming, Kray makes you "think again", and instead subjects you to a much different range of emotions.
"The Dollhouse" is a perfect example of having a moral. Having this story directly after "Dreams for Maria" was a brilliant choice. The symbolism weaved through the tale is phenomenal and teaches a wonderful lesson about realizing what you've got, and not taking anything for granted.
"Faerie" is probably the weakest of the pieces, but it is not at all bad. This flash fiction describes human nature, the magic that people carry within them, and how every simple action can affect another person. Though it can be built upon, the structure of this story is great.
"Ring Around" is, in my opinion, Kray's strongest piece. Having it as the final story was a great choice. The story follows a simple ring, and how its presence changes the lives of many people as it gets passed around from person to person. Once again, Kray mixes the fantastic with real life perfectly.
Overall, Kray's first ever collection of short stories is a strong piece of work in itself, and I would highly recommend this to my friends and family to read. I would suggest this book for ages 13+, due to some mild language in some of the stories.
December 1, 2013
I enjoyed this book so much. It took me about one or two hours to finish. So here's what I think of each story within the book:
First Love - Loved the simplicity of this story. In two pages, you feel the longing and the desire and have a complete back story. Loved what it stood for.
The Ghost in the Walls - Had me wondering from the beginning what was going to happen. I liked the way it ended!
Love Is Blind - This one was a bit confusing to me even though it was beautifully written. I can't think of what happened to the woman. I want to hear from the writer exactly what happened because I can't think of anything that fits quite right.
Employee of the Month - I really liked how this one was written inside the mind of a pompous store owner. His ideas about life were funny and amusing all the way to the end.
Dreams for Maria - I felt so bad after reading this one. I could imagine the hurt.
The Dollhouse - I thought this was a great "moral of the story" type of book. I didn't like the dialogue as much because it seemed stale and not age appropriate for Keri but I did love the imagery and what it stood for in the end.
Faerie - This one was a bit poetic in nature. I wondered about the underlying meaning of this story. It was written with a distinct voice that made it even more enjoyable.
Ring Around - This was my favorite story and a great anchor story for the book. It left me with a certain feeling of loss, sadness and a weird happiness that it ended as it had. I loved the way the author weaved the story in a way that you can't predict what will happen next and how it all ties together. Loved it.
Overall, this "captivating compendium of original short stories" is a great read for anyone that likes flash fiction and a quick, easy read that makes you think, makes you feel and makes you continue on. I recommend it.
- T.R. Horne, author of Breaking Mobius and Crazy Dirty Love. Find reviews like this on www.ragingbookreviews.wordpress.com
First Love - Loved the simplicity of this story. In two pages, you feel the longing and the desire and have a complete back story. Loved what it stood for.
The Ghost in the Walls - Had me wondering from the beginning what was going to happen. I liked the way it ended!
Love Is Blind - This one was a bit confusing to me even though it was beautifully written. I can't think of what happened to the woman. I want to hear from the writer exactly what happened because I can't think of anything that fits quite right.
Employee of the Month - I really liked how this one was written inside the mind of a pompous store owner. His ideas about life were funny and amusing all the way to the end.
Dreams for Maria - I felt so bad after reading this one. I could imagine the hurt.
The Dollhouse - I thought this was a great "moral of the story" type of book. I didn't like the dialogue as much because it seemed stale and not age appropriate for Keri but I did love the imagery and what it stood for in the end.
Faerie - This one was a bit poetic in nature. I wondered about the underlying meaning of this story. It was written with a distinct voice that made it even more enjoyable.
Ring Around - This was my favorite story and a great anchor story for the book. It left me with a certain feeling of loss, sadness and a weird happiness that it ended as it had. I loved the way the author weaved the story in a way that you can't predict what will happen next and how it all ties together. Loved it.
Overall, this "captivating compendium of original short stories" is a great read for anyone that likes flash fiction and a quick, easy read that makes you think, makes you feel and makes you continue on. I recommend it.
- T.R. Horne, author of Breaking Mobius and Crazy Dirty Love. Find reviews like this on www.ragingbookreviews.wordpress.com
November 25, 2013
review pending...
July 3, 2019
3.5 stars.
I enjoyed this collection of short stories. There are 8 in total. They read almost like fairy tales with a spooky touch. That being said, I wouldn't say this is a scary book, but rather, enchanting storytelling.
I enjoyed this collection of short stories. There are 8 in total. They read almost like fairy tales with a spooky touch. That being said, I wouldn't say this is a scary book, but rather, enchanting storytelling.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews