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Counting Losses
Reese lives with crippling anxiety, depression, and a womanizing chauvinist named Tony. As Reese struggles to get over his not-so-recent heartbreak, he finds himself tired of the way his roommate treats the opposite gender, and demands Tony come clean about his ill intentions toward Janet, a woman whom he just recently met. When Tony refuses to cooperate and leaves town for business, Reese takes it upon himself to tell Janet the truth. This sets in motion a series of events that leaves Reese jobless and smitten with the woman his roommate scorned. Over the course of several months, Reese learns important lessons in hope, friendship, love, and the possibility that everything, good or bad, happens for a reason.
Kindle Edition
Published June 19, 2015
About the author
Craig R Key
6 books4 followersCraig R. Key was born in Fort Worth, Texas on December 7, 1983. Starting with drama courses in high school and moving on to larger college productions, he knew that his love for entertaining was beyond the simple stage and he began to branch out into screen writing and filmmaking.
Craig's first venture into epic storytelling on a micro-budget began with a three episode web-series titled "The Clay Chronicles" that was produced under his self funded production company Floor 13 Productions from 2003 to 2006. After the completion of the series, he went on to write additional short films from 2007 to 2012 including a handful of sketches for Floaters Comedy from Bad Apple Studios.
His titles during production have included director, writer, actor, editor, and he has even written music for his projects.
On July 13, 2014, Craig completed his first novel, a dark fantasy titled, "A Sight Unseen," which he dedicated to his father Gary Key, who lost his battle with cancer on May 1, 2014. Almost a year later, Craig released his second book, a comedy/drama titled, "Counting Losses," on May 21, 2015. This one was dedicated to everyone who, like the author, suffers from clinical anxiety and/or depression.
Craig's first venture into epic storytelling on a micro-budget began with a three episode web-series titled "The Clay Chronicles" that was produced under his self funded production company Floor 13 Productions from 2003 to 2006. After the completion of the series, he went on to write additional short films from 2007 to 2012 including a handful of sketches for Floaters Comedy from Bad Apple Studios.
His titles during production have included director, writer, actor, editor, and he has even written music for his projects.
On July 13, 2014, Craig completed his first novel, a dark fantasy titled, "A Sight Unseen," which he dedicated to his father Gary Key, who lost his battle with cancer on May 1, 2014. Almost a year later, Craig released his second book, a comedy/drama titled, "Counting Losses," on May 21, 2015. This one was dedicated to everyone who, like the author, suffers from clinical anxiety and/or depression.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 6, 2016
This story is more complex than I initially thought and a pleasing read. Our main character is faced with several choices that lead his life down a path that will affect him and those around him. I was anxious to get to the end to see how it all ended.
*I was provided a free copy of this book via AudiobookBlast for a fair and honest review.
*I was provided a free copy of this book via AudiobookBlast for a fair and honest review.
February 18, 2016
Please note that I am rating the audio book format of this novel.
Narrated by Kye Grayson
"Sentimental but not too sentimental" Is how I would describe this book.
If you could sum up Counting Losses in three words, what would they be?
Brutally honest [piece of] wisdom.
I don't believe I can say that I liked this book since it is about the anguish a young man encounters in his life in the form of betrayal, heartbreak and depression. So while I can't say I 'liked' it, indeed I can say, with the utmost sincerity, that I found it meaningful.Counting Losses hauntingly encapsulates human emotions, realistically too. What I mean by this is that I felt I could relate to Reese, I , like him, feel only too often that the world is out to get me. Of course though, unlike him, I laugh about this ludicrous notion soon after. I also live by the same sort of philosophies, such as the idea that everything happens for a reason.But since the question uses this word, I will too:I liked that there was substance to the characters, no one was under developed, they all had an integral part in the progression of the novel.In the same way, I liked how Reese developed, as did Tony, he became more mature, more understanding of the ways of the world: though it can be claimed that from his first heartbreak he learned little, since he didn't deal well with his second.
What other book might you compare Counting Losses to, and why?
Unsure.
Has this increased your interest in a particular area?
Yes, depression and the tendency of humans to accept their circumstances (however, awful they may be) as fate, or something they deserve or have no right to change, is certainly something that has fascinated me. Almost as much as human memory, and that's saying something. This novel has raised my interest, now I have another thing to think about at night (to add to my never-ending train of thought): why after experiencing betrayal and heartbreak, are we so willing to accept it and move on? Is it a survival instinct, something innate within us, that we see the good in anyone? Why do some of us find it easier (for lack of a better word)to succumb to defeat and turn to suicide?I know that it took Reese around six months to move on, my question is not regarding the speed if acceptance, just the reason it happens at all. I do, of course, acknowledge that this is a work of fiction.
I definitely have to say that the content comes across as such profound, enlightening wisdom. Perhaps I'm exaggerating, but I definitely felt compelled to complete all of this audio book, there must have been a reason. Indeed, I have always believed everything happens for a reason. So the novel fit into some of the very core philosophies I live by.
Have you listened to any of Kye Grayson’s other performances? How does this one compare?
No, afraid not. So I will answer based on this one performance:
I felt at the start he seemed overly expressive, almost superficial. At other times I felt that the narration was fitting, I'd like to think this was a deliberate technique, that the hopeful tone at the start to the almost dejected voice at the end signified the wearing away of Reese's optimism.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Pretty much.
Any additional comments?
This was a novel I'd usually not follow through with reading or listening to, since it's not something I'm used to, perhaps it was this uniqueness which drew me closer. I'm glad that I didn't stop listening at the first mention of sex, porn, adultery, drug abuse. depression, loneliness, suicide... I appreciated how the author wrote of these things without the socially expected reservations: it allowed for a more genuine feel for the story. This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.
Narrated by Kye Grayson
"Sentimental but not too sentimental" Is how I would describe this book.
If you could sum up Counting Losses in three words, what would they be?
Brutally honest [piece of] wisdom.
I don't believe I can say that I liked this book since it is about the anguish a young man encounters in his life in the form of betrayal, heartbreak and depression. So while I can't say I 'liked' it, indeed I can say, with the utmost sincerity, that I found it meaningful.Counting Losses hauntingly encapsulates human emotions, realistically too. What I mean by this is that I felt I could relate to Reese, I , like him, feel only too often that the world is out to get me. Of course though, unlike him, I laugh about this ludicrous notion soon after. I also live by the same sort of philosophies, such as the idea that everything happens for a reason.But since the question uses this word, I will too:I liked that there was substance to the characters, no one was under developed, they all had an integral part in the progression of the novel.In the same way, I liked how Reese developed, as did Tony, he became more mature, more understanding of the ways of the world: though it can be claimed that from his first heartbreak he learned little, since he didn't deal well with his second.
What other book might you compare Counting Losses to, and why?
Unsure.
Has this increased your interest in a particular area?
Yes, depression and the tendency of humans to accept their circumstances (however, awful they may be) as fate, or something they deserve or have no right to change, is certainly something that has fascinated me. Almost as much as human memory, and that's saying something. This novel has raised my interest, now I have another thing to think about at night (to add to my never-ending train of thought): why after experiencing betrayal and heartbreak, are we so willing to accept it and move on? Is it a survival instinct, something innate within us, that we see the good in anyone? Why do some of us find it easier (for lack of a better word)to succumb to defeat and turn to suicide?I know that it took Reese around six months to move on, my question is not regarding the speed if acceptance, just the reason it happens at all. I do, of course, acknowledge that this is a work of fiction.
I definitely have to say that the content comes across as such profound, enlightening wisdom. Perhaps I'm exaggerating, but I definitely felt compelled to complete all of this audio book, there must have been a reason. Indeed, I have always believed everything happens for a reason. So the novel fit into some of the very core philosophies I live by.
Have you listened to any of Kye Grayson’s other performances? How does this one compare?
No, afraid not. So I will answer based on this one performance:
I felt at the start he seemed overly expressive, almost superficial. At other times I felt that the narration was fitting, I'd like to think this was a deliberate technique, that the hopeful tone at the start to the almost dejected voice at the end signified the wearing away of Reese's optimism.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Pretty much.
Any additional comments?
This was a novel I'd usually not follow through with reading or listening to, since it's not something I'm used to, perhaps it was this uniqueness which drew me closer. I'm glad that I didn't stop listening at the first mention of sex, porn, adultery, drug abuse. depression, loneliness, suicide... I appreciated how the author wrote of these things without the socially expected reservations: it allowed for a more genuine feel for the story. This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews