Opus 19: A Collection of 19 Original Short Stories to Uplift the Human Psyche Affected by COVID 19 Pandemic

by Brian Whelihan

Opus 19: A Collection of 19 Original Short Stories to Uplift the Human Psyche Affected by COVID 19 Brian WhelihanOPUS 19 consists of nineteen self-contained stories. Some are completely fictional, some are completely nonfictional, and others are a mix. Each story is associated with what the author calls a Ficto-Meter, which designates an approximate percentage fictional, and therefore nonfictional content. In describing all of the stories, they are created from actual experiences or fictional accounts derived from real situations or are derived from lessons that we learn throughout life. Many of them leave the reader with nostalgically provocative thoughts about life. Some are just plain funny. The fictional story of the origin of the word woman is an amusing story about how life might have been 15,000 years ago while the story about how shoes wind up on the roadside is so real and convincing that readers will be looking for shoes on the road. The stories in OPUS 19 are amusing (Flies, Church), provocative (Car, Children, Ton and Speech), nostalgic (Bees), and amazingly true (JFK, Cigarettes, Fish, Simultaneous, Cockroach). Curiosity is a true story of an unlikely experience within a controversial time. The inspiration for these stories came in large part from the grip of the pandemic virus and the opportunity for introspection that came along with it. The author’s hope is that the readers of these stories will have their hearts warmed, their brains stimulated, and perhaps even laugh out loud.About the AuthorBrian Whelihan lives in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, a small but historic town north of Milwaukee. Living in Wisconsin and Illinois for most of his life, his professional accomplishments include practicing analytical chemistry and tutoring youngsters in math and chemistry. His love of history and topics outside of science drew him to taking classes at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee where he started to develop the right side of his brain. Finding that he enjoyed writing, Brian went into his mind looking for interesting experiences and amusing thoughts. When the pandemic of COVID-19 struck, he decided to share these experiences and hopefully amusing stories in this book.

44 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 10, 2021

Reviews

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sublime piece of work really captivated me from the very beginning with 19 different stories that blew my mind! I have to say that I started reading this book with a little bit of skepticism but after the first story, I was hooked! In my humble opinion, it was impossible to start talking about consequences with the disease still taking so many lives; however, this remarkable book fulfilled all my expectations.
The Covid-19 pandemic caused economic, social and psychological disruption, which caused a devastating effect on human life worldwide. These short stories were written with the intent to help the human psyche and let me insist, Brian Whelihan’s brilliant storytelling captured me immediately. It is hard to believe he was able to put this book together so quickly, but he is a highly skilled author, who showed a lot of talent and professionalism.
Definitely, it is a page turner that worth a look.

[Susel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading Opus19. What attracted me the most about this amazing book, was the fact that it is a collection of short stories, meant to uplift our mind affected by the pandemic of COVID 19, and I believe this book has definitely achieved its goal.
I could tell that Brian Whelihan had put a lot of effort and heart in the writing of these incredible fictional and non-fictional stories. If I had to choose a favourite story, I couldn’t, as they are all very original and engaging.
I believe this is a tender and captivating collection of stories that delves into the many existential questions we ask ourselves frequently. Also, the prose reads like a painting adding depth and complexity, making for some beautiful imagery. I really recommend reading it!

[Dani Savante · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of short stories and tales which contain stand-alone stories. Some are fun, others are nostalgic and a few helps us reflect and think. In some cases, they are inspired by true situations and in other cases they are works of fiction, but all of them have something in common that is to counteract the sadness the pandemic has left in our minds, as the author explains.
I enjoyed this compilation of stories a lot. I felt accompanied by the tales and they made me reflect about my life, the true happiness and the effects of this virus over our daily routine. In all of the cases, I think that the writing style and the narrative are excellent and I certainly recommend this book.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

We never imagined the psychological consequences that COVID-19 could leave, we never realized how hard it could hit us. Today, we can see that the psychological damage caused by the pandemic outweighs any other damage.
"Opus 19" is a collection of 19 Original Short Stories to Uplift the Human Psyche Affected by COVID 19 written by Brian Whelihan.
Behind every story there is a teaching, or at least something that leaves you wondering. I really liked this book, since it is entertaining and although many stories are fictitious, you can feel identified in many of them. I certainly recommend it.

[Agustina Sureda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opus 19 was written by Brian Whelihan a chemistry and math teacher that likes to write. When the COVID 19 struck, he decided to do something productive and wrote this book, that contains nineteen different short stories, some are fictional, some are not, and others are half and half. Having to be in quarantine made Whelihan reconnect with his thoughts and how he felt about this virus and many of the stories represent just that.
This was such an interesting book. The number of characters and different stories made it really entertaining and it was very easy to follow up, so I ended it quite quickly. Very amusing and a book to just let your imagination go free! A very good read!

[Carol M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of short stories aimed at entertaining ourselves after having had such a hard time during the pandemic. Some stories are humorous and funny whereas some others are touching or they simply reflect some modern-day problem. Brian Wheliham has combined some real stories with fictional ones, which posed quite a challenge; as I was reading them, I questioned myself if that actually happened. Despite being real or not, all stories are worth reading. They are short and easy to read as they are concise and have the right number of details to make them vivid. I really enjoyed this book!

[Brian N · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope people who like to be amused and stimulated will read my book