Today, we have a guest post from a fellow blogger kind enough to review some of my stories!

-Click Here to Visit Patrick’s Site-

Patrick Bailey is a professional writer mainly in the fields of mental health, addiction, and living in recovery. He attempts to stay on top of the latest news in the addiction and the mental health world and enjoys writing about these topics to break the stigma associated with them.

Patrick’s Review of ‘Edgar’s Worst Sunday’:

Considered to be one of the masterpieces of Brad Oates, “Edgar’s Worst Sunday” speaks of how something could possibly change someone. In this novel, he gives an interesting narrative of someone’s journey towards realizing certain things about his life.

The main character, Edgar Vincent, lived a semi-successful life as a composer. He embraced a so-called rockstar lifestyle.

Amid this, his Saturday nights were filled with nothing but excessive drinking, unthinkable promiscuity, and cruel comments. It was as if he needed rehabilitation treatments.

His Sundays were a different story, though. It was a time for him to realize that he actually had regrets. It also served as the moment for him to feel the pain of being sick.

The plot twist happened when he found himself inside the fluffy clouds up in the sky. Yes, Edgar is already experiencing how it is to die. It felt surreal but it was already his truth.

It was a Sunday morning, a bleak one at that, when he became fully aware of his current state. While facing his own death, he finally gets a clear picture of how hard it is. However, he believes that it is not as hard as seeing himself and dealing with it.

Despite the fact that he is dead, he still maintains that he must not hurry in changing his self-serving attitude. But, how long does he stay this way?

-Click Here to buy ‘Edgar’s Worst Sunday’-

The story paves the way for the readers to realize the painful reality of self-discovery. For someone who has been seeking pleasure, it could never be easy to slowly discover whatever is wrong with it.

Oates has surely achieved in presenting this in this novel. The way each scene is revealed is fantastic. The author has successfully developed the character in a manner that makes anyone hooked to what it next.

The following are some of the many lessons that one can get from reading “Edgar’s Worst Sunday”:

One can never do all his desires forever. There is always an end for everything.

No matter how much you believe that you can do whatever you desire forever, that can never happen. There will always be an end to it. It is inevitable that one will die. You could be the most powerful man in the world, but, that can never stop your death.

Would you wait for it to come before you change your not-so-good ways?

Being hedonistic could lead to a wasted life.

Feeling the pleasure of doing something may bring you fulfillment at some point. Nevertheless, being hedonistic may potentially ruin your life. Such an attitude may push you towards living a wasted life. You could be doing things that may shorten your existence.

One must not wait until his death to change.

Should someone wait for afterlife before changing his ways? Should he consider getting better only after he dies?

It may sound preachy. It is worth noting, however, that if you still have time to improve yourself, do it right away. When you are already dead, what could still be the point of changing yourself? Would your loved ones appreciate it?

It is, therefore, important to make them feel and experience the change. Thus, it has to be done while you are still alive.

It is never too late to change.

You may have been showing nothing but an ugly personality and behavior. However, it does not mean that you have to stay that way for the rest of your life. For as long as you are alive, you still have the chance to redeem yourself. One can change and become a better version of himself if he truly loves the people around him.

Find time to examine yourself.

Everyone must consider examining himself from time to time. In short, you can set aside a moment to check if you have offended someone. You can evaluate yourself and determine how you can improve further and be a better person. This is an important time for you to find out how you are in dealing with others. This could be your basis in embracing some changes about yourself.

Patrick’s Review of Brad OH Inc.’s ‘Single Serving Stories’:

“Of Pipers and Pigs”:

This novel talks about life’s uncertainties. One can be a big name now but suddenly becomes a nobody later on. This can also be applied to how you view yourself in a humongous world in front of you. You could be a witness to a number of great things. On the other hand, you still cannot identify your role amidst all these things. While you are expected to play a role in this life, you find it hard at times to identify it. Despite this, you must never stop looking for that relevance for you to continuously do your share.

“Edmonton: Unbound”:

For someone looking for a book featuring several stories with varying plots and genre, this can be the best option. “Edmonton: Unbound” is a compilation of 14 short stories. This presents different tales about the hometown of the writers belonging to the Edmonton Writers’ Group. You can read stories that carry a sci-fi theme or those that talk about the mundane daily interactions. There are likewise those that give a deep and profound demonstration of psychological introspections.

“The Election”:

This features a cynical journalist who is keeping track of events relative to the 4th Annual United Corporate Election. This book is about the negative events that usually occur during this season. The protagonist, Duke O’Brady, tries to experience the madness behind the world of politics. This is because he wants to have a first-hand account of this crazy reality. If this is indeed a good idea, that is something you need to find out.

“As It Happened”:

The story of “As It Happened” revolves around change. This talks about a couple continuously facing several changes and challenges. As things continue to unfold, how would they respond to all of these? No one can stop change. Therefore, you have to learn to deal with it.

We are extremely thankful to Patrick for taking the time to write up these reviews. Be sure to check out Patrick’s site here!

-Brad OH Inc.