Let's start with a little bit about me: I'm about as far from a mystical/spiritual/magical thinker as you can get. Thus, I started reading The Mala Beads with a certain sense of "Oh yeah? Show me." Author Kathy Aspden showed me big time. She had me at Claire, the first of her 36 characters, who had the audacity to negotiate with her armed robber, and then for kickers gave him a tip. We follow the mala beads as they are handed off, lost, passed on, stolen, or mailed in succession to 35 other people whose only commonality is their very human need to be relieved from desperate circumstances: fear, guilt, pain, debt, regret, depression... you get the picture. And in the end, although I am no more of a mystical thinker than I was before, I finished the book with a renewed belief in the goodness of my fellow humans, that I can find common ground with "the other," and -- and please take this literally --that miracles happen every day.

The scenes are short; sometimes just a couple of pages, so if it’s your predilection, you can consume The Mala Beads in small doses. Ms. Aspden has painted each episode with great economy, but each one is vivid… almost like a plein air painting, which has to be sketched in a short amount of time before the light changes. I highly recommend this book. I write this review from Costa Rica. My only quandary now is should I bring The Mala Beads home with me or leave it in my beach hostel's lending library to help Ms. Aspden gain an international following?"

"The writing is witty, masterful, and fun to read." Madeline Miele Holt, Producer, Books and the World
”These are edgy and profound tales of hope, love, and connection, set against the backdrop of the 2020 pandemic. I read The Mala Beads with a smile on my face and a lump in my throat."
—Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll, former Arts Editor for the Cape Cod Times
"I love this book. Whether you read it in one sitting or experience it slowly, it's a book you'll want to share with friends, buy as a gift, or suggest for your book club—an easy read with a lot to say."
—Christine Merser, Writer, Managing Editor, Blue 2 Publishing