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The Biscuit & Timely Tales
The Biscuit & Timely Tales offers short stories about time—as in running out of time, wasting time as the meter keeps running and going back in time, as in dream time. Author T. L. Needham also presents poems that, like a helium filled balloon, tug at the string of your imagination.
The collection begins with THE BISCUIT—a story about the times when you do the wrong thing for the right reasons and then the right thing for the wrong reasons—and ends with THE RING, which describes traveling with spirits in the car…and not the kind of spirits you drink! These two stories frame short prose with broader themes based on growth and enlightenment, life, death, and the spirit world. The Biscuit & Timely Tales eloquently nudges us to learn to listen to the whispered guidance of spirit friends and family guiding us along the path we are destined to follow on our mission of discovery.
The collection begins with THE BISCUIT—a story about the times when you do the wrong thing for the right reasons and then the right thing for the wrong reasons—and ends with THE RING, which describes traveling with spirits in the car…and not the kind of spirits you drink! These two stories frame short prose with broader themes based on growth and enlightenment, life, death, and the spirit world. The Biscuit & Timely Tales eloquently nudges us to learn to listen to the whispered guidance of spirit friends and family guiding us along the path we are destined to follow on our mission of discovery.
163 pages, Paperback
Published May 30, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 21, 2020
The Biscuit & Timely Tales, by T. L. Needham, is a beautifully written memoir told through a diverse and eclectic collection of memorable family stories. The stories chronicle the author’s quest to search for the people and histories of past generations to define and understand the meaning of his life. His quest was successful.
Needham’s desire to learn about his family's history was a journey that began when he was a young boy. When he asked his grandfather to tell him about his family’s history, his grandfather advised him to "Never shake the family tree; you never know what might fall out." But over the years, the author shook the tree, hard and deliberately, and as a result, we have his stories, reflecting not only his well-lived life but also the people and experiences that made him the man he is today.
Needham's collection includes twenty-two stories and poems, providing broad brushstrokes across the canvas of his life. The poems are succinct, thoughtful, and inspiring. I especially liked, “I Do Believe,” with the thought-provoking line, “. . . birth and death are opposite sides of the same door,” and his feeling that love lives forever on both sides of that door.
The stories that bookend the collection are especially worth mentioning. The title story, "The Biscuit," is a recollection about a simple family memento, an old railroad pocket watch, that brings history to light and binds the love and relationship between a father and a son. In the closing story, “The Ring,” the author takes the reader on an adventure to search for and unearth the missing details of his great-great-grandfather, detailing his inspired travels to a family cemetery plot in Cumberland County, Illinois, and ultimately, to find his family’s homestead in nearby Shelby County, just southwest of Shelbyville.
The joy of reading a person’s memoir lies in the reader’s ability to learn about the person: where he came from, his insightful and unique experiences, the meaningful influences that formed his growth and development, and the colorful memories of family members spanning generations. What I did not expect, and which was an added and welcome benefit, was that I could travel with the author back to earlier decades and relive some familiar locations, time periods, and circumstances through a different set of eyes. Needham's descriptions of places, and the memorable nuances of different timeframes, pulled me into his stories, as though I was experiencing the stories with him. Also, as I read the stories, I found myself thinking of my family history and experiences, taking me as far back to when I was a young boy, which I never expected.
The Biscuit & Timely Tales is a historical and sometimes fictional account of one man's history based upon his search for the stories of his past and his desire to document the stories for posterity. I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir, and I am sure readers will relish his stories for generations to come.
Needham’s desire to learn about his family's history was a journey that began when he was a young boy. When he asked his grandfather to tell him about his family’s history, his grandfather advised him to "Never shake the family tree; you never know what might fall out." But over the years, the author shook the tree, hard and deliberately, and as a result, we have his stories, reflecting not only his well-lived life but also the people and experiences that made him the man he is today.
Needham's collection includes twenty-two stories and poems, providing broad brushstrokes across the canvas of his life. The poems are succinct, thoughtful, and inspiring. I especially liked, “I Do Believe,” with the thought-provoking line, “. . . birth and death are opposite sides of the same door,” and his feeling that love lives forever on both sides of that door.
The stories that bookend the collection are especially worth mentioning. The title story, "The Biscuit," is a recollection about a simple family memento, an old railroad pocket watch, that brings history to light and binds the love and relationship between a father and a son. In the closing story, “The Ring,” the author takes the reader on an adventure to search for and unearth the missing details of his great-great-grandfather, detailing his inspired travels to a family cemetery plot in Cumberland County, Illinois, and ultimately, to find his family’s homestead in nearby Shelby County, just southwest of Shelbyville.
The joy of reading a person’s memoir lies in the reader’s ability to learn about the person: where he came from, his insightful and unique experiences, the meaningful influences that formed his growth and development, and the colorful memories of family members spanning generations. What I did not expect, and which was an added and welcome benefit, was that I could travel with the author back to earlier decades and relive some familiar locations, time periods, and circumstances through a different set of eyes. Needham's descriptions of places, and the memorable nuances of different timeframes, pulled me into his stories, as though I was experiencing the stories with him. Also, as I read the stories, I found myself thinking of my family history and experiences, taking me as far back to when I was a young boy, which I never expected.
The Biscuit & Timely Tales is a historical and sometimes fictional account of one man's history based upon his search for the stories of his past and his desire to document the stories for posterity. I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir, and I am sure readers will relish his stories for generations to come.
August 4, 2020
T.L. Needham shares his well-honed art of story-telling in this warm, homespun series of stories The Biscuit & Timely Tales. In the first narrative entitled “The Biscuit,” the author relates the story behind an old railroad pocket watch and the importance of accurate time in the railroad industry. The reader learns about the value of “adjustments” required of a timepiece in order for it to be approved as a railroad watch. Adjustments included the ability of the watch to tell accurate time regardless of the position it is held.
It is interesting to note how favorite treasures handed down from one’s ancestors possess hidden stories that unlock family secrets and expose untold memories. Needham has an unusual knack of raising the art of story-telling to a form of therapy that provides comfort and delight in retelling the significance of past events. Such are the narratives that Needham shares about his own family history.
Needham introduces the employment of ancestral guides in his quest to learn about his forebears in “The Ring,” his final piece. Many of us have felt the presence of loved ones who have departed our earthly life and provide guidance and direction as we encounter difficult decisions. Readers will find themselves searching their memories for occasions that reminded them of their grandfather or will somehow be spirited back in time to relive the words or actions of a favorite relative.
The book is a pleasant series of snapshots that open doors into the author’s family history. Yet, it provides more by beckoning the reader to explore their own story behind their mother’s antique silver bracelet or their first leather baseball glove cracked and weathered by decades of neglect. It also gives a glimpse of the relationship between father and son, father and grandfather, and other relatives. The stories set the tone for these relationships that are set in a simpler time, an unhurried time, but an important time nonetheless.
It is interesting to note how favorite treasures handed down from one’s ancestors possess hidden stories that unlock family secrets and expose untold memories. Needham has an unusual knack of raising the art of story-telling to a form of therapy that provides comfort and delight in retelling the significance of past events. Such are the narratives that Needham shares about his own family history.
Needham introduces the employment of ancestral guides in his quest to learn about his forebears in “The Ring,” his final piece. Many of us have felt the presence of loved ones who have departed our earthly life and provide guidance and direction as we encounter difficult decisions. Readers will find themselves searching their memories for occasions that reminded them of their grandfather or will somehow be spirited back in time to relive the words or actions of a favorite relative.
The book is a pleasant series of snapshots that open doors into the author’s family history. Yet, it provides more by beckoning the reader to explore their own story behind their mother’s antique silver bracelet or their first leather baseball glove cracked and weathered by decades of neglect. It also gives a glimpse of the relationship between father and son, father and grandfather, and other relatives. The stories set the tone for these relationships that are set in a simpler time, an unhurried time, but an important time nonetheless.
June 26, 2020
Easy to read and fast paced, "The Biscuit" will delight readers with its connection to unique memories of our early lives. Every family is different, of course, but there's a strain of familiarity that runs through the reminiscences. Author T.L. Needham shares his stories in a series of short essays that include bringing back days from his childhood into today's own time with curious fancies and strange visions.
Stretching from a deep, dark, forbidden cistern to a slight orange glow in the window of an old neighborhood house to a brilliantly lighted description of a physical match-up between relative, Daniel Needham and Abraham Lincoln, these stories weave a timeless line of family consciousness.
Whether you believe in angels, reincarnation, and/or karma, this narrative, also with captivating poetry, may awaken some perhaps hidden sequence of personal mysteries that you were previously unwilling to see. "The Biscuit" may provide a gentle push to a deeper self-discovery with a most satisfying read.
Stretching from a deep, dark, forbidden cistern to a slight orange glow in the window of an old neighborhood house to a brilliantly lighted description of a physical match-up between relative, Daniel Needham and Abraham Lincoln, these stories weave a timeless line of family consciousness.
Whether you believe in angels, reincarnation, and/or karma, this narrative, also with captivating poetry, may awaken some perhaps hidden sequence of personal mysteries that you were previously unwilling to see. "The Biscuit" may provide a gentle push to a deeper self-discovery with a most satisfying read.
February 1, 2021
“Never shake the family tree; you never know what might fall out.”
I am not quite sure which I am most envious of: T.L. Needham’s gift of writing, or his unending pursuit of family history. Both are immensely evident on The Biscuit & Timeline Tales, a collection of poignant short stories and poems inspired by true events from the 1800s all the way to the near present.
Short stories are notorious for being one of the hardest genres/formats to pull off successfully. Perhaps it’s because they lack the traditional three act structure, or simply because there is less to work with. Every word counts.
T.L. Needham has the gift.
Each of these tales pulls you in and doesn’t let go until you realize it is over. The interlaced poems offer a pleasant change of pace—like a palate cleanser between decadent courses. My favorite story was the last one—The Ring; I found the tale of Curtis during the time of Cholera eerily prescient of COVID-19.
Despite the uniqueness of each of these tales (most of the protagonists change from story to story), there is an underlying theme which elegantly wraps them together and turns this book into a work of art. It is the idea that we are somehow all connected. The book doesn’t need to go into how or why. There is enough beauty in the mystery itself.
T.L Needham shook his family tree. What fell out is glorious indeed.
I am not quite sure which I am most envious of: T.L. Needham’s gift of writing, or his unending pursuit of family history. Both are immensely evident on The Biscuit & Timeline Tales, a collection of poignant short stories and poems inspired by true events from the 1800s all the way to the near present.
Short stories are notorious for being one of the hardest genres/formats to pull off successfully. Perhaps it’s because they lack the traditional three act structure, or simply because there is less to work with. Every word counts.
T.L. Needham has the gift.
Each of these tales pulls you in and doesn’t let go until you realize it is over. The interlaced poems offer a pleasant change of pace—like a palate cleanser between decadent courses. My favorite story was the last one—The Ring; I found the tale of Curtis during the time of Cholera eerily prescient of COVID-19.
Despite the uniqueness of each of these tales (most of the protagonists change from story to story), there is an underlying theme which elegantly wraps them together and turns this book into a work of art. It is the idea that we are somehow all connected. The book doesn’t need to go into how or why. There is enough beauty in the mystery itself.
T.L Needham shook his family tree. What fell out is glorious indeed.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews