Book Review: “Rise After Silence: An ER Doctor and the Patients Who Healed Her” by Anne Aspler

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Rating: 4 stars

Headline: A beautiful memoir, be prepared for plenty of tears and fistfuls of anger

Review:

Rise After Silence is the debut memoir from Emergency Room (ER) professional, Anne Aspler. Coming in at just shy of 300 pages cover to cover, Rise After Silence is an eye-opening account of Aspler’s life in ER, the patients and colleagues that shape her working day, juxtaposed with the author’s life outside of the nine-to-five. Sometimes, it is hard to make out which makes the more challenging read. In her author’s note, Aspler informs readers that certain identifying details (such as names and timelines) have been changed, and the cover is designed by award-winning illustrator, Natàlia Pàmies.

Rise After Silence is a gripping read, carefully laid out into four distinct sections and covers in great depth childhood and adult assault (both experienced by the author and by her ER patients). A pivotal moment in the memoir is the author coming to terms with the abusive crimes of her father around the time of the #MeToo movement. At the same time as thousands (if not, millions) of woman around the world start speaking up, Aspler, too, has her eyes opened to suppressed memories from her childhood. Bearing in mind Asper’s own mother was, by this point, a diagnosed schizophrenic, then as a reader it feels like a wonder this high-flying, Harvard qualified, professional was able to pull through life at all during this point.

In slightly lighter moments in the book, we see the author navigating the complicated world of online dating and becoming a parent for the first time, but in truth these moments of light are limited and can be found left sparing amongst Aspler’s broader life story. Even her experiences during a residency in Rwanda and the moment when the author and her sister finally get hold of their foster records, they feel bittersweet in nature.

Rise After Silence certainly brings something to the table in the topics it tackles head-on. It is full of colourful characters and demonstrates a strong growth arc of the author, starting in a turbulent place, to ultimately land in a mental state which is moving in a positive direction. This also includes a decisive decision on her relationship with her convicted father. The darkness of this memoir might not be for everyone, and while this reviewer never expected Rise After Silence to be “happy-clappy”, sometimes the moments of good felt all to brief. If nothing else, this memoir serves to remind us how far we have yet to come with protecting women and children from harm.

A very well put together book, just be prepared for the tears and anger along the way.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Rise After Silence: An ER Doctor and the Patients Who Healed Her” by Anne Aspler

Purchase Link: “Rise After Silence: An ER Doctor and the Patients Who Healed Her” by Anne Aspler (Amazon)

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Coffee and Book Tuesday

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This week I’ve been chilling in a Caffè Nero with a cappuccino, reading the literary classic, The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks.

Believe it or not, I’ve never read this title before, which is probably why it is good to have a napkin within easy reach. It is a bit of a tearjerker at points!

Be still, my beating Sparks (rolls better off the tongue than Noah Calhoun…or Ryan Gosling.)

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Book Review: “Forsaken Flowers” by Theophany Juhn

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Rating: 5 stars

Headline: Full of clever storytelling, this is a fantasy novel that will leave you hankering for more

Review:

The debut novel from American, Michigan-based, author Theophany Juhn, Forsaken Flowers is a gripping fantasy read with plenty of high stakes action and colourful world building.

It tells the story of Aelyta Aurelianus, an Elemental who at her coronation ceremony is unexpectedly bestowed the Rite of Divinity by the High Priestess. This twist in tradition results in Aelyta having the right to become Queen of Ospheria over and above other figures who might have laid claim to the throne. With barely any time to react to the news, Aelyta finds herself that same evening at the hands of a would-be assassin, only to find her body rejecting the very dagger that is pierced through her chest, wound healing over instantaneously. In what should have been a day marked by the lore and tradition of her people, for Aelyta this day marks the start of even more dramatic events yet to come, involving love, loss, and a kingdom in peril. To defeat her foes, Aelyta must embrace the power of her inner magic, and the poison deep within.

Everything about Forsaken Flowers is pitched perfectly. From the beautiful cover design (and use of background design/imagery on each opening chapter page), through writing style and the flow of the story itself. It is hard to not become invested in Aelyta’s plight, just as much as it is hard to not come away from each chapter entrenched in all the characters that surround her (both good and evil). Every element of the plot is fully developed and the world building is as strong as any other fantasy novel this reviewer has seen in other published novels. And, coming in at just over 300 pages, Forsaken Flowers is a nice length within the fantasy genre, making it a lot more accessible to readers who can feel daunted at the prospect of taking on a competing 500+ page behemoth.

An enjoyable read, through and through, Forsaken Flowers is most definitely a book for any fantasy-loving reader, as much as it is someone wanting to dip their toe in the genre. It is also the perfect title for anyone looking to support independent publishing and authorship. A prime example of when self-publishing works, it really works. 5 stars.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Forsaken Flowers” by Theophany Juhn

Purchase Link: “Forsaken Flowers” by Theophany Juhn (Amazon)

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This Pear, Though

My Housemate's a Mermaid (Alice E. Bennett) comedy, food, Humor, Humour, Uncategorized ,

Just going to leave this here, as found in my parent’s back garden.

Yep.

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Book Review: “No Safe Harbor” by J. Dale Dillard

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Rating: 3 stars

Headline: No Safe Habor has signs of promise in this high-stakes crime thriller series

Review:

The debut crime thriller from author J. Dale Dillard, No Safe Habor is a book of high stakes action, which takes readers on plenty of twists and turns as the plot develops. It is also book one of the Nuevas Montañas Files series, suggesting many more novels to follow suit in this gripping genre of adult fiction. The book comes in at around 300 pages long, is set within a fictional region of America, named the Nuevas Montañas (“new mountains”) and features a striking cover design by graphic Danna Mathias Steele.

The story follows the main character, Deputy Sheriff Rick Hunter who, while driving late one night encounters a lone woman stumbling through the woods, heavily injured. Racing to the nearest hospital, Rick soon realises that this one action will change the course of his life forever. As things develop it becomes quickly apparent that this strange woman holds secrets of her own and, drawn into a complex web of crime, involving human trafficking and cyber warfare, this small-town Deputy is about to get more than he bargained for when he decided to cruise down Highway seven one September night.

The premise of this book is likeable enough, packed full of pacy action from the off. The story is driven a lot by the frequent time stamps dotted throughout the chapters and, while this works for large time jumps (e.g. months and years), when the time stamps are used at very short intervals (sometimes as brief as five minutes apart) then in No Safe Habor they become a plot crutch, rather than plot amplifier. A lot of the story takes place over a very short time period, but more could have been done with the scene-setting and character interactions to better display this.

Equally, the use of action and drama are great to see, however what this story lacks a little bit is the further development of characters beyond their interactions with others. Readers are thrown into action from the off, and get no time to really understand Rick as an individual. What is his motivation, likes/dislikes, his drivers in life? It is the same for place setting, where readers are often denied a fully-fleshed out description of locations where action takes place. No Safe Habor could have been so much more if it had more time dedicated to world and character building.

The best advice I would impact to this author (and any other author of this genre) would be to step back, take a pause, and give characters the space to breathe and showcase themselves. After all, characters are so much more than the weapons they carry (even the evil ones).

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “No Safe Harbor” by J. Dale Dillard

Purchase Link: “No Safe Harbor” by J. Dale Dillard (Amazon)

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AI artwork has infiltrated our retail stores

My Housemate's a Mermaid (Alice E. Bennett) Art, Humor, Humour, shopping, Uncategorized , , ,

In a national chain of UK home stores, I did a double take while walking past this particular piece of “wall art”.

How do I suspect this is generative AI I hear you say? For reference, here is a photograph of an actual highland cow:

Image credit: Visit The Highland Cows | Highland Holidays

Bearing in mind I’m not an artist by any stretch, here are the key differences that, to me, stand out when looking at the wall art cow compared to the real thing:

  • Why is there some kind of toilet roll basket on the cow’s head? It makes so sense within the context of the picture
  • The horns go dark very suddenly at the tips. Yes, highland cow horns do have colour variance, but in all the examples I saw, the real cows had colour gradience
  • The cow’s right-hand eye looks like a blur as opposed to an eye (although this could be due to the design having a hair across the eye)
  • It looks like it has a scar on the right-hand side of its nose
  • It appears to have furry fingers holding the newspaper, as opposed to hooves

But the worst, and most obvious piece of AI in this artwork? If you haven’t spotted it already, take another look, because the newspaper that says it all. Or more, doesn’t say anything. It’s written in gibberish.

The thing is, we can all laugh and poke fun at these things, chuckle that someone in an office signed this off as a perfectly respectable thing to include in hundreds of stores. We can say what we want about it clearly being AI, but people will buy this completely unaware.

When there are so many amazing artists in the world, this is not the type of product any company should be endorsing, let alone profiting from. Is there not another painting from ten years ago that couldn’t have had a second season? Just a thought.

FYI, this is all my opinion, I’m more than happy to be corrected if this was created by a human (typing a prompt into an image generator doesn’t count).

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Book Review: “Abuelita, I Am Your Grandson” by Julio Lucero

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Rating: 5 stars

Headline: “Abuelita, I am Your Grandson” breaks new ground with its warmth and vibrancy

Review:

Grab an apron and join Julio Lucero behind the counter to the best Latin restaurant this side of Mexico City, a place where the onions make you cry and the Tequila makes you speak Spanish (or, at least what you think is Spanish…). As darker nights approach, this is an unforgettable journey you won’t want to miss out on.

Abuelita, I am Your Grandson is the autobiographic memoir of Lucero’s life, growing up against the backdrop of a busy and often chaotic family-owned restaurant in Austin, Texas. From the picky clientele, to the competition of highly academic siblings, the author makes no slight about the “educación de restaurante” (or restaurant education) that shaped her CV as much as it did her personality.

Throughout this 192 page memoir, there are countless anecdotes and tales shared from the kitchen tiles, with plenty to keep readers turning every page right to the very end. A lot like the cover design, this is a book bursting with colour and flavour. The writing style is beautiful, a perfect balance of scene setting and informality, with a tone of voice that draws readers into the storytelling experience as if you had just pulled up a stool and glass of wine with the author herself. Tales of managing a business, navigating the cultural divides that come from having dual-national parents, the fascinating tale behind this book’s eye catching title, no conversational stone is left unturned when you enter Lucero’s domain. The formatting in this book is also elevated by use of mini illustrations at the head of each titled chapter, giving the whole production of Abuelita, I am Your Grandson a professional look and feel.

Memoirs are never an easy genre to crack, not when so many personal stories have been told in so many ways. But Abuelita, I am Your Grandson breaks new ground with its warmth and vibrancy by turning a family-owned restaurant into the beating heart of a beautifully crafted memoir. A five star book, through and through.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Abuelita, I Am Your Grandson” by Julio Lucero

Purchase Link: “Abuelita, I Am Your Grandson” by Julio Lucero (Amazon)

Author Website: https://juliolucero.com/

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Update on my Car

My Housemate's a Mermaid (Alice E. Bennett) Humor, Humour, Uncategorized

So, quick update on my car. You know, the one that broke down.

Good news! It’s been fixed. And even better news, it didn’t cost the small mortgage I was expecting!

Turns out it wasn’t the clutch that needed replacing, but just the gear cable that had snapped. You don’t need to know much about cars, all you need to know is that one is considerably cheaper to replace than the other. And quicker, too.

So happy to have my car back!

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Book Review: “Pitch Black: The best Black ads of the past 50+ years” by Mark Robinson

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Rating: 4 stars

Headline: Covering over 50 years of Black representation in advertising, “Pitch Black” showcases cultural shifts and challenges throughout the decades

Review:

(Taking my lead from the author, I will be using the term “Black” when describing American people of colour in my review.)

Shining a light on an area of pictorial history that far too often has gone overlooked, Pitch Black: The best Black ads of the past 50+ years is a 180 page reference book covering over half a century of Black-American influence in the marketing sphere.

Written by Mark S. Robinson, with notable contributions from CEOs, Chief Commercial Officers, and academic professors, Pitch Black is full of vibrant imagery, which demonstrates the progression of Black representation in advertising campaigns, as well as the obstacles and set-backs that have occurred along the way. Chapters are broadly arranged in themes, e.g. “Civil Rights Through Black Advertising”, “Black Beauty & Black Hair” and “The Golden Age and Beyond”, with Robinson using visual media as a springboard to draw the reader’s attention to cultural shifts which directly influenced big brands and marketing budgets (and vice versa).

This is a fascinating read and an education for anyone of any race, age or culture. Having a broad selection of marketing material in one place helps to see first hand the striking similarities and differences over a period of, sometimes, decades. Anyone living through that period may have struggled to see the subtle changes at play within, for example, food and drink marketing, and yet those too young or not living in America would never have had natural exposure to these changes either (this thirty-something reviewer living in the United Kingdom being one of those people). It is impossible to see how any reader would not come away from this book without learning something new, or had their eyes opened, even if just by a tiniest bit, to both the prejudices and improvements made to advertising aimed at Black communities in America.

It is worth mentioning that while this book is incredibly informative, it is incredibly informative. The sheer density of words and imagery might leave some readers feeling a little overwhelmed initially. There is a lot to unpack when it comes to this fifty year period. In that sense Pitch Black is more a reference guide for academia or something placed on a coffee table to stimulate discussion. It is less geared up for being a bedtime read, or a book you openly rave about in the office.

Pitch Black is, if nothing else, an eye-opener. It remains a powerful book that educates and highlights the perils of overlooking a strong consumer base when trying to establish brand and engagement. For what it seeks to achieve, Pitch Black remains a strong historical/reference book that stands up on its own merits.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Pitch Black: The best Black ads of the past 50+ years” by Mark Robinson

Purchase Link: “Pitch Black: The best Black ads of the past 50+ years” by Mark Robinson (Amazon)

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Milkshake Tuesday

My Housemate's a Mermaid (Alice E. Bennett) Coffee, food, Humor, Humour, Uncategorized , , , , ,

After the craziness of recent weeks, it has been so good to spend some quality time chilling with a book or three.

This week’s shout out goes to Coffee #1, and this sweet berry combo of blueberry milkshake and yoghurt-topped flapjack. Pairs perfectly with Butter by Asako Yuzuki (translated by Polly Barton). Just don’t count the calories and everything is fine!

The perfect way to spend the (late) English summer.

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