Author: My Housemate's a Mermaid (Alice E. Bennett)

Christmas Merriment

My Housemate's a Mermaid (Alice E. Bennett) Christmas, Humour, New Year, Uncategorized ,

With all the Christmas happenings going on, I thought I’d already drafted and scheduled a Christmas post. Turns out I hadn’t, hence why with barely more than 24 hours to go I’m typing this.

Happy Christmas and merry New Year.

I hope you all have a happy, joyful, merry, wonderful, safe, yada-yada-yada Christmas and New Year. I’m going to be away from the website during this period while I spend time relaxing with friends and family (and focusing on other writing and reading exploits).

Next week there will be not one, but two book reviews going live, so keep your eyes peeled for those. I will see you again in the new year.

Now, where’s the nearest coffee shop?

Best wishes,

AEB

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Children’s Book Review: “Eustace and the Christmas Swim” by Remo Perini & Martyn Thrussell (Illustrated by Danny O’Leary)

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

Rating: 1 Star

Headline: A frozen pond storyline that gave me the chills

Review:

Eustace and the Christmas Swim by Remo Perini and Martyn Thrussell (Illustrated by Danny O’Leary) is a children’s picture book that tells the story of Eustace, an eleven-year-old child who lives in the town of Snowsville. The factory in town has closed down, so in December Eustace writes to Santa to ask him to restore happiness. At the same time, Eustace launches himself into a plan to thaw out the frozen lake so that he and the townsfolk can enjoy swimming in it once more.

From the design down to the fundamental plot, I have difficulty interpreting the messaging behind this children’s story. After being told by his father that the frozen lake cannot be melted, the young Eustace is then left alone in the house with the family dog, Widget. The driving plot of Eustace warming up the frozen lake neither made sense, nor sat well with me. Given the artic surrounding conditions, I got the shivers watching all the scantily clad people diving into the lake! I also couldn’t tell what the messaging was for younger readers. Even if it is dressed up as a fantastical children’s book, the parallels with reality (made more so by the life-like drawings) could be seen to encourage children to play on ice or think it’s safe to swim in ice-cold water.

Image compositions are made up of a combination of painted landscape backgrounds with separately drawn figures overlayed. While in places this works to good effect (for instance when Eustace is sat in the workshop, where it adds atmosphere and depth), for the majority of the time the overlay is at best strange and at worst, unnerving. Figure placement is hap-hazard, worsening in scenes featuring large crowds. I am quite sure I have seen a number of the townsfolk of Snowsville in fashion catalogues (particularly the woman who chooses to bathe in a bikini). Finally, for a children’s book there is too much copy on each page to maintain interest.

Eustace and the Christmas Swim is a book that has been written by, I am sure, a very well-meaning author who aspired to have their name accredited with authorship. It is not the first book to do this, nor will it be the last. In terms of suitability for other readers though, it is not something I would readily recommend. The frozen pond storyline just gives me too many chills.

AEB Reviews

Links

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Eustace and the Christmas Swim” by Remo Perini (and others)

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“The Alice Show”

My Housemate's a Mermaid (Alice E. Bennett) comedy, Cotswolds, Humor, Humour, Swindon, Travel, Uncategorized, Young Professional , , , , , ,

I’ve been going through old video material. Some it used for assorted MHAM posts, others filmed in the moment, yet never used. (Believe it or not, even I have a version of a cutting room floor!)

After conducting an even deeper dig into the Alice archives, I’ve pulled together a compilation video of clips, both seen and unseen. Where possible, I’ve tried to piece together when content was originally filmed and overlay it into each clip. I had more than this, but at 11 minutes long I felt the video was already pushing it beyond the five minutes I’d originally planned (maybe in the future there could be a sequel).

It’s a little bit of a vanity project, but one which I hope some of you may get a chuckle out of.

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Book Review: “The Lovers” by Dana Willow

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Rating: 5 stars

Headline: A triumph of indie-publishing, this haunting thriller will have you completely hooked

Review:

The Lovers by Dana Willow is, at its core, a thriller/horror, filled with passionate romances and supernatural occurrences. Think Gone Girl, with hints of The Lovely Bones, a chilling story where the central female characters are both victim and perpetrator.

The plot follows two women: Olivia, a knowledgeable bookshop owner and Violet, a spiritual being stuck in a form of purgatory while witnessing events in the immediate aftermath of her death. While on the surface the needs and drivers of Olivia and Violet seem to be completely separate from one another, when Olivia enters into a budding relationship with the charismatic and charming car mechanic John, all bets are suddenly off. Despite initial impressions, it would seem there is more than meets the eye to the relationships between the living and the dead, especially when dark magic and tarot cards are involved.

I absolutely loved this book. The writing quality is flawless, the descriptions and sense of place beautifully presented in every page. In each scene you feel very much planted in the location, from the haunting woodlands to the bustling bars next to Olivia’s thriving bookshop. With two female characters sharing a lot of personality traits my concern was whether the tone of voice would be able to adapt, yet Willow as an author conquers this huddle with finesse. It is the first self-published title I have read in a long time where I genuinely could not tell the quality difference between it and any competing traditionally published title in the same genre. It is also one of the few books where I reading quicker than I could turn to pages! As an overall package it really does the independent publishing community proud.

The Lovers is a book I would recommend to anyone who enjoys reading thrillers. Whether you believe in superstition and ghosts or not, this title will have you completely hooked. 5 stars, a must read.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “The Lovers” by Dana Willow

Purchase Link: “The Lovers” by Dana Willow (Amazon)

Author Website: https://www.writerdanawillow.com/

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Poetry Review: “Lovesick & Jaded” by Nicole Camello

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Rating: 3 stars

Headline: As charming as it is bleak, a punchy approach to poetry which reflects a highly pressurised world

Review:

Lovesick & Jaded is a collection of assorted poems penned by Nicole Camello. Born in 1998, Camello started writing poetry in 2020 whilst studying at Westfield State University (America). This anthology from the now Boston-based poet marks her publishing debut, featuring poetry that centres around first-hand experiences and themes of love, identity and belonging.

Camello’s poetry is abrupt and blunt, its punchy style is one that is meant to reflect a challenging world, riddled with a constant sense of stress and demanding expectations. One of my favourite poems from the collection, “burning cigarettes like incense”, presents an author turning to vice like an old friend during a moment of tranquillity. It is as charming as it is bleak.

Where this anthology loses its sense of purpose is in the places where Camello begins to doubt herself. At sporadic intervals there are flashes of autobiographical prose and on other pages singular statements such as “thanks for making it this far” (page 31) and “you deserve someone who appreciates you” (page 91). I am not sure whether these inserts are intended as artistic statements, supportive words to readers or reaffirming words to the author, the purpose is not clear. When the poetry is already quite jarring and angular in style, these distractions only create further confusion and disconnect.

Lovesick & Jaded can be regarded as a good poetry debut from Camello, something to build on when looking to publish subsequent books. In future collections I would like to see poetry that expands horizons, moving away from the author’s own thoughts and feelings and applying them to the world and people around her. Doing so will add more visualisation, possibly soften the edges a little and, hopefully, give Camello the needed self-confidence to not apologise for her own talents.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Lovesick & Jaded”, by Nicole Camello

Purchase Link: “Lovesick & Jaded”, by Nicole Camello (Amazon)

Author Website: https://thottierevival.com/

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A quick break in Lymington

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

Just back having spent a lovely couple of days in the New Forest town of Lymington (England). Boyfriend Ben was busy attending to work matters and, with me having copious amounts of annual leave left to take, I thought I’d have another go at exploring.

Unlike last year, when I visited neighbouring Lyndhurst, this time I didn’t get ill from Norovirus (actual yay!!)

I didn’t take many snaps for a few key reasons:

  1. I was only in Lymington for two full days
  2. I spent most of that time in coffee shops and eateries, reading books or writing like the Devil himself

Other reasons:

  1. I visited the St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery, but they had a policy of not taking photos in the gallery (which is fair enough)
  2. It’s November, things get dark from 16:30
  3. I walked up and down the main High Street so many times I felt I was one selfie away from being branded a loitering millennial
  4. Pulling together videos takes time, especially when…
  5. I’m also taking part in a personally adapted version of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year

But hey! Here are a couple of snaps I did manage to take. (All of which from around the quay at the moment I thought “I should probably take a photo for the website”)

There’s a nature reserve (located next to a busy stretch of road – you wouldn’t know it!)

There are ferries to the Isle of Wight (which I didn’t utilise, but I did walk up to with no intention of boarding. I went right to the edge and thought “huh, so that’s what the ferries look like up close. Okay,” then retraced my steps back to the quay. Valid use of an hour’s walking with a laptop strapped to my back, if ever there was one.

There was also the mini event of the train cutting over the quay, which felt strange and yet very watchable.

And then there’s me, hello!

In conclusion

Lymington is a wonderful place to visit for a short break, particularly around this time of year (November), when things are less crowded vs the high/school holiday season.

I stayed within the town throughout my stay but there are plenty of other local attractions within the New Forest for those wanting to explore, alongside the car/foot passenger ferry to the Isle of Wight. Lymington is accessible by car and serviced by two train stations, one of which being only a couple of minute’s walk from the town centre.

For what it’s worth, these were the coffee/catering I visited* (*I visited other establishments which formed part of nationally recognised chains, so I’ll celebrate the independents instead!)

Lounges of Lymington

The Larder, Lymington

The King’s Head Inn, Lymington

Coffeelogy, Southampton (this place isn’t in Lymington, but I stopped here on my way home!)

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Book Review: “The Essential Oil Recipe Book” by Katie Veldkamp

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Rating: 4 stars

Headline: Creating a luxury product on a shoestring budget, I can’t wait to give some of these oil recipes a try

Review:

The 2020 edition of The Essential Oil Recipe Book by Katie Veldkamp provides readers with the hints, tips and all-important recipes for creating a concoction of homemade treatments, from relaxation oils to candles and soaps. Split over the course of twelve calendar months, Veldkamp takes readers on a seasonally inspired journey from products to combat the chills of January to the ideas perfectly placed for the gifting month of December.

Visually this book ticks all the boxes, with artistically designed copy that does not clog up or overwhelm the page and expert photography that are beautifully layered into the design. The content is both straightforward and accessible, containing a good number of oil recipes for every level of expertise. One thing you do not get from this book is a feeling of being short changed.

To be thorough and fair; there are two key things to consider before purchasing this book. Firstly, and perhaps most obvious, is the use of the ‘2020’ date on the book’s cover. Before writing up my review, I reached out to the author for clarification on a newer edition but was only able to obtain the vagueness that a book containing updated recipes was being planned with no date for publication.

The other comment to make is that this book does feature a lot of Simply Earth’s company branding, with photos showcasing their products to maximum effect. The recipes are unaffected, to the best of my awareness none of the ingredients are dependent on a Simply Earth subscription, however it is again something to make note of.

Stripping the corporate nonsense aside, this does still remain a highly likeable book and something I would be happy to have on my own bookshelf. A nice and easy way to create a bit of homemade “me time” on a shoestring budget.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “The Essential Oil Recipe Book” by Katie Veldkamp

Purchase Link: “The Essential Oil Recipe Book” by Katie Veldkamp (Amazon)

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A very BBC reaction to UK politics

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

I was watching some of BBC’s in-depth news coverage of the Conservative party leadership the other night and couldn’t help but burst out laughing. It’s BBC Newsnight at its best impartial tongue-in-cheek self.

For context:

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Book Review: “To Help Just One” by Thusitha L. Perera

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Rating: 3 stars

Headline: To Help Just One demonstrates courage in its ability to speak up about sensitive topics many authors shy away from

Review:

To Help Just One is the debut release from Australian author Thusitha L. Perera, who turned to storytelling while recovering from the long term effects of Covid-19. The book follows the intersecting stories of Lawrence, Jonathan and Tegan, three childhood friends who have grown up to become work colleagues and exercise buddies. Going through their various challenges in life, we get to see how each character navigates mental health issues, including themes around gambling addiction and workplace bullying. On occasion the tone might be triggering for those sensitive to these topics, however overall this is a story of personal resilience and triumph and the importance of supportive networks. If this book could be described in one mantra it would be “it’s always okay to not be okay”.

Despite some of the thorny issues presented in the book, To Help Just One has a nice feel about it, it flows well and each character has a coherent story arc that reaches a satisfactory conclusion. It is very prose heavy, dialogue is deployed on a minimalistic level compared to what would normally be seen in this type of fiction. Personally, I was a bit on the fence with whether I liked the approach, as at points it did encourage me to skip segments knowing that what would follow would be a page of internal reflection with little action.

The biggest hold-back to the writing comes from not heeding the age old writing wisdom of “show don’t tell”. Perera states things a bit too often that it tends to give the feeling of being spoon-fed a story. “Tegan is excited”, “Tegan marvels at the range of skills”, “[Tegan] considers what adding another string to her bow would look like”, “Tegan likes the idea of coaching” (and this is just on page seventy). While it is not a crime to shed a light on areas readers cannot see, when lots of successive paragraphs open the same way the format can become repetitive. What is lacking is the subtle depth that allows readers to flesh out details for themselves, without being directed by the author.

This is a book I am glad to have read, not least for its courage to speak up about some of the hot topics many authors shy away from. To Help Just One has strong foundations as a author debut and I look forward to seeing where Perera takes his writing career next.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “To Help Just One” by Thusitha L. Perera

Purchase Link: “To Help Just One” by Thusitha L. Perera (Amazon)

Author Website: https://fromthedeskoftlperera.com/

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What is going on with Jus-Rol’s cinnamon swirls / rolls?

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

2026 update: See also Jus-Rol will not get the hint on their cinnamon swirls / rolls

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After battling a mouthful of disappointment, I just wanted to highlight how much of a travesty Jus-Rol‘s cinnamon swirls rebrand is.

In the simplest of terms, it’s awful.

For those less aware of its previous incarnations, Jus-Rol’s cinnamon swirls is a ready-to-bake product. What it offers to the market is something straightforward and quick, providing the same results of freshy made pastry, without the time and stress needed to make a batch from scratch.

To quote Jus-Rol’s website:

“Jus-Rol’s ready to bake Cinnamon Swirls are a perfectly easy way to bake your family a tasty morning treat at home. Just shape, bake and enjoy warm from the oven. The aroma will fill your kitchen with joy as they bake up.”

https://www.jusrol.co.uk/products/cinnamon-swirls

Making Jus-Rol cinnamon swirls was easy. You took it out of the tube, split the cylinder of pre-filled pastry into six and then whacked it into the oven, cooking for a defined period of time and icing once cooled.

Now the process is several steps longer and ten times worse. Instead of one pot for icing sugar, now you get two, one for the icing sugar and one for the “cinnamon filling” which looks more like chocolate spread and smells of nothing.

Even if we park the creation of needless plastic packaging, it is hard to overlook the messy complexity created by the introduction this modest little pot. Once the filling is smeared across a flat rectangle of raw pastry, the consumer then has to roll the pastry and only then cutting it into six.

Thanks to this step, the cinnamon goes absolutely everywhere. Some pieces were left drowning in brown paste, others with barely a scrap inside. Some swirls were trying to uncurl and others kept oozing.

Turns out whacking them into the oven doesn’t help much either. Cast your mind back to the picture on the Jus-Rol box and compare it to what we got.

While we can all laugh at mis-shaped pastries, it doesn’t compare to how they used to look with the old recipe.

Turns out I’m not the only one disappointed by Jus-Rol’s change in manufacturing. With an average rating of 1.1 at the time of writing, Tesco’s customers are less than impressed.

And the feedback on Jul-Rol’s Facebook page is comical.

Here’s hoping Jus-Rol listen to this feedback on and tossing aside whichever team of dingbats thought it was a good idea to implement cost-cutting, planet harming, changes to a classic.

Have you also experienced this frustration? Drop a comment below and/or contact Jus-Rol’s customer service team via their website, Jus-Rol (jusrol.co.uk)

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