Could someone care to explain to me what the heck this is?
For more context, this was something I spotted during my wanderings around Swindon.
The most rational explanation is that someone had a load of mannequin heads as part of a hair cutting course, but it’s still very weird.
What can you say? Only in Swindon.
**
Rating: 4 stars
Headline: After reading this book, you will never see a story in the same way again
Review:
Story and Structure: A Complete Guide by Leon Conrad breaks down the key components of each of the eighteen types of story structure into its constituent parts.
An editor and creative consultant, Conrad’s previous experience makes him no fledging when it comes to the study of writing. Introducing a broad range of tales, from well-known folk stories and Greek mythology to short stories hailing from India and Japan, Conrad draws on patterns in storytelling, highlighting the similarities, patterns and traits within the various story types. Each chapter is introduced with a charming illustration by the artist Jason Chaung and a summary definition (some story structures being easier to define than others). After summarising a tale that deploys the story structure (e.g “The Three Little Pigs”), Conrad dives into a microscopic study, dissecting the elements of its structure.
The use of illustrative symbols plays a significant role in this book. In fact it is probably truer to say that without use of George Spencer-Brown’s calculus, Story and Structure would cease to exist. Conrad deploys a multitude of symbols within a table format to highlight the key twists and turns in different stories. Beginning with the traditional Quest structure and its six illustrative symbols, Conrad gradually introduces new terms and symbols to break down increasingly complex story structures. In the “Trickster” structure, discussion expands to analyse the developmental arc of multiple characters. As if by magic, one straightforward folk story suddenly becomes three multi-dimensional and interwoven tales.
Initially the use of symbols and tables can come across as overwhelming and complex to understand. However with each structure type you begin to to better interpret and translate the symbols. After reading the book once I returned to some of the earlier chapters and found the detailing to be more self-explanatory.
Conrad’s guide to story structure should be treated as a top-shelf reference guide for anyone wanting to study the art of story structure as opposed to a quick flick before bed. With this book, perseverance is key, after reading Story and Structure: A Complete Guide you will never interpret a story in the same way again.
AEB Reviews
Links
Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – Story and Structure: A Complete Guide
Purchase Link: Story and Structure: A Complete Guide (Amazon)
**
As a little nod to some of the many hundreds, thousands, millions of independent coffee shops in the world, I’m going to do the odd coffee shop shout out to celebrate all the wonderful things they do, in and around caffeine.
So it’s a big, fat shout out to Darkroom Espresso in Swindon (Wiltshire, UK). A trendy little spot just outside the town centre and one that has never judged me for sitting in the window with my laptop for two hours. (That alone is worth its weight in cappuccino gold.)
If you’re in the area, check them out.
**
Rating: 2 stars
Headline: With too much head-hopping and an overuse of confusing metaphors, The Golden Apple missed the mark for me
Review:
The Golden Apple by Mika Mathews is the second book in the young adult, Fantasy, series “Oaths of Dante”. The story follows on from The Silver Coin with the protagonist, Dante, awakening to find himself transformed into a wolf. Seeking out the famed golden apple to restore peace and balance to the world’s magic is no small task, but accompanied by a gang of accomplices and the magic of Gaia pulsing through his veins, Dante is ready to tackle the next challenge in this thrilling quest.
There are likeable elements of this book. The personality traits of each wolf character certainly help to make the story more colourful; Dante’s sexuality and the character of Cypress (as just two examples) adds needed diversity into the story in a way which is reflective of the wider world we all live in. More of this, please!
The Golden Apple‘s biggest weakness is in its execution of narrative voice. The book is written in third person omniscient (as a reader we see everything taking place at any given time, as if were were a god-like figure). The story’s primary focus is on Dante and his hunt for the golden apple, yet there is so much head hopping it soon becomes incredibly hard to form a relationship with any of the characters. Really the author should have tackled this book in close third person, focusing specifically on Dante’s inner dialogue, feelings and reactions, and blocking out those of all others.
There are also a number of expressions didn’t quite hit the mark for me. Expressions such as “unbearably beautiful laughter” and “Gaia’s majesty flowed through her…subtly and with great love”. There are a lot of them throughout the book and in the vast majority of cases they come across as one liners that may have sounded good in the author’s head but less so for readers.
In truth this book may have been better if it had been merged with either the first or third book in the “Oaths of Dante” series. At only 121 pages long the word count is a bit slim for the expectations of this genre. With strict editing (ideally from an experienced professional) The Golden Apple could shine as a secondary plot of a bigger story arc, however right now it is not something I will be rushing to read again.
AEB Reviews
Links:
Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “The Golden Apple” by Mika Mathews
Purchase Link: “The Golden Apple” by Mika Mathews (Amazon)
**
Following official PR, I am now able to share with you details of two writing competitions I won, and their associated launch events. And, eek! They were both an absolute blast!
At the Bournemouth Writing Festival, I won in the fiction category for my piece of flash fiction, “How the Dressmaker of Bournemouth Feeds her Family”.
Boy, did Bournemouth pack a punch! As well as receiving free tickets to attend some interesting talks held by the festival, there was also a Sunday evening showcase and awards presentation.
There was a weird knotty feeling in the pit my stomach watching people read copies of the book, and it was only later that evening, when boyfriend Ben pretty much forced me to sit down and listen to him read my story, that I noted what I’d written was actually pretty good.
After the showcase, we made a toast to my success with a glass of prosecco and a McDonald’s in the hotel room. It was wonderful.
It was a truly delightful weekend (and that was before I got a mention in this glowing 5 star review!)
A lovely sunny weekend, spent on the English south coast.
The launch of Swindon Writers III came with a packed-out library venue, much to everyone’s surprise. Boyfriend Ben was unfortunately not feeling well on the night but I sent him a message to reassure him that I had more than enough attendees to keep me company.
Words were said by the editors and extracts read from the publication. To know my short story, “Bee Kind”, had been selected to sit alongside them in the book meant a lot.
Two book launches, two reasons to celebrate and a very happy author in between. As I say to people, prizes and publication aren’t the sole reason why we do what we do, but it damn well helps.
**
**
**
Rating: 4 stars
Headline: Places We Left Behind relates the complex relationships of those who dwell in the greys of religion
Review:
Places We Left Behind is the autobiography of Jewish-American author Jennifer Lang. Skipping swiftly over the first eighteen years of her life, the book picks up Lang’s story in Israel, meeting the charming Frenchman Phillippe for the first time. What follows is a 140 page rollercoaster as Lang navigates the tricky line between the religious faith and living a seemingly ordinary existence as an American citizen, culminating in Lang having to make a significant decision, one which will affect the very core of what it means to be a Jewish woman in the twenty-first century.
This book has many likeable qualities, not least Lang’s ability in capturing emotion in a way that is both direct and to the point. Where many authors would skirt over details or shy away from exposing themselves to the reader, Places We Left Behind makes it clear that no matter the romanticism, no relationship is smooth sailing. Even those grounded in a mutual connection of faith and religion can so easily hit turbulence. Lang’s words demonstrate these challenges, placed alongside those who do not fully understand what it means to hold religion as a cornerstone of family life.
Lang’s memoir is dotted in places with poetic excerpts, possibly to add emphasis. Within Places We Left Behind, these were a somewhat distracting, especially after reading long spells of traditional prose formatted in conventional paragraphs. It might be others enjoy the sudden change, but personally it does not hold enough significance versus if they had been written in conventional prose instead.
Places We Left Behind is a interesting memoir for anyone living within, or wanting to better understand, day-to-day Judaism. For those who see faith as black or white, purist believer or not, Places We Left Behind shows us the complex relationships of those who dwell in the grey.
AEB Reviews
Links:
Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Places We Left Behind” by Jennifer Lang
Purchase Link: “Places We Left Behind” by Jennifer Lang (Amazon)
Author website: israelwriterstudio.com
**
Check out who’s following your girl on Reedsy Discovery.
That’s right, this man.
This man, who I had to look up online.
I initially thought it was Paolo Guerrero, a professional football player who plays in strike position for Ecuador. Paulo Guerreiro on the other hand, I have no idea. I think he’s a nobody.
Do I think this is a fake account? Yes. Do I hold out hope that a “somebody” in sport has taken interest in my work? I couldn’t possibly comment…
**
Rating: 3 stars
Headline: An informative guide for those with pre-existing knowledge of the corporate world
Review:
I cannot count the number of times I have sat through episodes of the television show “The Apprentice” with my head in my hands. Speaking specifically on the British version, the series routinely includes a particularly challenging episode where prospective investment candidates undergo multiple gruelling interviews where inevitably everyone’s business proposals gets ripped to shreds. Watching through my fingers, all I can think is “do these people even know what a business plan is?”
I have these toe-curling scenes playing in my head as I reach for How to Write a Business Plan. A fellow British national, Alessandro Bosasco even refers to the television show “Dragon’s Den” (the UK version of “Shark Tank”) as another example of people being very publicly grilled before deciding whether or not to invest in a start-up business. This book is intended as an antidote to the condition of poor planning, a no-nonsense guide to writing a business proposal from calculating turnover projections to the basic structure of what a business plan should follow.
This is informative book is assisted by a large number of illustrative spreadsheets and screengrabs, produced for a fictional case study (a business in the catering industry). While there is a lot to digest here…there is also a lot to digest here! Personally I found it difficult to read and interpret the spreadsheets and data sets, having to scroll back and forth between pages to interpret the wording in bulky paragraphs and match it with the visual content. While the portrait orientation of books can be space limiting (especially for Excel spreadsheets), it can be equally difficult to interpret on a digital device when the same images are flipped horizontally.
Good for those already possessing a level of business acumen, more fresh-faced readers may struggle when it comes to How to Write a Business Plan. Another level of granular detail, annotated images and breaking down the workings out between certain figures would have made it more accessible. With a few revisions I can see this being a highly popular guide in future editions.
AEB Reviews
Links:
Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “How to Write a Business Plan” by Alessandro Bolasco
Purchase Link: “How to Write a Business Plan” by Alessandro Bolasco (Amazon)
Author Website: https://www.bolasco-consulting.com/
**
This one comes from the Alice archives, from a time when I was channel flicking and came across this beauty of a clip from the Channel 4 reality TV show, “Celebs Go Dating”. I recorded it on my phone, hence the iffy quality, but it’s still a classic.
**
**
Rating: 5 stars
Headline: All the best parts of an extended internet search, rolled into one handy to use guide
Review:
Science has come a long way in recent years when it comes to the treatment of illness and disease but, needless to say, it still has a long way to go yet, not least with conditions that disproportionately affected women and girls. As someone who has been diagnosed with endometriosis, I very much know the feeling of being lost in the Wild West of that prescriptive medicine can offer.
Janett Juwien, a trained cosmetic scientist, aesthetician and owner of both a bachelor of science and multiple renowned beauty salons in Germany and Australia has turned her years of expertise into writing in her new self-help guide, The Truth About Melasma. Melasma is a skin condition that affects skin pigmentation, usually on the face and, in the majority of cases, women (although it is worth noting about 20% of those with the condition are male). In this handy guide that comes in at just under 200 pages, Juwien analyses both the causes of the condition and the treatments that can help alleviate symptoms. This includes not only medicated options but also lifestyle changes and vitamin supplements that are cheap and readily accessible.
There is a lot to like with this book. It is highly visual, with colour illustrations and tables to bring to life some of the dryer facts and figures. Coming from a very much non-scientific background I have to take the book’s guidance on face value, however every single assertion made in The Truth About Melasma is fully supported with research footnotes that provide the ability to conduct independent research. That, coupled with the author’s own scientific knowledge and experience provides a needed dose of reassurance to any reader.
This guide feels like all the best parts of an extended Google search on Melasma, rolled into one handy to use guide. That considered, The Truth About Melasma is something I would recommend to anyone, male and female, who suffers with this skin complaint. With some of the guidance in this book, you cannot go far wrong.
AEB Reviews
Links:
Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “The Truth About Melasma” by Janett Juwien
Purchase Link: “The Truth About Melasma” by Janett Juwien (Amazon)
Author Website: Ecvilibria – Holistic Beauty Confidante
**
My Housemate's a Mermaid 