Humour

Reviewing the “Books That Matter” Subscription Box

My Housemate's a Mermaid (Alice E. Bennett) Book, Book Review, Culture, Humour, Review , ,

Question: Do you remember that time when a feminist book subscription service was pitched on Dragon’s Den (the UK version of Shark Tank)?

Here’s a reminder if not.

To quote their website…

Books That Matter is the award-winning subscription box empowering women, powered by women. We platform marginalised voices by curating unique and inspiring reading experiences through our monthly book boxes which contain a female or non-binary authored book and themed gifts.

And guess which lucky sausage got given a box to review?

That’s right, the actual influencers. But through the wonders of a competition I have no recollection of entering (“you say blackout drunk, I say blackout Googling”) I am now the proud owner of a three month subscription. And boy, am I very excited by this development.

(So happy, I decided that throwing a blanket over my office chair would be enough to blend it seamlessly into the background…)

Then I thought “why stop there, why not do one of those unboxing-type videos?”

I enjoyed putting this quick rough-and-ready video together. No makeup, no regrets! It’s simple but heck, aren’t we all?

Debating whether to do this for the subsequent boxes I receive. Given the amount of cards I’m now in possession of and all the leftover Christmas bath bombs, I have visions of me swimming in bath salts by the time I get to June. And reading wise…well, I guess I just need to start reading more (and more quickly!)

Products featured in my Books That Matter subscription box

Book: Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood

Treat: Greetings cards and bookmark by Sunshine Llama

Treat: 70% coca chocolate by Alter Eco

Treat: Frosting bath slab by Miss Patisserie

See also:

Unboxing April’s “Books That Matter” Subscription Box (April)

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Book Review: ‘Living My Best “Single Mum” Life’ by Louise Mathison

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Rating: 5 stars

Headline: This is a book that I will be carrying with me, long after closing the covers

Review:

Detailing her life post separation and divorce, Living My Best “Single Mum” Life is an autobiographical account of the Australian businesswoman Louise Mathison. Over the course of fourteen years, Mathison recounts the struggles of transitioning from a life of relative dependence, working in her husband’s business, to forging a new career whilst raising two daughters single-handed. The overall story presented by Mathison is one of challenge and success, with plenty of guidance for other single parents who may be currently undergoing a similar situation.

I really enjoyed this book. Mathison’s writing style is objective, staying away from the easy trap of turning these 140 pages into blame-pointing, instead choosing to place honesty front and centre. In a section dedicated to the turbulent upbringing of her children, Mathison goes into a level of detail most parents would not dream of doing in a coffee shop with close friends, let alone in a published autobiography.

Of interest to many readers will be the author’s choice to merge characteristic elements of the traditional self-help genre into this book. For instance, in the chapter “Finding Your Passion”, Mathison makes a point of drawing the reader in, flipping the focus from that of her personal experience to encourage the reader to reflect on their own. While not present in every chapter, these ‘flip’ moments, offer a unique and perhaps poignant chance to remind the reader that for those undergoing a similar experience that there is hope for the future. Guidance is gentle and reassuring, as if it was coming from the dear and trusted friend you have known for years.

At the start of this book Mathison states that despite remaining open minded towards dating, at the time of writing she is still a happily single woman. While some of her specific hardships are not directly applicable to my personal life experiences, I felt incredibly humbled to have been brought along on her journey. It is a book that I will be carrying with me, long after I have closed the covers.

AEB Reviews

Links

Reedsy Discovery Review: (AEB Reviews) Living My Best “Single Mum” Life

Purchase Link: Living My Best “Single Mum” Life (Amazon)

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This Video Will Change Your Life

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

Ladies and gentleman, Michael Barrymore.

And if not for the video than the comments on the video itself, including:

Now, isn’t your life so much better for watching that video? (Also, don’t answer that question.)

And no, I won’t tell you how I came about this video. And for those of you expecting this to be a video of my sister and/or my giant thumb (based off this post’s feature image…)

…sorry, not sorry.

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Book Review: “Thar She Blows!” by Klam Burley (Illustrated by Francesca Da Sacco)

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Rating: 3 stars

Headline: Childhood imaginations run wild in this fun picture book of bath time pirates

Review:

Thar She Blows! by Klam Burley (illustrated by Francesca Da Sacco) is a children’s picture book which tells the story of Bobby, a young pirate with a rascally parrot companion and a fearsome sea monster to battle. But is Bobby’s dangerous encounter all as it seems?

There is much to commend this book, including the humorous plot twist halfway through which changed the story’s direction to draw children back to a relatable environment. Children are well-known for having broad, colourful imaginations, although I would probably not have been as understanding as Bobby’s mother if I walked into a flooded bathroom!

The illustrations are nicely done, the bird’s eye perspective of the mythical sea monster flavours on the mildly surreal (think Studio Ghibli) and the slightly cartoonish depiction of Bobby maintains a sweet sense of innocence. The two forms balance each other well. The addition of hidden rubber ducks on each page adds an additional layer of engagement for parents and children; having these peppered throughout hints toward the plot twist to come.

The copy in this book could, however, be tightened. I know a good deal of adults who do not know what a semicolon is, let alone small children. In my opinion the use of this punctuation mark should not exist in a book aimed at this age demographic. The sentences are also long and clunky in places, for me the poetry did not flow naturally and I ended up having to reread pages to marry-up what sometimes could be better described as half-rhymes. Personally I think the writing would have been better as prose.

Thar She Blows! comes from a solid place. It is well illustrated and is full of the heart and charm needed for a picture book of its type. If elements of the copy were addressed Burley could find herself onto a real winner.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: https://reedsy.com/discovery/book/thar-she-blows-kimberly-amboy

Purchase link: Thar She Blows!

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Plant Takeaway: the Eden Project Exhibition that still Traumatises me

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

Few things have shaped me more than a mechanic exhibition housed in the visitor centre of Cornwall’s world famous Eden Project. Shaped me, in a negative way.

Back in 2000, when the biomes for The Eden Project were still under construction, the visitor centre was opened up to the public. I was eight years old. “This will be educational,” my parents thought, “Alice will get to see this amazing thing being built and learn a bit about the nice plants in the visitor centre.”

Traumatised I was. Traumatised.

Image credit, Joe N., FourSquare.com

Plant Takeaway, an exhibition also referred to as “The Dead Cat” (which personally I think says it all) is, according to the attraction’s website, “[an] automated puppet show that explores our total dependence on plants. Visitors watch as absolutely everything made of plants in Alan and Enid’s kitchen is taken away.”

It sounds all harmless enough, sure, but let me put to you this; Plant Takeaway features scary mannequins (and you know how I feel about those), nudity and what I have always assumed to be a “Peeping Tom”. It is a reminder of the importance of plants (big tick) and how their removal will result in the painfully slow erosion of everything you hold dear (uh-oh) until ultimately you die from starvation or a lack of oxygen, which ever comes first.

“…Daddy, am I going to die?”

I can see Mumma B rolling her eyes at me now, “she’s 30 and still going on about that silly mechanical exhibit at The Eden Project” but you know what, Mum, yes, I am still going to harp on about it. There was an eight year old me, eyeball to eyeball with a naked collapsed man. To top it all off the cat dies. That’s it, THE END.

I spent the rest of the day crying. When we got back to the holiday cottage we were staying at I was in a state best comparable to that time Hermione got herself petrified in Chamber of Secrets. I remember these things because I was haunted.

Image credit: Pinterest

I think I had a mild form of PTSD, Plant Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Years later we returned to The Eden Project, where as a teenager I was quickly rushed through the visitor centre. We’d all hoped Plant Takeaway would have been retired and thrown into a skip somewhere but nope, still there.

I was going for third time lucky when I visited last year. On seeing its ugly, clunky presence I decided to face my fears and watch it through to the bitter end.

I gave up halfway through.

In my defence I really did try, and in my equal defence this exhibition is a pile of trauma. Other people have recorded and uploaded the whole thing onto YouTube…or at least I assume so (I’m not going to check; go look yourself and on your own mental health be it).

The other 98% of The Eden Project is absolutely lovely and well worth a visit, but this? Nah. I have two questions to put to the management of this attraction 1) who in their right mind signed off the development of the Plant Takeaway exhibition and 2) who is continuing to let it stay?!

Uh-oh, I think I might have triggered myself again (passive-association from the memories). I’m off to get some ice cream.

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Book Review: “The 10 Habits of Happy Couples” by Tina and Michael LeBlanc

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

Rating: 3 stars

Headline: A pleasant read, produced by a couple with sound expertise and a skill for joint-authorship

Review:

When it comes to reviewing non-fiction I often find myself baffled by relationship guides. Conventional relationships are a joint venture, yet so many books present as one person (the author) stating advice to another person (a singular reader).

In Tina and Michael LeBlanc’s book, The Ten Habits of Happy Couples, the pair bring together their professional and personal experiences to create a guide that encourages ten habits to improve connectively between couples. Examples include prioritising relationships and intimacy, setting clear rules and boundaries, and building mutual respect. For each chapter, or “habit”, there contains a quick introductory questionnaire for readers, information on the habit, “our conversation” (where Tina and Michael share their experiences), and then hints and tips for applying this habit into conversation between couples and/or into daily life.

I like the premise of this book, with an inclusive approach that is less finger-pointing and more unified in style. On multiple occasions the authors highlight toxic tendencies and encourage readers to revaluate or walk away from relationships which show signs of harm. That said, this book does suffer in places from excessive copy. When I find myself quickly flicking through twenty four pages (plus the introduction) to get me to the first habit, I know something is amiss. The use of a number in any book title makes me more impatient in nature (a trait shared with many of my millennial peers, with no thanks to the infinite number of “top ten” lists on the internet). Some of this content could have been cut, merged or the title changed to avoid the glass-eye syndrome I feel into.

While I can see the intention behind the “our conversation” sections, the dialogue between Tina and Michael comes across as too staged for my liking and equally, I am not a fan of the habit numbers decreasing from ten to one. It placed a heightened significance on habit number one which I do not think was intentional.

When reviewing the sales of this book, a purchaser commented online that The Ten Habits of Happy Couples would make an excellent wedding gift. While I am not quite convinced that nuptial events are this title’s best market potential, I do see this as having a place in everyday life, for everyday couples. A pleasant read in places, produced by authors with sound expertise and a skill for joint-authorship. I look forward to seeing what they produce next.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “The 10 Habits of Happy Couples”

Purchase Link: “The 10 Habits of Happy Couples” by Tina and Michael LeBlanc (Amazon)

Author Website: Better Yourself 365

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Lo-Fi Tuesday – Alice’s Pick of the Week

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

Here’s a sweet Lo-Fi track to start (or even end) your Tuesday Right.

Sebastian Kamae and Aylior have collaborated together to produce “Wake Up”

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Book Review: “A Teen’s Essential Guide to Social Anxiety Relief” by Emma Lou Parker

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

Rating: 1 star

Headline: A strangely pessimistic-toned approach to self-help

Review:

Life coach Emma Lou Parker turns to writing in this new self-help guide, A Teen’s Essential Guide to Social Anxiety Relief. The target demographic of this book are teenagers and young adults who struggle with mental health conditions such as anxiety and stress.

The book is broken down into five chapters and includes physical stress reducing activities and recommendations on improving mental health and outlook. According to Parker, reducing anxiety is not a ‘one and done’ activity, in fact readers are actively reminded at every turn that the path to self-improvement will be filled with setbacks and slip-ups. And this is where I struggle. The core tone of voice in this book is very pessimistic.

I fully appreciate mental health is a sensitive topic and one to be approached in the right way, but even with one glance at some of the chapter sub-topics you very quickly identity a theme. “Stop the negative thoughts, stop telling yourself you can’t change, stop predicting you will fail”, there are another three “stops” in this chapter before you reach the topic “acceptance”. After this particularly downbeat chapter I found myself reaching for my emergency stash of chocolate just to lift my spirits.

Tone of voice is made all the harder to stomach by Parker’s choice to isolate readers by referring to them as “you”. Separating younger readers in such a way only makes the author come across as preachy, when anxiety is a very common mental health condition affecting millions of people (of all ages) globally. Reading this you would think otherwise. I felt uncomfortable with the number of times Parker’s activities asked young readers to write down traumatic events, perhaps not considering how this could be quite triggering without the right support.

Other minor but amounting to significant issues, starting with the web-links. Anything that encourages readers to jump to content outside the book is generally not good practice, even in eBooks. Write it well enough in your own words with references or cut it out altogether. Grammar and spelling are off in places, the drawings, while pretty, are hard to read (and I have good eyesight) and, arguably worst of all, there are no page numbers. A contents page is pointless if there are no numbers to match up.

My only hope is that Parker is able to absorb this constructive feedback when moving onto her next project. The passion is there, the writing ability, not quite yet.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “A Teen’s Essential Guide to Social Anxiety Relief”

Purchase Link: “A Teen’s Essential Guide to Social Anxiety Relief” (Amazon)

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Just Another Car Crash / Day in Swindon

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

So, this happened the other day…

Admittedly, it’s a bit blurry (you can tell I was overwhelmed). Here’s a better angle:

And the wider surroundings…

It’s a straight road, no immediate bends or turns and yet the car has somehow not only flipped but also spun on its roof.

Current levels of confusion are right up there with that episode of the IT Crowd where Roy tries to work out how a “Sea Parks” arena could catch fire.

Theories on what could have caused this accident to happen are very much welcomed (mash potato reconstruction is likely to happen otherwise.)

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Book Review: “Another World” by Maximillian Matthews

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Rating: 3 Stars

Headline: A good read for anyone wanting to better understand a minority subsection of American society

Review:

Another World is the autobiographical memoir by Maximillian Matthews, covering his life growing up in North Carolina and forging a professional career during the late noughties. Self-identifying as black queer, Matthews’ memoir aims to provide readers from the same community with the type of material that does not readily exist on accessible bookshelves.

From growing up in North Carolina, to living and working in Boston and Washington DC, Matthews draws on various colourful experiences to convey the highs and lows of integrating himself into both the LGBTQ+ community and broadly within American society. The way Matthews recounts the key drivers behind his actions makes for some touching moments in the book, particularly in scenes where he acknowledges some of the harmful actions and behaviours self-inflicted in the pursuit of acceptance and love.

Good for bringing out some of the general themes around systematic racism and homophobia in America, Another World does tend to lose focus, in places pulling on quotes from external sources to draw in entirely separate debates. In one instance the dramatic retelling of a traumatic break-up is punctured by a tangent on the politics of attraction. Such tangents are all of insightful importance, but their placement sometimes does Matthews’ life experiences a disservice.

The flow of Another World also comes across as a bit hap-hazard. Having been brought on a chronological journey in the first third of the book, readers are suddenly dropped into Matthews’ strained efforts to work hard at his educational studies in High School whilst concealing his true identity. It was about ten or so pages on, when Matthews refers to his mother’s presence while growing up that I wondered if the book would have benefitted from a structural rejig.

Another World is a starting point for anyone wanting to better understand a minority subsection of American society. As someone who self-identifies as a white woman living in the United Kingdom, it has given me plenty to think about. That alone should be treated as a success.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Another World”

Purchase Link: “Another World” by Maximillian Matthews (Amazon)

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