Review

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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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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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?

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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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Book Review: “S.I.D” by Smiley TheWriter

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Rating: 4 stars

Headline: A well written short story that engages with challenging conversations around mental illness

Review:

*Warning – book and review contains themes of death and suicide*

S.I.D (Suicidal Ideations) by Smiley TheWriter is a short story monologue, narrated by the voice of Samuel, a twenty-three year old Somalian living in America. (I will refer to the book as S.I.D and author as Smiley hereafter.) Split over the five themes of time, love, pain, tears and death, from within the afterlife Samuel reflects on his past experiences that have led up to the present day, moments after jumping off a bridge and committing suicide.

Given the sensitives around this topic, Smiley handles the content well. In places there are some really nice turns of phrase, for example Samuel’s description of a troubled childhood in Somalia where he is forced to eat sand and “passed around like an empty plate”. The chapters tackle different themes in a way that layers upon the last, creating a backdrop that builds progressively toward a thrilling climax of events. Being a short story S.I.D is perfectly suited to the sombre tone carried throughout, the feeling of a character who could have had many chances to shine but has been ground down by a failed system on both sides of the Atlantic.

While the wording is well constructed, the skill and poeticism of Smiley as an author does tend to create its own bubbles of confusion. The tone of voice is so personable, so intimate and in tune with Samuel’s thoughts, feelings and experiences, it is easy to forget this title is a work of fiction as opposed to an autobiographical memoir (excluding the opening sentences that convey the narrator is already dead). More description of characters’ physical attributes and world-building would have helped ground readers in the fictional landscape. The title may also be a little lost in translation. As a British reviewer, I would not have known the acronym S.I.D was a term or descriptor related to suicide.

The inclusion of an author epilogue and American support services at the back of the book are a nice touch, however I would still be a little cautious of sharing this book widely given its strong themes of death and suicide. That said, S.I.D still remains a well written short story that engages with challenging conversations around mental illness, especially within communities where is it considered taboo.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “S.I.D (Suicidal Ideations)” by Smiley TheWriter

Purchase Link: “S.I.D (Suicidal Ideations)” by Smiley TheWriter (Amazon)

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Book Review: “Tomorrow’s Jobs Today” by Rafael Moscatel

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Rating: 3 stars

Headline: A guidebook for those considering a future career in digitally-focused sectors

Review:

Tomorrow’s Jobs Today by Rafael Moscatel (with support from Abby Moscatel) aims to lift the lid on job roles of the future career market. Example career paths covered in detail include Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence and Advisory Consulting. Each area has its own chapter, allowing for an in depth study which starts with a broad history and overview, details of expected starting salary and essential qualifications (where applicable) for entry. Interviews with well-seasoned experts in the field go a long way to providing a human insight into the industries they represent, the conversational tone helps massively to bring energy into the large bodies of text.

This book is clearly trying to capitalise on a younger readership base, those that are coming toward the end of their formal education and looking to making career path decisions. With that in mind, Tomorrow’s Job’s Today would have benefitted from being punchier and quicker to the point in places. There is no imagery or diagrams in this book, content which would have massively supported some of the more complex terminology or been useful as a springboard for some of the meatier paragraphs. While a useful statistic to include, the use of a dollar currency for expected starting salaries is also restrictive to an American readership base and are as accurate as the day the book is published. I would be a little nervous of expecting the figures to be accurate in a year or two, especially given the current volatility of global inflation.

This is a good book for anyone wanting a candid insight into a specific field of interest. With full credit to the authors, some of the specific areas of interest are not as simple to explain as stacking shelves in a warehouse (for what it is worth, Blockchain is complicated!) It remains an insightful guide for those wanting to enter a market that is becoming increasingly dominated by the internet and technology. That said, the humanity students in the room, or those seeking a career in mainstream corporate roles, you might want to sit this one out.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Tomorrow’s Jobs Today” by Rafael Moscatel

Purchase Link: “Tomorrow’s Jobs Today” by Rafael Moscatel (Amazon)

Author Website: https://rafaelmoscatel.com/

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Book Review: “Were You Close?” by Anne Pinkerton

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Rating: 5 stars

Headline: A sister’s journey to find herself within the ashes of what might have been

Review:

Imagine going about your daily activities when someone calls to say your a family member has been reported missing. Initially you think nothing of it, knowing this is someone you don’t have regular contact with, an experienced mountaineer with a thirst for adventure. As time goes on doubts start to sink in and then, several days later, the unthinkable; the discovery of a body.

Were You Close? by Anne Pinkerton is one sister’s reconciliation with the tragic loss of her older brother David, whose sudden death in 2008 shook the lives of her and her extended family to its core. Titled after the grinding repetition small talk with people offering sympathy, including the question “were you close?”, the starting place for Pinkerton’s book is in the memories of growing up as the baby sister of the family, half-sibling to older brothers David and Tommy. Memories of visiting David in his medical coat in a radiology department is spliced with the immediate aftermath of his death in equally clinical fashion. As the book progresses we see as the dust settles and the family come to terms with life beyond grief, Pinkerton herself begins to explore her own choices in life and her relationships with other members in her extended family.

Pinkerton’s combination of memoir and semi-biographical epic is beautifully executed in this book. It highlights the pain sudden and unexpected loss, alongside the struggles of being seen in a societal construct that tends to plant heightened concern over the wellbeing of spouses and children. Yet David had neither of those (although he did have a girlfriend). This book wraps itself around acceptance of the unknown and one woman’s journey to find herself through the ashes of what might have been with the brother she lost.

The writing quality in this book is exceptional and moving. The book moves at the right pace to ensure the right topics get more air time while others are briefly mentioned to cover the event itself and the ten years following. We are routing for Pinkerton when she decides to enrol on a Masters degree for creative writing, we feel her concern and frustration when a localised hurricane delays David’s memorial service. By the last chapter you will struggle to find a dry eye in the house. Nobody could have written this story better.

A cleverly positioned book for those who enjoy inspirational memoirs as much as emotionally charged ones, Were You Close? is the perfect companion for those cosy nights and a good cup of peppermint tea.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Were You Close?” by Anne Pinkerton

Purchase Link: “Were You Close?” by Anne Pinkerton (Amazon)

Author Website: https://annepinkertonwriter.com/

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Book Review: “Couch” by Misha Chinkov

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Rating: 2 stars

Headline: As a memoir, “Couch” has an interesting premise but suffers from its poor execution

Review:

Couch follows the adventures of Misha Chinkov, a Russian national who between 2014 and 2022 took to couch-surfing during his national and international travels through Russia, the Baltics, India and the USA. In this book, couch-surfing refers to homeowners offering spare rooms, sofas, beds etc. for what is usually a heavily discounted price compared to a hotel room. It is particularly popular with young people and travellers.

What drew me to this book was its premise. The cover imagery of a neglected sofa and common interpretation of couch (or, in the UK, sofa) surfing is that it is more something brought about by hardship. It is not clear in this book what Chinkov’s motives are for couch-surfing, is it due to a lack of money or a desire to avoid hotels? The writing focus tends to be placed on the increasingly disturbing hosts, including an American called Richard who hosts exclusively foreign travellers and insists on making lodgers sleep naked, “as clothes damage the air mattress”. During scenes like these I find it hard to comprehend why our narrator is continuing to couch-surf.

Most of this book’s issues can be traced back to author voice. From the frequent spelling mistakes and poor grammar it is apparent that English is not Chinkov’s first language. Writing in another language is admirable but not forgivable. The F bomb is dropped excessively and Chinkov’s tone of voice is insensitive and bitter. Following a scene where, after been driven for an hour to Suzdal by his hosts, “I give the guys a hundred [rubbles], which can afford you nothing but a cup of tasteless coffee,” it is hard to feel sympathy toward Chinkov when he later struggles to find accommodation.

In one short book Chinkov crams in every couch-surfing experience, resulting in lots of fragmented sections that focus on brief interactions and leave readers starved of detail. What did the houses look and smell like? If India truly is “the land of dances and spice” then show us through words!

The premise could have potential if it were to be given a major overhaul and rewritten. Until then, Couch remains a questionable read, in more ways than one.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Couch” by Misha Chinkov

Purchase Link: “Couch” by Misha Chinkov (Amazon)

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

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Book Review: “The Unconventional Entrepreneur” by Alexandra Nolan

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Rating: 4 stars

Headline: The book that will make you want to start a business

Review:

Building on her experience in beauty and blogging, Alexandra Nolan’s publishing debut The Unconventional Entrepreneur tailors itself toward aspirational entrepreneurs. While most of the guidance is fairly universal, author perspective makes it that edge more applicable to those wishing to create home, beauty or fashion brands.

The first section of the book provides a potted autobiography of Nolan’s career from humble beginnings to overseeing her first retail store, The Ivory Boutique. The establishment of several online brands followed swiftly afterwards, including “City Chic Living”. Following this The Unconventional Entrepreneur moves into practical guidance on areas such as branding, balancing profit and cost and digital expansion.

The approach to writing in this book makes for a pleasant read, it is informal in style and dips into Nolan’s personal experiences where applicable. You get a strong sense that Nolan is well informed by her experiences and research, she knows her stuff and understands what it feels like to have insecurities and doubts, particularly as a female entrepreneur in a male-dominated subgroup.

In a couple of places points are a little laboured (in one case study Nolan references an example brand no less than seven times, to the point I cannot think of anything but The European Wax Centre!) Those who regularly read my reviews will also know of my dislike for content which encourages readers to visit websites, such as the QR codes featured in this book. I will say it again; authors, do not encourage readers to put your book down and get distracted on the internet!

The Unconventional Entrepreneur is unashamedly optimistic and proud, a thoroughly enjoyable read that I would readily recommend to any of my female friends considering entrepreneurship. Women who do not know where to begin or find themselves questioning their abilities. I hope this book will continue to make more woman feel as empowered and confident as Nolan is of herself.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “The Unconventional Entrepreneur” by Alexandra Nolan

Purchase Link: “The Unconventional Entrepreneur” by Alexandra Nolan (Amazon)

Author Website: https://citychicliving.com/

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