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

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

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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Relaxing summer days in Devon

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

This is a smidge of a belated one, given boyfriend Ben and I were holidaying in the last week of August. What can I say? I’ve been rather busy since getting back, and by busy, I mean swamped in work emails.

Back in South Devon, we had a rather splendid time in and around the English Riviera (even if Ben’s reaction to that description was laughter, followed by “no, really? The English Riviera?“)

We did wine tasting, we did a cider tour, we visited National Trust properties, I even did a walk along the River Dart in hopelessly inadequate footwear. We did all the classy things. We had a simply wonderful time thanks to all the wonderful human beings that made it so.

Oh, and Ben’s car almost got flooded, due to the super blue Moon (he’ll insist it looked worse than it was, but he was the one moaning about his wet socks for the rest of the night!)

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Attractions visited (in no particular order):

  • Ring O’Bells, Chagford (pub and restaurant). Great priced bagette sandwiches, just what we needed after an early start on the road
  • James Bowden & Son, Chagford (shop). AKA the never ending shop
  • The River Shack, Stoke Gabriel (restaurant). Coffee, breakfast, pizza, this place never fails to delight
  • The Castle Inn, Stoke Gabriel (pub and restaurant). Repeat customers throughout the week
  • Hunt’s Cider, Stoke Gabriel (tour and tasting). Tried about 6 ciders, then got offered more by the owners because we were one of the last ones there. We may have been stumbling across the fields on the way back…
  • Sandridge Barton (home of Sharpham Wine), Stoke Gabriel (wine tasting and self-led vineyard walk). Oh my god, the wines were beautiful!
  • Slapton Sands (beach and WWII memorial). Got our steps in and relaxed on the pebbly beach, taking in the sounds of local nature and the sea (relaxation somewhat broken when Ben said “look! There’s a dead crab near us”)
  • National Trust – Coleton Fishacre, Kingswear (visitor attraction). The property where Ben compared every bedroom to the side of his house and I made passing comments over the 1920s obsession with single beds
  • National Trust – Greenway, famed author Agatha Christie’s holiday house, Brixham (visitor attraction). The property where Ben said “so, this will be the kind of second home you own one day?” I pulled a face that made him laugh
  • Brixham (town). There were models/figurines of topless mermaids everywhere (locals, please fill me in on this, I didn’t get the connection, other than it being a significant fishing town)
    • I previously wrote a post giving my person review of Brixham, including top attractions. You can read it here
  • Paignton (town). See above, alias “where Alice loitered in a coffee shop with her book”
  • Ikea, Exeter (shop). Because we stopped off there on the way back and Ben and I love day trips to Ikea…even if it is only the second time in 10 years I’ve been to one)

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

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

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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I Saw “Is That All There Is?” at the Tate Modern and I’m Still Hooked

My Housemate's a Mermaid (Alice E. Bennett) Art, Culture, Humor, Humour, London, Travel , , ,

I don’t know if it’s the warped soundtrack, the computer-generated vocals or the mesmerizingly basic Adobe Flash animation but whichever way, I saw “Is That All There Is?” at the Tate Modern (London) and now it’s all I can think about.

I swear to goodness I wish it would just leave me alone. After all, it’s hardly something you can sing along to, not when the earworm in question sounds like a deflated emergency siren.

And, a much as I value the importance of art, I wish this wasn’t the one thing to have stuck with me since my visit to the Tate Modern in November 2022 (that’s right, it’s still haunting me!)

…I’m off to get myself a strong cup of tea.

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(For what it’s worth) Display caption lifted from the Tate Modern website:

IS THAT ALL THERE IS? considers the environmental impact of global warming. YHCHI often use dark humour to highlight difficult issues. The text and melody of the work are based on the song Is That All There Is?, made popular by singer Peggy Lee in 1969. The fire in the song’s lyrics here becomes a reference to wildfires in California. The question ‘Is That All There Is?’ is repeated again and again, highlighting the lack of personal and political accountability in relation to climate change.

Gallery label, April 2022

Artist credit: Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries

Title: “Is That All There Is?”

Featured post image (also used below): “What The Hell’s Going On” by Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries (https://www.artpapers.org/young-hae-chang-heavy-industries/)

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Book Review: “Couch” by Misha Chinkov

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

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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It’s Happened Again!!

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

Following the post I published towards the end of 2022 about a mother opening an Amazon parcel containing boxes of cereal, I have two thing to report.

  1. Amazon have yet to implement a policy forcing people to open parcels on the doorstep (sorry Lizzie)
  2. It’s happened again!

As spotted on a social media platform (for the sake of argument, let’s call said social media platform “Gacebook”):

Image reads: Amazon Warning!!!! I want to make our community aware so this doesn’t happen to anyone else. I ordered an iPad Air of Amazon certified seller and received a pack of cleaning wipes.
Package was tampered with. I managed to grab the driver to return the item. He said he could not change the delivered status. He rung his boss and who said to him, ‘bring the wipes back and we’ll get her sent out an item tomorrow’. Needless to say the iPad never turned up. After several calls to Amazon Customer Services I am still unable to change the status of the delivery to returned until the driver has done so. I know this will not happen. Its currently being investigated by Amazon customer services.

Another instance of someone trying to buy an Apple product, only this time they got duped with surface wipes.

I don’t know why I should be surprised and really it is a terrible thing that people are being unfairly mugged off in such a way, but it still amazed me when I saw it appear on my social media feed.

That, or it could be a sign that I need to get a life.

As a thirty year old, eating blueberry yoghurt from the tub and watching reruns of The Hills I’m going to decline the opportunity to comment. I’d only dig myself into a bigger yoghurt-based hole.

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Book Review: “The Unconventional Entrepreneur” by Alexandra Nolan

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

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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Seven Degrees of Pie

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

My birthday card writing skills need no introduction, which is why I present to you my latest iteration for my sister’s birthday. Ladies and gentlemen, I call this “Seven Degrees of Pie”

Let me quickly summarise (as I know the lack of space makes the writing legibility a bit hit and miss in places):

  1. Blueberry pie! Which is as cute looking as…
  2. Kitty pie! Kitty pie sounds as funny to say as…
  3. Pizza pie! Which is orange in colour, like…
  4. Pumpkin pie! This particular pumpkin pie looks like a face, like…
  5. Pacman pie! Pacman pie rushes after tasty treats like…
  6. Pie Face! (the Beano character) Pie Face = …
  7. Pie…on your face. See! The proof is in the pie!

There you have it. My very well thought out logic that one is never more than seven moves from being pied. And just think, I never went to Philosophy school.

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Book Review: “Mirage” by Leo Refay

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

Rating: 1 stars

Headline: A plot lacking in detail, set against unexplained parties and toxic personalities

Review:

At its core Mirage by Leo Refay is a tale of doomed love, featuring the archetypical femme fatale as instigator. It is hard to expand heavily on Mirage‘s plot, a story that centres around the relationship of Adam and Anna after a chance encounter at their place of work.

This could have been a good book. There is a fizzle of author passion and in select places the story does present intrigue, however fundamental issues make it ultimately read like a clunky first draft. Between Adam and Anna’s meeting on page one and the end of the book on page 173 there is limited character development. Adam consistently refers to Anna as his girlfriend, yet during a later outburst Anna reaffirms their platonic friendship. Are we to assume Adam is continuing to pour his heart (and wallet) to a woman showing no signs of physical affection?

Description is lacking; there is nothing to explain what Adam’s company does, we do not even know his wife’s name. Poor plot devices are used routinely to distract from sloppy writing. For instance, after a swift divorce Adam’s wife and unnamed children are dispatched “back to their [undefined] country”, writing them out of the story. No further comment is made of, or by, them. Maybe believable in an 18th century setting, but not 2020.

Anna is demanding, impatient and aggressive. The intention of Adam’s first person narrative is to portray Anna as the sole villain, yet all the characters display toxic tendencies. Adam is possessive and controlling, insisting on managing Anna’s investments and sitting in on her work meetings. Rose, a secondary female introduced later on, lacks boundaries, messaging Adam in an overly persistent and needy way. When Adam demonstrates a strong liking for Rose, they sleep together twice and he quickly moves on. There is no breathing space for any of the characters to reflect on their actions as they dart between luxury holiday trips and drunken parties.

Finally, and I do not know why I am particularly hung up over this, but everyone has two girls. Anna has two daughters, an older sister and two nieces. Adam has two unnamed daughters and Rose, the divorcee, has two children (which I would guess are girls). It is a point which perfectly illustrates the why a developmental editor is worth their weight in gold.

Unlike the majority of stories involving a femme fatale, there is no build-up of tension in this book. Adam and Anna hit the height of their negative attributes in the first quarter, leaving the author with nowhere to go other than circling around the same repeated scene of envy, anger, forgiveness. If Mirage had been in less of a rush to get to that point then maybe it would have faired as a better read.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Mirage” by Leo Refay

Purchase Link: “Mirage” by Leo Refay (Amazon)

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How I got free tickets to RIAT (the Royal International Air Tattoo)

My Housemate's a Mermaid (Alice E. Bennett) British, Charity, Event, Humour, Uncategorized , , ,

To say Ben is into planes is more than a little modest, it is the understatement of the century. We both also happen to live close to Fairford, the Wiltshire RAF base which once a year becomes home to the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT).

Two slight issues with my initial plan of a date-day visit:

  1. In 2023 the price of an individual adult ticket was £65
  2. As well documented by Captain Obvious, RAF Fairford is an exposed airfield. If it rains, you’re gonna know about it

The solution? Volunteering!

Ben and I put enlisted as event volunteers, selling programmes to raise money for the RAF Charitable Trust. Two highlights were Ben saying “I didn’t think you were actually going to dance with a stack of programmes” and a police officer who tapped me on the shoulder and said, in an incredibly stern tone, “excuse me, madam, but do you work in a boxing ring?” (I was waving a programme high above my head at the time). After realising I wasn’t getting a telling me off, I laughed and waved it even higher.

I know it wasn’t meant to be a contest but Ben and I sold a lot of programmes from our combined efforts, a lot.

By noon we were released from volunteering duties and allowed to enjoy RIAT for the rest of the day, free of charge. We enjoyed both the static and air displays with plenty of sugary snacks and then, when the British weather turned we darted into Ben’s car and continued watching the displays, warm and dry and accompanied by RIAT’s FM radio commentary (another perk of volunteering, prime car parking).

Not even strong winds and rain could stop us laughing during our day at RIAT. I learnt a lot about planes (although I don’t see me becoming RAF recruitment material anytime soon) but I also got to learn more about the great work of the RAF Charitable Trust. All whilst having a cheap date day out with Ben. We came away with Ben’s vocal cords ripped to shreds and my arms and feet feeling the burn from all the dancing. But you know what? It was totally worth it.

You can find out more about volunteering opportunities at RIAT through their official website

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