Review

Book Review: “Mirage” by Leo Refay

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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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Book Review: “STEM Secrets for Interviewing” by Jeffrey Harvey

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Rating: 3 stars

Headline: For the right reader there is some merit in having a quick flick through this guide

Review:

STEM Secrets for Interviewing by Jeffrey Harvey is an informative guide aimed at prospective job candidates, particularly those applying for roles within the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (otherwise known as STEM subjects).

In an ever-changing world, Harvey argues that being proficient in academia is no longer a golden ticket to a high-flying career. Split across ten chapters, this guide explains some of the core employment competencies and guidance on how to answer related questions that could be posed at interview.

Harvey’s book is certainly extensive; with seventy-one different questions covered in a great amount of depth, readers are hardly left wanting from a lack of information. The content cleverly utilises real world case studies to highlight the damaging effect of negative core competencies in industry (for example the fatal design flaws in the Boeing 737 Max aircraft caused, in part, by a company mantra instilled into employees to put profitability before safety).

Where this book slightly loses sight of its aims is where the breadth of knowledge becomes more a weakness than a strength. To be somewhat blunt, the book is too long for its intended purpose. Harvey introduces this book as being something made for those applying for their first STEM role, possibly their first interview of any kind. With that in mind, we are to assume the target readership age is somewhere in the low to mid-twenties. When I was that age, I wanted a no-nonsense guide following a simple structure: interview question, model answer, interview question, model answer. What job applicants do not generally have time for are dense blocks of paragraph, including an introduction to the history of STEM subjects. Given the title of the book and the intended audience, this felt like needless words. The book needed to get to the point and much quicker.

Another point is the numbering of the questions. To state in the opener that chapter eight would outline seventy-one questions, only to then chunk them up into categories so that the question number never exceeds five, it makes it incredibly hard to refer back to a specific question.

There is some merit to this book and for the right reader possibly worthy of a quick flick through. Could I say it was more than that? That is probably another question to add to Harvey’s list.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “STEM Secrets for Interviewing”

Purchase Link: “STEM Secrets for Interviewing” by Jeffrey Harvey (Amazon)

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Book Review: “A History of Lithuanian Writers in the United Kingdom” by Aldona Grupas

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Rating: 5 stars

Headline: Providing a spotlight on Lithuanian writers, this is a book I would love to have displayed on my bookshelf

Review:

As a born and bred British citizen, I simply could not help myself when the opportunity arose for me to review Aldona Grupas’s recent release A History of Lithuanian Writers in the United Kingdom (Hereafter A History of Lithuanian Writers). Before reading her work I did a cautionary bit of research online, discovering that in 2021 there were approximately 153,000 Lithuanians calling the United Kingdom home. For context, this is around the same population size as the Warwickshire town of Stratford-Upon-Avon (birthplace of William Shakespeare and, coincidentally, close to where I grew up as a child). From that you quickly understand the mindset which birthed this book, a thriving community with something to say and a determination to be recognised for it.

The book details nine Lithuanian writers, past and present, and how their work has contributed towards shaping prose and poetry within their native Eastern European country and in Britain. Each standalone chapter features an extract from each author’s portfolio of work, alongside a biography. The biographies are just as fascinating as the writing, highlighting the social and political factors which influenced their creative approach. At 88 pages it is a short and sweet read, easily digestible in one sitting.

In her introduction Grupas talks about A History of Lithuanian Writers being a passion project. It shows; you can tell a lot of effort, research and careful selection has gone into this title’s production. The quality of the translations alone are worthy of a five-star rating alone. Reading some of the beautiful poetry it is easy to be left in awe and wonder over creatives that are vastly unheard of within British literature.

A History of Lithuanian Writers is a delightful book, merging fact and fiction seamlessly. Grupas and those who have contributed should feel incredibly proud of their hard work and efforts. It samples a diverse range of talent in a way which leaves you begging for more. An important reminder of the importance of reading widely and broadly beyond borders, this is a book I would love to have displayed on my bookshelf. When it comes to understanding the world “Mokėti vieną kalbą neužtenka” (“knowing one language is not enough”).

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “A History of Lithuanian Writers in the United Kingdom”

Purchase Link: “A History of Lithuanian Writers in the United Kingdom” (Amazon)

Author Website: https://albionartclub.co.uk/

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Anna Beer on the female greats literature forgot

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The evening before seeing historian and author Anna Beer I’m sat at home, drafting a book review. Most of my reviews are for self-published titles, books where authors need the extra push to help them up the rankings. This particular book is a self-help guide for women navigating the menopause. It’s really good, certainly one of the more informed guides I’ve read in recent months. I finish typing my conclusion, knowing I’ll return to this review at least twice more to make edits before uploading it onto Reedsy. In that moment life feels good.

Barely 24 hours later…

“If I have to read another book on the menopause I’ll throw it across the room!”

It’s a statement that says a lot about the personality of this speaker, a strange mix of fire and frustration blended with ease and informality. Anna Beer has made her entrance.

Beer’s newest publication, Eve Bites Back, puts forgotten female authors front and centre of her historical research. Women like Mary Elizabeth Bradon, who wrote Lady Audley’s Secret in 1861-2 as a serialised publication for sixpenny magazines. She wrote the first instalment in just one evening. Such as the power of her words, when her original publisher ceased trading, another stepped in to print the remainder of the book. Bradon was a household name of her time, a literary celebrity, yet for every hundred mentions of her contemporary Charles Dickens, nowadays you will struggle to find one of Bradon.

Beer pauses for breath, taking only the slightest sip of tap water from her glass. The plight of Bradon isn’t the body of Beer’s argument, quite the reverse, the historian is only just warming up.

Bradon’s fate is not only applicable to the female authors of books, Beer argues. Another example, the poet Emilia Lanier (née Aemilia Bassano) also spent a good portion of her life swimming in the same pool as other masterful contemporaries. A 16th Century creative living in London, Lanier would have known fully of the playwright William Shakespeare, it is believed she was even mixing in the same aristocratic circles as him (although less known about whether the pair ever met).

Lanier was 42 years old when she published Salve Deus Rex Judaeorum, a poetry collection highly praised by all genders, even with its undertones many would now regard as feminist leaning. And yet, once again, in the 21st Century relatively little is known of Lanier. Why? Because, Beer argues, Lanier simply didn’t have the same number of influential promoters as Shakespeare.

Beer smiles, one hand gripping the podium, the other pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She’s hit her stride, that juicy zone when academics become unstoppable, overwhelming charisma tinged by a slight arrogance. They know they’re right and you can’t help but nod along. Beer rattles through woman after woman, their names piling up like endless bodies cast below the stage we sit before. If she carries on at this rate the whole auditorium will be drowned before the hour is finished.

“I must mention Lady Mary Montague,” she adds between breaths, “oh, and someone ask me about Anna Wickham if there’s time!”

Watching her recount all these unknown literary greats, it makes me both proud and embarrassed to be a woman. Society imprinted on me many of Britain’s literary greats, only now am I realising that all of them just so happened to be white men. If anything Beer’s work proves that there were more female authors out there than can be feasibly brushed under the carpet.

The evening draws to a close and with the round of applause comes a sudden longing for a fresh air. The auditorium at the Swindon Arts Centre empties and, not realising quite how hot I’d become inside, I’m relieved to be sucking in a large mouthful of cool spring air.

Within minutes of getting home my laptop is thrown open and a multitude of female names punched into my search engine. The internet crashes momentarily, I hit refresh multiple times, forcing it on until the algorithm finally caves in to my demands. The more I search the more I’m left wanting and by the end of the night I have an Amazon basket filled with books, not one of which written by a man.

To hear Beer talk so energetically on her book Eve Bites Back and wider literary feminism fills me with optimism for what this field of study can offer us all. Knowing that it took Jane Austen twenty years to convert her thoughts into a recognised publication is also enough to keep my own creative aspirations alive. (Although for what it’s worth, I won’t be forwarding Anna Beer a copy of my menopause book review anytime soon.)

Image credit: Wyvern Theatre

Previous Swindon Literary Event write ups from AEB:

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Graphic Novel Review: “Fetishes” by Lyone 3D

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Rating: 2 stars

Headline: A hefty dose of Fetish-on-Fetish action, with illustrations that needed a lot more refinement

Review:

Fetishes by Lyone 3D is the first in a series of speculative graphic novels set a world where humanoids (or “fetishes”) have been created for the protection and entertainment of humans. A highly sort after commodity, the fetishes have become the valuable playthings of the rich and famous, with ownership limited to only the elite classes within society.

After a dancing contest featuring five attractive male fetishes, the nameless woman comes away having secured what the crowd have voted for as the most desirable. Renaming the fetish to Reiver, the female owner pushes her fetish’s programming to the absolute limits, accumulating in her enlisting Reiver into a fight organised by the wives of other fetishes. For over seven pages there is pure fetish on fetish action. Reiver ultimately fends off all his rivals and is taken back home by its owner, making no attempt to hide her disinterest in her fiancée as she takes Reiver, the fetish, to bed. While the fiancée may not outwardly seem to care about the well-being of his partner’s fetish, the look exchanged between him and Reiver suggests there could be more than meets the eye to this heterosexual slave robot/human owner relationship.

The biggest critic I have with this graphic novel is in the quality of the drawings. Imagery makes up 95% of what the story is trying to portray, yet time and time again the poor quality of the character faces becomes a major distraction. When the characters grin they portray a deathly haunting look, on the occasions where characters look direct at the reader (as is the case in the first scene involving pundits talking to camera), in these scenarios the profile views are more than disturbing. The proportions are all wrong.

I can see what the author/artist is trying to do with this story and with refinement it could potentially work. I would question some of the plot developments (some elements feel very rushed through), but given this is the first in a series the story arch could possibly get through with a three-star rating. The drawing standard however, that is something much harder to overlook and ultimately brings this review down to the two-stars that it is.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “Fetishes” by Lyone 3D

Purchase Link:

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Book Review: “My Prosthetic Life” by Laura Kendall

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Rating: 4 stars

Headline: A triumphant memoir celebrating the determination to succeed

Review:

The initial cursorily that drew me to Laura Kendall’s memoir My Prosthetic Life came admittedly at a level of crude intrigue, subconsciously seeking answers to the questions any able-bodied person would have in response to anyone who has grown up with of a prosthetic limb. “Do you resent the drugs companies who prescribed thalidomide to pregnant mothers?”, “what is it like to navigate airport security?”, “how do different prosthetic limbs compare, how do they operate day-to-day?” But as I dug deeper into this memoir I realised this title is so much more than that.

There is more to Kendall’s humanistic storytelling than cold metal and plastic, more to her than the clinical definition of her condition (phocomelia of the left arm). In this memoir there is instead a real sense of warmth and inclusion, with an approach to writing that is open, honest and candid in nature. She shares images of a joyful youth, coupled with the struggles of growing up in a highly conservative household and parental abandonment from the choices made in later life. Tales of love and laughter in lavish surroundings sit next to a deeply troubled scene of a failed attempt to commit suicide (prevented by the intervention of her husband). It really is a roller-coaster of emotions, transporting the reader on a journey that absorbs every element of Kendall’s life. You come away appreciating the challenges Kendall has overcome, with the hint of modesty that acknowledges there are things that could have done differently (a theme particularly present in her references to drug addiction and her role as a mother).

Some of the earlier chapters are pone to causing confusion, where Kendall’s chapter structuring moves readers a bit too briskly from recent experiences to childhood upbringing (and then back again). There is also a heavier focus on particular life stages versus others (personally I felt more could have been said on Kendall’s teenage years and the High School system). That said, this is an insightful read and nothing less than a case study on how, regardless of outward appearances, we are unified by the challenges we face.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “My Prosthetic Life” by Laura Kendall

Purchase Link: “My Prosthetic Life” by Laura Kendall (Amazon)

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

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Book Review: “House Moving Therapy” by Mila Petrova

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Rating: 3 stars

Headline: A book which tries to boil the ocean in its style with somewhat tepid results

Review:

House Moving Therapy by Mila Petrova is, if nothing else, a creative homage to one determined author’s relentless determinism and resilience toward frequent property moves. Using her personal experiences, Petrova brings to market a guide which aims to support readers going through relocations, be it through the author’s empathetic words or in the medium of tough love, providing instruction on how to get through the ordeal as swiftly as possible. Throughout, Petrova’s advice is considerate, factoring in the impact property moves can have on one’s mental health and wallet.

The structure of this book is straightforward enough, five chronological sections with multiple chapters listed underneath, coupled summary boxes as conclusions to most of the key chapters. At nearing four hundred pages long, there is certainly a lot to digest here in terms of content. This is probably the book’s major stumbling block, one which limits its potential audience. While in places Petrova bestows some valuable tokens of advice (e.g., how to decide what items to keep versus what to throw away, how to ship items to a new address without breaking the bank), these insights are bogged down in far too much surrounding copy that could have been cut out altogether. Long paragraphs have a tendency to veer somewhat off topic, switching from numbered bullets to detailed descriptions of Petrova’s past life, in a way that feel more akin to memoir than self-help. At points it feels like the author has lost focus on the book’s intended purpose.

Personally, I think this book would have benefited from being split in two; one book covering the practical ‘how to’ of moving house and a second publication that was more reflective in outlook, focusing on the author’s personal experiences. This follow-on title would been beneficial memoir in its own right. Petrova’s writing is of a respectable calibre to produce both stand-alone books, instead of one chunky title.

House Moving Therapy tries to boil the ocean by tackling distinct two genres in one book and in this case, the writing just isn’t quite up to par to pull it off.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “House Moving Therapy”

Purchase Link: “House Moving Therapy” by Mila Petrova (Amazon)

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Unboxing April’s “Books That Matter” / “Aphra” Subscription Box

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In February I reviewed my first “Books That Matter” subscription box (you can check out the video here).

Here is my unboxing video for April’s edition. Enjoy! (Hopefully without a burnt tongue and Kate Bush hair.)

Products featured in my Books That Matter subscription box

Book: The Human Origins of Beatrice Porter and Other Essential Ghosts by Soraya Palmer

Treat: Boom & Blossom hand cream

Treat: Beam snack bar

Treat: Ohh Deer stationery

Additional treats: Astrea zine (produced by Books That Matter) and bookmark

See also:

Reviewing the “Books That Matter” Subscription Box (February)

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Book Review: “The A to Z Series” (self-help guides by Noah William Smith)

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Rating: 3 stars

Headline: A neat collection of snappy titles that place added emphasis on emotional well-being

Review:

I’ll level with you, I’m a busy person.

I have a regular 9-5 job, a tonne of other commitments outside of that, and I need to survive. As much as I’d love to read a 500 page guide on how to transform my life, if it ain’t sugar coated and nutritionally balanced, then that bar of chocolate is probably going to take priority.

Noah William Smith’s “A to Z Series” of books are anything but lengthy. While the entire series is comprised of ten books, today I am reviewing four of the collection, each about twenty sides of A4 in length, cover-to-cover.

  • Book one, How to Motivate Yourself in 15 Minutes is the punchiest of the guides, with added emphasis on quick motivational wins. It also happens to be my favourite title of the collection.
  • Book five, How to Become Emotionally Smarter has a slightly more phycological leaning, focusing on emotional intelligence and the need to consider the implications of one’s own actions on those around them. Guidance here touches on themes including respect and consideration of others.
  • Book six, Want to Replenish Your Spirit? Looks at ways to boost internal confidence and get the positive endorphins going on a tight budget. Suggestions for mood-boosting activities include smiling more and watching films with that spark feelings of joy.
  • Book eight, Enhance Your Internal Motivation Now takes a wider lens view on self-betterment, asking readers to consider their surroundings and draw on external factors to boost internal motivation.

All four guides are to the point, quick to absorb and quick to implement with a welcomed use of the author’s personal experience to add colour to the recommendations presented. As the series progresses there are some noticeable repetitions in the tips and guidance (felt most acutely in book eight, Enhance Your Internal Motivation Now, although this in part is due to its positioning as a latter book in the collection). What I would have loved to have seen inserted into these books is a wider input from the author’s local community, the methods employed by his friends, family and colleagues to insert positivity into their day-to-day lives. A visual cue or two to give a flavour of the real South Africa, from where Smith is based.

Smith’s “A to Z Series” forms a neat little collection of titles. While some could be refined and condensed it does not take away from the pleasant experience I had reading them as separate titles.

AEB Reviews

Links:

Purchase Link: Noah William Smith (Amazon author page)

Follow Link: Noah William Smith (Amazon)

Book Review: “The Most Reverend” by JJ Young

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Rating: 1 star

Headline: Regardless of which faith you preach, this book is downright nonsensical

Review:

The Most Reverend by JJ Young is a comedy-satire of a Christian denomination and its plight to establish itself in Britain. Pastor Delilah Wigglesworth, founder of the “PRAISE!” movement adopts a highly informal approach to communicating biblical messages through the use of concert-type congregations, social media and its flagship confessional app. Shortly after arriving in the UK, Delilah, husband Jude and their two children become acquainted with Mary, a small parish vicar who has become fatigued with the Church of England and the Archbishop’s unwillingness to fund the repair costs to her church. In awe of Delilah and Jude, Mary leaves her parish to become the UK’s first pastor for “PRAISE!”

Within this plot summary there is ample opportunity for well-executed comedy and clever satire. Instead, what the reader sadly gets is poorly written dialogue and all too frequent location changes. Surrey, London, Delilah’s seemingly random decision to travel to North Wales to film promotional footage; the scene-setting in this book leaves even the most sturdiest of readers with whiplash.

Alongside Delilah’s global aspirations, there is also a side-plot involving “PRAISE!” being ransomed for millions of dollars after a data hack on its confessional app. Despite this disturbing development, none of the characters react with any sense of concern or urgency. Character traits are also unbelievable, particularly the Archbishop who immediately takes a strong dislike of “PRAISE!” because of the serious threat it poses to the Church of England. And yet, the whole book is leading up to Mary becoming the UK’s first pastor of a morally-questionable denomination run by two people, Delilah and Jude. The Archbishop’s fears just do not seem to add up.

As far as comedy goes, this book is simply not funny. A lot of the jokes are cheap biblical puns, innuendo, or a combination of the two, used at random like a Carry-On film. Humour that strikes of one-liners that popped into the author’s head as they were writing. And while I understand pastor Jude’s character is meant to be extreme right-wing, unfaithful and generally useless, the humour he exerts is at best excruciatingly awkward and at worst, down right discriminatory towards other faiths and cultures.

If not for the rushed pace, then for the tone of voice, The Most Reverend is punctured with so many plot holes and faults that it would take more than Noah’s Ark going viral to ride out this storm.

AEB Reviews

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