Author Archives: R Cawkwell

Hi I'm Rosemarie and I like to write. I write short stories and longer fiction, poetry and occasionally articles. I'm working on quite a few things at the minute and wouldn't mind one day actually getting published in print.

TBR Pile Review: Burn, by Herman Pontzer

54737800
Hardcover
Published March 2nd 2021 by Allen Lane
ISBN:0241388422 (ISBN13: 9780241388426)

Blurb

Over the past twenty years, evolutionary biologist Herman Pontzer has conducted ground-breaking studies across a range of settings, including pioneering fieldwork with Hadza hunter-gatherers in northern Tanzania.

This book draws on his eye-opening research to show how, contrary to received wisdom, exercise does not increase our metabolism. Instead, we burn calories within a very narrow range: nearly 3,000 calories per day, no matter our activity level.

By taking a closer look at what happens to the energy we consume, Pontzer explores the ways in which metabolism controls every aspect of our health – from fertility to immune function – and reveals the truth about the dynamic system that sustains us. Filled with facts and memorable anecdotes, Burn will change the way you think about food, exercise and life.

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Review: The Queen of Romance, by Liz Jones

18 MARCH 2021
Market: Biography
Paperback
ISBN:9781912905119
Price: £9.99

Blurb

The first biography of the bestselling author and journalist Marguerite Jervis.
Daughter of an officer of the Indian Medical Corps, Marguerite Florence Laura Jarvis (1886 – 1964) was born in Burma and became one of the most successful novelists of her time. During the course of her 60-year career, Marguerite published over 150 books, with 11 novels adapted for film, including The Pleasure Garden (1925), the directorial debut of Alfred Hitchcock. In her heyday she sold hundreds of thousands of novels, but is now largely forgotten; under numerous pseudonyms she wrote for newspapers, women’s magazines and the silent movie screen; she married one of Wales most controversial literary figures, Caradoc Evans. She also trained as an actress and was a theatrical impresario. Known variously as Mrs Caradoc Evans, Oliver Sandys, Countess Barcynska and many other pseudonyms, who was she really?

Liz Jones has dug deep beneath the tale told in Marguerite Jervis’s own
somewhat romanticised memoir to reveal what made this driven and
determined woman. And what turned her from a spoilt child of the English
middle classes to a workaholic who could turn her hand to any literary
endeavour and who became a runaway popular success during the most
turbulent years of the 20th century.

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Review: You Brand, by Julia Goodman

Blurb 

A manual for Confidence will help you develop your unique voice and you self-belief as a communicator, by uniting head, heart and body. Rooted in the psychology and techniques of the professional theatre, the You Brand method will teach you the craft of ‘performing yourself’ – wherever you are. 

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Extract Post: Grudge Match, by Robert B Parker

Pub. Date: 16 November 2020
Price: £9.99
ISBN: 978-0-85730-402-5
Binding: Paperback

Robert B. Parker’s beloved PI Sunny Randall returns on a case that blurs the line between friend and foe… and if Sunny can’t tell the difference, the consequences may be deadly.

When Sunny’s long-time gangster associate Tony Marcus comes to her for help, Sunny is surprised – after all, she double-crossed him on a recent deal, and their relationship is on shakier ground than ever.
But the way Tony figures it, Sunny owes him, and she is willing to consider his case if it will clear the slate.

Tony’s trusted girlfriend and business partner has vanished, appearing to have left in a hurry, and he has no idea why. He just wants to talk to her, he says. While Sunny isn’t willing to trust his good intentions, the missing woman intrigues her – against all odds, she’s risen to a position of power in
Tony’s criminal enterprise. Sunny can’t help but admire her and, if this woman’s in a jam, she would like to help.

But when a witness is murdered hours after speaking to Sunny, it’s clear there’s more at stake than just Tony’s love life. Someone – maybe even Tony himself – doesn’t want this woman on the loose…and will go to any lengths to make sure she stays silent.

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Children’s Book Review: Dad! I’ve Hurt Myself!, by Andrew Rogerson, Illustrations by Christopher Dodd

Publisher : Clink Street Publishing (1 April 2021)
Language : English
Paperback : 36 pages
ISBN-10 : 1913962393
ISBN-13 : 978-1913962395
Reading Age: 4 – 7 years

Blurb

This is the story about how a dad tries to distract his daughter when she has hurt herself or feels ill. These are all real moments.

Written by Andrew Rogerson, this book is for anyone who enjoys reading time with their children. It especially highlights the unique relationship between a father and his daughter and shows how acting silly can sometimes distract and defuse a tricky situation.

The book is beautifully illustrated by Christopher Dodd who has a unique perspective because he has known the author for many years and has seen Poppy grow up from being a toddler. The illustrations offer an insight into the world of books and well-known children’s characters providing a wonderful point of discussion between parent and child.

Review

This book shows various attempts by ‘Dad’ to distract ‘Poppy’ after she gets minor booboos. Tea and biscuits, ice cream, sweets and being silly are the main ways ‘Dad’ distracts ‘Poppy’. There’s a list of story references at the back for children to find in the illustrations.

It is quite a funny little story. Very simple to read and understand. There are questions on each page for the reader to ask/answer.

The illustrations are colour pencil drawings in a cheerful, slightly wacky style. There are all sorts of strange creatures and references to a range of nursery rhymes and children’s books. Some of them seem to be on the wrong page for the words, but that might be an ARC feature?

I think the reading age range is a little high, maybe 3 to 5, rather than 4 to 7 years.

Nice little book for early readers.

TBR Pile Review: Laziness Does No Exist, by Devon Price PhD

54304124
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published January 5th 2021 by Atria Books
ISBN:1982140100 (ISBN13: 9781982140106)

From social psychologist Dr. Devon Price, a fascinating and thorough examination of what they call the “laziness lie”—which falsely tells us we are not working or learning hard enough—filled with practical and accessible advice for overcoming society’s pressure to “do more.”

Extra-curricular activities. Honors classes. 60-hour work weeks. Side hustles.

Like many Americans, Dr. Devon Price believed that productivity was the best way to measure self-worth. Price was an overachiever from the start, graduating from both college and graduate school early, but that success came at a cost. After Price was diagnosed with a severe case of anemia and heart complications from overexertion, they were forced to examine the darker side of all this productivity.

Laziness Does Not Exist explores the psychological underpinnings of the “laziness lie,” including its origins from the Puritans and how it has continued to proliferate as digital work tools have blurred the boundaries between work and life. Using in-depth research, Price explains that people today do far more work than nearly any other humans in history yet most of us often still feel we are not doing enough.

Dr. Price offers science-based reassurances that productivity does not determine a person’s worth and suggests that the solution to problems of overwork and stress lie in resisting the pressure to do more and instead learn to embrace doing enough. Featuring interviews with researchers, consultants, and experiences from real people drowning in too much work, Laziness Does Not Exist encourages us to let go of guilt and become more attuned to our own limitations and needs and resist the pressure to meet outdated societal expectations. 

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