Book blogger, Autistic, Probably a Dragon
This is it, the cover for Bridas’ Justice. I decided to have a go at using the cover creator function in Create Space for this one. Mainly because I can’t afford to employ Michelle, my cover designer for the FIRE novels. All the planned Tales From Erce will have a white and blue cover with a relevant cover image. I’ve gone for waves on rocks with this one. You’ll see why if you read the story.
You can get your copy from Amazon:
Paperbook £3.50
Kindle £0.99
The first of the three planned Tales From Erce, Bridas’ Justice will be available from next week.
With help from my sisters, it is now complete, has been edited and re-read, and is now ready to go to publication. I’m just getting the set up done on CreateSpace.
Bridas’ Justice is a short story of approximately 6500 words and will be available as a Kindle or paperback. The paperback will be the same dimensions as the FIRE books, so they’ll all sit nicely together on the bookshelf. The Tales From Erce covers are blue, a nice contrast to the orange-red of the FIRE books. It wasn’t meant to be the first to be published, but Charley’s War is taking longer than expected.
Published By: Clink Street Publishing
Publication Date: 13th February 2018
I.S.B.N.: 9781912262632
Format: E-book/Paperback
I’m reviewing this book as part of a Clink Street Publishing blog tour and received an e-book copy of the book in return for an honest review.
Blurb
here’s nothing quite like Comfort Food to put a smile on your face and a feeling of contentment in your stomach.
Chef Julia Bettelheim is passionate about feeding people; from the students in her university kitchen to guests and family at home.
From recipes that are as simple as a sandwich to as technical as a fruit cake, she knows the importance of creating delicious meals that are full of flavour and which always have budget in mind.
Her recipes include easy to make classics and mouth-watering family favourites, using easy to find products that are fresh and economical.
Fun, fast, indulgent and nurturing, there’s a time and a place for Comfort Food in every kitchen.
Continue reading “Review: ‘Comfort Food’, by Julia Bettelheim”
Published By: Macmillan
Publication Date: 22nd February 2018
Format: Paperback
I.S.B.N.: 97815098248
61
Price: £7.99
Continue reading “Review: ‘The Mother’s Secret’, by Clare Swatman”
Published By: Pen & Sword History
Publication Date: 11th December 2017
Format: Paperback
I.S.B.N.: 9781526705006
Price: £14.99
Blurb
From elaborate Victorian cat funerals to a Regency era pony who took a ride in a hot air balloon, Mimi Matthews shares some of the quirkiest—and most poignant—animal tales of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Meet Fortune, the Pug who bit Napoleon on his wedding night, and Looty, the Pekingese sleeve dog who was presented to Queen Victoria after the 1860 sacking of the Summer Palace in Peking. The four-legged friends of Lord Byron, Emily Brontë, and Prince Albert also make an appearance, as do the treasured pets of Alexander Pope, Samuel Johnson, and Charles Dickens.
Less famous, but no less fascinating, are the animals that were the subject of historical lawsuits, scandals, and public curiosity. There’s Tuppy, the purloined pet donkey; Biddy, the regimental chicken; and Barnaby and Burgho, the bloodhounds hired to hunt Jack the Ripper. Wild animals also get a mention in tales that encompass everything from field mice and foxes to alligators and sharks lurking in the Thames.
Using research from eighteenth and nineteenth century books, letters, and newspapers, Mimi Matthews brings each animal’s unique history to vivid life. The details are sometimes humorous, sometimes heartbreaking, but the stories are never anything less than fascinating reading for animal lovers of all ages.
Continue reading “Bonus Review #3: ‘The Pug Who Bit Napoleon’, by Mimi Matthews”
Published by: W.W. Norton and Company
Publication Date: 7th February 2017
Format: Hardcover
I.S.B.N.: 9780393242713
Price: $26.95
Blurb
For centuries, poets and philosophers extolled the benefits of a walk in the woods: Beethoven drew inspiration from rocks and trees; Wordsworth composed while tromping over the heath; Nikola Tesla conceived the electric motor while visiting a park. Intrigued by our storied renewal in the natural world, Florence Williams sets out to uncover the science behind nature’s positive effects on the brain. From forest trails in Korea, to islands in Finland, to groves of eucalyptus in California, Williams investigates the science at the confluence of environment, mood, health, and creativity. Delving into completely new research, she uncovers the powers of the natural world to improve health, promote reflection and innovation, and ultimately strengthen our relationships. As our modern lives shift dramatically indoors, these ideas—and the answers they yield—are more urgent than ever.
Continue reading “Bonus Review number two: ‘The Nature Fix’, by Florence Williams”
This is a blog tour I’m taking part in this month. My review of ‘Comfort Food’, by Julia Bettelheim will be part of the tour and published 17th February. Tour starts on the 12th and runs until the 28th February. Check out a few of the other blogs, there will be reviews and recipes sprinkled about the place. Enjoy.
Published By: HQ
Publication Date: 8th March 2018
I.S.B.N.: 9780008244873
Format: Paperback
Price: £7.99
Blurb
The Disappearance
Twelve years ago Finn’s girlfriend disappeared.The Suspicion
He told the police the truth about that night.
Just not quite the whole truth.The Fear
Now Finn has moved on.
But his past won’t stay buried
Continue reading “Bonus Review #1: ‘Bring Me Back’, by B.A.Paris”
Hey, I remembered when I got in from university this evening that I haven’t done my weekly update since I started back at university. I started back last week. It’s a long day, even though I only have one two-hour seminar. Trains and such stretch the day out. I discovered tonight that it only costs £4 to get a taxi from the station to my house. Since I’m in stupid amounts of pain right now, I was willing to pay out the money to get home quickly. I’ve got pins and needles in my left foot right now, so this is going to be quick.
Week one was an introductory seminar, we made mock-ups of A5 pamphlets and discussed the process of publishing. I got to do colouring in.
Today we covered experimental writing and read some of Richard Brautigen’s Trout Fishing in America then attempted to write something in the same vein. I didn’t do very well, but I’ll share them with you.
Task: Write a piece in the style of Richard Brautigan about Brayford Wharf:
The swan and the pasta plate
As I sat out one midwinter evening eating pasta on the wharf, a swan came along to join me. I thought he might like a taste, so I threw the plate to him.
It sank without a taste.
The waiter brought another. I had to try again, as the swan paddled on, lost in the gloom.
I hit her head.
The table rocked when I climbed aboard, the swan barged the chair.
The waiter brought another plate.
“I prefer bread.” The swan said as she turned away.
He really didn’t like the taste.
Food and Lego
Across the river there waits a warm pub with plates of food just for the dragon and I. Long travelling had worn us out and we couldn’t find the donkeys to carry us. Perhaps they’d gone to the beach without me? Where shall I put my bucket and spade. There’s an island in the middle, we could go and play there. Dragon and I found the bricks. Someone had played here before us, some barge child, bored. A little house and farm. Trees and cows and sheep. Lego pigs in Lego pig shit. I don’t want to go to Denmark thanks.
See, I told you they weren’t very good. I think I’m a bit too literal to do the sort of whimsical, experimental writing some of the others could do well.
Right, going to bed now. Pain is getting a bit much.
Night.
I have suspected this for some time, it ties in with the social model of disability, I think.
Picture by Joan M. Mas
Autism is seen, in popular representations, largely as a social and communication disorder. Formerly framed as stemming from an autistic lack of a “social instinct”, the current dominant idea is that something is deficient or missing in autistic social cognition. Often referred to as a cognitive deficit in “empathy” or “theory of mind”, much research on autistic social issues has focused on trying to clarify and detect this inside autistic brains and minds. The search for an elusive broken “theory of mind module” or “empathy mechanism” in the brain, and its ensuing cognitive manifestations, however, has led to conflicting results – with some scientists even concluding that autistic people feel too much empathy rather than too little.
Another view is that this is not simply an individual neuro-cognitive issue, but rather a wider social problem. Against the idea that autistic people have too much or…
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Everything Is Better With Dragons 