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jp_priestley's reviews
155 reviews
Everyone Is a Moon: Strange Stories by Sawney Hatton
4.0
I received a complimentary copy of Everyone is a Moon from the author through the BookSirens platform (https://booksirens.com), and am leaving an honest review.
Three distinct things inspired me to read and review Sawney Hatton’s collection of dark fiction short stories in Everyone is a Moon: a) the inspired and striking cover artwork design by Fredrick Richard [1]; b) the author’s unusual name. Sawney — sometimes Sandie/y, or Sanders, or Sannock — was an English nickname (now obsolete) for a Scotsman in the 18th century, portrayed as a common figure of fun in English cartoons of the age. It might fascinate you to know that the word ‘Sawney’ survives in the current Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (OSPD), validating the word in Scrabble tournament play, and defining it to mean ‘a foolish person’ [2] (not something one could accuse Sawney Hatton of being!); c) the title of the book itself, which intrigued me.
As I was new to Hatton’s work, I found myself, of course, in the dark (pun intended) concerning what I would encounter when I downloaded Everyone is a Moon from BookSirens. First, what of the book’s title? As Hatton himself states, “This collection of what I consider to be my best dark fiction short stories represents a twenty-five-year span of my writing career (…) It is obvious I am drawn to the darker sides of the human psyche. But I’m also intrigued by those who harbor secrets or suffer delusions, the faces they present to others often masking their perverse thoughts, feelings, or compulsions. Hence the title of this collection (…) derived from Mark Twain’s maxim found in Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar (1897): ‘Everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.’ ” [3]
The notion that everyone has a dark side — like the moon — reminded me, yet again, of something that Maya Angelou (1928-2014), the African American novelist and poet, said: “Nothing that is human is alien to me.” She was likely quoting Publius Terentius Afer — better known in English as Terence — a Roman African playwright and comic dramatist during the Roman Republic (born c. 195 BC, North Africa). One of Terence’s famous quotes was:
And so, the great duality in human behaviour — and the human psyche — of light and dark; good and evil. Angelou understood that to be human is to be capable of any human thought or act, both noble and ignoble, regardless of how unlikely certain thoughts or actions might be to any of us in our lives. Is it not a given that when the circumstances allow or dictate, we are all capable of any thought or act? For whatever any human has ever thought, believed, and acted upon, so as fellow humans, we are also capable.
For example, would those who boarded Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 — a chartered flight that originated in Montevideo, Uruguay and was bound for Santiago in Chile on October 13, 1972 (yes, a Friday) — have believed that their Fairchild FH-227D would crash in the Andes Mountains in western Argentina, killing three crew members and eight passengers at once, and several more passengers soon after from their injuries and the extreme cold? Would the survivors have believed that they would resort to cannibalism to survive? Of course not. But it happened — they embraced the dark side so they might live. This made reading Everyone is a Moon so rewarding — the plausibility of the plots in keeping with people’s prototypical behaviour when they encounter and embrace the dark side of their nature.
What of the stories? As Hatton’s web page announces, Everyone is a Moon comprises “twelve twisted tales featuring a magical finger, a cannibalistic memorial service, an extreme piercing parlor, a space-age monastery, a budding serial killer, and more.”
A word of warning, however. Hatton’s material is by turns many things — fresh and unconventional; at times irreverent; humorous, quirky, and surrealistic; but also nightmarish, dark, and disturbing — blended in such a way that you feel compelled to continue reading, even when doing so feels borderline voyeuristic or otherwise altogether wrong. Hatton’s story The Dark at the Deep End deserves the author’s warning in the front matter of “Some graphic material herein. Reader discretion advised”. He kids you not with the choice of the word “graphic”. This is adult material and will not be to everyone’s taste. That said, I admire Hatton’s honesty, transparency, and brazenness. I would tell you that Hatton’s work reminded me of this or that author — but I could not say who! He appears to occupy a special space of his own.
Last, I loved how Hatton plays, here and there, with the text in his collection — increasing the size significantly (in stages) in part of Cutting Remarks to ‘shout’ from the page, but in another story to reduce the word count to a mere forty-four words spread over ten pages. And why not, indeed? No writer would ever want to be forgotten; once experienced, there is no likelihood that Sawney Hatton ever would be! Recommended reading.
[1] Fredrick Richard (99designs): https://99designs.co.uk/profiles/2280656 (Re-accessed: 24 January).
[2] Source: Thanks to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawney (Re-accessed: 24 January 2022).
[3] The Pudd’nhead Maxims — Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar in Following the Equator (1897): https://twain.lib.virginia.edu/wilson/pwequat.html (Re-accessed: 24 January 2022).
Author's website: https://www.sawneyhatton.com/everyone-is-a-moon-strange-stories/
(Re-edited: 24 January 2022)
Three distinct things inspired me to read and review Sawney Hatton’s collection of dark fiction short stories in Everyone is a Moon: a) the inspired and striking cover artwork design by Fredrick Richard [1]; b) the author’s unusual name. Sawney — sometimes Sandie/y, or Sanders, or Sannock — was an English nickname (now obsolete) for a Scotsman in the 18th century, portrayed as a common figure of fun in English cartoons of the age. It might fascinate you to know that the word ‘Sawney’ survives in the current Official Scrabble Players Dictionary (OSPD), validating the word in Scrabble tournament play, and defining it to mean ‘a foolish person’ [2] (not something one could accuse Sawney Hatton of being!); c) the title of the book itself, which intrigued me.
As I was new to Hatton’s work, I found myself, of course, in the dark (pun intended) concerning what I would encounter when I downloaded Everyone is a Moon from BookSirens. First, what of the book’s title? As Hatton himself states, “This collection of what I consider to be my best dark fiction short stories represents a twenty-five-year span of my writing career (…) It is obvious I am drawn to the darker sides of the human psyche. But I’m also intrigued by those who harbor secrets or suffer delusions, the faces they present to others often masking their perverse thoughts, feelings, or compulsions. Hence the title of this collection (…) derived from Mark Twain’s maxim found in Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar (1897): ‘Everyone is a moon and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.’ ” [3]
The notion that everyone has a dark side — like the moon — reminded me, yet again, of something that Maya Angelou (1928-2014), the African American novelist and poet, said: “Nothing that is human is alien to me.” She was likely quoting Publius Terentius Afer — better known in English as Terence — a Roman African playwright and comic dramatist during the Roman Republic (born c. 195 BC, North Africa). One of Terence’s famous quotes was:
“I am a man. I consider nothing that is human alien to me,” or “Homo sum. Humanum nihil a me alienum puto,” in Latin.
And so, the great duality in human behaviour — and the human psyche — of light and dark; good and evil. Angelou understood that to be human is to be capable of any human thought or act, both noble and ignoble, regardless of how unlikely certain thoughts or actions might be to any of us in our lives. Is it not a given that when the circumstances allow or dictate, we are all capable of any thought or act? For whatever any human has ever thought, believed, and acted upon, so as fellow humans, we are also capable.
For example, would those who boarded Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 — a chartered flight that originated in Montevideo, Uruguay and was bound for Santiago in Chile on October 13, 1972 (yes, a Friday) — have believed that their Fairchild FH-227D would crash in the Andes Mountains in western Argentina, killing three crew members and eight passengers at once, and several more passengers soon after from their injuries and the extreme cold? Would the survivors have believed that they would resort to cannibalism to survive? Of course not. But it happened — they embraced the dark side so they might live. This made reading Everyone is a Moon so rewarding — the plausibility of the plots in keeping with people’s prototypical behaviour when they encounter and embrace the dark side of their nature.
What of the stories? As Hatton’s web page announces, Everyone is a Moon comprises “twelve twisted tales featuring a magical finger, a cannibalistic memorial service, an extreme piercing parlor, a space-age monastery, a budding serial killer, and more.”
A word of warning, however. Hatton’s material is by turns many things — fresh and unconventional; at times irreverent; humorous, quirky, and surrealistic; but also nightmarish, dark, and disturbing — blended in such a way that you feel compelled to continue reading, even when doing so feels borderline voyeuristic or otherwise altogether wrong. Hatton’s story The Dark at the Deep End deserves the author’s warning in the front matter of “Some graphic material herein. Reader discretion advised”. He kids you not with the choice of the word “graphic”. This is adult material and will not be to everyone’s taste. That said, I admire Hatton’s honesty, transparency, and brazenness. I would tell you that Hatton’s work reminded me of this or that author — but I could not say who! He appears to occupy a special space of his own.
Last, I loved how Hatton plays, here and there, with the text in his collection — increasing the size significantly (in stages) in part of Cutting Remarks to ‘shout’ from the page, but in another story to reduce the word count to a mere forty-four words spread over ten pages. And why not, indeed? No writer would ever want to be forgotten; once experienced, there is no likelihood that Sawney Hatton ever would be! Recommended reading.
[1] Fredrick Richard (99designs): https://99designs.co.uk/profiles/2280656 (Re-accessed: 24 January).
[2] Source: Thanks to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawney (Re-accessed: 24 January 2022).
[3] The Pudd’nhead Maxims — Pudd’nhead Wilson’s New Calendar in Following the Equator (1897): https://twain.lib.virginia.edu/wilson/pwequat.html (Re-accessed: 24 January 2022).
Author's website: https://www.sawneyhatton.com/everyone-is-a-moon-strange-stories/
(Re-edited: 24 January 2022)
Too Much and Never Enough: How my Family created the most dangerous man by Mary L. Trump
4.0
It seems rather apposite that I should have finished reading Mary Trump's book in tandem with the end of her uncle's political career - the latter following in quick succession to the former! Some have been rather uncharitable with their critique of Mary Trump's candid insights into the workings of the mind of Donald Trump and of Trump family dynamics generally, claiming that she has stated nothing new. Well, that might be so for some. However, I frequently found Mary Trump's revelations startling and alarming.
The author appears to have approached her work objectively and truthfully - although there has to be a small degree of subjectivity in her account given her former close family association within the Trump dynasty.
There is undoubtedly much that she must have placed to one side and not included in her book, and perhaps that too will see the light of day in the years to come. What we do have, though, from Mary Trump is ample information to qualify the strap-line on the book's cover - 'How my family created the world's most dangerous man.'
As her bio attests, 'Mary L. Trump holds a PhD from the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies and has taught graduate courses in trauma, psychopathology and developmental psychology.' In other words, she is a well-qualified academic and professional who knows much about human behaviour. She is well placed to know how and why - left unchecked - Donald J. Trump and his toxic family background led to the world being placed on a knife-edge - a political, social and environmental travesty that will take years to expunge - if ever.
The author appears to have approached her work objectively and truthfully - although there has to be a small degree of subjectivity in her account given her former close family association within the Trump dynasty.
There is undoubtedly much that she must have placed to one side and not included in her book, and perhaps that too will see the light of day in the years to come. What we do have, though, from Mary Trump is ample information to qualify the strap-line on the book's cover - 'How my family created the world's most dangerous man.'
As her bio attests, 'Mary L. Trump holds a PhD from the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies and has taught graduate courses in trauma, psychopathology and developmental psychology.' In other words, she is a well-qualified academic and professional who knows much about human behaviour. She is well placed to know how and why - left unchecked - Donald J. Trump and his toxic family background led to the world being placed on a knife-edge - a political, social and environmental travesty that will take years to expunge - if ever.
Daeios: 140 Feet Down by Colleen Eccles Penor
4.0
I received a complimentary copy of Daeios: 140 Feet Down from the author, and am leaving an honest review.
A first-class debut novel. Well crafted. Gritty and at times hard-hitting. Believable. Periodically interspersed with sudden surprises, twists and turns that maintained a suitable pace throughout! As an editor and proofreader, I was automatically tuned to detect any errors but found none in the 300+ pages of Colleen Eccles Penor's book. This comes as no surprise when one reads that the author ensured her manuscript was read by both alpha, beta and critique partner readers and that she commissioned (or was gladly offered) comments, advice and practical support from many other people to ensure the final product was "top-shelf."
I commend the author on what was a most entertaining dystopian journey! Fiction is never far from a living, breathing reality, as you will discover by reading this book. Certainly worth reading multiple times. And, excellent jacket art!
A first-class debut novel. Well crafted. Gritty and at times hard-hitting. Believable. Periodically interspersed with sudden surprises, twists and turns that maintained a suitable pace throughout! As an editor and proofreader, I was automatically tuned to detect any errors but found none in the 300+ pages of Colleen Eccles Penor's book. This comes as no surprise when one reads that the author ensured her manuscript was read by both alpha, beta and critique partner readers and that she commissioned (or was gladly offered) comments, advice and practical support from many other people to ensure the final product was "top-shelf."
I commend the author on what was a most entertaining dystopian journey! Fiction is never far from a living, breathing reality, as you will discover by reading this book. Certainly worth reading multiple times. And, excellent jacket art!
Vasilisa by Julie Mathison
4.0
The first in what I hope will go the distance to form a trilogy or tetralogy. Julie Mathison's Vasilisa - Old Rus, Book 1, was a delight to read from cover to cover. I could not find ‘fault’ with this well researched and crafted work in any way that might warrant even the briefest of mentions. Indeed, I swing instead in the opposite direction, holding this up as an example of writing excellence. I state this as an editor and proofreader of some years’ professional standing with the eyes of a hawk!
Nestled within the genres of mythology (Russian), fantasy adventure and coming of age, Vasilisa is a novel suitable for children and adults alike. As Julie has said of herself, she is ‘the author of novels for children of all ages’, be the subject that of fantasy, mystery or coming-of-age. As a lover of folklore, and especially that of Baba Yaga and similar tales, I found Julie’s novel extra rewarding.
Vasilisa shows Julie’s love of language and folklore with notable clarity. I have no intention of sabotaging the treat that awaits you by providing spoilers. Rather, I encourage you to read beyond the blurb and join Vasilisa and Ivan on their quest into the unknown. You’ll be glad you did. Bravo, Julie!
(Please note: I received an advance review copy of Vasilisa for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily).
Nestled within the genres of mythology (Russian), fantasy adventure and coming of age, Vasilisa is a novel suitable for children and adults alike. As Julie has said of herself, she is ‘the author of novels for children of all ages’, be the subject that of fantasy, mystery or coming-of-age. As a lover of folklore, and especially that of Baba Yaga and similar tales, I found Julie’s novel extra rewarding.
Vasilisa shows Julie’s love of language and folklore with notable clarity. I have no intention of sabotaging the treat that awaits you by providing spoilers. Rather, I encourage you to read beyond the blurb and join Vasilisa and Ivan on their quest into the unknown. You’ll be glad you did. Bravo, Julie!
(Please note: I received an advance review copy of Vasilisa for free from BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily).
Early Readers Catch the Worms by Carol Beth Anderson
4.0
I received a complimentary ARC copy of Early Readers Catch the Worms from the author and am leaving an honest, voluntary review. I have previously read and provided reviews for other complimentary works by this author, namely The Frost Eater and The Vine Eater - books one and two of The Magic Eaters Trilogy.
Early Readers Catch the Worms is an exceptional piece of writing by Carol (Beth) Anderson - her first non-fiction work. It is testament to the character of the author that she chose this topic as the object of her attention when she could have selected any of a myriad of other non-fiction subjects; demonstration indeed of her generous nature and desire to 'pay it forward'. It is clear from the book that the author has benefitted much from the support and encouragement of countless people in her writing journey to date, and I find it heart-warming that she has elected to support other writers and authors in such a practical way with the publication of this latest book. I will certainly use the sage advice she provides in making my book writing strategy more professional and robust.
With an eye-catching and fun cover design (by the author), this book is comprehensive in scope and easy to follow. The author appears to have addressed all the most pertinent needs when considering the use of alpha, beta, and ARC readers, and has provided a raft of resources, including innumerable email templates. Importantly, I found every sign that she had closely followed her own advice to others. The result? A professionally produced, practical 'How-To' workbook that any reader who wants to publish a better novel will want to refer to countless times. This should definitely be a staple reference - and a keeper. Congratulations, Beth!
Early Readers Catch the Worms is an exceptional piece of writing by Carol (Beth) Anderson - her first non-fiction work. It is testament to the character of the author that she chose this topic as the object of her attention when she could have selected any of a myriad of other non-fiction subjects; demonstration indeed of her generous nature and desire to 'pay it forward'. It is clear from the book that the author has benefitted much from the support and encouragement of countless people in her writing journey to date, and I find it heart-warming that she has elected to support other writers and authors in such a practical way with the publication of this latest book. I will certainly use the sage advice she provides in making my book writing strategy more professional and robust.
With an eye-catching and fun cover design (by the author), this book is comprehensive in scope and easy to follow. The author appears to have addressed all the most pertinent needs when considering the use of alpha, beta, and ARC readers, and has provided a raft of resources, including innumerable email templates. Importantly, I found every sign that she had closely followed her own advice to others. The result? A professionally produced, practical 'How-To' workbook that any reader who wants to publish a better novel will want to refer to countless times. This should definitely be a staple reference - and a keeper. Congratulations, Beth!
A Short History of Truth: Consolations for a Post-Truth World by Julian Baggini
4.0
A clear and concise introduction to the broad concept of truth, by the British philosopher, journalist and author, Julian Baggini. In this current age, denial, spin and alternative truths often suppress, or smother, reason and common sense; however, Baggini goes some way to rectifying this. A Short History of Truth will help illuminate the path on your journey of understanding, covering ten specific truths:
I would recommend using Baggini's thought-provoking book as a foundation for further exploration of the subject, and broader reading of related material. For example, read the illuminating book Science Denial: Why It Happens and What to Do About It by Gale Sinatra and Barabara Hofer.
In Science Denial, the authors explore 'how individuals decide whether to accept human causes of climate change, vaccinate their children, or wear a mask during a pandemic.' The authors address science denial and present methods for tackling it. This would be an interesting 'bedfellow' when read alongside A Short History of Truth.
• Eternal Truths
• Authoritative Truths
• Esoteric Truths
• Reasoned Truths
• Empirical Truths
• Creative Truths
• Relative Truths
• Powerful Truths
• Moral truths, and
• Holistic Truths.
I would recommend using Baggini's thought-provoking book as a foundation for further exploration of the subject, and broader reading of related material. For example, read the illuminating book Science Denial: Why It Happens and What to Do About It by Gale Sinatra and Barabara Hofer.
In Science Denial, the authors explore 'how individuals decide whether to accept human causes of climate change, vaccinate their children, or wear a mask during a pandemic.' The authors address science denial and present methods for tackling it. This would be an interesting 'bedfellow' when read alongside A Short History of Truth.
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
4.0
If you are a lover of ghost stories, then you would certainly want to add Susan Hill's 1983 novel The Woman in Black to your reading list, assuming you have not already read this exceedingly well-written work.
Rather unusually for me, I watched the 2012 supernatural horror film of the same name before reading Hill's book. I have often found that books do not translate well to film, often leaving one rather disappointed. Often, though, this is due to poor handling of the adaptation to film by screenwriters, producers and directors. It is refreshing, therefore, to acknowledge that for me (at least) this second film rendering of Hill's book was exceptionally well crafted, adding substantially to the story. I will not speak more of film adaptations of the book here, except to state that the 2012 film, produced by Hammer Film Productions and others and starring Danielle Radcliffe in a first-rate performance, was marvellously atmospheric and full of nerve-tingling moments; indeed, several cuts from the original film were made and it still attracted a 12A certification!
I read the Vintage (Penguin Random House) 2016 reissued edition of Hill's book, with striking cover artwork by Jamie Clarke. At 200 pages, the book can be read in a day or two if you maintain focus and are left undisturbed. Do not let the compactness of this book deceive you, however, as it contains much! Hill's mastery of language conjures evocative images of the times, and takes the reader hand-in-hand with Arthur Kipps on an enthralling journey that builds to a crescendo at Eel Marsh House near the Edwardian English village of Crythin Gifford, and beyond.
A resounding thumbs-up, then, from me for The Woman in Black, a classic English ghost story!
Rather unusually for me, I watched the 2012 supernatural horror film of the same name before reading Hill's book. I have often found that books do not translate well to film, often leaving one rather disappointed. Often, though, this is due to poor handling of the adaptation to film by screenwriters, producers and directors. It is refreshing, therefore, to acknowledge that for me (at least) this second film rendering of Hill's book was exceptionally well crafted, adding substantially to the story. I will not speak more of film adaptations of the book here, except to state that the 2012 film, produced by Hammer Film Productions and others and starring Danielle Radcliffe in a first-rate performance, was marvellously atmospheric and full of nerve-tingling moments; indeed, several cuts from the original film were made and it still attracted a 12A certification!
I read the Vintage (Penguin Random House) 2016 reissued edition of Hill's book, with striking cover artwork by Jamie Clarke. At 200 pages, the book can be read in a day or two if you maintain focus and are left undisturbed. Do not let the compactness of this book deceive you, however, as it contains much! Hill's mastery of language conjures evocative images of the times, and takes the reader hand-in-hand with Arthur Kipps on an enthralling journey that builds to a crescendo at Eel Marsh House near the Edwardian English village of Crythin Gifford, and beyond.
A resounding thumbs-up, then, from me for The Woman in Black, a classic English ghost story!