Dr. Wesley Britton Explores StarWarsday for Starwars Fans

THE GALAXY BRITAIN BUILT: The British Talent Behind Star Wars 

David Whiteley 

Foreword By Robert Watts: Star Wars Production Supervisor And Producer 

Publisher: BearManor Media
Release date: December 11, 2019
ASIN: B081YKQ2P7

https://www.amazon.com/Galaxy-Britain-Built-British-hardback/dp/1629334995

Reviewed by Wesley Britton originally for BookPleasures

David Witeley's exploration into the behind-the-scenes British talent involved with the Star Wars franchise was first made public in a 1917 60-minute documentary broadcast over BBC television.     Google the title The Galaxy Britain Built, and you'll hit on the YouTube and BBC trailers, videos, and interviews conducted by David Whiteley promoting the film throughout 2017 and especially 2018.

If you explore any of Whiteley's online videos or his new BearManor Media book, you'll quickly learn how proud he is to have been born on May 4, 1977, known to fans as Star Wars day. So, in his opinion, he grew up with the franchise and became devoted to investigating how so much Star Wars work took place in Elstree Studios in North London. Why London and not Hollywood? Costs. The studios didn't want to invest too heavily in a science-fiction film as sci-fi hadn't been big box office for them. 

As it turned out, the British talent who worked on the films on the smallest of budgets and the tightest of schedules were just what the project needed, especially in terms of costumes, props, and sets. The results were so outstanding that Lucas returned to Elstreet again and again, using as much of the original talent as he could retain.

Whiteley's book chronicles to beginnings of the British work in the hot summer of 1976 through undreamed of sequels produced decades later. The stories are built on interviews with participants even the most devoted Star Wars aficionados might not have heard of: These include Robert Watts, Les Dilley, Nick Maley, Roger Christian, Peter Beale, Gareth Edwards, Colin Goudie and Louise Mollo. 

All of those involved contribute so many anecdotes about how the Star Wars mythos came to be. For example, Roger Christian tells us, "We called it the laser sword because we were British! I knew the lightsaber was the Excalibur of this film! I knew it would be the iconic image . . . I went to Brunnings on Great Marlborough Street in London, whom we rented all our film equipment from: photography, anything we needed, and I’d buy equipment there. I just said to the owner, ‘Do you have anything here that’s unusual, or stuff that might be interesting?’ He pointed me over to the side of the room. He said, ‘There’s a load of boxes under there, I haven’t looked at those for years, go and have a rummage through.’ And it was the first box, it literally was covered in dust. It hadn’t been out for, I don’t know, fifteen or twenty years. I pulled it out, opened the lid and there was tissue paper and then when I pulled it open . . . out came a Graflex handle from a 1940s press camera. I just took it and I went ‘There it is! This is the Holy Grail.’"

The Galaxy Britain Built is page-after-page of such nuggets and revelations.  I imagine many diehard Star Wars fans will have heard many of these stories before. But I doubt all of them

Without question, you got to be a serious Star Wars fan to one degree or another to want to dive into this book, no matter how much you think you already know about the production history of the saga.    It's a fast read as we get one short chunk of one interview, then another, then another, and so on.  I definitely had a feeling I was taken behind the sets and scripts and actors to see how a galaxy far away had been built with a deepened sense of just how collaborative moviemaking is. If that sort of stuff is your cuppa tea, then David Whiteley's book is just for you.

This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Sun. Jan. 12, 2020:

 MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Dr. Wesley Britton, is a frequent reviewer for The New Book Review, author of The Beta Earth Chronicles and reviewer for BookPleasures.com.  Learn more about his and his work: 

Explore the Beta Earth Chronicles website:

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MORE ABOUT THE  BLOGGER AND WAYS TO GET THE MOST FROM THIS BLOG

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too!

Dr. Bob Rich Reviews Inspirational Poetry

Title: Lost in Wonder

Author: Matthew Buonocore 

Available on Amazon

ASIN: B0842QDHKM

Genre: Inspirational Poetry

Reviewed by Dr. Bob Rich

When I read, I like to get immersed in a story. Poetry doesn’t allow this, so I thought twice before accepting a review copy of this collection of poems from Matthew Buonocore.

I made the exception because each of these little snippets of thought expresses exactly my philosophy. Matthew and I are kindred spirits, on the same path.

The reason for life is to progress in spiritual growth, until we reach enlightenment. In our very different ways, Matthew and I are showing you the path for achieving the meaning of life: Love; seeking god inside instead of chasing happiness outside; inner beauty.

My roadmap is a story. Matthew’s is a few carefully chosen words that force you to think, and then to feel.

You can’t race through this book. I suggest, read one poem, then let it germinate and flower before reading the next. This may give you months of meditation in words.

If thoughtful, gentle inspiration is your thing, you can’t go past this jewelry case of a book.

The Author Shares

I'm a poet and a writer from Central New York. My work consists of affirmations, quotes and poems of the divine nature. My work tells my story, it conveys each step I’ve taken in my journey towards personal freedom. My books are dedicated to my lovely girlfriend Alaina, who helped me see my worth and grasp the meaning of unconditional love. Growing up I always felt the call to do something beyond the “norm”; to follow my heart regardless of what others told me. Beneath everything, I find myself called to put out my message and my “heart-song”. It's very easy to forget that life is completely subject to each individual choice made, and these writings helped me to grasp the potential of trusting my true self.

This is a book of poems and affirmations to awaken the soul. Each poem provides a new vibratory experience that guides the reader towards spiritual growth. This book is my journey from awakening to present day. The book is meant as a catalyst for spiritual growth, the goal being to ignite the fire that lies dormant. We are all called to serve, to serve ourselves and then the world. Let this be a message to all that would choose the path of service, the true path. As each fear disintegrates we walk closer to the truth of our nature, and this is my truth.

About the Reviewer

Dr. Bob Rich is an apprentice Buddha. But, did you know, so are you? In fact, every sentient being in our universe is an apprentice Buddha.

If you want to know what that entails, visit Bob’s blog, Bobbing Around https://bobrich18.wordpress.com and look around. You are guaranted to be entertained, amused, informed, possibly outraged — but never bored. You can learn more about him at http://bobswriting.com  and/or subscribe to his eclectic newsletter, Bobbing Around, at https://bobrich18.wordpress.com. Tweet with him @bobswriting. His motto is: 

Commit random acts of kindness

Live simply so you may simply live

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER, THIS BLOG, AND ITS BENEFITS FOR WRITERS

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everything from Amazon Vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too.

Poet Reviewing Poet: Theresa Rodriguez Intrigues with Take on Chronicles in Passing

Author: Carol Smallwood 

Title: Chronicles in Passing

Publisher: Poetic Matrix Press, P.O. Box 1051, Lake Isabella, CA, 93240, 2019. 

102 pp. $17.00.

Available on Amazon

Reviewed by Theresa Rodriguez

The thing that struck me most strongly upon reading Carol Smallwood's Chronicles in Passing is the complete command of classical forms: the Rondeau, the Cinquain, the Pantoum, the Triolet, the Vianelle, and the Sestina. Smallwood displays fine technical mastery while uniquely using classical forms to frame her focus on the mundane and commonplace. Her writing flows with ease within the structure and rhyming of the classical forms. One can clearly see, as Smallwood mentions in her Introduction, that she “finds writing in formal style enjoyable” by “giving readers something extra,” “like presenting a box wrapped in a special paper with a bow.”

What I could also appreciate is that she does not limit herself only to formal or classical verse but recognizes that “there are times... when words in free verse are better in conveying the intended message,” in her endeavor to “try what fits.” I was glad to see free verse that did “fit” the intended topics very well.

Smallwood does indeed write about the mundane and commonplace, but her treatment of these topics is anything but mundane and commonplace. She manages to deftly take the mundane and transform it into the sublime. She gives weight and dignity to topics of life that might normally be overlooked. Blue jeans, the supermarket, clothes on a clothesline, a car wash, store flyers, homemade quilts and clothing, ballroom dancing, grocery shopping, going to a restaurant, dirt roads, spools of thread, clothing fashion, and the color pink-- none of these topics escapes Smallwood's decisive treatment. It causes one to be mindful of some of the ordinary things of life, things that can be shaped into works of great beauty, especially by the mind and pen of a skilled poet. It has given me an appreciation of our common world in a way I had not had before reading this volume. It has taught me to seek out the simple things and find the poetry in them. Smallwood most definitely has done this, in great measure!

I also enjoyed her sense of imagery and description which can be found throughout the volume. For instance, in one of my favorites “A Hardcover Book,” Smallwood talks about being perceived as some kind of anachronism by carrying around a hardcover book as opposed to “a small electronic tool,” as “quite the dinosaur, out of touch and even speckled with mold” (8). In her free verse “The Place of the Cure of the Soul,” Smallwood describes “something about the feel of books, the crackle of newspapers, smell of magazines and in owning them” (14). In her Vianelle “Counting Backwards,” she shares how

“...the chatter near Christmas Day

was irritating, but told it was just feminine hormone delay

and before long it would be better so wisely didn't reply when addressed” (17).

In “The Hovering,” deities are “defined in other cultures as weavers of destiny upon a tapestry loom” (19). In her Sestina “A Regular” we are given a lovely image of salt on a tray: 

“... I noticed its salt sprinkles made a vast night sky full of wonder

and understand why our ancestors made stories of constellations” (26).

In “There Were Only,” she describes “gentle rain reinforcing the nose as the most elemental of the senses” and poignantly thinks of “computers blinking in the empty library like solitary lighthouses” (32).

My favorite, however, is the vianelle “Our Unconscious Censor,”where the subject of writing down dreams upon waking produces some excellent imagery, where one  can “train” to write down dreams as soon as you wake:

“and confront the subterranean fear as if a waiting rattlesnake

coiled in a yawning cavern that's deeper, more terrifying than any hell”

and

“so get rid of the hoary, deep oozing fear making your tremble, shake:

but your built-in censor is a trench against shattering bombshells--”

Finally, she asks:

“Is one a coward not to go ahead and capture dreams, face at daybreak

once and for all-- end the fear-- what could be that awful to dispel?

One can train to write down dreams just as soon as you wake

yet is it best to let your built-in censor block when so much is at stake?” (70)

I also found her many of her choices of rhymes to be ingenious: I have never seen rhymes for “necessary,” “customary,” “shade vary,” “monetary,” “them airy,” and “arbitrary” in one poem before, but this is the quality of inventiveness we find in the Vianelle “An American Icon,” a poem about blue jeans (51). I was equally impressed with the rhyming of “myth” and “Monolith”  in her Pantoum “The Pleiades” (16), and “diverged,” “surged,” “purged,” “converged,” “urged,” and “submerged” in her Vianelle “Two Roads” (68).

In reading her work in this volume I only occasionally see her inner life-- and the moments here and there are intriguing, and make me want her to reveal more. In “The New Galaxy,” she describes a date with “Mitchell,” where an evening at the opera reveals understated but deep feeling:

“...I remembered smiling at the attendant when he

asked 'Did you and your wife enjoy the performance'

because it meant we looked like we belonged together”

She goes on to share how she clutched the program of Aida, “proof that the night was real” and how

“...When Mitchell walked me to my

car in the darkness, his coat blew against me,

a benediction I knew had to be lasting. Would I ever 

know the new galaxy the student had said with such

excitement had just been discovered?” (33)

I like this aspect of her writing, and wish there was more of it: tenderly rendered and touching. We do find more of this revelatory aspect in “A Matter of Nightmares,” where descriptions of  Bob's nightmares are “terrible” and Alison's brother 

“who'd returned from Nam:

unexpected sounds sent him diving under

any cover; certain smells made him shake,

his arms were infected trying to get rid of

“crawly leeches.”

She then describes Lily has having 

“post-traumatic stress disorder first called 

shell shock: that what went on behind white

picket fences was war.” (50)

I do like her understated treatment of the emotionally profound. I only wish there were more moments like this, as they intrigue and attract me. What more does this poet have inside, waiting to be revealed?

Carol Smallwood is to be praised for her skill, perspective, and philosophy over a wide poetic range. Hers is a unique set of senses, capturing sights, sounds, moments, and observations of the everyday world in such a manner that causes the reader to see what is all around him in a fresh, new way.

 MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

--Theresa Rodriguez is the author of Jesus and Eros: Sonnets, Poems and Songs (Bardsinger Books, 2015), Sonnets(Bardsinger Books, 2019) and Longer Thoughts (Shanti Arts, 2020).

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER, THIS BLOG, AND ITS BENEFITS FOR WRITERS

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everything from Amazon Vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too.

#TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

Secrets from Jennie Nash Who Specializes in Coaching

Read Books All Day & Get Paid For It

Subtitle: The Business of Book Coaching

By Jennie Nash

Publisher: Tree Farm Books, Santa Barbara, CA

ISBN 9781733251105

Nonfiction/Business

Author's  Site: http://JennieNash.com

Contact Reviewer: HoJoNews@aol.com

            Off to the Best Start Possible

Jennie Nash Coaches Those Who Would
Become Publishing Industry Coaches

Reviewed by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, multi award-winning author of The Frugal Book Promoter, now in its third edition and other books in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers. 

Note: Don’t decide on buying this book until you read the subtitle and this review. At first I interpreted the title to mean a book on how to make a business of reviewing books. I am thrilled that it isn’t because, as the owner of AuthorAccelerator.com and the coach of authors who have landed “book deals with Big 5 houses like Scribner, Penguin Random House, Simon Schuster, and Hachette” the author is the one to write this book to help you coach you to success with what you already know and will learn from this book. 

Jennie Nash is not above starting her book with a bit of psychology. Thank goodness. People who coach are incrementally more successful at it if they know how to inspire. To do that well, they must be inspired. Jennie definitely inspires me. 

As an author of books that started as a text for my UCLA classes on marketing books, I often lament that authors don’t find me, my books, or services until after they have made costly mistakes. If you are part of the publishing industry with a yen to help people succeed, this is the perfect place for you to start coaching, too, and avoid big booboos that happen when people haven’t done their homework or—almost worse—have taken advice from people who really don’t have the experience and credibility to help you do the job.  Letting Jennie Nash coach you to be a coach with a well formatted book will make the process about as foolproof as it can get. Further, I always say that learning from books is the most frugal way to get information that prepares you for success.  

Read Books All Day & Get Paid for It is endorsed by Lisa Cron whose books I recommend in the indexes of my books for writers. In future books and editions, this book will be listed there, too!  

MORE ABOUT THE BLOGGER, THIS BLOG, AND ITS BENEFITS FOR WRITERS

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everything from Amazon Vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Note: Participating authors and their publishers may request the social sharing image by Carolyn Wilhelm at no charge.  Please contact the designer at:  cwilhelm (at) thewiseowlfactory (dot) com. Provide the name of the book being reviewed and--if an image or headshot of the author --isn't already part of the badge, include it as an attachment. Wilhelm will send you the badge to use in your own Internet marketing. Give Wilhelm the link to this post, too.

The Wife by Meg Wolitzer Book Review

The Wife 
by Meg Wolitzer
Pages: 228
Kindle, $8.99
ASIN: B00ADSC5KC 
Paperback $10.11

• ISBN-10: 1982106360
• ISBN-13: 978-1982106362
• Scribner; Media Tie-In edition 

The Wife by Meg Wolitzer has become a popular book and movie with rich possibilities for literary group discussions. Actually, there are questions for book clubs to discuss in the back of the book, so a reader needs to look no farther than inside the book for a discussion guide. It is very smart for publishers to include questions in their books and make it easy for people to have access to them. Also, readers can review the questions before arriving at the discussion which should enrich possible thoughts and answers.

The Wife book begins describing the lives of a husband, wife, and children without revealing very much about the complete situation. The timeline flashes back and forth from the award the husband is going to receive back to when they first met. In one such flashback, the children hold out their arms to the wife wanting attention when she is busy helping her husband edit, but it is not until very near the end of the book we find out she is a "working mother." The couple meets when he already has a wife and newborn baby. As a professor, he asks his then student to babysit. She does so, already feeling like she is falling in love with him. Events progress and they marry. The truth of the reasons they do so involves the way women writers are perceived and treated during those times, as well as probably being in love. What do they each get out of the marriage? From the beginning to the end, how do the books he publishes progress?

One person who wants to write a biography of Mr. Castleman, the famous author who will receive the Helsinki Prize, is annoyingly perceptive and asks the wife (Joan Castleman) many personal questions. She reveals little to him, but he forms a theory anyway. In the book, the couple travels to Finland and the want-to-be biographer is independently also on the plane. The wife is making up her mind to leave her husband on this trip.

The movie differs as the couple and hopeful biographer are on the plane, but also their son travels with them. The daughter is about to have a baby and does not travel or attend the ceremony. The three family members have enough drama to sort through. Cue the sad violin music for much of the movie. The wife has a drink with the biographer and says a little too much, but is strong enough to not divulge everything. The son, in the movie, also meets with the biographer and thinks his theory might be correct. The son confronts his parents while still overseas.

In the movie, liberties are taken and the award will be for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Swedish girls dressed for Santa Lucia day enter their hotel room and sing beautifully. The couple is still in bed having traveled so far and not quite being able to be on a schedule the first day. This little part of the movie is so nice with the beautiful harmonies it is worth listening to again. 

I am trying not to give spoilers, and readers of this blog might already know the painful surprise ending. I knew before I read the book, but it was still engaging and very interesting. The very ending of both the movie and book are memorable with so many different emotions conveyed. 

Thank you for reading, 

Carolyn Wilhelm of Wise Owl Factory

• 
  

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page and in a tab at the top of this blog's home page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites so it may be used a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. Writers will find the search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing