University Librarian Reviews Creative Nonfiction

Interweavings

Subtitle: Creative Nonfiction

Author: Carol Smallwood

Genre: Creative Nonfiction

Publisher: Shanti Arts Publishing, Brunswick, Maine, 2017

ISBN 978-1-941830-46-8

Paperback, $16.95, 162 pages.

Purchase from Amazon

Reviewed by Patti Gibbons originally for Amazon
Accomplished author, poet, and editor Carol Smallwood’s latest offering, Interweavings: Creative   Shanti Arts Publishing, 2017, is a collection of essays that offers readers a chance to view select moments of Smallwood’s life where she pauses, as a woman and as a writer, to reflect, analyze, and contemplate the interconnectedness of her earlier self, life’s universal moments, and the outlook that comes with the passage of time. Smallwood’s perspective brings strength ingrained in her as a member of her generation’s feminist movement, a theme that supports the overarching tone of the collection of essays.

Smallwood’s assembly of over forty essays are organized into seven thematic chapters, and work on the individual essay level, as groups of essays, and finally as a whole collection. Looking at the mundane, such as visits to the post office or to the library, Smallwood works in an accessible realm, one which readers of all backgrounds can relate to, but her voice filters her experiences through her vantage point, namely as a woman born in a pivotal generation, and through it rings a perspective that prompts readers to go beyond an interpretation of her stories as descriptive pieces, to a body of work that provides a faceted look at the small moments of life that communicates deeper meanings and speaks to experiences Smallwood narrates from her reflections across her lifetime. Smallwood shares her private thoughts in clear and uncensored terms, not for shock value, but as a reflective simplicity that has come clearer into view as she benefits from the long view of maturity.

Interweavings: Creative Nonfiction is a peek into a writer’s sketchbook, a collection of ponderings and meditations when the author encounters silently powerful moments in her everyday life, and rubs and massages them to tease out the emotional underpinnings and delineates how each speaks not only to the conversation at hand, but to deeper dialogues when examined in light of a lifetime of living and experience. The perspective presented in the individual essays is perhaps clarified by the writing process, and Smallwood, as an author skilled in many genres, is able to share feelings, sentiments, and wisdom with an apparent simplicity and economy of words, due in large part to her mastery as a writer. Smallwood’s Interweavings: Creative Nonfiction shows universal expressions of feeling.

Readers of all backgrounds could easily connect with the themes, and readers seeking to examine American life and the life of twentieth century women, in particular, would delight in the insight Smallwood provides, and the honest reflections she shares. Smallwood’s essays leak with quiet sentiment and encourage readers to approach her prose intuitively. Honest and uncoated, Smallwood evenhandedly leads readers through a series of richly described vignettes that are relatable and prompt readers to interject themselves into the circumstances she writes about, to experience situations first-handedly themselves, as well as on behalf of the author.

As Dr. William Brevda, Professor of English at Central Michigan University, aptly points out in the foreword, “What Smallwood has written is literature. It has staying power.” Through her descriptive yet careful voice, Smallwood candidly captures how she experiences daily life through the medium of language in a profound manner that reaches the level of lasting art.  

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Patti Gibbons works at the University of Chicago Library in the Special Collections Research Center. 

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. 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 ). 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.

A Very Basic Primer for Reviewing Favorite Books Online

If you are an author you are an avid reader anyway, why not review books. Amazon and other online bookstores like BN.com that allow voluntary posts. If you come to TheNewBookReview' to find good reading, this review site is open to publishing your reviews (see the submission guidelines in the left column!)  but so are most online bookstores.  It only takes a few moments to add a thoughtful review on Amazon and other readers’ sites and it's fun to spread the joy of books.

Here's a quick study of how to go about it:
 Click on Amazon’s link that gives review guidelines. There is no point in wasting your time because of a minor infraction.

 Use a jazzy or thought-provoking title for your review.
 Type in your byline before you start your review.

 Type in a brief tagline (like a mini bio) at the end of your review but, unlike other sites, do not use your Web site address in it. Your review will be rejected if you use a Web site address—yours or any other.

 If you are an author, your When your review will automatically include a link to that lovely little Amazon feature, "Your About You Area" or your Author's Profile. That is, of course, if you've installed it using Amazon Connect.

 Edit your review. Copy, paste, rewrite and add one to BN.com as well.

 Amazon readers are more likely to click to learn more about you or your book if your Amazon reviews are attention grabbers.

 When possible, let the author know that you posted a review of her book on Amazon. It’s more than a courtesy. She will feel honored.

 If you cannot recommend a book, consider not posting. That doesn’t mean, of course, that we must post only rave reviews nor that noting weaknesses aren’t valid. It’s just that there is no point in slashing and burning a book an author has invested herself in.

I advise that authors use reviews to network with authors and publishers in The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't. There are a slew of other ways to promote and make connections in TFBP, too. Some that will help you get professional reviews.

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. 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 ). 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.

Title - The Empath’s Survival Guide: 
Subtitle: Life Strategies for Sensitive People
Author – Dr Judith Orloff
Author's Web site link - http://www.drjudithorloff.com/
Genre or category – Self Help
ISBN-10: 1622036573
ISBN-13: 978-1622036578
Reviewer's rating – 5 stars
Link to buy the book on Amazon 

Reviewed by Jackie Paulson originally for Amazon

Do you want to learn the secrets of being an Empath and discover ways revolutionize your life in the most amazing way? If you click on the book in Amazon of course you will be able to see the chapters, which are important. Some may apply to you and others may not. Since I am an empath the author says, " Empaths are emotional sponges who absorb both the and joy of the world. We feel everything, often to an extreme, and have little guard up between ourselves and others. As a result, we often become overwhelmed by excessive stimulation and are prone to exhaustion and sensory overload." 

 is totally ME! This is a great resource to help understand if you are in fact an empath. Through this book, its companion audio program, and her workshops for empaths, Judith wants to create a community of support so that you can find your tribe, be authentic, and shine. She wants to support a movement of people who honor their sensitivities. Her message to you is one of hope and acceptance. On the empath journey, Judith encourages you to embrace your gifts and manifest your full power. What is the difference between ordinary empathy and being an empath? Ordinary empathy means our heart goes out to another person when they are going through a difficult period. It also means that we can be happy for others during their times of joy. 

Being an empath, though, we sense other people’s emotions, energy, and physical symptoms in our bodies without the usual filters that most people have. We can experience another person’s sorrow and their joy. We are super-sensitive to other’s tone of voice and body movements. We can hear what they don’t say in words but communicate nonverbally and through silence. Empaths feel things first, then think, which is the opposite of how most people function in our overintellectualized society. There is no membrane that separates us from the world. This makes us very different from other people who have their defenses up almost from the time they were born.

You are especially attuned to other people’s physical symptoms and tend to absorb them into your body. You also can become energized by someone’s sense of well-being.

The types of these empaths include:
Emotional Empaths
You mainly pick up other people’s emotions and can become a sponge for their feelings, both happy and sad.

Intuitive Empaths
You experience extraordinary perceptions such as intuition, telepathy, messages in dreams, animal and plant communication, as well as contact with the Other Side. 

Telepathic empaths. You receive intuitive information about others in present time.
Precognitive empaths. You have premonitions about the future while awake or in dreams.
Dream empaths. You are an avid dreamer and can receive intuitive information through
dreams that helps others and guides your life.
Mediumship empaths. You can access spirits on the Other Side.
Plant empaths. You can feel the needs of plants and connect with their essence.
Earth Empaths. You are attuned to changes in the Earth, solar system, and weather.
Animal empaths. You can tune into animals and communicate with them.

It took me fifty years to finally realize I am an empath. I would work in the hair industry and absorb so many different energies. I felt like the blood was being sucked right out of my body. By the end of the day I would have to go straight to bed. By learning the techniques of grounding, yourself, and learning about this value to embrace your empathic tendencies, you will become a better person. I highly recommend this book to all age groups especially women who think they are an empath.

© 2017 Jackie Paulson

MORE ABOUT BLOG TOUR

This review is part of a blog tour powered by Nikki Leigh.  Learn more about her at 

Local Business Promotion - http://www.localbusinesspromo.info/

Ready for Love Radio - www.readyforloveradio.com 

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. 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 ). 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.

Michigan Quarterly Reviews Smallwood's Newest Poetry

In Hubble’s Shadow

By Carol Smallwood

Published by Shanti Arts, 2017 Brunswick, Main

98 pages,  $14.95, paperback

Available on Amazon

Reviewed by Stephen C. Holder, Ph.D , Professor Emeritus, Central Michigan University, originally for Michigan Quarterly Review May 16, 2017

The successful writer must, of course, have a solid understanding of language and usage. The creative writer needs a much rarer quality: the ability to communicate insights and visions, to offer new and often challenging perspectives, to make the abstract concrete, to portray emotion. In her fine collection of poems, In Hubble’s Shadow, Carol Smallwood shows all these qualities, and more. At first reading, these poems seem quite different from one another; repeated readings, however, reveal thematic similarities which make the inclusion of the poems in one volume more than appropriate. Those already familiar with Smallwood’s work will be glad to read these poems side by side. Those new to Smallwood’s world can expect to be charmed by her artistry and vision.

Smallwood writes clearly and accurately. Her fine vocabulary allows the reader ready access to a visual participation in the poems, without the distractions of complex wording. The varied figurative language, especially metaphor, helps to make the invisible visible, leading to both certainty and conjecture. Simple images, such as the dandelion in the sidewalk crack or ice in lemonade, invite us to compare our own experience and find meaning where there was none before. More complex, but equally intangible experiences can be found in poems like “Rearrangements,” which explores the aftereffects of covert child abuse, although each victim is different.

In this collection many of the short, yet complete. For example, in “The Sugar Beet Field” the last word, “regret,’ compels the reader to return to the opening line, “Acres of low green flourish,” and contrast “flourish” with “regret.” Smallwood seems equally adept in longer forms, as in the narrative “Dreams of Flying Sestina.” She occasionally makes use of repetition, much like Robert Frost. The opening and closing lines of “Dirt Roads,” for example, drive home the theme of the poem: “Dirt roads as reality checks are to be recommended.”

Throughout the collection, the commonplace always suggests more. A good example is the transcendental quality about “Ode to Mud” that connects dirt roads in the spring to man’s small place in the universe. This is the sort of musing that showcases the artistry of Smallwood’s poems. In her universe everything is related to everything else, both in time and space. The concrete becomes an abstract vision of life. In “Water, Earth, Air, and Fire” we see both ancient and modern attempts to gain access to universal mystery; the concluding allusion to blind Teirasias, who could see better than the sighted, connects to the modern dilemma of the speaker of the poem. Indeed, the distance between the poet’s intent and the reader’s response is considerable in many of these poems. As we are reminded in “Wind in Trees,” “the story lies with the interpreter.” And, of course, reality is often invisible and “seeing is believing” is not always true. In “They say” Smallwood ponders black holes and other phenomena, but concludes, “And yet, who has seen the wind?” Probably, this lack of concrete certainty is not a bad thing, however. “It Rained Today” ends this way: “It’s good we don’t know that//much about rain.”

Carol Smallwood’s gift of sharing her experiences and reflections with her readers somehow makes us we know her and like her. She is realistic but not cold. Her insights become ours. She leaves her readers asking for more.

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. 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 ). 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.

Irwin Allen's Lost in Space
Subtitle: Authorized Biography of a Classic Sci-Fi Series, Volume 2

Author: Marc Cushman

Publisher: Jacob Brown Media Group; 1 edition (November 1, 2016)

ISBN-10: 0692747567

ISBN-13: 978-0692747568

Purchase at: https://www.amazon.com/Irwin-Allens-Lost-Space-Authorized/dp/0692747567

Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton originally for BookPleasures.com

I rather expected Volume 2 of Marc Cushman’s exhaustive history of Lost in Space would have to be much thinner and less engaging than Volume 1. After all, Vol. 1 included the pre-LIS careers of Irwin Allen and all the cast members as well as an in-depth look at Allen’s first TV sci fi series, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. For Vol 2, what else could Cushman do other than review all the episodes produced in season 2 of LIS? Well, he could, and does, give us a very decent overview of Allen’s prematurely cancelled Time Tunnel that ran on ABC from fall 1966 to spring 1967. 

In many ways, my expectations were spot on. But not completely. This is especially true of the early discussions which focus on the changes that came when the show was now produced in color.  Over and over, we’re told how “pop art” the visuals became, perfectly timed to coincide with the psychedelic ‘60s. As Cushman looks at the first episodes of the 1966-1967 season, it doesn’t seem like most of the cast members were all that important, other than the break-out star, Jonathan Harris.  As with season 1, he continued to be not only an actor but a major script re-writer as well.

In fact, cast member Marta Kristen, who played Judy Robinson, said the program became the Jonathan Harris show with his evil Dr. Zachery Smith taking up the lion’s share of the time along with Bob May inside the robot and Bill Mumy’s Will Robinson. Guy Williams and June Lockhart, who had been major TV stars in their past series (Zorro, Lassie) had only sporadic lines and duties. In addition, the program became, more and more, a comedic fantasy emphasizing monsters, special effects, outlandish props, and oddball guest stars.   With the apparent exception of network president William Paley, whom Cushman says was embarrassed by shows like LIS, CBS liked the changes. Top executives preferred a lighter touch that appealed to younger viewers which made for a winning formula against ABC’s Batman.

I was surprised to see just how much competitiveness Allen felt with the newcomer to network TV sci fi, the more serious Star Trek. For much of that season, in terms of ratings, LIS was often the weekly winner. Writers who worked on both series felt freer when scripting for LIS as there were fewer restrictions on what they could create. I wasn’t aware of how much pioneer work took place in LIS, especially with filming those outer space visuals and creating those weird props.

For a time, I felt like I was reading nothing more than a very, very detailed episode guide, something only diehard fans would enjoy. As Cushman admits, “my books redefine `TMI’." True enough. Nonetheless, there’s a warm tone that runs through the production notes. It’s clear Cushman liked the series when it first aired and he likes it, perhaps even more so, now.  There are frequent moments when Cushman takes the time to point to just what made a specific episode special or entertaining. He tells us the better stories had themes, as in the lessons children learned about topics like self-sacrifice, tolerance, lost innocence, or sexual equality. Such thematic material, of course, wasn’t present in many more fantastic episodes. 

In the end, it will be the serious fans who’ll want this second volume in the LIS saga. I can well imagine many TV sci fi fans who would also like to skim a book about one of the pioneer series in the genre. Certainly, most libraries should shelve this series, especially if they specialize in popular culture, TV production, or media studies. It’s not a cover-to-cover read, but rather a readable reference work.

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER 

Dr. Wesley Britton is the author of Beta-Earth Chronicles

www.drwesleybritton.com/books/ and blogs at 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/295635.Wesley_Britton/blog

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. 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 ). 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.

Veteran Reviewer Recommends Sci-Fi Thriller

Blue Gold 

By David Barker

Paperback: 360 pages

Publisher: Urbane Publications (June 1, 2017)

ISBN-10: 1911331655

ISBN-13: 978-1911331650

Purchase at https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Gold-David-Barker/dp/1911331655

Reviewed by: Dr. Wesley Britton originally for Book Pleasures 

Blue Gold is one of those fast-paced thrillers that demand focused reader attention. That’s because there are so many moving parts including changing global settings and Barker introducing a wide cast of important characters.

Set in the not-so-distant future, as they say, this addition to the “cli-fi” (climate fiction) genre revolves around two major protagonists, British agents Sim Atkins and his partner, Freda Brightwell. Atkins is a relative rookie whom the experienced Brightwell doesn’t accept with much enthusiasm. She’s distinguished by an ornate walking stick which doesn’t discourage Sim from an ongoing study of his “boss’s” legs. Sim is doubtful this pair can accomplish what is asked of them; Freda believes just a few brave souls can do what inactive masses won’t, even preventing World War III. 

   

Their investigations begin by looking into the projects of very sophisticated worldwide terrorists and rogue governments who destroy satellites over Iceland, blow up airships, and infiltrate the most sensitive of governmental military computers all over the world.  In fact, side stories and parallel plot lines occur in England, America, Ethiopia, Egypt, Israel, India, Pakistan, Japan, Canada, and China, among other locations. All the events and back-stories in these places aren’t presented in a linear flow but do establish just how turbulent the world order has become. 

Easily speculative fiction if not overtly sci fi, Blue Gold occurs in a world with acute water shortages due to global climate changes.  Most of the international conflicts are responses to the growing crisis. There are also riots and terrorism based on economic inequality, especially the workers of the world unhappy about corporations not paying their fair share of taxes.   The rich are leaving behind their land based citizenships to live on the sea where they owe no taxes to anyone.

Futuristic elements include a reliance on AI (artificial intelligence), hyper-sonic surveillance drones, and a moon base mining for minerals. Through it all, the author says the point of the book is to expand awareness of what might happen to our planet’s water supply if we don’t address the growing problems of global warming.  In addition, the author says he is using Blue Gold to help raise awareness for the charity, WaterAid, one of the organizations he describes in one of his lengthy appendices.

I highly recommend Blue Gold to pretty much every reader who likes intelligent fiction.     It can be classified, if you need labels to determine your reading list, as an espionage thriller, speculative fiction, science fiction, a mystery, sometimes a political thriller, certainly “cli-fi.” Happily, while the book has a polemic point to make, Barker doesn’t preach to us and doesn’t hit us over the head with his themes. This is an entertaining, action-packed, vividly descriptive tale with memorable characters and, sadly, a more than plausible future for us to worry about. Speaking of the future, while I wasn’t crazy about the final scene on the last page of the main text, I was delighted to see Blue Gold is the first volume of a new trilogy. In the teaser chapter for book 2, I see why Blue Gold ended the way it did. So I have two more books to look forward to.

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER 

Dr. Wesley Britton is the author of Beta-Earth Chronicles

www.drwesleybritton.com/books/ and blogs at 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/295635.Wesley_Britton/blog

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. 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 ). 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.

California Book Watch "Very Highly Recommends" California Author's Newest Book

Title: How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically

Subtitle: The ins and outs of using free reviews to build and sustain a writing career.

Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Third in the #HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers
Author's Website: http://howtodoitfrugally.com
ISBN: 9781536948370

Available paper and e-book.

$17.95 PB

$9.95 Kindle

Reviewed by Diane Donovan originally for California Book Watch 

"Writing and Publishing Shelf"

Photo by Joy V. Smith

How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally 

and Ethically should be on the reading lists of anyone interested in gaining and, even more important, using book reviews. It informs both self- and traditionally-published authors of the ins and outs of getting and utilizing reviews; but most importantly, it discusses some of the tips and tricks for doing so - and reveals many approaches to avoid. From making the most of the best review from the most authoritative source to knowing what to do if the review process goes awry, this outlines the entire process of media promotion in the course of explaining the difference between a good and bad review, how they can be effectively utilized, and what to avoid. Very highly recommended!

MORE ABOUT CALIFORNIA BOOK WATCH

This online journal features a regular feature "The Writing/Publishing Shelf." It is a good place to find reviewers who specialized in different genres and--of course--great reading, too.   http://www.midwestbookreview.com/calbw/jun_17.htm#Writing/Publishing

California Bookwatch
James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Diane Donovan, Editor
Midwest Book Review

278 Orchard Drive, Oregon, WI 53575 

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. 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 ). 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.