Carolyn Wilhelm's Review of Deeper Into the Pond Just Right for Women's History Month

 Celebrating Women’s History Month with a Poetry Chapbook

Title: Deeper Into the Pond

Subtitle: A Celebration of Femininity

Award: Bronze Medal from Military Writers Society of America

Authors: Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball

Artwork: Jacquie Schmall 
ISBN: 9781461159384

Available in print and as ebook on Amazon

Reviewed by Carolyn Wilhelm originally for Midwest Book Review

 

The Celebration Series of Poetry Chapbooks covers many aspects of life, seasons, and holidays. Deeper into the Pond: A Celebration of Femininity is about life as experienced and thought of by women. Poetry would be the perfect Mother's Day gift for critical thinkers. 

As Howard-Johnson writes, progress has been made in women's lives while not in an orderly fashion. Progress isn't always in a straight line. Younger women do not realize what has been achieved. As Howard-Johnson writes:

"Let us be measured

Not for height or at the hip

But for our roles."

Howard Johnson's poems are about topics like a midlife crisis, narcissism, and her closet as a psychological profile. Hmmm, yes, closets (clothes) reveal much. I have never thought of writing a poem about such thoughts. She says memory has two voices which is a profound statement.

Ball writes of Lady Godiva and her mother burning a bra and how the word freedom is misused. She writes about hypergraphia (who knew?) and compulsion. A brave woman has her wig blowing in the wind due to cancer, a discarded dress in a landfill, and Jupiter's moons are other topics she addresses. Not everyday conversation!

The book offers readers much to contemplate and appreciate.

More About the Reviewer

Carolyn Wilhelm is an educator and author. She is a frequent contributor to this blog with study guides for selected books, for the Sharing with Writers blog, and Midwest Book Review. Learn more about her on Twitter @wiseowlfactory and on Pinterest. 

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 

 #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's 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

 

 

 

MORE ABOUT MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW

 

 Midwest Book Review has been a staple review site (and review opportunity) since the early days of the computer (by my memory).  They send letters like this to the author whose book has been reviewed. And to their extensive newsletter list. Notice that it gives permission to reprint which allows author, publisher, reviewer, and even readers to republish credited reviews. This one includes a  slightly update version of Carolyn Wilhelm's review of the featured book in this post along with other information about the Midwest Book Review's free book review website and its satalites. So, if you are a reader thinking about reviewing, you may easily contact him with the information in this addendum to Carolyn Wilhelm's review.  (I have copied the email verbatim.). If you are an author thinking about upping your marketing game with more and better reviews, you may submit either paper or ebooks to him according to his guidelines. 

Caveat: Only paper copy reviews are recommended by the author of this blog on the basis of their being free). See more about the reasons why I take this stance in my How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (bit.ly/GreatBkReviews). 

Note:  I have deleted the review that Cox included in his letter. It is in the original post of this book. See it above. 

"Dear Carolyn:

 

"I'm very pleased to announce that the April 2021 issue of our online book review magazine "Reviewer's Bookwatch" features a review of "Deeper into the Pond":

 

 

"Reviewer's Bookwatch: April 2021

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief

Midwest Book Review

278 Orchard Drive, Oregon, WI 53575

 [Find the review on Carolyn Wilhelm's Bookshelf at Midwest Book Review, 

http://www.midwestbookreview.com/rbw/apr_21.htm#carolynwilhelm. Or scroll back to the first part of this post.]

  

"Additionally, this review will be archived on our Midwest Book Review website for the next five years at http://www.midwestbookreview.com

"Incidentally, we have amended our bylaws to allow authors and publishers who want to make a gesture of support and appreciation for what we try to do here at the Midwest Book Review to donate postage stamps "for the cause".

 

"So if you'd like to send U.S. stamps, a check, a money order, or a PayPal contribution as a donation to our Midwest Book Review postage stamp fund, please feel free (but not obligated!). Our designated email address for accepting PayPal gifts is

 

"SupportMBR@aol.com

 

"Please note, the SupportMBR email address is not used for correspondence.

 

"I look forward to your next title!

 

"James A. Cox

Editor-in-Chief

Midwest Book Review

278 Orchard Drive

Oregon, WI, 53575, USA" 

Author-Blogger Jacquelyn Lynn Reviews "Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers"

• Title: Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers (Second Edition)
• Subtitle: The Ultimate Frugal Booklet for Avoiding Word Trippers 
•       and Crafting Gatekeeper Perfect Copy
• Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
• Publisher: Modern History Press
• Pages: 42
• ISBN: 9781615995240
• Available on Amazon in Paperback, Ebook, Hardcover

Reviewed by Jacquelyn Lynn 

This skinny book is fat with great information for all writers—whether writing is your full-time job or a part of your professional responsibilities.

Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers is an addition to Carolyn Howard-Johnson’s earlier book, The Frugal Editor. The core of this little book is a list of what Howard-Johnson calls “Trip-You-Up Words”—those errors that creep into our writing either because we typed them wrong but spellchecker didn’t catch it, or we didn’t know we were making a mistake.

What makes the book a fun read is Howard-Johnson’s style. This isn’t a dry glossary of definitions; it’s a conversation with an editor who genuinely wants your work—whether it’s a novel destined for the bestseller lists or an email to your mom—to be accurate and clear. In addition to explaining what the words that tend to trip us up mean, Howard-Johnson offers practical tips for testing yourself if you’re not sure you’re using the right word.

While the target audience for Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers is writers who are pitching their manuscripts to editors (which explains the mention of gatekeeper in the subtitle), anyone (including self-publishers, staff writers, and anyone who appreciates correct word usage) can use the information in this book. Get a copy for yourself and as a gift for the other writers in your life.

MORE ABOUT Jacquelyn Lynn

Jacquelyn Lynn is an inspirational author, business writer, and ghostwriter whose credits include more than 40 books, 3,000+ magazine articles, ebooks, blogs, white papers, and more. She is also a self-publishing consultant.

Jacquelyn the author of the novel Choices (A Joyful Cup Story) as well as the nonfiction books Words to Work By: 31 devotions for the workplace based on the Book of Proverbs and Finding Joy in the Morning: You can make it through the night.She also wrote The Simple Facts for Self Publishing. With her husband, she is the co-creator of several coloring books for adults.

A Shout Out to Newbies and Published Authors Alike

TALES2INSPIRE® 

an "AUTHORS HELPING AUTHORS" PROJECT/CONTEST

Tales2Inspire® is a project I created nine years ago with two missions in mind. The first was to seek out stories to spread some good news. But as a retired educator and author, I had a second mission in mind. I wanted to give talented writers with an inspiring story to share an opportunity to make their voices heard. With the help of some prominent author advocates, word continued to spread. Accomplished authors and talented newbies alike have grabbed the opportunity. Why not? It’s FREE to enter and gives winners one more respected notch in their platform building belts.

Has the word FREE popped out at you yet? For one thing it is Free to enter this contest. 

For another, you can get a Free sampler of six Tales2Inspire published stories simply by going to www.tales2inspire.com/gifts. Not only will you enjoy these stories, but it will be really helpful for those entering this project/contest to read a few stories that have won past Tales2Inspire® awards.

Theme for 2021: Turning the Page

Think in terms of: Turning a corner, 

Saying goodbye to a habitual path,  a past life direction, 

a beloved person or animal, a failed relationship, a life trauma . . . to start anew.

Be creative, but above all inspire others with your words. 

Dave and Lillian Brummet Explore Nutritious Recipes

 

TITLE: From One Small Garden 

SUBTITLE Over 300 Delicious Nutritious Recipes

AUTHORs: Dave & Lillian Brummet
WEBSITE: www.BrummetMedia.ca
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: https://amazon.com/author/lillianbrummet

GENRE: Cookbook / health

PAGE # 275

Available at:

AMAZON USA:

 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08T7YRHPN

AMAZON CANADA:

 https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B08T7YRHPN

ASIN: B08T7YRHPN
ISBN-13: 979-8596847116

Review Article by Arlene Towne

 

I was so excited to receive my copy of From One Small Garden - Over 300 Delicious Nutritious Recipes in the mail - for several reasons. First, I know the authors. They are our neighbors and friends. So of course I really was looking forward to holding their book in my hands and showing my support of their work. They are great people, really. They do a lot for the community here from donating gift certificates to fundraisers or produce from their gardens, cleaning litter from the streets, and so much more including performing (Dave's a musician) for charitable events. As their neighbor I also benefit from seeing their stunning gardens; I watched them transform their property into this heavenly garden scape, and the smells wafting out of their kitchen on a regular basis is super enticing!

 

That aside, I took a real unbiased look at the book. First thing that struck me was the beautiful cover design! But then I saw just how large this book is -  275 pages. I love the large font size - no more squinting in the kitchen trying to find my place in the recipe!

 

Then I started browsing the chapters and saw titles like Thai Lettuce Rolls, Tomatillo Salsa, Peanut Sauce, Brocco-shroom Salad, Sweet Wheat Germ Bread, Homestead Mushroom Soup and Falafal Patties. I can hardly wait to try them all! 

 

The really interesting part comes at the end of the book - no really - at the end. There's this chapter with quite a few helpful recipes for the household, like: natural hair spray, sprays to keep away pests, household cleaners and air fresheners, herbal tea concoctions for headaches, digestive issues, hormone or illness... and there's even stuff for the dogs; skunk remedy and doggie treats. No longer will I have an endless pile of recycling and trash to deal with because I'm making these at home! Reducing plastic bottles, plastic wrap, paper-board boxes and so on. Reducing my exposure to chemicals... I love it!

 

I like how the index is created too - it is designed so that when you've taken advantage of peak harvest season at the farmers market and got an amazing price to boot, then what are you going to do with it all? It is easy. Just look up the veggie or fruit you have on hand and start browsing the enticing recipe titles that will include that particular fruit or vegetable. 

 

I haven't had a great deal of time to really get to know this book all the way, it's every detail and all, but I'm excited and so glad I purchased a copy. I can't recommend the Brummets' new book enough. I encourage you to buy it. The last chapter alone will quickly save you more money than you spend on the book. 

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Learn more about Dave and Lillian Brummet, owners of BrummetMedia.ca. Find them on FaceBook. Check out their Blog. 

More About #TheNewBookReview 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 in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's 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

Award-Winning Author C. C. Harrison Interviews Five Authors on Seeds of Book Ideas That Grew to Fruition

C. C. Harrison, author of the Colorado Humanities Book Award Winning "Death by G-String,"  interviews five well known authors about how seeds of ideas grew into an actual books. They are Roger Johns, Margaret Mizushima, Jenny Milchman, Michael Ritt, and Scott Graham. Each one had an interesting story to tell. I it will give readers insight into the development of novels and inspire authors who frequent The New Book Review! 

WHEN THE LIGHTBULB GOES OFF, An Idea is Born

Five by C. C. Harrison

 

Where do your ideas come from? 

 

All authors are asked that question in some form or another. The scientific answer to that is the frontal cortex of the brain.

 

But did you know that different areas of the brain are utilized during plotting and brainstorming depending on whether you are a novice writer or an experienced one? In an experienced writer's brain, the speech area is highly activated as though an inner voice is reading a story to them. In a novice writer's brain, the visual processing center, the occipital lobe, is stimulated, and they see visual scenes like a movie in their head. 

 

If you're interested in the scientific explanation for that, see "Creative Writer's  Brain. What Happens To Your Brain When You Are Brainstorming a Plot or Writing a Story?" https://bit.ly/3pTZjZX

 

But for those of us more interested in the practicalities of idea generation, I asked some highly accomplished, award winning writers to talk about their lightbulb moment, how their seed of an idea grew into an actual book.

 

Margaret Mizushima said the idea for her hugely popular Timber Creek K-9 Mystery series came from brainstorming at the kitchen table with her veterinarian husband. He told her that a client who trained police and protection dogs had made an appointment for a health exam for a narcotics detection dog that he'd sold to the Forest Service. The dog was going to be used to detect drug trafficking in Colorado national forests.

 

"Wow! Suddenly I had the premise for my series," she said. "Merchants and ranchers from a small mountain town would pool their resources to purchase a narcotics detection K-9 for their local jurisdiction, the Timber Creek County Sheriff's Department."

 

It was an idea that grew beyond fiction into real life. Months after her book was published, she read an article about a police officer in rural Colorado who had approached his city council and asked if they would approve a local K-9 unit if he raised money to purchase the dog. His purpose was to combat local drug trafficking in his town. "I am certain that law enforcement officer did not read my book," said Margaret.

 

Sometimes, though, it helps to think like a criminal if you're a crime writer.

 

Roger Johns is the author of the Wallace Hartman Mysteries, River of Secrets and Dark River Rising. But before that, he was a college professor teaching international business transactions. One day on his way to class, he began to wonder why the cocaine cartels conducted their business as they did, because he had an idea about how to make their enterprises more profitable, easier to conduct, and a lot less vulnerable to law enforcement. 

 

"That got me thinking about what such an innovation would look like as it hit the streets," he said. "There would be conflict between the old way and the new, so how would it look to a homicide detective trying to figure out where the wave of unusually brutal crimes plaguing her city were coming from." 

 

When he began writing the book, his protagonist was male, but the story wasn't working. When he made the lead character female, he said the book practically wrote itself.

 

Author Jenny Milchman uses the "what if" method to come up with plots. Her ideas come from everyday moments when suddenly things go wrong, the dial gets turned, or a situation is cleaved into the before and after. 

 

"For me, almost any situation can go like that. You know that moment when you stand at the top of a mountain and think what if someone came up behind me right now. Or on a subway platform and you see a sketchy character and wonder if he's ever pushed anyone onto the rails."

 

She's currently working on a book that grew out of a family vacation she took as a college sophomore. "I have a much younger sister and she and my mom stayed behind while my dad and brother and I went down by rope to explore this awesome cove at the bottom of a cliff. When we got back up to the road, they weren't there. Luckily the real life situation turned out well. In my new book—not so much."

 

Real life was the inspiration for the characters in author Michael Ritt's new book, The Sons of Philo Gaines. The idea came to him as his mind wandered while performing repetitive tasks at his job.

 

"I was thinking about my own sons and what they might have been like if they had been living in the late 19^thcentury. My book is about three brothers, each as different from the other as they can be, who are trying to make a place for themselves in the Old West. One brother is a school teacher, one is a carefree gambler, and the other is a gunman. 

 

"I used the qualities of my own sons to develop my three fictional brothers. There are a couple of subplots in the book that I was originally going to use in some short stories I was considering, but once I had the characters in place, the story seemed to form around them."

 

Each book in author Scott Graham's National Park Mystery series is driven by an existing national park, and an environmental or social justice issue specific to that particular park. That combination makes developing story ideas for his books a fairly straightforward process, he said. He doesn't have to search for story ideas, rather he needs to narrow them down. He picks a park to write about, and chooses an issue to address in that park.

 

Canyonlands National Park is the setting for his book, Canyonlands Carnage, scheduled for release in August by Torrey House Press. "I've visited the park regularly since I was a child, so I know it well. I love the magnificent red-rock beauty of Canyonlands as well as its remoteness, and I wanted to share those qualities with my readers."

 

Water scarcity is a critical issue in the American Southwest and Scott drew inspiration from those concerns and conflicts. "As climate change intensifies and as the region's desert cities grow, that issue stood out as one deserving of discussion in Canyonlands Carnage."

 

That led directly to his decision to set the primary mystery during a whitewater river rafting trip involving two conflicting groups—water policymakers and corporate water representatives. "Deaths piled up as the trip progressed."

 

My ukulele themed mystery,  Death by G-String, a Coyote Canyon Ladies Ukulele Club Mystery, was the natural result of learning to play that instrument and joining the Phoenix Ukulele Club after I saw how cute Zooey Deschanel looked when she played her ukulele during an opening monologue of Saturday Night Live. On the other hand, my book Sage Cane's House of Grace and Favor came to me whole and complete from beginning to end.

 

Sorry, writers. Don't expect that to happen more than once in a lifetime, if at all.

 

More About Author and Interviewer C.C. Harrison

Mystery author C. C. Harrison has won national recognition for her writing. Her books are available in print and as ebooks, and can be found on Amazon and at fine bookstores everywhere. Harrison herself can be found in the desert, the mountains, or some far flung corner of the Southwest. Learn more about her at her website, www.ccharrison-author.com and www.christyhubbard.com. Writing as Christy Hubbard, she also wrote Sage Crane's House of Grace and Favor pictured above. 

 

More About #TheNewBookReview 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 in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go to http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's "Authors Helping Authors" service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm, our IT expert and frequent contributor, is an award-winning author and veteran educator.  

Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's 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

Dr. Wesley Britton Reviews for Star Trek Fans and Hercules Devotees

Swords, Starships and Superheroes--From Star Trek to Xena to Hercules: 

Subitle: A TV Writer’s Life Scripting the Stories of Heroes 

Author: Paul Robert Coyle

Foreword by Steven L. Sears

ASIN : B08M953MG2

Publisher : Jacobs/Brown Press (October 28, 2020)

Available on Amazon

Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton originally for BookPleasures.com 

 

I've read enough entertainment insider memoirs  to know most fit into one of two categories.  The first includes reminiscences by performers, writers, directors or other well-known participants from movies, television, or other performing arts whose names are all it takes to stir up reader interest. The second are autobiographies by participants who aren't especially famous in their own right. But they've had to good fortune to work on projects with large fan bases. Their memoirs appeal to the sorts of fans hungry for behind-the-scenes tidbits from insiders from stuntmen to scriptwriters to visual graphics -designers.

 

Paul Robert Coyle's Swords, Starships and Superheroes clearly falls into the second category. True, he's had his brushes with fame by appearing at fan conventions for devotees of, in particular, the cult hits, Zena: Warrior Princess  and Hercules, The Legendary Journeys.   

 

Coyle's look back over his career includes quick discussions of his freelance scriptwriting for shows from The Streets of San Francisco to Superboy to various series in the Star Trek franchise. (Anyone remember Gerry Anderson's one season obscurity Space Precinct? I didn't).  So there are chapters for Star Trek devotees to dive into, especially lovers of Deep Space Nine. But it's mainly aficionados of Xena and Hercules who are going to want to scoop up this major peek behind the curtains of these shows' productions.

 

For such fans, Coyle doesn't just share his own memories. True, we get a full accounting for his career as a script-writer as he spent many years as a free-lancer pitching stories before graduating to being a staff writer/ producer and going to fan conventions where he had to bite his tongue to not give away production secrets for Zena and Hercules. Beyond describing his duties and relationships with the writers and producers of these shows, Coyle gives us passages from scripts, sometimes two variants of script drafts,   along with other production documents.  He shares stories of things that might have been and of how problems were solved, notably how the writers and producers had to deal with the absence of Kevin Sorbo in the 4th and 5th seasons of Hercules due to the star's serious health concerns.

 

Of course, Coyle's book is akin to many like it, that is, sharing glimpses into the profession of TV script-writing with suggestions about the things other writers should do to succeed and, just as importantly, the things not to do. In short, this is the sort of book for a niche market--those into the productions Coyle was part of and those wanting to learn about the industry he has worked in for decades. It's all very readable and well told, as you'd expect from an inventive  writer who's been drawing from his own creative well for many years now.

 

 

 More About the Reviewer

 

Dr. Wesley Britton is the author, of The Beta Earth Chronicles and a frequent reviewer for

BookPleasures.com and this review blog, The New Book Review. Learn more about him at 

 

Explore the Beta Earth Chronicles website:

 

Follow Wes Britton’s Goodreads blog:

 

Check out Wes Britton’s Beta Earth Chronicles Facebook page:

 

Enjoy the videos at Wes Britton’s YouTube Channel

 

MORE ABOUT 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.

 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

The Sonnet Queen Reviews James A. Tweedie's Book of "Mostly Sonnets"

Mostly Sonnets

Subtitle:  Formal Poetry in an Informal World

Author: James A. Tweedie

Publisher: Dunecrest Press

ISBN: 978-1945539329

Released July 2019

$9.95 (Paperback) $2.99 (Kindle)

67 pages

Available on Amazon. 

Reviewed by Theresa Rodriguez

As a fellow sonneteer I felt like I was reading the words of a kindred spirit when I read James A. Tweedie’s Mostly Sonnets: Formal Poetry for an Informal World. Tweedie is a very fluid writer with a clean, clear, expressive style, which grabs ahold of you with its immediacy and beauty of execution. What is most striking is the mixture of Christian belief intermingled with an honesty of thought, never coming across as sermonizing, but expressing a faith-filled wonder and appreciation for the natural world and the place of the intelligent believer within it.

In “For My Beloved,” the closing couplet summarizes a sonnet on communion, or the Eucharist:

“A sacramental mystery divine

To taste that I am Yours, and You are mine.”

In “Love that Lasts” we are treated to such phrases as “flame-impassioned kiln of lust;”“Incendiary fireworks of heart/And thigh;” and “faux-felt, fickle love” which is “temporal and ephemeral at best.” The closing couplet brilliantly summarizes the contrast of lust versus true love:

“True love is not based solely on the thrill,

 But reaffirmed each day by force of will.”

In Poem IV of the “Poems of Hibernia and Caledonia” (“To the Unknown Scribe of the 8th Century Book of Kells”), we learn of the scribe:

        "He transcribed scripture and illumed each text

With intricate designs infused with prayer;

Forsaking this world’s kingdoms for the next.”

One of my favorites is “When God dies,” which is a powerful antidote to atheism:

“The silent echoes of a stillborn sun

Portend the doom of uncreated day,

As once-knit atoms come unspun

And time implodes in random disarray.

Now-soulless life unbreathes its final gasp,

Unsuffering in meaningless distress,

As darkness holds the cosmos in its grasp—

Imbued with mindless, vapid pointlessness.

Abandon hope, all ye who enter here,

For separated from eternity,

Love, truth, and beauty fade and disappear,

The hapless victims of Modernity.

A universe that’s empty, formless, void,

Is all that’s left when God has been destroyed.”

In Mostly Sonnets we are also treated to a set of three love sonnets “In an Antiquated Style;” a pair of sonnets about the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; a sonnet about treading “The Pilgrim Path,” where “We must cross our daily Rubicon;” a sonnet about humpback whales; and a powerful reflection in “On Regret,” where the author is reflecting on his life and the choices of the past:

“Although I have regrets, it’s far too late

To undo what I did so long ago.

Perhaps it’s best to bless and concentrate

The past to God, and then just let it go.

And yet how nice it would have been, somehow,

To know back then the things that I know now.”

What I appreciate most is Tweedie’s honesty when it comes to dealing with matters of his own faith. In the sonnet “What If” he asks a series of rhetorical questions about the possibility of “faith proven false,” opinions possibly “found to be in error on review,” and the chance that “…all that I’ve held certain [is] turned unclear.” The final couplet sums up his believing heart perfectly:

“Take note: My faith in Jesus remains strong,

But as for all the rest I could be wrong.”

I have found throughout the book that his closing couplets are very strong and have a truly musical flow to them— as do the poems themselves, full of lyrical beauty and many well-articulated truths.

Other topics such as a rural Christmas, the Black Death, a winter thunderstorm, a whale watch, and issues of faith provide a variety of reading pleasure. This was a truly enjoyable reading experience. I would recommend Mostly Sonnets to anyone who loves the sonnet form and would enjoy the combination of finely-written poetry with an honest, religious aesthetic sense.

Find out more about James A. Tweedie at https://classicalpoets.org/james-a-tweedie/

More About the Reviewer

Theresa Rodriguez is the author of three books of poetry: Jesus and Eros: Sonnets, Poems and Songs (Bardsinger Books, 2015), Longer Thoughts (Shanti Arts, 2020), and Sonnets, a collection of sixty-five sonnets (Shanti Arts, 2020). Her work has appeared in such journals as The Scarlet Leaf Review, The Wilderness House Literary Review, Spindrift, Mezzo Cammin, The Wombwell Rainbow, Serotonin, The Road Not Taken, and the Society of Classical Poets Journal. Her website is http://www.bardsinger.com, where you can view videos of her performance poetry and find information about her books. Follow Theresa on Instagram and Twitter @thesonnetqueen.

MORE ABOUT 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.

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