One of the most gratifying aspects of writing is getting feedback from readers. Whether it’s this blog or my House Proud column or a book, the fact that something I did compelled someone to take the time to communicate with me is something I will never take for granted.
I’ve said over and over that reviews, by pros and by regular readers, are crucial to a book’s success. It only takes a moment to leave a comment or a star rating but it’s so important. What that content consists of and how many stars you leave is up to you. As long as it’s honest, I’m happy.
The Beat Magazine is folding at the end of the month. The London publication has been around for a few years and has always managed to cover elements of arts and entertainment in London that the others have overlooked. Many times I’ve said “why is this the first I’m reading about …” while reading The Beat. It will continue to be online only until the end of this month so I’m especially tickled that they did a review of Venus Rising before folding up shop. Since they’re going away, I’m guessing The Beat‘s grand poobah Richard Young won’t mind me reproducing the entire review here:
Lisa Brandt’s New EBook Venus Rising is the Ultimate Beach Reading. Four stars out of four.
Some books are best read from start to finish without interruption or sampling of chapters, while others cry out for the reader to sample their components in a more haphazard manner. Some books are best read in the comfort of a sofa or one’s bedroom prior to bedtime, while others can be read anytime, anywhere when the reader can snatch a couple of minutes. Finally, some books are made for beach reading during the lazy days of summer.
London broadcaster Lisa Brandt’s latest E-Book, Venus Rising: The humble beginnings of self-made women. Oprah, Martha Stewart, Barbara Walters, Faith Hill & more is in many ways the “ultimate beach book” in that it is best read in bits and pieces while relaxing on the beach.
Just be careful not to get sand in your E-Reader!
Brandt has assembled a very readable collection of 18 brief biographical sketches of some of popular culture’s most enduring female personalities/celebrities – with an eye to identifying the various barriers they had to overcome to achieve success and fame and attempting to inspire her readers to do likewise. Readers looking for celebrity “dirt” and gossip should look elsewhere.
The names are all familiar ones – Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Lopez, Barbara Walters, Shania Twain, Madonna, Heather Mills, Maya Angelou, Julia Roberts and so on – and are heavily drawn from the entertainment world. While most of their stories are well known to consumers of pop culture, thanks to technology Brandt has made sure the sketches are as current and up-to-date as possible and she includes details that may often be excluded in our 144 character world.
I know I learned a thing or two I didn’t know about some of these women. Some of the sketches made me laugh out loud, while others almost brought tears to my eyes. Quite frankly, in some cases I feel I already know way too much about some of the subjects (sorry Celine Dion), while others like Dianne Warren, I knew next to nothing about until reading Venus Rising.
My only quibbles – Why haven’t photographs of the 18 women been included in the text? And perhaps some formal documentation in the form of a bibliography or endnotes is in order to verify the information found in the sketches. But, hey, I said above that this is the “ultimate beach book,” so perhaps the latter quibble is a moot point. Some pics would be nice, though.
Available on Kindle and Kobo, Venus Rising is bargain reading for the summer at $2.99 a pop. Just watch that sand on the beach.
Richard Young is the publisher/managing editor of The Beat Magazine.