Stuart Aken's Blog

Set in Greece during a period beginning in the 1930s, this novel looks at the political, social, and military history of this popular holiday destination through the eyes of an extraordinary Greek woman called Themis. We begin shortly after her birth and follow her through life as she learns about family, love, politics, and the …

Continue reading Those Who Are Loved, by Victoria Hislop: #BookReview.

You can obtain this book through your usual local supplier with this link: https://mybook.to/AnExcessOf And you can watch a short video of the author responding to reader’s questions relating to the novel here: https://youtu.be/Fl269XZWJUI?si=5vDMa... Enjoy the read!

Subtitled ‘An Irish Garden Memoir of Making a Place Where Life Grows’, this small book has a great message. It tells the story of how a man (the author) managed, with help from many people, to set up gardens that allow cultivation to reside in mutual and positive cooperation with wildlife and wild flowers. Told …

Continue reading Nature’s Acre, by Ciarán De Buitléar: #BookReview.

Set in India, this is the story of a personal mission by Stephen to discover the reason his family left the country in 1951. Was it fear, betrayal, homesickness, or some other cause that forced a move from what had always been his home? It occurred only a few years after the appallingly handled India/Pakistan …

Continue reading A Persistence of Ghosts, by Mick Canning: #BookReview.

12 short stories, varying in topic, treatment and length. Here you’ll find the surreal, the complex, the bizarre, and the simply unclassifiable. And that, I imagine, is the intention. These stories are definitely not ‘regular’ and refuse to be placed into pre-defined boxes.There is a literary element here, but you’ll also find some playfulness. Some …

Continue reading Irregular Stories, by The Irregular Writers Collective: #BookReview.

Many of those currently promoting the as yet unproven world of Artificial Intelligence are resisting the very idea of regulation, though a few are now questioning that freedom. We’ve all witnessed the results of unregulated commerce and it’s never been pretty. In 2016, yes 10 years ago, I published the first volume of a trilogy …

Continue reading Could AI Be Our Nemesis?

I picked up the hardback copy of this book at a book fair where I was hoping to sell some of my own books. There was a very large stall selling pre-read hardbacks for £1.00. Having read other books by this author, I felt the expense was worth the risk! I’d enjoyed the other titles, …

Continue reading The Dark Room, by Minette Walters: #BookReview.

Recently we’ve heard a lot of comment on the potential threat AI may pose for humanity, much of it from people who have a vested interest in it as a profitable product. I first came across the idea of AI quite a while ago while researching for a novella I was about to write. This …

Continue reading Artificial Intelligence: Threat Or Blessing?

Descending Cat Bells Been following this series from day one? Then you’ll know this is the seventh post. It relates to our return walk on our fourth day in the area. New to the series? You’ll find links to earlier posts at the end. The descent from the summit of Cat Bells is around 1215 …

Continue reading A Stay In The Lake District #7

Once again, it’s been far too long since I updated this aspect of my writing life. Yes, there have been things happening to prevent such notification, but I really should have been more aware of the passage of time. No matter. Here we are. The situation today is that I have completed the latest edit …

Continue reading Further Progress On The WIP