Power Up Your Creativity by Rachael Taylor

 

I have done several online courses with Rachael Taylor so was very excited to receive an advance review copy of her new book.

As expected, the book was full of bright colours and bold, funky patterns in Rachael’s trademark style. The book was written well but, perhaps because I’ve done so many of Rachael’s courses, there was nothing new here for me with regards to creativity. However, that is my personal opinion and, despite that, I would definitely say this book is worth reading if you want a boost to your creativity.

Although I enjoyed the book, there was one thing about it that I didn’t enjoy, and I suspect it is the fault of the publishers rather than Rachael herself. Rachael is English, a ‘proud Liverpudlian’, yet the text was written in US English, with references to power outlets, freshly baked cookies and words like ‘color’ and ‘favorite’. These ‘Americanisms’ are glaringly out of place in a book written by an Englishwoman and I found them irritating and off-putting to my reading experience. 

Perhaps the ARC that I received was an American edition, but if that is the case, it implies that Americans cannot read British English, which is absurd. I’m sure British editions of American books are not updated to reflect our language. I know they’re not.

So I dropped a star from my rating because Americanising an English writer’s words is completely unacceptable.

If you can overlook this, I found the book to be open, authentic and vulnerable and certainly worth a read.

With thanks to Netgalley and Quarry Books for an advance review copy. All opinions in this review are my own.

Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐