The most vivid memory I have of this past year in books was the time I momentarily stepped out of the ballroom of the Four Seasons Hotel, where the Scotiabank Giller Prize celebrations were in progress, and saw a stunningly beautiful woman in a black gown surrounded by photographers snapping away. It wasn't quite as frenzied as that scene in La Dolce Vita in which Anita Ekberg steps off a plane and the cameramen go bananas, but you could definitely see that the photographers were throwing themselves into their work.
The woman was Lisa Ray, an actress who starred in Deepa Mehta's 2005 movie Water, and who was a presenter for the novelist M.G. Vassanji, one of the five nominees for the Giller Prize. Afterwards, she told the audience, in her capacity as presenter, "The path of the mystic is to see clearly, to recognize and to reveal, and these are the same qualities always found in Vassanji's art."
That may be so, but 2007 was a year notable not so much for Canadian literature as it was for the marketing of Canadian literature. That marketing was more sophisticated than ever, and more eye-catching, like Ms Ray. The Giller Prize dinner marked its high point – the five nominees were surrounded by the same electronic glow as five Oscar nominees.
Even Gordon Pinsent, a familiar face in Canadian film and television, and a presenter for Michael Ondaatje, acted as if he were the second-hand beneficiary of the authors' stardom. "This is going to do wonders for my profile," he told the Giller Prize dinner audience.
Ondaatje, himself, on the video screen described the rigours of actual writing. "I rewrite and rewrite a lot because that first draft often goes in the wrong direction," he said, and then noted that all this was in service of literature – the only important thing. "The rest is publicity."
But what publicity! Booksellers certainly appreciated it. They had many woes this year, including the rising Canadian dollar, but the Giller Prize was, as ever, a tonic for business.
The Governor General's literary awards also did their bit for promotion, although with less Lisa Ray-like glamour. Winner for English-language fiction was Ondaatje, a five-time winner of the Governor General's award and the man whose novel, Divisadero, many thought should have won the Giller Prize.
The announcement of the award was prefaced by a statement that would have made Gustave Flaubert and Jane Austen stare: "Lyricism and whimsy are necessary ingredients of brilliant narrative language."
The award also made it clear that if Vassanji was a "mystic," Ondaatje was no slouch in the spiritual department either. "Grace, after all," the jurors noted, "is the ultimate gift which Ondaatje offers us in Divisadero."
Some readers would have been satisfied with a good novel.
Always a subject of lively conversation among literati, literary awards seemed to be growing in importance in an age where the old-fashioned book tour, with the author hopping from city to city in an airplane, was becoming less and less a staple of book promotion and marketing. For one thing, it seems unnecessarily cruel to make authors endure the increasing discomforts of air travel; for another, the age of email interviews, continuous video loops in bookstores, and other digital forms of communication make the physical presence of authors seem superfluous.
With the advent of the LongPen – a device that enables authors, via the Internet and video conferencing, to meet book buyers and sign their books without being physically present – it becomes even less important for authors to venture beyond their studies. This was demonstrated in October at the World's Biggest Bookstore when Conrad Black, from his Florida home, autographed copies of his Nixon biography for book buyers, including Margaret Atwood and her partner, Graeme Gibson.
It was a night of gentle irony. "Graeme, I know how much you both admired Mr. Nixon," Black said at one point, after Gibson had complimented him. A few decades ago – as Black, of course, well knew – Gibson and Atwood, then ardent Canadian nationalists and antiwar activists, regarded Nixon as slightly less menacing than the Antichrist.
On this night, however, Atwood was the first to have her copy of the sympathetic biography signed by Black. Perhaps the good feelings in the room between Black and Atwood resulted from a bond stronger than politics – the bond of knowing what it is like to be a celebrity in a society with an ambivalent attitude toward celebrities.
LongPen or no, some writers continued to tour – writers with a fan base of individuals who wanted to see their favourite author. Fantasy writer Guy Gavriel Kay, with a new novel, Ysabel, out in 2007, was indefatigable in his travels. Bret Hart, author of Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling – whose fan base did not all consist of voracious readers – also toured successfully during the year.
The writer with the world's greatest fan base, J.K. Rowling, came calling during October's International Festival of Authors at Harbourfront. At a press conference at the Winter Garden Theatre, Rowling confirmed she was through with Harry Potter – for the time being.
"I would like to take a little time from Harry," she said. "I miss him. I really miss that world, but it's healthier, like a marriage breakup, not to see each other for a while."
The biggest question Rowling faced concerned her declaration that her character Dumbledore was a homosexual – a declaration some suspected of being itself a marketing ploy.
Commentators tried to hunt down other instances of novelists outing their characters. None was found. If the late critic Northrop Frye were alive, he would have noted that it was nonsensical to take seriously an author's comment about her fictional characters.
Poets and novelists, Frye pointed out, have no more authority in interpreting their creations than anyone else. To believe otherwise, he argued, displays "an inability to distinguish literature from the descriptive or assertive writing which derives from the active will and the conscious mind, and which is primarily concerned to `say' something."
The real question left by this controversy is not about Dumbledore's sexuality, but about the value of the Harry Potter books as genuine imaginative literature.
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/Books/article/289559
Sunday, December 30, 2007
The year's best science books
This year was another bumper year for top-notch books about science. Here's a smattering of those that won shelf space at my home.
Canada Rocks: The Geologic Journey
By Nick Eyles and Andrew Miall
Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 450 pages
Canada does not simply have, as Sir John A. Macdonald once noted, too much geography. As this book convincingly demonstrates, it also has a lot of fascinating geology.
Every page of the volume sparkles with information and entertainment. An article about the country's most famous building stone, Tyndall limestone, is illustrated with a photograph of Queen Elizabeth II in a frock that blends into a Tyndall-faced wall at the Manitoba legislature building.
Just reading the captions in this profusely illustrated volume provides an education in the geological forces that have shaped our land for four billion years. In addition to stunning, double-page panoramas of the "knob and lochan" landscape of Newfoundland's Lewis Hills, the photographs also include the traditional geologist's standbys to indicate relative size – camera lens caps, rock hammers, and long-suffering spouses.
Two apparent omissions, one likely an oversight and the other probably intentional: With wine regions proliferating across the country, a discussion of the contribution of soil and rock to wine's character ("terroir") would have been welcome. As well, the authors credit the long history of pivotal research by the Geological Survey of Canada but don't point out that the GSC is but a shadow of its former self, thanks to budget slashing and government myopia.
Two related works worth considering are Michael Collier's Over The Mountains (Firefly, 128 pages), a large-format collection of stunning aerial photographs, and Ted Nield's Supercontinent (Raincoast, 288 pages), an accessible account of how the Earth has several times consisted of a single island landmass and will again, in about 250 million years.
Silence of the Songbirds: How We Are Losing the World's Songbirds and What We Can Do to Save Them
By Bridget Stutchbury
HarperCollins, 256 pages
A Star story about York biology professor Bridget Stutchbury sparked the commissioning of this book. Anyone whose day has been brightened by a bird's song should be grateful for this serendipity.
Writing with both passion and care for accuracy, Stutchbury traces the precipitous decline in the numbers of the songbirds that migrate between the forests of eastern North America and their southern refuges from our winters. Surveys in North America have charted a relentless loss of around one per cent a year in the population of bobolinks, eastern kingbird, Kentucky Warbler, and wood thrush.
The book includes a checklist of actions to help slow the decline but sidesteps the most important cause: rampant population growth that annihilates bird habitat.
Two more books about birds worth considering are Richard Cannings' closely observed essays on avian life in An Enchantment of Birds (Greystone, 211 pages) and Owls of the United States and Canada (UBC Press, 242 pages) with evocative words and photos by Wayne Lynch.
Ebb and Flow: Tides and Life on Our Once and Future Planet
By Tom Koppel
Dundurn, 296 pages
This wonderful resource book is nearly ruined by the penny-pinching publishing mentality that omitted an index. Fortunately, the author's admirable chapter organization is a considerable help in finding specific references.
Tom Koppel seems to have visited or read about every place with unusual tides and water currents, yet he wears this scholarship lightly.
The body count is high, with whole ships sucked down into the Norwegian Maelstrom or the Corryvreckan Whirlpool near Jura in the Hebrides, which almost claimed George Orwell.
Deceptive in its languidness, a rising tide doomed a score of unwary cockle harvesters in northwest England in 2004 and – as Koppel chillingly recounts – almost snatched a New Brunswick geologist who was an expert on the Bay of Fundy tides.
An added extra is a post-script recipe for pasta con vongole, but you'll have to travel to Salt Spring Island, where the author digs the little neck clams on "his" beach.
Deadly Companions: How Microbes Shaped Our History
By Dorothy H. Crawford
Oxford University Press, 250 pages
In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech in 1945, Alexander Fleming predicted that microbes would evolve to be resistant to antibiotics such as penicillin. Hardly anyone listened. Thanks to reckless misuse, people are dying of antibiotic-resistant strains of diseases that were handily defeated only a decade ago, such as tuberculosis and staphylococcus aureus.
A professor of medical microbiology at the University of Edinburgh, Dorothy Crawford has written a balanced and sensible volume about the way in which bacteria, viruses and protozoa have shaped human existence. Her tale starts with the 2003 SARS outbreak, the first pandemic of the 21st century. People died from the disease in Canada because the Chinese first hushed up the outbreak and then didn't quickly share their containment methods.
Crawford's message is that microbes do not respect national boundaries, and only a higher level of global co-operation offers any protection against a repeat of the devastation wrecked by flu in 1918.
Elephants on Acid and Other Bizarre Experiments
By Alex Boese
Harcourt, 290 pages
How to Build a Robot Army
By Daniel H. Wilson
Raincoast, 176 pages
Let's call this the Science Lite category. By combing the byways of the scientific literature, Alex Boese has assembled a mind-boggling catalogue of just how far afield curiosity has lured some researchers. For example, an attractive young woman is twice as likely to be phoned by men she chats up on Vancouver's swaying Capilano Suspension Bridge than by those she encounters in a park. It's all due to a concept called "misattribution of arousal," say the researchers who carried out the experiment.
Daniel H. Wilson has a degree in robotics from a well-regarded U.S. university, where he obviously also picked up insight into smart marketing. Two years ago, he produced How to Survive a Robot Uprising. Now he's back with only slightly tongue-in-cheek advice about using robots to vanquish vampires, zombies, werewolves, a great white shark, and a rogue asteroid. You'd hardly credit how simple it is to convert a high-tech vacuum cleaner into a deadly killing machine: duct tape a steak knife to the front.
Being Caribou: Five Months on Foot with an Arctic Herd
By Karsten Heuer
McClelland & Stewart, 235 pages
Just before wildlife biologist Karsten Heuer set off to follow the annual migration of the Porcupine Caribou herd to the Arctic coast, an elder in the Yukon settlement of Old Crow told him about times past when people could talk to caribou and caribou could talk to people.
Five months and around 1,500 kilometres later, Heuer and fiancée Leanne Allison had indeed talked with caribou. They had trekked with the 120,000 strong herd to the calving grounds that straddle the Yukon-Alaska border; been stalked by grizzly bears keeping pace with the herd; watched from only metres away as the animals gave birth lying on the tundra; and gently handled corpses of a few of the quarter of the calves who would perish from predators and the elements.
The continued existence of the herd making this centuries-old trek is imperilled by U.S. plans to exploit the petroleum reserves beneath the calving grounds. It might produce enough oil to fuel American SUVs and other gas-guzzlers for one year.
Allison made an award-winning documentary film about their experience, and Heuer captured it in this outstanding Canadian science book that I somehow missed when it was issued in hardcover in 2006.
Two other serious books deserve a mention. From Oliver Sacks comes another delightful romp through the human brain, Musicophilia (Alfred A. Knopf, 380 pages); and, from New York Times science writer Natalie Angier, The Canon, which the subtitle accurately describes as A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science (Thomas Allen, 292 pages).
Understanding Popular Science
By Peter Broks
McGraw-Hill, 182 pages
Canadians have recently experienced the spectacle of a prime minister and two cabinet ministers pronouncing on the safety of a nuclear research reactor, even though none of them could distinguish the kinds of ionizing radiation – alpha, beta or gamma – without crib notes from their officials.
So how is scientific thinking supposed to enhance democratic culture when hardly anyone can think scientifically?
Peter Broks, a lecturer at Britain's Open University, tackles such questions in this insightful look at the fraught relationship between science and society.
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/289550
Canada Rocks: The Geologic Journey
By Nick Eyles and Andrew Miall
Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 450 pages
Canada does not simply have, as Sir John A. Macdonald once noted, too much geography. As this book convincingly demonstrates, it also has a lot of fascinating geology.
Every page of the volume sparkles with information and entertainment. An article about the country's most famous building stone, Tyndall limestone, is illustrated with a photograph of Queen Elizabeth II in a frock that blends into a Tyndall-faced wall at the Manitoba legislature building.
Just reading the captions in this profusely illustrated volume provides an education in the geological forces that have shaped our land for four billion years. In addition to stunning, double-page panoramas of the "knob and lochan" landscape of Newfoundland's Lewis Hills, the photographs also include the traditional geologist's standbys to indicate relative size – camera lens caps, rock hammers, and long-suffering spouses.
Two apparent omissions, one likely an oversight and the other probably intentional: With wine regions proliferating across the country, a discussion of the contribution of soil and rock to wine's character ("terroir") would have been welcome. As well, the authors credit the long history of pivotal research by the Geological Survey of Canada but don't point out that the GSC is but a shadow of its former self, thanks to budget slashing and government myopia.
Two related works worth considering are Michael Collier's Over The Mountains (Firefly, 128 pages), a large-format collection of stunning aerial photographs, and Ted Nield's Supercontinent (Raincoast, 288 pages), an accessible account of how the Earth has several times consisted of a single island landmass and will again, in about 250 million years.
Silence of the Songbirds: How We Are Losing the World's Songbirds and What We Can Do to Save Them
By Bridget Stutchbury
HarperCollins, 256 pages
A Star story about York biology professor Bridget Stutchbury sparked the commissioning of this book. Anyone whose day has been brightened by a bird's song should be grateful for this serendipity.
Writing with both passion and care for accuracy, Stutchbury traces the precipitous decline in the numbers of the songbirds that migrate between the forests of eastern North America and their southern refuges from our winters. Surveys in North America have charted a relentless loss of around one per cent a year in the population of bobolinks, eastern kingbird, Kentucky Warbler, and wood thrush.
The book includes a checklist of actions to help slow the decline but sidesteps the most important cause: rampant population growth that annihilates bird habitat.
Two more books about birds worth considering are Richard Cannings' closely observed essays on avian life in An Enchantment of Birds (Greystone, 211 pages) and Owls of the United States and Canada (UBC Press, 242 pages) with evocative words and photos by Wayne Lynch.
Ebb and Flow: Tides and Life on Our Once and Future Planet
By Tom Koppel
Dundurn, 296 pages
This wonderful resource book is nearly ruined by the penny-pinching publishing mentality that omitted an index. Fortunately, the author's admirable chapter organization is a considerable help in finding specific references.
Tom Koppel seems to have visited or read about every place with unusual tides and water currents, yet he wears this scholarship lightly.
The body count is high, with whole ships sucked down into the Norwegian Maelstrom or the Corryvreckan Whirlpool near Jura in the Hebrides, which almost claimed George Orwell.
Deceptive in its languidness, a rising tide doomed a score of unwary cockle harvesters in northwest England in 2004 and – as Koppel chillingly recounts – almost snatched a New Brunswick geologist who was an expert on the Bay of Fundy tides.
An added extra is a post-script recipe for pasta con vongole, but you'll have to travel to Salt Spring Island, where the author digs the little neck clams on "his" beach.
Deadly Companions: How Microbes Shaped Our History
By Dorothy H. Crawford
Oxford University Press, 250 pages
In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech in 1945, Alexander Fleming predicted that microbes would evolve to be resistant to antibiotics such as penicillin. Hardly anyone listened. Thanks to reckless misuse, people are dying of antibiotic-resistant strains of diseases that were handily defeated only a decade ago, such as tuberculosis and staphylococcus aureus.
A professor of medical microbiology at the University of Edinburgh, Dorothy Crawford has written a balanced and sensible volume about the way in which bacteria, viruses and protozoa have shaped human existence. Her tale starts with the 2003 SARS outbreak, the first pandemic of the 21st century. People died from the disease in Canada because the Chinese first hushed up the outbreak and then didn't quickly share their containment methods.
Crawford's message is that microbes do not respect national boundaries, and only a higher level of global co-operation offers any protection against a repeat of the devastation wrecked by flu in 1918.
Elephants on Acid and Other Bizarre Experiments
By Alex Boese
Harcourt, 290 pages
How to Build a Robot Army
By Daniel H. Wilson
Raincoast, 176 pages
Let's call this the Science Lite category. By combing the byways of the scientific literature, Alex Boese has assembled a mind-boggling catalogue of just how far afield curiosity has lured some researchers. For example, an attractive young woman is twice as likely to be phoned by men she chats up on Vancouver's swaying Capilano Suspension Bridge than by those she encounters in a park. It's all due to a concept called "misattribution of arousal," say the researchers who carried out the experiment.
Daniel H. Wilson has a degree in robotics from a well-regarded U.S. university, where he obviously also picked up insight into smart marketing. Two years ago, he produced How to Survive a Robot Uprising. Now he's back with only slightly tongue-in-cheek advice about using robots to vanquish vampires, zombies, werewolves, a great white shark, and a rogue asteroid. You'd hardly credit how simple it is to convert a high-tech vacuum cleaner into a deadly killing machine: duct tape a steak knife to the front.
Being Caribou: Five Months on Foot with an Arctic Herd
By Karsten Heuer
McClelland & Stewart, 235 pages
Just before wildlife biologist Karsten Heuer set off to follow the annual migration of the Porcupine Caribou herd to the Arctic coast, an elder in the Yukon settlement of Old Crow told him about times past when people could talk to caribou and caribou could talk to people.
Five months and around 1,500 kilometres later, Heuer and fiancée Leanne Allison had indeed talked with caribou. They had trekked with the 120,000 strong herd to the calving grounds that straddle the Yukon-Alaska border; been stalked by grizzly bears keeping pace with the herd; watched from only metres away as the animals gave birth lying on the tundra; and gently handled corpses of a few of the quarter of the calves who would perish from predators and the elements.
The continued existence of the herd making this centuries-old trek is imperilled by U.S. plans to exploit the petroleum reserves beneath the calving grounds. It might produce enough oil to fuel American SUVs and other gas-guzzlers for one year.
Allison made an award-winning documentary film about their experience, and Heuer captured it in this outstanding Canadian science book that I somehow missed when it was issued in hardcover in 2006.
Two other serious books deserve a mention. From Oliver Sacks comes another delightful romp through the human brain, Musicophilia (Alfred A. Knopf, 380 pages); and, from New York Times science writer Natalie Angier, The Canon, which the subtitle accurately describes as A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science (Thomas Allen, 292 pages).
Understanding Popular Science
By Peter Broks
McGraw-Hill, 182 pages
Canadians have recently experienced the spectacle of a prime minister and two cabinet ministers pronouncing on the safety of a nuclear research reactor, even though none of them could distinguish the kinds of ionizing radiation – alpha, beta or gamma – without crib notes from their officials.
So how is scientific thinking supposed to enhance democratic culture when hardly anyone can think scientifically?
Peter Broks, a lecturer at Britain's Open University, tackles such questions in this insightful look at the fraught relationship between science and society.
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/289550
Sky not falling on book industry
Even by the standards of the book world, 2007 saw more hand-wringing than usual, as well as some unexpected good news. The year was punctuated by anxiety over the decline of many newspaper book-review sections and worry that publishing, with its old-fashioned way of printing books on paper and shipping them to stores or to online services, can't keep up with a fragmented, increasingly distracted and digital world.
A flurry of bookstores, especially independents, fell victim to the chains, big-boxes and Amazon.com. And because of price discounts, the final installment of the Harry Potter series didn't give many stores the shot in the arm that was hoped for.
Even literacy itself, according to a report by the National Endowment for the Arts, seems to be on a slow but steady decline. Add to this the destabilizing and ever-increasing pace of change.
"It's one of those years -- they come along every once in a while -- where everyone worries and pulls their hair," said Marie Arana, editor of the Washington Post Book World.
Is any of the unease justified? Some of it clearly is, but it depends on whom you ask. The uncertainty around technological change is responsible for both hopes and fears within the industry, said Jonathan Galassi, editor in chief of Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
"The delivery of the content of a book in different forms and formats is making people nervous," he said, not quite uttering the name "Kindle." "So we're trying to publish in a lot of different
formats, because we don't know where the readers are going to be. A lot of us in the publishing industry started out when we still used carbon paper and manual typewriters."
Winner-take-all?
With book sections diminishing at U.S. publications, John Freeman, president of the National Book Critics Circle, said his group is asking: How do we continue having literary discussions at a high level, accessible to a lot of people, as newspapers change and the way that people get their news changes?
To Freeman, part of the problem is the way bookselling is becoming a winner-take-all game, with the lion's share of promotion going to a few best-selling authors, leaving the rest to fend for themselves in an ever-more-crowded publishing environment. (Roughly 200,000 titles were published this year.)
"It's a constant high-stakes game for the front-list," he said. "That means anxiety levels will always be very high."
The issue of book coverage is one that Steve Wasserman, a literary agent and former Los Angeles Times Book Review editor, thinks is worth taking seriously. "It has to do with the ecology of the way ideas get circulated in the culture," Wasserman said.
But, he added, the sky is not necessarily falling. "It's written into the DNA of publishers and writers to whine, to think the golden age was the day before yesterday, that publishing is in a kind of crisis," he said.
The book world's actual output was much better than these problems would lead one to believe. "It was a quieter year," FSG's Galassi said. "There were a lot of very good books published, but there weren't as many blockbuster literary books that swept everybody away."
Year's best
Dwight Garner, senior editor for the New York Times Book Review and writer of the Paper Cuts blog, concurred: "There was a lot of excitement about books by major writers -- (Philip) Roth and (Don) DeLillo and Martin Amis and (Ian) McEwan -- but the books weren't among those writers' major works. I happen to think that (McEwan's) 'On Chesil Beach' is beautiful. But all of them were mild disappointments."
The year's best work, though, was strong indeed. "You had to sort of pick around," Garner said, "but if you were paying attention, it was a great year for fiction." One of his favorites was Joshua Ferris' "Then We Came to the End," a tale of dot-com downsizing.
It was also a year in which a dead Chilean literary novelist who'd never had a large English-language following, Roberto Bolano, became a sensation here, with his 1998 novel "The Savage Detectives" translated into English and met with raves and genuine excitement.
For Wasserman, it was a great year for American writers, including books by Dave Eggers ("What Is the What"), Michael Chabon ("The Yiddish Policeman's Union") and Junot Diaz ("The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao").
"These are people of enormous reach and ambition, who are very devoted to language, and they are not oblivious to the times in which they're living."
Nonfiction drew raves as well. "I think historians will look back and see 2007 as the year of the biography," Garner said. "From Claire Tomalin on Thomas Hardy to Arnold Rampersad on Ralph Ellison to David Michaelis on Charles Schulz. I think readers are taken with lives right now, and these are real narrative biographies that turn the lives into stories."
And at a time of turmoil in the newspaper business, Wasserman said, books are filling in some of the gap in coverage of the Iraq war.
"If you look where publishers were five or six years into the Vietnam War, you'd see we have many more books that give you a look at the characters and the historical forces and even the internal workings of the intervention in Mesopotamia than was true during a similar period in Indochina."
Attention from outside
Amid the bad news and anxiety, there was some reason for hope. For all the turmoil and tension, it was a year in which the uncompromising Cormac McCarthy and Denis Johnson -- longtime "writer's writers" -- broke out of the pack and experienced real sales.
"It's about a subject very much on people's minds right now -- Vietnam and America's intervention in the world," said Galassi, whose press, FSG, published Johnson's "Tree of Smoke," much of which is set among the military and intelligence worlds of 1960s Asia.
Galassi (whose press had one of its best commercial years ever) said the lesson of 2007 is that to hit, books often need a push from outside the literary and publishing subcultures.
"So you can sell a lot of books if it gets the right sort of attention," he said. "But that attention has to come from outside. The traditional review media aren't drawing the readers the way they used to."
Accordingly, this year's big sellers include Ishmael Beah's "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier," selected by Starbucks' book group, and McCarthy's post-apocalyptic "The Road," which received a huge boost from its selection for Oprah Winfrey's book club. For the record, these books received strong print reviews as well.
And in a noisy, busy culture, Galassi said, where books are competing against all kinds of other media, prizes become increasingly important for a book to be heard.
The Book Critics Circle, as a way of providing an alternative to the best-seller list for readers looking for suggestions beyond what Freeman calls "the oligarchy of brand names," has begun a monthly list of recommended books, which come from a poll of authors and critics.
Overall, as the publishing world looks back on 2007, it's hard to reconcile the unease people feel about the business with the excitement they feel about the books themselves. When he goes to publishing dinners, bookseller Doug Dutton said, the conversation swings between lamenting the state of the business and exclaiming joy over a new novel or history.
"It's about as murky a picture as I've seen," Dutton said. Then he amended that slightly: "Sort of like last year and the year before."
http://www.mercurynews.com/books/ci_7843182?nclick_check=1
A flurry of bookstores, especially independents, fell victim to the chains, big-boxes and Amazon.com. And because of price discounts, the final installment of the Harry Potter series didn't give many stores the shot in the arm that was hoped for.
Even literacy itself, according to a report by the National Endowment for the Arts, seems to be on a slow but steady decline. Add to this the destabilizing and ever-increasing pace of change.
"It's one of those years -- they come along every once in a while -- where everyone worries and pulls their hair," said Marie Arana, editor of the Washington Post Book World.
Is any of the unease justified? Some of it clearly is, but it depends on whom you ask. The uncertainty around technological change is responsible for both hopes and fears within the industry, said Jonathan Galassi, editor in chief of Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
"The delivery of the content of a book in different forms and formats is making people nervous," he said, not quite uttering the name "Kindle." "So we're trying to publish in a lot of different
formats, because we don't know where the readers are going to be. A lot of us in the publishing industry started out when we still used carbon paper and manual typewriters."
Winner-take-all?
With book sections diminishing at U.S. publications, John Freeman, president of the National Book Critics Circle, said his group is asking: How do we continue having literary discussions at a high level, accessible to a lot of people, as newspapers change and the way that people get their news changes?
To Freeman, part of the problem is the way bookselling is becoming a winner-take-all game, with the lion's share of promotion going to a few best-selling authors, leaving the rest to fend for themselves in an ever-more-crowded publishing environment. (Roughly 200,000 titles were published this year.)
"It's a constant high-stakes game for the front-list," he said. "That means anxiety levels will always be very high."
The issue of book coverage is one that Steve Wasserman, a literary agent and former Los Angeles Times Book Review editor, thinks is worth taking seriously. "It has to do with the ecology of the way ideas get circulated in the culture," Wasserman said.
But, he added, the sky is not necessarily falling. "It's written into the DNA of publishers and writers to whine, to think the golden age was the day before yesterday, that publishing is in a kind of crisis," he said.
The book world's actual output was much better than these problems would lead one to believe. "It was a quieter year," FSG's Galassi said. "There were a lot of very good books published, but there weren't as many blockbuster literary books that swept everybody away."
Year's best
Dwight Garner, senior editor for the New York Times Book Review and writer of the Paper Cuts blog, concurred: "There was a lot of excitement about books by major writers -- (Philip) Roth and (Don) DeLillo and Martin Amis and (Ian) McEwan -- but the books weren't among those writers' major works. I happen to think that (McEwan's) 'On Chesil Beach' is beautiful. But all of them were mild disappointments."
The year's best work, though, was strong indeed. "You had to sort of pick around," Garner said, "but if you were paying attention, it was a great year for fiction." One of his favorites was Joshua Ferris' "Then We Came to the End," a tale of dot-com downsizing.
It was also a year in which a dead Chilean literary novelist who'd never had a large English-language following, Roberto Bolano, became a sensation here, with his 1998 novel "The Savage Detectives" translated into English and met with raves and genuine excitement.
For Wasserman, it was a great year for American writers, including books by Dave Eggers ("What Is the What"), Michael Chabon ("The Yiddish Policeman's Union") and Junot Diaz ("The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao").
"These are people of enormous reach and ambition, who are very devoted to language, and they are not oblivious to the times in which they're living."
Nonfiction drew raves as well. "I think historians will look back and see 2007 as the year of the biography," Garner said. "From Claire Tomalin on Thomas Hardy to Arnold Rampersad on Ralph Ellison to David Michaelis on Charles Schulz. I think readers are taken with lives right now, and these are real narrative biographies that turn the lives into stories."
And at a time of turmoil in the newspaper business, Wasserman said, books are filling in some of the gap in coverage of the Iraq war.
"If you look where publishers were five or six years into the Vietnam War, you'd see we have many more books that give you a look at the characters and the historical forces and even the internal workings of the intervention in Mesopotamia than was true during a similar period in Indochina."
Attention from outside
Amid the bad news and anxiety, there was some reason for hope. For all the turmoil and tension, it was a year in which the uncompromising Cormac McCarthy and Denis Johnson -- longtime "writer's writers" -- broke out of the pack and experienced real sales.
"It's about a subject very much on people's minds right now -- Vietnam and America's intervention in the world," said Galassi, whose press, FSG, published Johnson's "Tree of Smoke," much of which is set among the military and intelligence worlds of 1960s Asia.
Galassi (whose press had one of its best commercial years ever) said the lesson of 2007 is that to hit, books often need a push from outside the literary and publishing subcultures.
"So you can sell a lot of books if it gets the right sort of attention," he said. "But that attention has to come from outside. The traditional review media aren't drawing the readers the way they used to."
Accordingly, this year's big sellers include Ishmael Beah's "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier," selected by Starbucks' book group, and McCarthy's post-apocalyptic "The Road," which received a huge boost from its selection for Oprah Winfrey's book club. For the record, these books received strong print reviews as well.
And in a noisy, busy culture, Galassi said, where books are competing against all kinds of other media, prizes become increasingly important for a book to be heard.
The Book Critics Circle, as a way of providing an alternative to the best-seller list for readers looking for suggestions beyond what Freeman calls "the oligarchy of brand names," has begun a monthly list of recommended books, which come from a poll of authors and critics.
Overall, as the publishing world looks back on 2007, it's hard to reconcile the unease people feel about the business with the excitement they feel about the books themselves. When he goes to publishing dinners, bookseller Doug Dutton said, the conversation swings between lamenting the state of the business and exclaiming joy over a new novel or history.
"It's about as murky a picture as I've seen," Dutton said. Then he amended that slightly: "Sort of like last year and the year before."
http://www.mercurynews.com/books/ci_7843182?nclick_check=1
JK Rowling hints at eighth Potter
JK Rowling says she has not ruled out an eighth Harry Potter novel, although she is unlikely to consider writing it for another 10 years.
The best-selling author of the wizard series told Time magazine she had had "weak moments" when she has said "Yeah, all right" to an eighth book.
Rowling has previously made it clear the series would be in seven parts.
Rowling is a runner-up in Time's Person of the Year list 2007. The winner is Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The seventh - and apparently final - instalment of the Harry Potter series was published earlier this year.
Beedle the Bard
Rowling told Time her central protagonist would be unlikely to feature in any future books.
"If - and it's a big if - I ever write an eighth book, I doubt that Harry would be the central character. I feel I've already told his story," she said.
"But these are big ifs. Let's give it 10 years."
The seventh instalment - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - became the fastest-selling book when it was published in July, based on sales in the UK and US.
A handwritten copy of Rowling's new book The Tales of Beedle the Bard recently sold for almost £2m.
Rowling wrote and illustrated seven copies of the book, which will never be published, but offered only one for sale.
The collection of fairy tales is mentioned in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Proceeds from the sale went to Rowling's charity Children's Voice.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7164884.stm
The best-selling author of the wizard series told Time magazine she had had "weak moments" when she has said "Yeah, all right" to an eighth book.
Rowling has previously made it clear the series would be in seven parts.
Rowling is a runner-up in Time's Person of the Year list 2007. The winner is Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The seventh - and apparently final - instalment of the Harry Potter series was published earlier this year.
Beedle the Bard
Rowling told Time her central protagonist would be unlikely to feature in any future books.
"If - and it's a big if - I ever write an eighth book, I doubt that Harry would be the central character. I feel I've already told his story," she said.
"But these are big ifs. Let's give it 10 years."
The seventh instalment - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - became the fastest-selling book when it was published in July, based on sales in the UK and US.
A handwritten copy of Rowling's new book The Tales of Beedle the Bard recently sold for almost £2m.
Rowling wrote and illustrated seven copies of the book, which will never be published, but offered only one for sale.
The collection of fairy tales is mentioned in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Proceeds from the sale went to Rowling's charity Children's Voice.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7164884.stm
Friday, November 16, 2007
Silent Lies - Book Review
"Silent Lies is an action romance saga, that takes the reader through decades of a tumultuous time between the end of World War I and the beginnings of World War II. Excellent and intelligent use of actual historical events makes this piece both educational and entertaining.
Leo, a young Hungarian boy who sees too many horrors and deceit, barely survives while family and friends are slaughtered. He finds himself alone, again and again. Subsisting on his uncanny ability to mimic behavior and languages, a gift that keeps him alive – and in serious trouble, he travels from Hungary to Paris. Leo is innocently trapped by very ruthless and influential people and he is forced to run for the sanctuary of Shanghai. There, both his greatest hopes and greatest fears come true.
This is an endearing story of a love that many can only experience in dreams. It is about self-sacrifice – of enduring when all hope is gone and strength is fading. Readers witness the consequences of the political and personal choices that Leo is forced to make. Personally, I had to brush away a little water from my eyes a few times in the story.
Without hesitation, I give Silent Lies high ratings because the author has provided an exceptional piece of work. I look forward to the second book to find out what else will happen in Maggy and Leo’s adventurous lives."
ISBN#: 1563527502
Author: M.L. Malcolm
Publisher: Long Street Press
~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry.
http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit
Los Angeles City Re-writes Free Car Wash Fundraiser E-Book
The City of Los Angeles Storm Water Program has recently re-written the Detail Guy's Founder's Car Wash Fundraiser book to promote non-polluting fundraising events. The run-off from car wash fundraisers can hurt the environment with all those soapy suds. The City of Los Angeles has strict National Pollution Discharge Elimination System procedures as required by the Environmental Protection Agency. If you run a non-profit group and you are looking to raise funds anywhere in the United States, this free online E-Book is made available thru the City of Los Angeles.
http://www.lastormwater.org/downloads/PDFs/carwash.pdf
Environmentalists and dolphins appreciate the work of the City of Los Angeles, the second biggest city in the nation for putting this book online for free and printing copies to all those 1000's of groups within their fine city who want to do fundraisers which builds unity and team work. This has been an ongoing effort over the past two years and now it is online as well as in print for all the children of LA. This book was re-written to be Politically Correct from the original “How to Run a Successful Car Wash Fundraiser” E-Book By Lance Winslow (that’s me). We gave the City of Los Angeles complete copyright latitude as long as they used it to help people. Here is our original book.
http://www.carwashguys.com/fundraisers/LAschools.html
We believe at The Detail Guys that you should give back to the communities you serve. We thank the City of Los Angeles for helping us help all of you. When businesses, entrepreneurs and government work together in a seamless way, there is nothing we cannot do. Think about it.
"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington
Enron Debacle: Review Of Kurt Eichenwald's Conspiracy Of Fools A True Story
Title: Conspiracy Of Fools: A True Story Author: Kurt Eichenwald Publisher: Broadway Books (A division of Random House) ISBN: 0767911784
As I reached the end of the 675 - pages of Kurt Eichenwald’s saga of Enron recounted in Conspiracy of Fools A True Story, I walked away shaking my head in disgust and at the same time shock!
Award winning journalist, Eichenwald, has written for the New York Times for more than seventeen years. Letting the facts tell the story, Conspiracy of Fools, A True Story, is based on the author’s more than one thousand hours of interviews he conducted with over a hundred participants. Combing through thousands of confidential corporate and government documents, contemporaneous records, personal diaries, and best recollections of the participants, the author delivers a compelling and superb recounting of just what transpired- all with believable dialogue.
It is difficult to conceive just how was it possible that a prestigious accounting firm, Arthur Anderson & Co, could with just a wink and nod accept the creative accounting shenanigans that were practiced at Enron? Although, it should be noted that Enron, at the time and prior to the change in the rules of acceptable accounting practices for energy companies, was legally permitted to use "mark to market" accounting, which allows companies to count as current earnings, profits they expect to earn in the future, from energy-related contracts. This was very cleverly used to prop up the balance sheet, keeping the banks and credit raters content.
Can we honestly believe that so called “smart” business people like Ken Lay, Enron’s Chairman and CEO and Jeff Skilling, its President, did not know about or were not concerned with the fraudulent activities of their chief financial officer, Andrew Fastow?
Even until the end of his days at Enron, Fastow never did explain in a precise manner the poor financial condition of the company that had been the result of his incompetence and venality.
Furthermore, through the ineptness of Fastow, Enron was not tracking their cash in order to know when they were experiencing shortfalls-an essential requirement to know when and if they could pay their bills. Apparently, nobody had a clue as to how much daily cash was collateral posted by trading partners and how much was coming in from the business.
What is so mind-boggling is Fastow’s paradoxical behavior. He may not have understood basic business principles or Finance 101, however, he was quite clever in swindling from Enron over sixty million dollars with his masterminding of off –the- books personal partnerships, wherein he hid billions of dollars in debt and artificially boosted the company’s profits. As long as the share price of Enron was propped up and be damned at everything else, everyone went along for the ride without digging too deeply and asking too many questions. The old adage, “hear no evil, see no evil.”
Eichenwald also brings to light how Enron became involved in all kinds of activities that had little to do with their principal line of energy business. As the author states, under the stewardship of Skilling, Enron was changed into a radically different beast.
This all led to Enron’s pursuing of contradictory strategies and a loss of focus, wherein you had at the one end dealings that brought in huge earnings with little cash that were dependent on Enron’s credit rating. On the other hand, you had activities devouring huge amount of cash, while producing very little earnings for years that would potentially put their credit ratings at risk.
Furthermore, our CFO, Fastow, did not have the foggiest idea about how to calculate investment returns!
You had a company that lied to its investors, hid losses to make itself look good, and executives who siphoned off company funds, all under the noses of their top officers.
A recipe just waiting for disaster!
In all fairness, I should add that there were several executives, who to some degree, did complain about some of the creative accounting that was going on at Enron.
This is a remarkable and engrossing read that chronicles a multi-billion dollar sham that came to light in 2001.
One question, however, still lingers on in my mind, how many more Enrons are there lurking in the shadows? Will we ever put an end to this shameless behaviour on the part of some public companies? Just ponder the wider effects it has on innocent employees, who not only loose their jobs, but also in many instances, their life savings and pension plans?
Just in passing, Ken Lay has been indicted and faces criminal charges that include security and wire fraud and making false statements. Jeff Skilling, likewise, faces thirty- six charges, including fraud and insider trading. Fastow has pleaded guilty to two counts of wire and securities fraud and is now serving a ten- year sentence without parole. He has agreed to co-operate with the authorities. Stay tuned.
Norm Goldman is the Editor of the book reviewing site, http://www.bookpleasures.com and the travel site, http://www.sketchandtravel.com.
Norm is also a travel writer and he and his artist wife, Lily Azerad-Goldman meld words with art focusing on romantic destinations.
Bookpleasures.com comprises a group of over 25 prestigious international reviewers who review all genre. There is also a section on the site devoted to author interviews.
All book review requests are welcomed.
The Seventh Jewel - Book Review
The Seventh Jewel is a fantasy-adventure fiction geared for youth (ages 11 and up). J.J. Pritchard crammed several tantalizing elements in only 278 pages. The reader is taken on a journey that involves a treasure hunt, a noble quest and the discovery of an ancient civilization. The author touches upon family relationships, dealing with death and coming to terms with loosing a limb. The Seventh Jewel is also an educational book that brings up serious issues from poverty to discrimination. Mr. Pritchard’s approach to encourage readers to use his glossary of the ancient Inca language was very well done.
J.J. Pritchard, author of 6 books including The Seventh Jewel, has participated in a climbing expedition in Peru. His first hand knowledge of Peru, global warming and ancient Inca history is shown by tasteful and accurate use of facts. He couples this with highly plausible events throughout the story, making this book very well rounded, unique and realistic.
There are four main characters: Emma, a gutsy and witty teenage amputee, teaches the reader understanding and respect for what amputees experience. I think she could be a role model for many readers. Joel, her brave 11-year-old brother, displays a loyal adventurous heart. Uncle Jake, a well-connected treasure hunter by trade, plays the part of a hero and protector during a few points in the story. Estrella, a beautiful professor, has a chip on her shoulder that begins to melt when she meets Uncle Jake. Her life long dream is to honor her people by discovering the mysterious jewel of the Ancient Inca.
They are all thrown together when scientists discover that knowledge of an extremely rare element may exist in the ancient records of the Inca. This element has the potential to combat global warming and it is worth an inconceivable amount of money. Because of this value, people of questionable character are attracted to treasure hunt – but they play by their own rules and answer to their own ethics.
The Seventh Jewel was an exceptional read. I highly encourage readers to pick up a copy of J.J. Pritchard’s latest book. You won’t be disappointed!
ISBN#: 0595336744
Author: J. J. Pritchard
Publisher: iUniverse
~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry.
http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit
Book Review: Seth Godin - All Marketers Are Liars
Let me start with a small disclaimer: I am a HUGE fan of Seth Godin, and have been ever since he wrote Permission Marketing and probably always will be. Seth has a very unique take on traditional marketing (he thinks it's dead) and I agree with him. A nice summary of stuff Seth knows was kindly put together by Aaron Dignan at Brandplay.com
That being said, I felt it would be worthwhile to blog a bit about Seth's new book so you can decide for yourself whether or not you want to get his book. That being said, on with the post...
Marketers aren't really liars. Consumers are. Consumers tell themselves story based on the marketing message they hear, filtered through their own lenses, and believe the marketing they hear IF an authentic message is told.
Here's what I learned:
- You must have a product that delivers on your story if you want long-term success
- You need to start at the fringes to build passionate users, have these early adopters tell your stories, then you can move a bit to the middle to reach more
- You only tell your story once. Passionate users continue to tell your story, whether you want them to or not, so you might as well embrace them.
- You will not reach everyone, so don't try to. Mass messages are too watered down and are not authentic enough to get viral and spread enough to make it worth your while
Those are the big takeaways I got from Seth's book. You can read his blog at allmarketersareliars.com or buy the book from the world's greatest online bookstore, 800CEOREAD.com.
I hope you'll make your own judgment about this book and check it out for yourself. If not, that's fine too. Maybe this book wasn't meant for you.
Phil Gerbyshak leads a team as manager of an IT Help Desk in Milwaukee, WI, and finds that sharing his knowledge is a crucial component for in his success as a leader and as a person. Phil's personal philosophy is paraphrased from Tim Sanders' fantastic book Love is the Killer App: "Share your knowledge, your network, and your love. The rest will follow." Feel free to contact Phil at http://makeitgreat.org or call 414.640.7445 anytime.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Jason Seeley's War - Book Review
"Jason Seeley’s War" is centered in the heart of a small American town where two youth are deeply in love, and have been since high-school. Jason and Natalie’s love runs with a flexible strength that endures her recovery from a horrible drug addiction. A very promising athlete and student, Jason is welcomed to University, but Natalie won’t let him go without extracting a promise from him to stay faithful to the love of his life. This promise – he meant to keep. But then the Vietnam War happened and Jason was assigned a draft number just before graduation. He knew government agents were about to collect.
Jason was forced to go against his patriotic upbringing because he refused to play a part in a war that he did not support. Now labeled a ‘draft dodger’ Jason is a fugitive in America and for his own safety he runs to Canada. Luckily, he stumbles on an underground organization that attempts to protect people like him from FBI Agents. Jason eventually begins a new life dream of becoming a history professor through the help of kind friends. However, he fears this new dream will mean leaving behind everything and everyone he ever loved. Jason is haunted day and night by the question ‘Will he ever be with Natalie again?’.
I felt that Dean Salter did a wonderful job portraying this aspect of war. How this young man running from a war he could not believe in, tore families apart. The community was also torn in their perception of this ‘criminal’ in their midst. New customs, new friends – a new life to try to fit into somehow, without the people he grew up with confused this frightened young man. Betrayal and grievances create miscommunications and a rift between his family begins that may never be repaired. Strangers along the way helping in the capacity they could at that time, never fully realizing their small aide was a turning point for this young man’s journey. This is a side of the story of war that is rarely told so eloquently.
ISBN#: 0973066318
Publisher: Still Meadow Press
Author: Dean Salter
~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry.
http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit
Bury My Heart at Redtree
Title: Bury My Heart at Redtree
Author: Patrick Chalfant
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
ISBN: 1-930709-53-6
Patrick Chalfant weaves a tale that is a mixture of psychological suspense, Native American mysticism and revenge in his sophomore novel Bury My Heart at Redtree. Redtree follows Taylor, a promising young psychology student as he builds his masters thesis around the revenge he has planned for those who are responsible for his parent’s death.
Taylor is aided in his vigilante justice by his friends Elijah and Keith and hunted by the local authorities, detectives Stan Jennings and Carol Parker of the State Bureau of Investigations. With a cast of a characters that also includes a naïve, yet insightful girlfriend, a mystical and manipulative Native American chief and a business man with shady dealings that could put Kenneth Lay to shame, Bury my Heart at Redtree is entertaining, suspenseful and exciting, albeit a little predictable and underdeveloped.
Chalfant’s use of Freudian psychology as a plot device is original and ingenious as Taylor uses his criminal spree as a means to prove his thesis regarding Freud’s idea of the id, ego and superego. Also, the opening sequence of Redtree, a daring and bloody convenience store hit, is one of the best opening sequences of a novel I have ever read. And I must say Gayland, the resident wealthy business man and all out bad guy is a well written and deliciously evil, villain. You love to hate him and hope and pray that he gets what he deserves.
Redtree manages to be fresh and engaging in a genre that can easily be stale and unoriginal and that is all do to Chalfant’s masterful storytelling and innovative use of the old themes of revenge and redemption.
However, Redtree does have some problems, the biggest of which is Chalfant’s lack of character development. With so many characters you don’t expect to be up close and personal with everyone but the main characters, particularly Taylor and Jennings should feel like close friends, or at the very least people you’d care about if something happened to them and that closeness just isn’t there.
Chalfant doesn’t offer much in the way of motivation or understanding for their behavior or their thoughts, so as a reader you don’t have much stake in what happens to them good or bad. He does a great job at portraying Gayland as a corrupt and soulless man but lacks the same depth with the rest of the characters and that lack of depth ultimately hurts the story he’s trying to tell.
Also the novel gets a little too preachy, as the subplot about a high profile drug case becomes the springboard for a rant on the criminal justice system and how with enough money and the right attorneys one can get away with anything. It is fine to feel passionate about a topic but not too many people like to be preached to and after awhile the rants about the justice system just felt like a combination of whining and preaching.
Despite these criticisms Bury My Heart at Redtree is worth your time and money. It’s a good and fast read and while the surprise ending isn’t really a surprise you’ll still find it satisfying and fulfilling.
Tamika Johnson is a freelance writer and owner of PrologueReviews.com. To read more reviews by Tamika or to have your book, movie or film reviewed visit http://www.prologuereviews.com
The Little Mornings - Book Review
The Little Mornings, by C M Albrecht is a murder mystery with 262 absolutely absorbing pages. We have three main characters here – the grandfather, an alcoholic of questionable character, a slightly off balance woman (Angie) and an impressionable young man (Darcy) who becomes mixed up in a whirlwind of events. Murder, thievery and lies keep the unsteady relationship between Darcy and Angie on edge. Keeping a secret is no easy task, especially when someone else pops into the scene with inside knowledge to the truth. Darcy, unable to control the events, becomes another person entirely from the one we knew in the first few pages of the book.
Perhaps because I am a writer, and this book has to do with the publishing industry, I am partial to the theme. Grandfather’s description of a writer’s methods to reach their creative dreams had me laughing out loud – because it was so true. As were the frustrated, aspiring writers and the over worked publishers. I felt the book was very realistic in this regard.
I loved the first few paragraphs – they really pulled me in. I kept hearing Humphry Bogart’s voice in my head narrating the story as I read along. I sat on the edge of an uncomfortable plastic chair 2 days ago and opened the first page to begin reviewing The Little Mornings. I meant to take only a ten-minute break from my day to enjoy the sunshine. The next thing I knew, my leg and butt-cheek were both completely numb and lifeless… and I was on page 50! So be warned, readers, this book may very well take you out of commission for a few days. I could not wait to get back to it every minute I had to spare!
ISBN#: 1894942434
Author: C M Albrecht
Publisher: Zumaya Publications.
~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry.
http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit
The Letter Writer: Book Review
"I enjoyed reading this book. The characters were portrayed very well. Jack, a multimillionaire who experiences mid-life crisis and ends up finding meaning to his life – but it costs him millions of dollars and emotional pain. Adele is a heavy-drinking, free-living, multimillionaire with an independent mind and a sense of humor. Wendy, a single mother who finds the love of her life. Mixed up educators playing with their students’ lives in their conquest and the retiring professor who resists this plot has a big secret. A married advisor carries on an affair with another man and when he is discovered, he thinks his world has ended.
I would say this fiction is a light comedy that is quite entertaining and has some romance elements as well. Author Robert Mercer-Nairne brings attention to common human frailties with a sense of fun. He clearly reveals the desire to ‘get rich quick’ in North American Society. Members of this society tend to hear what we WANT to hear and perceive the greener pasture out there somewhere – rather than in the here and now.
Readers are shown the foolishness of following others blindly and the danger of where our greed can take us. Innocents can have their life irrevocable altered by someone else’s desire to climb a corporate or social ladder. The benefit of spiritual leaders to help ground the characters in this novel, helping them learn to forgive themselves and move on in life is used at several points in the story.
I recommend this book for anyone looking for a light, entertaining read."
ISBN#: 0974814105
Publisher: Gritpoul, Inc
Author: Robert Mercer-Nairne
~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry.
http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit
Book Review - As the Darkness Deepens by Michael Cale
Newton's Third Law of Motions states that "For ever action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." Michael Cale's latest novel, As the Darkness Deepens, is an interesting study in this universal law as it relates to the forces of good and evil. While this is a common storyline, Cale's strong characterization and the powerful climax give an otherwise trite subject substance to formulate a solid story.
We first meet the unassuming Christopher Jones walking his seven-year-old daughter, Sally, to school. After hugs and a kiss, Christopher sends his child across the street, when suddenly a careening car slams into Sally, mortally wounding her. In the terror of the moment, Christopher draws upon a mysterious power to heal his daughter, saving her life. This act of love creates an equal and opposite reaction that literally births the story's primary antagonist.
Christopher discovers a renewed sense of self and direction. He transforms from a soft-spoken pushover to a man filled with the need to use his new power for the good of humanity. Eventually, word of his powers spread, and he attracts hundreds and thousands of the hopeless, the infirm, and the insane. Christopher becomes nothing more than a pinball, bouncing off those who want to help to those wanting to take advantage and back again.
Cale, whose 2001 novel, The Room of Shrunken Souls, was an Eppie Finalist, knows how to construct a solid story. Here he does a satisfactory job of blending the good and evil in greedy entertainment executives, religious cults, and the Catholic Church. When all three of these groups collide in the dramatic finale, the reader is given a powerful overview of the morale fallacies harbored in day-to-day dogma. Effectively using the dingy backdrop of south Los Angeles, he builds an array of vivid character that overflow from the 150 page novel.
Despite several annoying dialogue tics and a sometimes sloppy narrative style, Cales nails the characters and setting. I would recommend As the Darkness Deepens to readers as a study in the evil side of morality bringing destruction to good.
Published by LTDBooks
ISBN: 1-55316-138-6
150 Pages
$14.95 Hardback, $5.00 eBook
http://www.ltdbooks.com
Jason Sizemore is the publisher of Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest, a quarterly magazine of dark science fiction, interviews, book reviews, and essays. You can read more about Jason and his writing at http://members.iglou.com/jasonb/index.html. Apex Digest has its own website at http://www.apexdigest.com
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Atlanta Pastor Releases Book Of Life
Local Atlanta Pastor known for his charity work such as feeding the homeless, at risk youth and giving toys to children at Christmas time is releasing his first book entitled "Diary OF A Shattered Spirit". Pastor Adams says that this book will address some of the struggles and stresses that plaque our society today. This book touches on many personal struggles that people just don't want to talk about. This book gives an account of many trials that the Pastor has experienced in his childhood through adulthood and through the years of his ministry.
This book takes you into the life of a young man that overcame the torment of being molested as a child to various complex trials in his adulthood. This book also focuses on the reality of being a Christian. This is not just another name it and claim it book. This book is written carefully, detailed and with sincerity. Diary of a Shattered Spirit teaches you to put all of your trust in God period.
This book reveals the story of a man that stands when all odds are against him, a near death experience that will change your life, and a reality of Christianity that will slap you in the face!
Diary Of A Shattered Spirit
Written by Louis Adams
ISBN: 1420835408
Publisher: Authorhouse
678-913-6912
www.overcomingwithjoy.com
This man is Pastor of Overcoming With Joy Breakthrough Ministries International Church in Atlanta, Ga and husband of the beautiful Ellen Marie Adams. Also endowed with a Prophetic Ministry, Ellen Marie Adams is a native of Newark New Jersey, a powerful songstress and Assistant to her husband in ministry. Pastor Adams is on the move for God by displaying the Power Of God through faith-filled prayer In Jesus Name! As he yields to the Holy Spirit many are brought into the presence of the Lord and are healed, delivered and set free. By the Spirit, he has a unique way of exposing the secret place of the heart and awakening the inner man by the Word Of Truth. He is a servant of God that has many talents and have made a quality decision to use them for the Glory Of God. Pastor Adams also has an awesome Spiritual Poetic and Singing ministry with great testimony.
Star - Book Review
Tom Peters crafted a moving, educational animal adventure story in his novel Star. This is a dog-lover's fiction - written for a young adult audience. Any young person who loves animals, or wants to own a dog should read this book.
Without preaching, Tom enlightens humans to the plight of dogs. He brings understanding to how they see things and why they behave the way they do. The most moving moral to the story for me was shown through the main character (a dog named Star) whose owners had school, work, play and friends – while Star has only them. It really puts their world into perspective. I was torn and sorrowed by the incidents in the kennel and animal shelter. If I have not been donating enough to these shelters before, I will most certainly endeavor do so now.
Star is a courageous, loving lab-rottweiler cross who goes through many adventures from being ‘rescued’ from a puppy mill, abandoned in a forest, being stolen by a trucker and used by jewelry thieves. Star ensures a place in the readers heart through his self-less rescue of a little boy and his generous, loving heart.
I do not think a reader could put down this book without being moved by the great heart that Star displayed repeatedly. There are many lessons here for young adults from the dangers in the world, to the plight of pets and the strength of love.
ISBN#: 1553521927
Author: Tom Peters
Publisher: Tree Side Press.
~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry.
http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit
Monday, November 5, 2007
Second Eden Book Review
"Carlton Austin has crafted a wonderful piece of work in Second Eden - an action-packed suspense thriller with a little romance and some elements of science fiction. Its beautifully designed cover incorporates gorgeous images depicting scenes within the plot and the book is available in both hard and soft cover. I recommend the hard cover, folks. This book is sure to be one that you keep among your favorite authors on your bookshelves. Second Eden is destined for a talented director to take big screen fans on its roller-coaster ride.
Best of friends, Peter (an intelligence agent) and Bo (an astronaut), have a bond that even Peter's affair with Bo’s wife could not break. Bo and some other scientists perish in a mysterious fire just after completing an assignment. The government cover-up pushes Peter to find out what really happened and he becomes torn between patriotism and humanitarianism. He never loved a woman until he met Molly – but can he trust her? In fact, he wonders if he can trust anyone at all.
This is definitely an intelligent read; the author incorporates incredible alien artifacts, mysteries, murders, government espionage and complex cover-ups, cat and mouse chase scenes, archeological finds and ancient societies, deceit and a love story that transcends this life into the next.
Second Eden certainly has a plot that will make its readers think deeply about our world. Carlton shows us the dangers of where our science could lead. His story teaches that there are repercussions for every single choice that we make - both as individuals and as a society. He brings up social issues, like reminding us of the importance of recognizing the value of women who choose to be mothers – as a career, rather than as a side project. He even includes enlightening views of what might happen to a soul when the body can no longer serve it.
I really cannot say enough about Carlton’s novel. Truly, I could barely put it down to go to work or prepare meals! Second Eden will remain on my bookshelf for years to come and will, no doubt, be read many times by my family."
ISBN#: 0595316530 – soft cover 0595663567 – hard cover Publisher: iuniverse, Inc. Author: Carlton Austin
~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry.
http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit
Unspoken Dreams - Book Review
"Carol Bennett writes a stunning mystery-thriller. Her chilling entrance is one I have encountered only rarely in a book. Here, we have a victim who looks like he had been swarmed by bees in the middle of a storm, but the reader is lead to believe that it was something much more ominous and that it is about to get worse.
There are many characters in the tale, but a group of teenagers that are about to graduate from high school (Mike, Jack, Jared, Jenny, Tracy, Dana, Alan) and Sheriff Nate are the main characters. The lead character, Mike, is more like a father figure for the group in that he concerns himself with the needs of his friends and becomes a compassionate leader to his community during an emergency. His girlfriend Dana, as a sweet and supportive character, gives him strength. Shy, Jenny who is blooming into a beautiful girl has a crush on Mike’s friend Jack, which sends Alan into a jealous frenzy. Though James and Tracy are dating, their buddy Jared holds a secret fondness for Tracy.
Carol did a wonderful job in portraying the characters in Unspoken Dreams. I was so involved in the story that by the time Mike finally broke down in grief for his friends’ death, I had tears running down my cheeks – this was less than 2 dozen pages into the book! Mike’s humorous relationship with his parents had me laughing aloud. And I felt real pity for Alan’s situation.
An excellent read for those who love a good thriller with a solid rate of tension throughout the book."
ISBN#: 1413767397 Publisher: Publish America, Inc Author: Carol Bennett
~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry.
http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Book Review: What Color Is Your Parachute?
Finding a job today presents unique challenges that did not exist five years ago. That is why Richard Nelson Bolles’ acclaimed job hunter’s bible, “ What Color is Your Parachute?” is so relevant. Taking into consideration the impact of the terrorist attacks of September 21, 2001, the subsequent NASDAQ meltdown, and the globalization of the world's economy, Bolles’ guide encourages the reader to implement time tested as well as new strategies in finding meaningful employment.
With a subtitle of, “A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers”, Parachute emphasizes the necessity of finding one’s “mission” in life in order to obtain meaningful employment. Not to be content with simply drawing a paycheck, Bolles encourages the reader to uncover those areas of personal interest that can be translated into a rewarding as well as relevant career. For example, if you have been a secretary and you also love to write about animals, maybe your desire is to become a contributor to nature magazines instead.
Bolles lists several reasons why a job search might include a change in career. Some key components to consider when deciding a change are:
∙ We made a bad choice when we first chose our career, and now we’ve decided to set it right.
∙ We’ve been asked to do the work of three, and we feel stressed out, angry, exhausted, burnt out, and grumpy…
∙ We’ve decided we want to go into business for ourselves.
∙ All we wanted in the past for a job was money, now we want a job that has meaning…
In addition, Bolles persuades the job searcher to not rely exclusively on old strategies for finding work, i.e., sending out résumés and waiting for a response, but to utilize what he has determined to be some of the more successful and proactive strategies including:
∙ Directly targeting those companies you desire to work for.
∙ Join a job hunter’s group to share leads, receive and give encouragement, to fine tune your résumé and search, etc.
∙ Discipline yourself to make phone calls to companies [determine who has hiring authority and avoid the Human Resources department as they exist solely to screen you out!]
∙ When sending an e-mail résumé, follow it up with a hard copy and cover letter, followed by a telephone call the next week to the contact person.
Concerning job hunting methods, Parachute contains one notable surprise. In his very detailed research Bolles reveals that the Internet, with all of its job search capabilities, may actually provide the least successful method in finding work. Too often, Bolles alledges, job seekers rely exclusively on job boards to post their résumé to and then they wait for their employer of choice to call them about an open position. Unfortunately, according to Bolles, the internet alone only offers a 4% success rate in finding a job when it is used as the exclusive job search method.
Bolles also guides the reader through the process of starting a business instead of working for an employer; shares interviewing tips for smarties; lists the seven secrets of salary negotiation; and discloses the secret of finding your dream job.
Bolles folksy and friendly writing style has endeared himself to over seven million readers since the initial publishing of Parachute in 1970. Revised annually, I recommend you read the latest version of his book as it speaks to the current nature of the job market.
Finally, Bolles has a companion web site called the Job Hunter’s Bible [http://www.jobhuntersbible.com]. The site contains a collection of articles written by Bolles and other experts.
Overall, Parachute is an informative and even fun book to read. The reader may want to skip around the different chapters instead of reading the book straight through as it is reads more like a guide, not a novel. Combined together,the two resources should go far in helping the job seeker in his or her quest for their “dream job.”
Matt is the administrator of the Aviation Employment Board at http://www.aviationemploymentboard.com
Looking for Harvey Weinstein Book Review
Brassy, ballsy and full of energy.
A totem of two women’s struggle to do something worthwhile in life, it certainly knows how to serve up endless comical observations. This is what comedy is supposed to be. The delivery, too, is polished, every line, every joke, enhancing the material, making for a thoroughly enjoyable read. The women and their breathless brand of glamorous, gossipy, camp, snobby, self-deprecating, fast-paced banter is second to none but it is the delivery that sells this story, as this story, is a reality they live every day.
This out of the box, true tawdry tale, brags an A list celebrity cast of characters for real but the side splitting comedy is served up at the expense of two unknown likely lasses from the North of England. Two fatal mistakes, namely the jailers, an anonymous pair of devastatingly handsome Latino American brothers, natives of Los Angeles and the two Brits find themselves trapped in Hollywood where the water list is more extensive than the wine list, smoking is a hanging offence and cheese can only be found between the athletes foot infested toes of every all American wannabe. Written in the third person, it gives a voyeuristic peak into the rarely told but more frequently experienced Hollywood; that is, if you’re a nobody.
It makes for an interesting, intriguing read that stretches beyond every page with breathlessly entertaining yarns. This straightforwardly funny, captivatingly offbeat, full blown, quirky page-turner leaves the reader in stitches.
Humor is something we could all use more of in our lives, especially the kind of British satire found on every page within the four chapters of this little pink treasure. One liners galore, the idiots, the arrogant Hollywood agents, the ladies of loose virtues, the self centered celebrity and on and on. A candid display of so many of Hollywood’s characters is the magic formula that makes this book, an all time favorite, wittiest, funniest laugh out loud tale of true passion, persistence and probably to much pot smoking.
It’s a memoir, a travel guide, a “how to” Hollywood and an unorthodox, read between the lines, attack on ego Freud would be proud of but most of all it’s an enchanting and captivating rollercoaster ride with two people who live each day as if it were their last, in the front seat. Sometimes the irreverent sarcasm is overstated and sometimes it hits you in the face but you will laugh from the second you pick it up to the moment you put it down.
Book Review - Looking for Harvey Weinstein
British satire at its best!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Holly_Yanez
Friday, November 2, 2007
Book Release: Gina's Poems - Adventures in Love
Book Release:
Gina’s Poems -- Adventures in Love Written & illustrated by Siegfried J. Heger
ISBN 0-9763503-0-0 Perfect Bound, 72 pages, (8.5”x 7” x ¼”)
Contact: Dolores Gaines, YOSOY Publishing, 562-989-2901
e-mail info@yosoypublishing.com
Poetry and Photography Merge in Siegfried Heger’s Gina’s Poems
Gina’s Poems explore love, doubt, fear, hope, elation, belief, faith and knowing; the result of three years of Siegfried J. Heger writing a poem to his wife almost every day, and illustrating each with a picture. Gina’s Poems captures the essence of their relationship and journey through life in Los Angeles, touching their innermost thoughts and feelings.
Heger leads off by establishing the notion that we have already found “The Beach” however, because we are so busy looking for it, we cannot see it right in front of us. “Love is Giving” sends the message that we will receive what we give. If we want to be loved we have to love, if we want to receive a hug, we have to hug, if we want to have good friends we have to be a good friend. Set to a vibrant picture of a sunflower, the image and message has substance and beauty.
“Moment by Moment” tells the story of the past and future in which most of us live, where we are busy looking for what we missed in the past, or fearing what we will miss in the future. With all this looking we unfortunately miss the now, or what Siegfried calls the “bliss.”
“Your Fellow Men” tells of our fear to connect to each other. “Let them touch you, not just see you, let them in you without warning” is about openness, receptiveness and connectedness to all the other beings in this world.
For photos or more information, please contact: Dolores Gaines, YOSOY Publishing, Public Relations e-mail info@yosoypublishing.com or call 562-989-2901
Born in 1954, in Germany, Siegfried Heger has lived in the USA since 1985. He is a Mechanical Engineer who started writing poems in the 80’s (in German) during a stay in Paris, France. Siegfried lives with his wife Gina and his 9 year old son Andreas in Long Beach, California.
Putting it on Paper - Book Review
"Dawn Josephson, author of 14 books, has written a fantastic author resource with her latest book Putting it on Paper – The ground rules for creating promotional pieces that sell books. This book discusses the development and use of contents within a media kit, and other marketing materials. From cover letters, press releases, book reviews, bios, sell and catalog sheets to articles – Dawn covers it all.
Each chapter concludes with two brief, but very helpful sections. ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ is an essential ingredient to this well-rounded book because it touches on creativity and exceptions to the rule. Her section ‘Key Points’ acts as a summery to the main ideas within the chapter.
There are many excellent samples of actual promotional pieces, which give authors a variety of choices and ideas to use in creating the content for their own marketing materials. The samples are also precluded with notes on the construction of the piece so that the reader can fully understand the purpose of each opening, paragraph or by-line. Dawn shows many ways to tweak text for each piece and then closes with how to present promotional materials to various markets.
I really enjoyed the thought provoking quotes she used throughout the book and felt Putting it on Paper was quite inspirational. As an author who has spent a year of intensive marketing research and hands on application, I can say that several of Dawn’s tips are unique and I cannot wait to try them. The information on multiple press releases, mock book reviews and catalog sheets were particularly helpful for my own applications.
I highly recommend this useful book to any author who is facing book promotion. Putting it on Paper will certainly help authors get noticed."
ISBN#: 0974496618
Publisher: Ground Rules Press
Author: Dawn Josephson
~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry.
http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Spider's Big Catch
When I was in college, Spider McGee, Charlie Fox, and I loved to fish off the log boom in the river near my house on summer afternoons. We'd sit and talk about life, drink hot chocolate, and occasionally catch a fish or two. But one day, Spider yelled, "Hey, I got something, and it feels big!"
Catching any fish—of any size—was always a surprise, but hooking something big was reason for genuine excitement. As Spider began to reel, his pole bent almost in half.
"This thing is a monster," he said, the drag on his reel screaming.
After twenty minutes or so, he'd gotten it close enough to the boom to get a glimpse of his catch. It was a snapping turtle.
"Ah, man, that's too bad," said Charlie. "I thought maybe you had Old Granddad there, for a second. Cut the line and let him go."
"Are you crazy?" said Spider. "That lure was given to my dad by his grandfather. It was hand-carved in Norway—and he doesn’t even know I borrowed it! I gotta get it back."
"Well, how're you gonna do that?" I asked—and was soon sorry I had.
"I'll just bring him up to the edge of the boom, and you guys reach out and grab it," Spider said calmly.
Now, I'm dumb, but I'm not stupid.
I said, "No, no, no—you bring him to the edge of the boom, and then I'll try to pry the lure loose with a stick."
"OK, that’ll work," said Spider.
As Spider struggled to bring the turtle close to the edge of the boom, Charlie handed me a long stick. I reached out, and the turtle's jaws instantly clamped down on the stick. I lifted him out of the water, and we headed toward the bank.
Once on shore, we set the angry turtle on the ground, but he refused to let go of the stick, the lure still dangling from the corner of his mouth. I reached out with my tennis shoe to nudge him in the back, and instantly learned several interesting things about snapping turtles. First, they're not as slow as you might think, second, they're very agile, and third, they're well-named.
In a heartbeat, the turtle's neck shot out, reached completely behind him, and bit through the end of my sneaker. Then, spitting out rubber and nylon, he turned and looked at us menacingly.
"OK, we need a new plan," said Spider.
"And a new pair of shoes," I added, looking down at my big toe, which was now plainly visible through the hole in my shoe.
"You hold his head down with the stick, and I'll reach out and grab the lure," Spider said.
It was an insane plan, but it was still a step in the right direction, I thought. At least, there wouldn't be any parts of my anatomy at risk this time. I took the stick and pinned the turtle's head to the ground while Spider got down on his belly and crept slowly toward the angry, struggling turtle.
It was then I learned even more lessons about snapping turtles. First, their front feet can be used a lot like a pair of hands, and second, snapping turtles are much stronger than you might think.
The turtle reached up and quickly pushed the stick away and quickly raised his head—now leaving him face-to-face with a very surprised Spider McGee.
The big guy screamed, which was probably the best thing to do at the time, since it caused the startled turtle to reach up with a front foot, pop the lure from its mouth, and then it whirl around and head back toward the river.
While all that was going on, the lure leapt through the air and finally came to rest—firmly lodged in Spider's left ear. He danced around in pain, but we finally managed to pin him down and cut the line from the lure. Then we packed up and loaded him into the car.
All the way home, Charlie and I would occasionally look back at poor Spider, sitting like a sad puppy in the back seat and wearing what looked like a giant hand-carved, bug-eyed earring. Then we’d look at each other—and laugh.
All that happened more than 30 years ago, and although Spider didn't know it at the time, he was a trendsetter. He was the first guy I ever knew to wear an earring, even if he'd had to get his ear pierced by a snapping turtle to do it.
I'm pretty sure they have easier ways of doing that nowadays.
From the book Spider’s Big Catch
Gary E. Anderson
www.abciowa.com
© Gary E. Anderson. All rights reserved.
About The Author
Gary Anderson is a freelance writer, editor, ghostwriter, and manuscript analyst, living on a small Iowa farm. He’s published more than 500 articles and four books. He’s also ghosted a dozen books, edited more than 30 full-length manuscripts, produced seven newsletters, and has done more than 800 manuscript reviews for various publishers around the nation. If you need writing or editing help, visit Gary’s website at www.abciowa.com.
Fern's Dragon - Book Review
"Fern’s Dragon is a wonderfully fun read that stimulates the imagination of both young people and the young-at-heart alike. It is a good mystery-fantasy story that is artfully composed.
Fern is a bright, artistic young girl who is utterly fascinated with dragons. One day she created a masterpiece with beach sand and loved it so much that she was reluctant to leave her dragon, Nogard. When her mother brought Fern to visit Norgard, they were shocked to discover he was missing. Later that night, Fern is visited by Norgard, who begs for her help in saving dragon-kind.
Little Fern finds herself leading the last of the race of dragons, following clues and trying to piece together a way to save the dragon king – the only dragon with the power to stop the catastrophe about to fall.
David Wills has done a superb job on this children’s book. His use of colors and visually stimulating words is sure to spark the imagination. The light ending will leave a smile on the readers’ face.
I highly recommend this book to parents, as they are unlikely to become bored with their children begging to have the story repeatedly read to them. I know I certainly enjoyed it."
ISBN# 1413770177
Publisher: Publish America, Inc
Author: David Wills
~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry.
http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Screenwriter and Novelist Marguerite Ashton Receives Rave Reviews for Mafia Novel
When asked what gave her the idea for the story, she replied, "I am a big movie fanatic of all genres, but if you were to ask my favorites, it would be mafia and horror. With Taylini, I decided to add a twist that is not included in your usual "mafia stories."
See below for a brief synopsis and a sampling of reviews of Ms. Ashton's book:
Nora Taylini struggles to keep her family together, while her husband fights with his rival Dons. Knowing that he was once best friends with Don Meroni and Don Lamano, Nora feels pressured to maintain her dignity and not exact revenge in the "Old Mafia Fashion." By focusing her attention on their children and stratesizing ways to keep the Taylini dynasty alive, she throws the family into a tail spin.
Nora and Santino stand by one another as they fight to defend their family's good name. A family who once was defined endures emotional and physical pain as they accept the ups and downs that come along with the mafia life they have chosen.
Here is a sampling of the reviews:
Nora and Santino Taylini live in Palermo with their five children. Their lives are complicated by their "mafia" upbringing and their sense of commitment, not only to their biological family, but to their "mafia family."
Typical overbearing parents, they struggle to control the destiny of their children. Sonny and Bobby are determined to choose their own wives, while Rebecca and Bella allow Nora to pick their lifelong mates. Spatterings of "mafia" life including the Dons, the bodyguards and the irate "mafia" wives add color to the story.
Shirley Roe, Allbooks Review
Taylini: A Family Saga is a fast paced drama that takes you right into a mafia family. In this well written story, the reader is taken into, not only the strong family ties, but also the struggles the family must endure.
Sherry Moore, Shadows of the Past.
Writing fiction is one of Marguerite's favorite things to do, along with acting. Last year, she signed with Big Fish Talent located in Colorado. When she is not writing or acting, Ms. Ashton dives into her favorite interests including, yoga, weights, volleyball and ballet. During her down time she loves to watch a good NASCAR, baseball or football game. "Listening to classical or jazz music, brings me to a new level. It opens up my mind."
For updated reviews and current information on her screenwriting, feel free to visit her website at http://www.publishedauthors.net/margueriteashton
Pariah - Book Review
"Pariah, written by multi-talented artist and author Timothy Goodwin, is a science fiction, fantasy novel that incorporates some very clear ideas to what is wrong with today’s world. The characters are colorfully portrayed and the battles were very well written.
Eric, the main character, is a victim of an abusive father and endures extreme poverty as a young adult. He is eventually diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and grows into what could be called a normal life. He meets and marries a wonderful woman and her son embraces Eric as his father. Eric loves his life despite the difficulties in finding a good job and unfulfilled dreams to relocate his family to a place where his wife would not suffer from allergies so badly.
Eric becomes involved in a motor vehicle accident and wakes up in a wildly different place called the Itarri. He is later told that this is a space ship and he is light years - and possibly another dimension - from the life he once knew. Everyone on board expects Eric to become someone else when he regains his senses. Seemingly on the brink of insanity, he experiences "fragmentation" – when memories of other lives collide - but eventually works his way back to sanity only to discover that he is actually a clone.
In a desperate attempt to do whatever it takes to return to a time and a life he cherished so dearly, Eric undergoes intensive training. The reader is taken on fantastic space travel and time travel adventures, battles with foes, scenes with gods, demi-gods and an old flame that is incredibly vindictive are good spices for a great read.
At times I found myself confused, but I know from experience that books I have reread many times are those that challenge the mind and intrigue the reader to return. The ending has an interesting twist, which I think readers may suspect early on, but the work is written so well that it will leave them guessing. "
ISBN#:1413713025 Publisher: Publish America, Inc. Author: Timothy Goodwin
~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry.
http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit
Monday, October 29, 2007
Book Review: Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands
By Terri Morrison, Wayne A. Conaway, George A. Borden, and Hans Koehler
• While in Germany, on business, you meet with your local counterpart. Between your broken German and his textbook English you are able to carry on a fairly well understood conversation. You reach a lull in your talk and to keep the conversation going you ask your friend about his spouse and children. Suddenly, he grows very quiet and a look of anger sweeps across his face. You ask yourself, “Did I mispronounce something? Did I say something wrong?”
• In Ecuador, you engage a street vendor in a lively negotiation for one of the Indian artifacts that he is selling. You grow increasingly uncomfortable as you realize that not even a foot separates you from him; you take that to mean he is interested in you personally. Whenever you took a step backward, he takes one step towards you to close the gap. Alarmed, you break off the conversation suddenly and head back to your hotel hoping that the merchant is not following after you.
• On the streets of Copenhagen, you wait for traffic to thin out so that you may cross the road. A driver slows down and signals for you to proceed. You smile and flash an okay gesture (thumb and forefinger forming a circle) at her and then are surprised by the glaring look of disgust from her.
Each of the above examples shows cultural differences that can occur when traveling outside the United States. “Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: How to Do Business in Sixty Countries," is a helpful reference for travelers. From Argentina to Greece to Japan, the authors present a work that is both serious and funny, practical and helpful, to assist business travelers as they navigate the cultural maze in the land(s) they are visiting.
The book is a helpful tool that will enhance the globetrotter in brushing up on what to expect before his/her trip abroad. Each featured country has its own chapter and contains the following information:
• Country Background -- History, Type of Government, Language, Religion, and Demographics.
• Cultural Orientation -- Particular Value Systems and Negotiation Strategies.
• Business Practices -- Appointments (When to be punctual and when to be purposely late), Negotiating, and Business Entertainment.
Interspersed throughout are cultural notes that are meant to inform travelers how to present their best foot forward and avoid mistakes like those listed earlier. Now, let’s take a look at the examples mentioned earlier and see what went wrong:
• For Germans, family life and business life are kept separate. Germans will find a way to work family into their conversation if they want to share that information with you (see page 131).
• Ecuadorians, like many South Americans, traditionally stand close to one another when conversing. If you move back, they often will close the gap to maintain their close proximity. In the U.S., we are accustomed to at least a two foot gap between people and consider anything closer as threatening (see page 92).
• Danes, as well as many cultures around the world, take the American “o.k.” gesture to be an obscene or insulting response. Be careful what hand gestures you use abroad -- you may get a very unwelcome response (see page 87).
Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands is published by Adams Media Corporation, 1994, Holbrook, Mass.
Matt is the webmaster for the Corporate Flight Attendant Community at http://www.corporateflyer.net and http://www.cabinmanagers.com
Pandemonium - Book Review
"Within the first few pages, I was engrossed and deeply moved by Apina Hrbek’s eloquent writing skills. Tears of compassion were in my eyes at several points in this moving story of survival.
The main character, Edita, was raised by a heartless mother who became twisted after helplessly watching the communist government steal her family’s vast fortune. Her nonconformist father was her only source of comfort and it was from him that she learned about these forbidden things called "choice" and "freedom".
The setting is a land under strict Soviet rule where people are in a constant state of fright and can not afford to trust anyone – not even their own kin. To trust was an invitation for disaster.
The story of their escape to a land of freedom was wrought with circumstances going wrong – and yet it all worked out in the end. Resettling in a place where they must learn new customs, new languages and find employment to support their small family was no easy task for Edita and her husband. Through poverty and displacement, the family struggled to find their dreams and learn how to deal with this new idea - the freedom to make choices.
Pandemonium is certainly an educational book that may be beneficial for children and grand children of immigrants who wish to understand what it was like. It also could serve as a useful reminder to appreciate, protect and expand upon the rights of all mankind."
Publisher: Publish America, Inc.
ISBN#: 1413756670
Author: Apina Hrbek
~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry.
http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit
Mathew and the Highland Rescue - Book Review
"A stimulating adventure! Sabine Muir has written a wonderful children’s story that can be read many, many times. This is a time-travel, Christian fantasy novel that reminds me a little bit of one of my favorite childhood books, ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’.
Here, the main character, Mathew, is a young boy growing up under difficulties that are quite uncommon from his piers. Mathew’s father is missing, his mother has begun a new romance and bullying at school weighs heavily upon his young shoulders. Mathew thought he could escape it all during his stay at his Aunt and Uncle’s tranquil family farm. Unexpectedly, Mathew and his cousins are thrown into an adventure when they accidentally enter a mystery gateway into to a world of Kings, Queens, Castles and ghosts.
Sabine Muir’s use of factual, historical legendary characters brought the Canmore Dynasty to life - an era that is quickly fading from all memory. The author’s research and understanding of the historical era is evident in this excellent piece of work. Her fascination with this particular section in time has produced several works of fiction.
‘Mathew and the Highland Rescue’ is only the first in a series of adventure books. A delightful light read for the adventurous and young-of-heart. I look forward to reading her next published work."
Publisher: Publish America, Inc.
ISBN#: 1413759165
Author: Sabine Muir
~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry.
http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit
Fire in the Ice: Book Review
"An excellent novel that will wring tears of frustration and pain and then tears of joy from the reader.'Fire in the Ice’ is a perfect title for this book.
The passion, confusion and anger that the main character (Deedra) felt, along with her pain over the loss of her parents and the death of her young husband caused her to cover her heart, lock it away and live only through a deep survival mode. (Thus the "Ice".) Encountering Josh, she became filled with fear at what could be her first experiences with real love and true passion and she nearly loathed him for disrupting her carefully constructed world. However, Deedra was not along in her fear of feeling – Josh too lived through a horrendous relationship that left him wary of commitment. Her constant rebuttal was hard on Josh, who was used to getting what he wanted, but his persistence and love released her from her own prison and helped Deedra realize that she had never really lived at all – but only existed. None of Deedra’s journey through her Self was possible without the loyal support of her dear friend, Marcy.
This romance novel had some very steamy parts (the "Fire") that, though not over-used, were certainly so well written that this shy reviewer was blushing furiously while reading them – much to the amusement of my husband!
Katlyn Stewart has done an excellent job pulling the reader into the lives of her characters and feeling their pain and elation. I would not hesitate to pick up another title authored by Katlyn."
Publisher: Publish America, Inc.
ISBN#: 141373278X
Author: Katlyn Stewart
~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry.
http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Druxel Manor - Book Review
"Druxel Manor is a stimulating thriller-mystery-romance novel that keeps the reader guessing. Who do you trust? Everyone seems to know a little something but no one is willing to explain – or rather, what is revealed only creates more confusion.
There are three main characters here. Trevor and Angel are adopted siblings who were raised in a life of the privileged – growing up in a mansion and attending only the best of schools. Angel is a dedicated and driven journalist, while her brother is obsessed with his quest to find their biological parents. Their adopted parents’ insistent warnings to never try to find their real parents and other small clues drove Trevor to find out the truth. In his bones, he knew something was out of place and what he found out put both of their lives at stake.
Suddenly, Angel finds herself thrown into the midst of a mysterious and dangerous adventure – and she has no idea why. Then James arrives, her rescuer and protector – whether she likes it or not - and her undeniable animal attraction to him turns her world upside down. She must decide who to trust and find out the reason for all the things left unexplained.
Tarra Young performed a difficult task in keeping the pace fast and momentum high in this novel. I never knew what was going to happen next – and all my suspicions were wrong in the end. I thought this book was a fun and interesting read and is an excellent choice for readers who enjoy a good mystery."
Publisher: Publish America, Inc.
ISBN#: 1413766242
Author: Tarra Young
~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry.
http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit
Dark Autumn - Book Review
"Now this could definitely be a movie! Dark Autumn is fantastic action-packed futuristic thriller that had me riveted for days. The energy was kept very high throughout the book.
Occasionally Clint Dunshee’s characters performed seemingly super-human tasks, similar to James Bond or Dirk Pitt. However, the reader is also shown their flaws and the strength of intimate friendships – bonds that are so deep they are willing to risk their lives for them. The abilities of these characters are made more believable because of the incredibly difficult training scenarios the author leads the reader through.
The theme is set in the future when space travel and space science is a part of life. Earth is contacted from another planet when one of the science probes is picked up by alien humans. As it turns out Earth is only one of hundreds of planets with intelligent life, only some were human. Many planets in the universe helped bring Earth’s technology up to par in exchange for the planet’s rich agriculture and minerals. Most planets worked on a good trade relation in relative peace, but the trouble-making Marvonians were on the edge of acceptance. This planet took it upon themselves to steal from Earth and attack their ships within a few light years of Marvon.
The main characters of the book, Alan, Bill, Carrie, Julie and Angela are all highly intelligent youth that are singled out for highly trained positions. Despite their youth and inexperience, they were considered Earth’s only chance to avoid a war with a technologically superior race. Bounty hunters and sabotage plays a part in a deadly scavenger hunt while plans are laid to rescue the hostages held by Marvonians. Earth has a chance to destroy their image of being a young planet and elevate into more sophisticated, honorable one that the other planets can respect and hold trade with more readily.
In order to do this, Earth must play the game carefully and honorably - at the same time the team must eliminate the dangerous problems with Marvon and free the Earthling prisoners before it is too late.
I believe this book deserves the highest ratings and I would recommend it to anyone, anytime, anywhere."
Publisher: Publish America, Inc.
ISBN#: 1413750923
Author: Clint Dunshee
~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry.
http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Alison's Journey: Book Review
"The dedication in this book is a work of poetry in itself. I had a distinct recollection of ‘Sleeping with the Enemy’ when reading this book, but this story has some very unique twists and turns. The characters seemed very real to me – I live in a small town and we are just like that!
Here, we are shown the psychological cycle of the victim of domestic violence (Alison) and her growing awareness that some things can change for the better, trust can be had and given, and faith in inner strength can grow.
Like many who crawl out of hellish conditions, Alison did not do it on her strength alone, but through a few strong, giving individuals who contributed a gesture or a friendship along the way. Yet, most healing of all is to find a new, healthy love and good, solid relationships with others – a most difficult thing for victims of abuse to do. If it was the author’s intent to use the main character to bring depth and understanding into what people go through in situations like these, then she accomplished this goal admirably!
Readers are shown how being rich, good looking and well-educated – having all the benefits one could desire - cannot lead to happiness. Mr. Bruce Cockburn says it best in a song of his which says ‘though chains be of gold, they are chains just the same’.
Amey Tippett has accomplished a work of art with this book. I really felt like I was right there watching the children play during the festivals and feeling the pain and fright of impending danger, and endured the hellish nightmares along with Alison.
This was a fantastic read and I would not hesitate to recommend Alison’s Journey."
ISBN#: 1413740073
Publisher: Publish America Inc
Author: Amey Tippet
~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment – Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry. (http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)
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