tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76448993690922625002024-03-08T17:00:49.780-08:00Literature ChickWhere Authors and Books are the Celebslove2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-74996806798080153562009-12-29T11:32:00.000-08:002009-12-29T11:46:01.213-08:00Finally...<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SzpcasY1LvI/AAAAAAAAAT8/JjYnKrrLipw/s1600-h/muller.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420746715155476210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 182px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 280px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SzpcasY1LvI/AAAAAAAAAT8/JjYnKrrLipw/s320/muller.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div>It has been quite some time since I have posted and I apologize. Life and work simply caught up with me. However, I am back. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Some books you simply must read in 2010:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Tomorrow by Philip Wylie (University of Nebraska Press): Wylie is considered one of the kings of science fiction and this book supports that. A story of a typical American Midwestern city during Christmas, the plot takes on a nightmarish one when Condition Red is sounded and hysteria rears its ugly head. A metaphor for the American obsession with technology and fear of terrorism, this book is a must read.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The Lie by Petra Hammesfahr (Bitter Lemon Press): Hammesfahr is considered the German Patricia Highsmith; her work is suspense at its best. Two women with remarkable physical similarities switch lives for what is supposed to be one weekend...their scheme soon turns into a deceitful game that neither can walk away from alive.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The Semantics of Murder by Aifric Campbell (Serpent's Tail): Based upon the true story of the 1971 murder of UCLA Professor Robert Montague, Campbell creates a remarkable read of literary fiction with a frightening theme.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Thursday Night Widows by Claudia Pinero (Bitter Lemon Press): A prize winner and soon to be film, this Argentinian novel uses three murders as the basis to tell a story about living beyond your means, living to impress and life without concern for others.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The Passport by Herta Muller: Muller, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2009, tells an incredible story of Germans caught in Romania during the dictatorship of Ceausescu. This is the book that every human being must read this year.</div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-49510562107005171592009-05-12T11:46:00.000-07:002009-05-12T11:50:50.633-07:00Summer Must Reads<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SgnE2GunPYI/AAAAAAAAAT0/BM7m4vEbEOk/s1600-h/matingrituals.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335011667395165570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 86px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 129px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SgnE2GunPYI/AAAAAAAAAT0/BM7m4vEbEOk/s320/matingrituals.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SgnEuyj89dI/AAAAAAAAATs/JrdrzcpDIxg/s1600-h/Follow+Me.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335011541722658258" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 154px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SgnEuyj89dI/AAAAAAAAATs/JrdrzcpDIxg/s320/Follow+Me.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SgnEnJYg6kI/AAAAAAAAATk/D0fiafoGVIo/s1600-h/admission.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335011410409744962" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 120px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 178px" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SgnEnJYg6kI/AAAAAAAAATk/D0fiafoGVIo/s320/admission.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>Summer Must Reads:</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div>Check out some of the great books that you simply must read this summer!</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div><em>Admission</em> by Jean Hanff Korelitz takes you inside the world of college admissions.</div><br /><div><em>Follow Me</em> by Joanna Scott tells the incredible and intriguing story of Sally Werner and her offspring.</div><br /><div><em>Mating Rituals of the North American WASP</em> by Lauren Lipton is a hysterical look at love between the mismatched.</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-85272854363884156952009-05-03T10:42:00.000-07:002009-05-03T10:50:18.409-07:00Fifty is Not a Four Letter Word<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sf3YPfVH-8I/AAAAAAAAATc/cxlQVl3sW_4/s1600-h/50.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331655294496275394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 154px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 238px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sf3YPfVH-8I/AAAAAAAAATc/cxlQVl3sW_4/s320/50.bmp" border="0" /></a> It's nice to see that publishers actually acknowledge that some of us are over 40 and still read chick lit. Linda Kelsey has written the ultimate chick book for the over 45 crowd and has done so with the sardonic British twist. Hope Lyndhurst-Steele has everything - a great job, a loving family - that is until it all falls apart. She loses her job, her son is running after the local MILF and her husband can't seem to stand her. Determined to change her state, Hope runs away alone to Paris and begins to see herself in a new light.<br /><br />Kelsey develops some truly great characters in this book; they are relateable and interesting. Not a typical chick lit book, this novel really delves into the female mid life crisis and shows how a real woman can come out on the other side.<br /><div></div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-44592437140234880622009-05-03T10:36:00.000-07:002009-05-03T10:41:42.598-07:00Busy Woman Seeks Wife<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sf3WMW1NehI/AAAAAAAAATU/8BZKxukyIEw/s1600-h/seekswife.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331653041652070930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 154px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 233px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sf3WMW1NehI/AAAAAAAAATU/8BZKxukyIEw/s320/seekswife.bmp" border="0" /></a>Alex Hill is a successful London based executive who doesn't have time for anything; her life is a whirlwind of meetings and events. Everything changes when her formerly famous mother injures herself and must move in with Alex. After placing an ad in a local paper looking for a "wife" to take care of mom and the household, a ebullient and capable young woman appears. But is everything as it seems? The answer, in this humorous book by Annie Sanders, is no. Soon Alex realizes that someone else is behind the scenes and he is definitely not the typical "wife."<br /><br />Sanders, author (Sanders is actually a writing team) of <em>Goodbye, Jimmy Choo</em>, delivers a funny and heartwarming book about the modern day woman and her needs, desires and dreams.love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-38034415112595592072009-05-03T10:25:00.000-07:002009-05-03T10:34:14.555-07:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sf3T82YcJLI/AAAAAAAAATM/WSsHGNx0XTc/s1600-h/LR.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331650576220169394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 154px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 223px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sf3T82YcJLI/AAAAAAAAATM/WSsHGNx0XTc/s320/LR.bmp" border="0" /></a> A very different type of book for well-known author Jane Hamilton, <em>Laura Rider's Masterpiece </em>is the story of a husband and wife who are at a crossroads both in their marriage and in their lives. Charlie and Laura Rider run a beautiful nursery and successful landscaping business together. While their business venture is blooming, their love life is not; they sleep in seperate beds and do not have any feelings of sexual intimacy. When a famed radio talk show host moves into town, Laura pushes Charlie into an email relationship as a means to end - Laura believes that the exchange will provide perfect fodder for the great romance novel she intends to write. However, it soon becomes clear that Charlie has fallen hard for our host and that Laura's novel will have a different ending.<br /><br />Hamilton, best known for her <em>The Book of Ruth</em>, is making a strong statement about the nature of email, the anonymity of the Internet and the concept of what makes a writer.<br /><div></div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-57084773062350424312009-05-03T10:18:00.000-07:002009-05-03T10:25:27.894-07:00<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sf3R9Ivfh_I/AAAAAAAAATE/RgOnasYwIZw/s1600-h/beauty.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331648382125443058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 154px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 237px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sf3R9Ivfh_I/AAAAAAAAATE/RgOnasYwIZw/s320/beauty.bmp" border="0" /></a> Everyone in the world, it seems, is either prettier or thinner (or both) than Beauty Marie Zavala. And the only thing "B" resents more than her name is the way others judge her for the extra 40 pounds she can't lose. At least she has her career. Or did, until she overhears her boss criticizing her weight and devising a scheme to keep her from being promoted. Enter B's new tax accountant, a modern-day matchmaker determined to boost B's flagging self-esteem by introducing her to rich, successful men who will accept her for who she is. As B's confidence blossoms, so do her fantasies of revenge. But will B find true happiness or true disaster when she unwittingly falls for the one guy she shouldn't? (Description courtesy of Grand Central Publishing).<br /><br />Ferraras' debut novel has a great moral at its core - we need to accept ourselves as we are. B is a young woman who has allowed her weight to become the focus of her life; although she is outwardly okay with her size, she allows others to shatter her self-worth. Her boss won't promote her due to her weight, she can't find love because of her weight, she is second fiddle to her best friend because of her weight. Once a Russian "madam" comes into the picture, B suddenly realizes that she is worth something , that she is a woman who can be loved and find love.<br /><br />As I read the book, I was intrigued by the fact that the author was male. Was he writing from a male Latino perspective or from a purely metrosexual perspective (i.e. a male with a female side)? This is a book with a fantastical plot but an important statement.love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-31007080806259400632009-05-03T10:15:00.000-07:002009-05-03T10:16:18.536-07:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sf3RSnUPvcI/AAAAAAAAAS8/rgfhfEsW1GQ/s1600-h/Asian.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331647651598286274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 118px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sf3RSnUPvcI/AAAAAAAAAS8/rgfhfEsW1GQ/s320/Asian.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Comment below and you could win one of five great books from Hachette Book Group!</div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-49444542929200340532009-05-03T10:14:00.000-07:002009-05-03T10:15:22.834-07:00<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sf3RCz0GuOI/AAAAAAAAAS0/V4tjCtvSeY4/s1600-h/Latino.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331647380075231458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 118px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sf3RCz0GuOI/AAAAAAAAAS0/V4tjCtvSeY4/s320/Latino.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Enter today to win one of five great Latino focused books! Comment below!</div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-30029737149363808112009-05-03T10:12:00.000-07:002009-05-03T10:14:18.934-07:00Check out our Giveaways!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sf3QzIO987I/AAAAAAAAASs/8sgUnoTr_rk/s1600-h/mothersday.bmp"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5331647110678705074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 118px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sf3QzIO987I/AAAAAAAAASs/8sgUnoTr_rk/s320/mothersday.bmp" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Enter today by commenting below and you could win one of five great books from Hachette Book Group!</div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-56560501704662577852009-03-29T12:01:00.000-07:002009-03-29T12:05:43.859-07:00Cool DVD SiteEvery now and then I come across a non-literature site that I simply must tell everyone about. The team at First Weekend Club DVD (<a href="http://www.firstweekendclub.ca/dvd-club/">http://www.firstweekendclub.ca/dvd-club/</a>) helps to build audiences for Canadian films via grassroots initiatives including screenings, filmmaker focus Q&As and other programs. You can join at the site and be the first to receive notification when new Canadian films are released - you can even win tickets to great premieres and parties. All I can say is that Canadian films do rock!love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-43430802854799663082009-03-29T10:18:00.000-07:002009-03-29T10:21:13.612-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sc-uAUbxFSI/AAAAAAAAASk/rmvcSVzKlvw/s1600-h/5175Y41%2BnLL._SL500_AA240_.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sc-uAUbxFSI/AAAAAAAAASk/rmvcSVzKlvw/s320/5175Y41%2BnLL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318661005456250146" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sc-tyWzPGbI/AAAAAAAAASc/jp1IHZTiJ2I/s1600-h/Zepeda.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sc-tyWzPGbI/AAAAAAAAASc/jp1IHZTiJ2I/s320/Zepeda.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318660765573388722" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sc-tkWazTRI/AAAAAAAAASU/fsYbUmcpPtM/s1600-h/Altun.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sc-tkWazTRI/AAAAAAAAASU/fsYbUmcpPtM/s320/Altun.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318660524952734994" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">Songs My Mother Never Taught Me </span> by Selcuk Altun (Telegram, April 2009): A wonderful book about two men whose lives are fated to cross in modern Turkey. <div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">Cham </span>by Jonathan Trigell (Serpent's Tail, May 2009): Winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize, Trigell tells the story of Itchy, a young man living in the mountains of Chamonix Mont Blanc. A lost soul, Itchy is thrust into the shadows of a serial rapist; he must pull from deep within to find redemption for his past and hope for his future.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">Houston, We Have a Problema</span> by Gwendolyn Zepeda (Grand Central Publishing, 2009): Jessica is a young woman who relies on her neighborhood psychic for answers to all of life's questions. However, what will happen when the psychic tells Jessica to expect a big change? Will Jessica be ready for a life-altering event? Zepeda writes with humor and honesty in this multi-cultural chick lit book.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-86549599280842991272009-03-29T09:56:00.000-07:002009-03-29T10:05:41.575-07:00The Pools<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sc-orj77tiI/AAAAAAAAASE/u1VxYjHrctk/s1600-h/41HAH0IFYIL._SL500_AA240_.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sc-orj77tiI/AAAAAAAAASE/u1VxYjHrctk/s320/41HAH0IFYIL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318655151282304546" /></a>Serpent's Tail, 2008.<div><br /></div><div>Another brilliant debut novel courtesy of the brilliant team at Serpent's Tail. It is England, mid 1980s and the body of a 15 year old boy is found by the pools. What is the cause of his death?</div><div><br /></div><div>Through the eyes of narrators Howard (stepfather) and Joanna (a young teenager), a disturbing story is told; one that keeps the reader intrigued until the bitter end. Roberts' characters are realistic, filled with bad behavior and questionable decision making; yet, this is what compels one to continue reading. Why? How? The sense of foreboding is overwhelming and yet, essential to the essence of the work. I guarantee you will walk away from reading this work a changed person.</div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-67808955060528849032009-03-29T09:49:00.000-07:002009-03-29T09:56:52.951-07:00The Sound of Building Coffins<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sc-m2dG4j2I/AAAAAAAAAR8/CTJx6pUNK8o/s1600-h/51bY8T2aVCL._SL500_AA240_.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/Sc-m2dG4j2I/AAAAAAAAAR8/CTJx6pUNK8o/s320/51bY8T2aVCL._SL500_AA240_.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318653139404492642" /></a>Toby Press, 2009<div><br /></div><div>This powerful novel set in 1890s New Orleans is a complex debut novel from Louis Maistros. Maistros, owner of a voodoo botanica in New Orleans focuses on the nature of rebirth in a place that is filled with demons, both physical and literal. The city itself becomes the main character within the pages as we wander its streets, learn of its inhabitants and its history. Lyrical in its prose, the book deftly paints a world that is changing, a world where music fills the streets even as pain fills the doorways. A beautiful and compelling first novel.</div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-2022259223732760712009-03-29T09:37:00.000-07:002009-03-29T09:47:15.861-07:00<img src="http://cathiunsworth.weebly.com/uploads/4/6/4/0/464074/7280085.jpg" /><div><br /></div><div>Serpent's Tail, 2008</div><div><br /></div><div>I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! Cathi Unsworth takes the reader through the dark alleyways of the world of punk music as she weaves the tale of journalist Eddie Bracknell who is writing the ultimate story of cult band Blood Truth. As Bracknell uncovers the sad truth behind the disappearance of lead singer, Vincent Smith, he discovers a world of loneliness, drugs, sex and music. </div><div><br /></div><div>While the story primarily focuses on the mystery surrounding the glorious Smith, it is also a tale of undying love; a love that can leave one in pain and misery, that can send one to a state of near insanity. Bracknell's life begins to parallel Smith's as he wanders back in time in an attempt to understand the real reason for the band's fall from fame. Unsworth vividly paints a picture of the U.K. at a time where music could bring youth to their knees, could make a strong moral and political statement (The Clash) and could create a bond between disaffected youth. This is a book that the reader will not want to put down; the characters are ones we care about, ones we want to follow and learn about. A true book about a movement and a group of people determined to change the world one song at a time.</div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-86585407400969302892008-12-27T11:18:00.001-08:002008-12-27T11:22:08.012-08:00My Splendid Concubine<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SVZ_kGvgjCI/AAAAAAAAARo/fz6iKvbMDLM/s1600-h/170029.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284551471027751970" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 212px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SVZ_kGvgjCI/AAAAAAAAARo/fz6iKvbMDLM/s320/170029.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><p>Richard Hart, the main character of Lloyd Lofthouse's new work, has become the most powerful Westerner in China. His love of "modernism" has led to the creation of China's infrastructure including railroads and schools. Hart, however, has one true love - Ayaou, a Chinese concubine. As China changes, Hart must learn to love a different country and a re-born woman in order to survive and become a true leader.</p><p> </p>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-76532384722109980052008-12-27T11:12:00.001-08:002008-12-27T11:18:12.292-08:00The Five Lost Days<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SVZ-NtXagsI/AAAAAAAAARg/LBi6qk8q4vY/s1600-h/6a00e55391c4f3883401053681e5eb970c-800wi.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284549986747056834" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 144px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 210px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SVZ-NtXagsI/AAAAAAAAARg/LBi6qk8q4vY/s320/6a00e55391c4f3883401053681e5eb970c-800wi.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Pearhouse Press (2008)</div><div> </div><div>William Petrick, an award-winning producer, takes the reader into the life of Michael Burns, a documentary producer who travels to the remote mountains of Belize to capture footage of a surviving Mayan healer. As civil war in Guatemala spills into the forests of Belize, Burns is soon caught up in an adventure of a lifetime...one that he may not be able to withstand.</div><div> </div><div>Petrick writes sparingly and with a truly unique voice that captures the wilds of Belize and the dangers that occur when one becomes enraptured by a life different than one's own. The characters and location are fully developed; allowing for a visual imagery that aids the building plot. Petrick has written a truly wonderful first book.</div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-45873712461693615752008-12-27T11:05:00.001-08:002008-12-27T11:12:30.228-08:00Nella Last's Peace<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SVZ8jV_Y2UI/AAAAAAAAARY/57Nh3jkyGYw/s1600-h/Nella.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284548159406135618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 125px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 191px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SVZ8jV_Y2UI/AAAAAAAAARY/57Nh3jkyGYw/s320/Nella.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Nella Last's Peace: The Post-War Diaries of Housewife 49. Edited by Patricia and Robert Malcolmson (Profile Books, 2008)</em></div><div><em></em> </div><div>The diaries of Nella Last, a housewife and mother from Barrow-in-Furness, have been a favorite of British readers since the first book, <em>Nella Last's War</em>, was made into the television drama <em>Housewife 49.</em> In this second book, Nella continues her diary and describes how the people of Britain rebuilt their lives after the Allies' victory. Last, possibly because she never dreamed that people would be reading her work, wrote daily of her trials and tribulations as a wife and mother in wartime England. Honest to a fault, she does not mince her emotions or words in telling her story - one that every person can find a relatable element in.<br /></div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-11318970724196489172008-12-27T10:59:00.001-08:002008-12-27T11:05:18.785-08:00Scattered Leaves by Richard E. Roach<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SVZ7M-FNFxI/AAAAAAAAARQ/wFHLQtQFhQU/s1600-h/scattered-leaves-150x150.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284546675519330066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SVZ7M-FNFxI/AAAAAAAAARQ/wFHLQtQFhQU/s320/scattered-leaves-150x150.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><em>Scattered Leaves (Crystal Dreams Publishing, 2008)</em></div><div> </div><div>In an ambitious and suspenseful novel, author and everyman Richard E. Roach combines some of the most important issues facing our country; illegal drug trafficking and illegal immigration. Unfortunately for main character Ben McCord, life turns dark after the murder and rape of his young wife. Determined to right this horrific tragedy, McCord sets out through the dark roads of Texas, Colorado and the Mexican border in a search for justice. Along the way, he meets a beautiful and mysterious doctor who is on a similar journey.</div><div> </div><div>Roach brings the reader on a edge of your seat journey for the majority of the work. The only place where the book is lacking is in character development - McCord's choices and decision making is unbelievable at times and his seemingly head on movement towards death leads one to question who he is. Otherwise, Roach delivers a interesting read.</div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-53151142121087344702008-12-13T15:13:00.000-08:002008-12-13T15:21:32.276-08:00Jacoby is a Genius!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SURDd4D0f6I/AAAAAAAAARI/O0cMtK0Uy3s/s1600-h/Jacoby.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279418843728740258" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 128px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 188px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SURDd4D0f6I/AAAAAAAAARI/O0cMtK0Uy3s/s320/Jacoby.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Sometimes you pick up a book and simply can't put it down...you end up staying up late reading and get up for work the next day exhausted. That was the case with M. Ann Jacoby's <em>Life After Genius (Grand Central Publishing)</em>, a beautiful look at family through the eyes of a young male genius. When Teddy "Mead" Fegley enters college at the age of 15, he is ill-equipped to deal with the social aspects although he excels at academics. As he attempts to solve a mathematical quandary with the help of his brilliant but eccentric professor, Mead must resolve a problematic relationship with a dorm-mate and his difficult family life. Ultimately, Mead flees college for home; a place that only proves to hold harsh memories and realities which must be faced. There can be no more running away - Mead must finally and fully grow up before he can actually graduate.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Jacoby has written a book that is filled with quirkiness and brilliance. Her writing has a sense of ease and honesty that allows the reader to actually enter the world of the characters. This is a place we want to be, a boy we want to succeed and a world we are sad to leave.</div><br /><div></div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-61522626056370318772008-12-13T15:01:00.001-08:002008-12-13T15:12:22.898-08:00Non-Fiction Books, Continued...<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SURAYLJ5iXI/AAAAAAAAARA/FJHdQrPbciI/s1600-h/realoffice.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279415447240411506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 126px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 193px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SURAYLJ5iXI/AAAAAAAAARA/FJHdQrPbciI/s320/realoffice.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SURAFPwjPaI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/WYEYB30LQUY/s1600-h/Grays.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279415122058755490" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 128px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 164px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SURAFPwjPaI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/WYEYB30LQUY/s320/Grays.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SUQ_dsTkP8I/AAAAAAAAAQw/r3xiRdF34Pg/s1600-h/Ross.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279414442527047618" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 121px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 193px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SUQ_dsTkP8I/AAAAAAAAAQw/r3xiRdF34Pg/s320/Ross.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><em></em></div><br /><div><em></em></div><br /><div><em></em></div><br /><div><em></em></div><br /><div><em></em></div><br /><div><em></em></div><div><em>How Not to be a Domestic Goddess (Profile Books)</em> by Deborah Ross: Ross, an award-winning columnist for numerous British papers, is the European equivalent of Norah Ephron. In this exceptionally funny book, Ross acknowledges that the majority of us are not perfect women; that we leave dirty dishes in the sink, fight with our significant others and wear no make-up and sweats to the supermarket. </div><br /><br /><div><em>Amazing Grays: A Woman's Guide to Making the Next 50 the Best 50</em> by Maggie Rose Crane: Okay I admit it --- underneath this brown hair coloring are a ton of gray hairs. Some days I am ready to commit to going gray and others I simply can not. Crane honors life after menopause with an informative and positive look at getting older. She gives us tips on reinvigorating our passions, redefining aging and navigating the future.</div></div><br /><em>The Real Office: All the Office Questions You Never Dared to Ask (Profile Books) </em>by Lucy Kellaway: Kellaway, the management consultant to the Financial Times is known for her commentaries on modern corporate culture and life. In this honest and sharp book, Kellaway answers readers' questions with a sense of practicality and humor; how do you tell your boss what you really think of them? How do you fire a friend? Can you lead your office and still be a nice person?<br /><p></p></div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-89426620598920846682008-12-13T14:54:00.001-08:002008-12-13T15:00:58.013-08:00Non-Fiction Books for Your Collection<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SUQ-i3FIpjI/AAAAAAAAAQo/XYLt4K2wmT0/s1600-h/Wambach.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279413431807026738" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 181px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 280px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/SUQ-i3FIpjI/AAAAAAAAAQo/XYLt4K2wmT0/s320/Wambach.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Here are some non-fiction must reads this winter:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><em>Battles Between Somebodies and Nobodies: Combat Abuse of Rank at Work and at Home (Brookside Press)</em> by Julie Ann Wambach, PhD: As someone who has worked for many "bully" bosses, I found this book to be a helpful tool in my journey to move forward and away for the work power plays. With a step-by-step plan to stop "rankism," Wambach gives the reader practical details on changing one's life.</div><br /><div> </div><div> </div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-38569518444562275662008-12-02T14:42:00.001-08:002008-12-02T14:44:22.874-08:00Travel with Sheryl Kayne<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/STW6Ce9k2pI/AAAAAAAAAQg/FLWh7P4PYD0/s1600-h/9-im-book_cover-1418.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275327090368240274" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 225px" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/STW6Ce9k2pI/AAAAAAAAAQg/FLWh7P4PYD0/s320/9-im-book_cover-1418.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>THE IMMERSION TRAVELER'S BOOK by Sheryl Kayne</div><br /><div><br />BEST IMMERSION TRAVEL USA (Countryman Press, W.W. Norton & Company, Fall 2008) is an extensive listing of IMMERSION TRAVELER trips within the United States. • Would you consider vacationing on an organic farm and working in exchange for room and board? • Do you want to be a bus driver and wildlife tour guide in a National Park? • How about volunteering with The Wounded Warrior Disabled Sports Project providing adaptive sporting events for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans?<br />BEST IMMERSION TRAVEL USA is organized in categories of interests and locations for you to plan the trip that meets your needs. Many entries begin with a personal story from someone who has experienced the activity or one very similar to it. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Check out the website at <a href="http://www.immersiontravel.com/">http://www.immersiontravel.com/</a> for more information.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-40764617378342231852008-12-02T14:26:00.000-08:002008-12-02T14:31:47.374-08:00Vampires...everywhere!<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/STW3TYFecwI/AAAAAAAAAQY/arwSEQog47g/s1600-h/n287525.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275324082045219586" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 206px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/STW3TYFecwI/AAAAAAAAAQY/arwSEQog47g/s320/n287525.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Ok, I admit that I read all of the Twilight series in one week and saw the movie already (is Edward Cullen hot or what?). Well, there's a new, literary vampire in town and it's Jacques Chessex's <em>The Vampire of Ropaz (Bitter Lemon Press, 2008). </em>Chessex, one of the most important living authors in Switzerland and winner of the Goncourt Prize, bases this extraordinary book on a true story that occurred in in the Jura Mountains in 1903. </div><br /><div><br />While the story could be considered a crime novel, the reality is that the book is much more of a moral tale that focuses on a community's fear of the unknown and strange. A beautifully and sparsely written book (less than 110 pages), this is a story that will leave you with more questions than answers - who has committed the horrendous crimes outlined in the novel? Is the accused truly criminal or simply a product of a life filled with abuse at the hands of others? Chessex is a first class writer who turns the notion of the vampire on its head...and there is no Bella or Edward involved.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-18630666405430286102008-12-02T14:22:00.000-08:002008-12-02T14:26:08.268-08:00Kelly Epperson's Columns Don't Stink!<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/STW1-dPxjiI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/OmNUyEAXAVo/s1600-h/bookcover_001-259x376.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275322623141711394" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 220px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/STW1-dPxjiI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/OmNUyEAXAVo/s320/bookcover_001-259x376.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>In her regular columns, author Kelly Epperson tells the truth about life's imperfections and the dirt that we sometimes have to wash down the drain. Finally, her readers (and those of us who don't get the opportunity to read her weekly) can read all of her funny, honest and heartfelt columns in her work, <em>When Life Stinks It's Time to Wash the Gym Clothes (Rockford Writer's Guild, 2008).</em> A great holiday present for the person in your life who looks at things with a bit of humor and wit!</div><br /><div></div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7644899369092262500.post-20452685290130689972008-12-02T14:20:00.000-08:002008-12-02T14:22:23.746-08:00Gift Idea Number Two<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/STW1Fv8NUeI/AAAAAAAAAQI/QbY15584ulw/s1600-h/ilikeyou.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275321648907375074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 264px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aL0ziIHfgH8/STW1Fv8NUeI/AAAAAAAAAQI/QbY15584ulw/s320/ilikeyou.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Amy Sedaris rocks...and cooks! In her bestselling cookbook and comic masterpiece, <em>I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence (Grand Central Publishing, 2008),</em> Sedaris gives us all some great "Southern" tips for throwing a great party with some yummy food. Your foodie will love it!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>love2writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07916217685946521167noreply@blogger.com0