seriously. this is getting ridiculous

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

As If abolishing slavery weren't enough

So… I thought that Quirk Books had had its fun with literature. But no, Seth Grahame-Smith desecrates another poor helpless dead person again. This time, much more shamelessly, since this is actually Abraham Lincoln’s BIOGRAPHY. Come on. This guy wrote “The Big Book of Porn: A Penetrating Look at the World of Dirty Movies,” and “How to Survive a Horror Movie: All the Skills to Dodge the Kills.”

Don’t you think that the satirization of canonical historical figures and books has gone on long enough? I mean… sure, we have the Colbert Report. The Daily Show. The Onion. But ever since P& P& Zombies, there have been authors upon authors trying to scratch a bit of fame and nudge-nudge wink-wink humor and fame out of this trend. I mean, there’s humor, and then there’s just pure slapstick.

But there’s more. Mansfield Park and Mummies. Queen Victoria, Demon Hunter. The Undead World of Oz. Emma and the Werewolves. The War of the Worlds plus Blood, Guts, and Zombies. (very subtle) Android Karenina. Robin Hood & Friar Tuck: Zombie Killers – A Canterbury Tale (So many things wrong with this last one. First of all: Robin Hood & Friar Tuck were not killers. Lovers, not fighters, I say. And second, there is NO Robin Hood or Friar Tuck in the Canterbury Tales. Robin Hood is an invention of the Northern English imagination whereas Chaucer was a Londonite… AND he lived before the popularity of the Robin Hood legend)

I expose this as just a thinly veiled attempt for people to 1) convince other people that they’re cultured enough to have read the original 2) cultured enough to enjoy the original 3) cultured enough to take everything they read with irony.

So buy it. Put it on your bookshelf and laugh about it with your friends. Abraham Lincoln is watching.

NPR article here

[Via http://curalibrorum.wordpress.com]

The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D.

The Art of Happiness

Not many of us would disagree with His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s belief that the “purpose of our lives is to seek happiness.” But in this world of complexity, anxiety, insecurity, conflict, intolerance, anger, and hatred we might be inclined on the one hand to ignore this extraordinary book on the grounds that it is too simplistic or idealistic, or, on the other hand, to agree too readily to its premises without actually practicing the difficult inner and outer work that the Dalai Lama believes is necessary for real happiness.

The Art of Happiness is based on conversations between the Dalai Lama and Dr. Howard Cutler, a Diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Cutler does a superb job of framing the Dalai Lama’s teachings, stories, and meditations in a way that makes them come alive not just for Buddhists, but for anyone seeking real understanding.

This is a book of profound common sense. Exploring topics such as intimacy, compassion, suffering, anger, kindness, hatred, and change, the Dalai Lama makes clear that real happiness depends on transforming our deepest attitudes, the very way we look at and deal with ourselves and others. It requires “new conditioning.” For the Dalai Lama the first steps toward this new conditioning are based not on mystical or transcendental practices but rather on education, learning, determination, enthusiasm, and effort.

For the Dalai Lama, it is our negative emotions, especially our anger and hatred, that undermine our physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being and promote conflict and destruction in the world. The Dalai Lama makes clear that “’The only factor that can give you refuge or protection from the destructive effects of anger and hatred is your practice of tolerance and patience.’”

Though the practice of patience and tolerance may seem impossible with regard to the big things in our lives, the Dalai Lama suggests that we can start with the small things. “By sacrificing small things, by putting up with small problems or hardships, you will be able to forgo experiences or sufferings that can be much more enormous in the future.”

The Dalai Lama throws new light on many of our assumptions. In discussing “genuine humility” and its relationship to patience, for example, he points out that it “involves having the capacity to take a confrontational stance, having the capacity to retaliate if you wish, yet deliberately deciding not to do so.”

For the Dalai Lama, the work of patience and tolerance is a work of will that is based on inner strength, compassion, and presence of mind, not on meekness and passivity. It is this work, done with as much awareness as we can muster, that is especially needed in today’s world.

See also, my essay Some Thoughts on Happiness and Suffering

[Via http://dennislewisblog.com]

Sushi Party!

My husband and I were invited over to the home of another couple who we are great friends with (Todd and Amy) to make sushi together a few weeks ago. I keep forgetting to upload the photos, so, here they are! Finally! The fish and most of the fixins were purchased at Asian Delight Marketplace. I highly recommend that you stop in there and take a look around. They have everything there; meat, produce, ice cream and other frozen goods, and several aisles with just about every Asian grocery imaginable. The candy aisle alone is worth the trip. We also had some amazing sake that Todd picked up; Coconut Lemongrass by Moonstone. It was refreshing and mildly sweet.

Making sushi rolls is actually really easy. The rice-on-the-outside kind is more difficult so we usually don’t bother with those. I learned pretty much everything I needed from this book, and have tutored lots of our friends at various at-home sushi parties. EVERYONE gets the hang of it after one roll. You should give it a try, too!

[Via http://eatinggrandrapids.com]

Book review - On the road (1957)

Rating: 7/10

Written by: Jack Kerouac

Review: Recently I’ve been reading books I’ve always meant to read and not got around to for one reason or another. This was one of the first books I thought of in this category. When I was younger I almost read it several times but it just didn’t happen.

I have to confess I was a little disappointed, I don’t think the years since it was written have served it well. It now sounds dated and rooted in its time. At the time of course it was significant and thats why we read it today but I can’t help thinking I should have read it 25 years ago when time wouldn’t have been quite so cruel to it. Its a struggle not to laugh at some of the hip language and Kerouac’s writing style also gets in the way a little, it sometimes feels as though he wrote it in French and then translated it into English (Aha, I note on Wikipedia that he may indeed have done this to some extent). The book isn’t served by the process. I also felt an editor might have been a good thing, its a bit of a stream of consciousness.

On the positive side its does evoke the era and leaves you wondering what it would have been like to jump that freight train across country.

All that said it still rates 7/10 which says I liked it. I had just expected it to be 10/10.

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_road

Amazon: Buy it

Video:

[Via http://6fish.wordpress.com]

The Luxe

Godberson, Anna.  The Luxe.  New York:  HarperCollins, 2007.  Print.

The setting is 1899 New York, where high society rules the city.  Elizabeth Holland is the perfect lady with one little secret; she is in love with the wrong man.  As her family faces financial difficulty, Elizabeth must choose between the man she loves and the man whose wealth could save her family.

Although I found this book frustrating in plot, it was also highly addictive.  Obsession with the famous and wealthy has always been a part of our culture, and this novel adapts that obsession to historical fiction quite well.  Although I will never find this series among my list of “must reads,” it is mindless entertainment fitting for vacations and the beach.

[Via http://jennclimenhaga.wordpress.com]

In reverse.

Two comics for you to appreciate from the last few weeks:

from here.

and

from here.

[Via http://counter-force.com]

Start Here ... A Personal Review

“I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on Frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond Words… When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and Respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly wise disrespectful] and impatient of restraint”

 Which modern day pundit made this observation?

Hesiod, a Greek oral poet of the 8th century BC.

Read on for a more recent reflection on teenagers.

In his book, ”Age of Opportunity” Paul David Tripp recounts an experience he had while attending a weekend marriage retreat. “Near the end of the weekend, I was looking out at the sun glistening on the waters of the bay when I noticed a couple sitting nearby. They looked unhappy. I was curious, so I asked them if they had enjoyed the weekend. Everything had been great they replied. I commented that they didn’t look very happy, The women responded, “We have two teenagers and we are dreading going home. We wish this weekend would last forever!” “You just have to expect your teenager to be rebellious; all of us were,” her husband added. “You just have to ride it out.” “Besides,” she moaned, “you can’t argue with hormones!”

Paul Tripp continues by summing up what he sees as “the cultural epidemic of fear and cynicism about our teenagers.”

 So what gives? Can centuries of testimony to the unacceptable behavior of teenagers be all wrong!

Alex and Brett Harris have written a book filled with present day evidence of the wonderful, creative, energetic hard work tackled by a cross centered section of today’s youth!

Start Here is the companion to their first book “Do Hard Things” in which they dispel contemporary wisdom regarding young people and give a challenge; Do Hard Things!

In Start Here the Harris’ share many testimonies from youth all across America and the WORLD! Beginning on page three with a list of topics:

• How to stand up for what you believe;
• Strategies for overcoming stage fright, fund raising fright, and phone calling fright;
• Ways to keep going when you feel stuck and keep going when you are discouraged;
• How to understand God’s will and glorify Him through your efforts;
• God-honoring ways to think, feel, and act after you’ve completed a big project;

 

And culminating with a list of, “100 Hard Things” in the appendix. They emphasize that the world WILL be changed “by a generation that gives up seeking worldly success to pursue a life of faithfulness”

The stories will move you and hopefully “convict” you to get out of your comfort zone, stop looking at what you can’t do and have faith that God has equipped you for all those works He wills in your life!

Parents, teachers, guidance counselors, Grandparents, ANYONE can be well served by reading this book.

Start with the:

• Why… solely for the Glory of God!
• What… let your imagination be the limit!
• Where … in your home, school anywhere!
• When… NOW don’t wait!
• Who … you whether a 90 year old or a 13 year old
• How … START HERE!

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 1 Timothy 4.

This book was provided by Multnomah for review.

Visit www.randomhouse.com for more information on this and other books.

See additional reviews on: www.amazon.com, http://www.christianbook.com, http://www.lifewaystores.com

[Via http://word4women.wordpress.com]

Book Review | A Project Guide To UX Design

If Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas had written a book for UX Designers, this book would be A Project Guide to UX Design: For user experience designers in the field or in the making. This is certainly the The Pragmatic Programmer for designers.

The book brings the entire environment and life cycle of a web application project to discussion, showing how each piece connects with others and where the UX Designer role fits into it. It also details how particular activities and tasks look like and what are the best practices for them.

But it doesn’t stop there, it goes way beyond, really deep into what a UX Designer really needs to know and do to become a proficient and useful asset for products and projects and a valuable player for development teams.

Why Pragmatic?

The book details really strong points the designer has to have in mind and account for before, during, and after designing:

• User research: methods are analyzed in practical terms of planning and execution like: challenges, time frame for estimation, budgeting, motivation…
• Scope, requirements and prioritization: recognizing and engaging stakeholders, balancing user needs and business needs, presenting and defending requirements, working with legacy requirements…
• Project Methodologies: differences between Agile and Waterfall and how to use the benefits and behave in both, how the rhythim and outcome of the team change from one to the other…
• SEO: one of the largest chapters in the book is devoted for SEO, with a really good and rich overview of what SEO is and what are the common mistakes and things to look for when designing and defining navigation and interactions.

In order to enable Information Architects and Interaction Designers to work and provide good solutions for web based applications and content, you can’t just show them how to use a wireframing tool and define Personas. The real work consists in knowing what the web and the project offers to you and what are its constraints, and the books does a real good job in capturing it.

Designer Who?

The UX Designer role is relatively new for most companies and even for Web Designers in general. The book does a good job on defining what a UX Designer is and what are the ideal attributions it has and what are other responsibilities it might have in different companies.

Mixing this with the really good overview in projects and companies environment, a summary of other common (and not-so-common) roles involved in web applications projects is also presented and the relationship between them and the designer is commented, as well as how the UX Design can benefit from them.

For Freelancers and Enterprise’ds

It’s interesting the amount of attention dedicated to the company and the project culture, it’s not just about what the UX Designer will do and how, but where and with who. After all, working for small business with direct contact to the CEO or Marketing VP is certainly not the same thing as working for department managers or really small companies that might not even have a Marketing department.

The way stakeholders and the requirements gathering process is presented reminded me of some Yourdon’s Death March excerpts, but the idea is: sometimes you’ll have several people (stakeholders) to please, plus the user. How to make the tough call, or how to provide best solutions that fits them all? – If it looks like a duck and sounds like a duck, make it a duck… but how? The book helps on this.

Freelancers have an special attention with an entire chapter about writing the proposal and services agreement document, with examples and concepts. Even legal details are mentioned. This chapter is also good for non-Freelancer Designers as it shows how to present design proposals and specs in professional looking and useful documents.

Conclusion

A Project Guide to UX Design is a must buy for web designers in general, and a really good add to the bookshelve of web developers – remember, standing in the other’s shoes is gold – and people involved with IA teams and web products strategy.

It was a really good read for me ramping up in the Product Management and Agile Product Owner thing. RECOMMENDED.

[Via http://rafaelbandeira3.wordpress.com]

<i>The Book Thief</i> is Captivating

It isn’t easy to write a novel set in Nazi Germany that reads entirely fresh. Upon finding out that The Book Thief features a German family harboring a runaway Jew and the Allied bombing of Munich, perhaps one would hesitate to open its cover. Don’t fear clichés here, reader. Markus Zusak’s book is a standout. The characters in this novel are all well conceived and complex. Liesel, the protagonist, is soft-hearted but tough and willingly steals from strangers, as does her friend Rudy who also dresses as Jesse Owens (complete with blackened skin). Papa is a quiet and loving man who quietly resists the Nazis, while Mama’s verbal abuse almost disguises her strong heart. My favorite character, though, is Death, who narrates this book. Banish your preconceptions about who Death is and trust Zusak; his Grim Reaper is unrelenting but also caring. He executes his job (pun intended) despite his wishes. The prose is fluid and enticing. You are drawn into the world of the book effortlessly, and you are immediately invested. Death paints the story in colors both bright and faded. Zusak uses foreshadowing effectively and interestingly to keep the pages turning because of and in spite of what you know. At times the author chops up his text a bit too much for me; I rarely enjoy sentence fragments. However, the vibrant story always compells. Although some typical World War II tropes appear in these pages, there are many new elements, too. It was enjoyable to be able to cheer for a German family during WWII. They hide Max, a Jew, in their basement, and he rewards them (and the reader) with wonderful tales and illustrations. If the ending is a bit predictable, the experience is stirring and delightful. I highly recommend.  ★★★★ 1/2

[Via http://ahabsquest.wordpress.com]

The Fight Continues (Day #2)

It’s day two. I’m trying, really trying, to get into Twilight. But somehow, I can’t let my defenses down. I think I’ve built it up—probably because EVERYONE builds it up—and I have a feeling I will be disappointed.

By page 9, I find myself counting the pages until the end of the first chapter. Pathetic, really. This is a New York Times bestseller?

I persevere. I promise myself to at least get to page 52 (the end of chapter 3) and then judge it accordingly after that.

But, when page 52 hits, I’m still unsure. It’s definitely picked up, but I wouldn’t say I’m intrigued. I feel as though I could put the book down at any time, never finish it, and live a perfectly content life.

After reading two other YA novels within the last week—Thirteen Reasons Why and The Hunger Games—which both kept me tapping my Nook pages over and over, obsessively reading and even angry with the clock for foiling my plans of finishing before bedtime (actually MAD because I wanted to finish but knew I had to go to bed and reading 200+ pages would be impossible), Twilight is just not that. Those other novels transported me to another place, plopped me into the lives of two teens I actually cared about. I laughed, I cried, I read… and read, and read.

I couldn’t put them down. I brought my Nook with me everywhere—riding the subway, walking down the street, sitting in classes; I tried to convince my boyfriend that I could take the subway to meet him instead getting a ride from him, because I wanted to read. When he insisted on picking me up, I even had the courage to ask if I could bring my Nook in the car, to which he replied, Are you kidding me? Okay, okay, I understand.

But seriously, Twilight cannot compare. It holds no deeper meaning—at least, not yet. It gives me no greater sense of worldly understanding. It does not, within the first 52 pages, make me rethink my life, my moral compass, my decisions and actions. It does not make me question our society or our government. It just entertains.

Maybe that’s enough for most people, but not for me.

But, I made a promise to myself and I never break my promises. Page 53 awaits.

[Via http://wildaboutya.wordpress.com]

Review news ...

Thank you to GJM from Rites Of Romance for such a wonderful review of Enough. I really appreciate it, and it’s gotten my week off to a great start.

“Ms Adkins gets a recommended read for this as any author that can actually have a reader so passionate about their characters deserves nothing less.”

Click here to read the whole review.

[Via http://stephanieadkins.wordpress.com]

Creativity by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

Our future is closely tied to human creativity. The result will be determined in large part by our dreams and by the struggle to make them real.

The profundity of this work is validated by the widespread references attributed to Csikszentmihalyi’s insights. Several other books I have read refer to various pages and quotables found within the pages of Creativity and Flow. The book was organized like a scriptural lodestar for creativity.

The early chapters establish the historical context for the value, evolution, and impact of creativity. Like a first act, we learn about the characters and dynamics of a world where creativity touches every domain, field, and person of the human race.

Act two leads the reader on a dramatic journey of influences, struggles, and restictions. Sort of like the conflict of external and internal forces that either squelch or squelch the Creative in societies where conservative rules must apply so society does not dissolve “into chaos” (page 41).

Act three offers the Creative, whether professional or the average person, a glimpse of society without creativity and how to manage the environment to kindle the flames of creative energy.

I found Creativity a stimulating read with treasures of insight to inspire and provoke. Creativity will become a tattered fixture of my library.

[Via http://pokeindaeye.wordpress.com]

Wouldn't it be grand to open an Irish branch of the Rocky Mountain Land Library??

The Rocky Mountain Land Library’s celtic roots run deep. For the past 25 years, we have been building a strong collection of books on the natural history of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales — with a special emphasis on the Hebrides and Ireland’s western islands. On the occasion of Saint Patrick’s Day, here’s one of our favorites: Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape edited by F.H.A. Aalen, Kevin Whelan, and Matthew Stout.
This handsome atlas explores the rural landscape as a defining element of Ireland’s national heritage. Far more than a collection of maps, this book is thickly illustrated with photos, drawings, diagrams, and charts. An excellent text presents a narrative where layer upon layer of natural & cultural histories intertwine. Detailed descriptions are given of building styles, field and settlement patterns, archaeological monuments, villages, woodlands and bogs. Abundant maps open your eyes to Ireland’s glacial past, along with its rich heritage of stone circles, ring forts, sacred wells, Cistercian monasteries, and much more!
And for more on The Otter in Ireland (pictured above) visit Ireland’s National Parks & Wildlife Service website.

Here’s just a brief sampler of other Irish books that have found a home on the Land Library shelves. Which begs the question, wouldn’t it be grand to establish a Land Library along Dingle Bay??

A Pity Youth Does Not Last: Reminiscences of the Last of the Great Blasket Island’s Poets and Storytellers by Micheal O’Guiheen, Connemara: The Last Pool of Darkness by Tim Robinson, Nature Guide to the Aran Islands by Con O’Rourke, The Complete Guide to Ireland’s Birds by Eric Dempsey & Michael O’Clery, Twenty Years A-Growing by Maurice O’Sullivan (a Great Blasket Island memoir), Ireland: A Smithsonian Natural History Guide by Michael Viney.

[Via http://landlibrary.wordpress.com]

Embroidered Textiles: A World Guide to Traditional Patterns

♥♥♥♥♥

This is a coffee table style book well worth reading! Shelia Paine, a world expert in textiles and tribal societies, explores embroidery from a slightly different angle. It is her belief that the primary function of embroidery is “to decorate or embellish textiles already created to meet man’s basic needs.” She does an outstanding job of defending this hypothesis. In her introduction she explores the symbolism and motifs used in embroidery as well as the social indicators of embroidery in different cultures.

The substance of the book comes, however, in her Guide to Identification in which she divides the world into geographical regions and then investigates and analyzes the textiles indigenous to those areas. Her text is supplemented by 508 illustrations and line drawings; over 300 of them in color. She also includes in-depth explanations of the symbolism of motifs; religion’s influence on embroidery; and embroidery as ”magic” to ward against evil.  Awesome stuff! 

 

[Via http://stitchworkappraisals.wordpress.com]

Taboo by Jess Michaels

There’s a time and season for everything, and I guess I’m in the season for romance.

When I picked up Jess Michaels’ Taboo, I wasn’t expecting much. I’ve accepted that most romance novels are formulaic to a painful degree, and I was just looking for a nice diversion.

The story: Cassandra Mannings and Nathan Manning, the Earl of Blackhearth, has a past. And that’s Past, with a capital P. Nathan’s pretty bitter about what happened to their young, innocent romance, while Cassandra just wants to forget it all.

During their years apart, Cassandra has made a name for herself as a tailor of repute to the ladies of the ton; she has also become a mistress to several noblemen — something which irks Nathan to no end.

Which is why he threatens to ruin her success unless she complies with his demands….

What caught your attention? The cover. Okay, that’s half the truth. (Tis a nice cover, no? Those “men ravishing half naked ladies” covers are such turn offs.) It was also the fact that Cassandra was a seasoned mistress. I was getting tired of young, innocent, naive heroines who had to be “taught” by their beaus. Cassandra sounded like someone with a backbone, and the fact that she’s “experienced” puts her on a more equal footing with Nathan in that department.

Is it hot? Oh yeah. Cili padi hot.

What surprised you about the novel? Y’know, I was still expecting a pretty generic read, and in many ways Taboo is quite fairy tale-ish and eye roll-inducing, and some parts just too convenient and pat.

However, I was surprised by the genuine chemistry between Cassandra and Nathan. I was actually interested in finding out what f**ked up their relationship so many years ago.  What actually happened between the two in the past is pretty standard stuff, however – you’ve probably read it in some romance book somewhere – but I enjoyed the interaction between the two.  It was real, heart-felt and they had great chemistry.

Criticisms: Too short, and the overly saccharine ending … I don’t know, I just expected something different. Something a little more cynical, perhaps.

Rating: B+

[Via http://imaginarylands.wordpress.com]

"We Still Hold These Truths..."

“Rediscovering Our Principles, Reclaiming Our Future“  by Ryan T. Anderson

The review in National Review starts out with “For many today, the American Revolutionary was primarily a military campaign.  But the ‘real American Revolution’, John Adams insisted, ‘was in the minds and hearts of the people,’ transforming their ‘principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections.’  According to Alexander Hamilton, America was to be the experiment that revealed ‘whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection ad choice, or whether they are foreever destined to depend for the political consititutions on accident and force.’”

You can read the entire review at www.nationalreview.com.

[Via http://summerville912.wordpress.com]

Dark Divine

THE DARK DIVINE
Proccess: Still reading

The Dark Divine is a teen fiction book by Bree Dispain. It is about a teenage girl named Grace who was in love with her brother’s best friend, Daniel, since childhood. But suddenly, Jude (Grace’s brother) cannot stand Daniel and will not tell Daniel. Soon, Daniel dissapears with his mother. But he dodges most of Gracies questions and she begins to wonder if she can handle the answers.

Great book so far!

[Via http://simplyingrid.wordpress.com]

Trust Agents by Julien Smith and Chris Brogan Book Commentary - Why My Dog is a Hacker

I had just lost my six-year old dog to lymphoma. The highly active three-year old canine companion he left behind was understandably confused, moping around, and, most of all, bored. So I thought I would give her something new to do that might help her deal with her new reality.

Got her one of those dog toy balls that can be filled with small treats. As the dog plays with and rolls it around, a treat is randomly dispensed as a reward. She seemed interested enough. So I left her alone with it while I went to work in the office. It was quiet for a long time. When I went to check on her an hour or two later, she had managed to get out all the treats. No, she is not a genius dog and figured the right position at which to maneuver the ball to get at them. She had shredded the toy into dozens of little fragments to access the prize.

Essentially, my dog had hacked the treat ball system.

When we think of hackers, we think of those computer criminals who use viruses, spam, and identity theft to hurt or steal from other computer users. But in their book, Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust, authors Julien Smith and Chris Brogan give the hacker label a whole new, more positive, meaning.

According to Smith and Brogan, work and life have some significant parallels to video game play. Successful players look at the rules within the system and then modify–or hack–them to make the system work better, maybe even reinvent the game in some way.

Unlike malicious hacking, hacking at work requires that you have your company’s best interest at heart, with a strong focus on the results and not how the job gets done. In looking back on my career in corporate America, the times I hacked the existing system brought me more achievement than when I merely played by the rules. One such example was when I was in sales and was very frustrated with the dull boilerplate sales letters and materials we were expected to use. So I developed some very creative sales letters that were stories, poetry, parodies, and more. That venture into work hacking helped me gain some creative recognition and make the transition from sales into marketing, advertising, and public relations. Yes, I can personally attest to the authors’ work hacking strategy suggestions.

Smith and Brogan also suggest hacking your life for greater productivity and effectiveness. This could take the form of delegating tasks (whether it be to another person or a machine) at which you do not excel and that take you away from spending time applying your talents to help others. I have just started on the life hacking path and have been able to delegate a few tasks. I now have a few extra hours to write or read, both of which are valuable to me personally and professionally. But I have a long way to go here.

As the authors note, “There are rules and there are hacks. Create the game you want from life itself.” I think my dog already knows how to do that.

Click Here to Buy or Download to Your Amazon Kindle Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust

[Via http://promowithpurpose.wordpress.com]

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

Mary Anning truly was a remarkable creature.  Born in 1799, she was struck by lightning at the age of one and survived.  Living with her family in the village of Lyme Regis on the southern coast of Britain, little Mary spent many hours on the beach with her father searching for “curies” or “curiosities” which were in fact fossils of many prehistoric creatures such as ammonites, crinoids and belemnites.  To Mary and her family, “curies” were a way to put food on the table.  They collected the specimens and then sold them to the tourists who visited the coastal resort each summer. 

When the three spinster Philpot sisters move from London to Lyme Regis, Elizabeth Philpot takes an interest in Mary and her fossils.  A collector herself, Elizabeth joins Mary in scouring the beaches and uses her connections in aristocratic circles to help her sell her finds.  When Mary discovers a “monster” embedded in the rock, she unknowingly uncovers the first documented dinosaur, the first of many finds to come, and Elizabeth must fight to see that Mary gets the recognition she deserves.

Chevalier has taken a real life person in Mary Anning and fictionalized her life and accomplishments.  At the time that Mary lived, science was a man’s world and hunting fossils was not considered a suitable pursuit for women.  It was seen as “an unladylike pursuit, dirty and mysterious.”   Although she made major contributions to the world of paleontology, Mary was never given the credit she deserved and was mostly forgotten, though several of her finds are still on display in museums today. 

Alternating between the voice of Mary and the voice of Elizabeth, the chapters emphasize the class differences between the two women and highlight their unlikely friendship, including both mutual admiration and, at times, barely disguised envy and jealousy.  Not just a book about fossils, Remarkable Creatures is also an examination of the roles of women in society, and in the world of science, at a time when being a spinster at the age of 25 or spending time in “unladylike” pursuits such as fossil hunting were looked upon with suspicion and derision.

My Rating:  

[Via http://booklove.wordpress.com]

Raccoon Tales by Joy Dekok - Review and Giveaway!

Raccoon Tales by Joy DeKok is a charming, rhyming story of a year in the life of five orphaned raccoons. Taken in by a man and woman, this tells the story of how Chatter, Lucy, Shadow, Meeko, and RC were rescued, cared for, nursed when ill, and finally released back into the wild when they were ready.

I’ve read DeKok’s adult fiction, but this is the first children’s book of hers I’ve had the pleasure of reading. Just like some of her adult fiction, Raccoon Tales is based upon events from the author’s life. In this delightful story, children learn all about raccoons, and how, in many ways, they are like children, each having their own personalities and likes or dislikes.

As the story of these raccoons unfolds, DeKok is able to let her readers know that God is always with them, just like He is with these little creatures that He created.  The book talks briefly about God’s love, prayer, and doing what is right. In an easy and fun way, children are taught these lessons without even realizing it.

The illustrations by Leslie Helen Colwin are darling. She captured the essence of Chatter, Lucy, Shadow, Meeko, and RC so well. The last page of the book also includes some raccoon facts.

There’s so much to enjoy in Raccoon Tales by Joy DeKok. Don’t be surprised if you find your youngster asking to read this one over and again.

Rating: 

• Publisher: Jabberwocky Press
• ISBN-10: 1-935204-09-2
• ISBN-13: 978-1-9352040-9-1
• SRP:  $11.95

 

Enter to Win a Copy of Raccoon Tales by Joy Dekok!

Now that you’ve read how great this book is, don’t you want to own a copy for your child, grandchild or other special kid in your life?

Here’s how to enter:

1) Leave a comment here with a working email address so that we can contact you if you win.

2) Tweet about this contest for an extra entry. Leave us the link to your tweet. 

3) Announce this contest on Facebook for two additional entries. Show us you did.

4) Blog about this contest for three additional entries. Make sure you leave us a link to where you blogged about it.

This contest will run from today until 11:59 PM (Eastern) on March 26th. We’ll announce a winner by the first week of April.

Good luck to all who enter!

Bookmark & Share

[Via http://childrensandteensbookconnection.wordpress.com]

Now Find All Mother-Daughter Book Club News at Mother Daughter Book Club.com

Great news! All the content from Mother Daughter Book Club.com and Mother Daughter Book Club.WordPress.com has been combined into one site. Now you can find regular blog posts as well as book reviews, author interviews, book lists and more in one convenient place: Mother Daughter Book Club.com.

Check out the new site and send me a note to let me know what you think. info@motherdaughterbookclub.com.

[Via http://motherdaughterbookclub.wordpress.com]

Stoner and Spaz ~Book Review

Hey sorry guys, I haven’t posted in a while. Senior year is really cracking on me hard. I’ve had lots of ideas of what to say, but haven’t been able to sit down and actually vomit my words onto a blog. So I thought I’d do this review about this book I read recently and loved. It’s called Stoner and Spaz by Ron Koertge. Essentially it’s about this boy who has cerebral palsy who meets a girl who’s a complete drug addict. As a result, he learns about falling in love or lust and really starts to get out of his shell. The hero of our story is Ben who has C.P. and has to deal with that while being in high school. His grandma raised him to be this perfect student who is going to Standford, yet it seems that he doesn’t want to go there. Then he meets Colleen who is a drug addict who does weed and crack. (essentially anything she can get her hands on) For a while they start hanging out and it seems that Colleen might clean up, but it doesn’t turn out that way. Ben also learns to crack out of his shell to talk to people as he makes this movie about high school.

All in all this is an amazing little book (only 169 pages long). You really get a good feel of the characters quickly and start to feel terrible for Ben as you realize that he’s extremely disabled and lives a sheltered life. I really also liked the writing style –it just fit. I managed to sit down and read this book in two-three hours, so that made me happy.

I would recommend this book to any one who is looking for a story that may not have the perfect ending. If you want to check the book, do so here

~Nicole

[Via http://wakecounty.wordpress.com]

When Good Men Are Tempted (Bill Perkins) Review

The good folks over at the Porn to Purity Blog were so very kind enough to send me a free copy of Bill Perkins book, When Good Men Are Tempted.

The book is light reading though dealing with the heavy subject of human sexuality, and as the title suggests the book focuses on men and sexual temptation. I was overwhelmingly pleased that Perkins chose not to adopt a fear-based approach (“it’s all fun and games til somebody gets a disease”), but views sex positively though with appropriate boundaries.

Perkins writes from a very down-to-earth, transparent perspective bolstered by experience, which adds to the numerous practical suggestions he has for dealing with this delicate issue. To that end he takes an unvarnished look at real-life sexuality, not shying away from some very significant (and controversial) issues.

The book is, again, light reading, though men within the church and without will undoubtedly find it immensely helpful. A good book for pastors to keep on the shelf to loan out when this issue invariably arises.

[Via http://thornscompose.wordpress.com]

"The World & Its Mistress"

There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.

It only takes me about five pages to remember why The Great Gatsby is so timeless. “This is a valley of ashes.” Whether one’s drowned in a crowd of overwhelmingly wealthy aristocrats or poor students in the mid-nineteen-twenties or the turn of the twentieth century, the depths of a collective group are pretty shallow. Fitzgerald reminds us that for every single contemplative, intelligent person there are myriads of superficial ones sucking them dry. Similarly, whether in a feudal society (which Fitzgerald recalls in the “feudal silhouette” of Gatsby’s mansion, 96) or at the height of American capitalism, only two things matter: money and status, whether in the form of gold or material possessions.

The characters, so materially successful, fail miserably with the communication of feelings and ideas. The tense scene between Daisy and Gatsby at Nick’s house illustrates their incompetence at elucidating their feelings–something far more real than their possessions, in which they have no problem finding immediate value and gratification. They confront each other with “counterfeit ease” and have to stabilize themselves “physically” or hide among shadows in order to conceal a mental instability (92). In Nick’s discomfort, he has to flee outside to escape the restraints of society represented by his own house. Similarly, nothing ever sparks between Jordan and Nick because their relationship is characterized by this sort of impotency that lies in her scorn of his comparative poverty—her “urban distaste for the concrete” (54)—and his revulsion towards her jaunty but dishonest personality.

But equally important as (and in relationship with) his critique of the social system is his critique of capitalism, or perhaps more specifically the American Dream. The story of the “Great” Gatsby is not merely a tragic love story, but the collapse of the American man. In the third to last paragraph of the novel, Nick recalls the “old island here that flowered once for the Dutch sailor’s eyes–a fresh green breast of the new world” (189): the land of abundant resources that represented a new, untapped potential for wealth. He immediately follows up with the image of “its vanished trees…that made way for Gatsby’s house.” He shows how the forces of man, his power lying in control of material possessions, have run over nature–including, but not limited to, love. “He must have felt that he had lost the old warm world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream…A new world, material without being real” (169)–and it is at this point Gatsby dies. Gatsby must die at the height of his material success, as the most powerful and wealthy character in the novel. If he doesn’t die directly from capitalism, it is all the social implications and roads he must take to attain this that bring him to his death.

Fitzgerald’s play with natural light versus electricity shows people’s struggles to command their own world, their own sources of light. Yet when they do, such as when Gatsby shuts himself away from the storm during his joyful reunion with Daisy, it is because the characters are either consciously or unconsciously protecting themselves from some harsh reality. Similarly, he plays with light and darkness: characters shun themselves from the exterior–especially natural light–while seeming to find “enlightenment” in the darkness.

Only Carraway realizes how indefinite are the figures and objects in the shadows. And the most intangible figure of all, the one to whom we are introduced as “a figure [that] had emerged from the shadow of [his] mansion” (25), is Gatsby himself, and “the colossal vitality of his illusion” (101). We all live in Nick’s–or Gatsby’s–world, but we all occupy different characters.

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

 

***I don’t do The Great Gatsby any justice, especially when compared to the numerous poignant reviews that already exist. But I’ve resolved to post some of my book review assignments to encourage myself to go back and improve them.)

[Via http://ombreschinoises.wordpress.com]

Passing Through- The Later Poems by Stanley Kunitz

Charles Loudon** – The Fox Chase Review 

           I had the opportunity this past week to revisit Passing Through – The Later Poems by Stanley Kunitz.  He leads us into this collection with Instead of a Forward with a commentary on twentieth century poetry that still applies today:

“It disturbs me that twentieth century American poets seem largely reconciled to being relegated to the classroom—practically the only habitat in which most of us are conditioned to feel secure. It would be healthier if we could locate ourselves in the thick of life, at every intersection where values and meanings cross, caught in the dangerous traffic between self and universe.”

            Kunitz the ultimate academic recognized the need to inject energy into poetry then as today, to bring poetry out of the secure classroom environment to, “the dangerous traffic between self and universe”. 

From River Road *:

That year of the cloud, when my marriage failed,/ I slept in a chair, by the flagstone hearth,/ fighting my sleep,/ and one night saw a Hessian Solider/ stand at attention there in full/ regalia, till his head broke into flames. My only other callers were the FBI/ sent to investigate me as a Russian spy/ by patriotic neighbors on the river road;/ and flying squirrels parachuting from the elms/ who squeaked in rodent heat between the walls/ and upstairs rumbled at their nutty games.  

From The Knot:

I’ve tried to seal it in,/ that cross-grained knot/ on the opposite wall,/ scored in the lintel of my door,/ but it keeps bleeding through./ into the world we share. Mornings when I wake,/ curled in my web,/ I hear it come/ with a rush of resin/ out of the trauma of its lopping off. 

            Kunitiz the master symbolist draws the reader into his poetry permitting the reader the opportunity to live and breathe the poems as Kunitz did when crafting them. 

From The Lincoln Relics:

Cold-eyed, in Naples once,/ while the congregation swooned,/ I watched the liquefaction/ of a vial of precious blood,/ and wondered only/ how the trick was done. Saint’s bone are only bones/ to me, but here,/ where the stage is set/ without a trace of gore,/ these relics on display–/ watchfob and ivory pocket knife, / a handkerchief of Irish linen,/ a button severed from his sleeve– 

Through the years, Stanely Kunitz has remained one of my favorite poets. I encourage lovers of poetry and poets to read Kunitz work. There is much to be learned, much to be enjoyed. Kunitz passed away at the age of 100 in 2006. His life spanned two centuries, influencing many poets of the last century and lives on to influence poets of the new century. 

Passing Through- The Later Poems by Stanley Kunitz can be found at this link:

Passing Through: The Later Poems, New and Selected by Stanley Kunitz

*River Road is located in Bucks County. The area Kunitz writes of is located between Washington Crossing State Park and New Hope Pa.

 **Charles Loudon lives on Cottman Avenue in Philadelphia, he is not sure if he lives in Fox Chase or Burholme depending on who he speaks with. He is frequent visitor to the Ryerss Library

[Via http://foxchasereview.wordpress.com]

The Isles Of The Many Gods by David Rankin and Sorita D'Este

An A-Z of the Pagan Gods and Goddesses worshipped in Ancient Britain (there is more to the title but this is enough to get the idea) is a reference book, as you have probably guessed from the name.

I usually approach books like this with trepidation.  I’m never sure what I’ll find in them.  This book doesn’t just reference the Celtic Deities but rather all the deities worshipped in Ancient Britain.

At the very beginning of the book the authors explain why they chose these specific deities and what sources they used as their evidence.  They give a short history and a timeline for the literary sources, which appears accurate.

Then comes the pages and pages of gods and goddesses.  I’m not an expert on any of the gods but the information provided on the gods in the book can easily be checked by a little research.

I chose two gods that I do know a bit about to check the validity of their information.  On the page about The Morrígan, they make a few connections that I have not seen anywhere else but on the whole I’d say 85% of what is on that page was good information.  On the page about Lugh, I’d say 95% of the information provided is correct.

My prognosis: It is a good reference book to have with the caveat that you verify the information provided against other sources.

[Via http://celticscholar.wordpress.com]

Books that stay with you...

The things you remember about books often have nothing to do with their ‘literary merit’, a dubious concept in and of itself. Recently I’ve been thinking about Patricia Scanlan, whose books I devoured between the ages of about ten and seventeen (not quite the target age, methinks, but anyway). And the bitchy or otherwise havoc-causing characters in her books. And their motivations, their thought processes, their selfishness and their realness… I’ve never read anyone who quite gets bitchy characters down on the page as well as Patricia Scanlan does.

Miserly characters… it’s not even Ebeneezer Scrooge that takes the biscuit (or crumb) here, but Nancy. Miss Mouse. Nancy is a character in a short story collection by Maeve Binchy, The Lilac Bus, and to this day she is one of the most vivid characters in the fictional universe as I know it. Nancy is as mean as they come, careful as she thinks, the kind of woman who goes into the butcher’s and buys two rashers. And then she hears people talking about her, is shocked, learns her lesson… and immediately starts thinking about how to appear generous while still keeping her costs down. All in maybe ten or fifteen pages.

Jenny in Caroline B Cooney’s Among Friends stays with me as the seemingly perfect girl with angst. Marcy of The Cat Ate My Gymsuit and There’s A Bat In Bunk Five fame stays with me as someone who learns things about herself and makes mistakes. Victoria Martin’s (Francine Pascal’s trilogy) trials and tribulations through hanging out with her mother as a teenager in the 1940s, working as an au pair for a flaky woman who won’t let her kids see their grandfather, and hooking up with her best friend’s boyfriend while working as a camper-waitress, definitely stay with me. Darrell losing her temper in the first Malory Towers book (and later books), and then having her play performed in the fifth form.

I have a feeling it is to do with the age you read these things at. They’re not all kids’ books, but they’re all books I read before my mid-teens, which makes me wonder… if I’d actually finished Pride and flippin’ Prejudice at that age, would I be (like so many people I know) utterly smitten with Mr Darcy and in awe of Elizabeth instead of just being a bit ‘meh’ about the whole thing? If I had Read More Classics as my teachers so desperately wanted me to, would I be gushing over said Classics instead of thinking, well, some of them are okay, but honestly, let’s not kid ourselves into thinking the label is an objective one? Or would I still feel that it’s not so much whether the literary critics deem something a great work or a fluffy beach read, but about those bits that are so astute and so true, that they stay with you years later?

Happy World Book Day, folks.

[Via http://clairehennessy.wordpress.com]

Fire Raiser

I recently read Fire Raiser by Melanie Rawn.  This is the sequel to Spellbinder.  Recently released in mass market, it came out in hardcover a little over a year ago.

Fire Raiser is a contemporary fantasy.  I hesitate to call it urban fantasy (though that’s probably the more common term) since it’s set in Pocahontas County, West Virginia.  It’s a little slow getting started, though that’s partly a difference between the fantasy genre and that of romance.  It took me a while to get used to Melanie’s style again, but I’m glad I hung in there. What seem to be digressions come back around to tie in to the main story or sub-plots while enriching the character development.  Since I know Melanie, I could hear her voice at several points, but the characters still remain true to themselves.

The book really came alive for me when Cam and Jamie’s relationship was introduced.  I admit it, I like a good romance, and this is a lovely one.  The author mentions that Jamie was one of those characters that pop up and insist on being included.  I’m glad she listened to him!

Fire Raiser can be enjoyed without having read Spellbinder.  Melanie has set this up well for a sequel, one I eagerly await.

[Via http://frankierobertson.wordpress.com]

Blogging for Books

I am so excited to be blogging and reviewing books. I have been passionate about great books for a long time. I think I read a book a day as a teenager. Now, I work in a library so they surround me. Shelving books can be distracting… : )
So, as I get started in the next few weeks, be sure to come back frequently for my next book recommendation. My first official book review will be a children’s book about Easter with a CD included. So excited to get started!

[Via http://kbumgardaner.wordpress.com]

Book review: 'The Lonely Hearts Club' by Elizabeth Eulberg

I wanna hold your hand . . . or do I?

After her long-time sweetheart Nate turns out to be — gasp — just another teenage boy with a wandering eye, Penny Lane Bloom is crushed. Vowing to give up dating for the rest of high school, she soon finds a sympathetic ear — or twenty — as other girls from school find their way into an unofficial union with Penny Lane. An avid Beatles fan, Penny dubs the group “The Lonely Hearts Club” and the girls quickly form a comraderie based on wanting only the best out of life . . . and knowing that no immature high school senior will be able to provide it.

Things are fine and well until the group rapidly expands to encompass many of the school’s young ladies, and guess who isn’t so thrilled about a no-dating club? All of the young men. When the school newspaper does a feature on the club and breaks it all wide open, Penny must navigate the newly-treacherous waters of dirty looks, whispering, rumors and backstabbing. And along the way, battle her own feelings toward men — and one boy, in particular. Can the queen bee of the Lonely Hearts Club actually mend her own?

I started Elizabeth Eulberg’s The Lonely Hearts Club on Valentine’s Day — when I was having an impromptu Lonely Hearts Club meeting of my own, if I’m being honest. What I found in its pages was a sweet if simple story about a teen girl learning that friendship really does have restorative properties — and that we don’t need a man to waltz in and complete our lives (though sometimes it’s fun when the guys do show up).

Penny Lane should get points for being proactive with her heart, deciding what to do with it and to whom she’s going to give it. But I felt like, as a narrator, she was a bit boring . . . and that the supporting cast of The Lonely Hearts Club, which included best friends Diane and Tracy, was weak. None of the characters stood out as individuals or felt like people I would actually know; I wanted some depth and feeling going on here. Even as the novel opens on Penny and her broken heart, I didn’t feel the jagged edges of anything. It was all saccharine, too orderly.

Where the novel failed to move me was definitely through the characterization of Eulberg’s ensemble. Even Todd, a sort of “bad boy” fellow student, failed to inspire any aggravation or distaste on my part. Ryan, Diane’s ex-boyfriend, seemed like an everyman golden boy — the one girls love for no other reason than he’s just so gosh-darn loveable. And I don’t know . . . it didn’t work for me.

But the novel isn’t bad. The plotting is fast-paced, though I had no idea where the story was going — and not in a good way. It all just seemed to meander along without any motivation or impetus. Once the club was formed, I had a hard time figuring out where the conflict was going to come from. And in the end? There really . . . wasn’t one. Not enough to form a whole book around, anyway.

Still, I don’t want to leave you with a bad taste in your mouth. Eulberg’s writing is fun and the novel, which functions as a coming-of-age tale, will probably appeal to young teens. For fans of the Fab Four, the frequent Beatles references, lyrics and quotes add flavor to an otherwise vanilla young adult novel.

3 out of 5!

ISBN: 0545140315 ♥ Purchase from Amazon ♥ Author Website
Personal copy won from Read This Book!

[Via http://writemeg.com]

How to Read Novels like a Professor

I have loved reading ever since I can remember. If it had been possible for me at all I would have studied and taught literature. Since I did something entirely different in my life it was always a desire to study literature. I always feel that I when I read I am missing stuff – the in-between the lines, the symbolism. I kinda , sorta grasp the larger and deeper meanings but not entirely. So I am always on the lookout for articles or books that help me read better. When I saw ‘How to Read Novels like a Professor’  in my library, I took it in a wink.

I really really enjoyed reading it. Thomas Foster writes in a completely engaging style not once sounding like a professor or a textbook. I learned quite a few things – elements to recognize as you read, relationship of the writer and reader, the influences on a narrative, the changes in the form of the novel in the last three to four hundred years. I am huge fan of the victorian novels which I now realize are serialized novels with tidy endings.Foster does not seem to be fond of tidy complete endings and I almost felt defensive of Dickens ( who I believe was a genius with a masterful command of English language) whose work was proabably the most traditional victorian style of it all. However,I admit that when I read 20th century literature ,  more than the story  itself, I am always looking for unique form and structure. Because at the end of the day – its all one large human story. Novels are all about presentation.  That is the reason I loved David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas and Orhan Pamuk’s My Name is Red. Its challenging and fun to keep up with writers whose narratives surprise you from chapter to chapter. I also learned something very basic – there is no right way or wrong way to read the book.

This books acts as a very good guide to anyone wanting to be a big fiction writer. Yes, its more about how to write a novel rather than how to read a novel.For me apart from the learning elements, the most fun part of the book was the references to novels while explaining his point. As Foster puts it – the books is ‘ a giant reading list’. I loved to see so many familiar names, but was also disheartened to know that I have read so few pieces of good literature.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves reading. Period.

[Via http://shadesofwords09.wordpress.com]

Unexpected Surprise

A book recommendation from a friend, Then She Found Me by Elinor Lipman is fantastic! I simply could not put it down. It’s another local read taking place in Boston and Providence. (I swear, I am not seeking these out on purpose!) April Epner is a high school latin teacher with a pretty ho-hum life until her birth mother contacts her.  From this point on, her life is turned a bit upside down in both positive and negative ways. Birth mom turns out to be a zany local celebrity who isn’t exactly honest about April’s past. She desperately tries to latch on to the main character while almost simultaneously pushing her away. I found this relationship to be believable and it added to my rampant page-turning. However, what I liked best were other aspects of the novel, which I found to be clever and more unexpected. For example, the storyline adds some seriousness outlining April’s adoptive parents who were concentration camp survivors.  But, my favorite was the novel’s unlikely love interest, a dorky librarian who, in my opinion, steals the show.  I could really relate to this book because of the setting, the realistic scenes that took place in school and the way that they characters interacted with each other. Additionally, I was excited to find out that it was adapted into a movie starring Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth and Matthew Broderick.  This will be put on our blockbuster queue. Even if it turns out to be a flop, I will still appreciate it!

-Kelly

[Via http://novelladies2010.wordpress.com]