Title: When Teachers Talk
Author: Rosalyn S. Schnall
Publisher: Goldenring Publishing, LLC
ISBN: 978-0-578-00563-8
Reviewed by Karen Cioffi for BookPleasures.com
Anyone who works in, or has worked in the public school system will love When Teachers Talk. While I am not a teacher myself, I have a number of family members and friends who are. This book tells it like it is. It reflects the whispers and thoughts of thousands of teachers across the country.
Schnall, a retired teacher with 35 years experience with the Chicago Public School System, realizes our education system is lacking in many areas, including effective and just management of teachers and children. Schnall rose to the occasion and decided to create a survey of teachers within the Chicago system. She focused on principal abuse of teachers.
When Teachers Talk is a compilation of 500 interviews that Schnall conducted with Chicago public school teachers. It covers overt abuse of teachers; the quality of education’s decline; lack of administrative support for teachers; politics and the school system; how the children suffer; teacher attrition; what good teachers feel about the profession; and it touches on those principals who actually do their jobs with humanity, fairness, and proficiency.
Interestingly, but not surprisingly, the teachers involved in the survey all wanted and needed to make sure their responses would be anonymous. This was for fear of reprisal from their principals.
When Teachers Talk reveals that it is apparent there is a crisis in the school systems across America. The majority of teachers involved worked under stressful and at times unbearable conditions due to their principals’ abuse. There were some who actually left schools because of the principals’ actions. Some ended up sick from the stress. And, there were those who knew teachers who just up and left the profession as a direct result of principal abuse.
Along with the abuse teachers suffer at the hand of principals is the lack of support from administration and the teachers’ union. Many of the teachers voiced concern that their principals do not support them when it comes to issues with the children or their parents. Knowing a number of teachers, this is a very common complaint. Some teachers work in dangerous areas, and each year it seems the problem and uncontrollable children increase. It’s essential that teachers know the administration is there to support them.
Schnall includes a random survey and interview of ten additional teachers from the largest school systems across the country. This small sample reflects the larger Chicago study. She also includes a section that provides the teachers an opportunity to suggest solutions to this widespread problem.
When Teachers Talk is an enlightening and sobering read. It makes clear our education system is in dire need of repair. I recommend this book; I think it’s vital that everyone is aware of what’s going on and insists on change.
About the author:
Rosalyn Schnall holds a Bachelor of Education Degree, and holds additional Certification in Early Childhood Education. She completed thirty hours of Graduate work at Loyola University of Chicago, Graduate School of Education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, which included a course in “Survey Research Methodology.”
About the Reviewer:
Karen Cioffi is a published author, writer-for-hire, and freelance writer. You can learn more about Karen at http://karencioffi.com. And, if you sign up for her free newsletter at http://dkvwriting4u.com, you’ll get a free e-book on writing and marketing.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post using the widget below:
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Reader Views Reviewer Weighs In on Feisty Family Values
Title: Feisty Family Values
Author: B.D. Tharp
Genre: Women’s Fiction
ISBN: 978-1-59414-849-1
Five Star Publications (2010)
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (11/09)
“Can't live with them, can’t live without them” seems like something a lot of us would come up with when describing family members, particularly those whose peculiarities are very different from ours. And when it comes to being different, at least on the surface, one would be hard pressed to find two more different people than the determined, abrupt and majestic Regina Morgan-Smith and her cousin, abused, meek and drab Annabelle Hubbard. When those two are thrown together after Annabelle finds herself battered and homeless, it is hard to see how they could share the same roof over their heads without driving each other insane. Luckily for both of them, Regina’s best friend and housemate, Tillie Dawson provides some much needed balance and sanity in their daily lives.
That is, until Tillie’s cancer returns and threatens not only her life, but also Regina’s sanity and Annabelle’s shelter. To further complicate matters, a new and very handsome neighbor enters the lives of the three ladies. While all three of them seem to like him quite a bit, he seems to have fallen pretty badly for Tillie, until she tells him about her situation. Once more, the ostensible balance is destroyed. If all of this is not enough to drive the three ladies to utter distraction, Annabelle’s three grandchildren end up living in Regina’s house as well. If you are thinking, “The more, the merrier...,” think again.
Could those three ladies “of a certain age” find happiness late in life? Could they possibly even find love?
B.D. Tharp’s story is a great example of contemporary and relevant writing; perceptive, intelligent and poignant. It deals with believable and distressing situations that many of us have faced or will have to face one day. The characters are colorful, entertaining and easy to relate to. One might even find one’s traits in several of the main characters. What I found particularly refreshing were the older characters who are still full of life and who desire to live their life to the fullest. This book, “Feisty Family Values,” will make you laugh out loud, but is also a book that will make you think. It should make you grateful for what you have and hopeful for whatever you are still wishing for, and above all, it should make you grateful for your family and friends and all that they give you on a continuous basis.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post:
Author: B.D. Tharp
Genre: Women’s Fiction
ISBN: 978-1-59414-849-1
Five Star Publications (2010)
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (11/09)
“Can't live with them, can’t live without them” seems like something a lot of us would come up with when describing family members, particularly those whose peculiarities are very different from ours. And when it comes to being different, at least on the surface, one would be hard pressed to find two more different people than the determined, abrupt and majestic Regina Morgan-Smith and her cousin, abused, meek and drab Annabelle Hubbard. When those two are thrown together after Annabelle finds herself battered and homeless, it is hard to see how they could share the same roof over their heads without driving each other insane. Luckily for both of them, Regina’s best friend and housemate, Tillie Dawson provides some much needed balance and sanity in their daily lives.
That is, until Tillie’s cancer returns and threatens not only her life, but also Regina’s sanity and Annabelle’s shelter. To further complicate matters, a new and very handsome neighbor enters the lives of the three ladies. While all three of them seem to like him quite a bit, he seems to have fallen pretty badly for Tillie, until she tells him about her situation. Once more, the ostensible balance is destroyed. If all of this is not enough to drive the three ladies to utter distraction, Annabelle’s three grandchildren end up living in Regina’s house as well. If you are thinking, “The more, the merrier...,” think again.
Could those three ladies “of a certain age” find happiness late in life? Could they possibly even find love?
B.D. Tharp’s story is a great example of contemporary and relevant writing; perceptive, intelligent and poignant. It deals with believable and distressing situations that many of us have faced or will have to face one day. The characters are colorful, entertaining and easy to relate to. One might even find one’s traits in several of the main characters. What I found particularly refreshing were the older characters who are still full of life and who desire to live their life to the fullest. This book, “Feisty Family Values,” will make you laugh out loud, but is also a book that will make you think. It should make you grateful for what you have and hopeful for whatever you are still wishing for, and above all, it should make you grateful for your family and friends and all that they give you on a continuous basis.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
As a courtesy to the author, please tweet and retweet this post:
Friday, 12 March 2010
Tony Eldridge Reviews Dana Lynn Smith's E-Book on Twitter
Twitter Guide for Authors
by Dana Lynn Smith
Revised and updated February 2010
Category: Publishing – Book Marketing
E-book
Reviewed by Tony Eldridge at Marketing Tips for Authors
If you ever wanted to learn Twitter, then you need to know about Dana Lynn Smith's revised edition of her Twitter Guide For Authors. This guide will take you through the process of opening a Twitter Account, but it will do a lot more than that. It will teach you the decisions you need to make early on in order to have a great experience on Twitter.
In this revised edition, Dana discusses Twitter's newest major feature: Twitter Lists. If you know how to use these lists, it can be a great productivity tool for you. She also has added a valuable troubleshooting section that can help you if you run into issues with your Twitter account.
The thing that makes the Twitter Guide For Authors such a useful resource for authors (or anyone else who needs to be on Twitter for that fact), is the simplicity in which the material is presented. If technology is not your cup of tea, then you don't have to worry. This guide can be read and understood by the least technical savvy of us. But what it will help you accomplish is far from simplistic. You will be able to get into the nuts and bolts of Twitter and use it like a pro.
When you get the Twitter Guide For Authors, you will have a resource that will help you with the following:
Common Networking Mistakes
Managing Your Time Effectively
Choosing Your Twitter Name
Networking Effectively
Twitter Tools
This list just scratches the surface of what you will have available to you in this guidebook. You'll learn everything you need to know about using Twitter in your marketing plan and what issues to avoid. Dana even includes action plans throughout the guidebook to give you step-by-step instructions of how to proceed to accomplish specific task and goals. If Twitter has made you nervous, or if you think that you may not be using Twitter to its full potential in your marketing plan, then check out Dana Lynn Smith's Twitter Guide For Authors. If you're like me, it will be a reference you keep handy to refer to time and time again.
Dana Lynn Smith is a book marketing coach and author of The Savvy Book Marketer Guides
Book Marketing Resources
Blog: www.TheSavvyBookMarketer.com
Newsletter: www.BookMarketingNewsletter.com
Savvy Book Marketer Guides: www.SavvyBookMarketer.com
Networks
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BookMarketer
Facebook Profile: www.facebook.com/DanaLynnSmith
Facebook Page: http://bit.ly/a4OEaj
Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/SavvyMkt
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/DanaLynnSmith
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:
by Dana Lynn Smith
Revised and updated February 2010
Category: Publishing – Book Marketing
E-book
Reviewed by Tony Eldridge at Marketing Tips for Authors
If you ever wanted to learn Twitter, then you need to know about Dana Lynn Smith's revised edition of her Twitter Guide For Authors. This guide will take you through the process of opening a Twitter Account, but it will do a lot more than that. It will teach you the decisions you need to make early on in order to have a great experience on Twitter.
In this revised edition, Dana discusses Twitter's newest major feature: Twitter Lists. If you know how to use these lists, it can be a great productivity tool for you. She also has added a valuable troubleshooting section that can help you if you run into issues with your Twitter account.
The thing that makes the Twitter Guide For Authors such a useful resource for authors (or anyone else who needs to be on Twitter for that fact), is the simplicity in which the material is presented. If technology is not your cup of tea, then you don't have to worry. This guide can be read and understood by the least technical savvy of us. But what it will help you accomplish is far from simplistic. You will be able to get into the nuts and bolts of Twitter and use it like a pro.
When you get the Twitter Guide For Authors, you will have a resource that will help you with the following:
Common Networking Mistakes
Managing Your Time Effectively
Choosing Your Twitter Name
Networking Effectively
Twitter Tools
This list just scratches the surface of what you will have available to you in this guidebook. You'll learn everything you need to know about using Twitter in your marketing plan and what issues to avoid. Dana even includes action plans throughout the guidebook to give you step-by-step instructions of how to proceed to accomplish specific task and goals. If Twitter has made you nervous, or if you think that you may not be using Twitter to its full potential in your marketing plan, then check out Dana Lynn Smith's Twitter Guide For Authors. If you're like me, it will be a reference you keep handy to refer to time and time again.
Dana Lynn Smith is a book marketing coach and author of The Savvy Book Marketer Guides
Book Marketing Resources
Blog: www.TheSavvyBookMarketer.com
Newsletter: www.BookMarketingNewsletter.com
Savvy Book Marketer Guides: www.SavvyBookMarketer.com
Networks
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BookMarketer
Facebook Profile: www.facebook.com/DanaLynnSmith
Facebook Page: http://bit.ly/a4OEaj
Facebook Group: http://bit.ly/SavvyMkt
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/DanaLynnSmith
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:Wednesday, 10 March 2010
RawSistaz Reviews Self-Help Book
The Only Way Out Is In: The Secrets of the 14 Realms to Love, Happiness and Success!
Winner of two national book awards
Published by Padaran Publications,
Reviewed by Ann of RawSistaz Reviewers
Daya Devi-Doolin charts her own course, she is the master of her soul's history. With her clear and unique view of reality, she recognizes the lessons and the principles of life, and she generously shares them with humanity. THE ONLY WAY OUT IS IN: The Secrets of the 14 Realms to Love, Happiness and Success is informative and inspiring as it takes readers on an excursion.
Although this is a journey for all mankind, this particular outing is a look at a woman's metamorphoses from life's lessons. It charts how she effectively put her knowledge into practice in order to change her existence in the most positive way. The 14 Realms she imparts is powerful information, and if these principals are adapted, Daya almost promises your life will change and you'll be acutely aware of the changes.
It is Daya's goal to give readers a better insight and take them to a higher level of consciousness, where they can witness the unseen dimension of their inner selves. To further enhance her writing, Daya shares her personal story with captivating openness. If you are searching for deeper insight and a greater path of enlightenment, this book could very well be that light.
"We are always brought back to our God Source, our Center our true reality - one of knowing we are Love, Loved and Loving."-- Daya Devi-Doolin
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The author is Rev. Daya Devi-Doolin, Dir. The Doolin Healing Sanctuary & Yoga Center,(386) 532-5308
Unity Minister / Spiritual Counselor-Healer
Award Winning Author metaphysical books for children and adults
Visit anytime www.blogtalkradio.com/padaran
Certified BodyTalk Practitioner Matrix Energetics
Certified Usui Reiki Master Teacher
Registered Yoga Alliance Teacher
Reach her at padaran@padaran.com
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:
Winner of two national book awards
Published by Padaran Publications,
Reviewed by Ann of RawSistaz Reviewers
Daya Devi-Doolin charts her own course, she is the master of her soul's history. With her clear and unique view of reality, she recognizes the lessons and the principles of life, and she generously shares them with humanity. THE ONLY WAY OUT IS IN: The Secrets of the 14 Realms to Love, Happiness and Success is informative and inspiring as it takes readers on an excursion.
Although this is a journey for all mankind, this particular outing is a look at a woman's metamorphoses from life's lessons. It charts how she effectively put her knowledge into practice in order to change her existence in the most positive way. The 14 Realms she imparts is powerful information, and if these principals are adapted, Daya almost promises your life will change and you'll be acutely aware of the changes.
It is Daya's goal to give readers a better insight and take them to a higher level of consciousness, where they can witness the unseen dimension of their inner selves. To further enhance her writing, Daya shares her personal story with captivating openness. If you are searching for deeper insight and a greater path of enlightenment, this book could very well be that light.
"We are always brought back to our God Source, our Center our true reality - one of knowing we are Love, Loved and Loving."-- Daya Devi-Doolin
---
The author is Rev. Daya Devi-Doolin, Dir. The Doolin Healing Sanctuary & Yoga Center,(386) 532-5308
Unity Minister / Spiritual Counselor-Healer
Award Winning Author metaphysical books for children and adults
Visit anytime www.blogtalkradio.com/padaran
Certified BodyTalk Practitioner Matrix Energetics
Certified Usui Reiki Master Teacher
Registered Yoga Alliance Teacher
Reach her at padaran@padaran.com
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Paranormal Romance Abaxas
Book: The ABRAXAS Series: Books 1-3
Authors Name: Cinsearae Santiago
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Dark Fantasy
Length: 180 pages
ISBN 978-1-4357-2847-9
Publisher: Lulu Press
Buy Link: http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/the-abraxas-series-books-1-3/2748950
Reviewed by Magaly Guerrero for The Pagan and the Pen
Rating: 4 Cards (out of 5)
Cinsearae Santiago delivers a dark, sexy, and bloody tale that will leave most paranormal junkies absolutely hooked. The ABRAXAS Series is loaded with interesting characters that will surprise you at the turn of every page. Definitely, a slap in the face of those who have attempted to discredit small publishing houses, ebook publishers and/or self-published authors; Ms Santiago’s writing is original and professional. She presents a well written story that finds a happy medium between fantasy and mysticism. A “must read” for anyone who enjoys fiction that teaches while it entertains.
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The author is also the editor/publisher of Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine and a cover artist for Damnation Books and individual clients.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:
Authors Name: Cinsearae Santiago
Genre: Paranormal Romance/Dark Fantasy
Length: 180 pages
ISBN 978-1-4357-2847-9
Publisher: Lulu Press
Buy Link: http://www.lulu.com/content/paperback-book/the-abraxas-series-books-1-3/2748950
Reviewed by Magaly Guerrero for The Pagan and the Pen
Rating: 4 Cards (out of 5)
Cinsearae Santiago delivers a dark, sexy, and bloody tale that will leave most paranormal junkies absolutely hooked. The ABRAXAS Series is loaded with interesting characters that will surprise you at the turn of every page. Definitely, a slap in the face of those who have attempted to discredit small publishing houses, ebook publishers and/or self-published authors; Ms Santiago’s writing is original and professional. She presents a well written story that finds a happy medium between fantasy and mysticism. A “must read” for anyone who enjoys fiction that teaches while it entertains.
---
The author is also the editor/publisher of Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine and a cover artist for Damnation Books and individual clients.
-----------
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:Monday, 8 March 2010
Author Pens Fun Detective Book for Kids
Detective Pancake
By Tracy Searight Dibert
Paperback: 24 pages
Publisher: AuthorHouse (January 15, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1449022642
ISBN-13: 978-1449022648
Mini reviews Michelle Adams and Charles Redpath from Amazon and Barnes and Noble
This book is very cleverly written and just a fun read that any child would enjoy. It easily keeps a child's interest from start to finish and leaves them wanting to read it again and again! My kids really enjoyed the story and it kept them guessing how it would end - I would definitely recommend it to any mother! ~ Michelle Adams
My kids loved the book. They have read it several times now, it kept their interest and they couldn't wait to turn the page to see what was to come next. Can't wait for another book to come from the author. ~ Charles Redpath
Peek at the Poetry:
"Your eggs are missing from your plate. There is syrup on the wall. If your breakfast is in crisis, there is one name you can call. Detective Pancake is on the scene. It's a messy sort of crime. I promise to solve your case before your dinnertime."
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:
By Tracy Searight Dibert
Paperback: 24 pages
Publisher: AuthorHouse (January 15, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1449022642
ISBN-13: 978-1449022648
Mini reviews Michelle Adams and Charles Redpath from Amazon and Barnes and Noble
This book is very cleverly written and just a fun read that any child would enjoy. It easily keeps a child's interest from start to finish and leaves them wanting to read it again and again! My kids really enjoyed the story and it kept them guessing how it would end - I would definitely recommend it to any mother! ~ Michelle Adams
My kids loved the book. They have read it several times now, it kept their interest and they couldn't wait to turn the page to see what was to come next. Can't wait for another book to come from the author. ~ Charles Redpath
Peek at the Poetry:
"Your eggs are missing from your plate. There is syrup on the wall. If your breakfast is in crisis, there is one name you can call. Detective Pancake is on the scene. It's a messy sort of crime. I promise to solve your case before your dinnertime."
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:Sunday, 7 March 2010
Thriller and Africa Paired in Nicholas Winer Novel
The Tethered Goat
By Nicholas Winer
Publisher: YouWriteOn.
December 2008
ISBN-10: 1849231265.
Genre: Thriller, Espionage
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner for Jackson for Reader Views
Africa... the mysterious continent... jungles, wild animals, great kingdoms... exotic beauties, majestic cities, bright colors... genocide, famine, diamond mines... Let's face it; most of us have some preconceived notions of Africa. And a good few of us are utterly fascinated by it, maybe even ventured as far as traveling there a time or two. I'll gladly admit to being one of those people. As the luck would have it, I managed to spend several months in Africa, yet there is so much I do not know about it. Nicholas Winer's The Tethered Goat introduced me to a part of Africa that was new to me, and totally different from the one I know. His Africa is slightly desperate, totally corrupt, and immensely intriguing, and I'll remain forever grateful to Mr. Winer for the reminder that one should not romanticize anything too much.
Mark Delama is a young, very idealistic aid worker, stationed in Ethiopia during the Mengistu's rule. His idealistic viewpoint is slowly, but surely being shattered the more he deals with a variety of corrupt politicians, policemen and assorted thugs posing as the good guys. In a short period of time he's been arrested, threatened by a variety of officials and also made aware of the dangerous games some of the highly placed locals are playing for personal gain. There are several moving side-plots, involving the local people, most notably a young Sudanese freedom fighter, Gatwech, who becomes a pawn in a dirty game of power; and Mr. Belai, an old man who wants to do the right thing for his family, but pays dearly for that desire. Those two are loosely connected by Lucy, whose character is not my favorite in the book; and I dare to say most readers will agree with me after having read the book. There are plenty other villains in it, some more likeable than others, and some of them utterly intriguing, Tesfaye probably being the most unexpected one. This heady mix of international intrigue (my favorite being the games Americans and British play with each other), oppressive local brand of Communism, exploitation of locals, sparkly emeralds, the heady scents and flavors of Africa as well as some breathtakingly beautiful descriptions of Africa is cleverly intermingled with scenes from Mark's private life and his developing love story with a young American journalist, Val. Author's love and knowledge of Africa are very much evident, and his descriptions are powerful and make a real impact.
I would recommend The Tethered Goat by Nicholas Winer to anybody interested in the politics of the 80s, the real Africa or anybody who enjoys a fast-moving, thrilling, and hard-hitting story. I am looking forward for more illuminating reading from this talented author.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
As a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:
By Nicholas Winer
Publisher: YouWriteOn.
December 2008
ISBN-10: 1849231265.
Genre: Thriller, Espionage
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner for Jackson for Reader Views
Africa... the mysterious continent... jungles, wild animals, great kingdoms... exotic beauties, majestic cities, bright colors... genocide, famine, diamond mines... Let's face it; most of us have some preconceived notions of Africa. And a good few of us are utterly fascinated by it, maybe even ventured as far as traveling there a time or two. I'll gladly admit to being one of those people. As the luck would have it, I managed to spend several months in Africa, yet there is so much I do not know about it. Nicholas Winer's The Tethered Goat introduced me to a part of Africa that was new to me, and totally different from the one I know. His Africa is slightly desperate, totally corrupt, and immensely intriguing, and I'll remain forever grateful to Mr. Winer for the reminder that one should not romanticize anything too much.
Mark Delama is a young, very idealistic aid worker, stationed in Ethiopia during the Mengistu's rule. His idealistic viewpoint is slowly, but surely being shattered the more he deals with a variety of corrupt politicians, policemen and assorted thugs posing as the good guys. In a short period of time he's been arrested, threatened by a variety of officials and also made aware of the dangerous games some of the highly placed locals are playing for personal gain. There are several moving side-plots, involving the local people, most notably a young Sudanese freedom fighter, Gatwech, who becomes a pawn in a dirty game of power; and Mr. Belai, an old man who wants to do the right thing for his family, but pays dearly for that desire. Those two are loosely connected by Lucy, whose character is not my favorite in the book; and I dare to say most readers will agree with me after having read the book. There are plenty other villains in it, some more likeable than others, and some of them utterly intriguing, Tesfaye probably being the most unexpected one. This heady mix of international intrigue (my favorite being the games Americans and British play with each other), oppressive local brand of Communism, exploitation of locals, sparkly emeralds, the heady scents and flavors of Africa as well as some breathtakingly beautiful descriptions of Africa is cleverly intermingled with scenes from Mark's private life and his developing love story with a young American journalist, Val. Author's love and knowledge of Africa are very much evident, and his descriptions are powerful and make a real impact.
I would recommend The Tethered Goat by Nicholas Winer to anybody interested in the politics of the 80s, the real Africa or anybody who enjoys a fast-moving, thrilling, and hard-hitting story. I am looking forward for more illuminating reading from this talented author.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
As a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:
Friday, 5 March 2010
Henry Ford Knew Cars: Billia Williams Knows Writing
A Writer's Vehicle Henry Ford's Way
By Billie A Williams
Henry Ford was an extraordinary person and an astute businessman. You could call him a principled man. His rules were simple straight forward. “Do onto others as you would have done onto you.” His business, his company, his reputation were built on giving the best that he could give, at the fairest price, with the most value that he could reasonably deliver.
“As I read his autobiography where he talks about what he wanted his automobile to represent, I was struck by how similar his wants were to those of an author,” says Billie Williams, the author of A Writer’s Vehicle Henry Ford’s Way. Even more intriguing, Ford’s automobile, the author’s vehicle (or book) had many of the same characteristics, each are revealed in this book.
A WRITER’S VEHICLE
Book a Trip
Henry Ford created his first vehicle to be dependable and more here is a list of his vehicle’s characteristics:
~Stand up to everyday wear and tear
~Sufficient speed
~Admired by men, women and children
~Safety
~Convenience
~Reasonable price
~Good material
~Simplicity
~The engine strong, reliable
~Ignition
~Automatic oiling
~Control of transmission
~Workmanship
"How like a table of contents should read for a book on writing," the author thought. "Let’s take each point, add a subtitle, and make it a book on writing."
And here is the Contents that came from that:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I BOOK CONSTRUCTION:
Stand up to everyday wear & tear
Available when a buyer wants it
Wide audience to market to
Reasonably priced (Take a trip without the high cost of fuel)
Made of Good Material
Distribution/Stock of Parts – ( availability in quantity sufficient to meet readers demands
Suitable display advertising (find potential reader/store front of publisher)
PART II BOOK CONTENTS
Safety, no sharp edges or dangerous premises
Good Material (acquisition department scrutiny)
Simplicity (proper word choice for genre and/or age group)
The Engine (Strong plot, reliable format or design for the Genre)
Ignition (Hooks the reader quickly, immediate starting point)
Automatic Oiling (continual flow and proper mixture of action, and exposition, dialog and narrative.)
Control of Transmission (Guiding the reader to a logical and satisfying conclusion)
Workmanship (Editorial craft in polishing and shaping the finished book)
Trustworthy – (always ready anytime anywhere you want to read)
Built to Add to Your Reputation or Knowledge
Built for Business Or Pleasure (Learn/grow/useful knowledge)
Built for Your Good Health (relieve stress, relax rejuvenate, beach or barbeque, cabin porch or mansion patio)
Speed (“linger or speed through or lingeringly, through shady avenues or you can press down on the foot lever until all the scenery looks alike to you and you have to keep your eyes skinned to count the milestones as they pass.”
Strong and Well-built – last for generations
Up to Date Alive with Possibilities (a classic that will live forever)
Clean and dignified (error free/ attractive cover)
Salesmanship for Distribution (Editors/Agents who know genres)
Bookkeeping –(follow up sales system – track those buyers)
Promotional Budget
Absolute cleanliness of stock (no bent, cracked, bleeding, odd ball pages from the printer misfeeds)
Who Will Buy (Bookstores, outside the box thinking where else?)
Suitable display advertising (find potential reader/store front of publisher)
Bad Publicity (Even bad publicity and treacherous competition should not disrupt the quality, morals/values, and spirit of the writer – bad reviews are one person’s opinion nothing more.Ford Being Sued by George B Selden, a patent attorney accusing Ford of bad business practices, stealing someone else’s idea.
Word of mouth is the best advertising.
Re-gifting – pass on a good read. Write a review
CONCLUSION
RESOURCES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Billie Williams is the author of many works including the three act play. I've included widgets for some in this post. Search for her on Amazon and take a peek!
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:
By Billie A Williams
Henry Ford was an extraordinary person and an astute businessman. You could call him a principled man. His rules were simple straight forward. “Do onto others as you would have done onto you.” His business, his company, his reputation were built on giving the best that he could give, at the fairest price, with the most value that he could reasonably deliver.
“As I read his autobiography where he talks about what he wanted his automobile to represent, I was struck by how similar his wants were to those of an author,” says Billie Williams, the author of A Writer’s Vehicle Henry Ford’s Way. Even more intriguing, Ford’s automobile, the author’s vehicle (or book) had many of the same characteristics, each are revealed in this book.
A WRITER’S VEHICLE
Book a Trip
Henry Ford created his first vehicle to be dependable and more here is a list of his vehicle’s characteristics:
~Stand up to everyday wear and tear
~Sufficient speed
~Admired by men, women and children
~Safety
~Convenience
~Reasonable price
~Good material
~Simplicity
~The engine strong, reliable
~Ignition
~Automatic oiling
~Control of transmission
~Workmanship
"How like a table of contents should read for a book on writing," the author thought. "Let’s take each point, add a subtitle, and make it a book on writing."
And here is the Contents that came from that:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PART I BOOK CONSTRUCTION:
Stand up to everyday wear & tear
Available when a buyer wants it
Wide audience to market to
Reasonably priced (Take a trip without the high cost of fuel)
Made of Good Material
Distribution/Stock of Parts – ( availability in quantity sufficient to meet readers demands
Suitable display advertising (find potential reader/store front of publisher)
PART II BOOK CONTENTS
Safety, no sharp edges or dangerous premises
Good Material (acquisition department scrutiny)
Simplicity (proper word choice for genre and/or age group)
The Engine (Strong plot, reliable format or design for the Genre)
Ignition (Hooks the reader quickly, immediate starting point)
Automatic Oiling (continual flow and proper mixture of action, and exposition, dialog and narrative.)
Control of Transmission (Guiding the reader to a logical and satisfying conclusion)
Workmanship (Editorial craft in polishing and shaping the finished book)
Trustworthy – (always ready anytime anywhere you want to read)
Built to Add to Your Reputation or Knowledge
Built for Business Or Pleasure (Learn/grow/useful knowledge)
Built for Your Good Health (relieve stress, relax rejuvenate, beach or barbeque, cabin porch or mansion patio)
Speed (“linger or speed through or lingeringly, through shady avenues or you can press down on the foot lever until all the scenery looks alike to you and you have to keep your eyes skinned to count the milestones as they pass.”
Strong and Well-built – last for generations
Up to Date Alive with Possibilities (a classic that will live forever)
Clean and dignified (error free/ attractive cover)
Salesmanship for Distribution (Editors/Agents who know genres)
Bookkeeping –(follow up sales system – track those buyers)
Promotional Budget
Absolute cleanliness of stock (no bent, cracked, bleeding, odd ball pages from the printer misfeeds)
Who Will Buy (Bookstores, outside the box thinking where else?)
Suitable display advertising (find potential reader/store front of publisher)
Bad Publicity (Even bad publicity and treacherous competition should not disrupt the quality, morals/values, and spirit of the writer – bad reviews are one person’s opinion nothing more.Ford Being Sued by George B Selden, a patent attorney accusing Ford of bad business practices, stealing someone else’s idea.
Word of mouth is the best advertising.
Re-gifting – pass on a good read. Write a review
CONCLUSION
RESOURCES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Billie Williams is the author of many works including the three act play. I've included widgets for some in this post. Search for her on Amazon and take a peek!
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:Thursday, 4 March 2010
Pro and Cons of "Free Trade Doesn't Work"
TITLE: Free Trade Doesn’t Work: What Should Replace it and Why
AUTHOR: Ian Fletcher
GENRE: Nonfiction
TOPIC: Globalization/Economics/Political Science
PUBLISHER: U.S. Business & Industry Council
ISBN-13: 978-0578048208
WEBSITE: www.freetradedoesntwork.com
FORMAT: Paperback, 348 pages, $24.95 on Amazon.com
Reviewed by Simon Lester for International Economic Law and Policy Blog
“Free Trade Doesn’t Work”
That’s the title of a new book by Ian Fletcher. (I came across it as a sponsored link in a Google search.) There are a number of different reasons people criticize free trade, so I was curious to see what exactly he had in mind. I asked him for a copy of the book so that I could review it on the blog, and he was kind enough to send one.
(Spoiler alert: If you don’t feel like reading to the end to see what he is proposing, it’s for the U.S. to impose an import tax, of about 30%, on all foreign goods and services).
As a preliminary point, let me just note that the book is mainly about tariffs and quotas. There’s not much about IP, labor rights, investor-state and similar recent additions to trade agreements. (Although, as indicated in the spoiler, services, another recent addition, is covered).
Now to the substance. The first four chapters contain a number of critiques of arguments and policies the author doesn’t like (including bad arguments for and against free trade). I’m going to start with Chapter 5, which deals with comparative advantage. Given the nature of the book (i.e., one that is critical of free trade), I was pleasantly surprised that he did a pretty good job of setting out this concept and explaining why it serves as an important basis for the free trade view. He acknowledges its value, and criticizes those who dismiss it out of hand. (In fact, this part was so good it could be used in a pro-free trade book!) However, he then identifies a number of “flaws” with comparative advantage. I’m just going to deal with one of these. (Otherwise this post would become far too long -- it’s already quite long as it is.)
To illustrate what he considers to be one flaw in the theory of comparative advantage, he asks, “What if a nation’s exports are unsustainable?” For example, a country may be exporting non-renewable natural resources, if this is where its comparative advantage lies. This will, he contends, maximize short-run efficiency at the expense of long-term prosperity. To deal with this problem, he notes, you would have to tax or restrict such exports, which is “not free trade.”
I hear this issue raised now and then in various contexts. However, I’m not convinced there is much to it. It is certainly true that, in most cases, you would not want to use up all your natural resources. But I don’t think the theory of comparative advantage requires you to do so. Even for free traders, comparative advantage is not the only basis for policy making. A country might have a comparative advantage in slaves, but it wouldn’t engage in slavery because we believe slavery is wrong. Similarly, if you have a comparative advantage in a particular natural resource, you don’t have to extract/produce it. If you want to deal with the threat of using up your resources, and you want to do it in a way that is consistent with “free trade,” just restrict their production, not their export. Doing it this way is likely to be permissible under trade rules. (There are some arguments you could make that production quotas violate trade rules, but my sense is most people don’t find these arguments very convincing). So, I’m not sure I see how the issue of non-renewable natural resources is a flaw in the theory of comparative advantage. It’s just a policy issue to be dealt with outside the context of trade.
Going further with comparative advantage, we now get a foreshadowing of the core idea of the book. He says that a nation’s wages are determined by its productivity in sectors where it has a comparative advantage. What he means by this, in essence, is that you would rather have a comparative advantage in high-wage industries. So, for example, it is better to have your comparative advantage in making airplanes than in cutting hair.
At this point, he takes us through a bit of free trade history. He explains that the British only became free traders after they used protection to establish themselves as the leading producers in industries such as wool-making. Similarly, the U.S. and Japan also used protection to develop their industries.
I don’t disagree with his contention that these three countries, and also other developed countries, were quite protectionist during their development period. I do, however, question whether this protection was the cause of their development. Speaking very generally, it seems to me that all countries have been fairly protectionist, at various times and in various industries. However, not all have developed. As a result, I’m not sure it’s sufficient to identify a correlation between protection and development in some countries and claim that this demonstrates cause and effect. To his credit, he does have an explanation of why protection worked better in East Asia than in Latin America, an issue which I’ve seen some critics of free trade overlook. (P. 202) However, one of his points here was that perhaps Latin America did not emphasize education enough, which, if true, suggests to me that education may be more important for development than protection.
In addition, I’m not sure that a comparison across eras has much value. It is true that the U.S. protected its domestic industries from their British competitors. But today, it might make more sense to offer your country up to a foreign company as a place to invest, instead of protecting domestic competitors. Why spend years with inefficient domestic industries when you could have a foreigner come over and build a state of the art factory tomorrow? That wasn’t an option for the U.S. in the 19th century, but it is for developing countries now.
Next up, in Chapter 8, he bashes the WTO, NAFTA and other trade agreements. This part seems to reflect criticisms of people like Lori Wallach and Dani Rodrik. Most readers are probably familiar with these arguments, so I’m going to skip them.
In Chapter 11, we get back to his key point, which is that it is better to have a comparative advantage in some industries than in others. He says you want industries with “increasing returns” (for a given increase in inputs, returns go up by more than the increase). And how do we achieve that? He proposes a “natural strategic tariff.” As an example of this, he suggests “a flat tax on all imported goods and services” as the best approach. He mentions a figure of 30%.
What he likes about this approach is that industries differ in “sensitivity and response to import competition.” Thus, a 30% tariff would not be enough to cause apparel production to come back to the U.S., as our competitiveness in such industries is far behind that of other countries. However, it would be enough to cause high-tech products like semiconductors to come back (as we are much closer there), which is great because these are the kind of increasing return, high-wage industries we want.
All right, that’s the crux of his argument. Now for some of my responses.
First off, let’s just ignore the WTO, NAFTA, etc. violations inherent in his proposal. He’s not interested in that part. Let’s just talk policy.
I’m going to start with a positive. There is one thing I like about his proposal: Because it is a flat rate for all goods/services, it removes the discretion a government has to give higher tariffs to some industries (often based on the effectiveness of their lobbying). I’ve always seen this as a huge flaw in the current system (and I very much like Chile’s one tariff rate approach).
But aside from that, not surprisingly, I have some concerns. I’m not going to go through them all, though, but rather just pick out some favorites I want to talk about. (Readers should feel free to add other thoughts in the comments).
One big concern I have is on competition within specific protected industries. Won’t taxing foreign competition at such a high rate turn many industries into domestic oligopolies? On p. 244, he suggests that domestic companies actually compete more intensely against each other than against foreigners. I’m pretty skeptical of this point. Unfortunately, it may be difficult to prove one way or the other empirically. But logically, it makes no sense to me. How is fewer competitors better? Imagine if there were no cars made by foreign-owned producers sold in the U.S. Wouldn’t U.S. consumers be considerably worse off if the U.S. auto makers had been competing only against each other all these years? Is there any doubt we’d be seeing more expensive, lower-quality cars?
A second big concern is the foreign response, which I think he vastly underestimates. He goes through some possible responses foreign governments might have -- such as subsidies, currency devaluation, and retaliatory tariffs -- if the U.S. were to adopt such a tariff but dismisses them pretty quickly. For example, with tariffs, he notes that foreign countries would probably raise their tariffs “somewhat,” but the process would not “get out of control.” Indeed, he suggests it might even cause them to lower some of their own barriers, if, after the strategic tariff is imposed, lower U.S. tariffs are subsequently offered as an incentive for them to lower their barriers. (P. 246)
In reaction to this, let me point out first that it’s hard to predict how our trading partners would respond to such a policy. It is extremely unlikely it would ever be adopted, so not many people have given a response serious consideration. But I’ll give it a shot anyway.
I know it is commonly said (and the author implies at various times) that most other countries are more protectionist than the U.S. (and thus in part this “natural strategic tariff” would just counterbalance foreign protectionism). But regardless of who is most protectionist, there is a good deal of support for relatively free trade in much of the developed world. As a result, I don’t think the response would be anything like he hopes. If I had to guess here, I think much of the rest of the world would band together in a free trade agreement of their own, and let us go our own way. More specifically, it seems to me that a possible response by the rest of the world (and especially the EU, Japan and other developed countries) would contain two elements:
-- impose an identical 30% tariff on all U.S. goods and services.
-- form a free trade agreement amongst themselves.
Now, in the 1950s or 1960s, his argument about the foreign response might have been more plausible. But today, the U.S. market, while very important, may not command the same power it once did. There are a lot of other markets in which to sell, and many foreign companies might be happy to have U.S. companies at such a disadvantage in their own markets.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
As a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:
AUTHOR: Ian Fletcher
GENRE: Nonfiction
TOPIC: Globalization/Economics/Political Science
PUBLISHER: U.S. Business & Industry Council
ISBN-13: 978-0578048208
WEBSITE: www.freetradedoesntwork.com
FORMAT: Paperback, 348 pages, $24.95 on Amazon.com
Reviewed by Simon Lester for International Economic Law and Policy Blog
“Free Trade Doesn’t Work”
That’s the title of a new book by Ian Fletcher. (I came across it as a sponsored link in a Google search.) There are a number of different reasons people criticize free trade, so I was curious to see what exactly he had in mind. I asked him for a copy of the book so that I could review it on the blog, and he was kind enough to send one.
(Spoiler alert: If you don’t feel like reading to the end to see what he is proposing, it’s for the U.S. to impose an import tax, of about 30%, on all foreign goods and services).
As a preliminary point, let me just note that the book is mainly about tariffs and quotas. There’s not much about IP, labor rights, investor-state and similar recent additions to trade agreements. (Although, as indicated in the spoiler, services, another recent addition, is covered).
Now to the substance. The first four chapters contain a number of critiques of arguments and policies the author doesn’t like (including bad arguments for and against free trade). I’m going to start with Chapter 5, which deals with comparative advantage. Given the nature of the book (i.e., one that is critical of free trade), I was pleasantly surprised that he did a pretty good job of setting out this concept and explaining why it serves as an important basis for the free trade view. He acknowledges its value, and criticizes those who dismiss it out of hand. (In fact, this part was so good it could be used in a pro-free trade book!) However, he then identifies a number of “flaws” with comparative advantage. I’m just going to deal with one of these. (Otherwise this post would become far too long -- it’s already quite long as it is.)
To illustrate what he considers to be one flaw in the theory of comparative advantage, he asks, “What if a nation’s exports are unsustainable?” For example, a country may be exporting non-renewable natural resources, if this is where its comparative advantage lies. This will, he contends, maximize short-run efficiency at the expense of long-term prosperity. To deal with this problem, he notes, you would have to tax or restrict such exports, which is “not free trade.”
I hear this issue raised now and then in various contexts. However, I’m not convinced there is much to it. It is certainly true that, in most cases, you would not want to use up all your natural resources. But I don’t think the theory of comparative advantage requires you to do so. Even for free traders, comparative advantage is not the only basis for policy making. A country might have a comparative advantage in slaves, but it wouldn’t engage in slavery because we believe slavery is wrong. Similarly, if you have a comparative advantage in a particular natural resource, you don’t have to extract/produce it. If you want to deal with the threat of using up your resources, and you want to do it in a way that is consistent with “free trade,” just restrict their production, not their export. Doing it this way is likely to be permissible under trade rules. (There are some arguments you could make that production quotas violate trade rules, but my sense is most people don’t find these arguments very convincing). So, I’m not sure I see how the issue of non-renewable natural resources is a flaw in the theory of comparative advantage. It’s just a policy issue to be dealt with outside the context of trade.
Going further with comparative advantage, we now get a foreshadowing of the core idea of the book. He says that a nation’s wages are determined by its productivity in sectors where it has a comparative advantage. What he means by this, in essence, is that you would rather have a comparative advantage in high-wage industries. So, for example, it is better to have your comparative advantage in making airplanes than in cutting hair.
At this point, he takes us through a bit of free trade history. He explains that the British only became free traders after they used protection to establish themselves as the leading producers in industries such as wool-making. Similarly, the U.S. and Japan also used protection to develop their industries.
I don’t disagree with his contention that these three countries, and also other developed countries, were quite protectionist during their development period. I do, however, question whether this protection was the cause of their development. Speaking very generally, it seems to me that all countries have been fairly protectionist, at various times and in various industries. However, not all have developed. As a result, I’m not sure it’s sufficient to identify a correlation between protection and development in some countries and claim that this demonstrates cause and effect. To his credit, he does have an explanation of why protection worked better in East Asia than in Latin America, an issue which I’ve seen some critics of free trade overlook. (P. 202) However, one of his points here was that perhaps Latin America did not emphasize education enough, which, if true, suggests to me that education may be more important for development than protection.
In addition, I’m not sure that a comparison across eras has much value. It is true that the U.S. protected its domestic industries from their British competitors. But today, it might make more sense to offer your country up to a foreign company as a place to invest, instead of protecting domestic competitors. Why spend years with inefficient domestic industries when you could have a foreigner come over and build a state of the art factory tomorrow? That wasn’t an option for the U.S. in the 19th century, but it is for developing countries now.
Next up, in Chapter 8, he bashes the WTO, NAFTA and other trade agreements. This part seems to reflect criticisms of people like Lori Wallach and Dani Rodrik. Most readers are probably familiar with these arguments, so I’m going to skip them.
In Chapter 11, we get back to his key point, which is that it is better to have a comparative advantage in some industries than in others. He says you want industries with “increasing returns” (for a given increase in inputs, returns go up by more than the increase). And how do we achieve that? He proposes a “natural strategic tariff.” As an example of this, he suggests “a flat tax on all imported goods and services” as the best approach. He mentions a figure of 30%.
What he likes about this approach is that industries differ in “sensitivity and response to import competition.” Thus, a 30% tariff would not be enough to cause apparel production to come back to the U.S., as our competitiveness in such industries is far behind that of other countries. However, it would be enough to cause high-tech products like semiconductors to come back (as we are much closer there), which is great because these are the kind of increasing return, high-wage industries we want.
All right, that’s the crux of his argument. Now for some of my responses.
First off, let’s just ignore the WTO, NAFTA, etc. violations inherent in his proposal. He’s not interested in that part. Let’s just talk policy.
I’m going to start with a positive. There is one thing I like about his proposal: Because it is a flat rate for all goods/services, it removes the discretion a government has to give higher tariffs to some industries (often based on the effectiveness of their lobbying). I’ve always seen this as a huge flaw in the current system (and I very much like Chile’s one tariff rate approach).
But aside from that, not surprisingly, I have some concerns. I’m not going to go through them all, though, but rather just pick out some favorites I want to talk about. (Readers should feel free to add other thoughts in the comments).
One big concern I have is on competition within specific protected industries. Won’t taxing foreign competition at such a high rate turn many industries into domestic oligopolies? On p. 244, he suggests that domestic companies actually compete more intensely against each other than against foreigners. I’m pretty skeptical of this point. Unfortunately, it may be difficult to prove one way or the other empirically. But logically, it makes no sense to me. How is fewer competitors better? Imagine if there were no cars made by foreign-owned producers sold in the U.S. Wouldn’t U.S. consumers be considerably worse off if the U.S. auto makers had been competing only against each other all these years? Is there any doubt we’d be seeing more expensive, lower-quality cars?
A second big concern is the foreign response, which I think he vastly underestimates. He goes through some possible responses foreign governments might have -- such as subsidies, currency devaluation, and retaliatory tariffs -- if the U.S. were to adopt such a tariff but dismisses them pretty quickly. For example, with tariffs, he notes that foreign countries would probably raise their tariffs “somewhat,” but the process would not “get out of control.” Indeed, he suggests it might even cause them to lower some of their own barriers, if, after the strategic tariff is imposed, lower U.S. tariffs are subsequently offered as an incentive for them to lower their barriers. (P. 246)
In reaction to this, let me point out first that it’s hard to predict how our trading partners would respond to such a policy. It is extremely unlikely it would ever be adopted, so not many people have given a response serious consideration. But I’ll give it a shot anyway.
I know it is commonly said (and the author implies at various times) that most other countries are more protectionist than the U.S. (and thus in part this “natural strategic tariff” would just counterbalance foreign protectionism). But regardless of who is most protectionist, there is a good deal of support for relatively free trade in much of the developed world. As a result, I don’t think the response would be anything like he hopes. If I had to guess here, I think much of the rest of the world would band together in a free trade agreement of their own, and let us go our own way. More specifically, it seems to me that a possible response by the rest of the world (and especially the EU, Japan and other developed countries) would contain two elements:
-- impose an identical 30% tariff on all U.S. goods and services.
-- form a free trade agreement amongst themselves.
Now, in the 1950s or 1960s, his argument about the foreign response might have been more plausible. But today, the U.S. market, while very important, may not command the same power it once did. There are a lot of other markets in which to sell, and many foreign companies might be happy to have U.S. companies at such a disadvantage in their own markets.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
As a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:
Wednesday, 3 March 2010
TITLE: Writings Of A Wretch
AUTHOR: Marko Vignjević
PUBLISHER: Black Leaf Publishing
COPYRIGHT: 2009 by the Black Leaf Publishing Group, June 8, 2009
FORMAT: Paperback
PRICE: $11.95 (US), £7.99 (UK)
PAGES: 134
ISBN-10: 0955990335
ISBN-13:9780955990335
Reviewed by Deb Hockenberry for Debs Book Reviews
Like many before me, I’ve always asked myself: What is life? I will tell you the answer to which I came: Life is the happiness of others. Once I was a different point of view. That was a time when I, truly, without any exaggeration, showed a lot of promise. I even graduated from University; I have a diploma – if you don’t believe me visit the Kalenich market and ask around, I have a booth there where I sell telephone cords, extension cords, light bulbs manufactured in the Tesla factory in Panchevo, electrical outlets and all other kinds of nonsense to which I gave no thought during my studies, after which I immediately applied to the unemployment office, like a sheep for shearing. ~ from Writings Of A Wretch by Marko Vignjević, page 6, paragraph 2.
Imagine…you’ve been to University but your job is selling at the Kalenich market. It’s a meager living but an honest one. Does the wretch see that? Not really. He’s very dissatisfied with his life. He sees his life as one failure after another.
Translated into English from the original Serbian, Writings Of A Wretch is an uniquely original book completely written in first person and takes us into the innermost thoughts of the wretch’s daily life. This is a very well written book and one that makes you think about your own situation.
As you read this book, you see the wretch make his daily trudge to the market to sell his wares. Little does he know, he really has an important job. Everyone in Belgrade shops at the market. Where else can they get their electrical supplies? Slowly, he begins to lift himself out of his depression and accept his life for what it is. He even raises his self esteem enough to ask a girl to go to the movies with him! But his self esteem fails him and he ruins the date. Throughout the book the wretch asks himself very philosophical questions including the most important: What is my purpose in life?
As you continue reading, you find it hard to put this book down and go through several emotions. At times you want to yell at the wretch to consider himself lucky that he has food in his stomach and a roof over his head. Then you feel frustration that the wretch feels his whole life is a failure and he’ll never do anything right. You’re relieved when, finally, he realizes that his life isn’t so bad at all. Finally, you will feel like cheering when, at last, he accepts his life and learns to be happy in it.
~Deborah Hockenberry is an independent reviewer who invites reviews for selected genres at Debs Book Reviews. Reach her at kidztales@verizon.net and http://thebumpyroadtopublishing.blogspot.com
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:
AUTHOR: Marko Vignjević
PUBLISHER: Black Leaf Publishing
COPYRIGHT: 2009 by the Black Leaf Publishing Group, June 8, 2009
FORMAT: Paperback
PRICE: $11.95 (US), £7.99 (UK)
PAGES: 134
ISBN-10: 0955990335
ISBN-13:9780955990335
Reviewed by Deb Hockenberry for Debs Book Reviews
Like many before me, I’ve always asked myself: What is life? I will tell you the answer to which I came: Life is the happiness of others. Once I was a different point of view. That was a time when I, truly, without any exaggeration, showed a lot of promise. I even graduated from University; I have a diploma – if you don’t believe me visit the Kalenich market and ask around, I have a booth there where I sell telephone cords, extension cords, light bulbs manufactured in the Tesla factory in Panchevo, electrical outlets and all other kinds of nonsense to which I gave no thought during my studies, after which I immediately applied to the unemployment office, like a sheep for shearing. ~ from Writings Of A Wretch by Marko Vignjević, page 6, paragraph 2.
Imagine…you’ve been to University but your job is selling at the Kalenich market. It’s a meager living but an honest one. Does the wretch see that? Not really. He’s very dissatisfied with his life. He sees his life as one failure after another.
Translated into English from the original Serbian, Writings Of A Wretch is an uniquely original book completely written in first person and takes us into the innermost thoughts of the wretch’s daily life. This is a very well written book and one that makes you think about your own situation.
As you read this book, you see the wretch make his daily trudge to the market to sell his wares. Little does he know, he really has an important job. Everyone in Belgrade shops at the market. Where else can they get their electrical supplies? Slowly, he begins to lift himself out of his depression and accept his life for what it is. He even raises his self esteem enough to ask a girl to go to the movies with him! But his self esteem fails him and he ruins the date. Throughout the book the wretch asks himself very philosophical questions including the most important: What is my purpose in life?
As you continue reading, you find it hard to put this book down and go through several emotions. At times you want to yell at the wretch to consider himself lucky that he has food in his stomach and a roof over his head. Then you feel frustration that the wretch feels his whole life is a failure and he’ll never do anything right. You’re relieved when, finally, he realizes that his life isn’t so bad at all. Finally, you will feel like cheering when, at last, he accepts his life and learns to be happy in it.
~Deborah Hockenberry is an independent reviewer who invites reviews for selected genres at Debs Book Reviews. Reach her at kidztales@verizon.net and http://thebumpyroadtopublishing.blogspot.com
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:Monday, 1 March 2010
Overcoming Destructive Dark Secrets
The Eby Way: Challenge, Release, Heal your Painful Past
by Gary Eby
ISBN-10 1-58501-122-3
ISBN-13 978-1-58-501122-3
Paperback 209 pages
Genre: Self-Help
Published: December 2009
SterlingHouse Publisher
Gary Eby provides a synopsis of why his self-help method works.
I am the author of The Eby Way. I have a Masters in Social Work, 40 years of professional experience, and am retired from the VA as a social worker.
The Eby Way, is a self-help guide to overcoming past dark secrets so we can achieve our goals today. You can also learn four simple steps to a more positive life.
Year after year books are published promising happiness, joy, prosperity, love, and health. They just don’t tell us how to do it.
Oh, yes, they tell us to think positive or forget about the past. They offer us chants and “powers” and even “secrets”.
Here’s the real secret…as long as your heart or mind or body remembers that negative incident from how ever long ago, your ability to change will not be at hand.
Unlike these other books, I will show you how to stop the negative so you can truly gather the positive.
You can use my emotional healing process to overcome any negative issue or barrier in your life. It is fully field tested to facilitate change on all levels.
Please watch The Eby Way video here and check out some free samples of my work: http://www.ipodiums.com/qlcoach
Here is what Wheelman Presssaid about my book: "After working in the social work field for 37 years, author Gary Eby developed a simple formula to help anyone overcome a negative past and to embrace a positive lifestyle. In his book, Eby proves the effectiveness of his technique by providing examples of his own experiences as well as the stories of some of the people he has counseled."
An interesting story behind the publishing of The Eby Way is also available here: http://www.squidoo.com/ebywaybook
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:
by Gary Eby
ISBN-10 1-58501-122-3
ISBN-13 978-1-58-501122-3
Paperback 209 pages
Genre: Self-Help
Published: December 2009
SterlingHouse Publisher
Gary Eby provides a synopsis of why his self-help method works.
I am the author of The Eby Way. I have a Masters in Social Work, 40 years of professional experience, and am retired from the VA as a social worker.
The Eby Way, is a self-help guide to overcoming past dark secrets so we can achieve our goals today. You can also learn four simple steps to a more positive life.
Year after year books are published promising happiness, joy, prosperity, love, and health. They just don’t tell us how to do it.
Oh, yes, they tell us to think positive or forget about the past. They offer us chants and “powers” and even “secrets”.
Here’s the real secret…as long as your heart or mind or body remembers that negative incident from how ever long ago, your ability to change will not be at hand.
Unlike these other books, I will show you how to stop the negative so you can truly gather the positive.
You can use my emotional healing process to overcome any negative issue or barrier in your life. It is fully field tested to facilitate change on all levels.
Please watch The Eby Way video here and check out some free samples of my work: http://www.ipodiums.com/qlcoach
Here is what Wheelman Presssaid about my book: "After working in the social work field for 37 years, author Gary Eby developed a simple formula to help anyone overcome a negative past and to embrace a positive lifestyle. In his book, Eby proves the effectiveness of his technique by providing examples of his own experiences as well as the stories of some of the people he has counseled."
An interesting story behind the publishing of The Eby Way is also available here: http://www.squidoo.com/ebywaybook
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:Saturday, 27 February 2010
Fiction for Those Who Love Flying
Title: Hauling Checks
Author: Alex Stone
Genre: Fiction\ Humorous, Transportation\ Aviation
ISBN: 978-1449563332
Reviewer: Chris Gerrib
Reviewer's Blog: http://podpeep.blogspot.com
Reviewer's Rating: 8/10
Review by Chris Gerrib for PodPeep
It’s a little-known fact, but for many years, every check written at a bank had to be physically air-freighted back to the original bank it was drawn on. Modern technology is slowly phasing this out, but in the meantime, a group of airfreight companies make a living flying this “work” around. These pilots refer to themselves as freight dogs. It’s a tough business, consisting of flying small turboprops out of secondary airports at night for little money.
It’s the world of Alex Stone, author of the new novel Hauling Checks. This short work (166 pages) is ostensibly the story of Checkflight, a (hopefully) fictional airfreight company swirling down the corporate drain. In reality, the book is an excuse for Alex to tell fictionalized exploits and anecdotes of his flying career. Very entertaining anecdotes, I might add.
Alex is an engaging writer, aiming at a general audience, so there’s no “I did a second IFR on the PDQ” technobabble. What aviation lingo you need to understand is explained. Even then, most of the entertaining stories aren’t about flying; they are about characters, from a copilot who’s afraid to fly to a company chief who dabbles in illegal activities and a senile dispatcher.
Now, the author is a young man, apparently single, and he hangs out with a young crowd, so there are a few adult words and situations. Having said that, Hauling Checks is an entertaining and quick look at a less-than-glamorous side of being a pilot. I’m very fond of Patrick Smith, who writes “Ask The Pilot” for Salon.com. Alex Stone shows the writing potential to be another Patrick Smith.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:
Author: Alex Stone
Genre: Fiction\ Humorous, Transportation\ Aviation
ISBN: 978-1449563332
Reviewer: Chris Gerrib
Reviewer's Blog: http://podpeep.blogspot.com
Reviewer's Rating: 8/10
Review by Chris Gerrib for PodPeep
It’s a little-known fact, but for many years, every check written at a bank had to be physically air-freighted back to the original bank it was drawn on. Modern technology is slowly phasing this out, but in the meantime, a group of airfreight companies make a living flying this “work” around. These pilots refer to themselves as freight dogs. It’s a tough business, consisting of flying small turboprops out of secondary airports at night for little money.
It’s the world of Alex Stone, author of the new novel Hauling Checks. This short work (166 pages) is ostensibly the story of Checkflight, a (hopefully) fictional airfreight company swirling down the corporate drain. In reality, the book is an excuse for Alex to tell fictionalized exploits and anecdotes of his flying career. Very entertaining anecdotes, I might add.
Alex is an engaging writer, aiming at a general audience, so there’s no “I did a second IFR on the PDQ” technobabble. What aviation lingo you need to understand is explained. Even then, most of the entertaining stories aren’t about flying; they are about characters, from a copilot who’s afraid to fly to a company chief who dabbles in illegal activities and a senile dispatcher.
Now, the author is a young man, apparently single, and he hangs out with a young crowd, so there are a few adult words and situations. Having said that, Hauling Checks is an entertaining and quick look at a less-than-glamorous side of being a pilot. I’m very fond of Patrick Smith, who writes “Ask The Pilot” for Salon.com. Alex Stone shows the writing potential to be another Patrick Smith.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:Friday, 26 February 2010
Title: Living the Dream
Author: Tim Baker
Genre: Fiction/Action/Crime
ISBN: 978-160844-087-0
Reviewed by April M. Hanson for Amazon.com
Well-written and gripping novel
All Kurt wants is a break and he can't understand why he can't get one. Deciding to take matters into his own hands he comes up with a plan to kidnap Vicky. He is sure her husband will pay the ransom and then his life will be on the right track, he will be a loser no more. Unfortunately for Kurt, things go from bad to worse as he drives to Florida in what becomes the road trip from hell. Once there, he discovers Vicky is out of town and her husband, Jimmy, doesn't care enough about her to pay a ransom even if Kurt could managed to kidnap her. Just when it seems like Kurt's plan is over, he meets Jimmy's mistress, Leslie, who has some plans of her own and Kurt starts to believe he may finally get to "live the dream".
When I first started to read Living The Dream by Tim Baker, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. Three of the main characters have no redeeming qualities and it was hard to care about what happened to them. Then I realized that I didn't have to like them in order to appreciate the story and the imagination that went into the writing. The things that kept happening to Kurt were crazy and creative and I was impressed with how events unfolded in a way that kept me interested despite my lack of empathy for the characters. I eventually found myself turning the pages furiously to see what was going to happen next and, by the end, felt that the book was well written, creative, showed lots of imagination and I would definitely recommend it.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:
Author: Tim Baker
Genre: Fiction/Action/Crime
ISBN: 978-160844-087-0
Reviewed by April M. Hanson for Amazon.com
Well-written and gripping novel
All Kurt wants is a break and he can't understand why he can't get one. Deciding to take matters into his own hands he comes up with a plan to kidnap Vicky. He is sure her husband will pay the ransom and then his life will be on the right track, he will be a loser no more. Unfortunately for Kurt, things go from bad to worse as he drives to Florida in what becomes the road trip from hell. Once there, he discovers Vicky is out of town and her husband, Jimmy, doesn't care enough about her to pay a ransom even if Kurt could managed to kidnap her. Just when it seems like Kurt's plan is over, he meets Jimmy's mistress, Leslie, who has some plans of her own and Kurt starts to believe he may finally get to "live the dream".
When I first started to read Living The Dream by Tim Baker, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. Three of the main characters have no redeeming qualities and it was hard to care about what happened to them. Then I realized that I didn't have to like them in order to appreciate the story and the imagination that went into the writing. The things that kept happening to Kurt were crazy and creative and I was impressed with how events unfolded in a way that kept me interested despite my lack of empathy for the characters. I eventually found myself turning the pages furiously to see what was going to happen next and, by the end, felt that the book was well written, creative, showed lots of imagination and I would definitely recommend it.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:Wednesday, 24 February 2010
New Mainstream Novel Also a Bit of a Mystery
Title: Marta's Place
Author: C. M. Albrecht
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Reviewed by Anne K. Edwards for Mystery Fiction
If you've ever been out of work and send on interviews for menial jobs, you will both sympathize with Hal and understand his letting life happen when it points to a way out of his present situation. He is sent to a small restaurant called Marta's Place and his luck seems to turn.
Marta is a older woman making a small success of her restaurant located in a changing neighborhood with a limited customer base. Luckily, she is a good cook and willing to give unskilled help a chance. As time passes, Hal becomes more than a helper.
But even as things are looking up for him, Hal takes chances that could ruin everything. Then he is accused of murdering a woman he knew. This is a blow that threatens his new security at a time when Marta is making big plans. His only hope is that he can keep her from finding out.
Talented author Carl M. Albrecht has crafted an interesting study of life and how one can go from rags to riches with just a little luck and lots of hard work. Mr. Albrecht has a thorough understanding of human desires and what motivates a young man who has been drifting through life on the bottom of society. You'll want to know if he can attain a better position in life and keep it.
I'm pleased to recommend Marta's Place as well worth the time. A well told tale with lots of emotions and interesting characters. You may recognize them as people you know or have met. I did.
Enjoy. I did.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:
Author: C. M. Albrecht
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Reviewed by Anne K. Edwards for Mystery Fiction
If you've ever been out of work and send on interviews for menial jobs, you will both sympathize with Hal and understand his letting life happen when it points to a way out of his present situation. He is sent to a small restaurant called Marta's Place and his luck seems to turn.
Marta is a older woman making a small success of her restaurant located in a changing neighborhood with a limited customer base. Luckily, she is a good cook and willing to give unskilled help a chance. As time passes, Hal becomes more than a helper.
But even as things are looking up for him, Hal takes chances that could ruin everything. Then he is accused of murdering a woman he knew. This is a blow that threatens his new security at a time when Marta is making big plans. His only hope is that he can keep her from finding out.
Talented author Carl M. Albrecht has crafted an interesting study of life and how one can go from rags to riches with just a little luck and lots of hard work. Mr. Albrecht has a thorough understanding of human desires and what motivates a young man who has been drifting through life on the bottom of society. You'll want to know if he can attain a better position in life and keep it.
I'm pleased to recommend Marta's Place as well worth the time. A well told tale with lots of emotions and interesting characters. You may recognize them as people you know or have met. I did.
Enjoy. I did.
-----
The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:Monday, 22 February 2010
Iggy the Iguana Is Back!
Iggy the Iguana Chapter Book Series
Title – Summer League
Author – Melissa M Williams
Publisher – Long Tale Publishing
Genre – Children’s Chapter Book
ISBN: 978-0-9818054-2-9
Paperback $9.99
ISBN: 978-0-9818054-3-6
Hardback $15.99
190 pages
Reviewed by Author Geri Ahearn
Summer League is the second book in the Iggy the Iguana Chapter Book Series for boys and girls ages 7 to 11. The characters you love in Iggy the Iguana are all back, gearing up to play ball, even Iggy’s silly little sister! After an exciting school year, Iggy and his friends kick off their summer vacation with some fun in the sun and ... baseball! The summer proves to be full of lessons, eye-openers, and ultimate excitement. Who would have thought you really do grow up over the summer time!
The hero in this delightful children's story is Iggy, who is a loveable nine year old, and the new kid on the block. It's hard enough that Iggy has to deal with his smart, sassy younger sister, but there are other issues that he must also challenge. As Iggy prepares to enter a public school for the first time in his life, not knowing anyone, he realizes that he needs to make lots of friends. Along with trying to prove himself
worthy, he is forced to deal with bullies, and his first childhood crush. Snap Shell, Kit Kat, and Molly all have unique personalities, and are extremely funny. Dragon D tries to act very cool, but does this type of personality fade away, after everyone really gets to know you? Does Iggy have a tough time trying to fit in, and who makes him feel comfortable?
How does Iggy feel about Lizbeth? Does Iggy survive the trials and tribulations of his age group on his journey through elementary school? I highly recommend this wonderful children's book that will touch the hearts of readers of all ages. Children will be able to relate to the story, and learn from those lessons through a fun, easy, and humorous read. Melissa M. Williams presents everyday issues, along with simple solutions in an interesting story, with adorable characters. This book will encourage children to be considerate and caring, with a positive attitude. The author includes the true value of family and friendship, which is an essential stepping-stone from childhood to adult.
There are serious moments, funny moments, and touching moments. This fun and easy read is recommended for any child who is preparing to enter elementary school, and for children in this age group who are changing schools, after moving to a new location. How does Iggy adapt from an All Lizard School to a public All Animal School? The characters come to life as Iggy and his friends experience their first school year together, issues get resolved, and emotions become heartfelt in this educational, children's adventure. "IGGY THE IGUANA" is as thrilling as Walt Disney's LADY AND THE TRAMP, and as funny as CHICKEN LITTLE.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
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Title – Summer League
Author – Melissa M Williams
Publisher – Long Tale Publishing
Genre – Children’s Chapter Book
ISBN: 978-0-9818054-2-9
Paperback $9.99
ISBN: 978-0-9818054-3-6
Hardback $15.99
190 pages
Reviewed by Author Geri Ahearn
Summer League is the second book in the Iggy the Iguana Chapter Book Series for boys and girls ages 7 to 11. The characters you love in Iggy the Iguana are all back, gearing up to play ball, even Iggy’s silly little sister! After an exciting school year, Iggy and his friends kick off their summer vacation with some fun in the sun and ... baseball! The summer proves to be full of lessons, eye-openers, and ultimate excitement. Who would have thought you really do grow up over the summer time!
The hero in this delightful children's story is Iggy, who is a loveable nine year old, and the new kid on the block. It's hard enough that Iggy has to deal with his smart, sassy younger sister, but there are other issues that he must also challenge. As Iggy prepares to enter a public school for the first time in his life, not knowing anyone, he realizes that he needs to make lots of friends. Along with trying to prove himself
worthy, he is forced to deal with bullies, and his first childhood crush. Snap Shell, Kit Kat, and Molly all have unique personalities, and are extremely funny. Dragon D tries to act very cool, but does this type of personality fade away, after everyone really gets to know you? Does Iggy have a tough time trying to fit in, and who makes him feel comfortable?
How does Iggy feel about Lizbeth? Does Iggy survive the trials and tribulations of his age group on his journey through elementary school? I highly recommend this wonderful children's book that will touch the hearts of readers of all ages. Children will be able to relate to the story, and learn from those lessons through a fun, easy, and humorous read. Melissa M. Williams presents everyday issues, along with simple solutions in an interesting story, with adorable characters. This book will encourage children to be considerate and caring, with a positive attitude. The author includes the true value of family and friendship, which is an essential stepping-stone from childhood to adult.
There are serious moments, funny moments, and touching moments. This fun and easy read is recommended for any child who is preparing to enter elementary school, and for children in this age group who are changing schools, after moving to a new location. How does Iggy adapt from an All Lizard School to a public All Animal School? The characters come to life as Iggy and his friends experience their first school year together, issues get resolved, and emotions become heartfelt in this educational, children's adventure. "IGGY THE IGUANA" is as thrilling as Walt Disney's LADY AND THE TRAMP, and as funny as CHICKEN LITTLE.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.
And while you're at it, as a courtesy to the author, please retweet this post:
