A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions
by Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Reviewed by Robert Medak for Stormy Writer and Amazon.com
A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions lists a series of frugal ways of promoting your business, in good economic times as well as bad; and not break the bank in the process. Anyone in the retail business should read this 120-page book. There is a good deal of information in a small book that is of use to retailers, and their business no matter the present circumstances.
Many of the ideas are common sense, but also things that retailers may not have thought of. There are many inexpensive concepts that are easy to implement in your store, whether it is large or small. The size does not matter, the ideas in this book are what can help retailers grow their customer base with a few simple adjustments to present stock and how to deal with it. Simple promotion ideas that may cost only a few dollars, to free can increase your business over time. Fortunately, the few ideas listed in this book may trigger some things retailers can come up with on their own.
Do you need more business in your store? A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions can help you with simple ideas form how to move and arrange your stock and more. There are also some simple and effective ways to garner publicity in your local newspaper and have customers send you business with ideas that may cost you nothing expect some time and training of your employees.
A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions is an easy to read book that can help all retailers do more promotion for your business without spending a lot of money.
I recommend this book for any retailer and award it a four star rating.
Endorsement Disclaimer: All reviews posted on this site and written by this reviewer are personal opinions of the book by this reviewer. The reviews are NOT paid endorsements of the book or the author. They are not advertisements. All reviews are honest, forthright and the opinion of this individual reviewer. This reviewer’s opinions are not for sale. (There is however, a small fee for some reviews, and sometimes this reviewer receives complementary copies from the author.) Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255 (http://www.ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)
The reviewer is a freelance editor and writer.
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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:
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Monday, 26 April 2010
RJ Medak Reviews Fun Grammar Brush-Up Book
Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers: The Ultimate Frugal Booklet for Avoiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper-Perfect Copy
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Published by HowToDoItFrugally.com
EAN-13: 9781450507653
Paperback booklet
55 pages
$6.95
Reviewed by Robert Medlak for Amazon and asorted review sites
This pamphlet is only around fifty pages, but filled with an assemblage of word trippers written in a conversational style that will help writers from aspiring to seasoned with their copy.
The best way to appear amateurish as writers is to make simple word usage errors. There are homophone words that writers should know the difference, and which one of them to use in their copy. Some of the most common errors found in editing by author and editor, Carolyn Howard-Johnson lists in “Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers.”
This reviewer found this pamphlet to be inspirational and a brush up for any writer. Any time a writer submits copy not up to professional standards there is a gatekeeper who will bounce it. Reading this pamphlet can save writers the embarrassment of receiving a rejection slip for poor writing.
“Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers” is a postscript to Carolyn’s book, The Frugal Editor. No writer is a consummate writer in every sentence and word choice. Writers can only strive for perfection, but not consumed by it.
This reviewer found this small pamphlet chock full of useful information for all writers. Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers receives a five star rating by this reviewer.
The Reviewer
Robert (Bob) Medak is a writer/editor/reviewer. He reviews for AllBook Reviews and New York Journal of Books. He is acquisitions editor for Real Time PUblishing. Find him at Stormy Winter. He tweets at www.twitter.com/RJ_Medak.
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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:
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Published by HowToDoItFrugally.com
EAN-13: 9781450507653
Paperback booklet
55 pages
$6.95
Reviewed by Robert Medlak for Amazon and asorted review sites
This pamphlet is only around fifty pages, but filled with an assemblage of word trippers written in a conversational style that will help writers from aspiring to seasoned with their copy.
The best way to appear amateurish as writers is to make simple word usage errors. There are homophone words that writers should know the difference, and which one of them to use in their copy. Some of the most common errors found in editing by author and editor, Carolyn Howard-Johnson lists in “Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers.”
This reviewer found this pamphlet to be inspirational and a brush up for any writer. Any time a writer submits copy not up to professional standards there is a gatekeeper who will bounce it. Reading this pamphlet can save writers the embarrassment of receiving a rejection slip for poor writing.
“Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers” is a postscript to Carolyn’s book, The Frugal Editor. No writer is a consummate writer in every sentence and word choice. Writers can only strive for perfection, but not consumed by it.
This reviewer found this small pamphlet chock full of useful information for all writers. Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers receives a five star rating by this reviewer.
The Reviewer
Robert (Bob) Medak is a writer/editor/reviewer. He reviews for AllBook Reviews and New York Journal of Books. He is acquisitions editor for Real Time PUblishing. Find him at Stormy Winter. He tweets at www.twitter.com/RJ_Medak.
-----
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:
Sunday, 25 April 2010
#Entrylevel Tweet for Business Help
Title: #Entrylevel Tweet
Author: Heather Huhman
Genre or category: career and business
ISBN: 978-1-61699-024-4
Publisher: ThinkAha
Reviewed by Teresa Morrow for www.successful-blog.com
This week I would like to share with you a book I have read and one I am working with the author entitled #EntryLevel Tweet by Heather Huhman.
The author was questioned why she wrote #EntryLevel Tweet and Heather replied, “Hiring managers expect young professionals to be job hunting experts. And there’s a strong need for quick, easy-to-digest information about entry-level job searching.”
When I was reading #EntryLevel Tweet I found myself shaking my head in agreement due to several of the points stated in the book are right on, such as:
"Don’t beat yourself up for not making the right choice at first–most of us don’t!" —>How true this is! I was going to be a marine biologist, until I went to college and found out I was not as good as math and science as I thought I once was in this subjects.
She goes on to say,"You need to choose a career that makes you happy and excited about going to work, but remember that not every day on the job will be fun". —>there is some part, it may only be 1% of your job, that you will not like doing as part of your job.
Huhman then continues on to discuss how the world for those seeking their first job out of college has changed. “Even in a candidate saturated market, there are many more (and better) ways to get in front of hiring managers than there used to be." —>Oh, yes, this is certainly true. There are people who can do a video resume for you. *Actually that is how my niece landed her first job as a reporter.
She seeks to help recent grads by providing them stepping stones to secure the proper tools to obtain in order to be more successful at landing the job.
About the Author:
Heather R. Huhman is a career expert and Founder of Come Recommended, an exclusive online community connecting the best internship and entry-level job candidates with the best employers. As an experienced hiring manager and someone who has been in nearly every employment-related situation imaginable, Heather knows and understands the needs of today’s employers and internship and entry-level job seekers.
Her expertise in this area led to her selection as Examiner.com’s entry-level careers columnist in mid-2008. The daily, national column educates high school students through recent college graduates about how to find, land, and succeed at internships and entry-level jobs.
The reviewer is Teresa Morrow of Key Business Partners, LLC, providing marketing & publicity solutions for writers, coaches, and speakers
(727-644-1773) and contributing editor at large at WE Magazine for Women.
Follow her on Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/teresamorrow
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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:
Friday, 23 April 2010
Just What Mothers-in-Law Need!
Title: The Mother-in-Law’s Manual: Proven Strategies for Creating Healthy Relationships with Married Children
Author: Susan Abel Lieberman, PH.D.
Genre: Nonfiction/Family Matters
Publisher: bright sky press
ISBN: 978-1933979410
Originally reviewed by Karen Cioffi for Bookpleasures.com
The Mother-in-Law’s Manual is a wonderfully insightful and at times humorous advice manual for dealing with not only in-laws, but also other family members. Having recently seen a commercial for Monsters-in-Law, with Jennifer Lopez, it was refreshing to read a much more realistic portrayal of mother-in-laws, especially since I am one myself.
Lieberman’s first chapter explains that when our children are young we are afforded an abundance of advice from professionals such as Dr. Spock. But, when our children are grown, leave the nest and marry, we are left to fend for ourselves. Lieberman’s analogy for the marriage is: “They are moving to a new country that they will create together. Yes, we get territorial. Use my bill of rights. Celebrate my holidays. Serve my food. Even if we don’t see it like a competition, we are likely to consider each deviation a loss.”
Situations that never existed before are now ones that can cause hurt, sadness, and even anger, along with satisfaction and happiness. This book delves into all the emotions that come into play. The child who was once yours now belongs to someone else. The author alludes to the fact that this is more of an issue when it is your son and you are dealing with a daughter-in-law. But, whether son or daughter, the dynamics of the family change.
The Mother-in-Law’s Manual is jammed packed with bits and pieces of wisdom. One of my favorite gems comes right after the “10 most recommended rules” for mothers-in-law which are all the same, “Keep your mouth shut.” Lieberman cleverly explains: “Even if we could follow the rule(s) and not say one word that would be heard as contentious, judgmental, argumentative, or critical […] our children would still hear contentions, judgments, arguments, and criticisms.” As a mother and mother-in-law, these are words that ring true. At times it seems you just can’t win. I thought this section was so funny, I had to read it to my husband.
It is difficult to do justice to all the pearls of wisdom in this book. It explains not to fret over the small things, our perceptions and our intent matter, when not to offer advice, and so much more. It even considers the roles of grandparents, children’s relationships to aging parents, and the aging process itself as Lieberman coins as “zippy to droopy.” She even includes a glimpse of her relationship with her own mother, the frustrations and sometimes guilt that is inevitable when a parent reaches an old age or is ill. Having taken care of a quadriplegic mother my experiences are somewhat different, but in some aspects they are the same. When watching your parent age, you wonder if you’re looking at your future.
Lieberman’s efforts produced an impressive book that all family members should read. Her research involved interviews with as many mothers-in-law across the country and from different backgrounds as she could. She even interviewed a number of daughters-in-law and sons-in-law. Many of these interviews are in the book. Some of their stories/advice sounded familiar, others were surprising. But, they all brought another element of enlightenment. Adult children who read this, married or unmarried, will hopefully gain insight into their parents as not only Mom or Dad, but as individuals with a life of their own including hopes, needs and feelings.
One final gem from the book that struck a chord with me is in Chapter Ten: “I understand my children are not my friends, that our relationship is that unique connection between parent and child. But, there is a way in which we are candid and honest with close, old friends, yet show a carefulness, a respectfulness that can be forgotten with parents. As soon as we begin to feel superior to a friend, the nature of the friendship shifts.” Lieberman hit just about every nail on the head with The Mother-in-Law’s Manual. I give this book 5 Stars and highly recommend it.
About the author:
Susan Abel Lieberman currently lives in Houston and works as an executive coach. She has written five books, including New Traditions: Redefining Celebrations for Today’s Family. The Mother-in-Law’s Manual springs from the realization that her assumption that anyone would be thrilled to have her for a mother-in-law was off base. Rather than accepting family tension, she put her skills as a researcher and an executive coach to work to improve the situation. Ordained as an interfaith minister, Lieberman also holds a master’s from Berkeley, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburg. As a wife, mother, mother-in-law and grandmother, she is well-versed in the challenges presented by every stage of family life. The Mother-in-Law’s Manual brings her personal and professional insights together to help mothers-in-law everywhere start a new chapter in their family life.
About the reviewer:
Karen Cioffi-Ventrice may be reached at
http://www.dkvwriting4u.com
http://karencioffi.com/media-page/
She blogs at http://karenandrobyn.blogspot.com and is co-Author of Day's End Lullaby. She is also author of The Self-Publisher's Guide, Writing, Publishing, and Marketing - You Can Do It!, and Walking Through Walls
Tweet with her at http://twitter.com/KarenCV
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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:
Author: Susan Abel Lieberman, PH.D.
Genre: Nonfiction/Family Matters
Publisher: bright sky press
ISBN: 978-1933979410
Originally reviewed by Karen Cioffi for Bookpleasures.com
The Mother-in-Law’s Manual is a wonderfully insightful and at times humorous advice manual for dealing with not only in-laws, but also other family members. Having recently seen a commercial for Monsters-in-Law, with Jennifer Lopez, it was refreshing to read a much more realistic portrayal of mother-in-laws, especially since I am one myself.
Lieberman’s first chapter explains that when our children are young we are afforded an abundance of advice from professionals such as Dr. Spock. But, when our children are grown, leave the nest and marry, we are left to fend for ourselves. Lieberman’s analogy for the marriage is: “They are moving to a new country that they will create together. Yes, we get territorial. Use my bill of rights. Celebrate my holidays. Serve my food. Even if we don’t see it like a competition, we are likely to consider each deviation a loss.”
Situations that never existed before are now ones that can cause hurt, sadness, and even anger, along with satisfaction and happiness. This book delves into all the emotions that come into play. The child who was once yours now belongs to someone else. The author alludes to the fact that this is more of an issue when it is your son and you are dealing with a daughter-in-law. But, whether son or daughter, the dynamics of the family change.
The Mother-in-Law’s Manual is jammed packed with bits and pieces of wisdom. One of my favorite gems comes right after the “10 most recommended rules” for mothers-in-law which are all the same, “Keep your mouth shut.” Lieberman cleverly explains: “Even if we could follow the rule(s) and not say one word that would be heard as contentious, judgmental, argumentative, or critical […] our children would still hear contentions, judgments, arguments, and criticisms.” As a mother and mother-in-law, these are words that ring true. At times it seems you just can’t win. I thought this section was so funny, I had to read it to my husband.
It is difficult to do justice to all the pearls of wisdom in this book. It explains not to fret over the small things, our perceptions and our intent matter, when not to offer advice, and so much more. It even considers the roles of grandparents, children’s relationships to aging parents, and the aging process itself as Lieberman coins as “zippy to droopy.” She even includes a glimpse of her relationship with her own mother, the frustrations and sometimes guilt that is inevitable when a parent reaches an old age or is ill. Having taken care of a quadriplegic mother my experiences are somewhat different, but in some aspects they are the same. When watching your parent age, you wonder if you’re looking at your future.
Lieberman’s efforts produced an impressive book that all family members should read. Her research involved interviews with as many mothers-in-law across the country and from different backgrounds as she could. She even interviewed a number of daughters-in-law and sons-in-law. Many of these interviews are in the book. Some of their stories/advice sounded familiar, others were surprising. But, they all brought another element of enlightenment. Adult children who read this, married or unmarried, will hopefully gain insight into their parents as not only Mom or Dad, but as individuals with a life of their own including hopes, needs and feelings.
One final gem from the book that struck a chord with me is in Chapter Ten: “I understand my children are not my friends, that our relationship is that unique connection between parent and child. But, there is a way in which we are candid and honest with close, old friends, yet show a carefulness, a respectfulness that can be forgotten with parents. As soon as we begin to feel superior to a friend, the nature of the friendship shifts.” Lieberman hit just about every nail on the head with The Mother-in-Law’s Manual. I give this book 5 Stars and highly recommend it.
About the author:
Susan Abel Lieberman currently lives in Houston and works as an executive coach. She has written five books, including New Traditions: Redefining Celebrations for Today’s Family. The Mother-in-Law’s Manual springs from the realization that her assumption that anyone would be thrilled to have her for a mother-in-law was off base. Rather than accepting family tension, she put her skills as a researcher and an executive coach to work to improve the situation. Ordained as an interfaith minister, Lieberman also holds a master’s from Berkeley, and a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburg. As a wife, mother, mother-in-law and grandmother, she is well-versed in the challenges presented by every stage of family life. The Mother-in-Law’s Manual brings her personal and professional insights together to help mothers-in-law everywhere start a new chapter in their family life.
About the reviewer:
Karen Cioffi-Ventrice may be reached at
http://www.dkvwriting4u.com
http://karencioffi.com/media-page/
She blogs at http://karenandrobyn.blogspot.com and is co-Author of Day's End Lullaby. She is also author of The Self-Publisher's Guide, Writing, Publishing, and Marketing - You Can Do It!, and Walking Through Walls
Tweet with her at http://twitter.com/KarenCV
-----
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:
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
#DreamTweet a Fun Concept in Self Help
Title: #DreamTweet
Author: Joe Heuer, aka The Rock and Roll Guru
Publisher: ThinkAha Books
Reviewed by Theresa Morrow
I would like to introduce a book I have read. I have also and worked with the author. It is #DreamTweet by Joe Heuer, aka The Rock and Roll Guru published by ThinkAha books.
While watching TV a few weeks ago, I began to notice the commercials were predominately about the Winter Olympics. I watched and listened to the athletes as they talked about what it meant to them to be a part of this worldly event. The described how much dedication it took for them to reach this goal of a lifetime but they wouldn’t have it any other way because it was their DREAM. It was so important to them, that no matter what, it was the one thing they wanted to do it was a part of who they are as a human being.
Well, this is the kind of advice, tips and inspiration you will receive when you read, #DreamTweet by Joe Heuer.
Here are just a few of the wise words from Joe in #DreamTweet:
Be specific in creating your dream. Clarity provides tremendous power. (pg 3)
~Find people who are living their dream and study them. (pg 19)
~You absolutely, positively gotta be the number one believer in your dream. No ifs, ands, or buts! (pg. 28)
~Fear is your dream’s adversary. The most effective technique for casting off your fears is to bathe them in the
light of love. (pg. 49)
~Each day spend time imagining your dream in all its resplendent glory, while feeling the rush of positive emotion that accompanies it. (pg 74)
And Joe is a great role model for his kids because they had this to say about their dad: “Our dad is the perfect person to write ‘DREAMtweet,’ since he’s living his own dream as the Rock and Roll Guru!” –Alex and Rachel Heuer
What else more can I say? So Rock on and live your dreams!
You can order your copy of download a copy of #DreamTweet at ThinkAha website.
Author Bio:
Joe Heuer, is known worldwide as the Rock and Roll Guru (http://RockandRollGuru.com ). An entertaining speaker, author, and full-time rocker, he shares the nuggets of wisdom he has gleaned from Rock & Roll with professional audiences throughout this third rock from the sun.
He believes that in addition to being a groovy musical genre, rock and roll is a way of life that has served as his constant companion and inspiration. Joe has lived numerous dreams, including a stint as the youngest collegiate head basketball coach in the country… who never played the game.
He has written several books. Recent titles include ‘The NEW Rock and Roll Guru Guide to Customer Loyalty’ and ‘The Rock and Roll Guide to Patient Loyalty.’ He also has several rock and roll books in the works.
His wife calls him an idiot savant for his uncanny recall of obscure rock and roll lyrics and trivia.
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The reviewer is Teresa Morrow of Key Business Partners, LLC, providing Marketing & Publicity Solutions for Writers, Coaches, and Speakers
727-644-1773 www.twitter.com/teresamorrow
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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:
Author: Joe Heuer, aka The Rock and Roll Guru
Publisher: ThinkAha Books
Reviewed by Theresa Morrow
I would like to introduce a book I have read. I have also and worked with the author. It is #DreamTweet by Joe Heuer, aka The Rock and Roll Guru published by ThinkAha books.
While watching TV a few weeks ago, I began to notice the commercials were predominately about the Winter Olympics. I watched and listened to the athletes as they talked about what it meant to them to be a part of this worldly event. The described how much dedication it took for them to reach this goal of a lifetime but they wouldn’t have it any other way because it was their DREAM. It was so important to them, that no matter what, it was the one thing they wanted to do it was a part of who they are as a human being.
Well, this is the kind of advice, tips and inspiration you will receive when you read, #DreamTweet by Joe Heuer.
Here are just a few of the wise words from Joe in #DreamTweet:
Be specific in creating your dream. Clarity provides tremendous power. (pg 3)
~Find people who are living their dream and study them. (pg 19)
~You absolutely, positively gotta be the number one believer in your dream. No ifs, ands, or buts! (pg. 28)
~Fear is your dream’s adversary. The most effective technique for casting off your fears is to bathe them in the
light of love. (pg. 49)
~Each day spend time imagining your dream in all its resplendent glory, while feeling the rush of positive emotion that accompanies it. (pg 74)
And Joe is a great role model for his kids because they had this to say about their dad: “Our dad is the perfect person to write ‘DREAMtweet,’ since he’s living his own dream as the Rock and Roll Guru!” –Alex and Rachel Heuer
What else more can I say? So Rock on and live your dreams!
You can order your copy of download a copy of #DreamTweet at ThinkAha website.
Author Bio:
Joe Heuer, is known worldwide as the Rock and Roll Guru (http://RockandRollGuru.com ). An entertaining speaker, author, and full-time rocker, he shares the nuggets of wisdom he has gleaned from Rock & Roll with professional audiences throughout this third rock from the sun.
He believes that in addition to being a groovy musical genre, rock and roll is a way of life that has served as his constant companion and inspiration. Joe has lived numerous dreams, including a stint as the youngest collegiate head basketball coach in the country… who never played the game.
He has written several books. Recent titles include ‘The NEW Rock and Roll Guru Guide to Customer Loyalty’ and ‘The Rock and Roll Guide to Patient Loyalty.’ He also has several rock and roll books in the works.
His wife calls him an idiot savant for his uncanny recall of obscure rock and roll lyrics and trivia.
---
The reviewer is Teresa Morrow of Key Business Partners, LLC, providing Marketing & Publicity Solutions for Writers, Coaches, and Speakers
727-644-1773 www.twitter.com/teresamorrow
-----
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:
Monday, 19 April 2010
Two Faces, Two Dreams: A Novel Not To Be Forgotten
When She Sleeps
By Leora Krygier
Toby Press, 2004
ISBN: 1592640869
Adult/Mainstream Fiction
Author’s Site: www.leorakrygier.com
Toby Press, a small publishing house with a knack for discovering prize-winning authors features Leora Krygier’s When She Sleeps in their fall fiction lineup. It looks as if they have acquired another winner.
Leora Krygier weaves the enchanted world of Vietnam and the asphalt streets and privileged hillside homes of LA into an intricate story. When She Sleeps is as much about language and how we are shaped by it as it is about two girls in different parts of the world who are attached genetically to one another but who have no knowledge of the other’s existence. Out of neglect and destitution, the child of war-stricken Saigon takes to living her Vietnamese mother’s life through the fragile woman’s dreams; the American daughter of a doctor in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley finds little sleep and when she does, it is troubled.
Two stories are told with distinctive voices that somehow are entwined. Their real lives throb with vibrant sights, sounds and smells while their dream sequences feel much like a song that was sung in the past and remains with us as we walk our every day lives. The reader comes to understand the emotional needs that draw the two to one another; the sisters are like two parts of a Miz Pah coin, each worn as a charm by strangers a half globe away. Inevitably the jagged edges begin to fit and the mystery of their lives is revealed.
Krygier has woven a kind of magical realism that fits this literary category and, at once, is uniquely her own. Publishers often become jaded, believing that there nothing new is offered to them; some don’t recognize it when it comes to sit in their laps. This press deserves much credit for taking a chance on a story entirely its own, on a book--from the story line to the melody--consuming and beautiful.
This book is out of print but you should still be able to get it on Amazon's New and Used feature. The author is also wrote another book I love, First the Raven.
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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 Leora Krygier
Toby Press, 2004
ISBN: 1592640869
Adult/Mainstream Fiction
Author’s Site: www.leorakrygier.com
Toby Press, a small publishing house with a knack for discovering prize-winning authors features Leora Krygier’s When She Sleeps in their fall fiction lineup. It looks as if they have acquired another winner.
Leora Krygier weaves the enchanted world of Vietnam and the asphalt streets and privileged hillside homes of LA into an intricate story. When She Sleeps is as much about language and how we are shaped by it as it is about two girls in different parts of the world who are attached genetically to one another but who have no knowledge of the other’s existence. Out of neglect and destitution, the child of war-stricken Saigon takes to living her Vietnamese mother’s life through the fragile woman’s dreams; the American daughter of a doctor in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley finds little sleep and when she does, it is troubled.
Two stories are told with distinctive voices that somehow are entwined. Their real lives throb with vibrant sights, sounds and smells while their dream sequences feel much like a song that was sung in the past and remains with us as we walk our every day lives. The reader comes to understand the emotional needs that draw the two to one another; the sisters are like two parts of a Miz Pah coin, each worn as a charm by strangers a half globe away. Inevitably the jagged edges begin to fit and the mystery of their lives is revealed.
Krygier has woven a kind of magical realism that fits this literary category and, at once, is uniquely her own. Publishers often become jaded, believing that there nothing new is offered to them; some don’t recognize it when it comes to sit in their laps. This press deserves much credit for taking a chance on a story entirely its own, on a book--from the story line to the melody--consuming and beautiful.
This book is out of print but you should still be able to get it on Amazon's New and Used feature. The author is also wrote another book I love, First the Raven.
-----
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, 18 April 2010
Writing Character: Essential Writers' E-Book
The Three Dimensions of Character: Going Deep and Wide To Develop Compelling Heroes and Villains
By Larry Brooks
E-book
www.storyfix.com
Synopsis
Larry Brooks, the creator of Storyfix.com and the bestselling author of five novels, has released a new ebook entitled, "The Three Dimensions of Character -- Going Deep and Wide to Create Compelling Heroes and Villains."
The ebook is available from his Web site for $14.95.
Brooks takes a unique approach to the essential task of characterization by breaking the process down into three realms of depth, each with a succinct aspect of character and each with inherent risks and rewards, as well as criteria for effectiveness. The common shortfall of characterization, says Brooks, is that writers stop short of fully vesting their heroes and villains with all three dimensions, rendering them shallow stereotypes based on only the first dimension of quirks, ticks, habits and surface identity choices.
Group licensing and bulk order discounts available.
Brooks has two other ebooks available from his site, one on story structure and the other offering 101 "slightly unpredictable" tips for writers. His new novel, Whisper of the Seventh Thunder releases in March, and he has a writing book coming out in early 2011, published by Writers Digest Books. He is a frequent workshop instructor and keynote speaker at writing conferences across the United States. You may contact him at storyfixer@gmail.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:
By Larry Brooks
E-book
www.storyfix.com
Synopsis
Larry Brooks, the creator of Storyfix.com and the bestselling author of five novels, has released a new ebook entitled, "The Three Dimensions of Character -- Going Deep and Wide to Create Compelling Heroes and Villains."
The ebook is available from his Web site for $14.95.
Brooks takes a unique approach to the essential task of characterization by breaking the process down into three realms of depth, each with a succinct aspect of character and each with inherent risks and rewards, as well as criteria for effectiveness. The common shortfall of characterization, says Brooks, is that writers stop short of fully vesting their heroes and villains with all three dimensions, rendering them shallow stereotypes based on only the first dimension of quirks, ticks, habits and surface identity choices.
Group licensing and bulk order discounts available.
Brooks has two other ebooks available from his site, one on story structure and the other offering 101 "slightly unpredictable" tips for writers. His new novel, Whisper of the Seventh Thunder releases in March, and he has a writing book coming out in early 2011, published by Writers Digest Books. He is a frequent workshop instructor and keynote speaker at writing conferences across the United States. You may contact him at storyfixer@gmail.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:Saturday, 17 April 2010
New FREE Book for Writers Offfered to New Book Review Subscribers
It doesn't hurt to try something NEW on this New Book Review now and then. And get a little bonus for being a subscriber or regular reader. It's a FREE book from novelist K.M. Weiland called Crafting Unforgettable Characters: A Hands-On Introduction to Bringing Your Characters to Life.
Crafting Unforgettable Characters: A Hands-On Introduction to Bringing Your Characters to Life Features some of K. M. Weiland's most popular tips on character crafting. This pdf offers a good starting place for understanding the basics of character building, as well as some tips for troubleshooting. You’ll also discover inspiring quotes from successful authors, writing prompts, and creativity exercises. Of course, the discussion of character is far too vast a subject to be covered in a 50-page e-book, but this information will give you the tools you need to tackle your latest batch of characters.
You creceive your copy by signing up using the form in the top of the left-hand column on her blog Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors: http://wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.com/2009/12/free-e-book-crafting-unforgettable.html.
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So, now, don't you want to subscribe so you don't miss a single offer like this? Use the subscription form in the left column of this blog.
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:
Crafting Unforgettable Characters: A Hands-On Introduction to Bringing Your Characters to Life Features some of K. M. Weiland's most popular tips on character crafting. This pdf offers a good starting place for understanding the basics of character building, as well as some tips for troubleshooting. You’ll also discover inspiring quotes from successful authors, writing prompts, and creativity exercises. Of course, the discussion of character is far too vast a subject to be covered in a 50-page e-book, but this information will give you the tools you need to tackle your latest batch of characters.
You creceive your copy by signing up using the form in the top of the left-hand column on her blog Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors: http://wordplay-kmweiland.blogspot.com/2009/12/free-e-book-crafting-unforgettable.html.
-----
So, now, don't you want to subscribe so you don't miss a single offer like this? Use the subscription form in the left column of this blog.
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, 13 April 2010
Poetry Available on iPad
Celebration Series of Poems iPad Bound
Technology is ever changing. It’s almost impossible to keep up with the latest news, gadgets, and trends, especially when it comes to e-books and reading habits.
Yet the least likely of tech-geeks, authors Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball, are always keen and to meet their readers’ needs, and when Smashwords.com announced its new deal with Apple to produce formats suitable for the iPad and Apple’s new iBookstore, the authors immediately agreed, and jumped into action, pulling together the appropriate formatting for all of their celebration series books and putting them forward for conversion.
The celebration series has been designed specifically to replace the trite, cliché sentiments of greeting cards, at prices that are little more than the cost of a high end card. Many of the books are beautifully illustrated with paintings or photographs, with poetry designed along themes that focus on mothers (She Wore Emerald Thenwww.budurlcom/MotherChapbook for the paperback and http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/8846 for the e-book versions ), fathers and other men (Imagining the Future , www.budurl.com/Imagining for the paperback and http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/11189 for the e-book versions), and love (Cherished Pulse, www.budurl.com/CherishedPulse for the paperback and http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/8086 for the e-book versions).
More books are in the works, including a Christmas chapbook. Hard copies of all the books are available at Amazon as giftable, low-priced paperbacks, or you can pick them up in whatever format suits, including the iPad, Kindle, Epub (Stanza reader),.pdf, LTF (for Sony reader), and more at Smashwords.com, http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/maggieball. Note: As this date Smashwords doesn’t accept coauthor listings. That these formats are evolving is evident!
So, though two authors are involved, this page lists only Ball who set the page up.
As far as Howard-Johnson and Ball are concerned, whatever format suits their reader suits them. It’s all good.
Magdalena Ball runs the highly respected compulsivereader.com review site. She is the author of the poetry book Repulsion Thrust, which was published in December 2009 to unanimous 5-star reviews. Her novel Sleep Before Evening, published in 2007, was a Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist.
Carolyn Howard-Johnson's poetry appears frequently in review journals. She is listed in Poets & Writers and her chapbook of poetry, Tracings (www.budurl.com/CarolynsTracings ), was given the Award of Excellence by the Military Writers Society of America. She is also an award-winning novelist and short story writer and instructor for UCLA Extension Writers' Program.
For more information on any of the chapbooks in this poetry series, contact either of the authors or visit media rooms at www.howtodoitfrugally.com or www.magdalenaball.com .
,
###
Support material available electronically or by post on request.
Other headshots and book cover art is available.
-----
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:
Technology is ever changing. It’s almost impossible to keep up with the latest news, gadgets, and trends, especially when it comes to e-books and reading habits.
Yet the least likely of tech-geeks, authors Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball, are always keen and to meet their readers’ needs, and when Smashwords.com announced its new deal with Apple to produce formats suitable for the iPad and Apple’s new iBookstore, the authors immediately agreed, and jumped into action, pulling together the appropriate formatting for all of their celebration series books and putting them forward for conversion.
The celebration series has been designed specifically to replace the trite, cliché sentiments of greeting cards, at prices that are little more than the cost of a high end card. Many of the books are beautifully illustrated with paintings or photographs, with poetry designed along themes that focus on mothers (She Wore Emerald Thenwww.budurlcom/MotherChapbook for the paperback and http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/8846 for the e-book versions ), fathers and other men (Imagining the Future , www.budurl.com/Imagining for the paperback and http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/11189 for the e-book versions), and love (Cherished Pulse, www.budurl.com/CherishedPulse for the paperback and http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/8086 for the e-book versions).
More books are in the works, including a Christmas chapbook. Hard copies of all the books are available at Amazon as giftable, low-priced paperbacks, or you can pick them up in whatever format suits, including the iPad, Kindle, Epub (Stanza reader),.pdf, LTF (for Sony reader), and more at Smashwords.com, http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/maggieball. Note: As this date Smashwords doesn’t accept coauthor listings. That these formats are evolving is evident!
So, though two authors are involved, this page lists only Ball who set the page up.
As far as Howard-Johnson and Ball are concerned, whatever format suits their reader suits them. It’s all good.
Magdalena Ball runs the highly respected compulsivereader.com review site. She is the author of the poetry book Repulsion Thrust, which was published in December 2009 to unanimous 5-star reviews. Her novel Sleep Before Evening, published in 2007, was a Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist.
Carolyn Howard-Johnson's poetry appears frequently in review journals. She is listed in Poets & Writers and her chapbook of poetry, Tracings (www.budurl.com/CarolynsTracings ), was given the Award of Excellence by the Military Writers Society of America. She is also an award-winning novelist and short story writer and instructor for UCLA Extension Writers' Program.
For more information on any of the chapbooks in this poetry series, contact either of the authors or visit media rooms at www.howtodoitfrugally.com or www.magdalenaball.com .
,
###
Support material available electronically or by post on request.
Other headshots and book cover art is available.
-----
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:
Thursday, 8 April 2010
Calling Cat Lovers Everywhere!
Title: Buckley's Story - Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher
Author: Ingrid King
Genre: Pets, Memoir
ISBN: 9781440166242
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views
If you’ve ever had the great honor to share your life with a pet, “Buckley’s Story: Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher” will not come as any surprise to you, but it will certainly make you shake your head in agreement and cause you to smile often, particularly when you’ll reach some parts which will greatly remind you of your pet’s habits. Animals could – and do! – teach us so much, if only we stop for long enough and truly listen to them.
Buckley was a small cat with a huge personality and an even bigger heart. She entered Ms. King’s life with a whisper, as the “office cat” in the veterinary hospital which was managed by Ms. King at the time. An extremely affectionate tortoiseshell cat, she became a constant companion who was very much missed when Ms. King decided to explore other career paths and left the hospital. After a couple of not immediately successful attempts to assimilate into Ms. King’s household, Buckley finally came home for good. Amber, the “original” cat sharing Ms. King’s home, had to adapt to the new situation, and she learned to share “her human” with another cat quite quickly. Sadly, Buckley was diagnosed with a heart condition after two years of her arrival into the new home, and the second half of the book deals with the treatments, challenges and final acceptance of the situation. The many moments of pure joy were always tainted with sadness over the inevitable final outcome of this situation, and Ms. King managed to capture the process of ultimate acceptance in incredible vivid detail.
Warm, intelligent and wise, this is a beautiful book that will touch the hearts of animal lovers, particularly those who are grieving over the loss of their companions or who are living with the knowledge that their companions will not be able to share their lives with them for much longer. It shall also prove useful to anybody who might be thinking of adopting an older and possibly not so healthy animal, showing very clearly why that might be a particularly good choice. The detailed information on Buckley’s diagnosis and treatment course, with clearly described challenges and rewards, might very well make some pet owners reconsider the path they are taking and make them realize that oftentimes we would do better to follow our instincts more and feel less obliged to blindly accept the mainstream information. And more than anything, “Buckley’s Story: Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher” by Ingrid King should make you realize again how much we should and do learn from the animals who graciously share their love and life with us.
Author Contact:
Ingrid King may be found at www.ingridking.com. Connect with her on
Facebook www.facebook.com/ingrid.king
and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/consciouscats
-----
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:
Author: Ingrid King
Genre: Pets, Memoir
ISBN: 9781440166242
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views
If you’ve ever had the great honor to share your life with a pet, “Buckley’s Story: Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher” will not come as any surprise to you, but it will certainly make you shake your head in agreement and cause you to smile often, particularly when you’ll reach some parts which will greatly remind you of your pet’s habits. Animals could – and do! – teach us so much, if only we stop for long enough and truly listen to them.
Buckley was a small cat with a huge personality and an even bigger heart. She entered Ms. King’s life with a whisper, as the “office cat” in the veterinary hospital which was managed by Ms. King at the time. An extremely affectionate tortoiseshell cat, she became a constant companion who was very much missed when Ms. King decided to explore other career paths and left the hospital. After a couple of not immediately successful attempts to assimilate into Ms. King’s household, Buckley finally came home for good. Amber, the “original” cat sharing Ms. King’s home, had to adapt to the new situation, and she learned to share “her human” with another cat quite quickly. Sadly, Buckley was diagnosed with a heart condition after two years of her arrival into the new home, and the second half of the book deals with the treatments, challenges and final acceptance of the situation. The many moments of pure joy were always tainted with sadness over the inevitable final outcome of this situation, and Ms. King managed to capture the process of ultimate acceptance in incredible vivid detail.
Warm, intelligent and wise, this is a beautiful book that will touch the hearts of animal lovers, particularly those who are grieving over the loss of their companions or who are living with the knowledge that their companions will not be able to share their lives with them for much longer. It shall also prove useful to anybody who might be thinking of adopting an older and possibly not so healthy animal, showing very clearly why that might be a particularly good choice. The detailed information on Buckley’s diagnosis and treatment course, with clearly described challenges and rewards, might very well make some pet owners reconsider the path they are taking and make them realize that oftentimes we would do better to follow our instincts more and feel less obliged to blindly accept the mainstream information. And more than anything, “Buckley’s Story: Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher” by Ingrid King should make you realize again how much we should and do learn from the animals who graciously share their love and life with us.
Author Contact:
Ingrid King may be found at www.ingridking.com. Connect with her on
Facebook www.facebook.com/ingrid.king
and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/consciouscats
-----
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:
Friday, 26 March 2010
Russian Reviews Fateful Love
Fateful Love
By Mary Sanglante
Based on Lost on Earth by Lily Alex
(280 pages)
ISBN: 9781604414899
Reviewed by Aglaia, Moscow, Russia
This romantic thriller is easy to read. I was not able to put the book
down until I finished it. The plot flows so smoothly, that changing
chapters is almost unnoticeable, the intrigue absorbs you completely
and the new heroes are introduced in a very comfortable way.
I especially liked to track how Martha's love grows. It's impossible
to hold back sympathy for Robert Noirson, despite the fact that he's
an antihero. All he does to impress Martha involuntarily affects the
reader as well. However, you can feel the increasing tension, and it's
obvious for Martha that it won't be a happily-ever-after marriage.
When Brandy appears, at first I felt pity for her, but when she starts
her revenge, only because of her jealousy, the sympathy for her fades
and you just want to say: "Get out of here!"
During the whole story, the author shows unstopping conflict between
Goodness and Evil, and often humans act much worse than demons. The
author shows that people have freedom of choice, and can't always use
it properly.
In the mean time, there is so much evil in this world that this book
makes us think how we act when contacting with others, how we all are
connected and how we affect each other. It's sad that Martha's love
overpowered her faith, but it's understandable and you don't feel
anger, but pity for her.
A few times the author shows the Power of God and the blessing of
forgiveness and repentance. I like the allegories and metaphors that
the author uses during the narration.
The scene that impressed me the most - when Martha was unable to go back.
The illustrations are also great! They illustrate the events without
strife with your own imagination
-----
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:
By Mary Sanglante
Based on Lost on Earth by Lily Alex
(280 pages)
ISBN: 9781604414899
Reviewed by Aglaia, Moscow, Russia
This romantic thriller is easy to read. I was not able to put the book
down until I finished it. The plot flows so smoothly, that changing
chapters is almost unnoticeable, the intrigue absorbs you completely
and the new heroes are introduced in a very comfortable way.
I especially liked to track how Martha's love grows. It's impossible
to hold back sympathy for Robert Noirson, despite the fact that he's
an antihero. All he does to impress Martha involuntarily affects the
reader as well. However, you can feel the increasing tension, and it's
obvious for Martha that it won't be a happily-ever-after marriage.
When Brandy appears, at first I felt pity for her, but when she starts
her revenge, only because of her jealousy, the sympathy for her fades
and you just want to say: "Get out of here!"
During the whole story, the author shows unstopping conflict between
Goodness and Evil, and often humans act much worse than demons. The
author shows that people have freedom of choice, and can't always use
it properly.
In the mean time, there is so much evil in this world that this book
makes us think how we act when contacting with others, how we all are
connected and how we affect each other. It's sad that Martha's love
overpowered her faith, but it's understandable and you don't feel
anger, but pity for her.
A few times the author shows the Power of God and the blessing of
forgiveness and repentance. I like the allegories and metaphors that
the author uses during the narration.
The scene that impressed me the most - when Martha was unable to go back.
The illustrations are also great! They illustrate the events without
strife with your own imagination
-----
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:
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Title: EGYPT, ENERGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT: CRITICAL SUSTAINABILITY PERSPECTIVES
Category: Nonfiction / Environment
Author: Tarek Selim
Adonis & Abbey Publishers Ltd., London
Publication date: July 2009
ISBN (hardcover): 978-1906704506
ISBN (paperback): 978-1906704513
Pure environmentalism and pure resource exploitation can be integrated together to form an encompassing sustainability solution. This is the main message of this book based on an innovative “structure-concentration-incentives” methodology applied to Egypt. This methodology provides a basis for achieving environmental sustainability based on endogenous source-driven forces of change in contrast to the traditional effects-dominant oriented approach. Though the book’s methodology could be used as a framework of analysis in environmental sustainability research for any developing country, Egypt provides a rich case study because of its historical, socio-economic, and political constructs.
Sustainable development is generally seen as a tradeoff between resource efficiency and social equity such that total resource essentials in society can become sustainable in the long run in a manner that meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Environmental sustainability cannot be implemented without the direct inclusion of structure (form), concentration (effect), and incentives (drivers) as critical policy choices because: (1) they constitute a necessary condition in any country’s path towards sustainable development, (2) they must be implemented simultaneously as a target and constraint, and (3) they require social and political sacrifice complemented by endogenous-based systems in contrast to authoritarian solutions.
Egypt, Energy and the Environment presents research on Egypt’s energy and environmental resources from multidisciplinary perspectives. It offers sustainability solutions to many of the country’s problems relating to energy, pollution, water, gender, wildlife, politics, economics, management, ecology, and information technology. The book’s method of analysis can be applied to other developing countries as well.
Author info:
Tarek H. Selim is Associate Professor of Economics at the American University in Cairo and Faculty Affiliate to Harvard Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness. He has published extensively in leading international journals and presented papers in many conferences. His research output includes more than fifty research articles and book reviews, and he won his school’s research excellence award in 2006. Professor Selim has PhD in economics from George Washington University, MBA from Johns Hopkins, and holds professional certificate programs from MIT, Harvard, Georgetown, Oxford, and Imperial College.
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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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Category: Nonfiction / Environment
Author: Tarek Selim
Adonis & Abbey Publishers Ltd., London
Publication date: July 2009
ISBN (hardcover): 978-1906704506
ISBN (paperback): 978-1906704513
Pure environmentalism and pure resource exploitation can be integrated together to form an encompassing sustainability solution. This is the main message of this book based on an innovative “structure-concentration-incentives” methodology applied to Egypt. This methodology provides a basis for achieving environmental sustainability based on endogenous source-driven forces of change in contrast to the traditional effects-dominant oriented approach. Though the book’s methodology could be used as a framework of analysis in environmental sustainability research for any developing country, Egypt provides a rich case study because of its historical, socio-economic, and political constructs.
Sustainable development is generally seen as a tradeoff between resource efficiency and social equity such that total resource essentials in society can become sustainable in the long run in a manner that meets the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Environmental sustainability cannot be implemented without the direct inclusion of structure (form), concentration (effect), and incentives (drivers) as critical policy choices because: (1) they constitute a necessary condition in any country’s path towards sustainable development, (2) they must be implemented simultaneously as a target and constraint, and (3) they require social and political sacrifice complemented by endogenous-based systems in contrast to authoritarian solutions.
Egypt, Energy and the Environment presents research on Egypt’s energy and environmental resources from multidisciplinary perspectives. It offers sustainability solutions to many of the country’s problems relating to energy, pollution, water, gender, wildlife, politics, economics, management, ecology, and information technology. The book’s method of analysis can be applied to other developing countries as well.
Author info:
Tarek H. Selim is Associate Professor of Economics at the American University in Cairo and Faculty Affiliate to Harvard Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness. He has published extensively in leading international journals and presented papers in many conferences. His research output includes more than fifty research articles and book reviews, and he won his school’s research excellence award in 2006. Professor Selim has PhD in economics from George Washington University, MBA from Johns Hopkins, and holds professional certificate programs from MIT, Harvard, Georgetown, Oxford, and Imperial College.
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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, 23 March 2010
A Powerful Tale of a Troubled Teen Is Debut Novel
Title: Another Life Altogether
Author: Elaine Beale
Website link: www.elainebeale.com
ISBN:978-0385530040
Category: Fiction
Reviewed by Sharon Ullman for The Boston Globe
When authors have won the prestigious Poets & Writers’ California Writers Exchange prize for emerging writers, as Elaine Beale did in 2007, one anticipates that their subsequent published novel will flow with exceptional craftsmanship. Surely, “Another Life Altogether,’’ Beale’s sparkling debut, does that.
In her rich characterization of the troubled teen Jesse Bennett, caught in the misery of her disastrous, if painfully funny, dysfunctional family; stuck in the most boring town in 1970s East Yorkshire, England (with, as Jesse pointedly notes, “one of the fastest eroding coastlines in the world’’), Beale has engagingly captured that tender moment when a young would-be author discovers the power of the written word to rescue herself.
“The day after my mother was admitted to the mental hospital, I told everyone at school that she had entered a competition on the back of a Corn Flakes box and won a cruise around the world.’’
So begins Jesse’s tale and her own extended journey. To persuade her classmates of this fanciful lie, she writes elaborate letters to herself supposedly from her traveling mother and reads them aloud to everyone. Of course, she is ultimately discovered and humiliated, but with this episode, the novel sets its own course. Writing produces a healing salve, and Jesse repeatedly returns to the page to escape her fate - both that forced on her from without and the one she makes for herself.
The crazy-parent genre of novel and memoir has filled the shelves in recent years. What sets Beale’s novel apart, however, is its careful depiction of the ordinary life with a seriously disturbed family member. If memoirs like “Running With Scissors’’ or “The Glass Castle’’ entertain through their outrageous events, many hilarious in their retelling (if not in living through them), Beale’s fiction, in turn, focuses on the mundane lunacy that fills Jesse’s daily world after her mother’s release from the hospital.
Her mother’s manic decorating projects start and are left hanging when weeks pass and she cannot get out of bed. It is Jesse who has to figure out what they’ll eat, when to appease her mother’s despair with beloved “Mr. Kipling’s’’ cream cakes, and how to mediate her father’s benign neglect as he escapes into his nightly rants against the British crown. Equally witty, Beale tempers the laughter with a constant balancing act that reveals precisely how trapped Jesse is by the fractured world engulfing her.
The novel plays out two major stories - Jesse’s family collapse and her own coming to terms with her sexuality. Horrified by both her attraction to an older girl and her private admiration for an openly gay classmate tormented by their peers, Jesse tries desperately to find her footing. Beale does a wonderful job describing all of her characters with richness and economy, but as she moves Jesse through this agonizing transformation, Beale is particularly powerful.
Jesse pours out her heart into letters she never sends to the girl she secretly desires, and the fate of those letters propels the book to its climax. Yet Beale is clearly after bigger game than a simple coming-of-age story, and the return of Jesse’s epistolary skills is no narrative coincidence. As a result, the book’s conclusion, like Jesse’s story overall, is both surprising and moving.
In her debut novel, Beale has revealed a mature talent with a sharp eye for both the intricacies of the surface detail and the complexities of the inner life. In “Another Life Altogether,’’ Beale reminds us that writing, always potentially dangerous, also confers grace, and that with the power of the word, we all have the potential to become the heroines of our own lives.
About the Reviewer:
Sharon Ullman is a professor of history at Bryn Mawr College and author of “Sex Seen: The Emergence of Modern Sexuality In America.’’
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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:
Friday, 19 March 2010
Editing Up to "Great!"
Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers: The Ultimate Frugal Booklet for Avoiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper-Perfect Copy
by Carolyn Howard-Johnson
HowToDoItFrugally Publishing,2010
ISBN: 1450507654
Reviewed by Magdalena Ball
I'm firmly of the opinion that one of the main difference between a good book and a great book is the quality of the edit. Carolyn Howard-Johnson knows that and has provided a series of books designed specifically to help authors edit their books without having to spend a fortune. The latest one in the Frugal series is a handy list of tricky, “trip-you-up” words that every writer would do well to master.
Some, like “advice / advise” are common problems that dog the writer from primary school onwards, and it's probably time to get these sorted out. Others, like “although / though” are more subtle, and Howard-Johnson doesn't shirk from pointing out why the use of one word is preferable over another. The explanations are always clear, with well written and original examples, and once you've read Howard-Johnson's words of wisdom, you won't make the mistake again. The book is just 50 pages, and is easy to carry around for reference, or check through quickly when you're unsure. You could also use it as a kind of course book, taking on a pair of words a day with the aim of improving your overall English skills. Even if your English is masterful already, you might be surprised at how often you misuse some of the more common sets, such as “bring / take” or “childlike / childish.”
Howard-Johnson even provides ill-used phrases like “It is what it is.” or the difference between i.e. and e.g. (I'm afraid I've misused this one myself). The book ends with a list of other recommended editing books.
A few small errors in a manuscript or piece of writing may seem like a minor problem, but they mark the writer as an amateur and can be just what an overworked editor is looking for in order to move your unread manuscript over to the slush pile. At best, they make the writer look sloppy and uneducated. At worst, you may be conveying something quite different to what you had in mind. Not all of writing is this clear and straightforward, so ensuring that you understand and are able to easily use and distinguish commonly confused words correctly is more than just a good thing. It's essential. That so much helpful advice is couched in such light-hearted, easy to read and entertaining prose is due to Howard-Johnson's abilityities. This little book has a simplicity that belies the importance of what it's conveying. Do yourself, and your readers, a favour and make sure that you choose the right word every time you write.
About the Reviewer:
Magdalena Ball runs the review site The Compulsive Reader (www.compulsivereader.com) .An Australian poet, she blogs at http://magdalenaball.blogspot.com/ and her Web site is www.magdalenaball.com .
About the author:
The New Book Review is blogged by UCLA Extension Writers' Program instructor 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:
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Poet Reviews Fellow Poet
The Fractured World
Title: Paternity
Author: Scott Owens
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: Main Street Rag, Charlotte, NC
80 pages
ISBN: 978-1-59948-222-4
Reviewed by Helen Losse for The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature (February 2010)
My first observation, concerning Scott Owens’ second book, is that Paternity begins where The Fractured World ended. Two poems—“Foundings” and “On the Days I Am Not My Father,” first published in The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature in a chapbook entitled “Deceptively Like a Sound”—are common to both books; they have to be.
For Owens, it is not laziness and repetition that gets him more miles out of the same poems, but, rather, the poet's common sense in knowing that he must begin where he is and then move on to where he wants to be. Owens is—most assuredly—not his father, but what he wants is to be a good dad and, perhaps, a good poet, too. He is even willing to give a bit on the latter to make the former happen. The poems in this volume convince me that he is a very good dad, indeed.
…you know
you’ll never change the world, become
the great poet…
…and then, out of nowhere she says,
“Daddy, you’re the best.” and you know
for a moment it will be enough.
(“Days Like These”)
By way of summary, Owens’ first book The Fractured World, also published by Main Street Rag, concerns his escape from an abusive childhood and his determination not to repeat the “sins of [his] father.” By the end of the book, Norman, the man who is part father part symbol and bit of anything Owens needs him to be, explodes and frees Owens for new adventures. I say, “Owens,” knowing that not always the “I” in a poem is the poet but also knowing that Paternity is confessional poetry at its finest. Sawyer is Owens’ real life daughter, Damian and Keegan Blankenship, also a Mule poet, his real life stepsons. The storyline in Paternity is about Owens becoming dad to his two stepsons and then to his daughter. Owens is his own main character.
Owens knows he is “the self I was/ and can never cease to be.” (“Foundings”) So the struggle continues. And the struggle is universal—a struggle we all know no matter how different our details are from those about which Owens writes. The bulk of the poems in Paternity concern Owens’ young daughter Sawyer. The poems deal with everyday events to which any parent who ever had a small child can relate. One of my favorite poems has the funny title “How To Make Okra.” As though it isn’t funny enough to think that one “makes” rather than prepares fried okra, Owens does this while giving the infant Sawyer a bath in the other side of the kitchen sink. After “fill[ing] the left side of the sink/ with warm water,” and adding necessary entertainment items, Owens wishes to sit down with a beer but proceeds to prepare and fry okra “while singing I-N-G-O,/ stamping feet instead of clapping.” Been there, done that. And a funny moment occurs when, Owens describes
Much of the book deals with the poet’s wonder at the world of a child, “worlds/ enough unfolding to keep you/ in a constant state of wonder.” (“Sky of Endless Stars”) And as a parent, Owens celebrates small occasions with his young daughter, because “days are easily forgotten without them,/ each one only a number.” (“Creating Small Occasions”)
When I walk too fast, you stop,
bend over, say you have to get
the breath back in your mouth.’
(“Raising Sawyer”)
Not everything in the book concerns happiness. Owens has to remember, when his “[son has been] mean,/ [that] just because he’s smarter than me/ doesn’t mean he’ll become my father.” (“On the Days I am Not My Father”) The father who is gone, who has exploded, is omni-present. Owens knows he always will be there. And in “The Lost Son,” he declares, “The worst is never knowing, never/ having a chance to say ‘forgiven.’” This is no fairy-tale world. Even the birth of a princess doesn’t constitute utopia. The struggle continues. Sometimes the world of child is difficult.
The laughter of little girls offends me….
This breathless melancholy [into which the poet has fallen]
… [is] willing to let nothing in.
(“Off Season”)
And then there is the death of Owens’ mother-in-law. The death of a loved one, with its many emotions and tasks, is a hard thing to face, even for adults; but when the situation must be explained to a three-year-old child, it becomes even more complicated.
For days you cry at random,
explain that you’ll miss your Grandma,
want to know if you’ll die too,
how you get back from God.
(“First Loss”)
“There is only one problem with God.”
“If you tell him ‘I love you,’
he won’t tell you he loves you too.”
(“Theology”)
Sawyer says they [the dead] are with God
and since God is everywhere,
they are everywhere too,
claims she hears them saying so.
(“My Daughter Debates the Nature of Death.”)
Like many poets Owens writes to discover truth; it’s what keeps him up at night, “It’s what keeps me trying/ the need to do better for you/ the need to save myself.” (“What Keeps Me Up At Night”) Owens has written all this down,in a way that can’t be undone.
I do it because I can’t fully believe
the world would give me what I’ve always needed.
I do it to make sure you’re real.
(“Making Fiction”)
No wonder poets write the same poem again and again. The drive to discover truth is mammoth. And isn’t the search for truth, which is a kind of salvation, what writing is all about? No wonder Paternity is a sequel to The Fractured World. In Paternity, Owens searches for meaning in fatherhood, especially in the birth and young childhood of his daughter, Sawyer. Read the book to see if you think he finds it.
About the author:
Scott Owens is the author of two full length poetry collections: The Fractured World and Paternity (Main Street Rag) and three other poetry collections. He is the Editor of The Wild Goose Poetry Review and the organizer for Poetry Hickory. He writes a column for Outlook Newspaper, Newton, NC and blogs at Scott Owens Musings. His poems have been published widely in various print and internet publications. Owens teaches creative writing at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, NC.
About the reviewer:
Helen Losse is the author of Better With Friends (Rank Stranger Press, 2009) and two poetry chapbooks, Gathering the Broken Pieces, available from FootHills Publishing, and Paper Snowflakes, published by Southern Hum Press, and the Poetry Editor of The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature. She has recent poetry publications or acceptances in Blue Fifth Review, Main Street Rag, Heavy Bear, The Wild Goose Poetry Review, Referential Magazine, Hobble Creek Review, and Iodine Poetry Review.
-----
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:
Title: PaternityAuthor: Scott Owens
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: Main Street Rag, Charlotte, NC
80 pages
ISBN: 978-1-59948-222-4
Reviewed by Helen Losse for The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature (February 2010)
My first observation, concerning Scott Owens’ second book, is that Paternity begins where The Fractured World ended. Two poems—“Foundings” and “On the Days I Am Not My Father,” first published in The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature in a chapbook entitled “Deceptively Like a Sound”—are common to both books; they have to be.
For Owens, it is not laziness and repetition that gets him more miles out of the same poems, but, rather, the poet's common sense in knowing that he must begin where he is and then move on to where he wants to be. Owens is—most assuredly—not his father, but what he wants is to be a good dad and, perhaps, a good poet, too. He is even willing to give a bit on the latter to make the former happen. The poems in this volume convince me that he is a very good dad, indeed.
…you know
you’ll never change the world, become
the great poet…
…and then, out of nowhere she says,
“Daddy, you’re the best.” and you know
for a moment it will be enough.
(“Days Like These”)
By way of summary, Owens’ first book The Fractured World, also published by Main Street Rag, concerns his escape from an abusive childhood and his determination not to repeat the “sins of [his] father.” By the end of the book, Norman, the man who is part father part symbol and bit of anything Owens needs him to be, explodes and frees Owens for new adventures. I say, “Owens,” knowing that not always the “I” in a poem is the poet but also knowing that Paternity is confessional poetry at its finest. Sawyer is Owens’ real life daughter, Damian and Keegan Blankenship, also a Mule poet, his real life stepsons. The storyline in Paternity is about Owens becoming dad to his two stepsons and then to his daughter. Owens is his own main character.
Owens knows he is “the self I was/ and can never cease to be.” (“Foundings”) So the struggle continues. And the struggle is universal—a struggle we all know no matter how different our details are from those about which Owens writes. The bulk of the poems in Paternity concern Owens’ young daughter Sawyer. The poems deal with everyday events to which any parent who ever had a small child can relate. One of my favorite poems has the funny title “How To Make Okra.” As though it isn’t funny enough to think that one “makes” rather than prepares fried okra, Owens does this while giving the infant Sawyer a bath in the other side of the kitchen sink. After “fill[ing] the left side of the sink/ with warm water,” and adding necessary entertainment items, Owens wishes to sit down with a beer but proceeds to prepare and fry okra “while singing I-N-G-O,/ stamping feet instead of clapping.” Been there, done that. And a funny moment occurs when, Owens describes
Much of the book deals with the poet’s wonder at the world of a child, “worlds/ enough unfolding to keep you/ in a constant state of wonder.” (“Sky of Endless Stars”) And as a parent, Owens celebrates small occasions with his young daughter, because “days are easily forgotten without them,/ each one only a number.” (“Creating Small Occasions”)
When I walk too fast, you stop,
bend over, say you have to get
the breath back in your mouth.’
(“Raising Sawyer”)
Not everything in the book concerns happiness. Owens has to remember, when his “[son has been] mean,/ [that] just because he’s smarter than me/ doesn’t mean he’ll become my father.” (“On the Days I am Not My Father”) The father who is gone, who has exploded, is omni-present. Owens knows he always will be there. And in “The Lost Son,” he declares, “The worst is never knowing, never/ having a chance to say ‘forgiven.’” This is no fairy-tale world. Even the birth of a princess doesn’t constitute utopia. The struggle continues. Sometimes the world of child is difficult.
The laughter of little girls offends me….
This breathless melancholy [into which the poet has fallen]
… [is] willing to let nothing in.
(“Off Season”)
And then there is the death of Owens’ mother-in-law. The death of a loved one, with its many emotions and tasks, is a hard thing to face, even for adults; but when the situation must be explained to a three-year-old child, it becomes even more complicated.
For days you cry at random,
explain that you’ll miss your Grandma,
want to know if you’ll die too,
how you get back from God.
(“First Loss”)
“There is only one problem with God.”
“If you tell him ‘I love you,’
he won’t tell you he loves you too.”
(“Theology”)
Sawyer says they [the dead] are with God
and since God is everywhere,
they are everywhere too,
claims she hears them saying so.
(“My Daughter Debates the Nature of Death.”)
Like many poets Owens writes to discover truth; it’s what keeps him up at night, “It’s what keeps me trying/ the need to do better for you/ the need to save myself.” (“What Keeps Me Up At Night”) Owens has written all this down,in a way that can’t be undone.
I do it because I can’t fully believe
the world would give me what I’ve always needed.
I do it to make sure you’re real.
(“Making Fiction”)
No wonder poets write the same poem again and again. The drive to discover truth is mammoth. And isn’t the search for truth, which is a kind of salvation, what writing is all about? No wonder Paternity is a sequel to The Fractured World. In Paternity, Owens searches for meaning in fatherhood, especially in the birth and young childhood of his daughter, Sawyer. Read the book to see if you think he finds it.
About the author:
Scott Owens is the author of two full length poetry collections: The Fractured World and Paternity (Main Street Rag) and three other poetry collections. He is the Editor of The Wild Goose Poetry Review and the organizer for Poetry Hickory. He writes a column for Outlook Newspaper, Newton, NC and blogs at Scott Owens Musings. His poems have been published widely in various print and internet publications. Owens teaches creative writing at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, NC.
About the reviewer:
Helen Losse is the author of Better With Friends (Rank Stranger Press, 2009) and two poetry chapbooks, Gathering the Broken Pieces, available from FootHills Publishing, and Paper Snowflakes, published by Southern Hum Press, and the Poetry Editor of The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature. She has recent poetry publications or acceptances in Blue Fifth Review, Main Street Rag, Heavy Bear, The Wild Goose Poetry Review, Referential Magazine, Hobble Creek Review, and Iodine Poetry Review.
-----
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:
