Sunday Notes on Monday

So if you have been reading my blog by now you know that  every Sunday I play this little game with myself. On Sunday the first section that I read of the Washington Post is the Outlook section, it contains the book section. I go to the last page and read the Washington Bestseller list. This week the bestseller list focused on Hardcover but it alternates between paperbacks and hardcover. You can check my scoring system on the May 6th post.

This week I failed to reach my goal although that isn't surprising because I usually wait for books to be released in paperback.  I have one fiction book The Cuckoo's Calling and one non-fiction Lean In that are on the list. Both were good reads.  This week I will be blogging on two new books The Cellist of Sarajevo and The End of Your Life Book Club.  Both are very good books but they are on the more serious side. 

I have been trying to read more non-fiction and you know my fascination with titles.  That was what lead me to pick up the book The End of Your Life Book Club. It definitely struck a chord for me and ended up to be very personal.

If you read my blog on September 24th you know I have set myself up for a new quest. Check out the post to see what I am talking about. So this Week on my reading list is The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop and Café. I hope it reads as good as it sounds.

Just to wet your whistle the opening paragraph to this book is  "I heard someone yell but it was too late.  the wooden planks of the dock sagged beneath me and gave way. Boards splintered, rotten lumber snapped, and I plunged ten feet into the Maine frigid ocean."  Isn't that enticement enough to see what happened to the person?  Check back.

Click on any of the books below for more info. 

     

Amazon Good or Bad for authors? Publishers?

This article discusses the pros and cons on Amazon’s effect on publishing.  Publishers definitely should be worried because Amazon is making it easier for writers to publish.  One thing I can say in favor of Amazon is they certainly give more wannabe authors a chance to publish.  The established publishing industry is not as open to unknown talent.  They would rather go with more of a safe bet.  That is why James Patterson and his latest “co-author”  can put out  a new book every week or so it seems like it is every week. Who knows exactly how many manuscripts get sent to publishers that never see the light of day ( I am sure someone is keeping these statistics).  Someone who has submitted their manuscript to a conventional publisher with no success may find enormous success on Amazon when their book actually does well in the sales area.

All I can say is publishers are going to have to rethink their strategy or they are going to be on the endangered list. Follow this link to an article that discusses this issue.

http://www.shewrites.com/profiles/blogs/is-amazon-good-or-bad-for-authors-10-ratings-from-the-publisher-o

Heaven is For Real

Heaven is an interesting concept or is it a place? A lot of books are being written about it and most everyone asks about it at one time of their life or another.  I remember when my mother-in-law died my daughter who was eight at the time was distraught and wanted to know if Grandma was in heaven.  I said yes but was waiting for the next two questions:  Where is heaven?  and What is it like?  How do you answer this type of question when you yourself don't know anything about heaven and if you aren't even sure it exists.

Lots of books are being written about this very subject Is Heaven Real.  In this book a Pastor and his family are on vacation.  They are in their car and they pass the hospital where their four year old son had faced a near death experience. They were teasing him when much to their surprise he told them that that was the place he had heard angels sing and had sat on Jesus' lap.  When they asked him to tell them other things he had seen and heard his answer was quite surprising. 

So if you are interested in a story about someone who "came back from death"  and said they had been to heaven you may want to try this one.  I personally am still not sure about heaven but I hope it is a quiet, gentle and happy place and that I will be reunited with those I love.

 

TV Commercials A trip back to the 70's and 80's and some from today

I use to love TV commercials and there are some that I still love to watch like the camel on hump day or the ones with the etrade baby.  Oh and if you have not seen the evian commercial with the dancing babies take a moment and watch it.  So You Think You Can Dance watch out those babies would win hands down especially if Tabitha and Napoleon were to do the choreography.  Who can forget the coca cola ad with all those folks standing on the top of a mountain singing I’d like to Teach the World to Sing.  Actually that is what is missing in today’s commercials the jingles.  I have attached several links take a look.

http://msnvideo.msn.com/?channelindex=9&from=en-us_msnhp&form=MSNRLL#/video/7363b1d3-ed03-1ced-419f-946830411edb


Evian commercial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfxB5ut-KTs

Etrade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlqWRADszb0

The English Girl

The book starts on the  Island of Corsica which is 50 miles from the coast of Tuscany and 120 miles from Nice in the Mediterranean Sea. It is a big European vacation destination and that is where Madeline and her friends have rented a property.  Madeline is an up and coming force in British politics.  One thing that sets her apart from her friends is her free spirit.  Unfortunately this gets her in trouble when she is kidnapped. 

The kidnapper makes a huge ransom demand to of all people the British Prime Minister. Desperate to get her back but unwilling to reveal his involvement with this woman he calls in an Israeli hit man to help get her back.    Since there are politics involved things are not as straight forward as they seem and so we readers are treated to an intriguing and fast paced journey to find the English Girl and the person or persons who kidnapped her and the motive behind the kidnapping.   I can not say more except to read it and see how it ends. 

Inspired by My Foodie Friends

Many of my friends and colleagues are what I would classify as foodies.  My wine club buddies are amazing in the kitchen and every time we meet someone is whipping up something delicious.  As I search for new and different things to read I came up with the idea of trying to find good reads with a food in the title and so I start a new quest. I have set some criteria for myself.  It would be nice to find a book with recipes. It is not uncommon in my book club to make recipes from the book we are reading or to choose the style of cuisine that fits the book so it is always fun to have them included. The book does not have to be a specific genre; it can be a mystery, romance, non-fiction etc. It would be nice if the title were fun or clever but that is just a minor detail.  If I find any great recipes on this quest I will gladly share them with you.

 So in the next few months keep your eye out on my blog to see what I come up with and I hope you enjoy them. 

Sunday Notes on Monday

So if you have been reading my blog by now you know that  every Sunday I play this little game with myself. On Sunday the first section that I read of the Washington Post is the Outlook section, it contains the book section. I go to the last page and read the Washington Bestseller list. This week the bestseller list focused on Paperbacks but it alternates between paperbacks and hardcover. You can check my scoring system on the May 6th post.

Just quickly I have met my Goal.  On the  list The Forgotten, Ender's Game, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Casual Vacancy and my bonus point for the non-fiction book  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. One book that did catch my interest is The Bone Bed by Patricia Cornwell and I have added to my list and hope to read it in the next few weeks.  I have not read any of Patricia Cornwell's novels so I think I might start with this one.  Did I hear a gasp out there when I said I have never read a Cornwell novel?

I am  in the middle of several good books that I will be talking about in the next week or so.  I am finishing up The English Girl by Daniel Silva, a very fast paced novel that I am enjoying.  I am also working on The Cellist of Sarajevo which is for my book club's next meeting and Heaven is for Real which is written by a father whose four year old had a near death experience.  So check back often.



   

My Continuing Commentary on Cruising

I guess I just don’t run out of reasons for saying I will never ever go on a cruise.  The cruise lines, in what I think is an attempt to attract people back to their ships, are doing all kinds of marketing things to accomplish this feat.  They need to really!  Capsized ships that take 18 months to get back up out of the water and fires in engines causing 1, 000s to be stranded at sea does not make good press.  I think I might be safe that some of the people on those unfortunate ships will share my sentiments and not go back onto a ship.  I also think those who were contemplating a cruise might be giving it a second thought.  Hey but that's just me.

 

The latest is a campaign to attract foodies and I know that is a large audience. Many of you my friends could easily be grouped into this category. Well, if you can stomach the thought of being on a ship for an extended period of time ( and by extended I mean more than a few hours)  some of these trips my tickle your fancy.  Two trips in particular at least got my attention.  The Dancing with the Stars: At Sea by Holland America and the Paula Deen Cruise by Celebrity.

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Dancing with the Stars.  It is one of the only reality shows I watch regularly.  Tristan MacManus and Sabrina Bryan however,are not enough of an incentive to get me to come on board and as much as I like Paula Deen minus some of the ignorant things she said she would not get me on a ship either.  And if I was sitting at an Oprah show and she yelled out in her signature way you and you and you, all of you are going on a cruise to Australia with me, I still would say no thank you.    But I am sure many would jump at the chance.  So below is the link to an article in this Sunday's Washington Post that talks all about it and gives all the info you would need to book your next cruise.

 

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/on-celebritys-top-chef-cruise-food-and-fun-are-on-the-menu/2013/09/19/05e74118-1fb5-11e3-b7d1-7153ad47b549_story.html

Is there a Bear in the Woods?

I am friendly with a wonderful group of women.  We call ourselves the Wine Women of West Virginia.  That is because we have a girl’s weekend every year in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia.  We are very fortunate because one of these dear women has a family cabin and has opened her home and heart to us. 

I am not a great outdoors kind of girl.  What I mean is many of these women are seasoned campers.  I have camped in my day but there is always some type of mishap.  For instance, I was hiking and camping with a group of people.  Right before we were to pitch our tent it started to pour. Torrential rain is more of the description I had in mind.  By the time the tent was up, we were all soaked.  Our matches were dry but our firewood was soaked.  Couldn't get the fire started and it was pretty cold especially when you are soaked. Came home and got a really bad cold.

Lucky for me there is this beautiful cabin that keeps us nice and dry and a big fireplace that has a roaring fire keeping us warm.  But there are bears and unlike some of my fearless friends, BEARS SCARE ME.  They have a bear cam rolling and the bears are out there.  Here is my problem with bears, they are so cute that you want to give them a big hug.  However if you do that you become their lunch.  Not a good prospect, at least not to me.  Do you know that scene in the Parent Trap with Lindsey Lohan when the girls, their Dad and his young fiancée are hiking and you see the fiancée banging sticks together to keep the bears away.  That would be me. 

 

Anyway I was surfing the net and I found this clip.  Maybe next time I go I can go more prepared.  I mean I don't want any harm to come to the bear, I just don't want it close to me.

Isn't he cute

The Bear Whisperer http://msnvideo.msn.com/?channelindex=4&from=en-us_msnhp#/video/dd6675c4-6102-48b7-a09e-bb4895ec988d

What Models Wear when they Are Not on the Runway

Found this video about what models wear off the runway.  They take their cues from me. I always am this put together.  HA! If only.

http://msnvideo.msn.com/?channelindex=3&from=en-us_msnhpvidmod#/video/e3f09df8-c134-4577-81ab-6c63e91b48a2

The Power of Vulnerability

I got turned onto Ted Talks by a friend and I wanted to share this one that I found with you.  Brene Brown has a BS, Masters and PHD in Social Work and she has done a lot of research on Human connection.  She has also written several books which I have added to my list. This Ted talk has her discussing what she found from the research

 

http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html

Cruise Ships Love'um or Hate'um

 


 

This is just one reason why I will never go on a cruise ship.  Obviously I am not a big fan of cruising anyway.  First of all I get really seasick and second of all I hate not seeing land when I am on the water.  But this mess with the Concordia happened within site of land.  There are stories that the Captain was otherwise engaged at the time and is now on trail for Manslaughter for the 32 poor people that perished in this tragedy. Perhaps the fact that this happened so close to land means that there were fewer fatalities.

 

Even though I don't like cruise ships, I am totally fascinated by this operation.  Salvage teams have been working on a plan to hoist this 114,000 ton ship up and they are trying to get it done this month before winter storms reek havoc on this unstable monstrosity. If they don't do it just right it can fall apart as they rotate it.  The odds were that there was a 70 percent success rate for this mission and it has cost 800 million dollars.  This leads me to ask one question, Why don't they just break it in pieces and take each piece out of the water?  I am sure there is a good reason that I would love to hear.  But they did manage to raise it in one piece.

On the plus side for the last nineteen months give or take some the island of Giglio has had a boost in its economy selling goods and services to the many salvage operations crews.

I hope they film it because I want to watch! I also would be interested in hearing what caused the ship to list over the way it did. No matter what happens I will not be taking a cruise in the near future or ever for that matter.

About the Salvage operation scheduled to start Monday September 16th.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/09/14/222515673/costa-concordia-salvage-operation-to-begin-monday

Sunday Notes on Monday

So if you have been reading my blog by now you know that  every Sunday I play this little game with myself. On Sunday the first section that I read of the Washington Post is the Outlook section, it contains the book section. I go to the last page and read the Washington Bestseller list. This week the bestseller list focused on Paperbacks but it alternates between paperbacks and hardcover. You can check my scoring system on the May 6th post.

This week I have exceeded my goal. I have read four out of ten.  Added to my last weeks list of The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Casual Vacancy, The Forgotten has once again appeared on the list.  I love the Main character in this book, John Puller.  This is his second appearance in David Baldacci's novels.  The first time was in Zero Day which I really loved.

Reading the books on the bestseller list is nice but  I think this Fall I am going to take a different path.  I am going to try to read some books that might be great but just haven't gotten the attention and respect they deserve.  I also make go back in time to see if I have missed something so stay with me.  I will keep you posted.



       

Zero Hour

This novel starts out with a bang.  Kurt Anderson works for NUMA, National Underwater and Marine Agency. He is in Sydney, Australia for a conference and some R and R when he finds himself in the middle of a gun fight, snipers in a helicopter.  He manages to divert the helicopter unfortunately it gets diverted into the Sidney Opera house.  Luckily no one was inside.  But things were a mess.

There is this guy Theros who is a mad scientist.  I mean not only is he mentally unbalanced, he is mad as heck at all the countries that would not support his research and he is out for revenge.  He is working on the creation of zero point energy which seems to be as unstable as him.  So instead of harnessing this energy for the greater good he is planning on sending messages to all those who have done him wrong by focusing this energy to create earthquakes that will affect the movement of the tectonic plates.

It just so happens that my college age daughter took Geology this past summer and so I know a little bit about these plates.  Here is a little background. The theory states that Earth's outermost layer, the lithosphere, is broken into 7 large, rigid pieces called plates: the African, North American, South American, Eurasian, Australian, Antarctic, and Pacific plates. Several minor plates also exist, including the Arabian, Nazca, and Philippines plates. The plates are all moving in different directions and at different speeds (from 2 cm to 10 cm per year--about the speed at which your fingernails grow) in relationship to each other. They sometimes crash together, pull apart, or sideswipe each other. The place where the two plates meet is called a plate boundary.  Theros seems to be aiming for the one under Australia. 

For those of you familiar with Clive Cussler, you all know the character of Dirk Pitt.  I love that character.  Kurt does not disappoint so try this one.  It is a very quick read.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

I found myself unable to sleep one evening last week, what a shock, so I ended up reaching for a book on my nightstand.  Did I mention that I always have a book on my nightstand and one on my kindle just ready to grab for this purpose? I had the Ocean at the End of The Lane sitting there because it has been off and on the New York Times and Washington Post Bestseller list and I was drawn by the title.

I found this book captivating.  It is about this young boy who I guess you can say befriends a "young" girl at the end of this lane.  He is a quiet boy with no friends and when he meets this girl he is drawn to her.  They strike up a friendship right away. 

Things start taking an interesting turn when the boarder who has recently checked into the boys home turns up dead not to far from the boys house and the girls farm.  This sets off a series of events that makes this book so intriguing. 

Needless to say I finished the book in a couple of hours so you know it held my attention.  Check it out.  I think you might enjoy it.

 

Sunday Notes on Monday

So if you have been reading my blog by now you know that  every Sunday I play this little game with myself. On Sunday the first section that I read of the Washington Post is the Outlook section, it contains the book section. I go to the last page and read the Washington Bestseller list. This week the bestseller list focused on Paperbacks but it alternates between paperbacks and hardcover. You can check my scoring system on the May 6th post.

I did meet my goal this week.  In the number 2 spot is The Forgotten(see post on January 25, 2013) a David Baldacci novel featuring one of my favorite of his characters John Puller.  Puller shows up in two of his books, this one and Zero Day (post Sept, 22,2012) to date is my favorite of his books.  I just recently read The Hit which was also good (July 13,2013).

In the number 5 spot, The Casual Vacancy(November 24, 2012 post).  Not my favorite Rowling novel but a fun read is her newest The Cucokoo's Calling written under the name Robert Galbraith (Sept 7).  A surprising addition to this list was To Kill a Mockingbird which is a true classic and if I am not mistaken on the High School Reading List or maybe Middle School.  Either way great book, if you haven't read it you might want to consider it.  If you have read, you might want to pick it up again.

On the Non fiction list are two books that I have read, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks  (Aug 10) and Into the Wild.  While I really enjoyed Into the Wild, if you are going to pick up a Jon Krakauer book, start with Into Thin Air about the climb to Mount Everest. Riveting!


If you are interested in downloading any of these books or order the book itself please click on one of the books below and enter Amazon.com through my website. Once there order anything you wish.  Happy reading!


       

The Cuckoo's Calling

This book was quirky.  Not so much for the story line, more for the characters.  The main character is an ex military guy who got his foot blown off and is now a private investigator.  He certainly doesn’t have clients banging down his door and has just been kicked out of his girlfriend’s apartment.  It seems their relationship has been turbulent from day one.  He is also just about to be kicked out of his office because he cannot pay the rent when this client or more exact his golden goose walks in the door.  This client whose sister was a famous model allegedly jumped off her third floor apartment balcony and the police are calling it a suicide.  Her brother is not buying it.  He thinks she was murdered by one of the shady people who she new or by one of their associates and he is determined to prove this by hiring Strike (the PI).  Strike reluctantly takes the job because quite frankly, he needs the money and so we are introduced to a vast array of what I said before, quirky characters.  J.K Rowling writes quirky incredibly well.  Who can forget Dumbledore and Luna Lovegood.   

Aside from the characters that she writes so well, I like reading her books because I always add definition of words to my vocabulary.  This is one book I am glad I downloaded to my kindle.  The dictionary look up came in handy.  Don’t get me wrong, it is not as if she writes so that you need to look up every word rather she writes and is not afraid to use the English language.  She has a wonderful way with words and she wrote a very good story.

 

Lean In

Lean In is written by the COO of Facebook. That in itself was incentive for me to read this book.  I had also heard her talk in an interview with I think Oprah and I found her fascinating. 

I grew up in a very traditional household.  My Mom was a stay at home Mom until I think I was in fourth or fifth grade and then she went back to work part time.  I say she went back to work but really she just found something to occupy her time while we were in school because she was I guess feeling restless and bored.  My Mom had been an assistant buyer for ladies lingerie at Gimbel’s New York until she stopped working when she had me. I have no doubt she would have been promoted to buyer but as Sandberg says in her book, she began to lean back when she got pregnant and then stepped out of the work force. 

Growing up I was a little mad at my Mom.  She was awesome with people and could have been anything she wanted.  We use to tease her that she could take over for Bella Abzug when she retired because my Mom had very strong political views. For those of you who are not from New York, Bella Abzug was a member of the House of Representatives and a very strong activist on civil rights.  My Mom also would have made a wonderful elementary school teacher because she was great with kids. 

There are three points made in the book: 1) sit at the table ( sit with the players not on the fringe.  Be confident.  Women underestimate their capability) 2) Make your partner a real partner.  (there is a lower divorce rate when tasks and responsibilities for family and home are closer to 50/50) 3) Don't leave before you leave (Stay fully engaged in your profession.  If you are going to have a family don't leave until you have the child.  Some woman check out when they start planning to have a family and so they miss opportunities)

 Now back to why I was a little mad. I always felt my Mom would never lean. Even though she had the talent she didn't really pursue them.  Yes I get it, it was different times but I still think she could have done it. I decided I would Lean In for both of us. And I tried and I was right there for a long time but much to my dismay I found at times that I leaned back as well.  Looking back if I could do it all again, I think I would always sit at the table and lean in more.  The good news is that life is a work in progress and I am trying harder to lean in, learn constantly and stay engaged.

I hope my daughter decides to lean in but I am not sure.  I hope that ultimately she will find the confidence to do what she needs to do. A very brief synopsis of what is in Sandberg's book is in a TED talk.  The link is included in this post.  Take a few minutes to listen to the Talk and then read the book. Really read the book!

Ted talk by Sheryl Sandberg http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_leaders.html

Sunday News on Monday. What's Good to Read

So if you have been reading my blog by now you know that  every Sunday I play this little game with myself. On Sunday the first section that I read of the Washington Post is the Outlook section, it contains the book section. I go to the last page and read the Washington Bestseller list. This week the bestseller list focused on Hardcovers but it alternates between paperbacks and hardcover. You can check my scoring system on the May 6th post.

This week I have once again met my goal.  I have read the number 1 and 2 book on the list: The Cuckoo's Calling and Inferno.  The third book is Gone Girl which I was very surprised to see since the book has been out for quite awhile meaning people usually pick it up in paperback. Therefore, you would expect to see it on the paperback bestseller list only.  I am giving myself a bonus point since I have also read the book Lean In:  Women, Work and the Will to Lead.

Check back on Wednesday for my post on Lean In and Saturday for my post on The Cuckoo's calling or click on the books below for more info.  Amazon has reduced the price of the kindle version of The Cuckoo's Calling.   It probably is temporary so if you are thinking of downloading it to a kindle you might want to consider doing it soon.  I am finding it a very interesting read.  Till next week.