Its Time Again for The Weekend Gathering Hops

 Welcome to our Weekend Gathering Hops!  This 5 way link up is hosted by Adventures of Frugalmom, Beck Valley Books, Beauty Brite, mumwrites, and Nifty Mom to help socialize with fellow bloggers, gain traffic, new followers, make new friends, and more!

This week's Guest Hosts are: Well-to-Do and How Was Your Day. 

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Meet new booky friends with the Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop is much more than just a “follow for a follow”. It’s about making connections. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of book bloggers around the world. It can seem like we are blogging in a bubble, always checking out the same blogs over and over again. The Hop is about taking the time to make a quality visit to another blog, getting to know the person who is writing, and seeing if you really *want* to follow that person!

Join in The Book Blogger Hop

Its Time For Follow Friday Blog Hop - Meet other booky friends

If you are new to the #FF fun, Feature & Follow Friday is a blog hop that expands your blog following by a joint effort between bloggers. Feature & Follow Friday is now hosted by TWO hosts, Rachel of Parajunkee and Alison of Alison Can Read.

THIS WEEKS QUESTION

Q. What book that hasn't been turned into a movie (yet) would you most like to see make it to the big screen, and who would you like cast as your favorite character?

A. Finally a question that I can't use either Twilight or Harry Potter as answers!

Part of me doesn't want to see any of my favorite books made into movies. Because with rare exceptions, the movie screws up the essence of the book. But there is always something enticing about seeing something you live portrayed visually.

Books I'd love to see made in movies:

If I Stay by Gayle Forman (Plus Where She Went): Don't know who I'd cast. Originally, this book was tied to Catherine Hardwick, the director of the first book. It's what initially led me to read the book.

Greyfriar by Clay and Susan Griffith: I'd love to see the Vampire Empire series made into films. They're dark and romantic. Could be an incredible movie. Or a really bad one.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead: I think this would make as good a TV show as it would a movie.

If I think of more, I'll edit this post and add them.

Its Almost Here and its starting tomorrow, OCTOBER 1, 2011!

Its Almost Here and its starting tomorrow, OCTOBER 1, 2011!

Do you love to read? Would you like to win the biggest book giveaway on the internet?

Then The Book Bonanza Giveaway 2011 is for YOU!

On October 1, each of you readers will have the opportunity to win a huge stack of books - delivered right to your mailbox. The winner will receive books from each of the participating bloggers. (Yes, that means that you will be getting quite a few different packages in your mailbox from bloggers/authors and publishers!).

To view the current books one lucky winner will win click here

Plus Bonus: a cameo appearance in Book 5 of the Amelia Maylock Series by Jay Ellis

Exciting Times for Bagabook - A booklovers fashionable accessory

Fantastic news for Bagabook. Jacqueline Wilson is due to embark on her book signing tour from Oct 1st with her new book Sapphire Battersea...  

The New Amazing Jacqueline Wilson-Tracy Beaker designed Bagabook is to be carried by Jacqueline herself to all venues....

A proud proud moment for Bagabook, I'm sure and we wish them all the success.

Jacqueline Wilson Tracy Beaker design led Bagabook Licensed by Start Licensing Sapphire Battersea is published by Doubleday

Bagabook is used by booklovers worldwide, to read in privacy and style, protecting their books on the train, plane, beach or anywhere!! 

Check out their wonderful designs - www.bagabook.com

Join the FREE online fan club at www.jacquelinewilson.co.uk

Sapphire Battersea by Jacqueline Wilson - review

www.guardian.co.uk

 

Sapphire Battersea: 'It's not girly, and not for the faint-hearted. It is quite dark at some points, and a really gripping and poignant book'  read their review

 

Book Review Mental Illness and Your Town by Larry Hayes

Planet Weidknecht: Book Review

Mental Illness and Your Town by Larry Hayes:

I hate labels. Labeling people stereotypes them into a box that is nearly impossible to get out of. At the same time, a label is often necessary so that someone with mental illness can get the help they need. This book by Larry Hayes called "Mental Illness and Your Town" is a really great tool to use to motivate communities to help and/or heal those who are suffering from things as simple as post-partum depression to things as complex as bipolar disorders and schizophrenia. There is mental illness within my own family and I've personally faced many of the stigmas that this book details. I found many ideas that people can easily use to make a huge difference in their community.

How's your mental health? Many people tend to brush aside their symptoms and ignore them for a long time. In order to be the best wife, parent, and friend that you can be, your own mental health needs to be in a good place. Did you know there are services that are free of charge and on a sliding-fee scale to help families address things like depression, anxiety, and fears? Sometimes all it takes is a single phone call to help a person begin to heal.

I found some online quizzes you can use to help you get a clearer picture of your own mental health. If any of your answers concern you, please reach out to someone for help. If nothing else, let your doctor know if you find you're feeling out of sorts and ask his advice for resources. There is no shame in wanting to be a better, happier, healthier person! Mental Health Assessments offers nine different quizzes.

I highly recommend reading "Mental Illness and Your Town" by Larry Hayes! If you want to make a difference, this book offers an excellent blueprint to helping those right there where you live. There are lots of personal stories in the book that really hit home. You can find the author's website HERE and you can find an audio interview with Larry Hayes HERE.
Disclosure: I received this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.

Its Getting Close To The Biggest Internet Book Bonanza Giveaway 2011

Its Getting Closer and its starting OCTOBER 1, 2011!

Do you love to read? Would you like to win the biggest book giveaway on the internet?

Then The Book Bonanza Giveaway 2011 is for YOU!

On October 1, each of you readers will have the opportunity to win a huge stack of books - delivered right to your mailbox. The winner will receive books from each of the participating bloggers. (Yes, that means that you will be getting quite a few different packages in your mailbox from bloggers/authors and publishers!).

What is the prize?

22 books if the winner is US!
25 books if the winner is from CA or UK.
4 Ebooks to any winner!
Bonus: a cameo appearance in Book 5 of the Amelia Maylock Series by Jay Ellis

That's a huge prize!!!!

Here's how it works:

Each person can enter this giveaway by liking, following, subscribing and tweeting about this giveaway. You will have over 30 possibilities to enter. You can come back each day and tweet the giveaway for an extra entry!

Good Reads Group

All of the books that are included in this giveaway are listed on a bookshelf in Good Reads. If you’re not already a member, this is a great free resource that allows you to list your books that you have read, rate them and share with your friends.

The Book Bonanza Giveaway will run from Oct 1 - Oct 27, 2011. Winner will be chosen by random.org, contacted by email and announced on October 29, 2011. Winner will have 48 hours to respond. If first winner doesn't respond, a 2nd winner will be chosen.

Book Bonanza Prize

61 Hours - Sharon M - Beck Valley Books - (Bookstore/Reader)
A Passage to India -Sharon M - Beck Valley Books - (Bookstore/Reader)
Chasing Superwoman - Susan DiMickele- (Author)
Departures - Hobbies on a Budget - & Real Life Deals Sharon W - (Reader/Reviewer)
Espresso for your Spirit - Hobbies on a Budget - & Real Life Deals Sharon W - (Reader/Reviewer)
Maids of Misfortune - M Louisa Locke - (author)
Stress Free Believers - Hobbies on a Budget - & Real Life Deals Sharon W - (Reader/Reviewer)
Stumbling Into Grace - Hobbies on a Budget - & Real Life Deals Sharon W - (Reader/Reviewer)
The Bloke's Guide to Pregnancy - Baby Giveaways Galore -Kristen (Reader/Reviewer)
The Contented Little Book of Baby Weaning - Sharon M - Beck Valley Books - (Bookstore/Reader)
The Deep End of the Ocean - Sofia Day's Pen Sofia - (Author/Reader)
The Harvest of Grace - Hobbies on a Budget - & Real Life Deals Sharon W - (Reader/Reviewer)
The Heart of the Dales - Sharon M - Beck Valley Books - (Bookstore/Reader)
The Key - Felicia Rogers (Author)
The Graduate - Sharon M - Beck Valley Books - (Bookstore/Reader)
The Runaway Jury - Sofia Day's Pen Sofia - (Author/Reader)
The Seventh Commandment - Sofia Day's Pen Sofia - (Author/Reader)
Uneasy Spirits - M Louisa Locke - (author)

Amelia Maylock Series - Books 1,2,3,4 (Signed Copies) Jay Ellis (Author)
***Winner will also be given a cameo appearance in the story in book 5(due 2012/13 for release)



EBooks Prizes

The Dark Gifts: Birthright - Willow Cross (Author)
Dark Gifts: Inheritance - Willow Cross (Author)
Hike Up Devil's Mountain Penny Estelle (Author)
Oceans of Red - Volume One - Willow Cross (Author)

Books Also Included if the winner is US

Monarch - Tanya
Breathless - Scott Prussing (Author)
Devyne Envy - A Sankofa Queen - Madonna (author)
**These books will not be included in the prize if the winner chosen by random.org is UK or CA.

Contest open to US/UK/CA only! (United States, United Kingdom, Canada)

I am NOT responsible for any parts of the book prize that are not delivered. Each participant is offering their piece of the book prize and has made a commitment to mail their book(s) within three days of the winner announcement.

Actual books delivered may be different condition, edition or cover from those listed on the Good Reads Group.

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Sherlock Holmes Lost First Novel to be published

Sherlock Holmes's origins revealed

A lost first novel by Arthur Conan Doyle leaves clues to how one of literature's favourite characters was created

A "lost" first novel by Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, is to be published tomorrow for the first time, 128 years after it was written. The Narrative of John Smith has been seen exclusively by The Independent on Sunday and provides a fascinating glimpse into the young writer's mind. However, it also reveals that, as a young man, he found the creation of first-rate fiction far from elementary.

The book's manuscript formed part of a collection of private papers that emerged at auction in 2004 and was bought by the British Library for nearly £1m. Written in four black notebooks, the 130-page work has now been transcribed and typeset for worldwide release to accompany an exhibition of Conan Doyle-abilia at the British Library.

Many years after writing The Narrative, Conan Doyle said that he would be horrified if the book ever appeared in print. But academics have defended the publication because of its contribution to understanding his later work. "This book gives us a unique insight into the developing creative mind of the writer," says Rachel Foss, one of the book's editors. "This is his first attempt to make the transition from a short-story writer to a novel writer."

The book is about a 50-year-old man who is stricken with gout and confined to his couch for a week. He then attempts to write a book, and expounds his views on topics such as medicine, religion, literature and interior design. Many of the opinions clearly chime with the author's, such as his belief in the importance of science and medicine, and his scepticism about religious dogma.

Conan Doyle was living and working as a doctor in Portsmouth when he embarked on the novel in 1883. His father had been taken ill due to alcoholism, and the 23-year-old had to support his mother and fund the education of his 10-year-old brother. He had started writing short stories and submitting them to magazines to supplement his income. But he was frustrated by the Victorian practice of omitting the author's name, especially when one of his works in The Cornhill was hailed as being by Robert Louis Stevenson. For that reason, he attempted a novel, which would have his name on the cover. He then suffered a major blow when the manuscript of The Narrative got lost in the post, never to be found again. So he rewrote it from memory, the result of which is thought to be the British Library's manuscript.

Although the novel suffers from a lack of plot, it does conjure a world of boarding houses and pipe-smoking, which fans of Sherlock Holmes will recognise. Conan Doyle called it a novel with a "personal-social-political complexion" and it hints at themes that would appear in the Holmes books, such as an interest in logical reasoning.

An introduction to the new edition says: "The Narrative is not successful fiction, but offers remarkable insight into the thinking and views of a raw young writer who would shortly create one of literature's most famous and durable characters, Sherlock Holmes." The book gives a flavour of the preoccupations of the time, such as the British empire, science and the rise of secularism. It is also remarkably prescient, foreseeing the rise of America and China as superpowers, the advent of aeroplanes and submarines, and even space exploration. Stephen Fry, who has also seen the book, hailed Conan Doyle's breadth of interests. "He was the first popular writer to tell the wider reading public about narcotics, the Ku Klux Klan, the mafia, the Mormons, American crime gangs, corrupt union bosses and much else besides. His boundless energy, enthusiasm and wide-ranging mind, not to mention the perfect, muscular and memorable prose, are all on display here in a work whose publication is very, very welcome indeed."

Four extracts from 'The Narrative of John Smith'

A description of Mrs Rundle, the landlady, a precursor to Sherlock Holmes's landlady, Mrs Hudson

Good Mrs Rundle, the lodging-house keeper, came up to lay my luncheon and is glad to see me so much better. I think I have mentioned that she is a widow handicapped in the race of life by three children. It is no wonder, poor soul, if her face is a little hard and so puckered up with wrinkles
that it looks as though her skin had been made for a larger woman, and she had been compelled to take in tucks in it. Every one of those lines is a record of some fresh trial. Evil fate has scratched its memoranda all over her face as Robinson Crusoe cut the days and weeks into the post ... What a catalogue of little miseries, all of them real enough and grave enough to her at the time, are chronicled in that mesh work of wrinkles.

A visit from the retired Major, the narrator's neighbour

Who should come in after luncheon but my good neighbour from above – clad in a somewhat rusty tweed suit, but retaining the peculiar slinging gait and easy lounge of his class.

"Should have been in yesterday," said he heartily, "but I was busy packing my traps together in case of an emergency. I'm all right now," he added with a sigh of relief. "I could start at a couple of hours notice."

"Start!" I exclaimed. "Why, Major, you don't mean seriously to say that your services may be required in the field?' "And why not, sir – why not" asked my companion hotly... "But I had no idea—" said I a little timidly, for the Veteran was evidently very touchy upon the question of his fitness for hard work. "I had no idea that there were any complications between our government and foreign powers. I was under the impression that we were at peace with the whole world."

The Major produced a folded newspaper from his coat-tail pocket and after much fumbling and searching pounced upon a very small telegram in diminutive type which was stowed away under the meteorological chart in a back column. Crumpling the paper up so as to bring this item to the front, he inflated his chest and smiled at me with a smile of superior knowledge.

"At peace with the world," said he impressively, "listen to this. 'The Russian governor of Kashgaria has determined to send a brigade of Cossacks to the Kuldja frontier in order to check the depredations of the marauding Tartars.' There, what do you think of that!" roared the Major, slapping the paper down upon the table. "When telegrams like that appear in the public press it is time for officers of the reserve to pack their boxes..."

I suppose that every country is afflicted with ultra-patriots of this explosive type. Jingoism, Chauvinism, Panslavism, Spreadeagleism, it breaks out in nasty blotches all over the globe, and a very unhealthy irritative condition it is. The only thing to be said for it is that it is a shade or two better than the sordid preference of private to public interests which prevails in some other quarters. Here is this old gentleman, who is a kind-hearted man enough... howling out for a war which would put a third of the world into mourning, and all for the sake of some grievance which is so shadowy that it rests upon the supposition of a supposition. What makes him more dangerous is that he is in deadly earnest over it – so earnest that he is quite ready and even eager to risk his own life upon the quarrel. Imagine the danger of an autocratic system of government by which such a man as this might find himself at the head of a state with unrestrained powers of pursuing what he would call a spirited policy towards his neighbours.

The narrator looks 5,000 years into the future, and imagines how an archaeologist, Dr Dryasdust, might report his excavation of the site of London
 A large building had recently been unearthed near the dried-up bed of the River Thames, and there could be no question from existing records that this was the seat of the law-making council among the Ancient Britons, or Anglicans as they are sometimes termed. Near this was a square brick building called the Aquarium, and serving, as the name implies, as a place of seclusion for habitual drunkards...

The bed of the Thames had been tunnelled under by a monarch named Brunel who is supposed by some historians to have succeeded Alfred the Great. The principal places of amusement were Kensington (from the German root "kennen – to know", so called with reference to certain schools of fine art and cookery) – and Hyde Park, the name of which appeared to Dr Dryasdust to suggest the possibility of treasures being concealed in it. These open spaces must, however, have been far from safe, as the bones of tigers, lions, and other large Carnivora have been discovered in the adjoining Regent's Park.

The lecturer, having briefly referred to the mysterious structures known as "pillar-boxes", which are scattered thickly over the city and which, he remarked, must be regarded either as religious in their origin, or else as marking the tombs of Anglican chiefs, passed on to the cylindrical piping... In a series of observations extending over several years he had discovered the important fact that these lines of tubing, if followed out, invariably led to large hollow metallic chambers which were connected with furnaces. No one who knew how addicted the Ancient Britons were to tobacco could doubt what this meant. Evidently, large quantities of this herb were burned in the central reservoir and the aromatic and narcotic vapour was carried through the tubes to the house of every citizen so that he might inhale it at will.

On the future

What is to be the end of it all? Since first a man scratched hieroglyphics on an ostracon, or scribbled with sepia upon a fragment of papyrus, the human race has been puzzling itself over that question... We may safely suppose that man will win fresh victories over mechanical and natural difficulties. That he will navigate the air with the same ease and certainty with which he now does the water, and that his ships will travel under the waves as well as over them. That life will be rendered more refined and more pleasant by countless inventions, and that preventative medicine and sanitary science will work such wonders that accident and old age will be the only causes of death. That the common sense of nations will abolish war, and the education and improved social condition of communities will effect a marvellous diminution in crime. That the forms of religion will be abandoned but the essence maintained, so that one universal creed will embrace the whole earth, which shall preach reverence to the great Creator and the pursuit of virtue, not from any hope of reward or fear of punishment, but from a high and noble love of the right and hatred of the wrong.

These are some of the changes which may be looked for. And then? Why, by that time, perhaps the solar system will be ripe for picking.

Courtesy of the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd and the British Library

By Matthew Bell Independent.co.uk

Hey, check it out - Im featured on the Edge of Insanity - In The Spotlight Sunday !!

Hey, check it out - Im featured on the Edge of Insanity - In The Spotlight Sunday !!

This week, we are featuring Beck Valley Books- a bookstore in the UK that sells the rare hard-to-find books you have been searching for!
read more  http://edgeofinsane.blogspot.com/2011/09/in-spotlight-beck-valley-books.html

Book Bonanza Giveaway 2011

Book Bonanza Giveaway 2011

Starting OCTOBER 1, 2011!

Are you a blogger who reads and reviews books, an author looking to promote your personal work, or a publisher who wants to get some advertising?

Book Bonanza Giveaway 2011 is for  YOU!

Several weeks ago I got the idea of pulling together a group of authors/bloggers and publishers who want to share their books with the readers and increase their facebook, twitter or blog numbers! In just 7 more days, we will have the opportunity to promote a prize of a huge stack of books – delivered right to a readers mailbox.  Open to US/UK/Canada residents.

Here’s how it works:

Each person will enter this giveaway by liking, following, subscribing and tweeting about this giveaway. They will have a huge amount of options to enter – (2 entries for each blogger/author/publisher!) I will be sending a rafflecopter widget to each participant so they can post it on their blog if they want to help promote the Bonanza! Readers can come back each day and tweet the giveaway for an extra entry!

Good Reads Group

I’ve started a group on Good Reads. If you’re not already a member, this is a great free resource that allows you to list your books that you have read, rate them and share with your friends. I’m including on the group bookshelf all the books that we have committed for the giveaway.
The Book Bonanza Giveaway will run from Oct 1 – Oct 27, 2011. Winner will be chosen by random.org, contacted by email and announced on October 29, 2011. Winner will have 48 hours to respond. If first winner doesn’t respond, a 2nd winner will be chosen.

Participants Confirmed so far

Felicia Rogers (Author)
Baby Giveaways Galore -Kristen (Reader/Reviewer)
A Sankofa Queen – Madonna (author)Scott Prussing (Author)
Sharon M – Beck Valley Books – (Bookstore/Reader)  THATS US!!
Hobbies on a Budget – & Real Life Deals Sharon W – (Reader/Reviewer)
Sofia Day’s Pen Sofia – (Author/Reader)
Susan DiMickele- (Author)

**There are several others who have mentioned that they are interested in participating but I have not gotten confirmation yet.

Interested in joining up and helping make this the biggest book giveaway of 2011. Email Hobbies on a Budget for more complete details!

I am NOT responsible for any parts of the book prize that are not delivered. Each participant is offering their piece of the book prize and has made a commitment to mail their book(s) within three days of the winner announcement.

Actual books delivered may be different condition, edition or cover from those listed on the Good Reads Group.

Hand Tooled Tree of Life Wallet Giveaway

I notice this fantastic giveaway this weekend on a fellow blog

and couldn't resist sharing it with you all.

Made by LovejoyCreations who are a "husband and wife team who make
 custom, hand tooled leather purses, clutches, wallets, belts and scrapbook albums."

Obviously for us the nature theme caught our eye straight away but the
wallet itself is so beautiful and striking we just can't stop looking at it.

One lucky winner can win this gorgeous item.  The winning item will be

similar (almost identical) to the one I received for this giveaway.

There may be some slight variations as each product is custom & handmade!

To enter this amazing giveaway click here

To visit the LovejoyCreations site click here

Its Time For The Weekend Gathering Hop 23/9

 Welcome to our Weekend Gathering Hops!  This 5 way link up is hosted by Adventures of Frugalmom, Beck Valley Books, Beauty Brite, mumwrites, and Nifty Mom to help socialize with fellow bloggers, gain traffic, new followers, make new friends, and more!

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Follow My Book Blog Friday Hop

 TODAYS QUESTION ISQ. Do you have a favorite series that you read over and over again? Tell us a bit about it and why you keep on revisiting it? My favourite books are the good old fashioned fiction from Margaret Dickinson and Mary E Pearce,I love travelling back in time, as if im actually there in the community.  I just love reading the stories as the world in them seems a totally different and better place to what it is now x

I will continue to treasure my books every day

I will continue to treasure my books every day

To admire them all on display

There gilted titling on colourful covers and spines

There beautiful designs that seem to come to life

To cherish my most precious book

To hold it in my hands and connect to the story and characters

Escaping into another world as

You gently turn each page

Feeling the books own unique history

The smell of the old pages and print

Books are our history, present and our future

Without them the world would be a very sad place indeed

.

Quote added to our Library

Lord! when you sell a man a book you don't sell just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue - you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night - there's all heaven and earth in a book, a real book. ~Christopher Morley

our library

.

Keep Real Books Alive !! Join our FB Group

Is it the end for real books or the beginning of a new era where people enjoy holding their favourite books in their hands - the touch, the feel, the smell - Lets face it - Sat curled up in front of the fire with a good computerised screen - just doesnt have the same ring to it, does it?

Are you like us and passionate about REAL books, join our group KEEP Real Books Alive !!

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE?? Reasons why REAL BOOKS will always have the advantage xx

Its The Weekend Gathering Hop

 Welcome to our Weekend Gathering Hops!  This 5 way link up is hosted by Adventures of Frugalmom, Beck Valley Books, Beauty Brite, mumwrites, and Nifty Mom to help socialize with fellow bloggers, gain traffic, new followers, make new friends, and more!

This week's Guest Hosts are: Random Deals, Let's Start Saving Now, and How Was Your Day. 

Don't Give Up

Don't Give Up

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit-

Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns,

And many a fellow turns about

When he might have won had he stuck it out.

 

Don't give up though the pace seems slow -

You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out-

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

and you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems so far:

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -

It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.

Join in The Book Blogger Hop

Its that time again folks!!

Are you a book blogger? Are you a reader? Then welcome to the place where all of us connect over the weekend and chat about books!

You may be asking – what exactly IS a book blogger? Do you have a blog? Do you blog about books/authors? Do you write book reviews on your blog? Do you rave about books and authors on your blog? Is your blog content primarily about books? Then you are most likely considered a book blogger!

This weeks question is.....

“As a book blogger, how do you introduce yourself in your profile?”

My answer - First I like to explain to people who and where we are and explain about our bookstore, that nicely follows onto our passion for books and why we love them so much especially older books. x

Now it’s time to enter your blog link into the linky below (after the list of instructions!).

Click to Join in The Book Blogger Hop

END OF SUMMER BLOG GIVEAWAY- NOW CLOSED

NOW CLOSED SORRY CROSSROADS BY : MARY TING Direct from Crystal Trent Dotson Reviews

Claudia Emerson has a good friend who shares the same first name and last name. That friend unfortunately dies in a tragic accident during homecoming dance. Claudia is distraught at the loss of her friend, but is even more disturbed by her dreams, which seem to take her to another place called Crossroads. Unknown to her, Crossroads is like a second heaven, a place between heaven and earth. It is w...here the souls of humans in comas or near death experiences may wander.

There, Claudia meets Michael, a nephilim, a half angel, half human, whom she often meets in her dreams. It turns out that this isn’t her first visit to Crossroads, which is an enigma for no human can ever travel there until Claudia. Now the fallen and demons are after her, suspecting she must be special and it is up to Michael and the other nephilims to protect her.

Her dream becomes a nightmare as more secrets are revealed. Who is she really? What will the true identities of the people she loves the most reveal? Can Michael fight his growing feelings for Claudia and protect her as a guardian angel should? The answer awaits you! Follow the exciting path to Crossroads!

First you need to follow Mary's Blog , and "like" the CrossRoads page on facebook , be sure to leave a comment here , and follow this blog , and last , swing by All My Book Finds page and let me know you did everything!! http://www.marytingbooks.blogspot.com/
www.facebook.com/crossroadsbook
www.facebook.com/page/allmybookfinds

I Don't Know How She Does It is the movie for unsung mothers everywhere

Allison Pearson, fresh from the premiere of her Hollywood film, explains the heart-breaking inspiration for her book about working mothers – an extract from which we print below – and answers critics who deemed it 'anti-women’

Even by the standards of an overstretched working mother, it’s been quite a week. As I type, I’m in an airport departure lounge, returning home from New York and the premiere of I Don’t Know How She Does It. The film is based on my novel of the same name, and stars Sarah Jessica Parker as Kate Reddy – high-flying fund manager, wife to Richard and mother to Emily and Ben. Ten years ago, my novel was hailed as “the definitive social comedy of working motherhood”. Oprah called it “a Bible for the working mum”.

Against such a backdrop, perhaps it’s to be expected that there were grumbles. One female commentator even deemed the film “anti-women’’. Well, ignore the snipers. Yesterday I sat in a cinema full of mothers – both the office and the stay-at-home variety – and everyone was either laughing or crying with recognition at Kate’s struggle to balance it all. All the women said how glad they were to watch a blockbuster that was made just for them.

One of Kate’s greatest fears is that she is missing out on the day-to-day minutiae of her children’s lives. The part of the book which exemplifies this fear more than any other was, in fact, the first chapter I wrote and one of few episodes that does not appear in the film: a painfully moving story of a woman who had given up work to take care of her three boys and tragically died of cancer. Jill Cooper-Clark’s death was to become the beating heart of my novel. I was interviewing women in the City of London a decade ago when one mentioned that her boss had recently lost his wife to breast cancer. Still shellshocked by grief, the man had found a letter in which his spouse of 20 years had outlined in great detail everything that he would need to take care of when she was gone. “I never realised how much she did,” he confessed sadly.

In the novel, that letter became Jill Cooper-Clark’s memo to Robin, her husband and Kate’s boss. Your Family: How it Works is my tribute to the unsung and largely unacknowledged loving and often numbing work which millions of mothers do every day because it is the woman who carries the puzzle of family life in her head; that great 3-D jigsaw of birthdays, shoe sizes, packed lunches, nutritious meals, carol concerts and chickenpox. It’s a paradox. Women make the world work in order that men can run it. I like to think that the Government’s decision to remove child benefit from women like Jill Cooper-Clark will look even meaner and more shortsighted after you’ve read Jill’s brisk but heartbreaking instructions to her wonderful but oblivious husband in the extract from the novel below. The phrase “she gave up work” has always struck me as ludicrous. Devoting your life to raising the next generation is the opposite of giving up. Anti-women? I’ll let you judge.

By Allison Pearson Telegraph.co.uk

Campaign to save Roald Dahl hut

The simple hut in which Roald Dahl weaved his magical tales to captivate millions of readers is to be preserved for his fans worldwide.

His family is aiming to raise half a million pounds to move the atmospheric interior of the building, piece by piece, to stop the decay which has left it in imminent danger of falling apart.

They have launched a fundraising campaign today to enable them to move the hut - built more than half a century ago - to the Roald Dahl Museum for public display.

Dahl - who would have been 95 today - would sit in the hut, located in the garden of his home, Gipsy House in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, alone to write. Only he was allowed in and he visited the property every day for 30 years.

Even now the building in which Dahl sat surrounded by knick-knacks has been a private place and visited only by friends, family and visitors to his home.

But the property has fallen into disrepair and there are fears that the property which gave birth to classics such as Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Matilda, The BFG and James and the Giant Peach could fall apart unless something is done.

Now his family is behind a plan to transfer the hut early next year to the nearby Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre.

The idea came from the author's grandson, Luke Kelly, who was inspired by relocation of Francis Bacon's studio to the Hugh Lane gallery in Dublin.

Dahl's widow Felicity - known as Liccy - said: "It is a forensic exercise, not only to retain the eccentric objects but more importantly the magical atmosphere that fed Roald's seemingly limitless imagination."

He was inspired to build the white-painted shed - built in the late 1950s from bricks with polystyrene after visiting Dylan Thomas's writing shed at Laugharne.

It contains a wealth of items which Dahl loved to have around him while he wrote, including a huge ball made from foil sweet wrappers, a favourite wing-backed chair, pads of lined yellow legal pads shipped from the US and artefacts such as his own hip bone.

The author's granddaughter, broadcaster and writer Sophie Dahl, is helping to launch the fundraising campaign.

She said: "When my grandfather died, he left in his wake an aching gap, but also a palpable magic and limitless imagination, which is not exclusive to my family. It is now time for us to save the hut but, even more importantly, to share it."

It is hoped the interior will be installed by March and then a further £500,000 will be needed to create an interactive exhibit to set the hut in context for visitors.

Amelia Foster, director of the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, said: "Roald Dahl's writing hut was his creative hub and his sanctuary.

"Until now, only a lucky few have been able to experience and be inspired by the intensely personal writing space he created for himself.

"Moving the precious contents of the hut into a new gallery within the museum will allow us to conserve this unique cultural icon for future generations while giving Roald Dahl fans of every age the chance to learn more about the man and his books."

By By Anthony Barnes
Independent.co.uk

The World Book Night 2012 Top 100 .

The WBN 2012 Top 100

Is your favourite book on the World Book Nights Top 100 List, if not its not too late to add it click here

From 25 June – 31 August 2011 we asked readers to nominate the 10 books they most love to read, give and share. Over 6,000 people nominated more than 8,000 titles and the top 100 displayed below will be used to inform the choice of the editorial selection committee who will be selecting the WBN 2012 titles

But we still want readers to tell us their favourite books and a constantly evolving top 100 can be seen here.

The 2012 Long List - ordered by number of votes:

1 To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee
2 Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
3 The Book Thief Markus Zusak
4 Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte
5 The Time Traveler's Wife Audrey Niffenegger
6 The Lord of the Rings J. R. R. Tolkien
7 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Douglas Adams
8 Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte
9 Rebecca Daphne Du Maurier
10 The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini
11 American Gods Neil Gaiman
12 A Thousand Splendid Suns Khaled Hosseini
13 Harry Potter Adult Hardback Boxed Set J. K. Rowling
14 The Shadow of the Wind Carlos Ruiz Zafon
15 The Hobbit J. R. R. Tolkien
16 One Day David Nicholls
17 Birdsong Sebastian Faulks
18 The Help Kathryn Stockett
19 Nineteen Eighty-Four George Orwell
20 Good Omens Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
21 The Notebook Nicholas Sparks
22 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Stieg Larsson
23 The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood
24 The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald
25 Little Women Louisa M. Alcott
26 Memoirs of a Geisha Arthur Golden
27 The Lovely Bones Alice Sebold
28 Atonement Ian McEwan
29 Room Emma Donoghue
30 Catch-22 Joseph Heller
31 We Need to Talk About Kevin Lionel Shriver
32 His Dark Materials Philip Pullman
33 Captain Corelli's Mandolin Louis De Bernieres
34 The Island Victoria Hislop
35 Neverwhere Neil Gaiman
36 The Poisonwood Bible Barbara Kingsolver
37 The Catcher in the Rye J. D. Salinger
38 Chocolat Joanne Harris
39 Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro
40 The Five People You Meet in Heaven Mitch Albom
41 One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel Garcia Marquez
42 Animal Farm George Orwell
43 The Pillars of the Earth Ken Follett
44 The Eyre Affair Jasper Fforde
45 Tess of the D'Urbervilles Thomas Hardy
46 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Roald Dahl
47 I Capture the Castle Dodie Smith
48 The Wasp Factory Iain Banks
49 Life of Pi Yann Martel
50 The Road Cormac McCarthy
51 Great Expectations Charles Dickens
52 Dracula Bram Stoker
53 The Secret History Donna Tartt
54 Small Island Andrea Levy
55 The Secret Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett
56 Lord of the Flies William Golding
57 Persuasion Jane Austen
58 A Prayer for Owen Meany John Irving
59 Notes from a Small Island Bill Bryson
60 Watership Down Richard Adams
61 Night Watch Terry Pratchett
62 Brave New World Aldous Huxley
63 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Mark Haddon
64 Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell Susanna Clarke
65 The Color Purple Alice Walker
66 My Sister's Keeper Jodi Picoult
67 The Stand Stephen King
68 Cloud Atlas David Mitchell
69 The Master and Margarita Mikhail Bulgakov
70 Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy
71 Cold Comfort Farm Stella Gibbons
72 Frankenstein Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
73 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Mary Ann Shaffer
74 The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde
75 Gone with the Wind Margaret Mitchell
76 The Graveyard Book Neil Gaiman
77 The Woman in White Wilkie Collins
78 The Princess Bride William Goldman
79 A Suitable Boy Vikram Seth
80 Perfume Patrick Suskind
81 The Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas
82 The God of Small Things Arundhati Roy
83 Middlemarch George Eliot
84 Dune Frank Herbert
85 Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel
86 Stardust Neil Gaiman
87 Lolita Vladimir Nabokov
88 Midnight's Children Salman Rushdie
89 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone J. K. Rowling
90 Shantaram Gregory David Roberts
91 The Remains of the Day Kazuo Ishiguro
92 Possession: A Romance A. S. Byatt
93 Tales of the City Armistead Maupin
94 Kafka on the Shore Haruki Murakami
95 The Magus John Fowles
96 The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas John Boyne
97 A Fine Balance Rohinton Mistry
98 Alias Grace Margaret Atwood
99 Norwegian Wood Haruki Murakami
100 The Wind-up Bird Chronicle Haruki Murakami

THE SAD REALITY OF E-WASTE

THE SAD REALITY OF E-WASTE

E-waste is the fastest growing and most toxic waste we produce.

The amount of electronic products discarded globally has skyrocketed recently, with 20-50 million tonnes generated every year. If such a huge figure is hard to imagine, think of it like this - if the estimated amount of e-waste generated every year would be put into containers on a train it would go once around the world!

Close up of a huge pile of computer keyboards waiting to be scrapped. These are likely to have been thrown away in Europe, US or Japan and then dumped in China because it is cheaper to dump this hazardous waste in China than dispose of it properly.

Electronic waste (e-waste) now makes up five percent of all municipal solid waste worldwide, nearly the same amount as all plastic packaging, but it is much more hazardous. Not only developed countries generate e-waste; Asia discards an estimated 12 million tonnes each year.

E-waste is now the fastest growing component of the municipal solid waste stream because people are upgrading their mobile phones, computers, televisions, audio equipment and printers more frequently than ever before. Mobile phones and computers are causing the biggest problem because they are replaced most often. In Europe e-waste is increasing at three to five percent a year, almost three times faster than the total waste stream. Developing countries are also expected to triple their e-waste production over the next five years.



Did you know?
The average lifespan of computers in developed countries has dropped from six years in 1997 to just two years in 2005.

Mobile phones have a lifecycle of less than two years in developed countries.

183 million computers were sold worldwide in 2004 - 11.6 percent more than in 2003.

674 million mobile phones were sold worldwide in 2004 - 30 percent more than in 2003.

it was estimated that in 2010, there would be 716 million new computers in use. Therewill be 178 million new computer users in China, 80 million new usersin India.

Welcome to this weeks - Weekend Gathering Hop

 Welcome to our Weekend Gathering Hops!  This 5 way link up is hosted by Adventures of Frugalmom, Beck Valley Books, Beauty Brite, mumwrites, and Nifty Mom to help socialize with fellow bloggers, gain traffic, new followers, make new friends, and more!

Our Guest Host is Generations of Savings!

Its Time For The Book Blogger Hop 9/9

Its that time again folks!!

Are you a book blogger? Are you a reader? Then welcome to the place where all of us connect over the weekend and chat about books!

You may be asking – what exactly IS a book blogger?  Do you have a blog? Do you blog about books/authors? Do you write book reviews on your blog? Do you rave about books and authors on your blog? Is your blog content primarily about books? Then you are most likely considered a book blogger!

This weeks question is.....

“Many of us primarily read one genre of books, with others sprinkled in. If authors stopped writing that genre, what genre would you start reading? Or would you give up reading completely if you couldn’t read that genre anymore?”

My Answer:  My favourite genre is historical fiction, good old fashioned stories where you can escape into the stories from authors such as Mary E Pearce and Margaret Dickinson.   If they were not longer available I would have to start reading the huge pile of well being books, self help, inspirational books that I have collected over the years but not yet found the time to read...........

Now it’s time to enter your blog link into the linky below (after the list of instructions!).

Click to Join in The Book Blogger Hop

Bath time for unique story-telling project at the Bath Festival

The Bath Festival of Children’s Literature starts a unique storytelling event involving 20 authors and bloggers.

Twenty top children's authors and bloggers will take part in a unique and joint storytelling project courtesy of The Bath Festival Of Children's Literature.

Marcus Sedgewick, John Boyne and Annabel Pitcher - all appearing at the Festival, which is sponsored by The Telegraph - will be part of a team launching a collaborative story (starting on Thursday 8 September) written in real time with readers following the story as it moves from blog to blog.

By By Martin Chilton Telegraph.co.uk
A new addition to the story will be posted at each of the 20 stops, concluding on the 16th October. The first installment will appear on the Bath Festival of Children’s Literature blog where readers can click through to the next installment.

Every other day a new piece of the story will be posted and as it is being written in real time it has the potential to touch on any genre imaginable. Artistic Director John McLay said “We are hoping to highlight the creativity and dedication of both book blogs and author blogs, through which potential readers are enthused and entertained. There is an amazing amount of support for the book industry via blogging and this is a great way for Bath to capture that and do something fun and unique”.

The Forbidden Vampire - Reviewed By: Crystal Trent Dotson

The Forbidden Vampire by William Wdowiasz

Forbidden is the worlds first vampire , though his father is Satan , his mother Gloria tries to bring love and goodness to Forbiddens soul. Satan has set out on a mission to destroy the whole world ,but when Forbidden refuses to help , he finds himself fighting his fathers demons. After meeting Richie Stockmore in the Beyond Forest , Richie is now pulled into the middle with Gloria and Forbidden for the fight between good and evil. Richie is infected with Forbiddens blood and sent into the past , while Gloria is shot and Forbidden is left in the light of day to die , and comes face to face with Jesus Christ , which wants to send Forbidden back to earth to end this war once and for all and save all of humanity , but he must also find the courage to destroy Richie.

This book has alot of twists in it , at some points in it , it does seem to drag on to much , and the slang that Richie constantly uses is mildly aggravating , but the fight between good and evil is at times spine tingling.

Book Art - Now thats a lot of books !!

Slovakian artist Matej Krén creates spellbinding sculptures & buildings with his raw material of choice...thousands of books.

The Book Blogger Hop

The Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Crazy for Books, and is a wonderful event for book bloggers check it out xx

This Weekends Gathering Hop

 Welcome to our Weekend Gathering Hops!  This 5 way link up is hosted by Adventures of Frugalmom, Beck Valley Books, Beauty Brite, mumwrites, and Nifty Mom to help socialize with fellow bloggers, gain traffic, new followers, make new friends, and more!

There are no Guest Hosts this week!  :(

Book Review - THREAT WARNING by BY JOHN GILSTRAP

REVIEW WRITTEN BY CRYSTAL TRENT DOTSON

In Washington D.C. , citizens are being shot by assassins during rush hour, In Kansas City the same has happened at a mall , and a Detroit middle school has been bombed. Terrorists are on the loose in the U.S. , and one of them has taken a woman and her son hostage to a hideout in West Virginia. Now it's up to Jonathon Grave to rescue the hostages and bring down the terrorists and their plot to destroy the U.S. Government's Highest Power.

Very exciting book , this thriller has it all , conspiracy , torture , and lots of breath holding action.

A Dress thats made from Books - now thats an idea!!

Wow now thats a booktastic idea - whos says books are no longer in fashion!!
Dont forget to join our KEEP REAL BOOKS ALIVE !! Facebook group

Review of Torchwood ‘End Of The Road’

Review of Torchwood ‘End Of The Road’

SPOILERS: Do not read this if you have not seen episode 8, series 4 of ‘Torchwood’

If audiences thought that this episode would bring them closer to the truth about Miracle Day, they were wrong. It was yet another abysmal week of more questions rather than answers but on the bright side, the extra-terrestrial technology has finally been revealed in the form of a transmitter which creates a null field.

The only other highlight was Danes’ return after a two-episode absence. His character has always been an interesting one, through which the theme of redemption is analysed and whether or not you can really change after committing monstrous acts of depravity. Despite apologising and transforming himself into the zeitgeist of Miracle Day, he will never been forgiven. Jilly informs him that he is soon to be Category 0: criminals who were sentenced to death will now be sent to the ovens. Understandably, Danes goes AWOL in a bid to save himself, will he now form an alliance with the Torchwood team?

Generally, the pace remained slack and Angelo, who appeared to be the key to immortality turned out to be another diversion. Will The Family be the puppet masters who have been pulling the strings the whole time? There is also alien involvement on some level and it will be interesting to see how this fits in.

Given that ‘Torchwood’ is trying to re-create reality and mimic as closely as possible the audience’s world, it works best when the aliens are hidden from plain sight, as they were in ‘Children of Earth’. Hopefully, the little green men behind the immortality of humanity will remain an invisible threat. Either way, the expected trip to Shanghai is going to be happening soon.

A point of frustration is the fact that Jack has been mentioning morphic fields from the start but for whatever reason, it has conveniently been left to one side for all this time. As it turns out morphic fields are an important part of the explanation for Miracle Day. One wonders if the show was given too many episodes and ended up needing to pad out the storyline as it certainly feels like that.

The concept that everyone is immortal is an interesting one to explore, indeed José Saramago’s 2005 novel ‘Death with Interruptions’ (translated as ‘Death at Intervals’) looked at this idea. In both ‘Torchwood’ and Saramago’s novel, the wider implications are considered, for example the pressure on the health service. However, there is only so far it can be taken, and with ‘Torchwood’ it feels as if the story is running out of steam. The episode ended on a cliffhanger that saw Jack dying from a gunshot wound but due to the sheer lack of movement of the plot it was hard to sympathise.

The ‘End Of The Road’ was anything but, if this is the big build-up to the finale then it failed to serve its purpose, given the lack of explanation. The viewer might as well have been shouting questions into the void only to be answered by an echo. Two more episodes left, could they provide the satisfying conclusion that audiences are craving?

Image credit: BBC

Written by By Neela Debnath
Arts
Independent

Book Terminology

It can be quite confusing reading a book description with the vast amount of book terms used on the internet these days. Here we try to help

Book Terminology

Bibliography

A list of the authors work or on a particular subject.

Binding

Usually refers to the book covers for hardback books. The different types of binding can be Cloth, Leather or Paper Covered Boards. Also used to described how the book pages are held, for example Glued, Sewn, Stapled.

Full Binding
The full book is bound in leather.

Three Quarter Binding
The book spine and corners and bound in leather, which covers 3/4 of the top edge of the book, the rest of the book bound in other material.

Half Binding
The book spine and corners are bound again in leather, but this time only 1/2 of the top edge of the book is covered, with the rest of the book again bound in other material.

Quarter Binding
Either the book spine or book corners only are covered in leather, covering only 1/4 of the top edge of the book.

Blurb

A brief description of the book, usually including a review from another author or magazine editor. Usually featured on the back cover of paperbacks or the inside flap of hardback books with dust jackets.

Boards

The actual hard cover of the book, underneath the binding.

Book Jacket

Usually called a dust jacket or dust wrapper. A method of protecting the books hard cover and binding.

Book Plate

A label pasted to usually the inside cover or first page of a book to show ownership.

Browning

Pages browning in colour due to age.

Bumped

Usually referring to the corners of a book or the head and tail of the spine. When used in descriptions it can mean the areas are worn, have been knocked, are bent etc.

Circa

If a book is undated, it is an approximate date used.

Cocked

If, when looking down on the head of a book, the corners are not square it is said to be cocked or rolled. Also known as a spine slant or spine lean.

Copyright Page

Usually found on the back of the title page, giving information on the copyright and publisher, aswell as information on the books editions and reprinting.


Dog Eared

The corners of a page has been folded in the past.

Dust Jacket

See above Book Jacket.

Edges

See Diagram above.

Embossed

A pattern/design on the hard cover that is raised.

End Paper

The blank page at the front and end of the book. One side is free (usually called 'free end paper') with the other side glued to the inside of the hard cover.

Fading

Loss of colour due to the sun or age.

First Edition

All of the copies printed from the first setting of type; can include multiple printings if all are from the same setting of type. Every printed book has a first edition, many never have later editions. A later edition would have substantial changes in the printing plates or type such as the addition of a new preface or new chapter or major changes throughout the text and often is printed from a complete resetting of the type. When book collectors use the term first edition, they are usually referring to the first printing and if there are different states or issues, the earliest of those.

Fly Leaf

The blank pages at the front and end of the book between the hard cover and the printed pages of a book.

Foxing

Brown spotting on the pages of the book due to a number of factors.

Frontispiece

An illustration or picture placed opposite the title page.

Gilted

Use of thin layer of gold leaf to areas of the book. Can be used to page edges, spine and title of the hard cover.

Grooves

The soft join where the book spine and the book boards meet on the outside of the book.

Gutter

The middle of an opened book. See Diagram above.

Hinge

The joint where the book spine and the book cover meet inside the book.

Inscription

A message written in the book usually at the front.

Joint

The exterior hinge where the book spine and the book cover meet. See Diagram above.

Plate

An illustration or picture on its own page.

Price Clipped

The inner flap has been cut to remove the price.

Rubbed

Where the hard cover or jacket has patches of no colour due to wear.

Shaken

Where the pages of the book are becoming loose but still remained attached to the binding.

Starting

Indicates the page or pages beginning to loosen but not to the extent of 'Shaken'.

Slip Case

A protective box which has an opened end where the books are slipped into.

Sunned

Where the book is faded or discoloured due to sun exposure.

Tears
Closed Tear - A clean tear with no pieces missing.
Open Tear - A tear with some material missing.

Tipped In

Partially pasted down photograph, picture, diagram etc.

Title Page

Usually the first printed page of a book, showing the full book title, author details, plus any additional information relating to the book.