Inspired by readers around the world who have embraced and shared Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, Riverhead Books is helping for your help in an effort to picture a book changing lives.

All you have to do is share photos of yourself reading or holding a copy of either The Kite Runner or A Thousand Splendid Suns and for each eligible photo (limit two still photographs per account) that is uploaded to the group, Riverhead Books (A member of Penguin Group-USA) will donate $2.00 (up to a maximum $25,000 donation) to the Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a charity dedicated to providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan.

This campaign has been running since June 15, and has now been extended through December 1, 2010. All you have to do is visit the Hosseini community page at Penguin Books and upload photos of yourself and/or friends reading or holding a copy of either book.

Click here for a copy of the flyer.

The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan. The Foundation supports projects which provide shelter to refugee families and economic and education opportunities for women and children. In addition, the Foundation awards scholarships to students who have migrated to the United States under refugee status and to women pursuing higher education in Afghanistan.

The Khaled Hosseini Foundation focuses on providing shelters for families, economic opportunities and jobs for women, and education for children.

Some of the past and recent accomplishments of the Khaled Hosseini Foundation include:

• In 2009 funds donated by The Khaled Hosseini Foundation resulted in the completion of 102 UNHCR shelters providing benefit to 612 people.
• A scholarship was awarded to a student attending University of California Berkeley that entered the US under adverse circumstances for the 2009 / 2010 academic year.
• A scholarship will be provided to the American University of Afghanistan to assist Afghan women seeking a higher education in the region for the 2009 / 2010 academic year.
• Funding provided to Trust in Education in 2008 and 2009 helped
  • support 29 teachers enabling them to teach 849 children (of which 602 are girls),
  • the building of a classroom by villagers in the Lalander region,
  • the distribution of seeds and fertilizer to farmers increasing their production by 3 to 4x normal capacity,
  • the implementation of the Aschiana program in Kabul to benefit and educate street children enabling TIE to support 60 children in addition to supplying all computer equipment for a computer class for the children), and
  • the completion of an irrigation project that will benefit over 60 families (an estimated 360 people).
• Three classrooms for Trust in Education’s latest project, Zohra’s School for Girls, were sponsored by The Khaled Hosseini Foundation in 2010.
• The Khaled Hosseini Foundation provided funding to Afghan Friends Network. The funds were allocated to the Khurasan Learning Center at Qalai Qadam and allowed on average, 230 girls from grades 9 through 12 to receive education from April 2009 to March 2010.
• Funding was provided to Razia’s Ray of Hope Foundation that assisted with opening The Zabuli Education Center for Women and Girls. The center provides education for roughly 250 girls in the village of Deh’Subz.
• The Foundation provided funds that aided the UNHCR in renovating and / or constructing 41 classrooms for refugee children from Darfur in Mile and Kounoungou refugee camps in Chad. This resulted in the ability for 3,394 students to enroll in school in the Kounoungou camp and 4,601 students to enroll in the Mile camp in 2008 / 2009.

I love food – good food, flavorful food, color food and aromatic food. I’m not a fan of raw onions…they make me gag, actually – same with raw broccoli. I also love the smell of food – even onions, I love the color of vegetables – even broccoli; and I’m convinced that any conflict probably could be resolved with food. I know… probably naive.

Because of this love of food, reading The Book of Unholy Mischief was really enjoyable. It may sound like an exaggeration, but I actually contemplated cutting open an onion, closing my eyes and tasting it…you know, like try to taste it for the very first time without the childish knowledge of how it tasted when I was five. When push came to shove, I couldn’t do it…but I thought about it, and that for me is like winning 1st place in the Next Food Network Star competition. By the way, I did try Shallots recently…and LOVED the way they smelled (raw) and tasted with my roasted potatoes.

The Book of Unholy Mischief takes place in and around 1498 in Venice. Quick history lesson: The 1400s are the birth of the Age of Discovery, increased exploration and improved navigation methods – creating new trade routes and new trade partners; the birth of the movable type press which made inexpensive mass-printing possible; At the time the story takes place, Columbus has already sailed the ocean blue, and the Spanish Inquisition has begun. Leaders have their personal astrologists, and what became known as scientists are being labeled as heretics. The world is in a constant state of philosophical flux at this point. I think I got all this right…

This is the world Luciano lives in. Luciano resembles Charles Dickens’ Oliver – only Italian, not English. Eventually, Luciano is caught stealing by a chef and given the job of Chef’s Apprentice in the palace kitchen. He’s already fallen in love with a convent girl and is fiercely loyal to his street buddies.

The catalyst for this story is a book. In this book, there is supposed to be a recipe for making gold (something the street boys want), recipe for immortality (something the Doge* wants and is willing to kill everyone over), and a recipe for undying love (something Luciano wants so his convent girl will love him). There are said to be recipes for getting your most desired wants. If the book is the protagonist, then these three mentioned recipes would be the antagonists.

Over the course of the story, we find out the book is nothing like what people think it is. It is a recipe book – just not like what Venice gossip-mongrels thought it was. And yes, its hidden; but its also in plain sight. Its an alchemy book of sorts – in today’s world we’d call it a cook book, and those that are sworn to protect it would protect it with their lives.

I loved the amazing detail of The Book of Unholy Mischief. I felt like I was walking through the markets in Italy; I saw the architecture, I smelled the fresh food, I felt the heat coming from the kitchen where much of the story takes place. I could see the vibrant color of the vegetables. I smelled the spices and marveled at the intricacy with which the Chef put together his dishes for the visiting dignitaries. I wanted so badly to taste the dishes the Chef was making just to taste the real power of his creations. Newmark nailed it with the historical descriptions of 15th century Venice and amazing food descriptions.

Ultimately, my enjoyment of this book came from the complexity of why the book had to be kept a secret until a later time; who was supposed to keep the knowledge it contained. I loved the conflicting ideas it contained versus what was the accepted level of understanding of the times. I loved the use of food to create or dissipate conflict during a meal. I found the idea of food being a powerful contributor to how a group of people react in a situation a wonderful concept (and one I believe it possible).

There’s a great deal of intrigue in The Book of Unholy Mischief, though sometimes it doesn’t appear to be thought out to the logical end. I got the feeling the author was really trying to draw our attention to the old dungeons under Venice, but I couldn’t figure out why there were so many references. There was vague action around these dungeons, but the plot never really went inside. I suspect the references to the dungeons were used to give us a sense of intrigue, mystery and the ever popular sense of violence that comes with knowing about a place where methodical torture takes place; but for me, the references to the dungeons only confused me. I thought the constant reference to the dungeons was a foreshadowing technique, but it never happened.

I wanted to like Luciano. I gathered pretty early this was a type of “coming of age” period for him, but instead of enjoying what I was learning about him, I wanted to know more about his Master Chef. Luciano seemed incredibly naive for one that grew up in a brothel and then was kicked out on the streets.

Luciano was really sort of a conflicted character for me. One the one hand, he was motivated to try to make his own culinary creation to impress the Master; and there were several references to him trying to figure out what went with what. On the other hand, there was more bitching and moaning and sneaking around than there was him actually doing any preparation and truly learning. I got that he was a student and the Master chef was teaching him more than just what you need to know to cook. He was teaching him to be a master chef. I got that. I just felt like the whining was a bit much.

Another problem I had with Luciano was that I got the impression he had developed the ability to be stealthy during his time in the streets. I got more of a sense that he was sneaky rather than stealthy. There is a balcony scene where he is eavesdropping on the chef and his wife under the cover of darkness, and he appears to be on the verge of getting caught. The problem I had with this was, I’ve seen the architecture of residences in Italy and the balconies aren’t very big. The description of this scene made it seem like there was all sorts of space for him to navigate around. If he were on any of the balconies I saw in Italy (and I admit, I didn’t go to Venice), he’d have been caught. It just didn’t really make sense to me. A stealthy kid would have had enough sense to understand he would have been caught and found another way. A sneaky kid would have tried it and hoped to hell he didn’t get caught – which is what Luciano did.

Luciano just didn’t appear to put two and two together in many areas of the story until it was too late. And this seemed a bit tragic to me. I didn’t expect him to be all knowing to the ways of the world, but I did expect him to have some street sense that I am not sure he actually showed.

Luciano’s story is one of second chances. He’s given an incredible second chance at life and ultimately, he takes the opportunity and becomes part of the secret society he was offered inclusion in. I’m glad it worked out for him. I do believe throughout the story the reader is able to see tremendous growth in Luciano’s character – in both the literary aspect and the humanity aspect. This sense of growth made some of the other flaws overcome-able, but it still left the question what about this boy made him a prime candidate for the role he would play in life?

Despite some of its flaws, The Book of Unholy Mischief is a fun read, definitely thought-provoking, and worth your time…especially if you love food and see it as more than just something we need to survive.

* formerly the chief magistrate of the republics of Venice and Genoa

Check out the author’s website to view her walking tour of Venice and her recipe for Chilled Chocolate Mousse with Cayenne Pepper

It takes fifteen months to break the most optimistic of men. Fifteen months. It began at the five month mark, but he was able to brush it aside, keep it to himself, and continue showing bravado. It took a total of fifteen months for Lt. Col Kauzlarich to go from gung-ho to we’ve done our job, let’s get out of here. Fifteen Months.

It took his good soldiers less than that. It took the first soldier being killed just ten weeks after their arrival in Iraq for the breaking to begin.

The Good Soldiers by David Finkel tells this story.

I have tried many times to write a review of this book and well, figured in light of the last combat troops leaving Iraq yesterday, I’d try again. Its been a full month since I read this book. A full month of constant thinking about it. A full month. I hate like hell that I’m trying to review this book even now. I am still saddened, but as a Navy Veteran, I am pissed off.

Last night, I was watching the MSNBC coverage of the last combat troops entering Kuwait. The politicians and the retired generals made me sick. One of them said (and I’m paraphrasing), the health of our military is good. Maybe the bureaucratic military as a whole…but what about the health of our soldiers who have had multiple tours in Iraq and very well could now find themselves in Afghanistan? All I heard was we salute the courage of our armed forces, they are courageous and brave and they’ve done an outstanding job. I heard they were philosophical about what leaving Iraq meant and they understand they had a job to do and the job is now over. That’s it?! How about maybe “they are philosophical because its hard to justify what they’ve seen and done when we are leaving Iraq in the political disarray its in now. How about you have all been good soldiers, and I am so deeply sorry that you had to go through the stuff you have for the misguided reasons you did. How about that?!

I can’t get past the duration of how long it takes to break a human being under extreme stress. Fifteen Months…the first death of a comrade in front of your very eyes. I’m sorry, I just can’t get past it.

Young men…celebrating their birthdays in fire fights…knowing the longer they stay, the less likely they will celebrate another one. Young men…watching parts of their buddies disappear, wondering how long it will be before they lose legs, arms, eyes, the back part of their head.

Fifteen Months. That’s how long the 2-16 (short for Second Battalion, Sixteenth Infantry Regiment of the Fourth Infantry Brigade Combat Team, First Infantry Division, from Fort Riley, Kansas) spent near Sadr City, Baghdad. Two months, give or take a few days, before they lost their first soldier. The first soldier who within a month of arrival had seen enough to begin showing signs of not being able to process what was going on around him. The first soldier was in the one humvee of six hit by an IED. The first soldier died from severe burns – after all the ammunition in the humvee exploded with him still in his seat. “PFC Cajimat was killed on impact and was not able to be pulled from the vehicle.”  Mrs. Cajimat, I’m so very sorry. I feel dirty writing this, where you may see it and have to relive this horror.

Based on my reading of The Good Soldiers…PFC Cajimat was probably the lucky one. I know that’s no consolation to the Cajimat family, and I know that there were many who died and many who lived…and those that lived, may or may not be counting their lucky stars that they made it home. And those that lived have the honor of remembering those fallen soldiers. Is it honor though? I guess it depends on your perspective.

If you are living in America and only see Iraq and Afghanistan on the macro level then, yeah, you probably think this is honor; because you haven’t been “in the trenches.” I know I can’t possibly understand what it is these guys are remembering about their fallen comrades. After reading the Good Soldier though, I can’t really believe they remember the good without the visual bad.

If I were to recommend this book to just one group of people, it would emphatically be to the politicians who make the decisions to go to war – specifically those that have never seen combat. This book is a kick in the head. It will break your heart, it will anger you, and well, maybe for the politicians who go visit our brave soldiers at Walter Reed, it will help them understand that good soldiers don’t tell their higher-ups what they really think. I would bet that many people view Iraq as a success…I wonder what the soldiers who were there actually think.

I hated the way this book made me feel. I hate it now, as I try to write a review about the book. There’s no way to review the book without feeling anger and sadness. I believe this book isn’t meant to be reviewed – as much as it is meant to be felt. I recommend this book, in truth, to EVERYONE. Its extremely well written and has the ability to touch the lives of every American who has watched for seven years our men and women go into battle. The worst part of this book is knowing that this is just one story of one group of combat soldiers. There are many. Some we will hear about, some we won’t. I wish beyond all wishes this book was fiction.

After reading this book and  persevering on it for a month, I can’t help but think the war is not over, as it was claimed last night. The real war is just beginning for those troops that are coming home. Those soldiers who are in their mid-twenties, who have been in the military their whole adult lives and who saw things that will haunt their dreams their whole lives. How to not let these things affect their lives back here in the states is their own personal wars. There is no pentagon to coordinate whether they win or lose. There is no trillion dollar budget to make sure ALL the resources they need are available. There is however a trillion dollar budget to give them additional combat time in Afghanistan.

Dear soldiers of the War in Iraq…for whatever its worth…I’m sorry.

Image Source: The picture on the side comes from Amazon.com.  It is of “two soldiers try to collect themselves after their Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb.”

I started writing this review by looking for my thoughts on MJ Rose’s The Reincarnationist.  To my surprise, I never did one.  I remember liking the book, and then cracking the spine on The Memorist a day or so after I finished The Reincarnationist.  I vaguely remember I read both these books over a week.  I enjoyed both, but really liked the first book better.

The one thing I really like about MJ Rose’s The Reincarnationist series is the historical references to places, people, archeology and art. In my opinion, these references are exactly what makes being loyal to this series a borderline must. Rose does a phenomenal amount of research and ties in the idea of reincarnation in an exemplary manner. She has an excellent ability to describe a place or work of art or an atmosphere that allows a reader to insert themselves into the story.  Upon completion of these books, whether read back to back or separately, I have spent additional time pondering both the settings and the concept of reincarnation – for weeks after a reading actually. This is the draw of these books, for me at least.  Its not the actual plot line, or the characters, its the idea that maybe I did once spend a life in Ancient Greece or Persia, or maybe I was someone who helped build Stonehenge or an early American colonist.

After I finished The Hypnotist, I went back and read The Reincarnationist (I’ve actually read this book a few times).  I maintain the first book in this series is the best – I liked the settings better.  Many others have written reviews stating that even though these three books are a series, they can be read as stand-alone.  I truly just don’t agree with this assessment.  If you read either The Memorist or The Hypnotist without having read The Reincarnationist, you will not have a good grasp for what the Phoenix Foundation is and what ‘they’ do.  I suppose you could read The Hypnotist or The Memorist by itself, but I believe if you do, you’ll have to endure several instances of confusion because each book builds the role of the Phoenix Foundation in the story line.  I think The Hypnotist may be the most confusing if you’ve read neither The Reincarnationist or The Memorist.

Just a quick touch on The Memorist.  I found MJ Rose as the winner of a contest on the Ravenous Reader’s book review site, Bookstack.  The prize was both the first and second book in the series.  After finishing The Reincarnationist, I couldn’t wait to crack open the Memorist (I just went back and found reference to this occasion).   The Memorist may actually have been better written than The Reincarnationist. The concept of a magical instrument was fascinating and may actually have been better written than The Reincarnationist in regards to concept of sound being a catalyst for remembering a past life.

Did I like The Hypnotist?  I don’t know.  I don’t think it measured up to the other two books.  If I’m being honest with myself, it was not a bit too predictable…it was VERY predictable.  The plot line was different, but if you’d read the other two books, you knew where the conflict was going to be, you know who the antagonist was, and you knew there were probably multiple past lives and what the protagonist had to do to set the world right.  I sort of felt like the story was rushed…maybe? I just didn’t get the same historical engagement as I did from the other two books.  I thought the protagonist was a little flat and the antagonist tired. Though I found these things to be challenging, I thought the concept was thought-provoking and the writing was engaging.

The Reincarnationist series, as a whole, would be worth the reading time for those interested in the possibilities of reincarnation and/or historical fiction. I do not believe The Memorist and The Hypnotist should be read without having read The Reincarnationist. That said, to ensure less confusion in the subsequent books, I truly think this series should be read in order.

I’d like to thank the publisher and Pump Up Your Book for giving me the opportunity to participate in the virtual book tour.

I like some baseball books.  I like the little tidbits one can pick up about how major league ballplayers live and the struggles they strive to overcome.  I don’t necessarily like to read the baseball books about a winning team and I don’t like to read the “tell-all” books that some baseball players write about things that shouldn’t be talked about.  In a very real way, I think the fraternity known as major league baseball should be sacred and abide by an axiom like “what happens in the MLB, stays in the MLB” when it comes to airing dirty laundry.   Are there guys doing steroids? – yup.  Are there guys having extra-marital affairs? – yup.  But really is it any of our business? -  nope, not in my opinion.   I don’t care how the guys act when they are out at the clubs when they are on the road.  I don’t care which ones are doing drugs; and while I completely understand why it’s important for some fans to know – I just want to see a talented athlete bust it up the line or hit the game winning run in, or pitch a complete shutout.  That’s it.  I want to enjoy seeing the kind of athleticism that makes one wonder why is yoga so difficult when there are people out there can contort their bodies in unnatural ways 162 days a year?  That’s all.

I never played any sports.  I don’t have an understanding about what an enormous feat it is to be a major league baseball player.  Even the guys who are never deemed All-Stars, but ride the bench every day waiting for that pinch-hit opportunity have accomplished something amazing that I will never truly understand.  I don’t know what kind of dedication and drive it takes for someone to work their whole lives just to have one at-bat against some of the greatest pitchers in modern history…and not strike out.  To me, the position player job is to go out catch the ball, then come in and hit the ball.  That’s about all I can truly wrap my head around.  Until now…

I just finished reading The Game From Where I Stand by Doug Glanville.  Doug Glanville was a first round draft pick out of college for the Chicago Cubs, returned to college, finished his degree and became the first African American Ivy Leaguer to make it to the majors.  He was a center fielder who played for the Phillies, the Cubs, and the Rangers between 1996 through 2004.  He’s also been writing a baseball column online for The New York Times titled “heading Home,” as well as giving his insight as a baseball analyst for XML satellite radio.

What is significant about this book in my opinion is it’s written not just about the game, as much as things he learned from the game.  Glanville does an excellent job of explaining what the job of the center fielder is; as well as what the job of the lead-off hitter is.  For the first time, I actually understood why if Jose Reyes goes 0-4 in any given game, the rest of the team may have some difficulty getting it together.  After reading Glanville’s book, I actually understood what it is that makes Carlos Beltran a great center fielder.  The psychological nuances of the game is something I have always tried to understand, but don’t really.

Glanville also does a great job of adding little tidbits about how baseball lessons can translate into life lessons.  When talking about trying to learn to hit a curve ball, he says:

What I found was that your approach doesn’t have to any different from the one you use when dealing with any other curve ball that life throws at you.  We spend so much time cruising along, looking to hit the straight and dependable fastball, that the audacity of something different can cause us to forget the tactics that once gave us comfort and success.

The Game from Where I Stand is a thoughtfully written book, that gives a reader insight into how players deal with the baseball related elements of their lives (from preparing for the game and coping with streaks and slumps to responding to trades and dealing with injuries) to the more personal psychological elements of the game that affect them on a personal level (from dealing with race issues and relationships to handling a family crisis to dealing with the awareness that one’s career is almost over).  Rather than raking guys through the coals and spreading dirty laundry all over the locker room, Glanville only talked about what he knew as fact – his joys and his pains.  He discussed tips of the trade he got from other ball players, but he never really says anything that doesn’t have to do with the game of baseball where someone else’s name is involved…what happened in Montreal, away from the media markets of the U.S. , stayed in Montreal.

In the section entitled ‘Integrity of the Game,’ he talked about the impact of steroids to some degree, but more importantly, the reason why it’s important that the names of those who used steroids don’t get out.  This section was interesting to me.  As fans, we want to know if our heroes used game enhancing drugs; but we don’t often think what integrity of the game means.  It’s not just playing the game drug free.  For a player, it means understanding what the reach of the problem is – and if all the names come out, it’s likely that in the future that players will not buy into the confidentiality agreements when asked to be forthcoming.

When reading Danville’s book, I couldn’t help but be reminded that these guys I watch 162 days a year (give or take a few), aren’t just athletic gods, but real people with real issues they have to deal with.  This game we call baseball isn’t just about seeing the ball and catching the ball.  There’s a lot involved.  There are real people involved.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the stories about baseball players, but also to those who want a better understanding of who these guys are, on and off the field.

For all of you who wanted a Kindle, but couldn’t afford it, the Kindle Wireless Reading Device is now $189.00 – down from $259.  This is the last generation Kindle, not the new close to $500 one.

Kindle is the 3G wireless reading device that allows you to think of a book and start reading it in 60 seconds. Easy to read even in bright sunlight, the 10.2 ounce Kindle is light enough for one-handed reading. Even though it’s a 3G wireless device, Kindle has no monthly fees or annual contracts.

The Kindle Store now has over 600,000 books and the largest selection of the most popular books people want to read, including 109 of 112 recent New York Times Bestsellers and New Releases from $9.99. Since its release, Kindle has been the #1 bestselling product across the millions of items sold on Amazon.

Anyway, thought you should know.

I have recently had the pleasure of reading Cheryl Landmark’s first novel, Wind and Fire.  Despite some technical challenges, this is a very admirable first publication.

The story is set on a fantasy planet called Tellaron, in the year 2310. Our heroine, Tenya, is sold by her step mom to an evil minion of Zardonne, the Demon Master. Zardonne was vanquished by the Mistress of the Wind, came back from the Dark Rift, and then imprisoned her in an ice tower – all this prior to when we pick up the story. As it turns out, the Mistress of the Wind is Tenya’s mother, whom she was led to believe had abandoned her and her father when she was very young. We learn fairly early on that Tenya has terrifying visions and isn’t sure why they happen. After her abduction, Tenya begins her journey to find her mother, learns why she has visions and the extent of her magic, is introduced to her mother’s side of the family, and has to save civilization from the Demon Master.

I’ve given you only a very brief summary of the story.  If I told you more, I’d be giving away some pretty significant spoilers. The only reason I gave you Tenya’s mom as the Mistress of the Wind is because after she gets abducted, she begins to figure this out on her own (fairly early on).

Wind and Fire is a quest story. Think Frodo having to save the world from Sauron.  Wind and Fire is not near as complex as The Lord of the Rings, but there’s the quest, a cast of characters to help Tenya reach her final objective and there’s a trusty sidekick.  Tellaron is like Middle Earth in that Tenya traverses across horrible landscape that is difficult to cross and ultimately could kill her and her campanions.  Tellaron in many ways reminded me of a post-apocalyptic world, not Middle Earth.  Because of this and a reference to “earth,” I made the mistake of thinking Tellaron was set on a future Earth, which distracted me throughout my reading.

Unlike Lord of the Rings, Wind and Fire is a first novel, its only 221 pages long, and it isn’t near as complicated.  I am only using the Lord of the Rings comparison to illustrate the quest aspect.

I found Wind and Fire to be inundated with a bit too many descriptive adjectives that I felt took away from the story.  There was also a bit of inconsistency throughout the book that made me stop and wonder how much editing had been done prior to publication. However, these things did not stop me from enjoying the story…for the story.

Here’s my disclaimer: I had a set of communications about the technical challenges I had with the author.  In the case of Wind and Fire, if I hadn’t discussed it with the author, I’m not sure I would have publicly reviewed the book due to some of the challenges I found, despite liking the story.  The real reason for this review is this:

Newly published authors are worth reading. I get extremely excited when I see potential in a story. I think one would be hard pressed to find a “perfect” first novel, and communicating with an author about his/her first attempt at publication is often not just helpful, but the moment when one knows someone has what it takes – the difference between a writer and an author.  If I get a response of “well, sorry you didn’t like it” versus “thanks for your comments, they are very helpful for the future. I agree with some of it, but here’s what I’m standing firm on and here’s why;” I immediately think “this person could go far if s/he wants to.“  This response is the difference between a writer and an author.

Folks, Cheryl Landmark is an author.  I sincerely look forward to seeing her future publications and if there’s ever a 2nd edition of Wind and Fire, I’d most certainly read it for the pure pleasure of seeing how she, as an author, has evolved.  My hopes for her is she finds someone who can honestly and effectively edit her novels prior to the publication process starting, and she stands firm against editorial changes that she may not agree with in both the pre- “send it to the publishing house” process and the “we are going to publish your book” process.

As stated, Wind and Fire is an admirable first publication. If you can look past some of the editorial challenges, then I recommend checking it out.  I also recommend Wind and Fire if you like a basic fantasy quest story.

I loved reading the responses to the Moms are the Best Giveaway.    As usual, it was really difficult to pick one winner.  Before I announce the winner, I have to tell you all that while your moms sound like wonderful moms, my mom is actually THE BEST! (You knew I would do this right ).

Like most of you, some of my favorite mom moments were bedtime reading, and sometimes she’d sing us to sleep from either my room or one of my siblings rooms. There were three of us, and our rooms were down the hall clustered together in a triangle (if you looked at the floor plan).  She’d read a story to my little brother, while my sister and I laid in our beds or hung out in the others room and listened quietly. After she tucked in my brother, she’d come get my sister if she was in my room and take her to bed, where she would either read another book or sing a song. The whole time, I’d lie in my room ( “Go lay in bed and rest, Rachel – I’ll be in to say good night soon” ), listening to my mother make her rounds.  My mom had the voice of an angel as far as I was concerned. I missed this time when we got too old for bedtime reading, but the singing didn’t stop for several years after.  See, my parents had a band, and they practiced at night after we were in bed.  I’m not sure my mom ever knew that my siblings and I would gather in my room and listen from the window as the sound carried across the carport from the music room on the other side of the house.  Through the sound of the piano, the saxophone, the drums and the backup singing, I would listen to my mother’s angelic voice, and as we got tired, my siblings would drift off to their rooms across the hall, and we’d fall into restful sleep induced by mom’s voice.  My mom doesn’t sing to us anymore (it’d be hard unless she called us and started singing when we answered), but there are times during the holidays when she thinks no one is listening that I hear her humming along to the radio while she’s putting the holiday meal together. I’m taken back to that time.  And you know what…?  She still has an angelic voice to me.

*sigh* My mom is the Best!

Okay, and the winner of the Moms are the Best Giveaway is…. *drum roll please*

Michelle who said:
Love the idea of this contest.  I’m going to share the best words of wisdom my mother ever gave me.  “You are probably right.”   When I was young – probably 16.  My mother had been to her hair dresser to get her hair cut.  Her stylist was telling her about how complicated her relationship with her mother was and that she’d been seeing a therapist to improve it.  During her therapy she’d been told…when your mother is upsetting you or wants you to do something you don’t want to.  Look right at her and tell her “You are probably right.”  This way her mother feels vindicated that she’s been heard, but that the stylist could go about her business do as she wished and not feel guilty.  Smart advice, right?  What was not so smart – hehehe was for my mother to tell me that story!!    I never have forgotten it.  Several years ago I started to using her advice.  I.e. “Why can’t keep you hair the same color – does it need to be three colors?”  “You know mom…You are probably right.”    It has saved my sanity more times than I can count and it has evened our relationship.  She’s finally caught on to my trick after 10 years – so now it is a  joke between us.  Best advice ever – from my mom…who I think is the best.

I enjoyed Michelle’s post.  Its great advice for avoiding conflict, and its wonderful that she and her mom are able to share this joke as the years go on.

Congratulations Michelle – keep an eye out for an email from me requesting contact information.

Happy Sunday to all of you and thank you for participating!

Hachette Book Group USA has put together a nice medley of titles for mothers, and have been kind enough to allow me to offer them as a giveaway.

I’ve named this the Moms are the Best giveaway.  All you have to do is leave a comment about your best Mom moment.  This moment can be from the perspective of you as a mom, or you as a child about your mom, or about a moment you observed between a mom and her child.

This giveaway is open to EVERYONE – there’s enough moms in this world for everyone to share a toll house mom moment you either had or observed.

I will run the contest through 11:59 on May 29th. One winner will be chosen and announced on May 30th.

The medley of books are:

Just Let Me Lie Down By Kristin van Ogtrop
God Never Blinks By Regina Brett
The Cradle By Patrick Somerville
Heart of My Heart By Kristin Armstrong
Roses By Leila Meacham

The only caveat to this contest is US and Canada only and no PO Boxes, please.

Good luck to everyone!

Apparently, there is a deal being worked between Stephen King, Imagine Entertainment and Weed Road to make the screen trilogy and a TV series of Stephen King’s Dark Tower Series.  Scuttlebutt is that Ron Howard will be the director, Akiva Goldsman, the writer and Brian Grazer the producer.

This story was apparently broken by Deadline New York.

As someone who LOVES the seven books in the Dark Tower series, I’m torn about this news.  On the one hand, I don’t want my imagination of what the characters look like to be tainted by an actors face on screen.  On the other hand, I’m okay with Ron Howard directing…frankly, I’m not sure there’s any director that could take on this endeavor and do it the justice it deserves; and I’m interested to see what his idea of what the characters look like will be.  I do hope the casting is no-names and not people we’ve seen a great deal of in other movies.  Also, I’m very interested to see how one takes seven books (and multiple side stories) and make them into a trilogy.

A bit of caution for Dark Tower fans…Remember Hearts in Atlantis?  This movie was great on the surface, but the story is much more in depth and had aspects of it which didn’t translate in the film.