Archive for » November, 2009 «

29
Nov 2009

Sunday Salon – Holiday Themed Books

JM

Sunday SalonI don’t read holiday-themed books. Not Christmas, not Valentine’s Day, not Halloween. I don’t read them.

There. I said it. Now I need to qualify it with…

I don’t read holiday books, but I have in the past. I don’t go out of my way to avoid them, I don’t think “Oh noes! Da Plague!” when I see them, and I’ll even read one if you give them to me. Probably. But I really, really don’t go out of my way to find them or read them.

I’m not sure what it is, exactly, that puts my book attraction on ice when it comes to holiday-themed books. I’ve read some, and some of the ones I’ve read were good. Still, they just don’t really jive to me.

The writer in me could be making a stand with this. Perhaps my inner creative self feels like the authors are writing for the holiday rather than any sort of ‘just because I love writing’ pleasure. But that doesn’t really hold up because I’m sure plenty of the authors who have penned holiday books did so because they loved writing and the holiday just happened to inspire them.

Maybe it’s the forced ‘I’m so happy and I love everybody’ feelings that usually serve to piss me off more than anything else that present the problem. I don’t want that sort of thing to invade my reading time. (No, I’m not a scrouge – I’m just not into fakey fakey ‘you’re a wonderful person, you jackass’ smiling stuff just because it’s the holidays.) That seems like it could be a definite reason.

No matter what it is, it all grinds down to this: If you want to get me books for Christmas (or any holiday), don’t get me holiday-themed books. Or give them to me early because it’s no fun sitting down to read about Christmas when that’s done and I’m gearing up for New Year’s.

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27
Nov 2009

Book Review: The Cult of the Amateur: How Today’s Internet is Killing Our Culture and Assaulting Our Economy By Andrew Keen

JM

About the Book

In this lively, readable and thought-provoking book, Keen – no Luddite but a Silicon Valley insider who pioneered several Internet startups himself – urges us to challenge the mad Utopians of Web 2.0 Do we really understand the consequences of blindly supporting a culture that endorses plagiarism and piracy and fundamentally weakens traditional media and creative institutions?

The Long Story

As a person who makes her income online, I could not resist reading a book that claimed – in the title no less – that the internet is assaulting our economy. Luckily, I made a good choice with this one and could hardly put it down until I finished reading it.

Andrew Keen starts off with a strong argument. You have heard of the Infinite Monkey Theorem? Infinite monkeys with infinite typewriters can create Shakespeare? According to Keen, “Today’s technology hooks all those monkeys up with all those typewriters” and Keen doesn’t like what he’s reading.

With plenty of statistics to draw upon, Cult of the Amateur takes us through the world of Web 2.0 and its influence on today’s world – which isn’t as good as you might think. From the music industry to the media, the internet has emerged as a severe threat to the way things happen today.

Keen likes to point out how amateur journalists (if they can call themselves that) are poisoning the media. However, in a world where the media has legal permission to lie, I think Keen’s defense of the media is somewhat misplaced. While he doesn’t outright say it, he implies that all authority figures are honest when it’s obvious they’re not. It’s no wonder the amateur hour has taken off – people don’t trust authority anymore.

There is so much Keen touches on – from media, to the music industry to the economy – adding up to way more than I can talk about in this one review. But trust me, it’s all fascinating.

With all the build up about the problems, naturally I was looking to what kind of solutions Keen would propose to battle what he’d built up into an overwhelming tide of idiocy and mediocrity. Keen completely impressed me not only with his proposed solutions but with his criticisms of current systems.

In the conclusion, he even admits the faults of his beloved music industry, understanding that people will forgo a sixteen dollar CD in favour of cherry-picking songs for a dollar each on iTunes.

The Short Story

I highly recommend this book, regardless if you earn your income online or are a passive fan of the internet. Cult of the Amateur takes a fascinating look at what the internet has done to the world and possible future implications of an internet gone unchecked.

***
Rating: 5 Stars

[What do the ratings mean?]

***
The Cult of the Amateur: How Today’s Internet is Killing Our Culture and Assaulting Our Economy
Andrew Keen
http://andrewkeen.typepad.com/
ISBN: 978-0385520805
Length: 240 Pages

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26
Nov 2009

Booking Through Thursday – Thankful

JM

It’s Thanksgiving in the U.S.A. today, so I know at least some of you are going to be as busy with turkey and family as I will be, so this week’s question is a simple one:

What books and authors are you particularly thankful for this year?

I’m thankful for…

*Stephen King’s On Writing. Finally, a book that talks about writing rather than telling me how to write.
*Barbora Knobova’s Tales for Delicious Girls. I’m so glad I found a delicious man to love.
*Jill Jepson’s Writing as a Sacred Path that reminded me how my writing is more than something I ‘just do’; my writing is a personal experience and expression.

I’m also thankful for the books I will not name that gave me confidence that I can and will get published. The books I shook my head at, wondering why the editor went on coffee break when the book went to print… It’s not a nice way to gain confidence, but it is a way nonetheless.

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25
Nov 2009

A Book by Any Other Name – Secret

JM

Welcome to this week’s (and the first ever) By Any Other Name book game!

We got to the goal number of titles last week!

It is my wonderful pleasure to announce the winner: Jenera!

Congratulations! I will be sending you an email soon. And, because we met the goal last week, I’m knocking the challenge a bit higher this week.

If you’re new to the challenge, this is a game from my dear friend Calliope that gets us to play with book titles.

The game works like this:

1. Each week I will choose and a book title that features that word.
2. Then it’s your turn to come up with book titles containing the same word, without duplication (yes, that includes my titles). The author would be nice, too, in case I want to check it out.
3. If you make it to the challenge number of titles (make sure you read the challenge section each week because it can change), then I will draw one name from all the participants and that person wins!

It’s really not complicated. I pick a word and you list titles with that word. Easy peasy.

The current challenge:

Titles to Reach: Fifteen
Titles Per Person: Two

What can you win? The winner receives any one of the books on this page along with a bookmark (or two!).

I’ve decided this is a much better way of doing things rather than offering the SAME book over and over. Plus, I will be adding to the giveaway shelf as much as I can, so keep checking in to see what’s on offer.

So if you’d like a chance to win, join in!

If you don’t reach the goal, we’ll try again next week. If you reach the goal, I’ll have a brand new challenge for you next Wednesday where you’ll get another chance to win a book – regardless if you have won a book previously!

The word this week is:

Secret

I Say: PostSecret: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives by Frank Warren

You Say…

Category: Wednesday Book Game  7 Comments
24
Nov 2009

Sins of the Flesh Teaser Tuesday

JM

teasertuesdays31Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read.
2. Open to a random page.
3. Share two (or three or four, if you’re me) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Sins of the Flesh by Caridad Pineiro:

“Mick Carrera understood what kind of man he was.
Ruthless.
Determined.
Skilled in the art of killing.”

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23
Nov 2009

I Love Mail – New Arrivals

JM

I know. As if I don’t have enough books to read. But I’m still absolutely thrilled all these arrived in the mail:

*How’s Moving Castle – Diana Wynne Jones
*Traveling with Pomegranates – Sue Monk Kidd and Ann Kidd Taylor
*101 Things to do Before You Diet: Because Looking Great Isn’t Just About Losing Weight – Mimi Spencer
*Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance – Robery M. Pirsig

Category: To Be Read List  Comments off
22
Nov 2009

Café Review: My Chocolate Shoppe

JM

Caught out on a hot, sticky day in Kiama with a few hours to spare before we were meeting friends, the husband and I were wandering around looking for somewhere to relax. Of course, I opted for the first place I saw that combined two things I really wanted at that moment: air conditioning and chocolate.

As you probably have figured out by now, I have a thing for hardwood floors. Stepping into the air conditioned comfort of My Chocolate Shoppe in Kiama, I immediately fell in love with the hardwood floors and deep blue walls of this space. With jazzy music playing in the background and soft lighting as the day grew darker, I couldn’t help but feel relaxed.

My Chocolate Shoppe is a ‘posh’ shop, but only in positive, comfortable ways. It’s a small shop, but that makes it feel intimate and familiar. My husband and I opted for cushy chairs in front of the large store front windows so we could watch the world go by. (Please forgive me for the lack of location pictures. I blame travel tiredness and heat tiredness.)

The shop is a busy one – is that any surprise with such fine chocolates and other chocolate gourmet goodies on offer? – but it never feels crowded or even noisy.

My Chocolate Shoppe Coffee

The coffee at My Chocolate Shoppe doesn’t disappoint, providing a rich, full bodied cup of delicious hot liquid. Not a man easily impressed by any coffee, he readily rated his coffee at a strong four out of five – and he has never tasted a five.

I, of course, didn’t have any interest in the coffee, as I was reveling in this beauty…

My Chocolate Shoppe Iced Choc

I originally ordered a chai latte, but after seeing a woman at another table receive one of these… Well, I just had to have what she is having. After all, what better time to indulge than while on vacation?

And what an indulgence it was.

With two scoops of ice cream – one vanilla and once chocolate – a generous heap of whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles on top, I have never had a lovelier iced chocolate. Turning her nose up when asked about chocolate syrup, you could really taste the fine Belgian chocolate difference.

At six dollars (AUD), it was the most expensive iced chocolate I’ve ever had, but – in my penny-pinching opinion – it was worth every single cent. The care put into everything from the chocolate used to the presentation

I am happy to give My Chocolate Shoppe my first ever reader rating of encyclopaedia to My Chocolate Shoppe, a place I know they would have to kick me out of before I would ever want to leave. I can only hope that they open a location in Victoria or I can relocate to New South Wales.

***
Coffee Rating: 4 Cups
Coffee Price: $3.30
Café Reader Rating: Encyclopaedia

My Chocolate Shoppe
Shop 13 – 206
Terralong Street
Kiama, NSW

02-42324225

Category: Café Reviews  2 Comments
22
Nov 2009

Sunday Salon – Selling Books

JM

Sunday SalonToday I feel like having a bit of a rant, so feel free to move on if rants aren’t your kind of thing.

Whether they are in it for the money at the onset or not, I think every writer dreams of writing the book that will sell millions of copies. Writers want to make people feel, want to make people crave their books…

However, I’ve come across some authors – self-published authors, to be specific in this particular case – who seem to think that they need to make quick money now on their books. They also seem to be under the impression that it’s not normal to not be able to do so with any book they produce.

Not so.

The fact is, even though it’s sad, self-published authors aren’t going to get the same time that traditionally published authors do any time soon. It’s a very sad fact but it’s true. Why? Well, you can blame the people who didn’t hire professional editors before putting their self-published books out. You can blame the people who thought/think they are the world’s gift to literature and think they deserve high acclaim – and don’t hesitate to tell people so.

Reality check: Nobody deserves high acclaim; you earn it. Even traditionally published authors have to do that.

I have nothing against self-published authors. I have read the absolute most horrible, unedited, plot crazy piece of crap self-published books out there. But I have also read wonderful, edited, engaging self-published books like The Demo Tapes by Susan Helene Gottfried and Lighting the Dark Side by William R. Potter.

You may lure more people with honey than with vinegar, but another sad fact is that people remember the vinegar far longer than the honey. One self-published book that is horrible in quality (I’m talking editing, formatting, etc) is enough to put the average reader off all self-published books.

Personally, I’ve read the worst of the worst and still give self-published books a chance. Unless I can see that no effort has been put into editing. Then I just have to walk away. But there are a lot more people out there who won’t even give a second chance. They don’t have the time to because reviewers are constantly offered review books. I have over half a dozen on their way to me at this moment.

Self-published or traditionally published, I’m sorry if your book isn’t selling. Truly, I am. However, no one is guaranteed success. No one is promised to be a best seller. All you can do is try, so don’t spit on the helping hands offered (and/or hired) because the bottom line is this:

You have to work your rear end off to sell books.

Period.

Category: Sunday Salon  2 Comments
20
Nov 2009

Book Review: Tales for Delicious Girls by Barbora Knobova

JM

About the Book

Twenty-five exhilarating real-life stories about delicious women, eccentric men and stubborn dogs.

“Tales for Delicious Girls” offers witty, refreshing, clever and ironic insight into relationships between men and women from all points of view. The book is a modern relationship manual, providing answers to the most pressing dating and friendship questions that strong, independent, modern women want to know. “Tales for Delicious Girls” deals with wishes, desires and dreams – as well as hilarious mishaps and dating disasters.

However, “Tales for Delicious Girls” is not simply a humorous book. In addition to entertaining the readers, the tales will inspire women to think about their own life and relationships, see themselves through different eyes and realize that they are their own best friend, the pillar of their own life, and the only person they can always count on.

The Long Story

Every once in a while, someone or something will come into your life at just the right time, just when you need it. When I first read the description for this book, I wasn’t sure if I – a blissfully married woman – would take a lot from it.

Yet this book turned out to be exactly what I needed to read even though I didn’t realize it at the time.

Twenty-five small snapshots of Barbora Knobova’s life line up to give you a glimpse into what it is like to love yourself as a woman. Without getting preachy or preachy – and certainly not trying to hide the fact that she has made mistakes, too – Knobova’s message is simply one of loving yourself and your female pack more.

Knobova’s tone and style of writing is refreshing and ultimately relaxing. She doesn’t approach the writing process as anyone other than herself, and she thus always sounds like a genuine friend and woman.

I am lucky enough to have found my delicious man and married him before experiencing the man-tastrophes Knobova describes in her book, but reading about her experiences gave me a best friend kind of feel like I was bonding with the author.

The Short Story

I like everything about this books from the writing to Knobova’s sense of humour. I recommend this book to all women, young and old, regardless of whether you’re single, dating or married.

***
Rating: 4 Stars

[What do the ratings mean?]

***
Tales for Delicious Girls
Barbora Knobova

http://www.barboraknobova.com

ISBN: 978057803339
Length: 166 Pages

Category: Book Reviews  One Comment
19
Nov 2009

Booking Through Thursday – Life and Books

JM

I don’t really know a non-boring answer for this week’s question, so I am going to answer last week’s question (which I asked back when I was writing for The Book Stacks).

Life is too short to read bad books.” I’d always heard that, but I still read books through until the end no matter how bad they were because I had this sense of obligation.

That is, until this week when I tried (really tried) to read a book that is utterly boring and unrealistic. I had to stop reading.

Do you read everything all the way through or do you feel life really is too short to read bad books?

I no longer have such a dedication to reading books all the way to the end if they are not good books. You’ve seen my to be read list; so many books and so little time means that I’ve lost the patience for ‘bad’ books.

My ‘bug bears’ are heaps of typos and/or lousy plot. I’ve never stopped a book for anything other than what I considered to be atrocious writing. (As in I’ve only put down one or two books in my life.)

Life is too short for horrible books.

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