Letty Fox: Her Luck (New York Review Books Classics)

Letty Fox: Her Luck (New York Review Books Classics) Review

Letty Fox: Her Luck (New York Review Books Classics) Overview

"One hot night last spring, after waiting fruitlessly for a call from my then lover, with whom I had quarreled the same afternoon, and finding one of my black moods upon me, I flung out of my lonely room on the ninth floor (unlucky number) in a hotel in lower Fifth Avenue and rushed into the streets of the Village, feeling bad." So begins Letty Fox’s own story, a comic extravaganza in which she tells about the crazy circus of her early life; about her moping mother, absent father, and two impossible sisters; about work and play, sex and men, and the seemingly unending search for a lasting relationship. This vast Flemish canvas of a novel, full of strikingly realistic likenesses and unforgettable grotesques, is a major work by one of the outstanding novelists of the twentieth century. "Christina Stead is really marvelous." -- Saul Bellow

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Review - The Purloined Boy

The Purloined Boy, Mortimus Clay, 2009, ISBN 9780982159804

This is the tale of Trevor, a young boy who becomes one of those children who end up on milk cartons under the word Missing.

Trevor is living in a dark and dreary town called Superbia, along with many other children. Think of an orphanage from Victorian England. They are not allowed to say words like "parents" or "home." If they do, the bogeymen who run Superbia (and who kidnapped the children from their beds), will send them away for behavior modification, or send them to the Pantry, to be fattened up and eaten by the bogeymen. Becoming a meal for the bogeymen is the eventual fate of all the children.

After a very vivid dream about his parents, Trevor asks about going home, and is sent away for behavior modification. Around this time, he meets Maggie, a fellow orphan who also has memories of life before Superbia. She tells Trevor that she is part of a secret society whose aim is to help all the children who want to return home to actually do it. He also meets Epictetus, a one-eyed slave who is a leader in the "underground," and Zephyr, a very unique talking mouse. Trevor also learns about Trothward, a very nice place outside Superbia. He also learns about the long-term war going on between the Guild, who runs Trothward, and Lucian, the leader of the bogeymen. This leads Trevor to one adventure, and narrow escape, after another, while he is traversing many dank and dreary passageways beneath Superbia.

This is a young adult book that was made to be read aloud to older children, say between 10-13 years old. It may be a little too much for younger children. There are a number of dark and spooky bits in this story, and, being first in a series, there is not a "happily ever after" ending. The author does an excellent job with this tale from beginning to end, and it is very much worth the time.

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Mockingjay Book Review (Hunger Games Series)

Mockingjay is the third and final installment of the Hunger Games trilogy, following Hunger Games and Catching Fire. If you haven't read these books, I would highly recommend them. They aren't uplifting, humorous, or light but a good read still.

At the beginning of Mockingjay, Katniss is in the hands of the rebels in District 13 while Peeta is in the hands of the Capital and President Snow. The rebels want Katniss to be their symbol of hope, their "leader" in a propaganda sort of way. When people see her, they will want to fight. Wherever Katniss goes, a TV crew is right along her side, and they are able to infiltrate the Capital's system and show her on TV around the different districts & capital, hoping to stir up the rebellion. What I like about Katniss's character is she isn't a good actress - but what she does is because of her own decisions, and instincts. She is a fighter, she feels sorrow & pain, and she feels confusion. The Capital brings Peeta on the TV, begging Katniss & the rebels not to start a war - that too many people will be killed and no one will be left. He begs her to stop, but Katniss does what she feels is right. War is inevitable - the Districts are tired of being under the control of the Capital, but is the new rebellion government what they need?

The story itself is rather dark and dreary - it is a war book. People die, you get frustrated with the rebels, you are enlightened about other Hunger Game victims, and confused by what is right. Katniss isn't the perfect character, but what human is? Do things get resolved in this book? Yes. Is it a happily-ever-after book? No. How could it be? Katniss has experienced having to kill people, having her friends killed, the Capital poisoning the minds of her friends, toying with her mind, the loss of her home, etc? What kind of person would you be after experiencing all that?

This series is depressing, but engaging. I couldn't put down any of the books, and am relieved that the series is finished. No more waiting!

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Book Review - Fab Girls Guide to Friendship Hardship, by Phoebe Kitanidis

Why won't anyone sit with me at lunch? Why aren't I in the popular crowd? These are the types of questions that cause tremendous angst for middle-school girls. When I was in junior high (our term for "middle school" back in the Stone Age), there weren't many places to go for the answers to the questions I had during those years. My parents had very few resources to consult, but today's parents are much more fortunate. The publishers of Discovery Girls magazine have developed a series of books called the Fab Girls Guides to help girls navigate the ups and downs of middle school.

So, who are the Fab Girls? They're fraternal twins, Carmen and Dallas Fabrulezziano. They may be twins, but they are totally different. They tell readers, "Discovery Girls asked us to help you through these crazy, confusing middle-school years. And who better to go through them with than a couple of fun Fab Girls who know exactly how you feel? We'll give it to you straight and tell you everything you need to know . . ."

I got hold of a copy of Fab Girls Guide to Friendship Hardship, by Phoebe Kitanidis, and it was filled with some great information for middle-school girls, such as how to tell the difference between good and bad friends, how to be the best friend you can be, how to meet new people, and how to find the friendships you truly deserve. Creative quizzes and sidebars make for fun and easy reading so that girls feel like they're chatting with a friend, not reading a lecture. The first four books in the series are:

Fab Girls Guide to Friendship Hardship (ISBN 978-1-934766-00-2)

Breaks down the solutions to friendship problems step-by-step, helping your middle-schooler identify poisonous friendships and showing her how to be the best friend she can be.

Fab Girls Guide to Sticky Situations (ISBN 978-1-934766-01-9)

What do you do when your deepest secret is blabbed to the entire school? Or when you tell your crush you like him and he doesn't like you back? By the last page, girls will be ready to deal with any situation.

Fab Girls Guide to Getting Through Tough Times (ISBN 978-1-934766-03-3)

True stories written by girls about their most private struggles--being betrayed by a friend, dealing with their parents' divorce, a death in the family.

Fab Girls Guide to Getting Your Questions Answered (ISBN 978-1-934766-04-0)

In this collection of real letters to Discovery Girls' advice columnist, girls will find answers to their most troubling questions about everything from family to friends to school to boys and more.

The books are $9.95 each or $29.95 for all four, plus shipping and handling. They may be ordered at DiscoveryGirls.com [http://www.discoverygirls.com/]. There's even a coupon in the back of the book for a free issue of Discovery Girls magazine. This is a wonderful new series for middle-school girls (or those soon-to-be)!

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Summer Will Show (New York Review Books Classics)

Summer Will Show (New York Review Books Classics) Review

Summer Will Show (New York Review Books Classics) Feature

• ISBN13: 9781590173169
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

Summer Will Show (New York Review Books Classics) Overview

Sophia Willoughby, a young Englishwoman from an aristocratic family and a person of strong opinions and even stronger will, has packed her cheating husband off to Paris. He can have his tawdry mistress. She intends to devote herself to the serious business of raising her two children in proper Tory fashion.

Then tragedy strikes: the children die, and Sophia, in despair, finds her way to Paris, arriving just in time for the revolution of 1848. Before long she has formed the unlikeliest of close relations with Minna, her husband’s sometime mistress, whose dramatic recitations, based on her hair-raising childhood in czarist Russia, electrify audiences in drawing rooms and on the street alike. Minna, “magnanimous and unscrupulous, fickle, ardent, and interfering,” leads Sophia on a wild adventure through bohemian and revolutionary Paris, in a story that reaches an unforgettable conclusion amidst the bullets, bloodshed, and hope of the barricades.

Sylvia Townsend Warner was one of the most original and inventive of twentieth-century English novelists. At once an adventure story, a love story, and a novel of ideas, Summer Will Show is a brilliant reimagining of the possibilities of historical fiction.

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The Diary of Jack the Ripper - Book Review

Jack the Ripper remains the most notorious serial killer of all time. The fact he was never caught and never identified maintains the mystery. Here is a book that purports to reveal Jack's actual diary. According to the writer, Jack the Ripper was in fact a cotton merchant from Liverpool by the name of James Maybrick. No I am not giving away the ending, that much is revealed on the first page. He travelled to London by train, murdered and mutilated his victims, and calmly returned home to torment his young wife.

James Maybrick was unquestionably an interesting man. He travelled to Norfolk, Virginia on cotton and tobacco business and on the boat journey home, met and fell in love with an American beauty by the name of Florence Chandler. She was 18. He was 41. It would seem that both parties imagined the other to be wealthier than they actually were.

Florence was destined to become the first American woman to be tried in an English court, and as the charge was one of murdering her husband, it was a case that entranced the nation. The book argues the reason for the sudden end to the Ripper killings was because Maybrick was dead.

The mysterious diary that came to light at the end of the eighties is reproduced almost in full. I will leave you to make up your mind as to its authenticity. As for the book itself, I found it an interesting read, and I certainly learned much I did not know before. It may contain glaring anomalies, but you might like to get hold of a copy yourself and make up your own mind.

There is a vaguely interesting personal footnote. Among the photographs in the book is a picture of Knowsley Buildings in Old Hall Street, Liverpool. This is the building where James Maybrick maintained his offices. It was an old block with Dickensian outside metal staircases, almost a cross between a workhouse and a prison. In my youth I knew it well. There is a photograph in the book of Knowsley Buildings and within the basement, clearly visible, is or was, a gents' hairdressing saloon. I knew that well too. I well remember sitting there waiting for a trim, as a teenage office boy, clutching my newly released Sergeant Pepper album.

The saloon was ancient and was dismantled when the building was knocked down in 1970. The thought occurs to me that could it possibly have been that James Maybrick, who maintained an office just upstairs, had his locks trimmed there too? He was a neat dapper chap, his photograph tells us that. It would seem very likely he would pop downstairs for a cut.

Could it possibly have been that I sat in the chair that was sat in by Jack the Ripper himself, as he thought of his hideous business? Now there's a thought! I liked the book. It brought back many memories, most of them good ones.

The Diary of Jack the Ripper

By Shirley Harrison

ISBN: 1562827049

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Clockwork Angel Book Review - Infernal Devices Series

Clockwork Angel is the first of The Infernal Devices series, which takes place during the time of Queen Victoria. The world is full of mundanes - humans, Downworlders - vampires, warlocks, etc..., Demons, and Shadowhunters - cross between angels & humans that have one purpose, to kill Demons.

The book follows Tessa Gray, a young American who comes to England to be reunited with her only living relative, her brother Nathaniel. When she arrives in port, her brother is nowhere to be found but has left a note entrusting her in the care of two elderly, odd-looking women. The women take her, and she becomes their prisoner and student. She learns that she has the magical ability to Change, to take on the form of the living and the dead. They force her to do this painful process over and over, telling her that if she obeys her brother will be released and they will be reunited. She goes along with their plan until she learns she will be marrying the Magister. Her attempt to escape fails miserably, but she is soon rescued by Shadowhunters and taken to their Institute. The Shadowhunters teach her about London's Downworld, and the nature of things going on around her. They promise to help her find her brother, which leads them to suspicious activity of Downworlders they thought were allied with them.

I see a lot of similarities between this series and the Mortal Instruments series - the main character being a strong girl with a special ability, two boys (in this case both Shadowhunters) that are drawn to her, and a last minute heroic act by the main character. The book was entertaining enough, and quick to read. The book has some humor which kept the plot moving, although the villain was somewhat of a disappointment in the end. If you're a fan of YA Fiction, you'll probably enjoy this book.

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Mascot to the Rescue! By Peter David - A Review

At Demarest Elementary School, Kelsey Markus, new to sixth grade, meets Josh Miller in a rather amazing way. She doesn't know at first that Josh has a secret but it doesn't take her long to suspect something! Comic book hero Captain Major's sidekick, Mascot, is really Josh Miller, or so Josh thinks. But what else would one think when everything that happens to Captain Major's sidekick Mascot, begins to happen to Josh?

Kelsey doesn't think her new school experience will be much different from her last school as she is a bit overweight and often teased about it, and yet on her first day, she is defended by Mascot--Josh! When some boys begin to pick on her on the playground, Mascot jumps down from a tree to rescue her. A squabble begins and suddenly the coach appears and hauls Josh off to the principal, Mrs. Farber, or Misstermind as she is known to Mascot!

Kelsey and Josh become friends and although Kelsey finds the Magic Marker drawn masked Mascot interesting, she tells Josh she is more interested in the secret identities of superheroes. But, Kelsey is kind and listens like a good friend when Josh reveals his secret to her about how everything that happens to Mascot in the comic books with Captain Major, happens to him. However, when the readers of this popular comic take an online survey and decide that Mascot should die in the upcoming issue to be released, Josh realizes he must save Mascot, and himself!

Josh and Kelsey, or Large Lass which is now Kelsey's alter-ego, set out to find Stan Kirby who is the creator of Captain Major so that they can get him to change the outcome in the next edition before it is printed and something happens to Josh. The story draws from reality with the teachers, police, single parents, and even social services workers and blends them with the comic book characters as the story comes to a fun and frantic climax as the two parts, fact and fiction, meet!

The story itself alternates through the narrative from Josh and Kelsey to Mascot and Large Lass. The reader has to accept the story for what it is, a bit of magic mixed with the real story and then will find it a satisfying read. Recommended for ages 9-11 and especially for comic book fans. The drawings give the book the real comic book feel and will be enticing to young readers of this genre.

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Twenty Days with Julian and Little Bunny by Papa (New York Review Books)

Twenty Days with Julian and Little Bunny by Papa (New York Review Books) Review

This brilliant little book (71 pages of actual text) records twenty days in which Hawthorne was in effect a single parent for his five year old son, Julian, during August 1851. Hawthorne's wife Sophia, called Phoebe in the book, and two daughters (seven year old Una and newborn Rose) go off to visit Sophia's parents. Hawthorne is with Julian for just about every waking moment of Julian's day, running from six or seven AM to seven or seven thirty PM. He records their days in his notebook; and, despite the brief and informal style of these notes (and they are notes and not a detailed chronicle), succeeds in evoking nearly the totality of a child's day. I doubt that any major writer has ever so completely and carefully focused on what a five year old actually does and what his life is like.

Hawthorne is also direct and frank. He gets exasperated (as all parents do) about the constant demands for attention, the nonstop childish chatter and the endless sometimes inane questions but only rarely rebukes Julian. On the whole, Hawthorne is remarkably patient. He is amused by Julian's battles with the monsters that appear in the form of thistles and weeds which Julian routinely and daily slaughters. He is fascinated by Julian's determined and uniformly unsuccessful fishing. He admires Julian's great good nature and his gusto. Hawthorne takes care of the boy's minor illnesses, injuries and accidents. He feeds, dresses, bathes and clothes him daily. He also tries to curl his hair. Some of these actions he admits are badly or clumsily done but they are all clearly done with love.

The book also contains a few insights into other aspects of the normally reserved Hawthorne. He is positively volcanic about his dislike of Massachusetts's Berkshire region and its weather and his contemptuous and angry references to a neighbor and to (of all things) the Shaker sect are painful to read. Also clear, however, is his deep love for his family and for friends such as Melville and his love of life generally. He goes to considerable lengths to rescue a kitten trapped in a cistern and does what he can for the well-being of Bunny, whom he obviously considers a rather dull creature. There are observations on the daily round of country life in 1851 as well, including the contents of meals (little meat but plentiful milk, vegetables and rice), interactions with others, visitors and other matters.

The prose is very direct and clear, a far cry from Hawthorne's complex, allusive and often indirect formal style. This is a record of parenting and of a child's life that is moving and beautiful. There is also a useful if perhaps somewhat overlong introduction by writer Paul Auster.

Twenty Days with Julian and Little Bunny by Papa (New York Review Books) Overview

In July of 1851, Nathaniel Hawthorne's wife and daughters took a trip to visit relatives. How Hawthorne and his five-year-old son Julian managed in their absence is the subject of this tender and funny excerpt from Hawthorne's notebooks. Each day is spent swimming, skipping stones, picking berries, and subduing armies of thistles. There are lots of questions ("He has baited me with more questions, references, and observations, than mortal father ought to be expected to endure"), crises concerning a pet bunny, and only one moment of grown-up companionship - when Mr. Herman Melville stops by to discuss eternity over cigars. This true-life story by a great American writer emerges from obscurity to shine a delightful light upon family life - then and now. An introduction by noted novelist Paul Auster adds to this intimate portrait.

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Book Review for My Worst Best Friend by Dyan Sheldon

My Worst Best Friend is actually the worst novel I've read from front to back in a long, long time. I will recommend this book to any young woman who wants to learn how to act like a spoiled, self-centered diva who lacks having had parental guidance in regards to morals and honesty. I really hope the person I just described doesn't exist. Well, I'm sure this person does exist, but they won't have the brains to read this review in the first place.

Anyways, and moving on...

My Worst Best Friend is about two best friends who demonstrate the grand epitome of opposites attract. Gracie is plain, boyish and smart with common sense and a good head on her shoulders, whereas Savanna is a beautiful, charming, manipulative brat who has already mastered the art of flirting at the age of sixteen and gets her way one-hundred percent of the time.

When Savanna meets and begins dating a college boy, Gracie proves her loyalty as a best friend by lying constantly for Savanna and ditching the more important people in her life for her worthless, idiot friend. As we near the novel's end, we get a glimpse of how lying and supporting a terrible cause can really make you feel low. Hurray for Gracie as she grows balls and stands up for what's right when she puts Savanna in her place and chases down the person who connects with her the best, an odd yet intelligent loyal boy named Cooper.

The novel is mainly maddening because we are forced to withstand Savanna's awful, stupid, unintelligble teenage lingo. Please don't tell me this is really what teenagers talk like now:

Savanna: "But I had this, like, really really stressful day. And I mean really really filled with stress. The stress was packed in there like salmons in a can."

REALLY? Innocently mistaking salmon for sardines isn't even cute or funny. Not coming from this girl.

Chapter One had me praying Savanna would walk in front of a school bus, but knowing it isn't going to happen makes this book truly dreadful. What ever happened to those teenagers of yesteryear that were sophisticated, witty, classy, and admirable? My favorite characters were always those written by L.J. Smith in the Secret Circle and Vampire Diaries series. Not to mention those mature, grown-up characters also featured in Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine YA novels. I wanted to be those girls SO BAD! And not because they were popular or beautiful, but because they were so cool, calm and collected no matter what the circumstance.

When Savanna's character isn't present or being mentioned, My Worst Best Friend is awesome and even enjoyable. Sadly, these moments are few and far between. I love the exchanges between Gracie and Cooper regarding their ongoing classic movie quote game. Now THIS is more like it in the way of intelligence and sophistication between two teenage characters.

I wouldn't recommend My Worst Best Friend to any teenager or young adult. The lesson and message just isn't strong or powerful enough. The novel is more annoying than anything.

I know Dyan Sheldon is extremely successful, and has really excelled as a children's and young adult author of numerous titles; including Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, which was also made into a movie. Although she is very popular and her work is largely appraised, I don't think as a reader you should waste your time on My Worst Best Friend.

Other recent titles by Dyan Sheldon include Drusilla and Her Brothers (2009), The Difficult Job of Keeping Time (2008), and Confessions of a Teenage Hollywood Star (2007).

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Book Review: Scientology - A New Slant On Life

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The Scientology book, New Slant On Life is a collection of L. Ron Hubbard's philosophical writings on life. Included in this 366 page book is a meaty glossary, index, and ample accompanying text illustrations.

Scientology is about how you as a spirit, a life force, operate in this world. This book constitutes essay after essay on how to better yourself and make life work better for you. Each chapter of the book deals with a different facet of life.

For example, there is a chapter on marriage. There is another chapter on how to live with children. There is also the article called: The Two Rules For Happy Living, simply suggesting there are two easy rules one can apply so as to live happily.

Then there is what is termed, Third Party Law. This is a simple law, in that for every quarrel or conflict to occur there must be a third person promoting the upset to the two people involved in the quarrel. This essay explains that if this third party were not present then the two people having the quarrel would fix it between them. This is an interesting law of life.

But there are more essays. There is what causes you to roller coaster in life. How many people go up and down, as a regular thing? Many, we suppose. Well, if they get this information on the cause of their roller coaster then it must be presumed that the roller coaster phenomena would becomes less because they could then stop it.

There is a whole section on work, with essay titles such as On Work And Success, The Man Who Succeeds, and A True Group.

For the spiritually inclined there are essays such as, Man's Search For His Soul, On Our Efforts For Immortality, On the Mind And Survival, and On Raising Our Level Of Consciousness. For those seeking spiritual betterment, this is a thought provoking section, it is interesting and explains more about Scientology and its philosophy.

There are twenty-four separate essays in this volume. It has dozens of illustrations to make learning easier. L. Ron Hubbard is an excellent writer. He wrote fiction works for a living when younger, but here he has turned his hand to philosophy about life, which has drawn millions to the movement that sprang up around his books.

The subject matter of Scientology is in its books. This book is available in most libraries, and is available in hardback, soft cover and audiobook. It was recently revised and republished. The writing is set at a good pace, it does not waste any of the reader's time.

Scientology: A New Slant On Life is an excellent book for someone who wants to know more about the subject and make up their own mind.

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Career Book Review "101 Ways To Successfully Market Yourself" by Jay Miletsky

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In today's marketplace, your career is 100 percent your responsibility, including marketing your strengths. Unfortunately, marketing can be maligned, especially when you're the product being marketed. Honest attempts can appear boastful, so we hesitate to do so. Yet, if people aren't aware of your strengths, how will they know when, where, and how to use them?

The best self-marketing centers around building relationships and having fun doing so. Successful self-marketing can, among other things, enhance your job search, promote your own company, grab a piece of the spotlight (i.e. become a thought leader/industry innovator), and make new friends.

Following is the second of three articles summarizing "101" career books published by Course Technology. A different author highlights what it takes to achieve professional success in the 21st century for each book. Here, it's businessman and marketing expert, Jason Miletsky. His new book is entitled 101 Ways To Successfully Market Yourself."

Miletsky is CEO and executive creative director for a leading marketing communications agency in New York City. He's a featured speaker for numerous companies and seminars and guest lectures for universities.

"101 Ways To Successfully Market Yourself," is a short read of 88 pages, long on self-marketing tips. You're bound to learn some new applications to advance your career. Use Miletsky's ideas to gauge how many techniques you currently incorporate to promote yourself, and decide which ones best suit your needs.

The book reads in three easy parts. The first is entitled, "27 MYM (Marketing Yourself Mandates);" and establishes the foundation of your self-promotional efforts. Miletsky's tips include:

Understand Your Personal Brand. Your personal brand is your personal reputation. It's key to successfully market yourself and sustain relevant long-term connections. People will decide to befriend or distance you based on your personality, sense of style, unique qualities, what and how you say it, commitment follow through and what you potentially bring to the table.

22. Do Something Specific to Stand Out. Accomplish something that separates you from the crowd, and you'll find yourself in more demand. Suggestions include write a book, or articles for popular print/online publications, record a series of Web videos, and hold a seminar.

27. Don't Give Up-It Won't Happen Overnight. "Marketing yourself is a process," says Miletsky. It takes time to meet new people and build a following. Persevere.

Part II is titled, "Make The Most of The Web." Miletsky emphasizes that to effectively market yourself today, you need to include the Web. "Social networking may die down a bit over time, but it's here to stay," he says. For space interest, Miletsky assumes you have a basic knowledge of the three big social networking sites: Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. If not, he advocates learning their attributes as soon as possible. Highlights include:

28. Make Social Networking Part of Your Daily Routine. Social networking does take time and effort. It can take a while before you see results. "This can be frustrating, because thanks to the speed of the Web, most people have lost their patience to allow things to happen over time," says Miletsky. Incorporate social networking into your daily routine, using the Big 3 sites. Send an e-mail blast once a month to your contacts. Inform them of your new blog posts and other information.

63. Get Your Name in a URL. Make sure you secure your name as a URL. It's good marketing for any of your online activities you engage in. Defensively it prevents someone else from cashing in on your name, as you become better known.

69. Broadcast What You Write. Get the URL for any blog post you write or comment you leave on someone else's blog (shorten the URL through bit.ly or some other shortening service). Broadcast it on Twitter, use it in LinkedIn conversations, and post it on relevant Facebook groups and your Facebook wall.

"There's Life Offline-Get Out and Meet Real People," is Miletsky's third message. Among his suggestions are:

78. Become a Regular. Frequent various places. Over time, people will recognize your face, making connections easier.

82. Seek Out Public Speaking Opportunities. Meet numerous people all at once. Be a featured speaker in a room full of people listening. Speakers command attention, are focal points for attendees; and many will want to befriend you afterwards.

101. Make Follow-Up a Ritual. Make sure you follow up with each new contact within 24 hours after your initial connection. Send a quick e-mail to remind new contacts who you are, how you met, and conversations had. Suggest a future meeting when you sense mutual benefits.

Six appendices enrich the book; with the first listing Miletsky's top 30 Twitter tools. "Twitter is one of the absolute best ways to get people to notice you," he says. Endorsements include:
Tweetdeck. Provides numerous columns to allow simultaneous monitoring of people you follow, tweets mentioning you, direct messages and any other keyword/group you choose.

Twitterholic. Checks your relative ranking and graphs your followers over time.

Nearby Tweets. Enhances local marketing by entering desired geographical location/keyword. Site shows the people within that radius that fit the description.

The " Who You Should Follow On Twitter" List is Appendix B, and details 31 active links to find good people to follow on the site. Included are:

25 SEO Gurus.

50 Users to Follow for Job Searching.

Top 237 People to Follow on Twitter Who Will Follow You Back.

The most comprehensive appendix, titled, "Strategies for Success," specifies how to maximize your achievements at work. Its nine tips include "Visualize Success," and "Learn How to Advance within the Company;" which features 30 soul-searching questions pertaining to seeking a management position. Those queries include:

Are you decisive?

Can you see yourself calmly and objectively handling crisis situations?

Do you do your best work all the time?

Other appendices highlight LinkedIn groups, networking events and additional social networking sites.

Marketing yourself is no longer an option. To enjoy long-term career success, learn and hone a process that works for you; and have fun doing it.

Complement Miletsky's message with Rashika Fernando's "101 Career Success Tips," and Carol A. Silvis's "101 Ways To Make Yourself Indispensable at Work," to jump-start your career, whether employed, unemployed, seasoned or novice.

You can follow the author on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jaymiletsky.

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Preventing Breast Cancer - A Review of Dr Pendergrast's New Book

Occasionally a book comes across my desk that profoundly changes my thinking about a topic, and even changes my life entirely. Breast Cancer: Reduce Your Risk With Foods You Love is such a book.

You could say that I am a bit of a health nut. I eat an exclusively raw diet. My upbringing included the use of herbal remedies and homeopathy (secretly I want to become a homeopathic physician, even if only to treat my immediate family members). And I practice yoga as often as time permits. However, getting my husband and children to follow suit has not been easy.

Now, though, after reading this groundbreaking book, I have very specific and scientifically proven reasons for changing the diet and lifestyle of my family.

The book starts off with an explanation of what reducing risk of cancer actually means in terms of statistics. I found this enormously helpful, and not the usual regurgitated CDC garbage that I was expecting. Then it goes into general guidelines for preventing breast cancer, such as painting a colorful diet, moderate exercise, and minimizing environmental toxins.

Next there is a whole section devoted to the top 10 foods for breast health. I can't say that I was surprised to see the foods listed. We all pretty much know by now to increase our intake of foods high in antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acids. However, I still gained a lot of information about not only why we should be eating more broccoli, but also how to prepare and enjoy foods like soy.

Foods to avoid were also covered in detail, with recommendations about how to substitute repeat offenders with healthier alternatives. I found this to be extremely helpful, since a lot of the foods Dr. Pendergrast mentioned can frequently be found in my own cupboards. In addition, some modern toxic inventions were mentioned, as well as how to reduce contamination from them.

A book on the topic of preventing breast cancer would be incomplete without information about what to eat during treatment and preventing recurrence. Dr. Pendergrast treats this portion very delicately, yet firmly, with a brief note for breast cancers survivors.

Finally, the book ends with a study of integrative medicine, which the author wisely predicts to be future of health care. Eight domains of health for prevention and wellness are discussed, giving the reader a complete picture of how to obtain an optimal quality of life.

Overall, I found the book to be extremely informative and well-researched. It is very enjoyable to read as well, with personal anecdotes and third-person narratives of real people who have been affected by this devastating disease. This book is a must read for every woman of any age. I especially recommend it to mothers of daughters, since the eating habits we pass on to our children lay the foundation of health for the rest of their lives.

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"9 Steps to Financial Freedom" by Suze Orman - A Review of the Popular Financial Advisor's New Book

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People are searching for answers to finding financial freedom, and it is hard to know what information out there is going to be helpful, and what is not. This review is on one of Suze Orman's most famous books called "9 Steps to Financial Freedom". Hopefully I can give you some insight on whether this book can really help you find financial freedom.

Here is a preview of the 9 Steps to Financial Freedom by Suze Orman:

1 - Seeing how your past holds the key to your financial future

2 - Facing your fears and creating new truths

3 - Being honest with yourself

4 - Being responsible to those you love

5 - Being respectful of yourself and your money

6 - Trusting yourself more than you trust others

7 - Being open to receive all that you are meant to have

8 - Understanding the ebb and flow of the money cycle

9 - Recognizing true wealth

The Cons:

Even though Suze Orman has been very successful, some people believe that she is not very knowledgeable when it comes to the financial pressures that many people are facing. There are times when Orman contradicts herself, which can get confusing to the reader. The 9 steps to financial freedom that she provides are more of a self help guide to being positive and having inner peace when it comes to your finances, however most people are looking for clear-cut steps and this book does not provide that.

The Pros:

There are some very important points that Orman wrote in her 9 steps to financial freedom such as #5 which describes the need to get rid of debt and invest your money wisely. Also, there are many that will find this book very beneficial because the truth is that some people do need to change their way of thinking before they can begin the process to financial freedom. They are in denial and don't recognize what true wealth really is. Steps 3 and 9 are perfect examples of that. If you are one of those people...this book is for you!

My suggestion is to read Orman's "9 Steps to Financial Freedom" if it seems like the sort of info that would benefit you. Also if you are looking for a solution to your financial situation you might also want to consider looking online for more options that will provide you with the knowledge and stability to allow you to take more control of your financial future with a more recession-proof and flexible online career.

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Pandemonium - Book Review

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Within the first few pages, I was engrossed and deeply moved by Apina Hrbek's eloquent writing skills. Tears of compassion were in my eyes at several points in this moving story of survival.

The main character, Edita, was raised by a heartless mother who became twisted after helplessly watching the communist government steal her family's vast fortune. Her nonconformist father was her only source of comfort and it was from him that she learned about these forbidden things called "choice" and "freedom".

The setting is a land under strict Soviet rule where people are in a constant state of fright and can not afford to trust anyone - not even their own kin. To trust was an invitation for disaster.

The story of their escape to a land of freedom was wrought with circumstances going wrong - and yet it all worked out in the end. Resettling in a place where they must learn new customs, new languages and find employment to support their small family was no easy task for Edita and her husband. Through poverty and displacement, the family struggled to find their dreams and learn how to deal with this new idea - the freedom to make choices.

Pandemonium is certainly an educational book that may be beneficial for children and grand children of immigrants who wish to understand what it was like. It also could serve as a useful reminder to appreciate, protect and expand upon the rights of all mankind.

Publisher: Publish America, Inc.
ISBN#: 1413756670
Author: Apina Hrbek

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Seeing the Light - Author June Chen - Book Review

June Chen's debut novel, "Seeing the Light: A Novel" takes you on a lifetime of events of a selfish and self-centered girl awakening to the meaning of life. The storyline unfolds similar to a soap opera, whereas a succession of events occurs to Rhea, the only daughter of a farming family with three brothers. Her dad nicknamed her Princess, a bit sarcastic because of her lack of feminine vanity. The family moved from the mid-west to the Central Coast of California to raise cattle just west of San Luis Obispo. The story begins in California when Rhea was a young girl, and follows her into maturity and eventually her "Seeing the Light."

June Chen writes in a way of conveying her story without overly embellishing descriptions, nor filling in details unrelated to the story. She is not pretentious with her choice of words, wanting the book to be easily understood for its meaning by everyone - mostly by young adults. It is a brisk read, and filled with many lessons learned affording the reader quality time and is an enjoyable book.

She tells a story of an ordinary family having some extraordinary experiences. Rhea is an observer to some bizarre behavior of local farm workers, wanders, and hitchhikers. She holds steadfast with her zero tolerance for alcohol and drug use while seeing others fail at the challenge. She finds love in the aftermath of an event by a person coincidently placed in her life that wouldn't have been there if it weren't for an unfortunate incident. Not to expose the plot, Rhea comes to her life changing reality with the sobering circumstances of a tragedy which is no doubt the worst kind imaginable.

June Chen takes Rhea's tragedy and begins a journey into a dream sequence. Rhea's dream recurs and the characters within the dream play out. In a montage of religious beliefs, spiritual encounters, demonic characters and self actualizations, she masterfully shows the reader just how Rhea's thoughts had altered her personality so dramatically. In essence, June Chen explains how the core of her character changed thus bringing the superficial behavioral difference to the surface. From originally thinking that generosity and charity as shown by her parents were a form of weakness of character, she matured to having humility and kindness in a way which seemed disgusting to her in her youth. This is a significant accomplishment of June Chen's writing technique, one that can be understood and assimilated by maturing adults.

What takes a lifetime and a horrific experience in Rhea's life can be learned by others in a few hours by picking up and reading "Seeing the Light."

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Shutter Island Movie Review

Shutter Island Movie Review. Host Grace Randolph gives you the low-down on Shutter Island starring Leonardo DiCaprio, then get a review of Shutter Island from audiences fresh from the theater! Enjoy Shutter Island!



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Review - The Friday Night Knitting Club By Kate Jacobs

This is a "chick" book and I loved it. If you're twenty-two or seventy-two, you will find yourself reflected back in the characters of this book. Each character has there own separate voice that sometimes, as in life, strays from the ideal we each set in our minds...

Actually this is my favorite part of the book...viewing the prism each character interprets their experience and how this certain prism impacts the "truth." We see the surface of behaviors and then pull back the curtain to discover "the hurts" driving each character.

While I read, I was reminded that each of us can only view the other in part, much is hidden. It is the hidden parts that must be revealed and brought out into the light for peace to be found...As in the main character Georgia's stubborn, proud attitudes that kept her from opening letters her lover's, James, sent years before. How often to do each of us create upsetting events, even words in our minds that never come to pass?

These characters are sometimes frustrating in their self-sabotage, but isn't that the truth of it? Isn't each of us truly our own worst critic? Judge and jury? Making assumptions based on our own fears and hurts instead of stepping back and viewing the full picture.

What helps to soften the self-sabotage is humor. The book is funny and insightful. The characters often poke fun at their own faults and of each other too. It feels very natural and human.

Best of all, this book of complicated emotions and behaviors doesn't end with your traditional happy ending. Like life, it's good and bad...and even sometimes, seemingly unfair. Happy reading!

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Movie Review - Elmer Gantry (1960)

ELMER GANTRY is one hopping good story of a fast talking appliance salesman from the Bible Belt who, back in the days of the Prohibition and Speak-Easies, cons his way up the steps of success and transforms into a fiery preacher who can agitate the masses in every direction he wants.

He builds up a considerable following in Zenith, Kansas as the eager sidekick of Sharon Falconer, an evangelist who has more truth in her soul than Elmer. Gantry milks the whole enterprise for whatever its worth until the tragic ending when the transformation of this super huckster emerges as the principle character arc of the whole plot.

Adapted from Sinclair Lewis's book by the same title, director Richard Brooks created a classic indictment of those revivalists who manipulate the masses for their own ends by using the Jesus's message of love as a shield and subterfuge.

The movie was nominated for 5 Oscars in 1961 won 3 of them - Best Actor in a Leading Role for Burt Lancaster, Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Shirley Jones and Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium for Richard Brooks.

Elmer Gantry (played by considerable fire and brimstone by Burt Lancaster) starts his journey as a big time loser, a traveling appliance salesman in the 20s who is more successful at cracking up his drinking buddies with lewd jokes and seducing young women for one night stands than anything else. Always broke, always moving from one town to another, but endowed by the obvious gift of bombastic rhetoric, he finds his calling under the tent of the revivalist Sharon Falconer (played by the incredibly beautiful Jean Simmons).

Despite Falconer's initial reluctance, the fast-talking fast-moving Gantry manages to win her trust to deliver his first sermon as a guest preacher which ends up as a resounding success.

Many other such sermons follow: "Sin. Sin, Sin. You're all sinners. You're all doomed to perdition. You're all goin' to the painful, stinkin', scaldin', everlastin' tortures of a fiery hell, created by God for sinners, unless, unless, unless you repent" is one example to the type of delivery unleashed by Gantry in lethal dozes.

Shooting up the success graph with alarming ease, Gantry moves the whole tent-based rural operation to Zenith, Kansas, an urban setting that scares Falconer's cautious business manager. But when the town guarantees to pay the Falconer operation $30,000 upfront, the deed is done and the troupe moves into Zenith with a marching band, clowns and great fanfare.

Falconer, Gantry and their team promise to revive the fire of devotion in the souls of Zenith's citizens and fill the empty pews of the local churches with new parishioners. In return, the local churches promise not to hold any meetings while the Falconer is in town to maximize the proceeds. Falconer and Gantry deliver precisely that and in the process their relationship moves from a professional to a very personal level.

One of the key roles in this movie is that of the Pulitzer-prize winner veteran journalist Jim Lefferts (played with great reserve and credibility by Arthur Kennedy) who is the ace reporter for the local Zenith daily.

Lefferts provides the skeptical, secular, pro-scientific counterpoint to Gantry's high-flying Bible-thumping hellfire and brimstone rhetoric. Even when Gantry is down and vulnerable to attacks, Lefferts sticks to his own professional principles and refuses to exploit scandalous stories that may or may not be true, regardless of their impact on the circulation numbers.

As such, the Lefferts character stands as a symbol of objectivity whose vision is not clouded by the dust of fickle emotions easily kicked up by revivalism. He successfully portrays the counterpoint view that unbridled religious fervor is perhaps not the only source of morality in civic life.

Another important part belongs to Lulu Bains (played by the angelic Shirley Jones who truly gives her soul to this supporting role) who is the girl that Gantry, back in his early days when no one knew him, had a one night stand with and ceremoniously dumped the next morning without even saying goodbye, except for a cynical "Merry Xmas" he scribbles on the bedroom mirror with her lipstick while she is still sleeping .

Now years later Lulu meets Gantry again in Zenith, this time working as a girl in a house of ill repute against which Gantry launches a public clean-up campaign. As the citizens of Zenith follow Gantry's lead in media-covered nightly raids on the speak-easy hideouts and brothels, Lulu exacts her revenge with devastating effectiveness.

Gantry's hypocrisy bits him in the rear, but not for long. Repenting how she framed an unsuspecting Gantry in her apartment with the aid of her pimp and a photographer for hire, she recants her accusations and admits the frame up, thus restoring a reviled Gantry back to his burning pulpit. Again, Brooks allows us to have a peek into unconventional sources of common virtue.

The film ends with a spectacular scene in which total devastation visits the newly opened tabernacle that Falconer has dreamed of for so long. The end both reveals the weakness in the way in which Falconer approached her faith, as well as the way the same faith has transformed an ordinary girl from the boondocks into a truly spiritual being with healing powers.

Gantry, on the other hand although he is offered everything he ever dreamed of on a golden plate, refuses to take over Falconer's mantle and moves on for the next thing in his life.

He turns his back to true power and even more riches and simply walks away because for the first time in his life he has discovered something in his soul that is more true and more precious than all the external power he managed to grab through a life of deception and manipulation.

The movie ends with that great note that sometimes divine love will visit us at exactly those times when we have the courage to walk away from that relentless desire to acquire the same love by force, through our own efforts and conniving.

A 9 out of 10.

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New Moon Book Review - From the Masculine Side of the Fence

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I assume that you have either read the first novel (you big girl), or that your girlfriend forced you to watch the movie with her. Either way, you are now a "Twi-Guy", welcome to the club.

In the first book, we saw Bella Swan exile herself to the dreary town of Forks expecting the small town to be just as dull as the weather. This is before she meets the local vegetarian-vampire heartthrob Edward Cullen. Falling in love with a vampire obviously has its drawbacks and everything goes to pieces when a group of "normal" vampires decided to visit Forks (Yeah, I'll admit, I am using the word "normal" rather loosely here). James decides that killing Bella would be good fun and after an elaborate game of cat and mouse, he manages to lure Bella into his clutches. Edward and the rest of the Cullens intervene in the nick of time and manage to save Bella. James isn't so fortunate and is killed by the Cullens.

New Moon kicks off on Bella's 18th birthday, much to her dismay. All Bella wants for her birthday is for everyone to pretend that it's not her birthday. Unfortunately for her, there is a family of vampires that have not been able to celebrate a human birthday in decades. She gets forced into attending a party at the Cullen house and that is where everything goes to pieces.

Bella cuts her finger while opening a gift and Jasper loses control and attempts to attack her. The Cullens decide to leave Forks and Edward tells Bella that he doesn't want her anymore. He goes so far as to erase all proof of his existence from her life and she spirals into depression.

Despite the hurt it causes her, Bella clings to her memories of Edward and she starts hearing his voice when she does something dangerous. This leads her to buy two broken old motorcycles and she turns to her friend Jacob Black to help her repair them. Jacob slowly starts to fill the gap that Edward left in Bella's life and all is going well until Jacob suddenly starts avoiding Bella.

Bella tries desperately to cling to her friendship with Jacob as it is all that keeps her from falling back into depression. Bella thinks that a cult is responsible for Jacob's behaviour but she soon learns that the Cullens aren't the only mythical friends she has as Jacob and his friends have mythical qualities too. Mythical qualities that come in very handy when Victoria and Laurent return to Forks to avenge James by killing Bella.

Amid all the danger and confusion in Bella's life, Alice unexpectedly appears in Forks and suddenly Bella has to choose between losing Jacob and saving Edward's life.

Much like Twilight, New Moon starts off at quite a slow pace and the action increases dramatically towards the end. Despite the real action only occuring towards the end of the book, I still struggled to put it down. I couldn't help getting caught up in Bella's day to day life. Nothing about it is mundane and I needed to satiate my thirst by barrelling headlong into the book.

In the beginning Bella is so worried about her birthday that you would swear she was turning 30, not 18. As usual, Bella is worrying about trivial things that don't make sense to us guys and the interaction between her and Edward is highly amusing. However, that is where the fun ends. Remember how I said that one really connects with the characters and their emotions when reading Twilight? Well, unfortunately Stephenie Meyer doesn't disappoint on that front with New Moon.

If you are wondering why I said "unfortunately", fast forward to the break up. Oh yes. If you have ever had your heart broken, then reading the next 100 pages or so won't be fun in the least. It felt like I was having my heart broken as opposed to it happening to Bella.

How could you do this to me Edward Cullen!? After everything we've been through!? How!?

As annoying as the whole thing is, deep down you know Edward is only leaving because he thinks it will protect Bella. Which is even more annoying because you feel like smacking him around a bit to make him come to his senses. Either way, you know he'll be back.

When Bella later turns to Jacob it feels like she is cheating on Edward and that opportunistic little mongrel Jacob jumps at the chance to cosy up to Bella (Yeah, I don't like Jacob much. If you're on Team Jacob, then bite me). Needless to say, Stephenie manages to evoke many strong emotions with her writing. While the majority of the book will make you want to put on some Dashboard Confessional and reach for your razor blades, there is a slight reprieve later on when Bella abandons Jacob to run off and save Edward. Yes, unlikely as it may seem, bungling Bella will save the superhuman Edward.

I think over all New Moon is the the book I enjoyed least out of the series. Don't get me wrong, it is very well written and Stephenie really does convey the emotions of the characters flawlessly, but the first half of the book literally made me depressed for a whole day, whereas the other books did not. The lack of "Cullen-ness" in the book was also definitely evident as it lacks many of the inside jokes I have come to know and love.

Don't let that deter you though. It is an excellent book and well worth the read. It's not Stephenie's fault that she is just a bit too good at her craft. If it's any consolation, there is a huge fight scene in Eclipse and none of the story will make sense unless you read New Moon first. So get cracking!

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