Christmas by Accident is a story about an insurance adjuster who is fired for embellishing his reports (instead of writing just the dry facts, he wrote the reports in a way that would make you think you were reading the latest thriller). His last case involves an accident where the driver’s insurance was canceled.
When Carter inspects the car, he finds a photo of the driver, Abby, and he knows he just needs to meet her. So he begs his coworker to let him deliver the cancellation letter to Abby (after he’s been fired).
Abby helps run the ReadMore Cafe, a bookstore owned by her Uncle Mannie. On the day Carter arrives, Abby isn’t in, but something sparks his eye. It’s October and they already have their Christmas display of books up. He is not a fan of Christmas, but he has an epiphany that he could write a book about Christmas. So he purchases every Christmas title to figure out the formula for writing a bestselling Christmas book.
Abby, meanwhile, is visiting her uncle in the hospital. He refuses to tell her that he has a rare disease that is enlarging his heart and wreaking havoc on his organs. The doctors give him only a couple of months to live. All he wants is to make it through Christmas, Abby’s favorite time of year. He doesn’t want to destroy the holiday for her.
When Carter and Abby finally meet, she’s knocking on his door trying to understand how her insurance could be canceled. She has the canceled check in her hand. Even though Carter no longer works for the insurance company, he offers to help her navigate the system. He finds out she’s an editor and they make a trade off that he’ll help her and she can help him edit his book.
Their friendship leads to romance which leads to making important life decisions, choices that could jeopardize this new romance.
An accident brings them together, but it is also an accident that could rip them apart forever.
Thoughts
If you like Hallmark Christmas movies, this book is perfect for you. What I loved reading about were the mouthwatering treats served up at the ReadMore Cafe. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the Christmas inspired recipes were at the back of the book!!!
I am a fan of Camron Wright’s works. This story reminds me a lot of The Other Side of the Bridge, but with a Christmas spin. The thing about Camron’s stories is that you will never forget his tales. There is always something that will strike a chord within your soul that will have you remembering his stories for the rest of your life. That is the magic of his works.
For me, the accidents hit me hard, because it reminded me of the time I contemplated a life lived, at a time when I pondered if I was going to live or die after my surgery. All of those questions we ask ourselves when our lives are hanging in the balance he covered well.
I think I will always be asking myself if I will have a smile on my face when, at the end of this lifetime, I look back on the life that I lived. Why? Because that’s one of those little gems Camron poses that will stick with you for the rest of your life.
Everyone takes what they need from the books they read. For me, this story made me think about life. For others, they may see something in the love story and discover that love is the choice you make every time. Some may even see their faults in trying to focus too much on selling that they forget the true meaning of what they are doing. Others may see the power of family and being there to protect them, even long after they are gone.
Whatever you take from this book, it comes at just the right time as the holidays approach. It helps us to re-evaluate the decisions we are making, so that we can focus on the things that truly matter in this life. After all, isn’t that what the true power of Christmas is all about?
[Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of an unbiased review. This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase the books in any of these links, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.]
For those who know Matthew Lucifer, they know he is a very unusual cat. Actually, he is just not a normal cat at all. He is highly intelligent and understands everything. He also knows how to communicate what he wants very effectively. We’ve been through some stuff, including dealing with Maine Coon allergies. Here’s what happened. Scroll to the 2023 Update at the bottom of this page, if you want to learn more about what we learned from Matthew’s allergies.
Surita’s Passing
Back in August 2018, I made the difficult decision to help Surita die. She was 21 years old. When I told Matthew it was time to let Surita die, he became so upset. She was in the kitchen at the time. He ran up to her, collapsed in front of her and started crying. I was so worried he was going to tell her. I wanted her last week of life to be a happy one.
Those two never got along. Surita hated him, but he loved her.
He wanted to be there when we euthanized her, but Surita did not want him there. I didn’t want her to go into death seeing Matthew staring back at her, so I kicked Matthew out of the apartment.
He cried on the other side of the door wanting back in. That is unusual for him, because when he goes out into the hall, he runs around. This time, he wanted to be there for her.
I held her until I felt her spirit leave. After she had passed, I let Matthew back in. He sat down next to her, checking out the two strangers in his home. Then we motioned to Surita and he looked down.
He said a few words, kissed her and walked away. I asked him, “Is that all you are going to say to her?” He responded in the affirmative.
They boxed her up and took her away. My baby girl.
He was depressed for a month.
Letting Surita go was very difficult for me. I think I struggled with if I made the right decision. I realized during that last week that she was asking me to help her die. She was in a lot of pain. I miss my baby girl.
The Bloody Mouth
So Matthew Lucifer had a medical emergency. He was showing signs something was amiss for some time, but it was hard to figure out if this was something serious.
Saturday morning, he woke me up. His kiss was a little wetter than usual and then I saw the blood on his chin. I got out of bed to wash the blood off of my face. When I turned to check on him, the blood was gone.
The rest of the day was fine. But when he showed up for bed that night, his mouth was bleeding again and it wouldn’t stop. The animal hospital was closed for the night, so we had to wait until the next morning to call them.
I sat there watching him bathe himself in blood. I just stared at him in shock and disgust thinking…this is why your middle name is Lucifer. You bathe yourself in blood and you don’t care.
The bleeding continued after he fell asleep. He woke me up at 3AM (like he does every night), shook his head and sprayed blood everywhere. It was so bad, I had to change the sheets. I started Googling what was wrong and the only thing that came up was that he had gum disease and possibly a bad tooth.
When we got up a few hours later, his mouth was still bleeding. I read that I should try cleaning the blood with a cotton swab, so I handed one to him. He chewed on it like he normally does. We did this three times and then the bleeding stopped.
When I called the vet hospital, Matthew sat next to the phone waiting for the receptionist to pick up. The second she did, he started talking into the phone. I assume he was telling her what was wrong. We made an appointment for that afternoon.
I had him take an early nap with me, because I knew this was going to be a long day for him, especially since the doctor visit was during his nap time.
When it was time to go, I put his coat on, made a little blanket cocoon in his stroller, and we walked the mile to the hospital, going farther away from home than he’s ever been. He actually enjoyed this little adventure. I could tell he was nervous, but excited.
At the vet’s office, we discovered that Googling at 3AM is not wise. My baby did not have gum disease. He was having an allergic reaction.
The vet noticed there were scabs on his back, which I knew were from a mosquito bite. We had a few flying around a few weeks ago, and I know he started scratching right after we encountered them. She double checked to make sure it wasn’t fleas and luckily, it wasn’t.
That bloody mouth of his was all about that mosquito bite. Add the fact it is allergy season, and he has allergies, it sent his body into a white blood cell tornado frenzy. His lips were swollen (which I noticed right before his sister died, but couldn’t remember if this was normal for him).
All of these different allergens were just too much for his body to handle, so that’s why his mouth started bleeding.
Come Monday morning, the doctor says his blood tests were fine, except he had anemia. He’s three points below what was considered normal. I asked if this may be because he bled so much the night before. She replied that is what she thought, but the specialist said it was more likely due to a blood disorder or a parasite or…
I’m thinking, “Doomsday much???”
So we have to go back for more blood tests the day before Thanksgiving. He has another round of steroid shots in a month. He also has to take a daily medication (which he ironically likes to take via syringe) for the next 30 days.
Luckily, he is responding very well to the steroids and medication. His lips are no longer swollen (the swelling disappeared the next day). He’s running around with more energy (good sign he is not anemic). And he stopped scratching.
Here were the warning signs something was wrong that was very hard to determine if something more serious was going on:
The scratching (he scratched his face, ears and his back). Scratching is not normal for him. I could not determine if this was fleas, mites or something else because it was a new spot every time.
Swollen lips. He had 2 little open pockets under his upper lip. I could not remember if this was normal for him or not. Ends up, it was not normal.
Itchy nose and lips. He would use his brush to aggressively scratch his nose and lips.
Scabbing on his back (from the mosquito bite).
I am surprised Matthew started bouncing back so quickly. He loves his medicine. I explained to him that he needs to eat right after he takes his medicine or his stomach will hurt. So he eats immediately after each dose.
With this little guy, communication is very important.
He Brushes His Teeth
He heard the doctor and I talking about brushing his teeth daily and how he likes to brush his teeth himself. I just have to hold the toothbrush for him.
Matthew is extremely intelligent. He understands everything. Since the conversation about brushing his teeth, he now goes into the bathroom and tries to brush his teeth by himself without my help.
He still hasn’t mastered turning on the faucet yet, so I still need to help him.
The Baby Gets Spoiled x10
As of right now, I think he likes all of the attention he’s getting. He likes being told he’s a good boy and he’s doing a good job. I think he’s taking advantage of all of this attention…you know, worrying the hell out of his Mama. He is not eating right now because he knows it’s worrying me. Loss of appetite is not a side effect for what is going on.
The side effects for his medicine are actually eating more and drinking more fluids. So I think this whole ‘loss of appetite’ is an attempt to get my attention. Either way, I’m going to pick up his favorite Friskies (that he’s not had since his sister died, because they don’t sell them in individual size and god forbid the food come from the refrigerator) and Korean fried chicken for dinner tonight.
When Surita was alive, I would get Korean fried chicken. I ate the skin and gave the meat to Surita. Matthew preferred the skin too, so he’d grab an entire piece of chicken from out of the box and go crazy. He can eat three all by himself. [He is a sugar fiend, so the sweet fried chicken is cat nip for him.]
So if Friskies and Korean fried chicken do not revamp his appetite, I’m going to have to let the doctor know he’s not eating anything except dry food and a few bites of wet food after his medicine.
Unfortunately, for Matthew, he’s medically grounded from going outside. I broke the news to him this morning and he looked at me like…you’re telling me the doctor betrayed me?
He’ll be able to get around that grounding by being confined to seeing the world through his stroller.
2023 Update
When I first published this back in 2018, this was just the beginning of Matthew’s allergies. Ends up, that bloody mouth was due to an allergic reaction to his food (plus, add in being allergic to mosquitoes and fall seasonal allergies). We switched him to a hydrolyzed protein diet, then slowly started adding foods back to see what he was allergic to. Ends up, he’s allergic to processed chicken and turkey, which seems to be the case with many cats and dogs these days.
He’s currently on a vet diet eating only Royal Canin PR and PD, along with Tiny Tiger and Sheba seafood. He gets Thrive Market’s wild caught tuna on Sundays. He also eats whatever I’m eating. He’s not allergic to chicken or turkey, unless it is processed. If you think about it, we have no idea what they are putting in processed foods.
His food may cost more than mine does, and it scares me if Royal Canin can’t get their food into the US (it’s sourced and made in France), but this is the only thing he can eat without turning into a bloody mess.
Another issue that came up for Matthew during this time was a swollen paw. It got worse and worse. It ended up being allergy related. When we moved, it healed within a month. So it is possible that the previous apartment was an environmentally bad place for us to live, as far as his allergies went. Moving someplace more modernized helped him completely.
He hasn’t had any major allergy issues since we moved. He doesn’t need steroid shots anymore. [Long term use of steroids is bad for him.] He’s still running around outside. He still has seasonal allergies in the fall, but luckily, he hasn’t ripped the hair off of his face. During the fall allergy season, every other day, I give him a little bit of local honey harvested from the bees in our area. That seems to help him a lot.
Some tricks I learned when the allergies got really bad: 1) use cornstarch to stop the bleeding (vet suggested this); and 2) use unrefined organic coconut oil on areas where they’re scratching a lot (especially, if there’s a wound there from the scratching). I need to stress that you need to use UNREFINED organic coconut oil. Refined coconut oil has stuff in it that can be potentially harmful to your animal.
Lies, Love and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. A young woman trying to make it in Hollywood as a film editor finds herself in a predicament. She is a brand new employee at Portal Pictures and her boss is a drunk. All of the work he was supposed to put into Sliver of Midnight fell upon her. She ended up doing everything.
When it comes time for the final cuts, he is passed out on the couch and she needs to get final approval for the film. She needs someone to take a look at it. So when she runs into her friend and colleague from a rival studio at a club while she is trying to get her boss to go back to the office, she turns to him for assistance.
Silvia Bradshaw edited her heart out for this film and the executives realize that this could be an Academy Award winning film on their hands. But it is her boss that takes credit for the film, even though the filmmakers know he did nothing.
Meanwhile, Silvia’s feelings for her former colleague, Ben, starts to blossom. But he has a girlfriend already. Or does he?
The danger lies in anyone finding out Ben worked on this film. It could jeopardize their relationship and careers forever.
The Verdict
The real story goes much deeper than just a romance and a girl trying to make it in Hollywood.
Silvia has a disability. She lost her eye to cancer when she was a child. Audrey Hepburn died the day she lost her eye. So she imagined Audrey as being her angel and protector while she battled cancer.
When she received her first prosthetic, she called the eye ‘Audrey.’
Overcoming this adversity adds to the difficulties women go through in Hollywood just to be accepted. Silvia is supposed to be a heroine in this story, fighting for recognition. Yet, she has to bend to her male boss. He is the one that will take all the credit for her work, because that’s the way it is.
The author’s dedication is really symbolic to the message she is trying to share in Silvia’s story. “To all the women who work in Hollywood, and in other creative endeavors, who are making the changes needed to have their creativity and voices heard and recognized.”
There’s also the ghost of change in this book, Audrey Hepburn. What Silvia knows about Audrey mostly comes from her films. She never really saw how Audrey lived her life. When she learns how inspiring and meaningful life can be by being the change, she decides to follow Audrey’s example of how she lived her life.
What this book ultimately represents beyond a romantic comedy is inspiring change for women trying to make it in a boy’s club world. The author seeks to inspire women to live inspirational lives (like Audrey), but also to fight for their work.
If you’ve put in all the work, don’t let someone else take credit for it. Fight for your right to get your name put on it. Get exactly what you worked hard for. Speak up for yourself.
There’s also the need to have more representation in these industries. Women, as well as men, should help to encourage other women to enter these sectors. Even if she’s dating the guy you’re in love with, help her get her foot in the door, because the world needs women in the business.
You have to uplift each other, not sabotage each other’s efforts. In other words, we’re all in this together with the same mission in mind…more equal representation.
The book is inspirational and a fun read. I enjoyed it because it talked a lot about Audrey and movies, two subjects I love. Even moreso, I am happy the book discussed Audrey’s life works beyond movies. It helps give you the road map on how one should live their life.
As promised, here is my TBR book stack for November. There are a mix of books coming out in November, as well as a few that came out last month.
I can’t possibly get through this entire stack in one month, so this is my wish list I plan on reading from this month. I haven’t chosen my classic novel yet. I will probably peruse my library this weekend to figure out which book I plan on reading.
The Lie Women in Hollywood are just pretty faces. But Silvia Bradshaw knows that’s a lie, and she’s ready to be treated as an equal and prove her worth as one of Hollywood’s newest film editors.
The Love She and Ben Mason had worked together as editors before Silvia got her big break, so he’s the perfect person to ask for feedback on her first major film. But even as their friendship begins to blossom into something more, a lawsuit surfaces, jeopardizing both of their jobs—as well as their fledgling romance. Audrey Hepburn once said: “The most important things is to enjoy your life—to be happy—it’s all that matters.” Silvia agrees. Or she used to. It’s one thing to risk her job and her heart, but can she really risk Ben’s too? Does she have the right to make decisions for her own happiness when they affect so many other people?
The Breakfast With everything to lose, Silvia meets Ben for breakfast at his favorite diner, Tiffany’s, for one last conversation before the credits roll on true love.
Vita Nostra from Marina and Sergey Dyachenko (November 13, 2018)
Synopsis from Amazon:
While vacationing at the beach with her mother, Sasha Samokhina meets the mysterious Farit Kozhennikov under the most peculiar circumstances. The teenage girl is powerless to refuse when this strange and unusual man with an air of the sinister directs her to perform a task with potentially scandalous consequences. He rewards her effort with a strange golden coin.
As the days progress, Sasha carries out other acts for which she receives more coins from Kozhennikov. As summer ends, her domineering mentor directs her to move to a remote village and use her gold to enter the Institute of Special Technologies. Though she does not want to go to this unknown town or school, she also feels it’s the only place she should be. Against her mother’s wishes, Sasha leaves behind all that is familiar and begins her education.
As she quickly discovers, the institute’s “special technologies” are unlike anything she has ever encountered. The books are impossible to read, the lessons obscure to the point of maddening, and the work refuses memorization. Using terror and coercion to keep the students in line, the school does not punish them for their transgressions and failures; instead, their families pay a terrible price. Yet despite her fear, Sasha undergoes changes that defy the dictates of matter and time; experiences which are nothing she has ever dreamed of . . . and suddenly all she could ever want.
A complex blend of adventure, magic, science, and philosophy that probes the mysteries of existence, filtered through a distinct Russian sensibility, this astonishing work of speculative fiction—brilliantly translated by Julia Meitov Hersey—is reminiscent of modern classics such as Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, Max Barry’s Lexicon, and Katherine Arden’s The Bear and the Nightingale, but will transport them to a place far beyond those fantastical worlds.
Never underestimate a librarian. Comfortably padded and in her middle years, Shona McMonagle may look bookish and harmless, but her education at the Marcia Blaine School for Girls has left her with a deadly expertise in everything from martial arts to quantum physics. It has also left her with a bone-deep loathing for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, that scurrilous novel that spread scandalous untruths about the finest educational institution in Edinburgh. Her skills, her deceptively mild appearance, and her passionate loyalty make Shona the perfect recruit for a new and interesting project: Time-travel to Tzarist Russia, prevent a gross miscarriage of romance, and – in any spare time – see to it that only the right people get murdered. It’s a big job, but no task is too daunting for a Head Girl from Miss Blaine’s.
New York Times bestselling author Beatriz Williams brings us the blockbuster novel of the season—an electrifying postwar fable of love, class, power, and redemption set among the inhabitants of an island off the New England coast . . .
In the summer of 1951, Miranda Schuyler arrives on elite, secretive Winthrop Island as a schoolgirl from the margins of high society, still reeling from the loss of her father in the Second World War. When her beautiful mother marries Hugh Fisher, whose summer house on Winthrop overlooks the famous lighthouse, Miranda’s catapulted into a heady new world of pedigrees and cocktails, status and swimming pools. Isobel Fisher, Miranda’s new stepsister—all long legs and world-weary bravado, engaged to a wealthy Island scion—is eager to draw Miranda into the arcane customs of Winthrop society.
But beneath the island’s patrician surface, there are really two clans: the summer families with their steadfast ways and quiet obsessions, and the working class of Portuguese fishermen and domestic workers who earn their living on the water and in the laundries of the summer houses. Uneasy among Isobel’s privileged friends, Miranda finds herself drawn to Joseph Vargas, whose father keeps the lighthouse with his mysterious wife. In summer, Joseph helps his father in the lobster boats, but in the autumn he returns to Brown University, where he’s determined to make something of himself. Since childhood, Joseph’s enjoyed an intense, complex friendship with Isobel Fisher, and as the summer winds to its end, Miranda’s caught in a catastrophe that will shatter Winthrop’s hard-won tranquility and banish Miranda from the island for nearly two decades.
Now, in the landmark summer of 1969, Miranda returns at last, as a renowned Shakespearean actress hiding a terrible heartbreak. On its surface, the Island remains the same—determined to keep the outside world from its shores, fiercely loyal to those who belong. But the formerly powerful Fisher family is a shadow of itself, and Joseph Vargas has recently escaped the prison where he was incarcerated for the murder of Miranda’s stepfather eighteen years earlier. What’s more, Miranda herself is no longer a naïve teenager, and she begins a fierce, inexorable quest for justice for the man she once loved . . . even if it means uncovering every last one of the secrets that bind together the families of Winthrop Island.
Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman reveal the full story behind their epic romance–presented in a series of intimate conversations between the couple, including photos, anecdotes, and the occasional puzzle.
The year: 2000. The setting: Los Angeles. A gorgeous virtuoso of an actress agreed to star in a random play, and a basement-dwelling scenic carpenter said he would assay a supporting role in the selfsame pageant. At the first rehearsal she surveyed her fellow cast members, determining if any of the men might qualify to provide her with a satisfying fling. Her gaze fell upon the carpenter, and like a bolt of lightning the thought struck her: no dice. Moving on.
Yet, unbeknownst to our protagonists, Cupid had merely set down his bow and picked up a rocket launcher . . . that fired a love rocket (not a euphemism). The players were Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, and the resulting romance, once ignited, was . . . epic. Beyond epic. It resulted in a coupling that has endured to this day; a sizzling, perpetual tryst that has captivated the world with its kindness, athleticism, astonishingly low-brow humor, and true (fire emoji) passion.
How did they do it? They came from completely different families, ignored a significant age difference, and were separated by the gulf of several social strata. Megan loved books and art history; Nick loved hammers. But much more than these seemingly unsurpassable obstacles were the values they held in common: respect, decency, the ability to mention genitalia in almost any context, and an abiding obsession with the songs of Tom Waits.
Eighteen years later, they’re still very much in love and have finally decided to reveal the philosophical mountains they have conquered, the lessons they’ve learned, and the myriad jigsaw puzzles they’ve completed. Presented as an oral history in a series of conversations between the couple, the book features anecdotes, hijinks, photos, and a veritable grab bag of tomfoolery. This is not only the intoxicating book that Mullally’s and Offerman’s fans have been waiting for, it might just hold the solution to the greatest threat facing our modern world: the single life.
Hope Anderson is at a crossroads. At thirty-six, she’s been dating her boyfriend, an orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her family’s cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future. Tru Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding his mother’s early life and recapture memories lost with her death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as electric as it is unfathomable . . . but in the immersive days that follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways.
Illuminating life’s heartbreaking regrets and enduring hope, EVERY BREATH explores the many facets of love that lay claim to our deepest loyalties–while asking the question, How long can a dream survive?
From the author of the critically-acclaimed debut People Who Knew Me comes the story of one man’s determination to abandon his will to live.
Jonathan Krause is a man with a plan. He is going to quit his advertising job and, when his money runs out, he is going to die. He just has one final mission: A trip to Japan. It’s a trip he was supposed to take with his girlfriend, Sara. It’s a trip inspired by his regrets. And it’s a trip to pay homage to the Japanese, the inventors of his chosen suicide technique.
In preparation for his final voyage, Jonathan enrolls in a Japanese language class where he meets Riko, who has her own plans to visit her homeland, for very different reasons. Their unexpected and unusual friendship takes them to Japan together, where they each struggle to make peace with their past and accept that happiness, loneliness, and grief come and go—just like the cherry blossoms.
Haunted by lost love, Jonathan must decide if he can embrace the transient nature of life, or if he must choose the certainty of death.
Unsheltered from Barbara Kingsolver. {Note: This is also one of the November Book of the Month options that you can get for $14.99 from Book of the Month [You can also get an extra book for free using code: FRIENDSGIVING.]}
Synopsis from Amazon:
The New York Times bestselling author of Flight Behavior, The Lacuna, and The Poisonwood Bible and recipient of numerous literary awards—including the National Humanities Medal, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and the Orange Prize—returns with a timely novel that interweaves past and present to explore the human capacity for resiliency and compassion in times of great upheaval.
How could two hardworking people do everything right in life, a woman asks, and end up destitute? Willa Knox and her husband followed all the rules as responsible parents and professionals, and have nothing to show for it but debts and an inherited brick house that is falling apart. The magazine where Willa worked has folded; the college where her husband had tenure has closed. Their dubious shelter is also the only option for a disabled father-in-law and an exasperating, free-spirited daughter. When the family’s one success story, an Ivy-educated son, is uprooted by tragedy he seems likely to join them, with dark complications of his own.
In another time, a troubled husband and public servant asks, How can a man tell the truth, and be reviled for it? A science teacher with a passion for honest investigation, Thatcher Greenwood finds himself under siege: his employer forbids him to speak of the exciting work just published by Charles Darwin. His young bride and social-climbing mother-in-law bristle at the risk of scandal, and dismiss his worries that their elegant house is unsound. In a village ostensibly founded as a benevolent Utopia, Thatcher wants only to honor his duties, but his friendships with a woman scientist and a renegade newspaper editor threaten to draw him into a vendetta with the town’s powerful men.
Unsheltered is the compulsively readable story of two families, in two centuries, who live at the corner of Sixth and Plum in Vineland, New Jersey, navigating what seems to be the end of the world as they know it. With history as their tantalizing canvas, these characters paint a startlingly relevant portrait of life in precarious times when the foundations of the past have failed to prepare us for the future.
On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. As one fireman recounted, “Once that first stack got going, it was ‘Goodbye, Charlie.’” The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library—and if so, who?
Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before.
In The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and around the world, from their humble beginnings as a metropolitan charitable initiative to their current status as a cornerstone of national identity; brings each department of the library to vivid life through on-the-ground reporting; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; reflects on her own experiences in libraries; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago.
Along the way, Orlean introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters from libraries past and present—from Mary Foy, who in 1880 at eighteen years old was named the head of the Los Angeles Public Library at a time when men still dominated the role, to Dr. C.J.K. Jones, a pastor, citrus farmer, and polymath known as “The Human Encyclopedia” who roamed the library dispensing information; from Charles Lummis, a wildly eccentric journalist and adventurer who was determined to make the L.A. library one of the best in the world, to the current staff, who do heroic work every day to ensure that their institution remains a vital part of the city it serves.
Brimming with her signature wit, insight, compassion, and talent for deep research, The Library Book is Susan Orlean’s thrilling journey through the stacks that reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books—and why they remain an essential part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country. It is also a master journalist’s reminder that, perhaps especially in the digital era, they are more necessary than ever.
Vienna, 1911. Greta Goldbaum has always dreamed of being free to choose her own life’s path, but the Goldbaum family, one of the wealthiest in the world, has different expectations. United across Europe, Goldbaum men are bankers, while Goldbaum women marry Goldbaum men to produce Goldbaum children. Jewish and perpetual outsiders, they know that though power lies in wealth, strength lies in family.
So Greta moves to England to wed Albert, a distant cousin. Defiant and lonely, she longs for connection and a place to call her own. When Albert’s mother gives Greta a garden, things begin to change. Perhaps she and Albert will find a way to each other.
But just as she begins to taste an unexpected happiness, war is looming and even the influential Goldaums can’t alter its course. For the first time in two hundred years, the family will find themselves on opposing sides and Greta will have to choose: the family she’s created or the one she was forced to leave behind.
A sweeping family saga from a beloved and New York Times bestselling author, House of Goldis Natasha Solomons’s most dazzling and moving novel yet.
Carter is an insurance adjuster whose longing for creative expression spills over sometimes into his accident reports.
Abby works for her adoptive father, Uncle Mannie, in the family bookstore, the ReadMore Cafe.
Carter can barely tolerate Christmas; Abby loves it. She can’t wait past October to build her favorite display, the annual Christmas book tree stack, which Carter despises.
When an automobile accident throws Carter and Abby together, Uncle Mannie, who is harboring secrets of his own, sees a chance for lasting happiness for his little girl. But there are so many hurdles, and not much time left. Will this Christmas deliver the miracles everyone is hoping for?
Bridge of Clay from Markus Zusak (author of “The Book Thief”)
Synopsis from Amazon:
The breathtaking story of five brothers who bring each other up in a world run by their own rules. As the Dunbar boys love and fight and learn to reckon with the adult world, they discover the moving secret behind their father’s disappearance.
At the center of the Dunbar family is Clay, a boy who will build a bridge—for his family, for his past, for greatness, for his sins, for a miracle.
The question is, how far is Clay willing to go? And how much can he overcome?
Written in powerfully inventive language and bursting with heart, BRIDGE OF CLAY is signature Zusak.
It’s the summer of 1922, and nineteen-year-old Paulien Mertens finds herself in Paris—broke, disowned, and completely alone. Everyone in Belgium, including her own family, believes she stole millions in a sophisticated con game perpetrated by her then-fiancé, George Everard. To protect herself from the law and the wrath of those who lost everything, she creates a new identity, a Frenchwoman named Vivienne Gregsby, and sets out to recover her father’s art collection, prove her innocence—and exact revenge on George.
When the eccentric and wealthy American art collector Edwin Bradley offers Vivienne the perfect job, she is soon caught up in the Parisian world of post-Impressionists and expatriates—including Gertrude Stein and Henri Matisse, with whom Vivienne becomes romantically entwined. As she travels between Paris and Philadelphia, where Bradley is building an art museum, her life becomes even more complicated: George returns with unclear motives . . . and then Vivienne is arrested for Bradley’s murder.
B. A. Shapiro has made the historical art thriller her own. In The Collector’s Apprentice, she gives us an unforgettable tale about the lengths to which people will go for their obsession, whether it be art, money, love, or vengeance.
Today, I am introducing a new feature at Perfectionist Wannabe. I will be showing you at the end of each month the books I read that month. At the beginning of each month, I’ll show you my To Be Read pile.
The To Be Read pile is usually advanced copies of books coming out that month I need to get through. I try to read at least one classic and whatever looks good on my shelf I’ve been meaning to get to.
So let’s get to the current October stack. I tried to read as many scary books as I could. Six of the eight books featured are, at the minimum, about a ghost or a witch.
I did not include below “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving, because the story is part of a collection of stories. I will include that when I finish Irving’s book.
The October Stack
The Air You Breathe
The Air You Breathe is my favorite book this month. This is one of my Book of the Month subscription picks and I absolutely love it. The story takes place in Brazil.
A young girl, Dores, is a kitchen servant on a sugar plantation. She’s been there since she was born. During the lean years, when sugar prices bottom out, she remains on the plantation with the head cook, when the sugar baron’s family leaves for the city.
But then the next sugar baron in the family arrives with his family. Their child, Graça, is around the same age as Dores. They do not get along in the beginning, but soon Dores becomes Graça’s playmate. They do everything together.
Graça’s mother realizes that unlike her daughter, Dores is intelligent and absorbs everything she is taught. She offers Dores the same opportunities given to her own daughter, but with limitations.
One day, she introduces Dores to music and her world changes.
Music is what shapes this story of the two girls growing up together on a sugar plantation. They later escape to Rio de Janeiro to try their luck at fame and fortune. One girl is the beauty and the voice, the other has the smarts and the talent with words.
Their story is filled with love, loss and obsession. You’ll learn how these girls help make samba a revolution, and how Hollywood changes their lives forever. This is a story that will whisk you away to a time before the great war. You will fall in love in Brazil, and you will grow to appreciate the world of samba.
Hag
Hag is a witchy tale that starts off in Scotland and transports you to Colorado and then London as we follow Alice, the descendant of the Cailleach (an ancient witch who takes residence in the Scottish cliffs).
As Alice grows up and tries to understand the weird things she can do, she has no idea her daughter will bring all of the Cailleach ancestors of witches together, bringing the story of the Cailleach full circle.
What I liked about this story is that I saw a lot of myself in Alice. For people that know me very well, they know there are a few things I can do that is just not explainable. I used to tell my dad that if we were back in the 15th or 16th century, he probably would have had me burned at the stake for being a witch.
After reading this book, I think I became a little more accepting of who I am. Sometimes people have a better intuition than others, or as my friend says, I am better in tune to the universe than most people. I think maybe back in the day, I would have been labeled a witch.
In this book, I believe the author was well versed in the subject of witchcraft and what it has evolved into today. Not all witches are brewing potions or practicing magic. Some are just regular people living their lives, but are a little bit more in tune with the universe and the universe responds.
The Witch of Willow Hall
The Witch of Willow Hall is my favorite scary read this month. Speaking of women trying to understand who they are, the weird things they can do and thinking that back in the day, they would have been burned at the stake or hung by the neck. It is 1821 and right outside of Boston in a town called New Oldbury, Lydia and her family have relocated to Willow Hall to escape the embarrassment her family endured in Boston thanks to her older sister Catherine and brother Cyrus.
Willow Hall is filled with ghosts and secrets, which makes it a perfect place for the Montrose family.
Lydia and Catherine are always at odds. When they lose Emeline, the youngest Montrose, the family begins to completely fall apart as Catherine’s sins unravel before them.
Lydia is not aware she is a witch. She can see ghosts and notices storms brew when she becomes upset. It takes her mother being on her death bed to reveal Lydia’s true ancestry.
For this story, it’s the ghosts that will scare you. What will make your stomach turn is how evil Catherine can be and how she will do everything she can to destroy her sister’s happiness. Oh, and there is a bit of a love story in there, blackmail, incest and scary dead witches…but damn, if this isn’t a great book.
The Clockmaker’s Daughter
The Clockmaker’s Daughter is a ghost story. This book is a popular new release for the month of October. I stood in line for a long time to get this book.
I will warn you right now that I had a hard time getting through the first 60% of the book. It kept putting me to sleep. But the last part of the book, I could not put the book down. I kept thinking…why in the world was I having a difficult time reading this book in the beginning? Maybe because she saved the best part for last?
This story jumps between the present and the past. We follow the story of Elodie in the present day. She discovers a leather satchel with a sketchbook and a photograph. One of the sketches reminds her of a story her mother used to tell her before she died. She becomes so obsessed with the picture that she starts to investigate the truth of its origins.
We are then transported back to a different time…around 1862. A group of artists spend the summer at Birchwood Manor. What happens in Birchwood changes their lives forever.
Over the next 150 years, a ghost haunts the old manor. It is her story that is being told and it is up to Elodie to unravel the mystery of Birchwood Manor. The ending is well worth it.
Violin
Violin is another ghost story. This time it comes from the queen of vampires, Anne Rice. Believe it or not, it has taken me a few years to get through this book. I started it years ago and then put it to the side. I decided to finally finish the last 150 pages.
It was time to find out what becomes of Stefan, the evil fiddler and the woman he is haunting.
I did not expect that Triana would become a world class violinist that mesmerizes her audiences with the haunting violin that actually does not even exist. This violin was destroyed back when Stefan was alive, but in death, he took the essence of the violin with him and made it real. He made himself (and the violin) real again to those who could hear his hypnotic melodies. So when Triana steals it from his grasp, the violin transforms her world. Stefan will do anything to get his violin back…but how far will he go?
Villette
Villette is a classic tale from Charlotte Bronte. I love Jane Eyre so when I got my heart broken, I decided to read this book. It was recommended for people with broken hearts.
This is a somewhat true story of Charlotte’s life…about unrequited love.
It is funny how I saw the things happening in my life, as well as my friends, echoing what I read in this book. Men act funny when they are in love with someone they know they cannot have. It seems that things still have not changed 170 years later.
One person on Twitter told me that she noticed there are a lot of people that have a difficult time with this book because of the ongoing misogyny. But if you press on, you’ll really enjoy how the book ends. I have to agree with her on that. It was very difficult to not want to reach into the book and punch Monsieur Paul, but you’ll find as you continue that he has some redeeming qualities.
Bronte is supreme at writing. What I appreciate about Jane Eyre continues in her writings here.
The rise of the Vampaneze Lord brings Mr. Tiny to Vampire Mountain to issue a new prophecy and a quest for Darren and Mr. Crepsley. They return to the Cirque du Freak to have their first of four encounters with the Vampaneze Lord.
I’m probably going to spoil the next few novels, but my guess is that the Vampaneze Lord is Darren’s best friend from the time when he was still a mortal. This friend is the reason why Darren became a vampire to begin with…to save his life.
Don’t tell me…I want to figure it out myself in the next few novels.
Waiting for Tomorrow
Waiting for Tomorrow is a very sad tale about a family torn apart. The story takes place in France.
Anita is an immigrant from Mauritius who meets her husband at a New Year’s Eve party in Paris. They have a child together and decide to move to the country where Anita freelances as a journalist and Adam is an architect.
When Adele, another Mauritius immigrant, enters their lives, she turns their lives around. She helps care for their home and their daughter. But she has this magnetic pull about her that inspires Adam to be the painter he always wanted to be and Anita to finally write the novel she’s been dreaming of. But the strange thing is that the subject of their work is Adele.
As the novel goes on, we find Adam is in prison and their daughter is in a wheelchair. But why? What happened? I will say that I never saw the ending coming. It was very surprising.
This is a quick read. Only 176 pages.
The Curated Collection
Each month, when I finish reading the books for that month, I try to decide which books will be curated into my library. This month, I decided to keep Villette (I like to keep all classic novels), The Clockmaker’s Daughter (signed), The Air You Breathe and The Witch of Willow Hall (signed). Generally speaking, if the book is signed, I will keep it. For books not signed, it has to be an exceptionally good book in order to be placed in the curated collection. The Air You Breathe was really that good and deserved to be placed on the shelves.
Every year I order a box of Meyer Lemons from Birch-Hill Organics. It is a little treat I enjoy every year, because I love lemons and all things sour.
When I order a box, the question always is: what do I plan to do with all of these lemons? Here’s what I do…
Lemon Preserves
The main reason why I buy a box of Meyer Lemons is to make lemon preserves. These lemons tend to be sweeter than the regular lemons you pick up from the grocery store. They are also juicier!
Here’s how you make preserves: you will need canning jars and salt (along with the lemons). Make sure to wash all of the lemons well to remove any chemicals or pesticides.
Cut each lemon in half (start with five).
Add salt to the bottom of the canning jar. [I use sea salt.]
Press each lemon half into the bottom of the jar, squeezing out as much use as you can. [Note: Leave the rinds in the jar.]
Add salt.
Continue adding lemon halves, pressing them down into the jar, adding salt each time you add a lemon half.
Proceed to add lemons until you fill the entire jar.
Seal the jar and place on a shelf (without direct sunlight) for 3 months.
Lemon preserves are used in many French and Moroccan recipes. Yes, you eat the entire lemon in these recipes. Meyer Lemons are very pleasant to use as preserves in these dishes as compared to their counterparts, because they are not as bitter.
I make lemon preserves because all of my favorite French and Moroccan recipes call for them. These preserves are not so easy to find in stores. That is why I make my own. It is so simple to make. Plus, you are the one that has control over what goes into the preserves. You are not forced to guess what someone else is putting in store bought preserves.
A Green Cleaning Solution
For those who like to green their cleaning and keep toxic chemicals out of your home, this is how I make my own cleaning solution.
I keep a canning jar on my counter at all times and add citrus rinds to it. Instead of tossing used rinds into the trash, I remove the pulp from the citrus and add the rinds to the jar. I add white vinegar about a quarter or halfway up the jar. Then as the weeks go on, I continue to add the citrus rinds to the jar.
When it fills up, I wait two weeks before using the vinegar solution in the jar. I just remove the rinds (you can toss them at this point, but wait until you read the next section) and put the solution in a spray bottle. You can now use this as an all-purpose cleaner.
I would like to experiment with other citrus rinds (oranges and grapefruit) in the future to see what type of scent the solution gives off. Note: I do add lime rinds to the lemon rind jars too.
A Mosquito Repellent?
A little something I discovered recently is that this cleaning solution can actually work as a mosquito repellent, especially if you have a problem mosquito inside your home.
Just place the rinds in a bowl, along with a little bit of the vinegar solution, and keep the bowl in rooms where mosquitoes may roam. Change out every few days so as to not attract fruit flies.
So far, this has worked for me. Because this has been working, I keep the rinds in the solution in the jars. It is not mandatory that you have to remove the rinds from the jar and toss them. You can keep them in there as long as you like.
Someone suggested spraying the solution on your body before bed to maybe deter the mosquitoes from biting you. I haven’t attempted this yet, but if you do try this, make sure to dilute the vinegar solution with water before applying.
I think I would rather spray the bedding before applying the solution to my skin. But maybe one weekend I will try this, because I have read that vinegar helps with skin issues and balances the pH.
BONUS: If you are bitten by a mosquito, apply Vicks VapoRub (or a similar medicated rub) to the bite. This actually helps keep the bite from being itchy. Make sure to apply each night until the bite is gone. Usually takes 2-3 days. Also, just a FYI, it takes about 30 minutes for the relief to set in.
You can create your own holiday cards to send to all of your family and friends. It can be as personalized as this Halloween card I sent out to my friends of my fur monster, Matthew Lucifer.
You can choose from designers like Kate Spade New York (pictured here), Rifle Paper, Sugar Paper, Charlotte Olympia, Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta and many more.
You also get to customize the background (note the marble background) and the envelope liner.
This is a SPONSORED post.
So after playing around with Paperless Post, I have to admit, I find their offerings to be very beautiful, simple and unique. While I love paper, I do like the upgrade from the Evite era of invitations. You can send out really cool invitations and get RSVPs back via email.
You can try them out here. How does it work? You purchase coins on their site to create and send out your Paperless Post. From wedding invitations to party invites and announcements, you can create it all at Paperless Post. In this virtual world we live in, this is the way to go.
A Tool for Bloggers
As a blogger, I see a different type of opportunity that Paperless Post should explore. Using their designs to create unique and beautiful blog posts, they could serve as a major tool for bloggers who want to pretty up their content.
This is actually something I’ve been looking into all summer long…a way to pretty up blog posts beyond just the boring white backgrounds you see on blogs. With Paperless Post, I can see how a short blog post or a recipe can be written out on their products.
I tried to feature what I would love to do with Paperless Post’s design offerings for my site (see the first card), and realized they are missing out on a unique revenue stream from bloggers. While this is a sponsored post, I have permission to showcase their product offerings. But to continue using their product for purposes of this site, I can only say they would be missing out on a unique financial stream from bloggers who want to follow suit and write out entire blog posts using their tools and designs.
So Paperless Post, you should consider developing content specifically for bloggers and business owners that want to pretty up their online content. I can see how this can be a lot like Canva, but better. They would definitely have me as a loyal customer if this can be developed.
Oh, and I’m warning everyone on my Christmas card list…I’ll be sending out that ‘Tis the Season’ card this year. It is perfection.
DISCLAIMER: This is a sponsored post. I received free product for purposes of an unbiased review.
There is a new book out that I believe everyone should read. It’s called “Slave Stealers” by Tim Ballard. This is one of the most phenomenal stories I’ve read this year. In a way, Ballard’s story represents a lot of what this site is supposed to be about…sharing the stories of people who are making the world better than it was yesterday.
And that is where we start, Ballard telling the story of yesterday in order to learn from our past to create a plan to save innocent children from slavery.
Did you know American children are kidnapped and sold into the sex slave trade? Within 48 hours of that child being taken, they are sold many times to complete strangers for sex. These children are raped by pedophiles again and again. A child could be raped up to 50 times every single day by complete strangers until they are rescued. Sometimes that can take years (or until they become too old to be of use – mainly around 18 years old).
Out of the 20-30 million people enslaved, “close to six million…are children.”
“Human trafficking brings in an estimated $150 billion annually and is the fastest growing criminal enterprise on the planet. With thousands of children currently forced into the commercial sex trade in the US, and thousands more children smuggled into the US annually for the same purpose.”
The Super Bowl is the “largest single trafficking event in the world.” Surprised? I was.
Children are sold over again and again to rapists and pedophiles at the Super Bowl. It happens right under our nose, on our very own soil. These children are in the sex SLAVE trade on American soil, and until recently were legally sold on the internet thanks to a legal loophole that Congress had to change. [See CDA 230.]
How do we stop this? How do we save the children that are in captivity? The answer is Operation Underground Railroad.
Operation Underground Railroad
Tim Ballard was one of the first members of Homeland Security’s child crimes/countertrafficking group in the early 2000s. This was a relatively new agency (that came out of 9/11/01), as well as a new unit focused on saving children. Saving children from the sex slave trade is a difficult task. You have to go into the deepest, darkest pits of the criminal underground world to save these kids…and that means pretending to be a pedophile.
There were a lot of trainees that could not stomach this. As they role played in class, there were men that had to leave the room to throw up or just couldn’t hack being in this unit, because they were fathers, too. To say they wanted to have sex with a young child, that could have been a child the same age as their own, disgusted them.
But the thing is in order for this unit to work, they had to say the things they had to say in order to get access to the kids to free them. They had to put up a wall that separated themselves from that dark world with that loving family they have at home.
Since this was a relatively new field for this Homeland Security group, they had to come up with tactics to free these child slaves. Ballard decided to read up on the Underground Railroad and slavery. This led him to Harriet Jacobs.
She is one of the first slaves that ever wrote a book. Her book, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, gave Ballard the tools he needed to understand slavery and how to get people out.
When he came across Guesno Mardy’s story, Ballard’s time with Homeland Security came to an end. Why? Because he saw that he could not limit himself to just America anymore. He had to help everyone.
Guesno Mardy’s son was kidnapped and sold two weeks before the earthquake crippled his country, Haiti. When Ballard read Mardy’s story, he knew he had to help. He invited Mardy to California where they sat down to talk about what happened. Ballard made a promise to him that he would help him find his son, but he could not do that as long as he was working for Homeland Security (due to jurisdictional issues).
So he left Homeland Security and started Operation Underground Railroad so that he could help everyone around the world combat human trafficking. This is where he would be able to make the biggest impact in saving children from the slave trade.
Harriet Jacobs
In order to understand slavery today, Ballard decided to take a look at the way slavery was in America during the 1800s. Harriet Jacobs served as his guide as she told her story of what it meant to be a slave in her book “Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl.”
Her story of life as a slave, and later as a liberator for those in the Underground Railroad, helped Ballard understand what he needed to do to help these kids. She helped provide the framework he needed on his missions to save trafficked children.
Jacobs is a strong woman that needs to be commended for standing up for herself when her master tried to have his way with her when she was still young. She put safeguards up to protect herself from him, no matter how many years he pursued her. He was obsessed with her, even offered to put her up in her own cottage, so long as she would be his mistress. The obsession grew even more each time she ran away.
His need for Harriet was not in controlling his property. His obsession with her was that he could not control her as a slave, as property or as a woman.
There were people helping her all along her journey, but her greatest fear was that her children would be subjected to the same abuses (or even worse) that she was trying to escape from. She needed to do whatever she could to keep them safe, even if it meant staying close to them by staying in a cramped attic space for almost seven years battling the elements of extreme heat and cold, and being unable to move around freely.
There is a reason why I feel strongly about this book and want people to read it, as well as watch the documentary “I Am Jane Doe.”
When I was 18, my mother was in tears when she told me her greatest hurt and secret…she was sold into slavery when she was eight years old. She lived in servitude for seven years before running away to Bangkok. At 21, she married the first GI that paid attention to her (my father) and disembarked to America where her children could not be sold into slavery.
My best friend in high school’s mother waited until her daughter was in her 20s to tell her. Actually, her aunt told her the truth…that she had an older brother. Her mother had been sold into the sex slave trade to serve as a concubine. She was 13. At 15, she gave birth to a son and was immediately turned out of the home where she was forced to live and work in a brothel. She later married a GI and escaped to America so that her children could not be sold into the sex slave trade as she had been.
My cousins from Thailand call my mother to tell of their issues finding work. People approach them about new trafficking schemes where they can go to X country to work. All they have to do is pay a fee for the plane ticket and placement. There are many human trafficking schemes and this is one of them. It happens all of the time. Promises of jobs in other countries, when in fact the job is really a position as a slave.
The slave trade is one of the most lucrative criminal enterprises in all of the world. It never stopped. No matter how many laws the world can come up with to banish slavery, it still exists in one form or another…and people are making billions of dollars from it. For as long as they are making money from selling human beings, they are not going to stop.
Believe it or not, the demand to have child sex slaves is popular in America. The biggest clientele are Americans. What does that say to you? Pedophilia is an even bigger problem than you can imagine. What better way to get away with it than to use child prostitutes that no one is looking for? Or if their parents are looking for them, how best to hide them?
When you see a huge culmination of missing children (like in Washington, DC), you have to question if they are being trafficked. After all, DC was one of the main hubs for slavery when it was legal. Just because it is illegal today, it does not mean the slave trade ever stopped. They just changed the way they did business, catering to a whole new clientele.
If they are making $150 billion annually, selling and reselling the same person over and over again, don’t you think there is a problem? After all, selling a person once nets you only so much money. Selling them up to 50 times a day, every day, for years will net more money…and to them, this is about money, not human lives. As long as there is a demand, they will keep enslaving people and selling them.
If you watch “I Am Jane Doe” (on Youtube, Netflix, etc.), you’ll see this happens to American families. One woman’s daughter was kidnapped right from soccer practice while her mother was sitting in the parking lot waiting for her. Within 48 hours of her disappearance, she found her daughter for sale on the internet.
This happens in American communities. It happens in inner city neighborhoods. This happens when children survive disasters (like the Haiti earthquake) and find they do not have parents anymore. If we could put a stop to this, how could we?
The Pittsburgh Steelers Team Up With O.U.R.
How do we stop this? That is the question this book asks. How do we stop the chaos happening in America? Maybe joining together for a common cause will help put an end to the slave trade in America.
If Americans cared enough about the children, maybe we could ban together to save all of them and create a world where people will not buy children for sex. Instead of allowing politicians to normalize pedophilia, we must take a strong stance against it, unified in that cause to protect children.
That is where the Pittsburgh Steelers come in. The forward to this book was written by Coach Mike Tomlin. He is working with O.U.R. along with the Steelers to help educate the community about the need to end modern day slavery. Considering the Super Bowl is the biggest single sex trafficking event in the world, having a NFL team step in to end it says something.
With everyone burning Nikes, protesting the flag, taking the knee, etc., we can take a moment to all agree that we need to help save the kids being trafficked to games for someone’s sexual pleasure. The 13th Amendment is supposed to protect them, but the criminal world seeks to defy our freedom to be truly free from slavery. These kids are not free human beings and are unable to have the opportunity to burn their Nikes or protest in some manner. When they take a knee, it’s for a reason none of us wants to imagine. That is not a world any child should be living in.
O.U.R. and the Pittsburgh Steelers hope is that we, as a nation, can come together to help liberate those in America that are in chains. We can put our political differences aside and focus on saving humans that are trafficked in America. It does not mean building a wall, because not all sex trafficked victims are coming in from Mexico.
Sex trafficked victims are Americans. They are from other countries. The criminal network finds ways to bring them into our country. They will find ways to snatch your children up right in front of you.
Conclusion
I highly recommend reading this book. Understanding slavery in the past is an insight into how we can deal with modern day slavery.
My favorite parts in this book all deal with Providence (i.e. God is winking back). When you are doing something as crazy as leaving a stable job to start a non-profit, you’re going to need all of the providence you can get. Those little winks keep happening over and over again as Tim Ballard races to save the day with his team.
The things that have happened over the course of O.U.R. is incredible. My favorite story is of the videographer that decided one officer should wear a Go Pro camera on his helmet. He was adamant on which officer should wear it.
When the raid goes down, an officer sees a girl running away. He follows her into a sex den where they are keeping the other girls and finds men raping these young girls. He grabs the men from off of them and slams them into the walls. The men gather up their clothing and flee.
When the officer comes out with the girls with him, he tells them that the rapists got away. But guess which officer found the girls? The only officer with the Go Pro camera on his helmet. They were able to identify each of the men in the video and prosecute all of them.
How is that for providence?
I am hoping that others discover “Slave Stealers” and “I Am Jane Doe,” because they talk about modern day slavery. “I Am Jane Doe” changed CDA 230, the law allowing for the sale of humans on the internet. Congress changed the law because of the Jane Does.
If something as simple as a few former child sex slaves begging for change could bring about change on Capitol Hill, then a group like O.U.R. and Americans wanting to keep slavery out of America for good can change the narrative in America. We can end the slave trade in America and around the world. If there’s no demand or money in selling humans, then this criminal enterprise will end. It’s up to all of us to create that change together.
[amazon_link asins=’162972484X,0486419312,B071S69BDV,B072LMWH6C’ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’us-1′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’4a5be6ed-b52e-11e8-baf4-33156f5e5b3e’] [Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for purposes of an unbiased review. This post contains affiliate links.]
If you want a new thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, read this book from Erik Therme. Erik is one of my favorite authors that always keeps me at the edge of my seat. His first two novels, Mortom and Resthaven are both excellent reads. Just when I think I’ve figured out what is going on, Erik always changes things up and it will leave you guessing all the way until the last page. When you get to the last page, you are always left thinking, “THAT’S IT???” He leaves you screaming for more.
If you are a woman looking for a lifestyle that will help you in your 40s and beyond, you should try Glow 15. Glow 15 is packed with information on how you can live a healthy, glowing life from the inside/out. You are introduced to autophagy and how it can help your body rid itself of harmful pathogens (like cancer). You’ll learn how to eat, create beauty products, and live a healthy, invigorating life. I highly recommend this book. You can read more in my review HERE.
For those who need the next level of Kon Mari, but with your life…get this book. Cait Flanders year of minimizing her life month after month, saving as much money as she can, and foregoing shopping for a year (with the exception of certain items like food, toilet paper, etc.) will leave you inspired. I was very impressed with what she was able to do. It leaves the question if others could do the same. Could I do the same? I think it’s worth a shot. All the while she’s living a year of less, she’s also learning to live with a lot more.
When you are trying to find meaning to why your heart was broken…read this. This will help you see past what hurts and let go of that person you love(d).
For those looking for an answer on how to mend your broken heart, read this book. It will help you. Guy Winch shares his expertise as a psychologist. Using case studies ranging from a pet dying to that guy that ghosted you, he helps you move from heartbreak to moving on.
Do you ever wonder what you should read next? There are so many titles to choose from, but what book should you get? Have you seen the prices of books? No wonder why Amazon is putting bookstores out of business…
Wait…maybe I went too far.
Let me take this back a little. A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine visited me. We went into Barnes & Noble so she could pick up a few magazines. I perused the books on all of the tables, but I didn’t pick up any books.
I said to my friend, “I’ve either read everything here or I have the book already.” She responded, “That does not surprise me.” She’s seen my library and all of my advanced copies of books.
Technically speaking, everything I need to read, I already have. I don’t really buy books anymore, except once in a blue moon while I’m on Amazon looking for an answer to what ails me. There are some titles that I am not able to get my hands on because I make it to the publisher’s booth too late (for instance, I missed out on Celeste Ng’s “Little Fires Everywhere” last summer). I have a serious fear of missing out when it comes to books.
So while I was looking for a title I did not own already, I flipped the paperback over to see the price and almost fainted at how much a book costs these days. Now, I understand why Amazon is putting bookstores out of business.
The Answer to My Fear of Missing Out
So every now and again, there’s a title that for some reason does not make it into my hands and I am left going…I kind of need that book! Well, the answer to my fear of missing out now comes in the form of $14.99/month from the Book of the Month club. Not only was I able to get my hands on a new title, I was able to get Celeste Ng’s book for free by using the July code: SUGARHIGH.
When you look online, the hardcover is over $20 for “The Summer Wives.” So $14.99 for a new hardcover book is a serious deal. Plus, the more people you refer, the more credits you can receive for more free books.
The way it works is that at the beginning of every month Book of the Month releases a list of 5 new titles that should be the “IT” books for the month. Of the 5, you can pick one for your monthly membership. You can also choose additional titles for an additional $9.99, or you can use credits).
What I love about Book of the Month is that this is a perfect way to start up your very own Book Club. No more fear of missing out on what everyone else is reading. You can stay on top of your reading game. So get your girlfriends to join, your mom, your aunts, cousins, etc. Maybe you can share the different titles between your little network.
So far, I am enjoying this club. It’s every bibliophile’s answer to keeping on top of all of the latest IT titles.
P.S. I’m thinking of having our own little book club here based on BOTM titles. If interested, comment below and I’ll work it into next month’s title rotations.
It’s been some time since I wrote a beauty journal entry, so I thought I would update you on my latest beauty regimen. I stumbled upon something called Glow 15 over a month ago and I have to say I am a changed woman!
First of all, as a woman who got hit with peri-menopause early, it is difficult to find a diet that will help you with the changes going on with your body, especially when you feel like you’ve aged 10 years in just a short amount of time. Between weight gain, your hair falling out (is that a bald spot?), feeling tired, light-headed, and sleeping more, you are just a complete mess.
In other words, you are getting older and peri-menopause/menopause can throw you deep into the thick of aging. But what if there was a lifestyle that can help reverse the signs of aging? Guess what? Naomi Whittel discovered it. [Please note this is for women only, not men.]
Glow 15
The reason why this book is called Glow 15 is because of what can happen in 15 days if you follow her recipe for success. As a result of trying out this new lifestyle, in just 15 days I noticed a significant change. A month and a half later, and I am still following the lifestyle, because it is the perfect fit for me.
Glow 15 is all encompassing in that it focuses on every single aspect of your health. You will learn about autophagy and how to trigger it and turn it off.
Autophagy is a self-degradative process that is important for balancing sources of energy at critical times in development and in response to nutrient stress. Autophagy also plays a housekeeping role in removing misfolded or aggregated proteins, clearing damaged organelles…as well as eliminating intracellular pathogens. Thus, autophagy is generally thought of as a survival mechanism…
In addition to elimination of intracellular aggregates and damaged organelles, autophagy promotes cellular senescence and cell surface antigen presentation, protects against genome instability and prevents necrosis, giving it a key role in preventing diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration, cardiomyopathy, diabetes, liver disease, autoimmune diseases and infections. – US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health
In other words, autophagy is a removal of all of the bad cells in your body, while creating new cell growth. Sounds crazy, right?
Peri-Menopause & Rapid Aging
For me, the reason why I started peri-menopause at 37 was because of a tumor in my parathyroid gland (the gland that synthesizes calcium). This was also my fourth tumor in 10 years, as well as the most dangerous one of the four.
My body changed a lot after that surgery in 2013. As a result, I changed completely.
While dealing with the emotional and cognitive issues, I put the rest of my body’s demands to the side. My body changed completely in less than five years. We’re not talking about weight gain or anything like that. What was happening disgusted me because my body was deteriorating. And I had no clue on how to stop the rapid aging process.
When I saw Whittel’s take on anti-aging, I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try to focus on a lifestyle that would focus on anti-aging. Maybe it could reverse what was happening to me. Did it deliver? Absolutely.
After day three, I noticed my skin changing, becoming more supple. At day five, I dropped eight pounds. By day 15, my body was so used to the diet that I could not imagine living without it. I’d lost ten pounds, had more energy, my skin looked amazing, and I was happy knowing that after 30 years of dieting, I finally found the perfect lifestyle for me.
When I went into this, it was about anti-aging. What I came out with after 15 days was a guidebook on how to approach the last half of my life. You see, that’s something most women approaching their 40s, 50s and beyond are not briefed on. We know the ‘change’ happens, but what exactly is it beyond a bunch of pissed off women that don’t have to worry about getting their cycles anymore?
Well, first, you may or may not get your monthly cycle. It depends. Some women go months without it and then it magically appears like the great flood. Other women watch as they go from 3 days to 2 days to 1.5 days to 5 days to…well, you get my point. It is erratic.
But what happens to the rest of your body? Maybe if you are like me…you age quickly. The skin is the first place you notice where you are aging. From wrinkles to larger pores to sagging skin in places you did not know skin could sag (I am not joking about this)…your body goes south very rapidly.
Last year, I went to see my doctor about the rapid aging. I knew this had something to do with the changes going on in my body as a result of the parathyroid gland being removed. She took 8 vials of blood for testing to confirm the peri-menopause (as well as check to make sure there were no signs of the next tumor), and to see what was causing the aging. We discovered I was deficient in certain vitamins like Iron. She prescribed a lot of different vitamins to help combat the issues.
As time went on, vitamin supplements were just not cutting it. There had to be a way to stop the rapid aging. That was why when Glow 15 came along, I was more than willing to try it out. I just wanted to stop the rapid aging process.
Also, one of the other benefits that caught my eye was the ability to reverse cancer. If I could not get that second tumor in my parathyroid gland when I hit the seven year mark, I had a better chance of surviving. So perhaps the autophagy lifestyle was worth trying.
What is the Autophagy Lifestyle?
This lifestyle encompasses every single aspect of your health. You’ll start your mornings with a cup of autophagy tea. On high protein days, you will workout using simple exercises for half an hour. Breakfast is an AvocaGlow (avocado recipe) with eggs. On low protein days, you do not workout. I usually add vegetables with my AvocaGlow so I don’t feel like I’m starving.
On high protein days, I stop eating after lunch in order to begin the 16 hour fast. This 16 hour fast helps to reset your metabolism before going into the low/no protein day. I skip dinner on high protein days so that I can have breakfast (the time I am the hungriest). For those who have dinner on high protein days, you need to eat before 8PM so that you can start your first meal by noon the next day on the low protein day.
I’ve simplified my low days by calling these days my No Protein Veg Days. Three days a week are my no meat days. The other four days are protein heavy days.
Sugar, processed foods, bad grains, etc. are off limits. Most noteworthy is you get to have dark chocolate and wine. Yes, a diet that allows you to have wine every single night!!!
I do have to remind myself constantly that this is not a diet per se. Usually when we think of diets, we think of not eating. I have to remind myself every day that this is not about deprivation. I can eat as much as I want to, but within in the confines of the types of foods I can eat. This is about eating the right foods at the right times.
She also recommends vitamins you probably didn’t even know existed (that I believe works wonders with this diet). But this isn’t just about diet and exercise. This is about your overall general health. It includes mental health, i.e. daily meditation and journaling. It includes self-care, which means mandatory ME TIME that includes sex, spa days, etc. If you’re single or not having sex on a consistent basis, get yourself a rabbit vibrator.
Seriously, this lifestyle is about taking care of ALL aspects of your general health.
No More Buying Beauty Products
While I am quick to purchase the best products from the cosmetics market to help fix X, Y and Z, I learned how to make my own beauty products using Naomi’s recipes. I am going to tell you right now that I haven’t gone back to my $350 creams since I started making Naomi’s beauty products. They are not only cheaper to make, but they work more effectively than any other product I’ve ever tried.
The facial mask is my favorite. I put it on for 20 minutes two times a week, take it off and don’t have to follow with moisturizers or creams like I have with store bought facial masks. My skin is so much softer and it feels like I applied an effective moisturizer to my face.
Yet, all it is…mayonnaise, wheat germ and bergamot oil. Three all natural ingredients and they beat every single beauty product I’ve ever tried on the market.
Ever since I started making my own beauty products based on Naomi’s recipes, the thought of putting chemicals on my face just seems stupid. I mean, think about it…putting all of these chemicals on our faces is actually contributing to the aging process! Then we run out to purchase more chemicals to fix the aging process, when we should be avoiding the chemicals completely! The chemicals are aging us! I mean, so many products have formaldehyde in them. Why would we want to put that on our bodies? Leave that for the dead, not the living.
The Current Results
So after being on Glow 15 for the last month and a half (almost 2 months), I am proud to say I am down one whole dress size for the first time in 20 years. My hair is finally making a comeback and looking healthier. My skin is more supple. The keratosis pilaris on my arms started to disappear (this is without applying products to my arms). My skin is also not as dry.
I can actually visually see reverse aging. Not just anti-aging, but reversed aging.
I will be honest that I don’t follow Naomi’s program strictly. I did during the first 15 days, but after that, I worked its way into my lifestyle by taking days off here and there. I don’t reset my metabolism three times a week, maybe one or two times a week. I have one cheat day a week (which is usually on a high protein day).
I will also admit that the only exercise I get is 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night, walking at New Yorker speeds through Manhattan. Nothing extra. I’m sure if I did 30 minutes in the morning like the book suggests, I probably would lose more weight faster. Something to be considered…
I do feel much healthier and my gut feels happier. I believe if I was stricter with this lifestyle, I would see even more incredible results. I enjoy the diet tremendously. I don’t mind the fasting to reset my metabolism. I figured out ways where it will work for me. Skipping dinner is easier for me than skipping breakfast, especially since I need to be in bed earlier.
Oh, that’s another thing Naomi talks about…the importance of sleep. I changed my sleeping habits because of Glow 15. Matthew wakes up at 3:30AM every single morning. He immediately runs to me to wake me up because he wants breakfast. He will not leave me alone until he is fed. So I get up to feed him. But the problem with this is that it was hurting my beauty sleep schedule because I can never fall back to sleep afterward.
So now I go to bed before 9PM. At 3:30AM, I get up, feed him, meditate, get ready for the day and then head to the office early to either do research or write before my work day begins.
Simply put, I realized through this lifestyle that I needed to amend how I was doing life. People may complain that I go to bed too early, but if you had no choice but to wake up at 3:30AM, no matter what time you go to bed, you’ll change your bedtime to make sure you get enough sleep knowing you have to be up at 3:30AM no matter what day of the week it is.
Realizations
The realizations did not stop with my sleep schedule. There were a lot of things I needed to change in my life. For instance, I hate the commute, so I decided to get around it by going to work earlier…before traffic begins. I can’t write at home, because Matthew sits on the laptop or the piece of paper I’m writing on. So I took my laptop to the office and scheduled two days a week for writing the novel and two days for blogging.
Mondays are research days for the book.
I have to say, getting to work 2.5 hours before I am scheduled to begin has been wonderful. I get so much writing done. It’s quiet. I answer a few emails from my bosses when I get in (because they are up too), and wait for the first one to arrive at 8:45AM. He usually leaves me alone, so I can still get 15-45 minutes more writing time in before my scheduled work day begins.
These early work mornings also mean that I get to punch out at 5:30PM every single day. I don’t have to stay late as much as I’ve been doing for the last 10 years. My guys got so used to me being at the office after 6PM, they would call me after 6PM, knowing I would be there. Now, everything is done long before and they don’t feel the need to contact me after 5:30PM.
I found through all of this that I should stop creating excuses for why things are not turning out the way it should. I needed to change my narrative.
If I’m tired of the neverending issues with the commute, I should just start my commute before the traffic begins. Ever since I had this realization, I swear to you, I am not pissed off every single morning now that I get to work early. The correct word to express my morning glow: RELIEF.
Instead of fighting with Matthew over who gets to use the laptop, I brought the laptop to the office to work on my book.
This is what it means to change the narrative, and let me tell you, I am a much happier person because I did something right for myself. We need to find what works for us, and that usually requires us to change the way we think. Instead of bitching about how life isn’t working out for us, we should ask ourselves: 1) What is not working, 2) What it is we want, 3) What solutions are available, and 4) Implement that solution.
For instance, say you’re late for work all of the time. No matter what you do, it’s not working out. There’s traffic, the bus is late, there’s a disabled vehicle, the trains are not running…basically, it’s the commute from hell and you are not winning.
What you want is to get to work early or on time. So how do you do that? What solutions are available to you? For me, I tested out the train schedules. I discovered that if I took the 6AM train (or bus), there are always seats (all to myself). The morning commute rush hour hasn’t even begun yet and it is quiet. There are also less people I have to deal with.
If I took the bus or train after 6:45AM, that’s when I run into problems, because that is when the commute gets crazy. Too many people on the train. You’re lucky to get on the train.
So the solution here would be to take the 6AM train. I get in early. I can write in peace and quiet without Matthew sitting on the laptop or typing up his own story.
With Glow 15, Naomi helped me tackle every single issue I was having with aging to reverse it. It allowed me to contemplate what I wanted out of life in my meditations and gave me more time to live the life I’ve been wanting by adjusting my sleep schedule.
Most of all, this whole experience has been about learning how to live a healthy life for the 40s and beyond. Just a few changes to my life from Glow 15 turned into so much more…living my life happy, healthy and with purpose.
I highly recommend this for every single woman out there.
Just in time for the Fourth of July holiday is a new novel from Colleen Coble called “The House at Saltwater Point.” [Due out July 3, 2018]
This is book two in the Lavender Tides series. You don’t need to read The View from Rainshadow Bay to get a sense of what is going on, because the story stands very well on its own. It ties in characters from the first book, allowing them to develop their own unique backgrounds within this story.
When I read this book, I kept asking myself which publisher gave me this book. I try not to read the back cover when I start reading a book, because I want to be surprised. There should be no hints as to what this book could possibly be about. I don’t want to know the genre. Yet, if I had flipped to the back of the book, I would have figured out the publisher was Thomas Nelson, a HarperCollins publication.
But I decided to read forward without seeing who the publisher was to see if I could figure it out just by reading the book…and I did figure it out. Some publishers place their own unique stamp (or style) in the type of books they publish. HarperCollins is one of them.
I do not pick up too many religious titles. I avoid them like the plague…UNLESS it comes from HarperCollins. Why? Because even though some of the books they publish may have some sort of religious theme, it is not being shoved down your throat. And I appreciate that.
I knew this was a HarperCollins publication because there were references to ‘praying’ or ‘God.’ No mention of the word “Jesus.” To me, this book passed the test for this site to be willing to write a review. Why? Because in everyday conversation, we may not all be religious, but when people are hurting or need direction, it is perfectly normal to say that we will pray for them or ask God to help them. God is more encompassing of all religions. Using the word ‘Jesus’ limits it to one religion, and not all people believe in that religion.
So let’s talk about “The House at Saltwater Point.”
What drew me to this book was the main character. Not only is she a house flipper, but she is also a blogger for a site called “Hammer Girl.” Ellie is the type of person I would follow on social media. I would probably read her blog, too. She is basically living in a world that many wonder about and would love to know more about. She lives an inspiring life, buying houses, flipping them into something beautiful and then moves on to the next project. I can just imagine how awesome her Instagram account would be!
So throw in a murder mystery with a missing sister (possibly dead) and a bunch of missing cocaine. There is even a terrorist plot underway in her beautiful hometown.
Yes, I said a terrorist plot!!!
Add in a little bit of a love story, family issues, and a lot of suspense in a dreamy locale where you are constantly visualizing the beautiful water with tall boats floating by in a quaint seaside town where everybody knows everyone, and you have the elements of what makes this story worth picking up.
You will have no idea what is going on as the adventure unveils. Is Ellie’s sister, Mac, still alive or is she dead? Is she connected to the missing cocaine? Why is there a terrorist involved in this? What does North Korea have to do with anything? ISIS on US soil? Who is trying to kill Ellie? What did she do? Why is there a dead man in her basement? Why does Mac have information about making EMPs (bombs) on her laptop?
You will ask a lot of questions, and they will all be answered in the most incredible way. Did I see who the mastermind was going to be? No. Then I felt stupid for not seeing the foreshadowing. [That’s how you know it was a well planned murder mystery…when you feel like you should have seen the result coming at the end, but you didn’t.]
The Verdict
I really enjoyed this book. I do not read suspenseful murder mysteries very often, but this one is worth the read. Despite the crazy that comes out of the town of Lavender Tides, it sounds like a dream. The locale seems like paradise, if it weren’t for all of the sinister plots going on.
There are elements in this story that ties in the first book and will likely tie in the third book. What binds the stories together are Shauna and Grayson. Shauna’s story appears in the first book.
She is not a main character in the second book, only Grayson. There is enough intrigue that I looked up the first book in the series. It goes further into Shauna’s tale of what happened the day of the earthquake. The line that hooked me in this book to want to pick up the first book is Coble’s reference to the earthquake being caused by Shauna’s father. Now, she has my attention.
When I was in my 20s, fresh out of college, my college roommate showed up on my doorstep touting her brand new handbag. My mouth dropped. She was carrying a Kate Spade bag.
She said it was a graduation present from her mom and grandmother.
To someone fresh out of college, barely able to afford rent, seeing a designer bag on the shoulder of a friend causes major bag envy. I could not afford a bag between $100-$400. And guess what? It would take another ten years before I could get my very first Kate Spade bag.
In my 20s, Kate was a dream. In my 30s, I didn’t get just one bag, I got five, because I could finally afford her. Don’t get me started on the stationary line! In my early 40s, I added clothes, shoes and jewelry. To have a wardrobe meant Kate Spade had a prominent right to a space in that closet.
But as time moves on, business plans change. Coach (a brand I refuse to buy) bought out the Kate Spade brand last year, tried to put an end to the online flash sales (the sales that allowed so many women the opportunity to buy a Kate Spade bag), and started pulling the bags from shelves at department stores. As a result of this takeover and how they treated the Kate Spade brand, Coach shares dropped 14% just one month after buying the brand out for $2.4 billion.
Just add that to one of those reasons why I refuse to buy Coach. With their acquisition, it meant my Kate Spade shopping days would come to an end.
[Since someone will ask what is wrong with Coach. I do not like to carry what everyone else is carrying. Everybody has a Coach bag. Even with Kate Spade, the majority of people usually choose to carry Coach over Kate Spade. So I’ll go with Kate Spade over Coach. It’s like Louis Vuitton in NYC. Everyone has a Louis (even I do). But I would rather carry my Fendi over my Louis any day, because everyone carries a Louis in NYC. Kind of goes along with the argument: If your friend jumps off a bridge… If everyone else is carrying it, am I going to be like everyone else or stand out on my own?]
Learning of Kate Spade’s death really made me sad. She was a brilliant designer. She really helped bring out the girly girl in me. I wanted to hug all of my Kate Spade at home and love them just a little bit more as my way of remembering her and the little bit of happiness she brought to me every single day. She was a dream to me for so many years.
I remember when I was in my 20s, standing in Saks Fifth Avenue staring at the Kate Spade bags on the shelves. I could not afford anything in that store. But during my lunch hours, I would walk around Saks and Neiman Marcus making a mental wish list of what my life would be like if I made more money. I would own a Kate Spade bag and a Fendi baguette.
I would ask the ladies behind the counters to let me see one of the bags up on the wall behind them. Sometimes all I wanted to do was just hold one, study it, before giving it back and saying to myself, “Someday.”
That bag my friend brought over…I found a similar bag with a dragonfly where the logo would go for $9 and carried that bag for years. It was like Kate Spade, but it wasn’t. The dragonfly represented the Kate Spade June Lane dishes I’ve been lusting over for the last 15 years. During those starvation years when I worked for the Attorney General, I liked to pretend it was my starter bag…the bag like Kate Spade’s bag that would one day lead me to a real authentic Kate Spade handbag.
It wasn’t until I moved to NYC that I could make all of those dreams come true of owning all of the fashion I dreamed of owning someday. That’s the crazy thing about New York. For the right dreamers, it is a place where you can make every single one of your dreams come true. Kate Spade was one of those dreamers. She made her dream come true here.
In 1998, Forbes released an article on Kate Spade’s beginnings. On the eve of her first trade show, she got this idea to put the label on the outside of the bag. So she spent all night sewing them on. The next day, Barneys ordered 18 bags, but told her to sew the labels back on the inside.
Incidentally, a Vogue editor saw the bags at the trade show too and decided to feature the bag in their magazine WITH the label on the outside. This is what making something go viral looked like back in the old days…before the internet and social media took over. So guess what Barneys had to do? They had to call her back and ask for more bags with the label on the OUTSIDE of the bag.
Her instincts paid off.
What Kate’s story tells us is that despite what the world tells you, listen to your instincts and follow your dreams. Stay true to yourself. Believe in your dream. That’s what she did. She took chances on her impulses and she created a whimsical and beautiful empire.
I will never understand the reasoning of selling her namesake, but for most of us, we were buying a piece of Kate Spade’s dream. Her dream brought so much happiness to so many of us. We were proud to wear her name. Every single thing that women are afraid to say they love, but they do (like glitter), she let us know that we are never too old to let our inner child shine. She gave us glitter, shine, pastels, sophistication, fun…but also that 1950s housewife vibe…even if we never become housewives.
Ms. Spade, thank you for the last 25+ years of your namesake. You brought so much happiness to so many women. That, right there, should have earned your wings. Your beauty and creativity will be greatly missed. If God decides you should continue to create up there in heaven, just make sure you stay true to who you are.
My prayers are with her family and friends as they grieve the loss of this beautiful visionary.
After losing his entire family in a deadly car accident, Dave Riley is lost, trying to find meaning to life itself. On the other side of the country, Katie Connelly discovers a new story in the building of the Golden Gate Bridge. Both people are suffering from the loss of family member(s). Before Dave’s wife died, he revealed to her that his dream was to ride a motorcycle cross country to the Golden Gate Bridge. She thought it was hilarious. But as his birthday approached, she decided to buy him a motorcycle jacket…a jacket she would never be able to give to him. When Dave finds the jacket, he believes it is a sign. His marketing firm is being offered a chance to represent a motorcycle company in their next ad campaign. Dave sees this as another sign and tries to come back out of his funk to take on the account…even if that means dropping everything, getting on a bike and heading from NYC to the Golden Gate Bridge. What he finds along the way is not what he expected. But isn’t that true of any journey we embark upon? How these two lives intersect…you will never guess the outcome. [Review]
[I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.]
I love books. As a writer, reading books is a livelihood. It is a way to become inspired by other authors who are honing or have already honed their crafts. I want to know what people think, create and escape to when they put a book together. It is not just the stories they are telling. The words. The words are the most important part.
Without words, we would have no story, no way to express the tales that linger within our souls. Words may be elegant. They can be sharp. Each word tied together can create something beautiful that may inspire or enlighten us. Done right, it can even warm our hearts to love even greater.
As we move further into this age of technology, people are spending more time connecting with the internet than connecting with life. Their eyes are constantly on their devices instead of absorbing the pages of books. More and more people claim they are too busy to read books. They read Facebook, Twitter and headlines, never clicking on the story to get further information. The headlines, tweet or meme tell them whatever they need to know in a few words or less. To them, that’s all they need to know everything.
In reality, this method is dumbing people down. For instance, yesterday, when the Supreme Court of the United States released their opinion in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd., et al. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission et al. the only thing people read was that the court sided with Masterpiece Cakeshop in their right to deny service due to their religious beliefs. But that is not what the Court said.
If people took time to read the opinion, they would have found that SCOTUS believed that the baker’s rights were violated by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. The baker was accused of heinous things by the Commission. They were hostile towards him and persecuted him because of his religious beliefs. Instead of listening to both sides of the argument in a neutral manner to decide if it legal or illegal for a business to deny service to someone due to religious beliefs (a question that SCOTUS would have answered), the Commission chose to be hostile and punished the baker for his religious beliefs.
That, right there, is illegal under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. The decision on Monday addressed only what the Commission said and did to the baker. They did not address whether it was legal or illegal to discriminate against LGBTQ persons. That question became irrelevant when the Commission (the government entity) decided to persecute the baker for his religious beliefs. No government can persecute or act hostile to anyone because of their religious beliefs. In this case, that is what the Colorado Civil Rights Commission did. If they had been neutral in their decision, SCOTUS would have discussed the question of whether businesses can discriminate against LGBTQ persons due to religious differences. But because the Commission persecuted the baker, that violation of the First Amendment took precedence.
To sum it up: The Supreme Court did not say it was ok to discriminate against LGBTQ persons. It was not part of the decision.
But the only way you would know that is if you read the opinion or got your news from someone who actually read the opinion. It’s like flag burning. Most Americans have no idea that burning the flag is perfectly LEGAL because it is protected as free speech…just like taking the knee during the national anthem is free speech, whether you like it or not. They would know this if they did a quick Google search.
It disappoints me that people choose ignorance over truth. They choose a meme over the real story, even if the meme is completely wrong. They believe the meme!
But what disappoints me even more is that people don’t read books anymore, at least not like they used to. There are so many people out there with so many stories to tell. From the good to the bad to the ugly…stories connect us. As we grow as human beings, reading books allows us to learn from others who are different from us (or just like us) so that we can better understand who they (or we) are.
The narrative does not belong to just one race anymore. It belongs to all of us, including that dreamer crossing the border from Mexico into the United States. That kid you bullied because they were transgender? Even they have a tale to tell to you about themselves. But you will never know if you don’t take the time to enlighten yourself. You may find that you have more in common with them than you thought you did.
Pick up a book. Learn. Become enlightened. Whatever answers you are looking for in life don’t always just happen to you. Sometimes the answer can be found in someone else’s story…in their own words.
Are Book Reviews Dying?
Not only are we moving towards an age where people are not reading books, but we are also moving into a time where promoting books is a dying business. While Amazon is taking over the market (books are actually their biggest seller), many booksellers are struggling. But it’s not just the booksellers that are struggling. The book reviewer is finding a shrinking marketplace to tell you about the book they read that you really should read too.
Very few newspapers give space for book reviews these days. Even magazines give a short blurb about the book they probably got directly from the publisher. But the funny thing is, depending on the paper, the more intelligent the publication, the more likely they have space for book reviews.
Now, ask yourself…how many intelligent publications are left? Look to see if that media material you are reading has book reviews with 500 words or more. If not, it’s not an intelligent publication.
During Book Expo America 2018, a panel of book reviewers discussed the industry as a whole. Are book reviews dead? Even moreso, is the livelihood of the book reviewer becoming non-existent?
First, when I went to this panel, I had no idea people were paid to write book reviews. I generate income in a different way when I write book reviews. Sure, I could see being a book reviewer was a realistic job back before the turn of the century. But today? We are lucky to find people that actually read books! Getting kids, let alone adults, to read a book is a struggle for every parent and educator. Even adults are finding it more difficult to find time to read books. Where is Oprah’s Book Club when you need it?
At the panel, Christopher Carduff, the Books Editor from The Wall Street Journal spoke about how he was considered the White Rhino at WSJ. When he leaves, book reviews in WSJ will disappear with him. The people that read the book reviews and the weekend book section are the most intelligent readers of the WSJ. They are also the ones that stay on the site the longest to read more articles.
When the WSJ writes a book review, they are looking for the jewels to share with their readers. Believe it or not, finding those jewels are becoming harder to find as the book industry becomes watered down with so many stories from everyone wanting to be a writer (even if they can’t write). Trust me, I’ve read my share of crap books and I had to ask myself just what in the world publishers were thinking asking me to read this crap.
When you read a review in the WSJ, they have sifted through a lot of shit just to find something that wasn’t a piece of shit to share with you. Their reviews are thought provoking and written by a good writer. Believe it or not, book reviewers are all writers. Every good writer reads a lot of books. Just look at Stephen King. He writes and then he reads every single day…and he reads a lot of books.
The Book Reviewer aka The Writer
So if you are going to be an author who writes well, you need to read well. You need to read a lot of books. You need to learn from the masters, as well as the ones who are just horrible (in order to learn what not to do). I also believe that you should share what you read.
They say blogging is becoming a dying art, but there are bloggers that miss it. At least once a week, I see a blogger I love go on a rant about how they miss writing stories for their blog. If you are a writer, don’t ever stop blogging. Do not sacrifice to the whims of the world for a watered down version of yourself or your brand. Keep writing.
There are people that still read book reviews. It still remains to be one of the more popular sections of the Wall Street Journal both in print and online. There are educators and bibliophiles that read book reviews. There are highly intelligent people that read book reviews so that they can find their next great read.
As a book reviewer, it is our responsibility to find those gems out there to share with the world. After all, it is the publisher/author looking for that opportunity to have their book reviewed and shared with the world. They are looking for that sales push (aka free marketing).
Book reviews in the marketplace may be dying, but for those who have blogs and websites…keep reviewing. It will make you into a better writer. Read the classics and bestsellers, but also discover new voices. They will all teach you how to be a better writer.
How to be a Book Reviewer
For those who want to start reviewing books, start by having 1) a blog or website where you can post reviews regularly, 2) an Instagram account and 3) a Twitter account. Optional: Tumblr & Facebook.
The first one is self-explanatory, but keep in mind that if you want to be taken seriously as a book reviewer, you absolutely cannot write a short blurb about every book you read, unless you are doing a short summary promoting books like you will find on my PW Book Club page. You can create a similar page, but make sure your actual site has complete reviews.
When you post a review, make sure to let the author and the publisher know about the review. The easiest way to do that is to tweet it on Twitter. Most authors and all publishers have Twitter accounts. Add them to your tweet when you publicize the review.
On Instagram, take creative pictures of books you are reading, book hauls, bookstores, etc. In other words, anything that promotes books. Some book reviewers post a short review of the book they are reading on Instagram, encouraging people to click on the link in their bio for more. [NOTE: Don’t do socks with books. It was cute in the beginning, but now it is overdone and boring to publishers.]
For other social media accounts, I find that sharing books with friends on Facebook gets the most traction, because many of my friends read my blog and want book suggestions. Tumblr is also very popular among the younger generation.
I also recommend posting a portion of your review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads (save time by linking your Amazon and Goodreads accounts).
How to Get Advanced Copies of Books
When you’ve built up a rather large amount of writing on your site, there are different ways to get review copies. For newbies, I highly encourage you to post reviews on Amazon, but also make sure you create a public profile on Amazon [example] that allows authors and publishers the ability to contact you.
I’ve met many new authors this way and discovered some great books this way.
Also, for those starting out, get yourself to a Book Con. Book Cons are designed for fans of books. You can get advanced copies of books from many publishers for free. If your blog has been around for a little longer and you’ve established yourself as a legitimate book reviewer, you can sign up for the Book Expo (which is strictly for those in the industry). The Book Expo is generally more expensive, but they also include panels and MORE FREE advanced reader copies (aka galleys or ARCs). You’ll have more access to what is expected to be the IT books of the year at the Expo. It is also not as crazy as the Cons.
If you are at Book Expo level, you can also sign up for NetGalley. You’ll get your ARCs delivered electronically through Kindle documents. You will need to post your blog review to NetGalley, as well as on Amazon and Barnes & Noble as a requirement to read ARCs from NetGalley.
If you are at Book Expo level, it is important that you develop relationships with the publishers. Make sure you come equipped with business cards and a willingness to market your site verbally to the publishers. I’ve developed great relationships with publishers over the years by marketing my site when I talk to them about my business plan in relation to promoting their books.
It is also very important to tag the publisher in your book review tweets. They remember the review, especially if it is a very good one. For instance, my most recent review was on Siri Daly’s cookbook. I tweeted the review to both Siri and her publisher. At the Book Expo last Thursday, Siri was there signing her new cookbook. I introduced myself and told her I reviewed her cookbook at Perfectionist Wannabe. Both she and her publisher lit up, knowing exactly which review and which site I was referencing. They both exclaimed how much they liked the review.
When you write reviews that are well received by both the author and the publisher, it helps in their decision making process on whether they will work with you in the future for future book reviews. Those coveted titles you want to get your hands on before anyone else does…it helps if you have a good relationship with the publisher.
One publisher I love working with is Simon & Schuster. They have created incredible opportunities for me as a writer to learn from their bestselling authors on how to write better and to just plain finish the damn novel! They are usually the first to open up the door for me in both the writing and reviewing realm.
That is another reason why it is important to develop relationships with publishers, especially if you are writing a book. They will help you develop as a writer by giving you the tools you need to learn how to become a better writer by learning from their best-selling authors on how to troubleshoot the writing process, develop techniques and inspire you to complete your novel. For me, it also helps me in the decision making process on which publisher I want to work with to publish my book. I look at each book they hand to me to review as a calling card of what their company can do in the editing, marketing, and talent handling processes. To me, it’s not just a book to be reviewed, it’s an extension of who they are as a publishing company and whether I want to work with them in the future.
So if they hand me a lot of crap books to review, what does that say about the company? Something to think about if you are looking to publish your novel. I would prefer to work with a qualitative editor and publisher than just a company that will publish anything and everything.
There are other ways that book reviewers receive their advanced copies, but these are my ways that work very well for me.
It’s that time of year when all of the really awesome movies come out. From the much anticipated Avengers: Infinity War to Solo: A Star Wars Story, if you are like most movie lovers, you want to see all of the big movies up on the screen.
But the thing you may not like are the ticket prices.
MoviePass – Not Such a Smart Investment
In the past, I promoted MoviePass as your way to save the most money when you go to the movies. But they made a big mistake last year when they decided to drop the membership price down to $10/month. While anyone can see this is an awesome deal, the movie theaters did not.
When I went to my local theater, the manager told me they no longer accepted MoviePass, even though the app listed the theater as a ‘participating’ theater. The reason why had more to do with the theater not getting the money and the business model of MoviePass did not allow mom and pop style theaters to survive.
It did not stop there. AMC 25 in New York City would not give me AMC Stubs credit for the movies I purchased using MoviePass. Then they started marking my ticket MP when I purchased tickets. I knew something was up.
A couple of months later, MoviePass released their new terms, which meant that all of the theaters that did not want to be part of MoviePass were taken off of the app and the theaters stopped taking MoviePass. While MoviePass would like to say that it was their decision to do that, it was the theaters that asked them (via a lawsuit) to be removed from their program.
Based on the news reports of MoviePass’s current financial situation, they are losing millions and unless they have a turnaround with investors, plan on this ‘good idea’ failing soon…as in, it won’t last the year. Most financial analysts give it 3 months max.
MoviePass should have kept the membership the way it was. It was the $10/month deal that pissed off the theaters and brought this ‘too good to be true’ deal to an untimely end. For those who still have MoviePass and can use it, enjoy it while it lasts.
Life After MoviePass
Knowing that AMC was going to lose a lot of their loyal moviegoers after many (not all) of the theaters stopped accepting MoviePass , they devised a new plan.
If you are an AMC Stubs member, you can now get movie tickets every Tuesday for $5. Becoming an AMC Stubs Premiere member has its rewards. For every dollar you spend, you receive 100 points. You can use those points towards movie tickets and concessions. The points add up very quickly.
Also, being an AMC Stubs Premiere member means you have VIP status. There are separate lines at the ticket counter and at concessions for Premiere members. That long line…I can’t tell you how many times I bypassed that line and was the next person served.
On days like Tuesdays, you are better off purchasing your $5 ticket directly through the AMC Theatres app, because even the VIP line becomes extremely long. Purchasing through the app means you go directly to the ticket taker. Show them your ticket on your device and you are on your way. [I like simplicity. And if you’ve been in NYC as long as I have, you really hate lines.]
So if you are looking to take your family of 4 to the movies, consider an AMC Stubs Premiere membership. Make Tuesdays movie night. Tickets for the four of you will cost $20. And always be on the lookout for concessions deals on the app or on their website. [For instance, right now, teens can get a Frostee + bag of popcorn for $5 when they show their student ID.]
[Note: There are two AMC Stubs memberships: Insider and Premiere. Insider is free, but not worth it. The Premiere membership is usually around $15/year, and they do sales on the membership often to entice you to keep renewing (as of this writing the membership is 20% off, i.e. $11.99). Premiere members get free passes to advanced movie screenings 3-6 times a year. They also have VIP status. Trust me when I say the VIP status is everything. You also earn points faster. 100 points for every dollar versus 20 points for every dollar spent as an Insider. Generally, I get my money back from the membership in a couple of months or less (if I go to the movies on a weekly basis). The Premiere membership is totally worth it.]
To Save Even More
Every now and again, Groupon and other discount sites offer movie gift certificates at a discounted price. When you see your movie chain being offered, purchase it!
The best way to make sure you get notifications for these special deals is to download the Groupon app or sign up online. I usually receive an email or a notification when these deals go live.
Also, check to see if your workplace offers perks like Plum Benefits or Perks at Work. These websites offer businesses special corporate discounts for many things, especially movie tickets. For sites like Perks at Work, you can earn WOW Points that can be used as currency towards future purchases.
For most movie chains that use apps, you can easily upload the gift certificate information to the app. That makes purchasing movie tickets so much easier.
Disney Movie Rewards
If you are not a Disney Movie Rewards member yet, sign up. I know most of you reading this will probably go to a Marvel or Star Wars movie. Disney owns the rights to both. So why not rack up points every time you go?
When you head to the movies, keep your ticket stub and upload it to Disney Movie Rewards to get points to use towards either Disney related merchandise or gift certificates for movie concessions, movie tickets or Starbucks.
For a family of 4, that’s around 300 points each time you go to a Disney/Marvel/Star Wars movie. Currently, it’s 550 points for a $5 concession certificate and 1100 points for a $10 movie certificate.
And don’t forget to read their email newsletter. They always give away a few free points in the newsletter every single month. Every point counts.
Also, as an added bonus, if you have a Regal Crown Card, you can connect your account to Disney Movie Rewards for extra points.
Go Local
For those who have access to local non-chain movie theaters, please go. Sure, it is not like the experience you will get from the big chain theaters, but they will offer cheaper prices.
For instance, my local movie theater only charges $8 for movie tickets. Concessions are half the price as the chain theater. Because I go so much, the manager usually comps tickets for me every now and again. If I’m the only person in the theater and I am late, he will restart the movie for me.
There are less previews and ads prior to the movie (usually only one preview and then the movie begins). One movie preview is so much better than sitting through 20 minutes of previews. Yes, the previews in the chain theaters run for 20 minutes now.
What I love about local movie theaters is that you are giving back to the community when you choose to go local. Not only are you saving money, but you are also keeping a neighborhood icon alive. Trust me, you will miss it when it closes down. That’s why you need to help keep these local businesses alive.
Movie Deals
Always check out your favorite movie theater’s website for deals. Many theaters do special family deals during the summer.
For instance, all summer long, participating Regal Cinemas theaters offer $1 movies at 10:00AM on the weekends. Most of the movies are already out on DVD or television, but this is a good way to get the kids out and into some air conditioning surrounded by other kids for a couple of hours.
There are a lot of movie chains all across America that offer these little programs. Just check their website. Some offer special ticket discounts on certain days. Others offer discounts on concessions.
I haven’t paid $16+ for a movie ticket in a very long time. I find every avenue I can to go at a cheap price. The discounts are out there. You just have to know where to look.