I was a lucky winner of the Hachette Book Group’s Summer Reads Giveaway via Literary Feline, who was one of quite a few book bloggers hosting it this summer. Getting books for free is always lucky, isn’t it? Now I’d like to share some of that luck.

Did you enter the giveaway on someone’s blog and not win? Were you
hosting the giveaway, and couldn’t enter? Did you miss it entirely,
because you just don’t visit enough book blogs? Well, if you have no
objection to re-gifting, here’s your second chance at some summer
reading, which of course can be done at any time of the year.

There were 14 books in the giveaway. After looking them all over, a
couple will be given to family members, I’ll keep a few for my own
reading, and I’m offering the rest of them right here. I’m grouping
them by similarity in theme, genre, or author, so when you enter the
giveaway, you’ll have to specify which package(s) you want. (Click on
the link for info about each book.)

Book Bag #1
The Monster of Florence, by Douglas Preston (nf, hc)
Miscarriage of Justice, by Justice “Kip” Gayden (f, hc)

Book Bag #2
A Rose by the Door, by Deborah Bedford (f, pb)
Remember Me, by Deborah Bedford (f, pb)
He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, by Trish Ryan (nf, hc)

Book Bag #3
Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith (f, hc)
Close, by Martina Cole (f, hc)

Book Bag #4
Made in the U.S.A., by Billie Letts (f, hc)
Off Season, by Anne Rivers Siddons (f, hc)

Go here to enter!

Via The 3 R’s: Reading, ‘Riting, and Randomness: The Second Chance at Summer [Reading] Re-Gifting Giveaway!

1. You must write.
2. You must finish what you write.
3. You must never rewrite, except to the editor’s/publisher’s specs.
4. You must submit what you write a market.
5. You must keep submitting it until it sells.

If I know Heinlein, there’s probably another rule about naughty nurses always being a good addition to the story.

Via Taking the Plunge: Becoming a Freelancer | Get Paid to Write Online

Walsch did not use the preaching method in narrating what he wanted to let the readers know. The books serves as a guide to the readers in assessing their beliefs and truths they hold in their lives. It is a very wonderful read; a book that touches the mind, the heart, and the soul.

The author is very clear about his point- the book doesn’t want to give the impression that what you believe is wrong, and what the author believes is right. His books are clear in conveying that faith is personal. And the books are willing to guide the readers into finding the truths in their hearts.

Beyond religion, Neale Donald Walsch works are guidebooks in developing a deeper sense of belongingness- a connection to the World, a recognition of the Self, and a partnership with the Highest Being.

101 Heartwarming, Healthful, and Humorous Resolutions… and how they turned out!

Chicken Soup for the Soul is looking for stories about your future resolutions or your past resolutions and how they worked out – your failures and successes, what you learned.

Do you have a great story about:

Going “green”
Adjusting to the new economic reality – gas and food prices, losing a job etc.
Improving your health
Getting more organized
Changing your behavior
Restoring a relationship with someone
Spending more time with family and friends
Any other resolutions…
We pay $200 plus ten free copies of the book for each story published. Deadline is August 30th. Please submit your story to: http://chickensoupforthesoul.com/form.asp?cid=submit_story.

The stories should be nonfiction and no more than 1200 words. Authors retain the rights to their stories and can publish them again anytime after the book is published. If you need any more information you can feel free to contact me.

Via My Resolution - Chicken Soup for the Soul Looking for Stories | Freelance Writing Jobs

as a little girl, i have always been amazed by the magic and strange things that happens in a fairy tales. as we can notice now, not all fairy tales have fairy character, but there is always some magic, something weird and wonderful happenings that will activate the imagination of kids. there are many fairy tales that has been told and retold through generations. now that im a mom, i am choosy and picky with the ones i want for my son. some books now have colorful yet violent illustrations and i dont want such for the young eyes and imagination of my son.

some fairy tales stories that i think is appropriate for our toddlers are:
three little pigs
little red riding hood
hansel and gretel
the emperor’s new clothes
puss in boots

these stories are short enough so as not to bore our little boys. there are also fun scenes and scary ones and by asking them to participate, we would be helping them imagine and understand these stories more.

now that i have a child of my own, i make sure that i can read him stories during our nap times. some books like the ones from Ladybird have nice and colorful images that can get a toddler’s attention. it would just require us to be careful and go easy on a child so that he wont tear the pages. when reading, i try to have my son sitting next to me and i would point out the words as i say them. this way, he would know which word is being said. sometimes i would also challenge him to repeat the word i’ve read. I would be too proud if he gets them right of course. By reading this way and having an interaction while reading with my son, i am hoping that i can instill in his this habit of reading while he is still young. This interest and reading habits will do well as he is growing up.

From the Corner of His Eye tells the story from several different points of view. You begin by getting to know a kind, sweet woman named Agnes who is about to have a child. A few pages later, Junior Cain is introduced, a man who is not what he seems. There are many twists throughout the story. You’ll end up adoring the love Agnes and her husband had for each other before a fatal car accident separated them. Naomi, Junior’s former wife, is to be pitied through the whole plot, though we never get to see what she thinks or feels- only how Junior himself thought of her. Several other characters are introduced, including Celestina, Agnes’ brothers Jacob and Edom, and the mysterious detective Vanadium. It is the children of the story however, Bartholomew and Angel, that will captivate the hearts of any reader.

As a writer myself, I find it hard to delve into the minds of children and somehow make them come to life. Koontz had no problem at all in doing so, with little Barty and Angel playing an integral part in the entire storyline as Junior Cain searches for them, desperate to get rid of his only threat.

I don’t want to give away anything else in the story. I will promise that it is the adventure of a lifetime however, and you certainly won’t be disappointed with this book. Maybe it’ll even change the way you think about things.

i had a great time scouring for bargains yesterday and i was able to purchase a number of books from a book sale. these sales can really give you big big savings. you should just have a great deal of patience and energy to search for books that would interest you. bestsellers and books from known authors or popular genre has more than 70% mark down on prices and nothing can beat that for savings. i got books for my self from the authors - amanda quick and hanna howell both romance writers and three childrens book from ladybird for my son. and guess.. it never even amounted to the original price of a single book. one had an 80% slash off in its price!

so next time, try and check out these book sales. you never know what you’ll find especially if you just have the patience and the energy to look for them. its all worth it.

I changed my mind after reading MC’s thoughtful responses to each book. There are only positive reviews (MC must follow the adage that if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all!), but they are not repetitive, since the collection of books and authors that she’s discussing is so varied, her responses are varied as well.

Here’s a recent example (because I am a big Ondaatje fan since reading The English Patient and In The Skin Of A Lion):

Michael Ondaatje first came to international attention with his gorgeous novel, The English Patient, which won the Booker Prize. It cannot be easy for a writer to follow up on such acclaim, but with Anil’s Ghost he does just that. And though the two novels are vastly different in scope and subject, Anil’s Ghost is as lovely, thought provoking, and unforgettable as the first.

Anil’s Ghost takes place in Sri Lanka during the early 1990s in the days following the “emergency” (read civil war) of the late 80’s. Anil Tissera is a young Sri Lankan expatriate who has returned to the island after being educated abroad. She is a forensic anthropologist sent by an international human rights group to investigate disappearances and organized murders perpetuated by the government against citizens thought to be involved in one of two anti-government insurgent groups. Anil is assigned by the “cooperative” Sri Lankan government to work with an archeaologist, named Sarath Diyasena, who may or may not be sympathetic with her work.

The story centers around Anil’s and Sarath’s investigation, so there is a mystery at the heart of the novel, but Ondaatje gracefully weaves the stories of other characters into it as well. For every clue the scientists uncover as they build a case against the government, we learn of the human cost of civil war on the families of the victims, on the doctors who treat them, on the fabric of a society torn apart by fear and mistrust. The incredible thing about this novel is that while the story is often heartbreaking, Ondaatje offers it to us honestly and with a forthrightness that is never grotesque or hard to bear.

Via Too Fond of Books: Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje