Patricia Delois' New Book Reviewed

Title: Bufflehead Sisters
Author: Patricia Delois
ISBN-13: 978-0425227770
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: Berkley Trade

Reviewed by Karyn Hall
Review first published by Amazon

Janet lives an ordinary life with an ordinary family, growing up
against a backdrop of the Vietnam War and the growth of the drug
culture. Her parents struggle for a balance between compassion and
control. Janet yearns for a sister, a Thelma for her Louise. Then
Sophie enters her life. Patricia DeLois has Janet describe Sophie as
follows: "Her hair was a nest of blond curls that made me think of
Goldilocks, and there was a smug look about her mouth that suggested
she might have already helped herself to someone's porridge and found
it just right." Turns out, this is actually foreshadowing of events
to come in Sophie and Janet’s lives.

DeLois writes with a magic wand. "One day in late winter, Sophie
suggested we dig our way to another country. Not China, she said--they
would look for us there. We would dig a hole halfway to China, and
then we would veer off toward Amsterdam."

DeLois enters the world of two children and shows the reader both how
Sophie viewed her dysfunctional family and how Janet viewed her own
parents as well as her relationship with the Sophie. The author is as
adept at showing the child's view as she is the adolescent view. The
imagery she creates is so realistic you'll think you're back in your
high school lunchroom, hoping against hope a certain boy will sit with
you and scorning the girls who have reputations. But this is an adult
book that holds a mirror to the ways we judge others.

A coming of age story, a book about heartbreak and the ways women and
men struggle with their wounds, and a tale of everyday lives,
Bufflehead Sisters is all that. It is also a look at having friends
who are different than you and how that affects your life and your
character. You may see yourself in the pages.

There's something special about Sophie. Every one who meets her thinks
so, though not in the same ways. This reader agrees, and probably not
in the same way as you.

I found Bufflehead Sisters to be an enjoyable book. I cared about the
characters and the conflicts they faced. I also looked again at the
choices I’ve made in life.


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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Mary Jean Kelso's New Book Reviewed

Title: Back to the Homestead
Author Mary Jean Kelso
Genre: Western Fiction
ISBN 978-1-59705-431-7.
Publisher: Wings Press


Reviewed by Claudia Valiquet, publicist/literary agent

Mary Jean Kelso’s historical romance, Life on the

Homestead, was not only entertaining, but also informative about western life! Western fiction has been a passion of mine now for several years. I confess that Louis L’Amour is my favorite and I actually get a little bored with Zane Grey. Ms. Kelso’s book, while teaching me some new facts about life on the range, kept me in suspense the whole way through and I didn’t want to stop reading.

I fell in love with the Westerman family and agonized along with them as they dealt not only with the day-to-day chores and other tribulations that western pioneer families faced, but also with great adversities such as mental illness, cattle rustling, and severe childhood illness. Ms. Kelso dealt with racism as Charlie Cooper and his new wife, Effie Mae, a black couple settling onto the range, have to fear for their lives.

Despite all of the drama in the book, there are some wonderfully humorous portions, too, especially the marble game and a small matter about one boy who is not very good at handling guns. The book is action-packed and flows well, yet there is no blood or death--which is very refreshing. I’m ready for more!


Available through wings-press.com or ask for it at your favorite book store.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Barbara Bonfigli Captures Essence of Greece in Fictionalized Memoir

Title: Café Tempest: Adventures on a Small Greek Island
Author: Barbara Bonfigli
Author's Website: www.cafetempest.com
Genre: Fictional Memoir
ISBN: 978-0981645315
Publisher: Tell Me Press
Available From Amazon.com:


Reviewed by Michael Gelb, author of How to Think lIke Leonardo Da Vinci(excerpt from his review 4/30/2009 at www.michaelgelb.com


"...In CaféTempest, Barbara Bonfigli's fabulous first novel, we are invited to share a concentrated experience of food, spirit and love on an intimate Greek island.


"Your heart will race with the tempestuousness of love, your mouth will water from her savory descriptions of zucchini fritters and baklava (recipes included), and you'll discover a remarkable depth of spiritual wisdom, and humor! that shines through every page.


"Bonfigli plays with the best elements of Elizabeth Gilbert (Eat, Pray, Love) and Peter Mayle (A Year in Provence) and combines them with ingredients from Nikos Kazantzakis (Zorba the Greek) and Shakespeare (The Tempest) to bring us a uniquely sumptuous literary feast. Opa! --

To learn about Barbara Bonfigli and Café Tempest, feel free to visit any of these sites.
Barbara Bonfigli’s website – www.cafetempest.com
Order Café Tempest directly from the publisher - http://www.tellmepress.com/pub_ct.php
or from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Café-Tempest-Adventures-Small-Island/dp/0981645313
To see the complete tour schedule visit http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2009/05/cafe-tempest-by-barbara-bonfigli-summer.html

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Audio Book Offers Riehl's Poetry from Former Book

Title: Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music
Author: Janet Grace Riehl
Genre: poetry; audio book
ISBN: B0020SQFRC.
Originally published: Story Circle Book Reviews: Reviewing Books for, by, and about Women

Reviewed by Edith O'Nuallain



Sightlines: A Family Love Story in Poetry and Music by Janet Grace Riehl consists of 4 audio CDs, which combine the poems previously published in Riehl's book Sightlines: A Poet's Diary. This recorded version of Sightlines: A Poet's Diary (2006) expands on the original 90 poems by including brief clips of 40 songs played by her 93-year-old father and his Sunday Afternoon music group. The poems are further set in a wider context with her father's stories, and he reads the poems he wrote that open Sightlines, along with the lines of dialogue that appear in poems sprinkled throughout. In this unique offering, we glimpse the lives, past and present, of the poet and her family.

Together words and songs weave a magical tapestry of myriad threads, recounting family folklore in the warm timbres of Riehl's quiet-spoken voice, each story-poem set in the lively rhythms of fiddles, guitars and mandolins, music reminiscent of a bygone era. The sometimes slightly discordant notes of the violin merely add to the beauty of the tales told.

This series of poems and songs is a memoir. It is also a series of love poems, composed in memory and celebration of three people and two places Riehl loves. She traces the treasured reminiscences of a childhood shared with her two older siblings—her sister, Julia Ann, and her brother, Gary, tenderly watched over by loving parents. Her attentiveness to detail is evident in the images and words which reflect her considered awareness of who she is and where she comes from. Here is where Riehl composes the haunting and lyrical songs to her sister, tragically killed in an automobile accident, an experience so devastating that almost every succeeding poem is written in reference, either directly or obliquely, to it. The mother and father captured on her pages are our mothers and fathers, the love she expresses for them is the love we feel for our own.

One striking feature of Riehl's poetry is the unmistakable sense of presence that the author brings to her subject matter. Pick any poem from the book, and almost immediately the reader comes face to face, as it were, with the poet. She recounts, sometimes in devastating and searingly honest detail, her mother's progressive dance towards death. She is not afraid to open herself to the suffering of returning and re-living the death of her sister, a tragedy that changed everything. Riehl is a woman who has seen a lot, more in fact than many of us would wish to encounter. Yet her presence assures us that we too can survive the unthinkable; that we can live to tell the tale. And what is more, that in telling our stories we become more of who we are destined to be.

If we can locate the bravery within ourselves that Riehl points us towards, then we too may become in time as compassionate, caring, understanding and yes, even forgiving, as she. For indeed is this not what the best memoirs do? They do not point the finger of blame, but rather paint a picture of a wholly believable individual, someone who might have been our sister or brother or mother or father.

In the end it is the universality of her subject matter that renders her poetry so accessible. We read her poems not just to peep through a window into her life, but to lift the veil a little on our own, so that we may perhaps learn something about ourselves and our loved ones, even while we swim in the subterranean waters of her words.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Tim Ferriss Offers How-To for Organizing Your Life

Title: 4-Hour Work Week
Author: Tim Ferriss
Author Site: www.fourhourworkweek.com
Reviewer Name: Matt Lehr
Reviewer Link to Review

Reviewed by Matt Lehr


In the past 4 months I have read nearly 2 books per week – each pertaining to Marketing, Goals, Motivation, Entrepreneurship, and Making Money. I recommend this strategy to any motivated individual and suggest that there is no better way to truly understand yourself and develop your own ideas than starting by reading and then transitioning to writing as well.

A great place to start for any entrepreneur: “The 4-Hour Work Week” – By Timothy Ferriss

The first time read though this book I must admit that I felt Tim was rough around the edges and subscribed to some philosophies I never could take on as my own. But after reading it twice through and a third go around on CD, I have changed my stance and believe that nearly every idea and concept he presents is doable and beneficial.

Here are the main points of my interpretation of Tim Ferriss’ work:

1) The Rat Race

Is this really your life? Working hard everyday and planning for a retirement 40 years down the road. Tim offers suggestions to shake it up do some unordinary things that will make all the difference in the world. Understanding that you have the freedom to do what you want to do and go where you want to go is the hardest step for most people. Determine why it is you want something and then start to figure out how you can make it happen. Do not be afraid to reject the norm and live life differently than the rest.

2) Understand your Time

Tim explains that the goal of the “New Rich” is not just to attain more money, but the most important treasure is time. After all, how can any of us fully enjoy the money you make if we don’t have time to enjoy it or people to experience it with. Find ways to work and make money but do not sacrifice the most important opportunity which is the time to do what you want in life. Strategy’s from the book include checking email very rarely and training clients, employees, and even your boss to not rely on you as a bottleneck

3) Automate Everything

Why do something yourself when you can pay someone else to do it for you? Find a way to make money that doesn’t need your constant maintenance. My understanding of this concept is the “business owner vs. the self employed.” Business owners sit back and let others run their company while they collect the pay check, meanwhile the self-employed put in their sweat equity on an hourly basis to earn the money. Both are considered entrepreneurs, but the self employed have only eliminated their boss, but still do all the work.

Tim explains that the goal is to move towards automation – Meaning whether or not someone is sitting on a beach or sleeping, money is being made either way. He explains to take “you” out of the equation and benefit from the goal which is not only more money but more time.

4) Outsource Everything

Having someone in India do your work for you is not something left to major Nike and Coca Cola type companies of the world. Using the internet, outsourcing is available at the click of a button and can be set up by using one email.

I took this one to heart and have not looked back. Mr. Ferriss was right on and once you learn to outsource effectively it changes everything. From paying per project or low hourly wages, having someone work while you sleep is priceless. I found the best site to use (that is not mentioned in the book) is www.odesk.com. This website makes it easier than finding new friends on Facebook – the difference being for 20 bucks this friend will do your research project – and do it well.

5) Get Away

The “4-Hour Work Week” subscribes to lifestyle design and world travel. Tim teaches you how to live abroad and do it both on a budget and while you manage your business. He includes success stories of others and offers up ways to cut loose and experience it all.

You have to actually read or listen to the book to truly understand Tim’s off the wall approach and view of life. As I stated his methods are not for all. Yet I have accepted that following them in principle can work out great. Putting your own spin on his thoughts and ideas and applying it to your situation can be very beneficial. His book has been one of many that has empowered my journey. I recommend it as great pushing off point for the budding entrepreneur.

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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Stewart L. Utdall Pens Book on Environment

Title: The Quiet Crisis
Author: Stewart L. Udall
Categories: Environmentalism, Nonfiction
ISBN:B0011UH0S8

Reviewed by Taylor Smith

To my way of thinking one of the greatest tragedies of modern American politics has been the increasing polarization on a wide range of issues which focuses more on who is right rather than what is right and in the public interest. Nowhere is this truer than in the realm of environmental policies. We endlessly debate issues which have grave importance for the future only paying heed to the demagogy of the left or right and ignore the true moral, historical and scientific issues at hand.

The author of this book is Stewart L. Udall, a distant cousin a couple times removed from me on my father’s side. He was a Democrat (I know! I have relatives who are donkeys!), and JFK’s Secretary of the Interior. This book has had a profound impact on the way that many Americans think and feel about the environment. For this reason I am writing a review of it by itself rather than with a companion book like usual for my blog. I think it is important enough that it needs to be considered on its own.

The book chronicles the history of the United States from the perspective of the land. The first period is the era of contact between Native Americans and the European settlers and the contrast between their respective views of the land. To the Natives the land was something owned by everybody in the same way as the ocean, air, sky and stars were the property of no single individual. To the Europeans, however, land ownership was the entire basis of their society and, for the English especially, the entire reason for their being in America.

This land ownership, however, was fundamentally at odds with the Native concept (and indeed the older medieval concept of land ownership in Europe) which stressed the claim of future generations on the land and allowed for the use, but not abuse, of the resources available from the land. I could elaborate on the late medieval/early modern shift in concepts about ownership, but I will spare all of you this lesson for now!

This new concept of land ownership was coupled with a new idea arising from the sheer size and overwhelming wildness of the American continent which Udall calls the “myth of superabundance.” In short the idea is that there are so many buffalo, beaver and deer, so much fertile soil and forests and so many mineral deposits that conserving them was counterproductive and uncompetitive. The final critical element added to this mix was the rugged individualism which helped to create the essential elements of American democracy but also contributed to a lack of civic mindedness among some classes. Thus the few who made massive fortunes at the public expense were often seen as good examples rather than the pillagers of the future that they were.

Gradually some people began to see that this system was unsustainable and ethically lacking. Diverse characters like Davie Crockett, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Daniel Boone, and other began to see the effect on the land that our unthinking policies were having. Eventually as we began to have massive extinctions on our own soil (there were more than five billion passenger pigeons in the United States at the beginning of the nineteenth century, but shortly before the start of the twentieth century the last surviving member of the species died in a zoo in Ohio), and people like Audubon and other conservationists and scientists began to take action. Eventually people like Teddy Roosevelt were able to make political gains in breaking up the Iron Triangles (a political science term for the relationship between business, regulation agencies and congressional committees which all deal with a particular subject and often scratch each others backs) which had allowed so much of this legal pillaging to happen.

Now as a country we have made a good start, but there is still a lot to do. The balance between using resources and preserving land is a delicate one (one person quoted in the book says that the boundaries between the workshop and the temple of nature is inevitably going to be a contentious issue) and has not been fully resolved. However the scientists, politicians, farmers, hunters, activist, philanthropists, and voters of the last century have done some wonderful things to try and help preserve for us large areas of wilderness.

Now we have challenges involving overcrowding, littering, pollution, and a lack of planning- all brought on because we still lack a sense of reverence for nature and our environment. As the author put it:

"The quiet crisis demands a rethinking of land attitudes, deeper involvement by leaders of business and government, and methods of making conservation decisions which put a premium on foresight. With the acumen of our scientists we can achieve optimum development of resources that will let us pluck the fruits of science without harming the tree of life. Once we decide that our surroundings need not always be subordinated to payrolls and profits based on short-term considerations, there is hope that we can both reap the bounty of the land and preserve an inspiriting environment."

I wish that we would all take a step back and reevaluate our opinions and activities in light of an increased respect for the earth and for the future generations that are going to inherit it. Maybe this is all a little too utopian and impractical, but if we are only thinking about here and now how can we claim to be any better than the people who came before us? It is easy to be critical of the slaughter of the buffalo as a short-sighted policy, but are we any better? I’ll let you decide that for yourself.
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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.

Dave and Lillian Brummet Give Marketing Tips to Authors

Title: Purple Snowflake Marketing - How to Make Your Book Stand Out in a Crowd
Edition: Two
Authors: Dave & Lillian Brummet
Available: www.booklocker.com
Authors' Web site: www.brummet.ca

Purple Snowflake Marketing - How to Make Your Book Stand Out in a Crowd is a reference guide for self-marketing authors who want to be noticed in a snowstorm of writers. With nineteen chapters and twenty-five appendices, this e-book is a means for authors to design an effective marketing plan and utilize frugal promotional tools with the click of their mouse. The e-book also offers over 900 resources that will accelerate your marketing efforts far beyond your peers. As a reassuring marketing plan guide, it contains ample advice for avoiding pit-falls and setting a pace for marketing endeavors.

This e-book was originally released in June 2007 and since then has made the recommended reading lists of more than a dozen writing courses. Authors of most genres will find this inspiring book an essential component for marketing their book.
Announcements and details will soon be available later today at: www.brummet.ca/purple.html

The authors donate 30% of the royalties they receive from book sale to SPCA, the Canadian Wildlife Federation and the Seeds of Diversity Organization. Purchase it for only $10 at http://www.booklocker.com/books/4120.html



Book Review By Donna Sundblad


Dave and Lillian Brummet's Purple Snowflake Marketing gets an A+ as a guide to help new authors get their books into the hands of reviewers, booksellers and ultimately readers. This how-to book doesn't just pump you up with a lot of motivational rhetoric, but supplies authors and small presses with practical, low-budget marketing tools including hundreds of promotional links. Their advice doesn't just expose authors to opportunities; it also helps steer them away from pit-falls in the publishing industry.

This book is filled advice on marketing your book, beginning with the day you sign the contract, paints a realistic outlook on what a new or relatively unknown author can expect and how to employ research and preparation to make a memorable first impression. Written in an easy-to-read electronic format, the text is broken into useful categories punctuated with headings that aid readers when in-finding specific topics. Purple Snowflake Marketing fills a vacuum in the area of marketing planning for new authors with proven and practical information developed as Dave and Lillian Brummet promoted their other books. The information provided helps authors see beyond book signings and getting their books stocked on bookstore shelves.

Specifics include how to get book reviews, disciplines like follow-up, and tips for internet marketing. Learn how to target your audience with "Purple Snowflake" techniques which require thinking outside the box. These techniques provide insight into direct marketing, underground marketing, backdoor marketing and online marketing along with frugal advertising tips that fit any budget.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see tips for how to avoid feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. Answers to questions common to new authors provide guidance regarding copyright information for North America and definitions of commonly used but often confused terms used within the industry.

When it come to getting your book into bookstores, Purple Snowflake Marketing offers fresh ideas and a realistic view with statistics to assist in making informed decisions as you put together a marketing plan. If you're ready to market you book, advice about how to get beyond feeling shy when talking about and promoting your book will get you started as you learn how to get beyond bookstore managers who say "no" to see your book on a variety of bookstore shelves. This book is a must-have for every new author's bookshelf.


~ Reviewed by author Donna Sundblad, senior editor of E-Press Publishing Company
~ Dave & Lillian Brummet are also uthors of: Trash Talk - Learn how you can impact the planet -Towards Understanding - a collection of 120 poems on society, the environment & overcoming trauma.


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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by author names, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the index handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor.