Deep and Thought-provoking Christmas Poetry: Blooming Red

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG 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 read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine 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.

  Blooming Red: Christmas Poetry for the Rational by Carolyn Howard-Johnson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Deep and Thought-provoking Christmas Poetry

Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball 

• Publisher: Compulsive Reader 
• ASIN: B004GXB4AW
• Print Length: 56 pages

Blooming Red: Christmas Poetry for the Rational

"The reality of Christmas does not always resemble the images we see on commercial Christmas cards--or in our dreams."

This book is perhaps not what you might assume at first glance. Hopes are high at the holidays, and hope is referred to as:
“hope—a Mobius strip”

Right. This is another way to say hope springs eternal, Christmas style.

Holiday images and stories are full of baking, food, and meals that are Norman Rockwell perfect. So I did not expect a poem that stated dinner reservations might be a “McCormick-and-Schmick system of revenge.” I did not see that coming.

The nativity with the Holy family display is another holiday tradition. Did you realize the first in the Holy family to go missing . . . is baby Jesus? Oh, of course . . . that makes sense when you stop and ponder the writing. That poem made me think, as did all the others.

Aging reflections of how Christmas events change as families do, children grow up, children go to college or move away is well described. We have experienced the excitement of young children to teens — then grown-ups only at the holidays. But the poem on this topic nails the emotions changes in holiday gatherings brings through the years.

This phrase caught my attention:
“icy tendrils of memory”
See why?

The reality of commercialism and plastic is described this way:
“after hours at the mall belief wears thin”
And is described in several poems, as well.

This book may help me make it through the holidays again this year!

Thank you for reading, Carolyn Wilhelm of the Wise Owl Factory Blog

This review was posted on Amazon and Goodreads by Carolyn Wilhelm.

Cranberries Revealed: A Visual Journal Midwest Book Review Award Winning Book

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG 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 read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine 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.

Title:: Cranberries Revealed

Subtitle: A Visual Journey from the Marsh to the Table

• Hardcover: 84 pages
• Publisher: Martin PhotoMedia; 1st edition (2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0990812901
• ISBN-13: 978-0990812906

Author Wayne R. Martin

Available at this link or through Amazon

Cranberries Revealed: A Visual Journal is Midwest  Independent Publishers Award-Winning Book

2015 Midwest Book Award Arts/Coffee Table Books Photography Award

2015 Midwest Book Award Cookbook/Crafts/Hobbies Award

What's beautiful, delicious and red all over? Wayne Martin answers that question with his gorgeous coffee table book about cranberries It was the 2015 winner of the best art/photo AND recipe book at the Midwest Independent Publishers Association. Accompany him on a visual journey into the world of cranberries as "Cranberries Revealed" celebrates a riot of ruby red colors that make this fruit such an appealing subject. The author draws upon a lifelong career in photography and his childhood growing up in the cranberry country of Central Wisconsin to tantalize readers with images of cranberries photographed in ways never seen before. The three-part book beguiles readers with dramatic close-up and abstract views of cranberries. It intrigues with sweeping aerial panoramas, immerses viewers in the marshlands of Central Wisconsin and tempts the taste buds with award-winning recipes. Treat your eyes and palate to a feast of cranberries that will leave you hungry for more. "Cranberries Revealed" is a must-read source for all things cranberry!

The Green Bay Press has this to say about the book:

The fresh images are stunning — cranberry red practically spills through the pages. Martin, the photographer and author, grew up in Central Wisconsin near cranberry marshes and brings his knowledge of the growth cycle to this self-published book. Included in this coffee table book are images from the harvest season and 15 tart cranberry recipes, some of which are award winners.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune mentioned the book in the What's Cooking, stating:

The book does include recipes, but mostly it’s a collection of stunning and fascinating images with just enough info to make you feel that you’ve learned something.

The Larry Meiller Wisconsin Public Radio Show said: 
The Wisconsin state fruit is the cranberry, which requires very special growing conditions. Host Larry Meiller interviews Wayne R. Martin to discuss his views of cranberries as art, the process of cultivating cranberries, and delicious recipes.

The book has received much press, such as coverage in the Green Bay Press Gazette, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI) and many other publications. Radio interviews include the Morning Magazine Show from Wisconsin Rapids, the Idea Exchange from Beaver Dam, WI.

The Wise Owl Factory has free supplemental teaching resources to support the book when used in an educational setting. 

Thank you for reading! Carolyn Wilhelm

Dr. Bob Rich Reviews Real Magic

Real Magic by Dean Radin

Title: Real Magic

Subtitle: Ancient wisdom, modern science, and a guide to the secret power of the universe

2018

New York: Harmony Books

ISBN 978‑1‑5247‑5883‑7

Purchase on Amazon

Reviewed by Dr. Bob Rich

Given my scientific training, I don’t believe anything, but go with the evidence. This has led me to a tentative model of reality, which I modify as I am forced to accept new findings.

The worldview I have developed over the years has been supported and strengthened by reading Real Magic by Dean Radin. However, I have also needed to modify it. In clear and often humorous language, Dean presents the case for the reality of “paranormal” abilities. The experiments, observations and examination of historical records are convincing evidence that people can use mental force to affect objects, influence other people, change the future, and foresee what is going to happen. There is even the case of one person reported to be able to influence large-scale weather events.

As with another of my interests, evidence for reincarnation, the reaction of many people is dismissal. It can’t be true, because it is unscientific.

This is “scientism,” and is illogical. Science is not a body of beliefs, but a method of inquiry that can be applied to any field -- and we need to go with the findings regardless of where they take us.

About my only criticism of this amazing book is overkill in two chapters. Chapter 4 on the history of magic, and chapter 8 on the opinions of contemporary scientists, are full of names, each an appropriate documentation, but too many of them. This eagerness to document is understandable when facing the prejudice of scientism, but even without all those allies, Dean’s case is indisputable.

There is also the examination of how such things are possible. The conclusion is the same as that of quantum mechanics, and of the study of reincarnation: The Universe is One, and is Consciousness. The material universe we sense, of matter, energy and time, is a derivative of this Consciousness. And the Universe is indivisible, whole, so your consciousness is part of All, and separation is an illusion. When you can tune into the Universal Consciousness you are, you can do things that make no sense from an isolated, materialist perspective.

Every intelligent person, and especially every scientist, should read this book.    

MORE ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Dr. Bob Rich is interested in approximately everything, so that’s what he reads about — and that’s what he writes about. If you want to be amused, entertained, challenged, even outraged, but never bored, visit his blog, Bobbing Around https://bobrich18.wordpress.com

Bob is also an award-winning editor. Currently, he is running a free book edit contest. Entry is free. Deadline is October 15, so hurry. Prize is the free edit of a book-length manuscript. Every entry (200 word synopsis + the first 1000 words) is edited for free, this being an immediate, free benefit of entering. Details are at  https://wp.me/p3Xihq-1jZ 

Learn more about Bob at http://bobswriting.com and read his newsletter at Bobbing Around https://bobrich18.wordpress.com. Find him on Twitter, too! @bobswriting

"Commit random acts of kindness."

"Live simply so you may simply live."

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG 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 read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine 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.

Midwest Book Review Editor Reviews Book on Getting "Forever Reviews"

Title: How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically

Subtitle: The ins and outs of using free reviews to build and sustain a writing career
Author: Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Publisher: CreateSpace, 4900 LaCross Rd., North Charleston, SC 29406

Author's website: http://howtodoitfrugally.com
ISBN: 9781536948370

$17.95, PB (also available for all ebook readers on Amazon)

340pp

Purchase on Amazon

Reprinted with permission from the Midwest Book Review

Reviewed by James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief of Midwest Book Review

Full disclosure -- I have been the editor-in-chief of the Midwest Book Review for some 43 years now and I have known Carolyn Howard-Johnson in a professional capacity as a freelance book publicist and promoter for more than two decades. I and the Midwest Book Review are mentioned quite positively a number of times in the pages of "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically", which also includes her adaptation of our "Reviewer Guidelines". We are cyberspace pen-pals and I have given positive reviews for her two previous 'how to' books for writers and publishers: "The Frugal Book Promoter" and "The Frugal Editor".

"How To Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically" deftly draws upon Carolyn's many years of experience and expertise in helping writers avoid various kinds of pitfalls, misconceptions, and in dealing with the out-and-out scams perpetrated on unsuspecting authors, as well as helping them reach their dreams of great reviews, great book tours, and great launches.

Every aspect of acquiring usable reviews on a 'shoestring/no-string' marketing budget is covered. Of special note to me as an editor of reviews is the fifth section (Writing Reviews Are Powerful Platform Builders) with its instructions on writing professional quality reviews.

Thoroughly 'user friendly' in tone, style, commentary and presentation, I have only one little quibble with this first edition -- half the references to the Midwest Book Review are not on the page numbers cited in the Index but are to be found a couple of pages later! I know because (my ego being what it is) that's the first thing I looked at when picking up the book for review! But this is something easily corrected in what is certain to be the next printing now that I've drawn Carolyn's attention to it (she is a notorious stickler for detail!).

A fundamental and superbly organized do-it-yourself instruction manual and guide, "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically" should be considered mandatory reading for every self-published author aspiring to a professional career and every independent press publisher seeking to achieve financial success. It could well serve as a curriculum textbook for college Writing/Publishing courses.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson's "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically" is appropriately subtitled -- The ins and outs of using free reviews to build and sustain a writing career.

Unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and university library Writing/Publishing instructional reference collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $5.99).

Simply stated, this comprehensive, definitive, do-it-yourself guide, "How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically", is the next best thing to hiring Carolyn to personally create a review driven marketing campaign for your book.

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG

 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 read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine 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.

How to Think by Allan Jacobs Helps Cope with Current Events

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG 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 read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine 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.

How to Think: A Survival Guide for a World at Odds by Allan Jacobs Helps Cope with Current Events

Author Allan Jacobs Offers Food for Thought

• Hardcover ISBN-10: 0451499603
• Hardcover ISBN-13: 978-0451499608

• eBook ASIN: B01MR8V850
• Print Length: 162 pages

Amazon review reprinted with permission of reviewer Carolyn Wilhelm.

Thinking is needed in today’s world, and first teachers might consider this topic at a high level before introducing a unit about which news is real and which might be fake. The topics of alternative facts, social media arguing not based on fact, and emotional struggles with the avalanche of information are discussed in this text. How to deal with it all? Jacobs has several well-researched thoughts. I have to admit some of the book would require further study on my part and therefore it would be good for a book group to discuss.

Jacobs tackles many common myths about how people think that we may take for granted without — well, thinking about them. He quotes several famous leaders who have written books in the field of thinking, and makes several insightful observations we can take to heart to help us deal with information and misinformation in today’s world. He cites books used in schools such as Lois Lowery’s The Giver. He quotes John Stuart Mill and C.S. Lewis. It was helpful that I had recently read Making Sense of the Bible by Adam Hamilton as some of the same questions were discussed in both books. Jacobs quotes T. S. Elliot as saying when we do not know something for sure, we tend to substitute emotions for knowledge. Teachers know this plays out in the classroom often.

He quotes Marilynne Robinson as saying we invest in not knowing some things in order to have the pleasure of sharing an attitude one knows is socially approved. Teachers notice this happening in the classroom as well. This might be harmless for children to keep friends at school, of course. Thinking is a science, not an art, and there is no set of directions to follow to produce reliable thought. Perhaps that is the problem with trying to teach an entire school of children to think?

Jacobs argues there is no real thinking for yourself, as in when you hear people say, “She finally started thinking for herself!” He says it means instead of thinking like one group, the person has actually started thinking more like a different group. He says there is no thinking without the influence of other people. How do we react without hating or antagonizing “the other?” How do we think amid the chaos of the information age? How do we think when we get bits of information thrown at us constantly without time to research, reflect, and consider what is being said? Patience is one habit of thoughtful people Jacob states.

The book offers examples of what happens when people are given wait time. One of the vignettes in the book is about how Jacobs wanted to argue with a someone only to be told to give it five minutes. He shares examples of how thinking can change if a person has to wait a minute or two before talking. In the classroom, we give wait time (hopefully) to children who might need to process the information before answering a question. Offering wait time to children before answers are required fits in well with the information in this book. We can give ourselves thinking time before responding on Twitter and Facebook, and also in real life as one step forward. We can encourage students to do the same.

Carolyn read this book as a classroom teacher who has taught thinking skills to an entire elementary school as a gifted education specialist.

Inspiration! Travel! Self-Help! Review for Watching the Daisies

Title: Watching the Daisies

Subtitle: Life Lessons on the Importance of Slow

Author: Brigid P. Gallagher

Genre: Inspirational, Memoir, Self Help, Travel.

ISBN: 978-0-9935923-6-2

Purchase: 

https://amazon.com/dp/B01N3M9VJ0

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/watching-the-daisies-brigid-p-gallagher/1126231153

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/watching-the-daisies

Reviewed with permission by Wendy Hodgson  originally on Amazon.co.uk

"I loved this book - so much so that I read it twice which isn't something I do very often. The book took me on a journey combining practical tips with an inspiring insight into destinations I've never been to. I'm tempted to add some of the destinations to my bucket list!

This is a really relaxing read and very inspiring as it shows how you can overcome adversity to live an inspiring and fun life. The author is never daunted by her experience of living with fibromyalgia and pushes through with courage to visit far off destinations and rise to new challenges. The journey takes the reader on a path full of emotion - laughter, sadness, fun and frolicks - the route has them all!
A truly lovely, gentle and relaxing book which makes a perfect holiday read."

MORE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brigid P. Gallagher aspired to becoming a doctor but it was not her destiny. Instead she embarked on studies to become one of the first natural medicine practitioners in Scotland, eventually becoming a tutor for community projects, a women's prison, and the Open Studies and Summer Schools of Stirling University from 1993 to 1999. In 1999, she relocated to Donegal, Ireland - the home of her ancestors. Four years later she succumbed to a mystery illness that was eventually diagnosed as fibromyalgia. "Stopping the World"  forced her to reassess her life, and creative writing became a significant aid in her recovery. She eventually retrained in organic horticulture, worked in the glorious gardens of Glenveagh Castle, and inspired children and teachers to create organic school gardens.

Learn more about Brigid P. Gallagher at:

Website: https://watchingthedaisies.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watchingthedaisies/

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/watchingthedai1

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG AND GETTING REVIEWS

 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

This blog 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 read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine 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.

First, They Were Children by David Butler Makes Important Points

MORE ABOUT THIS BLOG 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 read. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page. Reviews and essays are indexed by genre, reviewer names, and review sites. Writers will find the search engine 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.

5.0 out of 5 stars

First, They Were Children: Origin Stories of 7 People Who Changed the World

Book by David Butler
July 7, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
148 Pages
Paperback ISBN-10: 1720481385

• Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1720481386

eBook ASIN: B07F242MQ9

Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, Henry Ford, Nikolas Tesla and Thomas Edison were all children once? Of course, we all know famous people used to be children, but until reading this new book, I had not read short childhood biographies of people who changed the world, much less understood their common characteristics. The author does a service by writing this book for adults as it is true that there are biographies for children about these people. First, They Were Children shares many important thinking and discussion points.

The stories about the childhood of these geniuses have some striking and surprising commonalities, as well as interesting facts. All seven people did not have the exact same characteristics, but often four of them shared some trait or experience. Would we read this to try to develop such gifted people? No, as it is partly the time period of history, world events, and family life which combined to help them. Each person’s story is told until they are about age 21, then stops, as we all know the rest. The author’s observations chapter summarizes his thoughts. He provides a diagram of the traits for all of the people while showing which belong to each of the seven people. It does give one pause to think.

As a teacher, in the fall we would get our new class lists, and when we had maybe 15 boys and 7 girls, we would say it was preparation for a coming war. Who knows, but it stopped our possible complaining about how active our classes would be. What I mean is people are born at certain times and that the future doesn’t just happen all at once someday in the far future. A life starts at the beginning.

Yes, the times were important to allow these people to excel in their chosen fields, as I read in Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers. But there was something going on from birth for each person, and the way was paved with a combination of intelligence, environment, family, and access to the technologies of the time. It began with perhaps being born with a large head, educated parents, or the conditions to foster curiosity and interest in learning. None of these people were complainers, and they all showed continued persistence and had to deal with less than understanding teachers and principals. They all faced obstacles of some kind and, before reading this book, I had no idea how many things they each had to endure. Yes, luck was on their side, but they did not have completely easy lives. Reading this book shows how true it is when people say luck is how hard you work.

This book has implications for schools who may have gifted education courses to perhaps be more flexible about grade levels and have more willingness to try advanced curriculum with students who could possibly be mislabeled as having behavior issues. It was a near miss a few times for several of these people who obviously did make it through life, but not without having to change schools or be taught at home.

One interesting fact in the book is that some of the people were slow to speak, doing so at ages 3 or 4. I did teach several years of gifted education classes, and it was not unusual for a student to leave a challenging class to walk across the hall to the speech teacher. Of course, that doesn’t happen to all bright people, but it was interesting to me that it was one of the characteristics mentioned.

I recommend this book to bright secondary students struggling with the prescribed curriculum, parents dealing with gifted children and the related challenges, and schools looking to be more empathetic to very intellectual children. Often, it is a difficult road for children and families. This author understands.

Review reprinted with the permission of the review, Carolyn Wilhelm and the author of the book, David Butler.