An ABC for Grownups in Review

I purchased V Is for Vulnerable: Life Outside the Comfort Zone back in November and shared this addition to my TBR Book List with you here on Ruthi Reads!

I have now published two full and rave reviews for Seth Godin's book and highly recommend you read them both. Of course, I rate this gem of a book five stars and suggest you get your hands on a copy for yourself, as well as for all of your creative friends.

 

Links to My Reviews of V is for Vulnerable

• Review on Squidoo includes a recipe!
• Review on Amazon verifies my purchase.

You can trust that I shall be reading and reciting Seth's ABCs in my future to enhance the work of my word and design artistry.

Author Seth Godin is the founder of the Squidoo writing community so I am linking this blog article up with HOP and SQUIDOO hosted by Marsha's Spot. Hope to see you in this Squidoo lensmaster blog hop too!

 

Gracie The Undercover Beagle In Review

I first introduced you to Gracie by sharing the beginnings of this mystery book for kids right here on Ruthi Reads!

Yes! Gracie The Undercover Beagle and her sidekick Boston Blackie are now on display in rave review just a hop and Squidoo link away!

Read my five star review of Gracie, meet all the book's characters, and feast on a few takeaway comments from the author too - Right HERE! Of course, you can buy this Little Reader for a wee one while you are there reading the book review, too!

Linking this rave review up with HOP and SQUIDOO over at Marsha's Spot. You are invited to join us over there in the blog hop for more delightful surprises too!

Poetry by Chris Brockman is the Cure for Feeling Old

I could not be much more thrilled than I am at this moment in time, being able to share with you my latest book review. I have just published my rave review of I Used To Be Old by my author friend, Chris Brockman.

The book is a collection of Chris' poems relating to that getting-old feeling many of us, like myself, have begun falling victim to - yes, I have the aches and pains to show for it too!

Read my review, and a special picture poem on the page, too. Buy Brockman's book for your poetry reading pleasure and it is sure to be a cure for the aging blues!

Read Ruthi's Review of I Used To Be Old

Linking up with Marsha's HOP and SQUIDOO today since this book review is published on the Squidoo writing platform. If you are a blogger and a Squidoo writer, hop along with us!

Dog-Ma Book Beginnings

I am delighted to be linking up for the first time with Rose City Reader who hosts the Book Beginnings on Fridays blog hop. In this book blog hop we are to share the opening sentence or so of a book we are reading.

I discovered the Friday book blog hop while visiting Elizabeth at Silver's Reviews.

Fortunately, I have a new pair of reading glasses (have finally adjusted my sights) and can begin to get caught up on my reading of books for pleasure and for review, which generally go hand-in-hand.

Today, I wish to share with you the beginning of the book...

Dog-Ma: the Zen of Slobber

by Barbara Boswell Brunner.

"It is everywhere. The stark white walls shimmer with droplets like a Jackson Pollack painting. My hand pulses with pain as I struggle to separate the combatants, one collar in each outstretched hand. Rivulets of red run down my arm and I am unsure if it belongs to me. I cannot, I must not fixate on it. My heart pounds until I am sure it will escape my chest; each beat pronounced and strong. My predicament is clear: let go of one and the other will perish."

And there you have it, the start of life filled with dog-ma: the zen of slobber, according to Brunner.

I can not wait to sink my teeth into the rest of the Brunner family canine story. Be sure to stay tuned for my full book review to be announced here on Ruthi Reads.

Also for your reading pleasure is my rave review of my all-time favorite book: Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estes.

David and Goliath on TBR List

I learned about this soon to be released gem of a book by Gladwell upon the reading of the book review by Seth.

In fact, inspired by Seth, I wrote up a review of my own - my perspective of The Three Little Pigs children's book.

Read the aforementioned reviews and I trust that you, too, shall be adding David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants to your TBR list for future reading.

Have you read any of the previous book publications by Malcolm Gladwell?

What good book title can you suggest for my reading list?

All additions to my to-be-read stack can be found on my TBR Books List at Pinterest.

Baby Boomer Author and Review

Sometimes a book comes along that deserves more than just a review. When that happens I will generally head to my profile on the Squidoo platform to create and publish a lens (web page) for the book in hand.

Growing Up In Boom Times warranted more than a book review from me. That said, you can read all I have to say about this baby boomer gem of an author and book by visiting Growing Up In Boom Times by Author Chris Brockman.

I will, of course, be updating this lens frequently. In the meantime, I would appreciate your thoughts in the comment section here and/or on the lens itself.

Have you read the book

 Growing Up In Boom Times?

This being my newest Squidoo lens, I will be linking this post up with HOP and SQUIDOO over at Marsha's Spot. If you Squidoo, blog hop along with us!

Book Reviews for Swagbucks Book Club

Have you read a good book lately?
Would you like to share your review of the book?
Are you a member of the Swagbucks community?
Do you know about the Swagbucks Book Club?

Yes, I am full of questions for you. Ah, but I have some answers to the questions for you, too!

I am guessing (note I did not say assuming) you have read a book recently and would also guess that you would like to share your opinion of the book: good, bad, or indifferent. How about writing a book review for others as a preview to their next book selection?

If you are a member of the Swagbucks rewards program you can submit your book review to the Swagbucks Book Club. If your book review is posted in the official Swagbucks blog you will receive 250 swag bucks! Swag bucks can be accumulated and exchanged for paypal cash, gift cards, or for purchasing items from the Swag Store.

Not yet a member of Swagbucks?
Sign up now via my referral link.

Now that you're a member of Swagbucks, here's a couple of links of interest about the Swagbucks Book Club and how it works:

• Writing a Book Review for Swagbucks Book Club
• Todays Selection: Book review of The Goddess Test

Do keep in mind that your book reviews must be original content that is not to be found anywhere else on the web.

Happy Reading and Reviewing!

Review Policy

I've finally written my official book review policy and posted it to my blog, I do hope to get some feedback from authors, readers, and book reviewers, so please share your thoughts here with me. Your opinion is appreciated...thank you!

Book Review Policy and Disclosure for Ruthi Reads!

Book Review: All Our Fictional Dreams by Kushal Poddar

All Our Fictional Dreams
by Kushal Poddar
Lulu, 2010, US
Poetry, 24 pages
Paperback, $10.00
ISBN: 5-800043-522768
Review by Ruth Cox
 
By the light of the sun or by the light of the moonbeam, as author Kushal Poddar would say, Live amid life to dream about a perfect world. In All Our Fictional Dreams, Poddar leads the way to do just that as we follow his poetic pathway. As a prelude, imagine hailing a taxi and the driver asks, Whereto? And, You ask the driver to bring your home closer so you can see who is living in it. Imagine!

Nothing is haphazard, neither creative thought nor versed word, as the ink flows from Poddar's pen to the colorless paper. Just as does the artist Van Gogh -- he colors pages all. From "The Box Kite" where his clouds conspire to where the sun will turn liquid by the stairs of "Hesitant Lighthouse," Poddar colors our world with our dreams as we meander along as brothers of the living.

In Poddar's verse, "Story of Two Brothers," you will kneel by the river; the stream of death and of life, slowly living forever. And in "The Conflict of Season" green is the color springing to life as the author tells us, ignore the age, time, and season. As Poddar would say, We are brothers beyond blood, time, or space.

Kushal Poddar's exquisite use of metaphorical imagery allows us to experience the exact place he has led us to: the scene of our dreams and our mind's ponderings. We're meant to follow his lead line from "Imagine" -- Imagination is where truths begin.

The author Kushal Poddar lives by the light he shares in All Our Fictional Dreams. By the light of day, he adheres to what is right, practices living and practices law; by the light of night, poetry and prose he writes, words life-giving and words without flaw.

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I once asked the author: Kushal, not only are you a man of law and a poet of fame headed for fortune in same, you are a teacher, to me, as I have learned more by your use of imagery and metaphors hidden within your verse than any and all I've read. Where, when, did you first begin this abundant collection you've stored in your mind?

His response: Ruthi, I began writing as a challenge...can I write like the poets I read...I ask way back as a kid of six years old who only knew Bengali. I pick inspirations from everywhere, from the blind alley to the lofty sky…I used to get hold of the lines from railway stations, from the conversation with the friends, newspaper headings…nowadays I have made it a habit of writing two poems at least a day. Sometimes by writing a random word and waiting for the muse to revolve around the word.

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This review is written and ©Ruth Cox. Reviews written by Ruth Cox are the sole property of said reviewer. This book review is written for and first posted to: Ruthi Reads! No monetary compensation is received in exchange for the writing of this review.

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Since I had purchased All Our Fictional Dreams directly through Lulu.com (via Dawn D. Kilby) I'd asked Kushal to send me a postcard to place with the book. Along with the two beautiful postcards I received and share with you below, I also had the pleasure of Kushal penning a postcard poem to me, which you may read here: The Postcard To The Hill Road

"Ruthi, This is a watercolor done by a famous artist. You can get a glimpse of my city."

"To me, Sunshine means Ruthi."

Reading Time

I don't know about you, but I just can't seem to find, or make, enough time to get caught up with reading the books on my bookshelf for reading and for review. I generally head to bed with a book to read for an hour or so before I fall asleep. However, this just doesn't seem to be enough time to get through my reading list. The books are shelfing up faster than I'm able to read them. How do you stay caught up with your reading? Or, are you behind, as I am?

Speaking of my bookshelf. I've added a few this past month or two, oh my! I've won a couple in blog and Gather.com member giveaways, and I've purchased a few from author friends.

In snailmail today, I received my copy of Forever Becoming by Kasey Klein. I purchased this book title, as I've great respect for this author's literary style and have read numerous essays and stories written by Kasey that enticed me into wanting to read more.

I also received an email this morning from Rick of rhodesreview.com that I won his giveaway of Silent Kill by David Fingerman. I met David at Gather.com, so I'm truly looking forward to this book's arrival.

These and many more enticing titles await, on my list - Ruthi Reads in 2010. Please, help me figure out how to create more reading and reviewing time!

Book Review: Public Lies

Public Lies
by Brenda Youngerman
Outskirts Press, Inc., 2007, US
Fiction/Family, 300 pages
Paperback, $15.95
ISBN: 976-1-4327-1296-9
Review by Ruth Cox

Philosophers of old, as well as modern pundits, stand divided as to the forbiddance of telling lies. Some believe no lies should ever be told for any reason. Plato believed that "noble lies" might sometimes be needed to maintain a sense of law and order or safety, especially within the structure of a society. In the telling of Public Lies, author Brenda Youngerman has adapted the noble lie as one of necessity to bring a mother and her two children out of the throes of family violence into a place of safety and harmony.

When society failed to protect Nancy and her children from husband and father Vince Cooper, Nancy knew the only means available for them to live out of harm's way would be to flee the arms of the man she loved and the imminence of danger now felt in his presence. For this runaway life to work, Nancy must change her name and the names of her children and there could be no contact with people nor places of the past, including the family of their previous life. (The idea fashioned much like a witness protection program.) This, then, would be their protection, the noble lies that would be told; the public lies that would be lived.

These lies represented freedom for Nancy and her children. But freedom came with its sacrificial price tag. And it was a game of hide-and-go-seek with Vince Cooper that Nancy would continuously play. For a few years she seemed free of danger from her husband, publicly; privately, fear of being followed and found always existed. And all the while, Vince hunted for her with a vengeance. As each year passed, Vince's rage and desire for revenge grew as the price of freedom weighed heavier upon Nancy. Vince was closing in on his prey at the same time the prey had decided to come out of hiding from behind the public lies. Hence, the truth was uncovered and with disclosure discord was imminent.

In the bittersweet end of Public Lies, the lives of the Cooper family would be altered -- forever. Youngerman uses the element of surprise in a twist ending written with the sensitivity of one who is aware of the reality of the family violence environment.

Public Lies is the second chapter of Nancy Cooper's life; Private Scars being the first. Though both of these publications stand well on their own, together they are the telling of the many forms of abuse that fall under the term Domestic Violence. Youngerman beseeches us to be cognizant of the fact that all forms of abuse - verbal, emotional, financial, sexual, or physical - culminate in the power and control over another person or persons.

On the last printed page of Public Lies is the reminder to all that [in the United States of America] "October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month." Brenda Youngerman believes, "Every Day should be Domestic Awareness Day."

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This review is written and ©Ruth Cox. Reviews written by Ruth Cox are the sole property of said reviewer. This book review is written for and first posted to: Reviews4Reviews.com. No monetary compensation is received in exchange for the writing of this review. A complimentary copy of the book was presented to said reviewer for review purposes. This fact has no bearing on the written result of the review.

For your convenience a link to purchase this book through Amazon is included. If purchase is made via this link, said reviewer will receive a referral commission: Public Lies

Related Links:
Read my book review of Private Scars by Brenda Youngerman
Read my interview with author Brenda Youngerman

Entered 11/07/2010
 

Book Review: The Ghost of Useppa Island

The Ghost of Useppa Island
by Kimberly Ripley
Publish America, 2003, US
Mystery/SciFi/Young Adult, 46 pages
Paperback, $12.95
ISBN: 978-141370-219-4
Review by Ruth Cox
 
The legendary tale of The Ghost of Useppa Island, as told by author Kimberly Ripley, is storytelling in a ficticious setting; fiction, based on historical artifacts, that brings honor to the inhabitants, present and past, of imaginary Fort Euclid Beach, as well as to the real island string found along the Gulf of Mexico in southwest Florida (Fort Myers Beach region). It is a tale of the life of the Calusa Indian Tribe and their descendants, including the mysterious findings of all who search for the truth of the ghostly smoke curls that linger in the night sky over the island reef, emanating from the uninhabited island of Useppa.

Ripley introduces us to twelve-year old Carrie, vacationing at Fort Euclid Beach for the summer with her parents. Carrie meets the elderly author and historian, Jonah Myers, who gives her signed copies of his publications, both about the Calusa Indians. Honored to have been befriended by a real live author, Carrie prepares to dive right in to helping Jonah unearth the mystery of the smoke signals in The Ghost of Useppa Island.

Ripley entwines the reader amid the descendants living in the here and now with those that are dead and gone. Through each step of the journey, the author succeeds in breathing life to all who walk within the pages. Woven into the unraveling of fact from folklore about The Ghost of Useppa Island, the characters of the book share love, loss, respect, and friendship; mysteries of life to be enjoyed by the young reader as well as the aged.

Kimberly Ripley shows diligence and commitment to historical integrity by including in The Ghost of Useppa Island a list of references and points of interest in the Fort Myers Beach, Florida region. Readers are encouraged to utilize these resources to unearth some history and mystery of the area on their own, in person or online.

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This review is written and ©Ruth Cox. Reviews written by Ruth Cox are the sole property of said reviewer. This book review is written for and first posted to: Ruthi Reads! No monetary compensation is received in exchange for the writing of this review. A complimentary copy of the book was presented to said reviewer via a random drawing for the book giveaway at an Author Chat with Connie C. on Gather.com. This fact has no bearing on the written result of the review.

For your convenience a link to purchase this book through Amazon is included. If purchase is made via this link, said reviewer will receive a referral commission: The Ghost of Useppa

Book Review: Malachi's Cove

Malachi's Cove
by Chris Brockman
Marigold Press, 1978, US
Hardcover, Literary Fiction, 48 pages
Review by Ruth Cox

The tale of Malachi's Cove, as told by author Chris Brockman, is of a Cornish girl, a young woman who possessed the height of stature in strength and fortitude. She was unstoppable in her plight to protect that which she felt she had earned to be hers. And now she felt this was her little cove, this place called Malachi's Cove by the people of the beach. For Malachi Trenglos had built his hut above and he and she had blazed the trail from the cliff to the sea.

Malachai, now called old Glos, had grown old and bent working the water for the gift of the sea and could do it no more. But fate had seen fit to grace him with a gem of a granddaughter who would toil the treacherous cove by day and by night to bring in the weed. Mahala, known to all along the coast simply as Mally, was a force to be reckoned with. The old ones respected her for caring for her grandfather and continuing his seaweed business; the young ones taunted her for her unkempt appearance and unladylike behavior. One lad, Bartholemew, found in her great pleasure. Barty insisted he and Mally would one day be friends.

Would Mally one day be Barty's treasure? Or, would she bring him to his early demise? There would be lessons to be learned by young and by old before the answers to these queries could be heard.

Barty scoffed at Mally's insistence the weed of the cove belonged solely to her. She considered him nothing but an interloper. A storm brewed between them as fierce as that which one day seized the overhead sky and the waves churning below. Both Mally and Barty fought feverishly to gather the seaweed, fiercely jabbing and jeering at one another all the while. Then there was a great Splash! and Barty was engulfed by waves cresting into the endless whirlpool inside the rock-lined hole.

Mally fetched old Glos, then ran to fetch Barty's family, and then she hid near the hut. As Barty's family carried their accusations and his broken body past her, she turned her head away, until a sound beckoned her back.

"Mally!" The lad whom she had been accused of killing called unto her ... proof she was not to be blamed.

Malachi's Cove by Anthony Trollope, was originally published in Good Words, 1864, and again in a collection of Trollope's short stories, Lotta Schmidt and Other Stories, 1867. Author Chris Brockman has edited this classic "to retain the flavor of the period in which it was written" while modernizing it for the reader's pleasure. Brockman adds and subtracts from the original version just enough to portray his own literary style. The beauty of Brockman's publication of Malachi's Cove is complimented by his chosen illustrator, Ken Green, whose graphic artistry enhances the text of the storyteller.


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This review is written and ©Ruth Cox. Reviews written by Ruth Cox are the sole property of said reviewer. This book review is written for and first posted to: Ruthi Reads! No monetary compensation is received in exchange for the writing of this review. A complimentary copy of the book was presented to said reviewer for personal reading and review purposes. This fact has no bearing on the written result of the review.

Book Review: Love Doesn't Play by the Rules

Love Doesn't Play by the Rules

In Love Doesn't Play by the Rules, author Sandi Perry parades Jonny and Cassie down the runway of the rich and famous.

Jonny Duponi, current bad boy of filmdom tabloids, felt it was time to make some changes in his life. To do so, he did what many of us often do: he moved back home, from West Coast to East amid a mid-winter chill; a journey of self-discovery culminating in romancing possibility when he found himself in the presence of Cassie Owens; rather, New York's high-society heiress, Cassandra Owens-Whitney.

Cassie had her own agenda where life and love were concerned. She was determined to stay the course at the top of the music industry as head of Avatar Records, which Grandfather Whitney had dropped in her lap on her 21st birthday. And she was focused on becoming a wife and mother long before her womanly time clock began ticking. Cassie was not about to be side-tracked by the alluring charms of Jonny the playboy movie star. She held Jonny at bay by laying the ground rules into play immediately -- Friendship is the name of her game.

Jonny seemed to be content with the rules set forth by Cassie. However, Perry leads her characters into what Renaissance English poet, John Lyly, knew long ago proven true: The rules of fair play do not apply in love and war. A battle is waged within as Cassie deals with her conflicting emotions in response to Jonny's never-ending enticements to draw her in to his grasp. Jonny is faced with the daunting task of proving himself a changed man, worthy of Cassie's affections on a higher plane -- Love is the name of his game.

Love Doesn't Play by the Rules follows the rules of the comtemporary romance genre in that Sandi Perry convincingly dates the theme of her novel to a time when current interest seems pointed to the hype and popularity of the status of stardom. On the runway of romance writing, Perry holds true to plot, developing her main characters from behind the scenes as they carry on in the waging war of love.


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For your convenience a link to purchase this book through Amazon is included. If purchase is made via this link, said reviewer will receive a referral commission.

Love Doesn't Play by the Rules

Reading, Writing, Reviewing -- Blog Special to Share

Author Brenda Youngerman is the owner of Reviews4Reviews.com, a gathering place for Authors and their Book Titles and Book Reviews. I just happen to be the Web Designer for her site, as well as a Member Reviewer.

I'm posting to tell you about a fantastic opportunity in June -- Blog & Book Titles! During the month of June, Brenda is running a 2 for 1 special wherein Member Authors can submit 2 Book Titles for the price of 1! Please visit the blog -- Reviews4Reviews -- for further details, read the post entitled, "Blog & Book Titles" and be sure to Google Friend Connect to follow the blog while you're there..:-)

Book Review: Smacking The Muse

Smacking The Muse on Amazon

Author Darin Waugh combines the power of martial arts with poetry and prose to share his passion for reflection. 

Waugh packs a wallop with his words in his book, Smacking The Muse: Thoughts, Stories, and Kung Fu, compelling the creative person to look at the "muse" as something to control. Waugh explains, "It's this deep seated passion for reflection and writing that is the 'muse.' Trying to control this desire and discovering what to do with it is what I call 'smacking the muse'."

Interspersed throughout Waugh's personal stories and verse are quips and quotes from artists of various venues, all embodying the life values and traditions the author tends to express within his storytelling and verse.

It is apparent that Waugh is inspired to motivate his readers with his writing reflections. It is also apparent the author exercises self-control, as well as control over his muse, which often has a mind of its own. Darin Waugh explains the control issue well with his words, "Be the creator of the life you wish to have, and the muse will respond accordingly." This is quite a motivational statement and quite the compelling argument for the title, Smacking The Muse.

Inevitably, it must be duly noted that the reading of this book would have been more enjoyable had it withstood a more thorough proofreading for misspellings and grammatical errors before publication. Mistakes notwithstanding, author Darin Waugh has mastered the art of uplifting and motivating the reader in Smacking The Muse: Thoughts, Stories, and Kung Fu.


NOTE: The author has assured me that a revised version is now being sold.

Ruthi Reads!

Buckeye born 'n' bred in the hills of central Ohio, I've the spirit of a wanderer. Though I've come full circle to return to the land of my birth, who knows when I may take flight once again in search of my value and worth as a spirit of the sun.

Through the journey 'neath many suns, I've come to believe...
          Love and forever are only for as long as they last.
          In the future, the mem'ries o' yesteryear shall be vast.
          Live the day in the present, before it becomes the past.

I love to read and I love to write, with the world of rhyme my favorite place to spend my time. I believe each of us is granted at least one special gift in this thing we do called life and I believe we're meant to share it with others along the way. I feel I've been given the gift of using poetry and prose to spread a bit o' sunshine into the lives of others and I work hard to get better at this every day.

Several books have made it to my all-time favorites list and remained there for a decade or more: The Bible, King James Version; Sand and Foam, by Kahlil Gibran; Women Who Run With the Wolves, by Clarissa Pinkola Estes; The Pearl and The Grapes of Wrath, both by John Steinbeck; Anna and the King of Siam, by Margaret Landon; and Call of the Wild, by Jack London.

I receive no monetary payment for writing the book reviews I'll be placing here. I will post professional reviews of the books I read, honest reviews as well.

A copy of your book would look great on my bookshelf! Follow Ruthi Reads, then contact me to send me a signed copy of your book to add to my list to read and review!

Blessings & a bit o' sunshine...Ruthi