I am a working mother of two whose passion (besides my family) is books. I am an avid reader who enjoys all types of books, although I mainly read fiction. In addition to reading, I also love crocheting, knitting, cooking, running, and watching Penn State sports. Contact me: bookingmama@gmail.com
@bookingmama (Twitter)
Summary: FROM THE CO-INVENTOR OF “BALDERDASH", ”The Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings” Family Game can help your family and friends connect and “play their way to gratitude” for years to come. You see, the trick is, in order to count the blessings in your life, you have to find them first. That’s why they’re called blessings-in-disguise.
The good news is that every cloud really does have a silver lining. And, once you start to play this insightful and often hilarious new game of “seek and find”, you’ll become an expert too!
Then, if you misplace your IPod, there’s sure to be other “music to your ears,” and if the computer crashes, you can be grateful it wasn’t the car! Do some time in the Thank Tank, and watch everyone’s glass go from half-empty to half-full. Give the “Look on the Bright Side” glasses a try, and see how clearly you can change your life by changing your outlook.
If it sounds easy, that’s because it is – and, more fun than you can imagine.
Play “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings” with your friends and family – it’s the game that has everybody going “from frazzled to dazzled, tired to inspired and stressed to blessed!”
Since it's the start of a new year and a time when I have certainly been counting my blessings, I thought it was appropriate to giveaway a Chicken Soup for the Soul Count Your Blessings Game. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment telling me about one blessing in your life. Please leave a way for me to reach you. I will randomly select the winner from all of the comments. This giveaway will be open until Friday, January 22, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. ET. I will notify the winner the following day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. addresses only. Good luck!
Thanks to Phenix & Phenix for providing this game for giveaway!
Today I'd like to welcome Rel from RelzReviewz to Book Club Exchange, a regular feature on Booking Mama which highlights anything and everything book club-related! Instead of the typical guest post about book clubs, we have an interview for you. Rel agreed to answer some of my questions, and I hope you enjoy it!
Booking Mama: Can you tell us a little bit about your book club and how it got started?
Rel: Knowing my love of books from the way so many people borrowed from my personal “library” the pastor of my church asked whether I would be interested in starting up a book club. I put some feelers out to gauge interest and the response was great so here we are 8 years later still going strong. :)
Booking Mama: What types of books do you read?
Rel: Faith based fiction with bite! The books must have an issue or challenging aspect that stimulates discussion. There is no point choosing a book that is only “nice” or we all agree with. That is the fastest way to kill a discussion.
Booking Mama: How does your group make its selections?
Rel: As a reviewer and blogger for the major faith based publishing houses, I am constantly exposed to great books so I make the selections in the majority of cases. I ask other members for input and they know they can always make a recommendation.
Booking Mama: What book stimulated the best discussion and why?
Rel: Mmmm…this is a hard one as most of our selections have stimulated great discussion. One that particularly comes to mind is Charles Martin’s When Crickets Cry. The beauty of the writing, the poignancy of the subject matter and the complexity of the characters all created the perfect environment for discussion. We also ended the discussion with an hour’s conference call with Charles who was so giving of his time and his thoughts on his book, writing and faith. It was a fabulous night!
Booking Mama: Is there a book that you recommend for other book clubs?
Rel: Can a I list more than one?!
I’ve mentioned When Cricket’s Cry but add to that:~
Lisa McKay’s My Hands Came Away Red Francine River’s The Atonement Child and Redeeming Love Tosca Lee’s Havah: The Story of Eve Susan Meissner’s The Shape of Mercy Laura Jensen Walker’s Reconstructing Natalie W. Dale Cramer’s Levi’s Will
Okay, I’ll stop now but feel free to contact me if you would like more recommendations!
Booking Mama: How has your book club changed your life?
Rel: In many ways! Three of my dearest friends have grown from our mutual love of books and we consolidated that friendship over very late night discussions after Book Club! Sharing my love of good literature with others is so rewarding. When someone tells me how much they have enjoyed, been challenged by or moved to tears by a book I have selected, it brings me such satisfaction you would think I had written the book myself! On a personal level, I am often encouraged or challenged by what I read to be a better person, respond to circumstances in a different way or think a little different - that is all great stuff
Thanks so much for having me, Julie ~ I hope all your readers can find a book club that stimulates, encourages and leads to great friendships.
***** Rel is a wife, mum to three young daughters and a lawyer living in Melbourne, Australia. Reading has been her passion since childhood. She is a book club co-coordinator and has her own blog—RelzReviewz—dedicated to reviews, author interviews, character spotlights and giveaways with the aim of supporting authors writing from a Christian worldview. As well as reviewing books for all the major Christian publishing houses, she also reviews for TitleTrakk.com. She is a firm believer in Sir Francis Bacon’s (1561–1626) creed: “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.”!
I'd like to thank Rel for taking time from her busy schedule to answer my questions about her book club. If you are interested in participating in a future Book Club Exchange, please contact me at bookingmama(at)gmail(dot)com.
Summary: A compelling, intimate look at the founders—George Washington, Ben Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison—and the women who played essential roles in their lives.
With his usual storytelling flair and unparalleled research, Tom Fleming examines the women who were at the center of the lives of the founding fathers. From hot-tempered Mary Ball Washington to promiscuous Rachel Lavien Hamilton, the founding fathers' mothers powerfully shaped their sons' visions of domestic life. But lovers and wives played more critical roles as friends and often partners in fame. We learn of the youthful Washington's tortured love for the coquettish Sarah Fairfax, wife of his close friend; of Franklin's two "wives," one in London and one in Philadelphia; of Adams's long absences, which required a lonely, deeply unhappy Abigail to keep home and family together for years on end; of Hamilton's adulterous betrayal of his wife and then their reconciliation; of how the brilliant Madison was jilted by a flirtatious fifteen-year-old and went on to marry the effervescent Dolley, who helped make this shy man into a popular president. Jefferson's controversial relationship to Sally Hemings is also examined, with a different vision of where his heart lay.
Fleming nimbly takes us through a great deal of early American history, as his founding fathers strove to reconcile the private and public, often beset by a media every bit as gossip seeking and inflammatory as ours today. He offers a powerful look at the challenges women faced in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. While often brilliant and articulate, the wives of the founding fathers all struggled with the distractions and dangers of frequent childbearing and searing anxiety about infant mortality—Jefferson's wife, Martha, died from complications following labor, as did his daughter. All the more remarkable, then, that these women loomed so large in the lives of their husbands—and, in some cases, their country. -- Smithsonian
My father is always up for a good read about American History. In fact, I think I buy him a book on some famous president as a gift almost every holiday season. So when I heard about THE INTIMATE LIVES OF THE FOUNDING FATHERS by Thomas Fleming, I knew it was right up his alley. Needless to say, he thoroughly enjoyed this book (as evident in how much information was spouted off to my mom and me!)
Here are his thoughts:
One of my favorite reading subjects is the early history of the United States so I was excited to read Thomas Fleming’s THE INTIMATE LIVES OF THE FOUNDING FATHERS. Fleming gives the reader an amazing insight into the roles women played in the lives of the six men often credited with playing the largest role in the birth of our nation.
The book is divided into six sections; each section is dedicated to one of the founding fathers, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe.
We all have read enough history to know the achievements of these great men. Fleming goes well beyond these actions and shares with the reader how the private lives of these leaders influenced these achievements.
The one thing that struck me while reading the book was how much sacrifice these individuals and their families made in serving their country. In most case there were long periods of separation. Adams, Jefferson and Madison dealt with these separations with great reluctance while Franklin literally abandoned his American wife for several years without much remorse.
We also become familiar with the families of these great men. Washington had no children but assumed responsibility for Martha’s children from a prior marriage. Martha’s son was a difficult problem for Washington. Fleming also describes the arduous relationship between Washington and his mother. It was very interesting to learn how often Martha joined her husband during the War for Independence. We know of Franklin’s illegitimate son but we now learn of his son’s illegitimate child. We become familiar with the many women in Franklin’s life. The author tells of the great trials and tribulations Abigail Adams suffered not only during her husband’s long absences but also during his controversial presidency. We learn of Jefferson’s reluctance to play a role in the government because of his wife’s illnesses and we become aware of his infatuation with another woman while serving as ambassador to France. The author expounds (maybe excessively) on the controversial relationship between Jefferson and the slave Sally Hemings. Fleming shares with the reader the promiscuity of Hamilton’s mother, Hamilton’s own infidelity, his son’s death in a duel and his reconciliation with his wife. He describes Madison being jilted by his first love and then his courtship of Dolly, possibly the most popular First Lady.
I was also awed by the difficult lives of these women. Not only were they left alone to run farms and plantations and rear children, but at the time pregnancy and child bearing were extremely dangerous and infant mortality rates were very high. For example, Martha Washington and Martha Jefferson each lost four children.
It’s apparent that each of these men knew that history was in the making so all the women in the lives of the founding fathers had to deal with fame which made much of their private lives very public. Some of them like Dolly Madison dealt with this very well. Others like Abigail Adams were consumed by it. Scrupulous reporting and political dirty tricks was not reserved solely for the twenty-first century.
There are many great stories in this book addressing the inner strength of these women. In fact Adams and Madison most likely would not have reached their potential but for the driving forces of their wives. My favorite story regarding the strength of these women was the account of the actions of Dolly Madison during the British assault on Washington D.C. in the War of 1812.
Thomas Fleming uses his great storytelling skills to present in depth portraits of our founding fathers that are very human and give the reader an even greater appreciation of their accomplishments. If you like reading about history, you will love this book.
Thanks to Booking Pap Pap for his excellent review and to the publisher for providing a review copy.
Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Kathy aka Bermuda Onion where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading. Feel free to join in the fun.
Summary: Anne Rice returns to the mesmerizing storytelling that has captivated readers for more than three decades in a tale of unceasing suspense set in time past—a metaphysical thriller about angels and assassins.
The novel opens in the present. At its center: Toby O’Dare—a contract killer of underground fame on assignment to kill once again. A soulless soul, a dead man walking, he lives under a series of aliases—just now: Lucky the Fox—and takes his orders from “The Right Man.”Into O’Dare’s nightmarish world of lone and lethal missions comes a mysterious stranger, a seraph, who offers him a chance to save rather than destroy lives. O’Dare, who long ago dreamt of being a priest but instead came to embody danger and violence, seizes his chance. Now he is carried back through the ages to thirteenth-century England, to dark realms where accusations of ritual murder have been made against Jews, where children suddenly die or disappear . . . In this primitive setting, O’Dare begins his perilous quest for salvation, a journey of danger and flight, loyalty and betrayal, selflessness and love. -- Knopf
Like many of you, I have read a few Anne Rice books in my lifetime. When I was younger, I read some of her vampire books; and then for book club a few years ago, we read CHRIST THE LORD: OUT OF EGYPT. Needless to say, her books have definitely changed throughout the years (much as a result of her Christian faith.) So when I heard that she has a new series of books coming out about angels, I was curious to say the least.
I have to admit that I wasn't exactly sure if ANGEL TIME: THE SONGS OF THE SERAPHIM, was going to work. I was hesitant to think an entire book about angels would hold my attention. That's not to say that I'm not interested in the idea of angels and how they possibly affect our lives -- I'm still thanking my guardian angel for saving my family in our car accident. It's just that I was wondering if the book would be a little too much on the "sweet" side. Would there be enough of the Anne Rice style that I had grown to enjoy?
I was very relieved to see the book described as a "metaphysical thriller;" and when I read the following quote from the author, I felt even better:
“I have never been satisfied by the way that angels are portrayed in modern films and fanciful stories. Too often they appear as sad characters who love Earth more than Heaven; sometimes they are downright flawed. How much more exciting is it to imagine wise and joyful angels who might at times be baffled by humans, yes, but who are always filled with optimism and loving kindness, because they are very special children of God. Why can’t we have good and exciting and suspenseful fiction about such angels? I think we can.”
After "flying through" (get it?) ANGEL TIME, I have to agree wholeheartedly with Ms. Rice. She managed to come up with a very unique premise for a book, and I think she definitely pulled off an intriguing book that also happened to have angels as characters. What I really enjoyed about this book is how the author managed to incorporate so many elements into the story. This book really did have a little bit of everything -- suspense, adventure, time travel, historical fiction, and religion.
In addition to a very entertaining story, I also appreciated some of the messages in this story. When the book begins, the main character Lucky Fox is a basically a murderer-for hire. He is about the last person you would expect an angel to turn to for help! As the story unfolds, the reader learns about Lucky's past and the reasons why his life turned out the way it did. I ended up really liking Lucky (despite his career choice) and my heart definitely went out to him. Through Lucky's transformation, the author manages to reveal some pretty major themes in this story including redemption and forgiveness. ANGEL TIME actually ended up being much deeper than I was first expecting.
ANGEL TIME: SONGS OF THE SERAPHIM is the first book in the series. The second book is already completed, and Ms. Rice is currently working on the third. I pretty sure that I'm already hooked, and I am definitely looking forward to the future novels. If you are like me and enjoy adventure books that include time travel or even historical fiction novels, then I think you will like ANGEL TIME!
Thanks the the publisher for sending me a review copy.
I wanted to share with you an e-mail that I received from Robin Maxwell, author of the upcoming book O, JULIET.
Beginning Monday, January 4th, and on the next two Mondays, readers can enter to win a signed copy of O, JULIET and a beautiful heart necklace (one hand-crafted solid silver, one blown glass, and one carved Thai silver) on my blog, http://robinmaxwell.blogspot.com.
All you have to do is provide your e-mail address and answer a simple questions about love. This week's questions is: "What are the qualities in a lover that are most important to you?"
Make sure you visit Robin Maxwell's blog to enter this contest!
As part of promoting this site, Sony gave me the opportunity to giveaway a Sony Reader Pocket Edition (valued at $199.99) to one very lucky Booking Mama reader. To enter, I asked for you to leave a comment telling me about a book you read when you were growing up that has stayed with you and why it was memorable. My plan was to select the five "best" answers and then randomly select the grand prize winner. Little did I know how incredibly difficult it would be to pick just five comments.
I was blown away by all of your responses, and I could definitely relate to many of your feelings. The responses were just amazing -- some made me laugh and some even made me cry. Many of your comments brought back wonderful memories about books that I read and loved as a child. Quite a few of your comments made me write down books that I definitely need to read and even re-read. I have to say that narrowing the list down to five was next to impossible for me.
For me, the book that stayed with me was The Diary of Anne Frank. When I read it, I was the same age as Anne was in the book and I just could not believe that someone who was my age was going through such unbelievable experiences. It made me feel as if I hadn't really lived yet - and made me realize that there was so much more to life than the four corners of my small world. I was so touched by that book that I read it about four times in a row (over a two week period), hoping and praying for a different outcome for Anne. And once it finally sunk in that it wasn't going to change, I put the book away and could not look at it again. It was too tragic.
East of Eden by John Steinbeck, no question. I've read it almost once a year since high school because it is such a moving book. One thing I love about it is the language. East of Eden carries me along as no other book does. I have said (and even posted on the internet for everyone to see) that when I read it, it feels like I am dancing, sweeping around the room carried by the words as you would be by music.
If I had to pick a favorite part of that book, it would be the discussion the characters have of the story of Cain and Abel, where they go back to the original Hebrew or Aramaic word, timshel and discover that what is being said is 'thou mayest' conquer over sin. It is such a simultaneously humbling and empowering moment, and even just thinking about the beauty of the scene gives me shivers up and down my spine.
This is a wonderful giveaway! I've been dying for an e-reader, Kindle, or something like that. :-)
I read so much as a kid, and have so many favorites. One that has stuck with me and influenced me the most is the Anne of Green Gables series - all of them, though Anne of the Island is my favorite (Philippa is such a hilarious character!). Anne taught me to be a dreamer, and whenever I get too involved in the stresses of life, I try to think like Anne did. :-) There are so many things you can take from her and look at life in a fresh, new way. So many wisdoms... L.M. Montgomery must have been an amazing woman.
I think I need to frame my favorite quotes and put them on my wall. lol Here's one:
"There's such a lot of different Annes in me. I sometimes think that is why I'm such a troublesome person. If I was just the one Anne it would be ever so much more comfortable, but then it wouldn't be half so interesting."
When I was a teen, I read To Kill a Mockingbird because I had seen the movie a number of times. The book was amazing - written through the eyes of an innocent young girl, you're taken to a town in the south where prejudice is just part of life.
It's not just Tom Robinson's story that moved me. I was moved by all of the small stories in this sleepy town particularly the one about Boo Radley -- a man who would be handicapped by today's standards, but back then was labeled a madman.
Scout's outspokenness and blind faith is something I still cling to. She didn't care about a man's color or where he came from. It was what a person did with his life that mattered, be it a small thing like giving a toy to a child or a large thing like saving a person's life.
Years later, I became a teacher. I worked in a town where the people were well-educated and God fearing and still I heard them speak out against a Korean boy who didn't understand English and another refer to a classmate by the "n" word. More than 50 years after Harper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird and still people were judging based on the color of another person's skin.
It saddened me but it also made me want to keep on working to make a difference.
I spent a lot of time thinking about which book to choose, and whether or not to share something on the Internet that was so close to my heart. After reading everyone's comments, I knew that I had to choose this particular book, because it affected me in such a way that I will never forget it.
The book is Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. I read it when I was a junior in high school (I'm now a sophomore in college), during a very difficult time in my life. I was having a lot of issues with depression, and my best (and only good) friend was anorexic,to the point where it was threatening her health both physically and emotionally. We were growing apart, and no matter how hard I tried, I felt like I couldn't stop it. There is nothing so completely demoralizing in the world as the feeling of total, complete helplessness. I was so incredibly terrified that she would leave me, and I would truly be alone in the world...even more alone than I had felt at that time.
It's hard to admit, but I did think about suicide a few times. I had had problems with self abuse when I was 14, and while they disappeared for awhile, they resurfaced at this time in my life.
Books had always been my refuge, but I was getting to a point that not even they were helping me. That is, until I picked up Thirteen Reasons Why.
For those of you who don't know much about the book, it's about a teenage girl who commits suicide, then leaves a series of tapes behind explaining her reasons for doing so. Aside from being one of the most compelling books I've ever read, it touched me at a time in my life when nothing else could.
There's a scene at the end of the book where the main character, realizes that if he would have confessed his feelings for Hannah, or at least let her know that he wanted to be her friend, it might have been enough to keep her in the world. It's a beautiful, heartbreaking scene, and it taught me a new value to life that I hadn't seen before. Even if I never knew it, if my being kind and friendly to someone could be enough to save a life, my own was worth living. That realization did wonders for me, and throughout the next year, I was able to turn my life around with the help of my family and friends.
This is an awesome way to enter to win an E-reader. I loved reading everyone else's comments, and I've added a few books to my TBR list. I definitely plan on checking out Sony's new program. Thanks for hosting this! :)
I'd like to thank everyone who submitted their thoughts and feelings about favorite childhood books. If you'd like to share more of your "literary moments," please check out the Words Move Me site.
Summary: FROM THE CO-INVENTOR OF “BALDERDASH", ”The Chicken Soup for the Soul: Count Your Blessings” Family Game can help your family and friends connect and “play their way to gratitude” for years to come. You see, the trick is, in order to count the blessings in your life, you have to find them first. That’s why they’re called blessings-in-disguise.
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