Books, books, books!

This time of year there is always a ton of books being released and it can be difficult to keep up with. Trust me, I'm struggling a bit. There are so many different genres of books out there and twice as many authors. There is so many out there you couldn't even stir them with a stick as my mom says. To make things easier I have rooted through some new releases and oldies but goodies for you.


Paula Deana's husband Michael Groover has published a memoir with Sherry Sule Cohen titled "MY DELICIOUS LIFE WITH PAULA DEAN". This memoir includes tid-bits about his life with Paula, and he has even included how the two met. I adore Paula Dean and I am fascinated by her, plus she reminds me of myself. I am not such a big fan of butter like she is, but all the same the southern gal thing is there. It is available on Amazon.com for $16.50 in the Hardback edition and $9.99 for kindle.


We all have read "A CHRISTMAS CAROL" by Charles Dickens, and we all have seen the various stage renditions and movies versions of this wondrous tale. But did you know that in 1853 he went on a reading tour, and when Charles Dickens went on a reading tour it was anything but normal. He was not your typical writer, and so his readings were not typical. There was no simply reading small paragraphs here or there, nope. He acted out scenes from his most popular works. He not only read parts of his books but he also acted out the scenes alone. It was him on the stage illuminated by the gas lamps acting out the scenes in a one man show. The reading tours almost killed him. He put his heart and soul into these reading tours. He cut, re-wrote, added stage directions, and made notes for himself in a select copy of "A CHRISTMAS CAROL", this version of the book is called a prompt copy.
The great people at Levenger have worked with the New York Public library (who has the only original prompt copy) to release reproduction prompt copies to the public. The reproduced prompt copies are in full color and include copies of handwritten notes penned by Dickens and an introduction by the New York Public Library's curator Isaac Gewirtz which covers the back story of the book and a transcription of the amended text. A prompt copy of A Christmas Carol is found only from Levenger at the price of $48 for a red linen and gold foil Hardcover edition. Levenger.com


For those out there that love graphic novels and history this is the book for you. "The story of Sir Winston Churchill:The Happy Warrior" is a 1950's comic strip from Britain's Eagle comics complied into a single book. It's the biography of Sir Winston Churchill comic book style. This is also only available from Levenger, it is a hardback edition and is priced at $38. Levenger.com


"On Becoming Abraham Lincoln: From the 1893 Biography" by John Torrey, Jr. Morse with a foreword by Ronald White is an 1893 account of Lincoln's early years. The original print of the book minus the foreword by Ronald White is no longer available, meaning it is out of print. The version with the added foreword is avaiable through Levenger for $34.00. This newest version of the book includes copies of handwritten notes by Abe himself.


"Bear Portraits" by Jill Greenberg is a follow up to her first book "Monkey Portraits" with this collection of photos of bears that will make your heart sing with joy. The Bear's photos were taken against a simple drop cloth backdrops to ensure that the bears are the center point of the photo. A must have for the animal lover, and kids will thoroughly enjoy being able to check out bears minus all the distractions of a natural background. This a available on Amazon.com, Hard copy, for $14.57. Sorry there is no kindle version.


Rare Words and Ways to Master Their Meanings: 500 Arcane but Useful Words for Language Lovers and Rare Words II and Ways to Master Their Meanings: 500 More Unusual Selections, Some with Poetic Confections for Gleaning Their Meaning by Jan Leighton and Hallie Leighton. These books are no longer in print but can be purchased from independent sellers and from Levenger.com for around $20 each. These books include forgotten words of the English language. These are books for language lovers and scrabble lovers.

Check back next week for a list of children books that would make great gifts for young readers and beginners.

What Am I Reading?

In an earlier post I mentioned that I am an avid reader. Are you asking yourself what does she read? Well, I am here to answer your question. I read everything, and when say everything I mean everything. Currently I am reading "Drood" By Dan Simmons. So far it is pretty good. I like a book that I can sink my teeth into. I do read romance, but I can rip through a romance book in a day so I like a book with substance. But I guess that my type of book is one that will make my mind spin, one that gets me going. I first read "Angel's and Demon's" by Dan Brown way back in 1999 ( it was a gift from a co-worker) I was enthralled, I read it and re-read it. "Cold Mountain" did the same thing for me when I was stuck on bed rest for 6 months with my first pregnancy. I cheered for Ruby, and loved them all. A book should be able to draw you in and make you forget that your worries. Reading "Cold Mountain" while on bed rest made my little "bed vacation" seem like a breeze, something not so terribly bad compared to what the characters were going through. When I was younger I read Anne Rice like her books were handed down from God himself. Her books are fantastic and she does hook you in. In "Interview with a Vampire" you want to know what Louie and Claudia did in Paris, you need to know about their adventures, you crave to see how their love bloomed. I must say though that my favorite book of all time other than "Alice in Wonderland" is "Servant of the Bones" by Anne Rice. It does not have vampires, or witches in it. It's about a boy named Azeriel who is cursed. I have an extremely worn paper back copy that I have read at least 20 times. I recommend it highly.

What are you into currently? What books, movies or songs have caught your attention and inspired you? I want to hear from you, don't be shy!!

A Penny For Your Thoughts

In light of all of the books converted to movies I am left pondering which is the best one. It doesn't have to be an "official" book, comic books count too. I thought Hulk movie was okay, not really enought "HULK BASH" for my tastes, but it was a good story line. We can't overlook the old school movies based on books like "Interview with a Vampire", or the cartoon movie "The Last Unicorn". This is a tough question to answer, it's akin to asking me what my favorite color of nail polish is. So you tell me what is your favorite movie that was based on a book of some sort, it can be a fanasty, a comedy, a comic book, anything. I will even accept "Twilight". I just want to hear your picks.

For those out there that are interested in my pick I have to go with "Interview with a Vampire", and in a strong second is "Alice in Wonderland", the made for TV series the live action with Gene Wilder in it.