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I used Random.org and the winners are...
Julie
Michele
Shawnee
Congrats!! You've all won a copy of UNDERCOVER by Beth Kephart. Once I get the addresses I'll be sending these out this week. Thanks again for participating and happy reading :-)
Bloggy Giveaways is hosting their quarterly giveaway carnival this week! There are already over 700 entries of fabulous prizes to win!
I'll be giving away FOUR (4) copies of the delightful young adult novel, UNDERCOVER, by National Book Award Nominee, Beth Kephart. To enter just leave me a comment by 5 PM (eastern) on Sunday April 27th (continental US residents only please). I'll draw the winners later that evening.
Here is the book's description:
Like a modern-day Cyrano de Bergerac, Elisa ghostwrites love notes for the boys in her school. But when Elisa falls for Theo Moses, things change fast. Theo asks for verses to court the lovely Lila—a girl known for her beauty, her popularity, and a cutting ability to remind Elisa that she has none of these. At home, Elisa's father, the one person she feels understands her, has left on an extended business trip. As the days grow shorter, Elisa worries that the increasingly urgent letters she sends her father won't bring him home. Like the undercover agent she feels she has become, Elisa retreats to a pond in the woods, where her talent for ice-skating gives her the confidence to come out from under cover and take center stage. But when Lila becomes jealous of Theo's friendship with Elisa, her revenge nearly destroys Elisa's ice-skating dreams and her plan to reunite her family.
I recently had the pleasure of reading UNDERCOVER. I'll admit that it had been quite a few years since I read a young adult novel, but I was instantly drawn into the characters through Elisa's eyes. I loved the way Elisa relates people (herself included) to nature. But even she realizes that human nature is more complex than that. The story is beautifully written and any adult or teen would certainly find it compelling. Mother-Daughter book clubs (both formal and informal) are growing in popularity and UNDERCOVER would be an excellent selection to experience together.
Beth Kephart was kind enough to answer a few interview questions regarding UNDERCOVER and her writing process:
What made you decide to try your hand at writing a young adult novel and how did this writing process differ from your previous work?
I find that every book has multiple beginnings. Having taught young writers for several years and having chaired the National Book Awards’ Young People’s Literature Award in 2001, I had a pretty good sense for what I felt worked in books for a certain segment of younger readers and for what seemed to be missing. But I’d been writing memoirs and was in the midst of writing a history/poetry book about a river when Laura Geringer of HarperCollins sent me a very beautiful letter asking if I’d consider writing a novel for young adults. I didn’t think I had what it took, but I loved Laura and her sensibility. Over the course of a year we’d talk by phone, and then one weekend she came to Philadelphia with her husband for a conference and took time out to meet me.
It was our conversation over breakfast that day that finally set UNDERCOVER in motion, for Laura asked a lot of questions about my own adolescence. I’d been an aspiring teen poet, I told her. I’d been a behind-the-scenes person. I had learned to skate on a pond and then took lessons and began to compete, particularly in interpretive free skating competitions. My dad was away a lot and I missed him. I often thought of myself as being invisible, unseen.
Something just happened. Something clicked. And on the train home that day I wrote the first ten pages of what became UNDERCOVER. Elisa has her antecedents in my own life, therefore. She sprung to life because of Laura’s questions. And she likely wouldn’t exist if I hadn’t written memoirs for adults that Laura had somehow found her way towards.
Elisa is such a beautiful character. I really enjoyed her ability to relate the people she encounters to nature; yet later she realizes they are even more complex than that. If you could picture her 15 years older, what would her life look like?
I’m so glad you liked Elisa, and I thank you for saying that you did. I wasn’t her—the beauty of fiction is that one transports the facts, idealizes them—but I understand her, I have lived, I often still live, within the range of her emotions. I know, therefore, who she grows up to be. At 30, she’s still in awe of nature. She’s still eager to find the right words to name feelings and things. She has built a life for herself, even a small reputation, but still there are times when she fights against a nagging sense of not being entirely seen. I’m not sure Elisa will ever entirely escape that feeling.
I found the “Book of Words” to be an intriguing concept and a great tool for writers of all ages and genres. Did you include this from personal experience?
I began my own book of words when I was in my twenties. I’d started a business at the age of 25—ghostwriting, copywriting, strategic and tactical marketing for architects and engineers—and I needed to expand my vocabulary. I needed to get porticos, cornices, all of that straight in my head. So the book of words began as a book of architectural terms and phrases, but it soon began to hold quotes and descriptions and adjectives from almost anything that I was reading. It’s still here. I still add to it. It’s gray and battered, with a light blue spine.
Can we expect more young adult novels from you in the future, or is your writing taking you in a different direction?
My second novel for young adults, HOUSE OF DANCE, is due out in May of this year. This is a story of a 15 year old named Rosie, who is taking care of a dying grandfather during a summer in which her single mother has, in many ways, disappeared. Rosie seeks to give her grandfather one final gift, and this gift involves color, light, dance—the elements that will, she begins to understand, evoke his sweetest memories. I’m a ballroom dancer myself, and I’m excited about this book. Very.
Next May there will be a third, called NOTHING BUT GHOSTS, which is a romance and a mystery that takes place on the site of a reclusive gardener’s estate. The following May there will be a fourth, THE HEART IS NOT A SIZE, which concerns a mission trip that teens take to a squatter’s village in Mexico.
I’ve written a picture book for children, which is in the works. At the moment, I’m at work on an historical novel. Most of the time, though, I run a business with my husband, which still involves the ghosting and communications work that I began years ago. My husband is a designer. I continue to do the strategic work, the research, and the writing.
I have a new favorite color...GREEN!
When I first heard that MotherTalk was hosting a blog tour for Healthy Child Healthy World by Christopher Gavigan I knew this was a book I'd like to review. One of my goals this year is to form better habits that help us minimize our carbon footprint. The problem is that I've been confused with the tidbits of enviromental info I've heard and I needed more of a concrete guide to green living. With Healthy Child Healthy World that is what I got...and so much more!
I knew this book was about "green living" but I mistakenly assumed most of the information would center around our enviroment in a global sense. I wasn't prepared for so much of it to hit home-quite literally! Here I was hoping to learn about steps to take to make the world cleaner and safer. Little did I know that I'd learn so much about making our immediate environment (our home) cleaner, greener and safer and how that can directly affect us.
The book is divided up in chapters discussing the various aspects of our everyday environment such as cleaning products, the foods we eat, caring for our lawns, the beauty products we use, and the purchases we make for our children like toys and clothes. Although parents and parents-to-be will benefit the most from this book, anyone who cares about the toxins in their home will get something out it.
One of the things I love best about this book is the way the material is presented. An item is evaluated (such as nail polish, car seats, cleaning products, or regular milk), an explanation is given regarding the potentially harmful enviromental factors, and then simple solutions or alternatives are suggested. You are left feeling aware, educated and empowered.
For me this book comes down to choices. We do have choices regarding the chemicals our families are exposed to. Gavigan is not an alarmist and does not come out and say that using typical cleaning products will directly result in devastating illnesses in our children. But what he does suggest is that there is so much that hasn't been tested, so why take that chance, especially when there are safe alternatives.
Also, when it comes to the solutions suggested in this book, such as buying organic food and using stainless steel water bottles, at first glance it may look like you'll blow your budget. This isn't the case if you also follow his other suggestions such as using cloth diapers, buying wooden toys that don't require batteries, and making your own cleaning products (he includes the recipes). When you implement these changes your spending simply shifts. Some things will cost your more, others will cost you less. It pretty much all evens out.
The book also features contributions from celebrities including Kate Hudson, Tom Hanks, Keri Russell, Brooke Shields, Courteney Cox, and Tobey Maguire. Some reviewers found this distracting, but I liked it. To me they are just examples of concerned parents trying to sift through the information like the rest of us and make they best choices they can. They acknowledged that it's a struggle at times to make the necessary changes, but even baby steps help and we all need to just do the best we can.
To say that this book is life-changing is an understatment. I immediately started making changes and will continue to blog about these under the catergory Green Living Mother here on this blog. I have been telling my friends and family about this book and naturally they ask to borrow it. Sorry, no can do! This book is not leaving my house. They'll just have to buy their own copy, or maybe I'll just buy it for them. Yes, it's that important!
To read other reviews of Healthy Child Healthy World check out the MotherTalk Blog Tour. To learn more about the Healthy Child Healthy World nonprofit organization check out their website at healthychild.org.
After being off for a bit due to shoulder surgery I'm back to my computer this week!! In addition to recovering I've been reading, reading, reading and I can't wait to share my reviews with you this week :-)
I'm a big fan of MotherTalk and they have some fun new features for 2008! Those same great books that the bloggers review now have an interactive online book club to go along with it so readers and writers can really connect :-)
With MotherTalk you can:
-check out the many blogger reviews collected in a nice and neat central location. With a few simple clicks of your mouse you can read what others are saying about the book (and check out some new blogs in the process).
-read useful background information on the book, interviews with the author, etc. The staff at MotherTalk really helps you get the inside scoop.
-feel confident that reading the book will be a risk-free investment of your time and money because you'll be "armed" with all of this helpful info.
-complete your reading adventure by participating in the online book club. No need to coordinate a babysitter and work around the schedule of others. Simply poor yourself a cup of coffee and participate in the book club when it works for you.
Later this week I'll be contributing to the MotherTalk book club discussion on Kelly Corrigan's memoir The Middle Place and posting my own review of the book here on my blog :-)
I recently finished A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini and I LOVED it! In all honesty I have a tendency to read more nonfiction these days. That's not to say that I don't like novels, it's just that what little time I do have to read I usually spend it reading books about how to keep your potty-training son from putting his head in the toilet (as a side note there is no book like this, but I could now write one!). So reading Hosseini's book reminded me of all of the great reasons I need to make time for novels.
First of all I realized after reading this book that I really prefer novels that deal with different cultures or history. If a book is set in a different time or different place I'm immediately drawn to it (which makes sense since I initially planned on majoring in International Studies). A Thousand Splendid Suns does not disappoint in this area. I was often in awe over the fact that this sort of oppression was/is going on during my lifetime. It gave me a lot to think about and helped me put the minor annoyances of my life in perspective.
I also loved the pace of the book. I'm a big fan of short chapters. I feel a greater sense of accomplshment when I can say I read 10 chapters. Plus with shorter chapters I'm able to read more during the day with kids around. Even with the many interruptions I make progress because it's easier to stop and start again with short chapters.
Additionally the way the book was written was wonderful. I was constantly engaged! On a number of occasions I'd read a bit at night, tell myself one more chapter, and the next thing I knew it was 2 AM (three hours later)! The feeling of not wanting to put a book down was well worth the next day's sleep deprivation :-)
I'm now a big fan of Khaled Hosseini and I've definitely added his popular book, The Kite Runner, to my list of books to read in the near future. So if you haven't read A Thousand Splendid Suns, check it out!
I have a lot of new plans for this blog all set and ready to go for 2008. The new content includes:
-book reviews
-organization tips
-parenting advice
-suggestions for making time for yourself and others
-ideas for being charitable
-ways to live a faith-filled life
-Featured Resource Friday
Stay tuned....the new blogging format starts today :-)
There's no need to wait until Jan to start something new. I need to make reading for enjoyment a daily habit. So to help *push* me a little I'll be posting about it here :-) I'll feature a new book that I'm reading every week. Sometime the following week I'll do a brief review. There will be a mix of fiction and nonfiction. I'll have a running list of the book schedule in case you'd like to join me as I force myself to take more "me-time"! Also, recommendations are always welcome!!!
Below is the schedule for the next few weeks.
Nov 11: "Table for Eight: Raising a Large Family in a Small-Family World" by Meagan Francis
Nov 18: "Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everthing Across Italy, India and Indonesia" by Elizabeth Gilbert
Nov 25: "Twelve Ordinary Men: How the Master Shaped His Disciples for Greatness, and What He Wants to Do with You" by John MacArthur
Dec 2: "Writer Mama: How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids" by Christina Katz (I've read this once, but the thing about books regarding a writing career is you can always learn even more by reading them again as your own career progresses.)
Dec 9: "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini
Dec 16: "Five-Star Families: Moving Yours From Good to Great" by Carol Kuykendall
In case you missed it, Christina Katz at Writer Mama is in the middle of her month-long Back-To-School Daily Giveaway. Check it out and enter daily to win some great writing resources!
Check out this great new banner Lara at The Lazy Organizer has for Smart Habit Saturday! Of course my habit of participating in SHS hasn't exactly taken off, but I'm giving it another shot. Here's my previous list and my progress:
EXERCISE-let's start with 30 minutes 3x's a week for now.~uhh no, this one hasn't been happening, but I knew it would be the hardest to fit in.
LAUNDRY-2-3 loads a day Mon-Sat. But here's the kicker-it has to be put away!!~I was doing pretty good here until this week with getting back from the lake. I am doing a major downsizing with the amount of clothes everyone has in general, so this should help.
READ TO MY KIDS DURING LUNCH-I do read to them regularly, but I've found that reading during lunch helps keep their lunchtime goofing off in check.~I need to work on this more. My babysitter who is here three mornings a week has started doing this and it seems to be working pretty good.
DAILY SCRIPTURE/DEVOTION TIME-I'm really working on having a Christ-centered life and keeping His plan for me at the forefront of my mind.~This will never be perfect, but I'm happy with my progress.
MEAL PLANNING-Must do this. NO excuses!~This is still not a habit, but getting there.
READ DAILY-DURING THE DAY-I love to read for pleasure, but I usually wait until I crawl into bed around midnight. Therefore I get through about a page and a half before I fall asleep. I want to treat myself to about 30 minutes of reading somewhere, somehow before going to bed.~Nope, not yet. Maybe now that school is starting back up I'll be able to fit this in.
BE MORE DILIGENT WITH MY PLANNER-I flaked on a doctor's appt this week-enough said!~I've been doing a ton of work setting up a new planner system and home organizer. It's great!
STICK WITH A TO-DO/ROUTINE LIST FOR THE KIDS- they benefit from habits just as much as I do. I just need to help them manage this more.~Still putting the finishing touches on this now that school is starting.
LISTEN TO MUSIC DAILY-I have a wide range of music on my computer, so there's sure to be something to suit my mood. In the evenings when I like a little background noise while I work, music is a better choice over the TV. It's inspiring and uplifting without being distracting.~I'm doing this about half of the time.
GO TO BED EARLIER-I think sleeping 11-6:30/7 is best for me. That way I can get up a little before my kids do and actually wake up before I start meeting the needs of four little ones.~Most nights I'm getting to bed earlier.
Here's my new habit to add to the list:
START DRESSING NICER EVERYDAY-I'm a yoga pants junkie! I love just being comfortable everyday especially since I'm at the computer so much. But I think the "just-got-back-from-the-gym" look (when I haven't even been) is getting old. So I'm focusing on dressing nicer, yet still selecting clothes that I'll be comfortable in.
For more SHS check out The Lazy Organizer!
