Her Name Was Beauty bu Deborah A. Williams

Title: Her Name Was Beauty
Series: None
Author(s): Deborah Ann Williams 
Genre: Children's book
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing
Received: Received from Bostick Communications
Release Date: February 22, 2008
Finished: July 12, 2010
Pages: 28
Challenges: None
Rating: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Thoughts: William and Selena come from mixed heritages, which makes their daughter, Beauty, an extension of their heritages. As she grows, her complexion shows signs of their dark skinned heritages. When she starts preschool, Beauty experiences the first negative reactions to her color, but her father teaches her to love who she is and not listen to others' negativity.

Before I read it, I flipped through and noticed there are no pictures in this Children's book. Since it has as many pages as a children's picture book, I began to judge it as one. (I have always been a visual person and figure most kids are too.) I realized that I was judging by looks. but this was a story that didn't have art because its words were more important.

There was a part where the father explained to Beauty about her family's history, and I wish that the author had gone into that more deeply.  The book has a strong message. There were a few sentences that didn't make sense and need to be worked out, but other then that the message is good.

About the Author: This is Deborah Ann Williams' first book.When not writing, she is a therapist.

 

 

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck

Title: The Red Pony
Series: None
Author(s): John Steinbeck
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Bantam
Received: Received from Paperback Swap
Release Date: First published 1933
Finished: July 2010
Pages: 120
Challenges: None
Rating: 

 

 

My Thoughts: Jody and his family live on a farm where Jody helps take care of the chickens, cows and other things. His father decides that he is old enough to take care of his own horse, and gets him a red pony named Gabilan. After months of taking care of the pony and becoming attached to it, Gabilan becomes ill, and the emotional impact of that effects everything about Jody's view of life and how he deals with loss.

I decided to read this because this book, like many of Steinbeck's other books, was mention in the young adult book Steinbeck's Ghost by Lewis Buzbee. I had never read anything by him before, but knew the basics about some of his big ones (East of Eden, Of Mice and Men, and Grapes of Wrath).

The Red Pony was very different from any book I have read.  A little less than half way through, the pony is no longer in the story and basically we see how Jody deals with his emotions after losing the pony.  Then some random life events come into the story, and I am not sure what their point was, except maybe that life goes on.

I did enjoy this book because it was different and I didn't know what to expect. I would be interested in reading more Steinbeck because I still don't understand his greatness or what makes his books classics.

About the Author: John Steinbeck wrote over 30 books and received the Noble Prize for literature in 1962.  He passed away in 1968.

 

 

Author Interview - Kevin Alan Milne

1. What are some of your favorite books or authors?

Believe it or not, I really love fantasy books…perhaps because I like to stay plugged in to what my kids are reading, or maybe because, at heart, I’m just a kid myself. My current fav’s include Brandon Mull’s Fablehaven series and all of the Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan.  But when I’m in the mood for something a little more uplifting and …er…age-appropriate, I love to pick up anything by Mitch Albom, Richard Paul Evans, or Jason Wright. And of course, my all time favorite book is Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl. 

2.You studied many subjects in college, how did you wind up writing and what made you switch to book writing?

I did enroll in more than my fair share of majors—journalism, communications, pre-med, pre-law, German, and film, just to name a few—but ultimately graduated with a B.S. in psychology. Then I threw everything I’d learned out the window and earned an MBA. After landing my first job in business, I found myself frequently answering the question, “So, what do you do for work?” My most common response was, “Oh, I mostly just respond to emails all day long. How about you?” Long story short: corporate work was boring me to death. I came home each day amazed and confused at the monotony of it all. I’d hoped it would be stimulating, but instead it was just exhausting. So one day during lunch I decided to start writing a novel—something I’d always wanted to do—and the rest, as they say, is history.    

3. Do you have any rituals that keep you writing or get you started?

A Diet Dr. Pepper is usually a good start, but I wouldn’t say I have any particular rituals. However, you might find it interesting that I frequently write with thick, bulky, rifle-shooting headphones over my ears to block out all sound. I find it much easier to get inside my head when the only thing I can hear is the space between my ears. 

 4. Your books inspire hope and love, what inspires you to write about such positive stories?

 

Hmm…tough question. I think most of it is simply that I am personally drawn to stories that are uplifting in one way or another. When I turn the final page of a book and close the cover, I like to walk away feeling like I’ve been touched in a positive way, and so when I sit down to write I have that same basic goal in mind. The other contributing factor is my children: Nothing is more important to me than the happiness of my family, so when I’m writing I try to think about what things might be important for them to read as they get older. In the back of my mind I hope that what I put into a book will someday help my kids get through life’s little trials.    

 
 

5. How did you come up with the misfortune sayings that are in Sophie's fortune cookies?

Most of the misfortunes just sort of ‘grew’ naturally out of what Sophie was experiencing in the story. Those were the easiest ones to write, and probably the most meaningful. The rest came from pouring through thousands of actual fortune cookie sayings and just tweaking them to have a more pessimistic flavor.   

6. How do you straighten yourself out after life has given you a curve?

More Diet Dr. Pepper helps offset the curves!

Just kidding. I think my recipe for getting through things is no different than anyone else’s. I lean on the most important things in my life, namely my faith, my family, and my friends. With a combination of those three F’s, all curves can be straightened.  

7. Sophie lacks happiness. What do you think is the secret to happiness?

Confucius say, “The secret to happiness is recognizing it.” (Note: as far as I know, Confucius didn’t really say that, but it sounds better with his name attached.) But seriously, it’s way too easy to dwell on the bad things in life. Acknowledging—and being grateful for—the good things, however small they may be, makes life much sweeter.

Sweet Misfortune by Kevin Alan Milne

Title: Sweet Misfortune
Series: None
Author(s): Kevin Alan Milne
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Center Street
Received: Received from Megan at Goldberg McDuffie Communications
Release Date: June 10, 2010
Finished: June 2010
Pages: 288
Challenges: None
Rating: 

My Thoughts: Sophie has had much misery in her life.  Her parents are dead, her fiance canceled their wedding a week before, and now her ex-fiance is back and wants a second chance to explain himself. Sophie is not buying it and gives her ex, Garrett, a task she believes will never get done. She is in for a few surprises.

I liked so many things in this book. The characters are all likable and make the story so enjoyable you don't want to finish. I also found it inspiring and uplifting.

After her misfortunes, Sophie did turn her sadness into something better. She believed that her parents death was her fault, even though she was only a little girl who wanted piece of chocolate. But she eventually started a chocolate shop.  After her wedding was canceled, Sophie came up with misfortune cookies - just like fortune cookies, except they taste bad and have not-so-nice fortunes. They turn out to be a huge hit. The job Sophie gives Garret is to find 100 reasons for happiness.  He has to put an ad in a newspaper and the answers are sent to her P.O. Box. Happiness comes flying in.

As the story nears the end, you'll never guess where it ends up going. My husband said it sounds like chick lit, but  I don't feel like it is chick lit. When I have read books I consider chick lit, those have a dumb-downed feeling. This feels very different. This book is fun, exciting, inspiring and heartwarming.

About the Author: Kevin Alan Milne studied just about every subject in college. (law, medicine, science, etc.). He and his wife are the proud parents of 5 children. This the Kevin's third book, the other two being The Paperbag Christmas and The Nine Lessons.& Visit his website, http://kevinamilne.com/index.html.

 CHECK BACK TOMORROW  FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR KEVIN ALAN MILNE!