The Book Stacks

Walter Cruttenden is someone I have seen mentioned in a couple of other places on the internet; there’s an interview on http://www.consciousmedianetwork.com/home.htm that I viewed with interest.

But hearing, even from his own mouth, about his ideas of why we have mysteries about our past is nowhere near enough preparation for the entirety of the theory accompanied by detailed exposition of the evidence he and his team have uncovered.

The book is an interesting read, able to hold my attention almost from the start. He begins logically with what is basically a review of how things are from the orthodox perspective, then steadily sets out his reasons for why it isn’t correct.

The science about Precession and orbits may be daunting for some; I’m a bit of a science buff and as I said to my wife after reading through that section, ‘My head hurts’ but it is worth persevering through the section. It might help to get some bits and pieces of junk and model out what he is saying or perhaps download an astronomical program to look at what is going on as the Earth orbits the Sun.

For those with a science bent, the book may seem to venture too far into the mystic side, or perhaps the myths may leave them wanting to discard the theory as irrelevant – to those I say that Science shouldn’t judge data by where it comes from, only by accuracy and relevance.

Lost Star in Myth and Time hasn’t fully answered the questions about who we are and why we have so many mysteries about history, but it has redefined the field and asks questions that are going to require hard answers. His theory is only bolstered by recent findings that show the Solar System to be an immigrant to the Milky Way. Detailed surveys of the sky show that it is very likely that our system and others close to us have come from the Sagittarius galaxy currently being destroyed by the superior gravitational pull of the Milky Way.

If what Cruttenden and others have to say about our past is in any way truth, there is knowledge bequeathed to us by our ancestors which is being passed over by researchers perhaps too blinkered by the idea that our society is the best of a long line of societies advancing steadily from cave to shopping mall.

For those with a bent towards the history mystery, this is a must-read; for those who think they know how history went, this would be an eye opener. Only solid certainty and belief in conventional history as taught in schools could leave a reader of Lost Star in Myth and Time without questions.

“Today is Thanksgiving here in the U.S.

So, how about it? Spread a little positive thinking and tell the world what there is to be thankful for.”

Spreading a bit of positive thinking sounds fantastic. I have a list of thirteen things I’m grateful for at Finally Getting Fit, so I’ll share that here:

1. As ever, I am grateful for the love and support of my wonderful husband.

2. I am grateful for the lessons learned over the past year.

3. I am grateful for the progress I have made in the physical realm as well as the progress I have made in becoming the woman I know I can be.

4. I am grateful for writing. It is how I earn my income, how I express myself, how I’ve made many friends, how I let my imagination play and my stress relief. (And much more.)

5. I am grateful for the opportunity to do the things I love to do.

6. I am grateful for the friends who, while they cannot be here physically, send all the love and support they can via the internet.

7. I am grateful for healthy food that tastes yummy like sweet potato and mushrooms. Haha!

8. I am grateful for the beautiful music I listen to that takes me through all my moods.

9. I am grateful for being able to live the kind of life I enjoy.

10. I wish I could just go ahead and make this list one of all the ways I’m grateful for my husband…

11. I am grateful for the opportunities I have to help people.

12. I am grateful for the people who help me.

13. I am so, so grateful to be living in a country that provides excellent health care to everyone even if you have no insurance.

A warm Texas howdy to one and all. I’m Richard E. Roach and the title of my book is SCATTERED LEAVES. You may order it, if you care to, at Amazon.com. It’s a knock ‘em down and drag ‘em out crime story. Ben McCord, more or less self-trained geologist and mud-logger, comes home after experiencing a blow-out to find his wife raped and murdered. After that things go down hill.

As to how to get published is concerned…the easiest way is to pay the publisher. Some folks like this method and even make a little money. In my case I felt if my work was good enough, I’d eventually find an agent and they would find me a company that would want to print my book. Finding an agent has changed considerably in the last thirty-four years—it’s much harder now—and even when you find one, they may not sell your manuscript. I’ve had two agents and they sold exactly nothing for me. However, I haven’t given up on them.

To get published your must have infinite patience and be willing to face the hundreds, maybe thousands of rejections that you will surely get. Keep plugging away at it and someday someone will like what you’ve written.

If you can find a qualified person to edit your material and I don’t mean a hired-gun; I have reference to an acquaintance or friend, a person who truly likes your writing and admires your work, he/she can furnish the fuel to fire up your engine and keep you going in weak moments when you feel low enough to slide under a snake’s belly. This kind of human being is difficult to round-up, but you will meet them…IF you keep writing.

If you’re writing to get rich, I would encourage you to give it up and get a real job. Most of the people I see writing now-a-days are doctors, lawyers, and Indian chiefs. People like this certainly don’t need any help from a grammar school graduate like me. My words are written to lighten the load of the poor soul who’s writing because he has something to say. Always remember Hank Williams said he got his inspiration for his songs from comic books because they represented life as he saw it.

Good luck and God bless you. May you road be smooth, and your path downhill with the wind at your back. Oh, yes…you’ll need a warm coat. Winter is on the way!

(If you’re like me and can’t really make out the blog address on the graphic, don’t worry; click on the image and it will take you to where you need to go. )

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

# Grab your current read.
# Let the book fall open to a random page.
# Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
# You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
# Please avoid spoilers!

My 2 Teasers:

“Girl, those two cheerleaders that were fighting over Sexton at the basketball game are here.”

Sasha swung her head around and spied the two women that Tiara was speaking about.

~Moments of Clarity… Michele Cameron
pg. 160

Happy Teaser Tuesday!

I’m officially sick of appointments. Going to them, making them, talking about them. Yep. Sick of appointments. Not that it makes a difference in whether I keep going to them or not…

I’ve joined up with not one but two book challenge to give me added motivation to spend more time reading. The first one is the What’s in a Name challenge and the other is the From the Stacks challenge. Let me know if you’re participating, too!

Remember to play the Monday game for your last chance to win the book Sam’s Quest for the Crimson Crystal by Ben Furman.

Reading:
Savage Survival – Darrell Bain
In Bad Dreams – Horror Anthology – Edited by Mark Deniz and Sharyn Lilley
Xenocide - Orson Scott Card

Going to Read:
Dead Ringer – Mary Burton
Supernatural – Graham Hancock
Neutron Star – Short story collection – Larry Niven
Firebirds – Fantasy/Sci-fi Anthology – Edited by Sharyn November
The Foreshadowing – Marcus Sedgwick
The Jaguar Legacy – Maureen Fisher
To Truckee’s Trail – Celia Hayes
The Redemption of Althalus – David and Leigh Eddings
The Serpent Bride – Sara Douglass
Loving the Goddess Within – Nan Hawthorne
Bad Girls Club – Judy Gregerson
Stand – Debbie Williamson
Season of Sacrifice – Tristi Pinkston
Copper Star – Suzanne Woods Fisher
Copper Fire – Suzanne Woods Fisher
The Lost Diary of Don Juan – Douglas Carlton Abrams

Upcoming Reviews:
Remote Control – Jack Heath
Lost Star of Myth and Time – Walter Cruttenden
Marwan: The Autobiography of a 9/11 Terrorist – Aram Schefrin
Holler for Your Health: Be the Key to a Healthy Family – Teresa Holler

So what’s on your list?

Welcome to this week’s A Book By Any Other Name!

The game works like this: Each week I will choose a word and offer a few titles that I’ve come up with containing that word in the title. Then it’s your turn to come up with book titles containing the same word, without duplication (yes, that includes my titles.) I would also like the author, but that is just so I can find the book if I want to read it.

The current challenge: I challenge you all to reach 41 titles containing the weekly word by midnight Friday, (with no more than 10 titles commented per person and not including *my* title in the total.)

My forfeit? If you make it to 41 titles, I will draw a name from the participants and that person will win a copy of Sam’s Quest for the Crimson Crystal (read my review here) along with an Australian postcard.

So if you’d like a chance to win a book and a post card, join in!

If you don’t reach the goal, we’ll try again next week. If you reach the goal, I’ll have a brand new challenge for you next Monday where you’ll get a chance at a new prize.

(If you’re feeling pouty about the ten titles per person limit, why not get a friend to come and comment as well? The more, the merrier.)

The word this week is:

Fault

I Say: Fault Lines by Nancy Huston

You Say…

Hello, hello, hello.

Ah, the life of a reviewer. I’m kind of in the mood to stop reading books - just for a little bit! - so I can concentrate more fully on writing books, but I’m not sure how Mr. JM would feel about taking over reviews for the rest of the year. Plus, I do have those challenges to work on.

I finished my first book on the From the Stacks Challenge. You can read my review of Sam’s Quest Book 2: The Royal Trident.

Now I only have four more books to go… There are some I really need to read and move over to the ‘read’ shelf before I receive the heap of review books I have coming from a local publisher. I made friends with someone who has a direct connection to the company and thus gets plenty of books to read.

Yum.

I double-checked and I can’t start the other challenge until January. That’s fine with me, though. It gives me time to take care of the first challenge as well as some other reading-related things.

I am very happy to report I actually won a book! Moments of Clarity by Michele Cameron arrived at my house this past week. I know there are other books I should be reading first, but I couldn’t help getting just a little start on this one. It sounds like the just the kind of book I’ve been itching to read lately.

But, I’ll talk more about it later… Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Reeling from the mysterious and sudden deaths of her parents, Samantha Mae Costas is trying to keep it all together. Between moving all of her things from New York to Mile High Mountain with Grandpa and not being able to tell her friends about the amazing adventure she had with Prince Buznor and her other friends, life is just plain hard.

But when the Crimson Crystal glows a call for help, Sam doesn’t hesitate for a moment with the decision to go help her friends… and possible meet her ancestors who started it all…

Once again, Ben Furman has woven a story that I enjoy even as a twenty-something.

The wonderful Samantha and her friends return once more to travel to new worlds and meet a whole assortment of new friends – and enemies. If you thought the landscapes and creatures from The Crimson Crystal were impressive, you are going to love this book.

That’s not to say you need to read the first book to enjoy this one. One of the things I love about this book is that it can stand on its own. The references to the first book are few and far between, and you don’t need to know what happened to understand what’s going on.

I especially loved how Furman developed Sam and Buzz’s relationship in this book. He gave them time to grow their friendship while keeping the plot moving. I quite enjoyed their little exchanges.

I have a few small nitpicks for this one, though.

Things seemed to happen just a little too easily. For example, right after Grandpa and Sam talk about his feeling she should stay with him where it’s safe and her disagreeing, she says something along the lines of, “Okay, I’m going for a walk.” And Grandpa just lets her go. I’m not a parent yet, but no parent would be quite that oblivious. At least, I’d like to think so. That and other ‘easy’ things made me pause and wonder for a bit.

The next thing I noticed was the tendency for repeating things. Sam having an itchy chest, Sam using her inhaler, and Sam grabbing Buzz’s hand all became quite noticeable to me after the first few times. There are also small typos I found in the book, but they weren’t more than momentary distractions.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. They’re full of adventure, a lot of fun and written for young adults yet deal with serious issues like identity that even adults struggle with.

Read my review of Sam’s Quest Book 1: Quest for the Crimson Crystal

~~~

This is part of the “From the Stacks Challenge”.

1. Sam’s Quest Book 2: The Royal Trident
2. …

Wow! My suggestion went up on Booking Through Thursday. I feel very honored.

The prompt:

“I receive a lot of review books, but I have never once told lies about the book just because I got a free copy of it. However, some authors seem to feel that if they send you a copy of their book for free, you should give it a positive review.

Do you think reviewers are obligated to put up a good review of a book, even if they don’t like it? Have we come to a point where reviewers *need* to put up disclaimers to (hopefully) save themselves from being harassed by unhappy authors who get negative reviews?”

This was inspired by a bit of a viral discussion going on around the internet started with this incident at Hey Lady! Whatcha Readin’?. You can read about the whole thing there if you haven’t come across it already.

Honestly, I don’t think reviewers should have to put up a disclaimer. But, I have pondered with putting one up here. Thankfully, for the books I’ve given negative reviews on, either the authors haven’t stopped by or they just haven’t cared enough to comment.

I have never once thought that I was obligated to put up a good review. I’ve felt bad about a negative review, but I feel it doesn’t do a service to anyone - especially the other - to be treated with fluffy gloves. If the author is a true writer - and the review fair in the negative review - then s/he will use it to improve in the next book.

I hope I never have to encounter an author who can’t take constructive criticism.

Shandell “Blackbird” Bird has everything going for him, or so he thinks. Recently selected number two overall in the NBA draft, the six foot eight, 250-pound superstar has a gleaming new ride and a salary and athletic shoe contract that make him an instant millionaire. What he doesn’t have, is the ability to bury secrets from his past.

When Shandell is found shot to death midcourt, his best friend and college teammate Damion Madrid sets out to find the killer. Damion is well-meaning but naïve; luckily his godfather is gumshoe CJ Floyd. Floyd and his partner, Flora Jean Benson, are there to watch his back as Damion stumbles down a shadowy trail that leads to Shandell’s purported peddling of steroids and big-game point shaving.

When he discovers a “Blackbird” he never knew and is able to put a face on Shandell’s killer, Damion finds himself in over his head. Will CJ be there in time to preven this godson from joining Shandell? Featuring the vivid characters and streetwise dialogue that have made the CJ Floyd series a critical and commercial success, Blackbird, Farewell is a punch-packing whodunit that exposes the dark side of the pro-athlete good life.

About the Author:

Robert is a native of Columbus, Ohio, who spent his formative years in the steel mill town of Gary, Indiana. He graduated from Miami University at Oxford, Ohio, in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and subsequently earned degrees in dentistry, medicine and pathology from Howard University and Boston University. He is a professor of pathology, medicine, surgery, and dentistry at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center where he specializes in head and neck pathology and cancer research.

He also holds a masters degree in Creative Writing from Boston University and an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Miami University, his alma mater. Greer has lived in Denver for thirty years. In 1986 he founded The High Plains Literary Review and continues to serve as its editor-in-chief. He is the author or co-author of three medical textbooks and over 125 scientific articles. His short stories have appeared in dozens of national literary magazines and his short story collection, ISOLATION AND OTHER STORIES, published in 2000 by The Davies Group Publishers, sold out its hardback printings and is now in trade paperback.

Greer has been involved in cancer research at the University of Colorado Health Science Center for more than thirty years. In 1983 his research group was the first in the world to report a synergistic link between smokeless tobacco use and human papillomaviruses in certain cancers of the mouth. That research foundation is the basis for the plot of THE DEVIL’S HATBAND.

In addition to writing, medicine, and research, Greer reviews books for a Denver National Public Radio affiliate, KUVO, and raises cattle on his ranch near Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

You can visit Robert on the web at www.robertgreerbooks.com

Win Prizes!

FAREWELL, BLACKBIRD VIRTUAL BOOK TOUR ‘08 will officially begin on November 3 and end on November 26. You can visit Robert’s blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com in November to find out more about her latest book!

As a special promotion for all our authors, Pump Up Your Book Promotion is giving away a FREE virtual book tour to a published author or a $50 Amazon gift certificate to those not published who comments on our authors’ blog stops. More prizes will be announced as they become available. The winner(s) will be announced on November 30!

(If you’re like me and can’t really make out the blog address on the graphic, don’t worry; click on the image and it will take you to where you need to go. )

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

# Grab your current read.
# Let the book fall open to a random page.
# Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
# You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
# Please avoid spoilers!

My 2 Teasers:

“We need money and we were told the king is valuable. That’s why we are here.”

~Sam’s Quest, Book 2: The Royal Trident

And, of course, I closed the book before I grabbed the page number. Hrmph. Sorry about that.

Happy Teaser Tuesday!

You would think something as simple as drinking water would be easy, but I keep forgetting! I’m supposed to be drinking so much water a day and… Well, I’m trying. Meh.

I’ve joined up with not one but two book challenge to give me added motivation to spend more time reading. The first one is the What’s in a Name challenge and the other is the From the Stacks challenge. Let me know if you’re participating, too!

Remember to play the Monday game for your last chance to win the book Sam’s Quest for the Crimson Crystal by Ben Furman.

Reading:
Savage Survival – Darrell Bain
In Bad Dreams – Horror Anthology – Edited by Mark Deniz and Sharyn Lilley
Xenocide - Orson Scott Card

Going to Read:
Dead Ringer – Mary Burton
Supernatural – Graham Hancock
Marwan: The Autobiography of a 9/11 Terrorist – Aram Schefrin
Neutron Star – Short story collection – Larry Niven
Firebirds – Fantasy/Sci-fi Anthology – Edited by Sharyn November
The Foreshadowing – Marcus Sedgwick
The Jaguar Legacy – Maureen Fisher
To Truckee’s Trail – Celia Hayes
The Redemption of Althalus – David and Leigh Eddings
The Serpent Bride – Sara Douglass
Loving the Goddess Within – Nan Hawthorne
Bad Girls Club – Judy Gregerson
Stand – Debbie Williamson
Season of Sacrifice – Tristi Pinkston
Copper Star – Suzanne Woods Fisher
Copper Fire – Suzanne Woods Fisher
The Lost Diary of Don Juan – Douglas Carlton Abrams

Upcoming Reviews:
Remote Control – Jack Heath
Lost Star of Myth and Time – Walter Cruttenden
Sam’s Quest Book 2: The Royal Trident – Ben Furman

So what’s on your list?

Welcome to this week’s A Book By Any Other Name!

The game works like this: Each week I will choose a word and offer a few titles that I’ve come up with containing that word in the title. Then it’s your turn to come up with book titles containing the same word, without duplication (yes, that includes my titles.) I would also like the author, but that is just so I can find the book if I want to read it.

The current challenge: I challenge you all to reach 41 titles containing the weekly word by midnight Friday, (with no more than 10 titles commented per person and not including *my* title in the total.)

My forfeit? If you make it to 41 titles, I will draw a name from the participants and that person will win a copy of Sam’s Quest for the Crimson Crystal (read my review here) along with an Australian postcard.

So if you’d like a chance to win a book and a post card, join in!

If you don’t reach the goal, we’ll try again next week. If you reach the goal, I’ll have a brand new challenge for you next Monday where you’ll get a chance at a new prize.

(If you’re feeling pouty about the ten titles per person limit, why not get a friend to come and comment as well? The more, the merrier.)

The word this week is:

Thank/Thanks

I Say: Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier by Robert Emmons

You Say…

Well, since last week I have joined the two challenges I mentioned. The From the Stacks Challenge will be easy, as it’s any five books as long as they’re from my TBR shelf. Eeaaaasy. The second one - What’s in a Name 2 - will be a bit more difficult:

*This is a challenge that anyone can join, no matter what types of books they like to read. You should be able to find books from any genre that will work.

*Dates: January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009

*The Challenge: Choose one book from each of the following categories.

1. A book with a “profession” in its title. Examples might include: The Book Thief, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Historian

2. A book with a “time of day” in its title. Examples might include: Twilight, Four Past Midnight, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

3. A book with a “relative” in its title. Examples might include: Eight Cousins, My Father’s Dragon, The Daughter of Time

4. A book with a “body part” in its title. Examples might include: The Bluest Eye, Bag of Bones, The Heart of Darkness

5. A book with a “building” in its title. Examples might include: Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Little House on the Prairie, The Looming Tower

6. A book with a “medical condition” in its title. Examples might include: Insomnia, Coma, The Plague

*You may overlap books with other challenges, but please don’t use the same book for more than one category.

~

So, yes, it’s going to be interesting, but I’m looking forward to the challenge of it. Heck, I might even find some books I wouldn’t have normally read.

What challenges are you in?

Mr. JM picked up this book and I couldn’t pry it away from him until he’d finished it, so he has the honor today of reviewing this book…

Lighting the Dark Side Review
By Mr. JM

Lighting the Dark Side is a book of short stories. I must admit to prejudice in regard to this style. I started early in my life of reading with Science Fiction – there wasn’t a lot of Young Adult or children’s works available so I read adult books and stories. I come to Lighting the Dark Side with a view that SciFi short stories are one of the highest forms of writing when done well.

William Potter has put together a collection of his work that, I think, shows a writer of sensitivity and talent. I wouldn’t have thought I could read a story from the PoV of a sufferer of OCD, yet from the first few pages of Bent, Not Broken, the first story in the book, I was involved with the main characters.

Admittedly I kept waiting for the shoe to drop as I read of Dwayne’s path towards Dee-Dee; there had to be something coming to make the story worth the writing, yet each morning after I read of his life, it would preoccupy me as I drove to work.

Somehow, in each story through the book, William Potter managed to find some way to make the story true to me – some aspect of the tale would ring true to me, enabling me to identify with the character or story. Reading ‘In the Gray’, I could empathise with the character’s feelings towards a family that had failed to give him the basics needed by any growing child. Prominent Couple Slain was probably the only story where I didn’t have a personal touch from the narrative, but it is written well enough to be engrossing and well paced.

May 18, 2010 left me satisfied with the tale but wanting more of an insight to how what occurred actually came to pass. I don’t think I wanted it explained, but something more in the way of clues to how any of this was possible would have lifted (for me) the story to the level of extraordinary; as it is, it’s an involving and fascinating, if slightly frustrating unfolding of ‘what if…’ that raises questions about life.

While I still feel good Science Fiction short stories offer the ultimate in creative writing, Lighting the Dark Side is an impressive collection to showcase William Potter’s skills.