This is absolutely so true!

What do you think of Amazon's review policies?  I haven't given them much thought except that I do believe they should allow reviews to be posted prior to the release date so that perspective buyers can read them.  Here is a link to an article on what some authors think.  Authors call on Amazon to Review Reviews process.  They do have some valid points that I had never thought about.  I do have a pet peeve that really irritates me and that is when a reviewer totally tears apart a book negatively and makes negative comments about the author.  As a reviewer I may not like a book but I don't have to tear it apart.  I can constructively say what I did and didn't like about it and not be nasty.

Ok, I am stepping off my little rant box.  lol

 

5 star		51%
4 star		33%
3 star		12%
2 star		4%
1 star		0%

Well my goal this year was to read 80 books!  I have already read 140 according to Goodreads and I still have 2 months to go!!!!   I'm amazing myself.

Lots and lots of author interviews.  How did they get started?  Some interviews are on specific books.  Some of the authors:  Dan Brown, Stephen King, Fern Michaels, Neil Gaiman, Jung Chang as well as children's authors:  Judy Blume, Eric Carle and many, many more in 50 Famous author interviews that shouldn't be missed

Happy Halloween!

Here are Five Fascinating Facts about Alfred Lord Tennyson.  Tennyson lived in the 1800's and was a poet. A lot of his poetry had a classic mythology theme.  He tried plays but they didn't do too well.  Still today people frequently us a term from In Miriam 27:  "Tis better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all."

The Kraken by Alfred Lord Tennyson
                          
Below the thunders of the upper deep;
Far, far beneath in the abysmal sea,
His ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep
The Kraken sleepeth:  faintest sunlight flee
About his shadowy sides: above him swell
Huge sponges of millennial growth and height;
And far away into the sickly light,
From many a wondrous grot and secret cell
Unnumber'd and enormous polypi
Winnow with enormous arms and slumbering green.
There hath he lain for ages and will lie
Battening upon huge seaworms in his sleep,
Until the latter fire should heat the deep;
Then once by man and angels to be seen,
In roaring he shall rise and on the surface die.

It is out -- The New York Times Best Illustrated books of 2015.  Check it out here:  NY Times.

Here is some of the illustrations:

Have you ever thought about what constitutes a true literary fiction as opposed to other fiction?  I hadn't done anyserious thinking about the subject but I would assume a literary novel would be an in depth look at some subject or there would be lessons learned.  What do I know?  Anyway here is an article by author Warren Adler that addresses the subject of What is a Literary Fiction?

Children's author and illustrator Vera B. Williams died at the age of 88.  The literacy world has lost a great author.  RIP Vera B. Williams  The link is Vera about Vera.    She was the author of A Chair for my Mother.  In 2004 she was the 2004 U.S. nominee for the Hans Christian Anderson Award.

I'm so thrilled!  You may ask - what has you so excited today?  I received in the mail from author Reynold Jay several of his books one of which was a proof of the very first in The Wurthington Diary series, The Little Girl Doll.  I have read 1-6 and they are great books for kids and adults.  What is cool is there are two different versions of each, one for a younger audience and one for the older.  The difference is the length of the book so that the younger readers or the younger children being read to won't get bored.  I've always read the ebook versions and the illustrations are great BUT the actual paperback books are not only enchanting stories but works of art.

I really encourage parents, especially, to check these books out.  They would make awesome Christmas gifts but also if you want to encourage a young child to get interested in reading - these books will do it.  These are the sort of books you want to hang onto and hand down to the next generation.

Sorry for the background on the pic, I'm redoing my floors and thinks are kind of a disaster, lol.

Great interview with Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton about their partnership in writing children's books and how they each got started.  There is also an autobiography of Julie Andrews.  Here is the site that has a list of her books :  The Julie Andrew's Collection