Family

Bernard Madoff, Books, Brian Ross, Family, Investments, Libraries, Money, Ponzi Scheme, Prison

The Madoff Chronicles

Madoff By now, everyone has heard about the infamous Bernie Madoff and the Ponzi scheme that sent shock waves all over the world.  ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross gives us an in-depth look at the entire operation in The Madoff Chronicles: Inside the Secret World of Bernie and Ruth.

The Madoff Chronicles, on sale September 29, 2009 includes news and material never before revealed, such as:

• A reproduction of Bernie’s Little Black Book.  Ross has also secured Madoff's calendar for the past three years and other never-before-seen documents
• Read key details of how Madoff carried out his activities
• Learn what was going on inside the Madoff apartment as Bernie prepared for his life in prison and Ruth prepared for life in self-imposed confinement.
• Extensive cooperation by Madoff’s personal assistant
• Cooperation of childhood friends and neighbors that has helped display a compelling portrait of Bernie and Ruth in their early years

Also, Brian Ross will be featured on ABC-TV’s Good Morning America on September 29, 2009. This interview should be very eye-opening.  Make sure you check out The Madoff Chronicles next month.  It is sure to be a true page-turner!

-Bobby

Alcoholism, Books, Celebrities, Family, Family Lineage, James Jones, Libraries, Memoir, Relationships, Women

Kaylie Jones Finds Her Voice

LiesMyMother hc c My grandmother used to say “in order to really know someone, you have to walk in their shoes”.  Sometimes what a person projects on the outside is really not what is going on inside.  To some, novelist Kaylie Jones lived the perfect life with a beautiful mother and a famous father.  However, in Lies My Mother Never Told Me, we learn that everything that glitters is not always gold.

Lies My Mother Never Told Me,on sale August 25, 2009 is a fascinating memoir by Kaylie Jones.  In this book, Kaylie Jones recalls her relationship with her mother, particularly in the aftermath of the death of her father, prize-winning novelist James Jones.  

Check out this wonderful video where Kaylie Jones gives you a glimpse of her life and why she wrote this amazing book:

I applaud Kaylie Jones for being so open and honest.  I also commend Kaylie for her bravery in sharing something so personal.  I wonder how many of us could share a personal story in the same manner. I hope Lies My Mother Never Told Me helps readers who are going through any kind of personal struggle find their voice and a sense of inner peace, just as Kaylie Jones has.

Enjoy

-Bobby

Books, Family, HarperCollins Publishers, Inspiration, Libraries, Love, Memoir, Oprah

Oprah’s Summer Reading List

We’re thrilled to have two of our titles on Oprah’s summer reading list of ‘The 25 Books You Can’t Put Down’
http://www.oprah.com/slidepopup/omagazine/200907-omag-summer-reading-list/1

They are:

EyeOfMyHeart hc c EYE OF MY HEART by Barbara Graham – a compilation of 28 original essays by noted journalists, novelists, and essayists, each one a grandmother, that delves into the cracks as well as the wonder of grandmotherhood today. The contributors are a stellar group of gifted and well known writers representing a wide range of voices and experiences. The list of luminaries includes: Elizabeth Berg, Judith Viorst, Jill Nelson, Anne Roiphe, Judith Guest, Beverly Lowry, Carolyn See and Ellen Gilchrist.

IHadtoRowAcrosstheOcean hc c A PEARL IN THE STORM by Tori Murden McClure is a riveting memoir by the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean.  This is an unforgettable story of an explorer who maps her own world with rare emotional honesty. A story of high adventure, hurricanes, and finding love.

Happy Reading!

- Virginia

Books, Current Affairs, Family, Family Lineage, Good Morning America, Katherine Howe, Salem Witch Trials, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, USA Today

Salem Witch-hunt Novel…and a giveaway

PhysickBookEcard

Do yourself a favor and check out one of the most ‘buzzed about’ books this season.  The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe is an incredible first novel about a young woman who finds out that she is related to a "witch" who was condemned in the 1692 Salem trials — and who discovers that she, too, has special powers.

This book is blowing everyone away.  Booklist has given it a starred review, USA Today included it in a Book Buzz post, it’s the #1 pick for the June Indie Next list and it was included in the aforementioned ‘Shout and Share’ at BEA.

The author will appear on Good Morning America this Wednesday, June 10. This is a compelling novel with powerful historic insight and detail.  It’ll be everywhere when it goes on sale June 9th.  Send a comment and we’ll send a copy to you.  We will randomly select 25 winners from the entries received. No purchase necessary. The last entry will be accepted 2 days after this posting. Approximate retail value of each prize: $25.99. Estimated total prize value: $649.75. View rules here: Download Librarylovefest-blog-sweepstakes  Leave a comment below for your chance to win!

-Virginia

Book Clubs for Men, Books, Coop, Current Affairs, Family, Farming, Got Fight?, Guillermo Del Toro, Inspiration, Masters and Commanders, Memoir, Michael Perry, Mystery/Suspense, Peter de Jonge, Shadows Still Remain, Sports, The Last of His Kind, The Strain, Vampires

A Book Club…for Men Only

Croatia-common-330x220-men-reading This morning I saw this article on male-only book clubs that have been springing up around the country.  Here's a fantastic quote from the piece:

"'We used to just sit around and drink beer and read Charles Bukowski, nothing great," says Pride, 51, of Quincy. 'But the other night we were talking about evil. Drinking our red wine and talking about evil. We're moving into a deeper dimension. We don't want to read junk.'"

Groups may focus instead on a shared topic of interest, like history, sports, or even poetry.  Other book groups don't read the assigned book at all, but use the time as a chance to catch up with old friends.  Whatever the reason, book clubs are a great way for men to build a sense of community and fellowship.  Here's a quick little list of titles that might work, depending on the book club.

For new dads, or the agriculturally-inclined:
Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting by Mike Perry

For thriller-lovers:
Shadows Still Remain by Peter de Jonge

For memoir-addicts:
In the Sanctuary of Outcasts by Neil White

For vampire fans:
The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

For outdoorsmen:
The Last of His Kind by David Roberts

For ultimate fighters:
Got Fight? by Forrest Griffin with Erich Krauss

For history buffs:
Masters and Commanders: How Four Titans Won the War in the West, 1941-1945 by Andrew Roberts

-Kayleigh

Books, Family, Libraries, The Enthusiast, Charlie Haas, Weblogs

Guest Blog from Charlie Haas

The Enthusiast pb c Today Charlie Haas, author of The Enthusiast, is guest blogging for us.  Here's what he wrote:

"I grew up in a town where a bookish family stuck out like a page-turning thumb. My dad made things worse: he became president of the public library board, and fought the local establishment for money to keep our one-branch library going. My sister worked there through high school and into college. My brother and I hung out there and campaigned for permission slips that would let us take out books that were too “mature” for us.

The head librarian was a world-weary guy with hair flopping over his eyes and a cigarette permanently dangling from his mouth (yes, in the library — I go back a ways). He issued me an adult-book permission slip, but also warned me, as he squinted through his smokescreen, that it was possible for a person to be too smart. It would be a long time before I had any idea what he was talking about.

…

Guest Blog from Charlie HaasRead More »

1970s, Books, Family, Indiana, Libraries, Memoir, Philip Gulley

Philip Gulley

I Love You Miss Huddleston hc cOne of my favorite books to come out of HarperCollins this year is Philip Gulley’s memoir, I Love You, Miss Huddleston.

Mr. Gulley is the bestselling author of the Front Porch Tales and the equally charming Harmony series.
In his latest book (which has one of the best jackets EVER) he delights us with tales of growing up in Indiana in the 1970s.  Think THE WONDER YEARS.  It’s one of the sweetest, funniest books I have read in a long time.

Here’s just one little snippet from the book.  Who wouldn’t want to read more?

“My early Halloweens were perilous affairs. I dressed as a ghost, a bed sheet draped over me. We were too poor to waste a sheet, so my mother never cut holes for my eyes. My brother Glenn was supposed to hold my hand and guide me from house to house, but as soon as we turned the corner and were out of my parents’ eyesight, he would launch out on his own and leave me to my own devices. I would stumble from house to house, tripping over curbs, running into cars, and spilling my candy. The other children would swarm over me, like hyenas on a downed gazelle, fighting over my Tootsie Rolls and Smarties.”   – From I Love You, Miss Huddleston

Do yourself a favor and check out this book.

In the meantime here’s a great video with a voice-over of the author reading an excerpt from the book:

-Virginia

Books, Current Affairs, Family, Family Lineage, Inspiration, Libraries, Memoir, Race, Racial Identity

W. Ralph Eubanks Speaks…

House at the end hc c In March, I wrote about the House at the End of the Road, written by W. Ralph Eubanks, Director of Publishing at the Library of Congress and his search to find the truth about his maternal grandparents; Jim Richardson, a white man and Edna Richardson, a light-skinned black woman.  W. Ralph Eubanks will be interviewed by NPR’s Talk of the Nation scheduled for Tuesday, May 19th.  Listen in as he discusses the House at the End of the Road and the fascinating journey of discovering his unique racial and cultural identity.  For more information, visit:
 
http://www.npr.org/

-Bobby

Books, Chris Gardner, Family, Happiness, Inspiration, Libraries, Life Lessons

Chris Gardner Speaks…

StartWhereYouAre hc c Last month, I wrote about Chris Gardner’s amazing follow up to his New York Times bestseller, The Pursuit of Happyness.  Start Where You Are: Life Lessons in the Pursuit of Happyness, on sale in May of 2009 gives over forty lessons on how to not only make your dreams reality, but help you navigate on this crazy road we call “life”.  After each lesson there are “assignments” or exercises that you can do to fully understand that lesson and make it a part of your life.   Check out Chris Gardner’s video where he talks about the motivation behind Start Where You Are and how you can gain that needed push to start your life anew.  Enjoy!

-Bobby

Books, Death Row, Family, Foster Care System, Inspiration, Jarvis Jay Masters, Libraries, Memoir, Prison

What’s on Bobby’s Bookshelf?

While I am so excited that the weather in New York will actually reach (dare I say it) 80 degrees, I am still taking in a good book.  I am reading a fascinating, yet heart-breaking autobiography.  That Bird Has My Wings: the Autobiography of an Innocent Man on Death Row, written by Jarvis Jay Masters is a compelling memoir that talks about all that he went through and what he continues to discover about himself.

That Bird has my Wings hc c That Bird Has My Wings, on sale in September of 2009, chronicles his early life, growing up with his four siblings and being surrounded by drugs at the hands of his mother and stepfather.  He also shares how he survived violence at the hands of his biological father.  They were left home alone days and weeks at a time, with no food or even the proper basic care.  After he and his siblings were taken out of the home by social services, they were put in the foster care system where his life became extremely unstable.  He was sentenced to prison at 19 for armed robbery and was put on death row at age 23 for being named an accessory in the death of a prison guard.  Since being in prison, he has written one book and several articles.  He also won a PEN Award for one of his poems.  What is even more amazing is that he does all of his writing with ball point pen filler, as that is the only writing instrument available to those in maximum security prison.

Currently there is a campaign where the goal is to get his sentence overturned.  There are those that believe he is innocent and the California Supreme Court is investigating new evidence that could lead to his release.  More information can be found on www.freejarvis.org.

…

What’s on Bobby’s Bookshelf?Read More »

Barbara Graham, Books, Family, Life Lessons

Eye of my Heart

Check out this great video for Eye of My Heart: 27 Writers Reveal the Hidden Pleasures and Perils of Being a Grandmother by Barbara Graham. This wonderful collection on ‘grandmothering’ includes writings from Anne Roiphe, Jill Nelson, Judith Guest, Ellen Gilchrist, Jill Viorst.  Each has a terrific, insightful and brutally honest take on their role as grandmother.  Thought provoking essays by baby-boomer nanas. We’d love to hear your thoughts…


-Virginia



 




Books, Family, Happiness, Inspiration, Libraries, Love, Marriage, Memoir, Parkinson's Disease

How Sweet It Is…

Have you ever read a story that took you on an emotional rollercoaster?  Did it take you from happy to sad all with the turn of the page?  Remember the Sweet Things is just that kind of story. It’s the true story of a woman’s twenty-year marriage where she found the love she was looking for and truly deserved.

RememberSweetHC c Remember the Sweet Things, written by Ellen Greene is a touching memoir where she talks about the love she found and the love she gained for herself.  Ellen was divorced, with two children.  After her failed marriage and an ill-fated relationship, she decided to move across the country from New Mexico to Massachusetts to start a new life for herself and her children. While there, she met her future husband Marsh.  She found him to be kind, charming, and  respectful.  Since she just knew this amazing behavior wouldn’t last, she decided to write down everything he did wrong so when the relationship was over, she would be justified in getting out.  However, she couldn’t find anything negative to add to the list.  Instead, she decided to write all the good things (good deeds, jestures, and sayings) that he made.

Check out this video of Ellen Greene as she discusses Remember the Sweet Things:

…

How Sweet It Is…Read More »

Books, Current Affairs, Debbie Phelps, Michael Phelps, Family, Inspiration, Life Lessons, Memoir, Sports

Debbie Phelps’ Memoir Hits Shelves

9780061780011 In 2008, an astounding 157 million people watched The Beijing Olympics.  Many of them, myself included, watched in the hopes of seeing Michael Phelps break Mark Spitz' record.  But when Michael achieved the impossible with his record-shattering eight gold-medal wins, Debbie Phelps nearly stole the show. Few could forget the homage that Michael consistently paid to the one person most responsible for making it all possible: his mom. While Beijing will forever beremembered the world over, very few know the behind-the-scenes stories as lived by the members of Team Phelps—a roller-coaster ride full of dramatic ups and downs, heartbreaks, and disappointments, yet one guided to triumph by vision, courage, and tenacity. Now at last, in A Mother for All Seasons, we're given the untold story as lived by the mom on the team.  Check out this Associated Press story on A Mother for All Seasons, and Debbie's interview on the Today show. Be sure to let us know what you think of this buzz-worthy memoir!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

-Kayleigh

Books, Current Affairs, Family, Happiness, Inspiration, Libraries, Life Lessons

Start Where You Are

Do you ever have those moments where you allow your mind to wonder about life?  Do you think about where you are and where you are going?  Have you ever thought about a dream you once had, but allowed it to become a distant memory?  Start Where You Are gives realistic strategies on how to put a new spring in your step.

StartWhereYouAre hc cStart Where You Are: Life Lessons in the Pursuit of Happyness, written by Chris Gardner gives over forty lessons on how to not only make your dreams reality, but help you navigate on this crazy road we call “life”.  After each lesson there are “assignments” or exercises that you can do to fully understand that lesson and make it a part of your life. 

Start Where You Are, the follow up to his best-selling memoir The Pursuit of Happyness, answers the two questions he is asked more than any others…”How did you do it” and “How can I do it too?” Start Where You Are, on sale in May of 2009 gives us even more inspiration by showing us examples from Chris Gardner’s life experiences.

…

Start Where You AreRead More »

Scroll to Top