Fierce Style Giveaway (ends 10/19)

Publisher's Summary. In 2008, Christian Siriano made headlines as the youngest designer to win the hit reality series Project Runway. But the now twenty-three-year-old is bigger than a TV celebrity. From his prodigious fashion talent to his one-of-a-kind personality, Christian is the embodiment of fierce style.

Now in his first book, he helps readers discover how to look, feel, and act fierce in everyday life. With tips from some of fashion and Hollywood's biggest names -including Victoria Beckham, Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, and Vanessa Williams -- along with gorgeous original sketches by Christian, never-before-heard stories, and behind-the-scenes photos, he tells his journey of developing his own fashion sense and overcoming obstacles to success.

Giving advice on creating personal style, sharing tips on building self-confidence, and revealing his own list of fashion dos and don'ts, Christian shows how to use one's unique strengths to get ahead - and go from tickity-tack to totally flawless.

Giveaway Rules: Today I am giving away ONE copy of this fabulous book.

Single Entry: Comment with your email address in the body of the comment (you can list it as mary123 (at) yahoo(dot)com). If you do not list your email address your entry will not count.

The giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.
You must be 18 years of age or older.
NO P.O. Boxes for the winner’s mailing address.

Giveaway ends October 19th. Good Luck!

Fierce Style

Publisher's Summary. In 2008, Christian Siriano made headlines as the youngest designer to win the hit reality series Project Runway. But the now twenty-three-year-old is bigger than a TV celebrity. From his prodigious fashion talent to his one-of-a-kind personality, Christian is the embodiment of fierce style.

Now in his first book, he helps readers discover how to look, feel, and act fierce in everyday life. With tips from some of fashion and Hollywood's biggest names -including Victoria Beckham, Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, and Vanessa Williams -- along with gorgeous original sketches by Christian, never-before-heard stories, and behind-the-scenes photos, he tells his journey of developing his own fashion sense and overcoming obstacles to success.

Giving advice on creating personal style, sharing tips on building self-confidence, and revealing his own list of fashion dos and don'ts, Christian shows how to use one's unique strengths to get ahead - and go from tickity-tack to totally flawless.

Review. Christian Siriano, the 2008 Project Runway winner (when he was only 21!), in his new book Fierce Style gives real, attainable, advice for normal women (i.e. those of us who are not runaway models or heiresses). For example, in his “Top 10 Dream Pieces” he offers not only the “dream” piece such as a Burberry trench coat, but also the “reality piece” (affordable counterpart), in this case a Banana Republic trench. In another section, “Looking Fierce on a Budget” Siriano recommends where and what to shop for at national chain stores: H&M for basics and accessories, Target for designer lines, and Forever 21 for knockoffs etc. In a nod to non-model figures Siriano suggests flattering styles for various body shapes (e.g. large bust/small waist, small bust/large waist, curves, and few curves). Also sprinkled throughout the book are fashion tips from noted celebrities.

In addition, to the realistic fashion advice Siriano shares pieces from his life story. Growing up in Annapolis , Maryland Siriano formed his fashion sensibilities working in the Bubbles hair salon where his outrageous coworkers inspired him to try out various looks. During his time at the salon and after, he made a lot of fashion mistakes, but he eventually learned what worked for him. Siriano even includes photographic evidence of some of his fashion foibles (I don’t think many other designers would do the same) to encourage women not to be afraid to experiment with different looks.

Stylistically, Fierce Style is fun to peruse. The book is beautifully photographed with lots of pictures. And the writing style is peppered Siriano linguistics such as “hot tranny mess,” “ferocia couture,” and “tickity tack” with definitions provided in “The Official Christian Siriano Glossary.”

Christian Siriano’s Fierce Style will inspire you to be your best you!

$20 Per Gallon AudioBook Giveaway (ends 10/19)

Publisher's Summary: Imagine an everyday world in which the price of gasoline (and oil) continues to go up, and up, and up. Think about the immediate impact that would have on our lives.

Of course, everybody already knows how about gasoline has affected our driving habits. People can't wait to junk their gas-guzzling SUVs for a new Prius. But there are more, not-so-obvious changes on the horizon that Chris Steiner tracks brilliantly in this provocative work.

Consider the following societal changes: people who own homes in far-off suburbs will soon realize that there's no longer any market for their houses (reason: nobody wants to live too far away because it's too expensive to commute to work). Telecommuting will begin to expand rapidly. Trains will become the mode of national transportation (as it used to be) as the price of flying becomes prohibitive. Families will begin to migrate southward as the price of heating northern homes in the winter is too pricey. Cheap everyday items that are comprised of plastic will go away because of the rising price to produce them (plastic is derived from oil). And this is just the beginning of a huge and overwhelming domino effect that our way of life will undergo in the years to come.

Steiner, an engineer by training before turning to journalism, sees how this simple but constant rise in oil and gas prices will totally re-structure our lifestyle. But what may be surprising to readers is that all of these changes may not be negative - but actually will usher in some new and very promising aspects of our society.

Steiner will probe how the liberation of technology and innovation, triggered by climbing gas prices, will change our lives. The book may start as an alarmist's exercise.... but don't be misled. The future will be exhilarating.

Giveaway Rules. I will be reviewing $20 Per Gallon soon, but today I am giving away THREE copies of this thought-provoking book.

Entry: Comment with your email address in the body of the comment (you can list it as mary123 (at) yahoo(dot)com). If you do not list your email address your entry will not count.

The giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.
You must be 18 years of age or older.
NO P.O. Boxes for the winner’s mailing address.

Giveaway ends October 19th. Good Luck!

Breaking the Bank

Publisher's Summary.
MONEY ISN'T EVERYTHING

Mia Saul is down on her luck. Dumped by her husband, jettisoned from her job, and estranged from her adored older brother, she and her young daughter, Eden, have had to make a downscale move to a crummy apartment, where their neighbors include a tough young drug dealer and a widower who lets his dogs use the hallways as their own personal litter box. Juggling a series of temporary jobs, wrangling with her ex-husband over child support, and trying to keep pace with Eden's increasingly erratic behavior have left Mia weary and worn out.

EXCEPT WHEN IT IS

So when a seemingly functional ATM starts handing Mia thousands and thousands of dollars -- and not deducting the money from her account, because it sure isn't in there -- she isn't about to give it back. Her newfound cash stash opens up a world of opportunity, and a whole lot of trouble. Worried friends, family, and in-laws start questioning her judgment about everything, and the cops really, really want to know where all that cash is coming from. And then there's Patrick, a man Mia most definitely would never have met if things hadn't spun out of control. Mia is beginning to think that maybe somebody, somewhere, is trying to teach her a lesson about what matters in life, and what doesn't....

Review.A parent once told the following story: His young son wanted a new toy. The father explained that he was sorry, but he didn’t have the money for the toy. The little boy replied, “Daddy go to the wall. There is money from the wall.” The wall, of course, was the ATM machine and what the little boy didn’t grasp was that “the wall” only released what the father had in his bank account. Long after the little boy had grown up his bemused father still enjoyed telling the money from the wall story.

Breaking the Bank by Yona Zeldis McDonough is based on the same magical wall: an ATM releases unaccounted for money, in ever greater amounts, to the struggling single mom Mia. The story then follows the consequences of the magical money on Mia and those around her. Breaking the Bank is a delightful, magical, tale for any woman who has ever struggled to pay her bills or was unable to provide the desired lifestyle for her child. That is, virtually every woman can relate to the story on some level.

In addition, to being a magical fairy tale Breaking the Bank also weaves some serious philosophical musing into the story. Consider for instance this passage: “Garbage, she realized, was the natural consequence of money. The more money you had, the more garbage, the better garbage, you could produce. Lobster shells and artichoke leaves, empty champagne bottles by the score, the rinds of rich imported cheeses. Bags, tissue paper, and ribbons from exclusive shops in Paris, London, New York, Rio, Tokyo; elegant, robin’s-egg blue boxes from Tiffany’s that held gold rings, collars of diamonds. This was not just any garbage – it was expensive, tasteful, high-class garbage. Would that man on the street be able to produce such garbage? Would she? Not now, of course, but given enough money, anyone could. Money and garbage, garbage and money. There was a relationship between the two . . . .”

Breaking the Bank is an engaging, fanciful, story that may just change your views on that most taboo of all subjects – money.

Mailbox Monday -- October 5th

Thanks to Marcia at The Printed Page I'm participating in the Mailbox Monday round up.




This week I received the following advance review copies:
1) Fierce Style by Christian Siriano: Amazon Product Description: In 2008, Christian Siriano made headlines as the youngest designer to win the hit reality series Project Runway. But the now twenty-three-year-old is bigger than a TV celebrity. From his prodigious fashion talent to his one-of-a-kind personality, Christian is the embodiment of fierce style.

Now in his first book, he helps readers discover how to look, feel, and act fierce in everyday life. With tips from some of fashion and Hollywood's biggest names -including Victoria Beckham, Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, and Vanessa Williams -- along with gorgeous original sketches by Christian, never-before-heard stories, and behind-the-scenes photos, he tells his journey of developing his own fashion sense and overcoming obstacles to success.

Giving advice on creating personal style, sharing tips on building self-confidence, and revealing his own list of fashion dos and don'ts, Christian shows how to use one's unique strengths to get ahead - and go from tickity-tack to totally flawless.

2) Permission Slips by Sherri Shepherd: Amazon Product Description:
Covering topics such as "It's Jesus or Jail,""Marriage, the Hard Way,""Children: The Gift You Can't Give Back," and "All the Things I Don't Know...And All the Things I Definitely Do," stand-up comedienne, actress, and ABC's The View co-host Sherri Shepherd comically chronicles her struggles to keep up with the many roles-professional, wife, mother, daughter, and friend-that women must play in today's world. Sherri urges women to pursue their most important dreams and to never give up, but also let's readers know that it's okay to give themselves "permission slips" when things don't always work out the way they want them to. As her many fans know, Sherri is never hesitant to speak from the heart, and her bubbly personality shines through in this delightful autobiography.

Thanks to Hachette Book Group.

3) Searching for Whitopia by Rich Benjamin: Amazon Product Description: Between 2007 and 2009, Rich Benjamin, a journalist-adventurer, packed his bags and embarked on a 26,909-mile journey throughout the heart of white America, to some of the fastest-growing and whitest locales in our nation.

By 2042, whites will no longer be the American majority. As immigrant populations--largely people of color--increase in cities and suburbs, more and more whites are moving to small towns and exurban areas that are predominately, even extremely, white.

Rich Benjamin calls these enclaves "Whitopias" (pronounced: "White-o-pias").

His journey to unlock the mysteries of Whitopias took him from a three-day white separatist retreat with links to Aryan Nations in North Idaho to the inner sanctum of George W. Bush's White House--and many points in between. And to learn what makes Whitopias tick, and why and how they are growing, he lived in three of them (in Georgia, Idaho, and Utah) for several months apiece. A compelling raconteur, bon vivant, and scholar, Benjamin reveals what Whitopias are like and explores the urgent social and political implications of this startling phenomenon.

The glow of Barack Obama's historic election cannot obscure the racial and economic segregation still vexing America. Obama's presidency has actually raised the stakes in a battle royale between two versions of America: one that is broadly comfortable with diversity yet residentially segregated (ObamaNation) and one that does not mind a little ethnic food or a few mariachi dancers--as long as these trends do not overwhelm a white dominant culture (Whitopia).

Thanks to FSB Associates.

Playing House

Publisher's Summary. When Playing House appeared in 1973, Publishers Weekly hailed it, "A probing descent into madness that will fascinate the same audience that appreciated I Never Promised You a Rose Garden." This nationally bestselling story of one woman’s struggle with the lasting effects of a childhood sexual relationship with her brother shocked American readers; it remains a literary work of enduring quality and value. In his foreword Philip Roth writes, "The traumatized child; the institutionalized wife; the haunting desire; the ghastly business of getting through the day -- what is striking about Wagman's treatment of these contemporary motifs is the voice of longing in which the heroine shamelessly confesses to the incestuous need that is at once her undoing and her only hope."

Review. My English Literature 101 professor once explained that “happy ending” novels rarely qualify as literature because after the story’s conclusion there is little to discuss. Think about it for a moment. Would readers still ponder Gone with the Wind if Scarlett had bagged her man? Would To Kill a Mockingbird be as powerful if Boo Radley had received a fair trial? Would The Great Gatsby be a “Great American Novel” if Gatsby had spent his golden years with Daisy? With some exceptions I believe my professor’s point was well taken.

By this measure, Playing House by Frederica Wagman is great literature. When I finished this novel I was dying to talk about it with someone: the symbolism; the characters; the repetitious writing style; and the subject matter. Playing House’s subject matter – sibling incest – shatters cultural taboos and is not for readers with certain sensibilities. The unnamed narrator is both a victim and a willing participant in the incestuous relationship that thrived in her dysfunctional family unit. As she admits, “I never had a brother, I had a lover. I never knew what the word ‘brother’ could mean, what the word ‘sister’ could mean, what the word ‘mother’ could mean – it was all meaningless to me, all except what it felt like being with him, that was the only meaning.”

On a stylistic level Playing House is highly symbolic: the Swan that the narrator clings to; the color yellow which is used to describe everything from light, to grass, to hair, and dress; and the smoke that destroys the narrator’s sister and threatens to claim the narrator. A typical illustrative passage is this one: “A yellow-white aloneness hung around the glass birds and the dancing swans in crystal cages behind the gilt lattice doors, there was no conversation except my mother talking to herself about how no one was good enough for us except each other, her poison, her inbred murder, her disaster, while she grinned and posed and wet her lips and saw herself reflected, poor soul, poor little mother, poor wreck in a yellow satin dressing gown with threadbare cuffs and elbows, with yellow eyes that didn’t see, that could only stop where the noise was coming from.” For an excellent review of many of the themes/symbols in Playing House I highly recommend Shellie of Layers of Thought’s review.

Playing House is the perfect novel for thoughtful discussions!

Harry Connick, Jr. Your Songs

Amazon Product Description: 2009 album from the singer, pianist and actor, an album of cover versions of songs requested by his many fans. Like his best-selling Only You of 2004, Your Songs consists of Connick singing familiar songs with a full Jazz big band and string orchestra, and, as with nearly all of Harry's previous albums, he wrote each of the orchestrations himself. He also recruited two of his lifelong friends from New Orleans, Branford and Wynton Marsalis, as well as bluegrass guitar virtuoso Bryan Sutton, for guest appearances. 14 tracks including 'Mona Lisa', 'Smile', 'Just The Way You Are' and more.


Review: Today, thanks to the One-2-One Network, I am switching hats to review the new Harry Connick, Jr. CD: Your Songs. While I am no music critic I do know what I like and I love Your Songs! The honey-throated crooner Harry Connick, Jr. has never sounded more engaging.

In this CD Connick sings in the Big Band style, but with contemporary lyrics such as The Beatles “And I Love Her;” Roberta Flack’s “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face;” Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are;” and of course, Elton John’s “Your Song” as well as many more (see the track listing below). Since I was familiar with most of the songs I enjoyed Your Songs more than if he had sung Big Band Era songs. I also appreciated hearing old familiar favorites in a new musical light.

Connick’s Your Songs is the perfect musical accompaniment to a cocktail/dinner party or simply relaxing at home.


Album Tracklisting (Originally made Popular by):

All The Way (Frank Sinatra)
Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel)
Can’t Help Falling In Love With You (Elvis Presley)
And I Love Her (The Beatles)
(They Long To Be) Close To You (The Carpenters)
Besame Mucho (Frank Sinatra)
The Way You Look Tonight (Frank Sinatra)
First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Roberta Flack)
Your Song (Elton John)
Some Enchanted Evening (South Pacific)
And I Love You So (Don McLean)
Who Can I Turn To? (Tony Bennett)
Smile (Charlie Chaplin)
Mona Lisa (Nat King Cole)