Deal of the Week: Tragedy at Two, Dead In Red, Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott

As I surf the Web for book deals, I share my favorite purchases with you. I am not affiliated with any of the companies in this post.

Any fans of writer Ann Purser? Her ninth book in the Lois Meade series, Tragedy at Two, was released in December. I bought a new hardback copy from PBS Market for $3.09 and one credit. As of press time they still have copies available. Amazon wants $16.29 for the same book so this is a good buy.

My next deal is an autographed copy of Dead in Red written by L.L. Bartlett. You can buy a new copy directly from the author, before it goes out of print, for $14.00 which includes postage (compared to $23.12 on Amazon). This Agatha Award nominee also has a popular Booktown Mystery series written under the name Lorna Barrett.

I've been looking for a deal on The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott by Kelly O'Connor McNees. The best value so far is from Strand Books in New York City. They are selling new copies for $12.47 (postage extra). When I checked this morning there were 8 books left.

Did you find any deals this week?

Sharks at Library Book Sales

The book sharks were out in force at my library book sale this week. When I arrived I saw them standing first in line at the door. These sharks own a used bookstore and resell at half the cover price (which is why I seldom buy from them).

When the doors opened they rushed inside and began pulling books from the table. I saw that I was in for a fight and did my best to keep up with them. What I needed was a strategy and someone to back me up. Maybe I could have bribed them with candy corn to create a diversion.

On the way home I started thinking about what happened. Is it fair to allow booksellers to attend a pre-sale and buy so many books before the doors open to the public? Would it be more fair to set a limit on books that can be purchased?

If you have any thoughts on this topic, please let me know. While you're thinking I'll share a photo of the books I brought home. They currently sit on the floor while I assemble more shelves.

If you see any title that look interesting let me know. I found a huge cookbook with over 1300 pages of Italian recipes. Then there was a Cary Grant photo book that got me thinking, "Judy, Judy, Judy." An interesting title was Tales from A Traveling Couch. It's about a psychotherapist who revisits his most memorable patients.

So many books and so little time to read them all. I better get working on my next review.

Winner: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Thanks for all the entries. The random number generator chose number 2. Congrats to mel u from the Philippines who authors the blog, The Reading Life. You've won Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith.

More book contests and reviews coming soon. Grab some candy corn and stay tuned.

Book Review: How To Get Things Really Flat by Andrew Martin

Subtitled, "Enlightenment for Every Man on Ironing, Vacuuming, and other Household Arts," this book promises to remedy all Oscar like behavior. Unfortunately, while the idea is great the book falls flat.

Before I go further, let me just say for the record that I'm a recovered, Oscar. In my twenties when I needed to clean quickly, my best tip was to box the dirty dishes from the sink (there was no dishwasher and things piled up). Eventually when I saw the cupboards were bare or silverware missing, it was a reminder to go hunting for dishes in the closet. A girlfriend made the gruesome discovery of my efforts and decided I needed intervention (we're still friends by the way).

For a book like this to have been of help, it needed a few diagrams and something like "CliffsNotes" added to the text. Instead the reader is given lengthy (and interesting) explanations on subjects like ironing and research done on the topic.

What I really, really didn't care for were the stereotypes in the book. At the beginning the author wants men to know that holding a duster will not make him any less of a man. Well said, but did he have to imply that men might think cleaning is gay like behavior? Or that female shoppers are not decisive?

The tips in the book are helpful and sometimes humorous. I also liked that this book is definitely British. It was released last year in the USA and contains footnotes for Yanks and a preface written specifically for the American edition.

In the end, however, the stereotypes in the book influenced my rating. Clothes need labels but do people?

Rob's Rating: 3/5

About the Author: Andrew Martin lives in London and is the writer of seven novels, including five titles beginning with The Necropolis Railway, featuring the young Edwardian detective, Jim Stinger.

How To Get Things Really Flat by Andrew Martin. Copyright 2008, 2009. The Experiment Publishers. ISBN: 9781615190027.

FTC: Library Copy (and heading back there soon).

Sunday Salon: Facebook Tip for Book Bloggers and Authors

I don't have a Facebook Fan Page, but I created something similar by using the list feature on my personal profile. Whenever someone friends me who is a fan of Books Are Like Candy Corn, I add them to a list I've created called, "Book Friends." 

Here's why I do this: I can send a specific status update to everyone on this list that can only be viewed by them. Maybe I want to mention my recent book review or giveaway for example (and exclude my personal friends from seeing the update). The other advantage is that I can look at the NewsFeed from this list and see what my book friends are writing about.

There's no limit to how many lists you can create. Maybe you want separate lists for high school friends, people you work with, and relatives. You can also hide people from receiving updates too. This list feature can be helpful for authors who want to separate their fans from personal friends.

If you'd like to create a similar list on your personal Facebook profile, here's how to get started.

1. Go to Home page and click "Friends" in left sidebar.

2. Select, "Create A List," which will appear at the top of center section.

3. Name your list and add friends.

Tip: As new friends sign up you can add them to an established list.

Here's how to send a unique message to a specific list:

1. Write your status update and click the padlock icon.

2. Select "customize."

3. Choose, "Make this visible to," and then, "Specific People."

4. Type in the name of the list you want the message to go to.

5. Click, "Save Setting" and then share your update.

Tip: If you mouse over the padlock, you'll see the name of the list or person the message will be sent to. This update will also appear on your Wall but is only visible to you and the individuals receiving the update.

To see the NewsFeed from a specific list you created do the following:

1. Click "Friends" in the left sidebar of your Home page.

2. Select the group you want to see, in my case "Book Friends," and their updates will appear.

I hope this tip is helpful to you. If you'd like to join me on Facebook, click here to add your name.

Weekend Cooking: Lemon Cake

For my birthday last Saturday I chose Lady Bird Johnson's Famous Lemon Cake. My partner re-engineered the recipe and gave Lady Bird a new interpretation. The result was a sweet cake with the wonderful taste of fresh fruit. In addition to lemon, he added lime and tangelo to the cake and frosting.

Play-by-Play: It started with a mistake. Jeff accidentally added lime rind and juice to the cake batter instead of lemon. That gave him the idea to use lemon and tangelo juice plus rind to the frosting. The cake can either be three layer or bundt style. He chose three layers. The frosting was doubled but he could have used more.

Over the top touch: Jeff got the brilliant idea to place the flesh of tangelos on top on the icing between cake layers. To make it citrus-proof he also added frosting to the bottom of the layer going on top of the tangelo flesh.

Result: Lady Bird never tasted so good. This was like a fruit pie but cake style.

What's your favorite cake?

(Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads).

Free Book: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

I'm not into vampires. One way to see the color drain from my face is to draw blood from my arm. 

And yet for some reason I felt compelled to order Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith. 

I needed a new book as much as a neck bite. This book will be a departure from what I normally have on my shelf.

If you'd like a chance to try this book, I'm offering a new copy to one lucky winner. Just leave a comment on my post by 12 midnight, Wednesday, March 24, and you're entered. Don't forget your email address too unless I can see it on your profile.

If you live outside of the USA or Canada, I invite you to enter provided you have your own book blog.

Do you like vampires?

Book Review: The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

This review is dedicated to my mom who passed away a year ago last week. The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett, was given to her by a teacher when she had polio as a young girl. It remained Mom's favorite book and she often read it to me.

For those living at Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire, finding a secret garden, and getting in touch with the earth and nature, is a life changing experience for them. Not only does the garden heal personal wounds but it brings about magical transformation to the lives of those who enter its walls. As the author suggests, however, there's magic to be found inside each of us with the energy of positive thinking.

"...thoughts, just mere thoughts, are as powerful as electric batteries--as good for one as sunlight is or as bad for one as poison."

The secret garden has been locked and not tended to for ten years. It takes three children to unlock its treasures. Mary discovers the key and gives the garden new life with the help of her friend, Dickon. In the process they share their discovery with Colin who is Mary's cousin. He has been ill and unable to walk. With their encouragement, and the discovery of nature and seeing things grow, Colin eventually recovers.

Where are the adults? The owner of Misselthwaite is a sad man who still mourns the death of his wife ten years earlier. Mary is sent to live on this dreary estate after her parents die in India. At Misselthwaite she also meets Dickon who is the brother of Mary's housekeeper. Dickon is the opposite of Colin and is a boy who loves animals, nature and plants. Once Mary finds the garden and shares her discovery with Dickon, he influences positive change in her life and in Colin's.

When this book was written (almost a 100 years ago) the word, "queer" must have been fashionable. It's used frequently in The Secret Garden.

"Am I queer?" Colin demanded. "Yes" answered Mary, "very." "But you needn't be cross," she added impartially, "because so am I queer--and so is Ben. But I'm not as queer as I was before I began to like people and before I found the garden."

I also liked the description of Mary's late mother, "she had been a great beauty who cared only to go to parties and amuse herself with gay people." Now that's my kind of person!

Whenever I read The Secret Garden I think of Mom. I believe this book inspired her to get well when she was sick with polio. She reminds me of Mary; very strong willed and determined. When Mom shared The Secret Garden with me, it became a life long gift and one that continues to connect me to her spirit.

The author's message to plant the seed of positive thought is never out of date. Just like a garden needs love to grow, so do we need love and connection to each other (and the earth) to grow. 

If you have read The Secret Garden, I would enjoy hearing your thoughts of the book and its meaning to you.

Rating: Mom would be unhappy if I gave this anything less than a "5/5" or A.

Book Notes:

The inspiration for The Secret Garden came from the author's residence at Great Maytham Hall in England. She lived there from 1898 to 1907 and discovered a walled garden on the estate dating back to the 1700's.

When in NYC, visit the memorial fountain in Central Park dedicated to Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Free Audio download and free On-Line version of The Secret Garden is available.

Frances Hodgson Burnett was born in England in 1849 and emigrated to the United States in 1865. She died at age 75 and was a practitioner of Christian Science.

FTC Disclosure: I'd like to tell you the author sent me a review copy with a packet of flower seeds. Since the author passed away in 1924, however, I think my FTC buddies might suspect something is amiss. The truth is I purchased my copy of The Secret Garden at a library book sale. I wish I still had my Mom's book but I think she must have given it away at some point in her later years.

Winner: Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show

And the winner is...Diane...from Bibliophile By The Sea. 

Thanks to everyone who entered my contest. There are three more chances to win Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show, by Frank Delaney, on Goodreads. Their contest ends March 17. 

I'll be announcing more book contests soon.

Book Review: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

Meet sociopath Balram Halwai; former servant to his Master in India, now a murderer and successful entrepreneur. The White Tiger is his fictional rags to riches story told with grit and dark humor. It rips open India's caste system and corruption. 

Forget any romantic ideal you have of India. Author Aravind Adiga digs deep beneath the surface to expose unrest between the classes.

You see, Balram had enough of living like a caged animal for his Master's enjoyment. He's a man who watched and observed people like a tiger. When the time came to attack, he did just that and killed his Master. No spoiler alert because Balram admits to the crime early in the book.

The White Tiger took me out of my comfort zone. It made me think about experiences I've had when traveling. I'm questioning how much of a country I really saw. And throughout the story, I found myself cheering for Balram even though murder is never the way to get ahead (or is it sometimes justified?). I finished the book two weeks ago and can't get it out of my mind.

If I were an Indian Master, I think I'd watch my back (or neck) after reading this novel.

Rob's Rating: 5/5

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. Copyright 2008. Free Press. Winner of the 2008 Man Booker Prize. ISBN 978141656

FTC Note: Library Copy

Finding Bliss

Debbie, the author of readerbuzz, was kind enough to pass the Happy 101 award to me a few weeks ago. My task is to list 10 things that make me happy and then award this to five happy bloggers. Here goes...

Hospice: our 98 year old Aunt who raised my partner just moved in with us to complete her life journey. I'm happy for the support Hospice is giving us...Church: my pastor and his wife have been there every step of the way and their support and friendship is a blessing...Kauai: not only a great place to live but a great place to be for which I am grateful...Muley: our mule is 17 years old with a loving spirit....Celebrations: any holiday or special occasion...Books: the best addiction on earth...Travel: I've been many places and look forward to more; Tasmania is a favorite...Being Followed: when someone subscribes to my blog that's a nice feeling...My Partner: the best guy in the world...Yoga: my favorite spot is at the beach with the sound of waves to guide my meditation.

Now it's time to announce the five happy bloggers I've chosen. Keep in mind I'm a "young" blogger and have many more website discoveries to make.

1. You. That's right. If you're reading this blog I award Happy 101 to you because your presence makes me happy.

2. My first and only re-Tweet: Jill at Fizzy Thoughts (I love her sense of humor).

3. The blogger who inspired me to write my own: Matt at A Guy's Moleskine Notebook. He's someone I would like to meet over coffee and discuss books with. Matt loves Kauai so maybe someday this will happen.

4. My first follower: Molly at My Cozy Book Nook. She's a former New Yorker and I can tell she's a very caring and giving person.

5. International Favorite: Becky at Page Turners lives in Sydney which is one of my favorite cities. She spotlights other bloggers in addition to writing great reviews.

 

My secret to a happy life comes from Shakespeare's Hamlet, "To Thine Own Self Be True." Do that and I guarantee good things will follow.

What's your best advice for a happy life?

Free Book: Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show by Frank Delaney

This month is my 53rd birthday. I plan several giveaways during March to celebrate. You can party with me by signing up for a free book. And you can get a second entry if you donate a can of food to your local food bank.

I'm starting with the just released Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show by Frank Delaney. Deadline to enter is midnight (Hawaiian Standard Time) on March 13.

The buzz words that piqued my interest in the book are: Ireland, Theater and Politics.

I'm hosting the UN-tour stop for the book. You can learn more about Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show by visiting TLC Book Tours. There you'll find a schedule of official tour stops in March and April.

If you live outside the U.S.A. or Canada, I invite you to sign up too provided you have a book blog.

Please enter your name twice if you plan to make a donation to your food bank. I'll use a random number generator to determine the winner on March 14.

Now I better get back to reading and book reviews. 

Deal of the Week: The Man Who Loved Books Too Much

I purchased a new copy this morning of The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Alison Bartlett for $3.09. Considering that Amazon wants $16.47 for the book and Barnes and Noble is asking $19.96, this is my deal of the week.

Details: Paperback Swap is now selling new overstocked books. When I went to add this book to my wish-list on their site, I was told I could buy a new copy. This really made my day because I missed entering Suzanne's contest on Chick with Books.

Price: To get the $3.09 deal it cost 1 credit (otherwise the book was $6.49).

Shipping: $3.45 plus 50 cent transaction fee; total: $7.04.

What's your best deal of the week?

Wordless Wednesday: Muley and Me

Mailbox Monday for March 1

I'm joining Mailbox Monday for my first time, which is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. This is a pic of my street and mailbox where three book deliveries happened this past week. If the sun wasn't so bright, you'd see the blue ocean in the distance. I think I'll try another photo for next week's post.

 

Are any of you fans of M.C. Beaton? I love her Agatha Raisin books but never had the opportunity to read the Hamish Macbeth series. Thanks to my book win on Kaye's Pudgy Penguin Perusals, I received a free copy of Beaton's latest book from Hachette. Look for my review in March of Death of A Valentine.

Next up is The Poacher's Son by Paul Doiron. It's a new mystery scheduled for release in April. I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from Barnes and Noble's First Look Program. Today we begin our on-line discussion of the book.

Finally, a personal favorite arrived from Paperback Swap. This out-of-print book from 1978 has been on my wish list for years. It's What's My Line? by Gil Fates. This is a behind the scenes look at the popular games show that ran on television from 1950-1967. It had style, class and truly reflected the time period in America. Up until last year, the Game Show Network used to air What's My Line every night. You can also find clips of the show on YouTube.

Are any of you M.C. Beaton fans, Barnes and Noble First Look participants, or What's My Line buffs?