Jewelry for Your Books!

I am a certified "book lover" - so for Valentine's I decided to look for a piece of jewelry for my current read! I know - I AM weird!

I went to my favorite resoures for artisan jewelry and was totally overwhelmed - so I thought I would share a few with you!

Etsians (http://etsy.com/) showing some book love...

...a flying fish bookmark...

From: ialuna

Link: http://snipurl.com/c4t2j [www_etsy_com]

...and how could I resist the "Flies In Love" series...

From: jadefrolics

Link: http://snipurl.com/c4thf [www_etsy_com]

...as you can see - any style or theme (I am partial to flying insects!) can be found...

From: HModine

Link: http://snipurl.com/c4u1s [www_etsy_com]

...now for some book love from the artists at ArtFire (http://artfire.com):

some gorgeous fabric swatch offerings are available...

From: ndnchick

Link: http://snipurl.com/c4ulg [www_artfire_com]

...it gets "curiouser and curiouser"...

From: VintageIntent

Link: http://snipurl.com/c4v1k [www_artfire_com]

Advanced Copy - Dear Jacob...Love Viva

Photo from http://www.imageofsurgery.com/Surgery_history_art.htm

Dear Jacob...Love Viva
By Helene McHeffey Webb

The Story - this one sucked me in from the beginning - from Viva's life in Sweden though the trip over seas to America (the Promised Land)!

Viva learns some important lessons in her young life and the "take charge attitude" she adopts to handle the harsh realities of her life help her throughout the adventures and challenges that life throws at her.

It also helps the brothers she "mothers" following the death of their mother just weeks before the tickets to America arrive from their father.

The history that happens throughout is as captivating as Viva's story because she comes to America (through Ellis Island - an adventure initself); deals with a second class life (as a girl, as the children of a previous marriage and as the wife of a "momma's boy"); finds life in and around a dangerous trade (at the advent of gangs taking over brothels); establishes some firsts (going to Medical School); to finding true love later in life!

That love is what gives Viva the courage and security to set out on the adventure of a lifetime.

Set against the frontier ruggedness of an up and coming Butte, Montana - Viva is the first female doctor these folks have seen and it takes time and effort to gain their trust.

Viva sees the abuse and prejudice and finally feels like she can confront it - treating abused wives, Chinese patients and prostitutes and building a facilitythat will support them.

This was one of the BEST stories I have read in a long time - I love strong, conquering women!

------------------------------------

I was honored to get the opportunity to be one of the first to review this book - you can find copies available on Amazon shortly at: http://snipurl.com/afbyh [www_amazon_com]

OR - through the Author's website:
To purchase a copy of DEAR JACOB . . . LOVE, VIVA
USE PAY PAL LINK at http://hmcwebbpubl.com/

OR SEND $19.95 PLUS $4.50
SHIPPING (Total $24.45)

TO: HMcWebb Publishing
PMB 3141726 Gregory Ave.
Sunnyside, WA 98944

Real and Mystical...

The Good Thief: A Novel

by Hannah Tinti

An Orphanage, Body Thieves, a "Mouse Trap" King Pin, a dwarf, a man who won't stay dead and a boy with one hand who can't stop stealing! "The Good Thief" feels every bit like a work of fantasy but it is a very real tale set in (as Dickens would say)the worst of times.

Life for the orphaned Ren is hard - he dreams of family and you know the warning...be careful what you wish for....

Hannah Tinti weaves stories throughout this book - as Benjamin Nab talking and coning his way through life - as the orphans who want to believe and...as the brother who wants an end to the story.

This book definitely makes me want to read her first book "Animal Crackers".

From the Publisher:

Richly imagined, gothically spooky, and replete with the ingenious storytelling ability of a born novelist, The Good Thief introduces one of the most appealing young heroes in contemporary fiction and ratifies Hannah Tinti as one of our most exciting new talents.

Twelve year-old Ren is missing his left hand. How it was lost is a mystery that Ren has been trying to solve for his entire life, as well as who his parents are, and why he was abandoned as an infant at Saint Anthony’s Orphanage for boys. He longs for a family to call his own and is terrified of the day he will be sent alone into the world.

But then a young man named Benjamin Nab appears, claiming to be Ren’s long-lost brother, and his convincing tale of how Ren lost his hand and his parents persuades the monks at the orphanage to release the boy and to give Ren some hope. But is Benjamin really who he says he is? Journeying through a New England of whaling towns and meadowed farmlands, Ren is introduced to a vibrant world of hardscrabble adventure filled with outrageous scam artists, grave robbers, and petty thieves. If he stays, Ren becomes one of them. If he goes, he’s lost once again. As Ren begins to find clues to his hidden parentage he comes to suspect that Benjamin not only holds the key to his future, but to his past as well.

Holiday Idea! Grand Parents & Dead Heads!!!

Monkey and the Engineer

by Jesse Fuller

Edition: Hardcover
Price: $14.95

The story of the Monkey and the Engineer is from a song by the famous blues artist and composer Jessie Fuller and has long been covered by the Grateful Dead (in their many incarnations). While this makes the book particularly attractive to "Dead Heads" - this story stands solidly on its own.

This delightful telling of the tale takes us on a fun ride...with colorful illustrations by David Opie that captivate your heart and release your imagination. Children of all ages will enjoy this entertaining story!

It has been said that "the blues" is the folk music of America - I really appreciate the history. The story of Jessie Fuller that is beautifully told in the back of the book helps to make this book relevant to children, teens and adults alike.

I hope that this is just the first in a long series of books based on the songs of the great "blues" Masters! Bravo!

What Book Got You Hooked? The Votes Are In!!!

Although voting has ended, visitors to the What Book Got You Hooked? Web site can still make a donation to help provide brand new books to children in need as well as share their favorite books and memories.

The Nancy Drew series
Green Eggs & Ham
Little House on the Prairie series
Charlotte's Web
Cat in the Hat
Little Women
The Boxcar Children
The Bobbsey Twins
Black Beauty
The Dick & Jane series
Go Dog Go!
To Kill a Mockingbird
Goodnight Moon
Gone With the Wind
Heidi
Anne of Green Gables
Curious George
Black Stallion
Harry Potter series
The Secret Garden
The Bible
The Pokey Little Puppy
The Giving Tree
A Wrinkle in Time
The Little Engine That Could
The Hobbit
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Hardy Boys series
Hop on Pop
Where the Sidewalk Ends
The Velveteen Rabbit
Are You There God? It's me Margaret.
The Babysitters Club series
Pippi Longstocking
Amelia Bedelia
The Hatchet
Superfudge
Ramona Quimby books
Cinderella
Island of the Blue Dolphins
The Wizard of Oz
The Outsiders
Winnie the Pooh
Treasure Island
Horton Hears a Who
Love You Forever
Old Yeller
Call of the Wild
Twilight







Though voting for the 2008 campaign has closed, you can still share the memory of the book that got you hooked. Your response may be shared along with your name on the "Your Favorites" page.

What Book Got You Hooked?

In less than five days, What Book Got You Hooked? “ the campaign that celebrates the impact of unforgettable children's books“ will come to an end.

Together, you've shown us that the impact of children's books cannot be overstated -- whether it was Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat, or Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me Margaret.

In fact, it turns out even bestselling authors can still remember the books that got them hooked.

For Judy Blume herself, it was the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace:
"My mother bought me the first three books in the Betsy-Tacy series when I was 9 or 10, and from the start, I was hooked. I wanted to jump inside those books and live at Betsy's house. Some characters become your friends for life. Some characters you never forget. Thank you, Maud Hart Lovelace, for making me into a lifelong reader."

Join us in making sure children everywhere get the chance to know the joy of great books. Help us create lifelong readers by making a donation of $10 or more today.

http://www2.firstbook.org/whatbook/donate.php

Be sure to check back next week for a list of the Top 50 books that got YOU hooked, as well as the announcement of the state to receive 50,000 new books for kids in need through the What Book Got You Hooked? campaign.

It's all thanks to you.

All best wishes,

Kyle Zimmer

President, First Book