Finish Your Last Minute Holiday Shopping with Books

Are you still trying to finish your Holiday shopping?  Books are the perfect present for young and old and can easily be purchased without the hassle of the crowds.  Here is a list of books I’m giving this year, as well as, two that were on my wish list.

For the Writer:

• Bird by Bird by Ann Lamott -- An inspirational book for any writer.

  

• Freeze Frame: How To Write Flash Memoir [Kindle Edition] by Jane Hertenstein  -- This is a must read for anyone interested in writing memoirs or flash fiction.  Great exercises and resources are included.

• The Frugal Book Promoter by Carolyn Howard-Johnson --This is the perfect gift for someone out there marketing their book or still writing it! 

• Writing It Right!  by Sandy Asher -- This book is a must for any writer in the middle of the revision process.

 

For the Adult Reader:

• Sublime Planet [Kindle Edition] by Magdalena Ball, Carolyn Howard-Johnson -- This is a beautiful book from their poetry celebration series. A great read for for any nature lover or occupant of Mother Earth.

For the Tweens:

• The Smell of Old Lady Perfume by Claudia Guadalupe Martinez --- Combing the struggles of coming of age, with loss and cultural assimilation the author provides a engaging story that will connect with all readers. Martinez’s lyrical writing makes this story a great read for tweens and their families.

For the Younger Child:

• A Troop is a Group of Monkeys by Julie Foster Hedlund.  This book app is fun and educational. Children will learn the collective nouns for a group of animals, and if you are like me….you will learn the names of a few groups too!

•  Seeds of Change, Planting a Path to Peace by Jen Cullerton Johnson -- Through her poetic text Johnson weaves the story of Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai.  The batik style illustrations combined with Johnson’s powerful story make this a wonderful gift for any child.

I love giving books…getting books…and sharing some of my favorites.  What some of your favorite books to give?

Mary Jo Guglielmo is writer and intuitive life life coach. For more information check out  www.donorth.biz   or folllow her at:

http://theadvantagepoint.wordpress.com

http://twitter.com/do_north

http://facebook.com/DoNorth.biz  

Sublime Planet - A Review

Title: Sublime Planet
Authors: Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball
Photos: Ann Howley 
ISBN: 978-1482054705
Reviewed by Karen Cioffi

Gearing up for Earth Day, Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball are releasing a brand new collection of poems titled Sublime Planet. The collection features relevant poems by Carolyn and Magdalena that demonstrate the interconnections of the world around us, including life, family, and love, along with the growing concern for the earth’s preservation.

This is a beautifully written collection that allows the reader to pause and take note of the world around her.

One of my favorite poems in the collection is “The Giraffe:”

A tongue generous
as my head he reaches
for me, barriers no match
for his long neck, sniffs
my hair, kisses my face.
He unaware
he is endangered.
I unaware he might
be dangerous.

This poem is a powerful, yet simple tribute to a majestic creature that is now an endangered species. Can you imagine a planet without the giraffe?

Another poem in the collection that struck me is “Tipping Point” by Magdalena Ball: “[. . .] you eat and eat through four billion years of evolution now held loosely by one thread. [. . .] The future waits impatiently your decision.”

Again, powerful, and revealing.

Sublime Planet offers moving insight into the world around us and into a world that is in need of attention, and it certainly honors Earth Day. I highly recommend it.

For those who aren’t aware of what Earth Day is, Senator Gaylord Nelson created this special day in the spring of 1970. The purpose behind it was to make everyone aware of all the toxins being spewed into the air and dumped in nearby streams or other waterways by manufacturing companies.

At that time, there were no regulatory or legal safety nets to protect our planet, our environment. Senator Nelson took a stand and his cause quickly caught on.
The earth is our planet, our home, our responsibility, and we’re not doing such a good job protecting it.

Sublime Planet will be released before Earth Day (April 22nd). Keep a look out for it and get a copy as soon as it’s available.

The poems "Giraffe" and “Tipping Point” are from Sublime Planet, a book of poetry in the Celebration Series coauthored by Carolyn Howard-Johnson and Magdalena Ball. It will be released before Earth Day.  In the meantime learn more about Carolyn's poetry books (including that Celebration Series!) at http://howtodoitfrugally.com/poetry_books.htm. And, learn more about Magdalena’s poetry and fiction at http://magdalenaball.com

~~~