They say “you get what you pay for”, and “there’s no such thing as a free lunch”, but in today’s marketplace that’s not always the case. Today, you can get a great book by a wonderful author for FREE! Yes… Free! That’s $0.00. Seriously. And check out today today’s post by guest blogger and author Alma Katsu, who talks about the re-birth of short fiction and shares this great deal with us. (Today’s the last day to get it too, people, so start clicking!)
Now with e-publishing, there’s a place for short stories and novellas again. They’ve become teasers, small morsels to tempt readers to take a chance on an author’s full-length books. Not too long ago, Kindle launched its Kindle Singles series, offering short stories and article-length non-fiction from brand name authors. Many publishers got in on the act, too, getting their authors (primarily Read More
Wendy Wax always makes me laugh. And she always makes me care. That’s why her books are impossible to put down AND why they are summer favorites year after year.
Her latest book OCEAN BEACH is no exception. With some laugh out loud moments, Wendy’s memorable characters Maddie, Nicole and Avery from TEN BEACH ROAD return to renovate another dilapidated beachfront property while hoping for a do-over in their own lives as well. This time however, the property’s owner has a dark secret and his own agenda and the women discover that what they thought was a pilot for a home and garden television show is actually a reality show and the network has plans to film them 24/7.
Of course, as with all of Wendy’s books, in between the laughs there is plenty of “real” stuff for book clubs to dig in to. For example: Could you live your life, even for a few Read More
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Today’s podcast is a bit of a departure. We’re not talking about a fun beach read, or a serious book club read, or even a dramatic memoir. No my friends… today we are talking about one of my most favorite things… food. If you live in a major metropolitan area, you have surely noticed the explosion of food trucks cropping up in various parking lots around town. And no longer is a food truck a place to get a hot dog or a slice of pizza.
Now, you can get almost any kind of food from the height of gourmet to vegan options to breakfast to just about anything out of a truck or cart. And New York Times columnist and James Beard Award Winner John T. Edge did just that. He traveled across the country finding the best and most interesting food trucks and bringing you the best recipes from the those trucks (along with beautiful photos and Read More
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Regular Contributor Amy Pence is with this season’s poetry review. If you are a lover of poetry this one seems like it will not disappoint, but it also looks like it would be great for just the casual poetry reader and a nice change from you normal spring and summer reading!
Lee Rossi is a master portraitist. Reading his third collection Wheelchair Samurai (Plain View Press, 2011), I’m reminded of Van Gogh’s honest rendering of his friends and neighbors such as “Roulin’s Baby” (often referred to as the “green baby”) that hangs in the National Gallery.
His vision is wry and sometimes brutal; he sees to the core. In “Yakuza in the Jacuzzi,” the speaker sends up his sister’s mobster boyfriend “floating like a walrus in the giant/ redwood crockpot behind their house.” His appraisal continues:
…all I really want is to scrub away those awful tattoos
covering the drive-in movie screen of his back—
geishas with shotguns, samurai in wheelchairs,
Fuji-san about to blow its top
and drown Edo in a sea of fire.
Like Van Gogh, in both his portraits and his landscapes, the strokes may be broad, but Read More
Eric Jerome Dickey fans rejoice! The master of obsession, intrigue, romance and deceit is back with a brand new page-turning novel. AN ACCIDENTAL AFFAIR tells the story of James Thicke, a well known Hollywood screenwriter, his A-List actress wife and the sex scandal that turns their world upside down.
Eric joined me in studio the day before the book release to tell his story and to talk about the book, the crazy world of Hollywood and (randomly) laundry!
Intrigued? You should be. If you already an Eric Jerome Dickey – you’ll want to get to know him better and hear right from the man, where he gets his ideas…
If Eric Jerome Dickey is a new author you, don’t be fooled by the pretty pink cover. This book is as gritty and fast-paced as they come.
As always, I hope you enjoy the interview… and be sure to check out the rest of the author interview series on iTunes!
PS – Here’s a little quiz for you… which of the following jobs do you think Eric Jerome Dickey has had in his career?*
a) cook
b) software engineer
c) substitute teacher
d) all of the above
*For the answer, you’ll have to listen to the interview! (Of course!!)
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New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James already lives a double life. She is both the beloved and bestselling romance author Eloisa James AND Professor Mary Bly who teaches Shakespeare at Fordham University and has degrees from Oxford, Harvard and Yale.
But now Eloisa is taking on a third role – that of memoirist. Her new book is called PARIS IN LOVE and it is the story of a year she and her family spent in Paris.
The book will in turn have you laughing, hoping for love for Florent, wanting to meet Milo the dog, and wishing you were as chic as the french women Eloisa encounters. It will also make you hungry! There is plenty of chocolate in this one, along with tucked away French bistros and interesting groceries and markets.
If you think uprooting your life and moving to Paris would be a challenge – imagine what it Read More
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Regular contributor Denise Neary shares her latest discovery. Book Clubs… this one’s for you!
Until our book club won copies of Night Road by Kristin Hannah, in a contest sponsored by the author and Bookreporter, I’d never read one of Ms. Hannah’s books.
Two months later, and I am on my third….and my book club has discussed two, Night Road and Winter Garden.
If your club is looking for books to spark some great conversation, consider Hannah.
You know the adage; don’t judge a book by its cover?
Well, I do….and had decided that Hannah’s books were a little too light for me. (Don’t even bother asking me if I can name all the Kardashian children….I can. So how I come up with these rules about substance is, to say the least, a little nuanced.)
I don’t always love Hannah’s books….but, once started, I can’t put them down. She Read More
In today’s post, regular contributor Denise Neary shares a personal family tragedy with Midtown Review. Please join me in supporting her family in this terrible time.
Friends of Kevin Neary
Do you ever read a good book, and think “really interesting, exciting, but so not like my own life? Me, too.
No more.
On the morning of November 15, my 29 year old nephew Kevin was shot in the neck in a botched robbery attempt. The bullet severed his spinal cord; he is quadriplegic, and he relies on a ventilator to breathe.
So much for the fabled dramatic moment when everything changes.
I am “only” an aunt, and it is heartbreaking. I don’t pretend to know how this feels for Kevin and his immediate family.
But as is almost always true with the unspeakably sad, there are lovely things, too. I write to point readers to some great writing. Here is the webpage Kevin’s brothers JP and Chris developed to keep Kevin’s legion of friends up to date on Kevin’s rehabilitation, on fundraising efforts, on visiting hours, on the related criminal case:
http://kevinneary.com/kevins-
Take a look at it, and I think you will understand how proud I am of Kevin and his family. Faced with horrible, they have chosen Read More
