After The Leaves Fall by Nicole Baart

So Facebook is one of those things that is a huge time suck and rarely gives as much back as you give to it...and then sometimes you find something worthwhile among the complaining and birthday wishes of your 300 closest friends. This book was one of those things. On a tip from Glenn Beck I checked out this free Kindle book. I was skeptical since it wasn't a political book. But the last book I read that he suggested was good (Atlas Shrugged) so I thought 'for free I'll give it a shot'. I was not disappointed.
Julie, the main character, has to be fashioned after someone because there is no way in this world that a story like this could be a purely fictional tale. Tragedy is the beginning middle and end of this girls life. From the formative pre-teen years when her mother left to the devastating early teen years when her father died of cancer this girls life is anything but peaches and cream.  Beyond the storyline (which could be summed up rather quickly and would be one giant spoiler) the writing is mature and almost over the top descriptive.  Across the entire text I can find unique descriptions of seemingly everyday occurrences. The language feels like Leaves of Grass meets As I Lay Dying and the same tones and voice seems to come through in a very feminine way. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the writing event though the content of the book isn't my typical genre I was enthralled by the wonderful imagery and the overwhelming tragedy of Julia's life. In parts the writing seems nostalgic but in a present tense sort of way almost as though the story is being written years after the events took place with the knowledge of the outcome and yet unflinching in the way it describes the events in present tense. You experience it through a lens of right now but in a way that keeps you guessing about the narrators (Julia) relationship to the timeline of the story. Has Julia grown up and is just telling the story from an incredibly accurate memory or is this a travel log that grows with each new struggle? It's a great way to experience a story like this.
I would recommend this book to the same type of people who would be reading all the books on Oprah's list (for all I know this is on her list). The end of the book is a cliff hanger...just so you know this is the first book in a series and the end is natural but very much incomplete leaving you eager to finish Julia's story.

Twilight Saga: Review of "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner".

So I'd be embarrassed to admit that I've read the entire Twilight Series except that I'm not. I'm not going to do a review of the series as a whole or individual books. I am, however, going to review a tangential book that I think really has more merit, in some ways, than the original series.
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is a novella based on a character from Eclipse who has a mere page or two of mention. The book based on this short lived character is arguably the best written of the series. Bree as a character is perhaps more well written in the less than 200 pages than any of the other characters in the entire series. First of all I'm going to ignore any argument that Stephanie Meyer is a horrible writer. Any writer who sparks interest in reading for adolescents and adults alike is not a horrible writer. Second I'm going to avoid making this post about comparing Bella and Bree. I'll be happy to compare the quality of the novella to the novels but not the qualities of the characters.
Bree tanner is such an enigma in this story that I can't help but be drawn to her. The story of her "second birth" is bathed in mystery and why she was chosen by Riley is anything but clear. Furthermore the absence of her first life from the story makes her all the more intriguing. Details concerning why she was in the wrong place at the wrong time are so short that it actually makes it more interesting. Her attraction to Diego was so quick and based on so little that it was more like an actual teen trying to describe their experience. This contrasts to Bella's descriptions so completely that it actually feels more real.
Another thing that I enjoyed was the story of Frank. Perhaps the most important character in this book is also the most enigmatic. In fact if there is a cottage industry of fan-fiction Frank should be an extremely important part of that culture. As a character he is almost non-existent which is exactly as he would have it...yet his importance in the grand scheme of things is pronounced and the potential for another tangential line of stories with him as lead are obvious.
The creation of Bree and Frank and to a lesser extent Diego are proof, in my mind, that Stephanie Meyer is talented and has more writing in her than just teen-drama. If you haven't read the Twilight Saga don't read this until you do and it will be the sweetest part of the entire saga.

A great fast read for your Space Boy.

I had another daddy daughter date night at the local library this last week. I'm finding that one of the best ways for me to connect with my kids is through the books they read. For parents that want a little advice...go to the library with your kids. You'll learn as much about them from the books they want to read as you do from anything that they say to you. Anyway...that's not the purpose of this blog post. While I was at the library I took the opportunity to grab a book for myself. I picked up another Orson Scott Card book. This one was actually a novella titled Space Boy. This book was a VERY fast read...which means it's perfect for your ADD/ADHD boy  about the age of twelve who has a book report due on Monday and it's Saturday and he hasn't read a book yet. This book was full of the juvenile type of things that boys love and at the same time it captured some of the real world drama that many boys go through at some point in their life. It was smart, crude, heart-felt, callous, and most of all short. The characters are not really developed in any meaningful way but at the same time you find yourself identifying with all of them even the hapless dad. Science fiction in the most real sense this novella plays with the ideas of time and space travel. It also deals with aliens and pseudo-science like worm holes and stuff. The real essence of the story comes down to family and the way we protect and love each other. Most of the boys reading this aren't likely to see that so glaringly as I did but they will see that the main character Todd selflessly does what he can to reunite his family. I encourage you to get this book for your boy and see if he doesn't like it. I'd put my money on them enjoying it. While you're at it read it your self and enjoy. Then post your book report as a comment.

3 tips to get your gardening on.

Phil did not see his shadow a couple of days ago and that means Spring is on the way. For green thumbs everywhere the excitement can begin. It might seem a little forward thinking given the insane amount of snow and cold across the country but this weather will pass and if you haven't been thinking green for a couple of weeks now you'll be behind the game when this mess thaws. I'm including some tips to get ready now for the impending planting season.

Get ready...get set...seed.

Image via WikipediaThere are many hardy plants that you can start in seed today and plant as soon as you can chip away the ice (ok so if there's ice don't plant...but if the soil can be dug...plant). Believe it or not that day is closer than you think. Some things to start from seed right now are broccoli, cauliflower, swiss chard, cabbage, eggplant, lettuce, onions(from seed not bulb or start), parsley, peppers, spinach (watch for hard frosts), tomatoes (seed only) and dozens of other hardy plants. Now it's important to understand that this is just starting seeds and not actually planting in your garden.

Planning makes everything easier

If you do row gardening or (my preference) Squarefoot Gardening, planning is very important. Know where, when, and how your precious seedlings will be planted. Stagger your harvest by planting at different times. Determine the space needed for your garden. When will you be able to harvest some of your garden and replant? Plan this all out while you're stuck in the house with ten foot drifts of snow at your door and you'll be that much better off when you're donning your short sleeve shirts and gardening gloves.

Infrastructure saves you from insanity

Part of planning is getting the actual space ready. This means building or developing some infrastructure. If you haven't got Squarefoot Gardens you might check out my review of "All New Squarefoot Gardening" and then go out and get some supplies. Building a garden is more than tilling up some ground in your back yard (at least it should be). If you have got a Squarefoot Garden then you are way ahead of the game. If you didn't cover and clean at the end of last season you'll need to go out and remove all the leaves and debris from your garden and you'll likely need to turn the soil a little. If you plan on growing up in your garden make sure you've got the proper trusses. If you're just starting get the book from the link above and get out before the rest of the folks out there.

Have fun.

Gardening is a family thing. If you haven't got family invite neighbor kids over to help. If you decide to do row gardening you've decided to do more work and that's fine because half the fun is spending time in the fresh air. If you've got time and a camera start a gardening blog that documents the growth of your plants. Just do something that turns your garden into more than another food source or weekend work. Finally, push winter out of your life and start thinking spring because there is a green tomorrow under all of the white today.

Review: Trust Agents

I just finished this book and for most of the people who follow this blog this post is going to be boring. Of course there's always the chance that I'll make it interesting with some quip about monkeys or something. So maybe you should read the whole review.

Why would I pick up a book like this? On the face of things this isn't the typical book that I read or review. First of all the I despise self help books and this is arguably a self help book. Second I usually read for fun and that, generally speaking, means fiction. Third, and perhaps most importantly, monkeys are funny. Just making sure you're all still reading.


Recently I decided that I had some skills with technology that I could share with the less tech-savvy folk out there. In making this decision I had to understand how I was going to offer up that help and get word out that I was available. Being something of a geek and enjoying immensely the use of my new (free) Google laptop, I decided to start a website that I would call my "business" and offer up my help as a Social Media Consultant. CnctNow (read: connect now) is born. The only problem now is that I don't have a reputation to leverage to make this venture successful or even useful. I began my search for social media professionals and advice on how to become a social media consultant. The result of this search revealed Chris Brogan. Reading some of his blog posts and seeing the way he treated the business of social media gave me some perspective. I noticed that he had written a book and the first chance I got I picked it up at my local library.

It took me a lot longer than normal to read this book. It's not that I didn't enjoy the book. On the contrary I enjoyed it more than I expected. It took some time to get through this book because there's really so much to digest in this book. It's not just a book about social media and how to build an internet identity. It is about being human and treating people like they are human. It's about creating a sense of community by being friendly, helpful, honest, and, the buzzword of the book, transparent. I learned a lot from this book and it helped point me in the right direction for how to build my reputation, identity and how to make my own game.

You don't have to want the same things as me or even be interested in social media or the internet to get something from this book. Those things are good but this book really transcends its intended audience of entrepreneurs and business leaders and becomes a guide on how to treat people and live a life of influence and usefulness. I encourage you to read this book and get back to me on your thoughts. If you made it this far into this post I think you deserve to have one more bit of entertainment. Wasn't it worth it?Image via Wikipedia