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You may also enjoy reading about the family stories in my novels and short stories at The Homeplace Series blog. You can sign up for e-mail reminders.

Monday, October 25, 2010

It's Monday, What are You Reading? Rival Rails

It's Monday, What are You Reading? 

Rival Rails


This is the sixteenth entry for this meme, suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books.


I am still working on Private Life by Jane Smily on the Kindle, about 45%, it says. I read it waiting for my wife in the Doctor's Office, the Lab work, and Urgent care, etc. Good waiting room reading. I like this kind of reading for these situations.

While in Colorado, Estes Park, at McDonald's Bookstore, I saw a new book that was going to have a book signing (after we were to live) at the local library by Dr. Walter R. Borneman. The title of the book is: "Rival Rails: The race to build America's greatest transcontinental railroad."

This is the review from Amazon by Jay Freeman for BookList:

Before the Civil War, the most logical route for the planned transcontinental railroad was across the southern plains and the deserts of the southwest. Instead, for reasons more political than economic, the more northerly route was selected, and the two strands were joined at Promontory Point, Utah, in 1868. Almost immediately, the competition began for the rights to build a web of lines across the southern route. Borneman, a historian and attorney, has written an interesting, if uneven, chronicle of the political as well as physical struggles to complete these tasks. He profiles numerous competing companies and their sponsors, and he describes their often cutthroat tactics and greed. Eventually, two large companies, the Southern Pacific and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, squeezed out or absorbed other competitors. When he sticks to the actual process of construction, Borneman’s narrative is brisk, colorful, and exciting. It drags and confuses when it deals with the machinations in corporate board rooms. Still, this is a worthy look at a less-publicized aspect of railroad construction. --Jay Freeman



Happy Reading!

Bill  ;-)

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Book Blog Tour: Call Me Kate by Molly Roe

Book Blog Tour

Call Me Kate: Meeting the Molly Maguires

by Molly Roe


Today we are participating in the Book Blog Tour of Call Me Kate by Molly Roe. This is the Mom's Choice Award Winner in the young adult historical fiction category.

What is it about?

Fourteen-year-old Katie McCafferty risks job, family, and eventually her very life to rescue a lifelong friend. Disguised as a draft resister, Katie infiltrates a secret Irish organization to prevent bloodshed. Tragedies challenge her strength and ingenuity, and she faces a crisis of conscience. Can Katie balance her sense of justice with the law?

Call Me Kate is suitable for readers from eleven to adult. The story is dramatic and adventuresome, yet expressive of daily life in the patches of the hard coal region during the Civil War era. This novel will appeal to readers of the Dear America series, as well as more mature readers who will enjoy the story’s rich context and drama.

What are readers saying?

"Call Me Kate is a fascinating look at the time period of the early drafts for the Civil War. It focuses on a specific area of the country and the conflict that arose among the different classes and ethnicities. I got a brief history lesson on a time period that I wasn’t very familiar with. For anyone interested in getting some history with their fiction, Call Me Kate is a good book to add to your choices." - TeensReadToo.com

" The politics of the time, the history of how hard the struggle was for many poor families, is absolutely inspirational. The writer did a wonderful job bringing us back to the past, and making us understand that bigotry – in any form – can only harm. I am always so thankful when a writer comes out with a story that teaches something more than “unrequited love with a supernatural being.” Don’t get me wrong, those are fun, too. But this is a great story that will teach something and be fun at the same time." - BookPleasures.com 


 

Happy Reading!
Dr. Bill  ;-)

Monday, October 18, 2010

Virtual Book Tour - Dr. Tiffany Brown of Atlanta - and Giveaway

Virtual Book Tour
Dr. Tiffany Brown of Atlanta

The Reflections of Light for Daily Living: A Book of Affirmations for the Ambitious

Today we are pleased to be a part of the Virtual Book Tour for Dr. Tiffany Brown and her new book:

"The Reflections of Light for Daily Living: A Book of Affirmations for the Ambitious"

We have also been authorized to giveaway an autographed copy of the book and a smart phone app. Not in your comments whether you want to entered for one, both or neither. Thanks!  ;-)

Dr. Brown answered a few questions for us about her book:
1)     If people could take away one thing from your book, what would you want it to be?

Never give up on your goals in life but allow God to revise or tweak them into being aligned with his Will.  Every failure is not a nightmare and every opportunity is not a blessing.  Some failures can be blessings; some opportunities can be nightmares.
Allow God completely into your heart and watch your life begin to expand in the most amazing ways.  I trust God in completely different way than before because I now have a testimony that I never had before. There is nothing like spectacular fall to truly give you a new relationship with God.

2) I love how you have included your life stories onto the pages and you are so relatable; what has been one of your biggest challenges in life and how did you overcome it?

My biggest challenge was bouncing back from my failed mayoral bid that was a disappointment on a professional and emotional level.  It was completely humiliating because I was marginalized and misunderstood throughout the campaign.   I felt like people didn’t get me; they just stereotyped me.
There were many people that I had supported in the past that didn’t return the favor added to the humiliation.  I was very disappointed in people that I had respected and loved in every facet of my life. It definitely changed the way I see the world.  
I was able to overcome it all through forgiveness.  God forgives us for all our transgressions and I was forced to do the same.  All the inspirational stories I wrote are from perspective of a reader; I wrote what I needed to hear at those desperate, heart wrenching times in my life.  I wrote to encourage myself and now decided to share it with others.

3)  What have you learned about yourself throughout the process of writing your book?
I learned not to take things so personally. Most decisions are based on individual personal ambition.  Ambition is never right or wrong; it is the inner drive to have something more in your life.  But sometimes your ambition can clash with others.  You must not take it personally.
I also learned that having just me is enough because of God’s love.  I now feel comfortable in my own skin; imperfections in all. I may not be perfect but I am attempting to be a best that I can. And that is enough as long as I try to stay aligned with God. 

 

“The Reflections of Light for Daily Living: A Book of Affirmations for the Ambitious” will be released on October 23, 2010. (ISBN number 978-1-4512-3143-4 Publish America) http://www.publishamerica.net/product119240.html  The E-Book will be offered for the low price for $9.95.  The books are also available through Ingram book distributor.

Be sure to enter your giveaway preference in your comment - and leave contact information, or you will not be included in the drawings.

Happy Reading!

Bill  ;-)


Monday, September 27, 2010

It's Monday, What are You Reading? Private Life by Jane Smiley, on Kindle

It's Monday, What are You Reading? Private Life by Jane Smiley, on Kindle


This is the fifteenth entry for this meme, suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books.


I am nearing the end of The Ascent of George Washington: The Hidden Political Genius of an American Icon, by John Ferling, in Hard Back... bedtime reading.

However, my newest pursuit is Private Life by Jane Smily, on the small Kindle by wife got, to try the smaller size - she had originally gotten the larger version. She still likes the larger version, so I get to use the smaller one. I love it. I use it for day time reading, waiting at doctor's office, auto repair shops, etc.

I chose this volume of fiction because it is expansive and I don't know if I'll every finish it. It is my third Jane Smiley read, after Thousand Acres and Moo. Eccentric, to say the least. Here is the strange story it tells:

From Booklist via amazon.com
In her latest novel, after Ten Days in the Hills (2007), the Pulitzer Prize–winning author offers a cold-eyed view of the compromises required by marriage while also providing an intimate portrait of life in the Midwest and West during the years 1883–1942. By the time she reaches the age of 27, Margaret Mayfield has known a lot of tragedy in her life. She has lost two brothers, one to an accident, the other to illness, as well as her father, who committed suicide. Her strong-minded mother, Lavinia, knows that her daughter’s prospects for marriage are dim and takes every opportunity to encourage Margaret’s friendship with eccentric scientist Andrew Early. When the two marry and move to a naval base in San Francisco, Margaret becomes more than Andrew’s helpmeet—she is also his cook, driver, and typist as well as the captive audience for his rants against Einstein and his own quirky theories about the universe. As Smiley covers in absorbing detail both private and world events—a lovely Missouri wedding, the chaos of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, the wrenching death of a baby—she keeps at the center of the narrative Margaret’s growing realization that she has married a madman and her subsequent attempts to deal with her marriage by becoming adept at “the neutral smile, the moment of patient silence,” before giving in to bitterness. Smiley casts a gimlet eye on the institution of marriage even as she offers a fascinating glimpse of a distant era. --Joanne Wilkinson



Happy Reading!

Bill  ;-)

Monday, August 30, 2010

It's Monday, What are You Reading? The Ascent of George Washington

It's Monday, What are You Reading? The Ascent of George Washington

This is the fourteenth entry for this meme, suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books.


My latest read is The Ascent of George Washington: The Hidden Political Genius of an American Icon, by John Ferling, professor emeritus of history at the University of West Georgia, a leading authority on American Revolutionary history.

Ferling's earlier works include biographies of Washington and Adams, the election of 1800 between Adams and Jefferson, and a book on Washington, Adams and Jefferson, among others. So, I was especially interested in the new book (in 2009 - got as last Christmas gift) which focuses solely on the issue of Washington as a politician. Most historians skip over this role as, basically, non-existent. I have been anxious to examine this set of insights (after having read several Washington biographies, myself).

From the front cover flap:
Our first president has long been painted as a stoic figure who rose above the rough-and-tumble politics of his era. The Ascent of George Washington peers behind that image - one carefully burnished by Washington himself - to reveal a leader who was not only not above politics, but a master manipulator adept in the arts of persuasion, leverage, and deniability.

During the Revolution, Washington used his skills to steer the Continental Army through crises that would have broken less determined men; at the same time, he ruthlessly froze out rival generals and shrewdly defused dissent from those below him. Ending the war as a national hero, Washington "allowed" himself to be pressed into service as chief executive, and guided the nation with the same brilliantly maintained pose of selfless public interest.

In short, Washington deftly screened burning ambition behind an image of republican virtue - but that image made him just the leader that an over-matched army, and a shaky young nation, desperately needed. As Ferling reveals, the proof of Washington's political genius lies in the fact that he is no longer thought of as a politician at all. The Ascent of George Washington gives us Washington as we have never seen him before.




Happy Reading!

Bill  ;-)

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Back in the Saddle Again...

Today, I accepted an invitation to be part of a book review tour in the latter part of October. I have been "taking it easy" on posting to this blog over the summer, with few reviews, and have not participated in book giveaways on book blogs, at all.

For those of my followers still checking in on me, from time to time, I'd like to ask your help and participation.  I'm am going to schedule a book blog tour for my own novel, Back to the Homeplace, later this fall. If your blog, or the blog of someone you know, has a good number of readers interested in the "family saga" genre of books, I'd like to hear from you, in the comments. Last spring, I had a number of nice reviews, but some of them were on sites that specialized in other types of reading - I'd like to focus this time on "my readers!"


The Kindle version of the book is now $5.95 and Amazon has the hard copy at $13.45, if you want to check it out.

Thanks for your help! Each good recommendation will be appreciated. The second book in the series will be available next spring. See: http://thehomeplaceseries.blogspot.com/ - The Homeplace Revisited.

Each and every comment is appreciated, and I will attempt to respond to each. Happy to answer any questions.


Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Monday, August 16, 2010

It's Monday, What are You Reading? Seeds of Summer

It's Monday, What are You Reading? Seeds of Summer


This is the thirteenth entry for this meme, suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books.


My latest read is Seeds of Summer by Deborah Vogts, her second novel in the Seasons of the Tallgrass series

Amazon.com:
Product Description


When opposites attract, sparks fly--like an electrical malfunction. That's what happens when former rodeo queen, Natalie Adams meets the new pastor in Diamond Falls. Upon the death of her father, Natalie returns to the Flint Hills to raise her two half-siblings and run the family ranch, giving up her dreams for the future. She soon realizes her time in college and as Miss Rodeo Kansas is not enough to break the bonds that held her as a girl. Jared Logan, a new pastor in Diamond Falls, is set on making a good impression to his first congregation, but finds that change doesn't come easy for some people. In fact, most in his congregation are set against it. Natalie and her troubled family provide an outlet for his energy and soon become his personal mission project.

Having raised her stepbrother and sister from an early youth, Natalie's self-sufficient nature isn't inclined to accept help, especially from a city-boy do-gooder like Jared Logen. Though attracted to him, there's no way she'd ever consider being a pastor's wife. Bible studies and bake sales just aren't her thing. Jared repeatedly comes to Natalie's rescue, forcing her to see him with new eyes. At the same time, Jared's plan to plant Christ's word in Natalie's heart backfires when he loses his own heart to this wayward family. When problems arise in his congregation, he must face his greatest fears---of letting down God, his congregation, or those he loves.

His time with Natalie has shown him the importance of standing by those you love, a lesson he chose to ignore in order to please his father years ago. This is put to the test when Natalie faces a battle of custody of her half-siblings against the mother who abandoned them twelve years ago. Natalie's fight for the children turns into a fight for custody of her heart as she learns the true meaning of unconditional love. In turn, Jared must decide which dreams are his own---and whether Natalie is part of those dreams.




Happy Reading!  ;-)

Bill  ;-)

Monday, July 19, 2010

It's Monday, What are You Reading? Revolutionaries

 
It's Monday, What are You Reading?

This is the twelfth entry for this meme, suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books.


My latest read is Revolutionaries: A New History of the Invention of America by Jack Rakove.

Amazon.com Review:
Product Description
In the early 1770s, the men who invented America were living quiet, provincial lives in the rustic backwaters of the New World, devoted primarily to family, craft, and the private pursuit of wealth and happiness. None set out to become "revolutionary" by ambition, but when events in Boston escalated, they found themselves thrust into a crisis that moved, in a matter of months, from protest to war.

In this remarkable book, the historian Jack Rakove shows how the private lives of these men were suddenly transformed into public careers--how Washington became a strategist, Franklin a pioneering cultural diplomat, Madison a sophisticated constitutional thinker, and Hamilton a brilliant policymaker. Rakove shakes off accepted notions of these men as godlike visionaries, focusing instead on the evolution of their ideas and the crystallizing of their purpose. In Revolutionaries, we see the founders before they were fully formed leaders, as individuals whose lives were radically altered by the explosive events of the mid-1770s. They were ordinary men who became extraordinary--a transformation that finally has the literary treatment it deserves.

Spanning the two crucial decades of the country's birth, from 1773 to 1792, Revolutionaries uses little-known stories of these famous (and not so famous) men to capture--in a way no single biography ever could--the intensely creative period of the republic's founding. From the Boston Tea Party to the First Continental Congress, from Trenton to Valley Forge, from the ratification of the Constitution to the disputes that led to our two-party system, Rakove explores the competing views of politics, war, diplomacy, and society that shaped our nation.

Thoughtful, clear-minded, and persuasive, Revolutionaries is a majestic blend of narrative and intellectual history, one of those rare books that makes us think afresh about how the country came to be, and why the idea of America endures.





Happy Reading!  ;-)

Bill  ;-)

Monday, July 12, 2010

Calculated Risk: Adventures in Book Publishing

Calculated Risk: Adventures in Book Publishing

For those of you seriously interested in the future of book publishing (either as author or publisher), I recommend the following video (a speech - at the link on article, below) - it is not a "quick watch" - one that takes some concentration and reflection, but may change the way you see the world. This is not unlike the first time you were exposed to "The Long Tail" by Chris Anderson (and I certainly hope that you were!) regarding the impact of the Internet. I want to thank Dan Curtis - Professional Personal Historian for suggesting this source on his July 12 Monday's Link Roundup!

Article: The speech Chris Anderson of Wired says is the best he's ever seen on book publishing...Richard Eoin Nash - The Blog

The video runs a little over 35 minutes, and may be hard to get through; however, the last five minutes are especially useful IF YOU STUCK THROUGH THE FIRST 30 minutes.

What you want to get to is what he is suggesting about the content a writer writes versus the connection the writer really seeks - to achieve happiness.

Nash's current venture is: Cursor - assume this is to follow up on this speech.
http://thinkcursor.com/

In joining the mailing list, they ask What brought you here? Here was my reply:
"Saw the video by Nash, encouraged by Anderson; recommended by Dan Curtis' blog - Monday's Link Roundup"

Interesting path - building connections - leads to true happiness... ! ? !

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Book Review: An Artist in Treason

Book Review: An Artist in Treason

This is my review of "An Artist in Treason" by Andro Linklater with a subtitle that may set a modern day record: 'The Extraordinary Double Life of General James Wilkinson, Commander in Chief of the U.S. Army and Agent 13 in the Spanish Secret Service.'

The subtitle really tells it all. Though he betrayed (some of) America's strategic secrets, sought to keep the new country from expanding beyond the Mississippi, and almost delivered Lewis and Clark's expedition into Spanish hands, four presidents {some might say the most important four, since they were the first four} - Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison - all turned a blind eye to his treachery. In the end, in the crucial test in 1806, Wilkinson did, at the last minute, turn the army against Aaron Burr and foiled his conspiracy to break up the Union.

Linklater adds documentation from Spanish archives unseen by prior historians further illuminate this distinctive character in American history.

I enjoyed reading this book very much. Wilkinson was born in Maryland, the state of one of my ancestors lines that I have studied the most. He has been a side character in many, many of the books I have read in recent years - portrayed in many different lights. Each of these angles was explored well by Linklater in this book. I felt that his treatment was very evenhanded. Although I certainly cannot condone many of his actions, this book provided me with a much better understanding of the circumstances he faced as he made the decisions he made - usually under very difficult and trying decisions. As a military man, he was often put in lose-lose situations, sometimes on purpose, by either his military or civilian superiors, even both, on occasion. As with a number of his contemporaries among the founding and next generation, personal vanity often did play an over-sized role in his decision making - leading to many, if not most, of his many problems - personal and professional. This story also sheds illuminating light on many of the other 'historical' characters with whom he interacted through his career.



Happy Reading!  ;-)

Bill  ;-)

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Emporia, Kansas, Book Signing Update

Over on my The Homeplace Series Blog, I have recorded some comments and a couple of photos from the neat book signing in Emporia, Kansas, yesterday.

If you haven't done so, already, I also encourage you to become a follower, so you can keep up with the latest on my "Homeplace" series - the second book is The Homeplace Revisited,  you can see the cover in the right sidebar, will be out in a few months. Most Wednesdays, I record a Homeplace recipe, most Fridays I post a Flora and Fauna item, and on some Surname Saturdays,  you get some family genealogy, family history, or just some tidbits on the fictional family of the series. I want you to get to know them well. I hope you will buy the first book, as well as the second, and read them.

Thanks, Happy Reading,

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Help settle a bet... ok?

My novel, "Back to the Homeplace," is currently ranked: #1,802,557 in Books on Amazon. I bet my friend 10 bucks that if I sold 5 copies of the book, today, on Amazon, the ranking would go up over 800,000 places. What do you think? Can it make that much difference, or is that crazy?


Will you help? If you've been meaning to buy it, anyway, one day... please do it today. I just need FIVE people to order it, TODAY, to win the bet. THANKS!  

Happy Reading!  ;-)

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Next Book Giveaway and Book Signing

My next Book Giveaway Contest will take place in about a month, during the last ten days or so in July. Please check back then, if not before.

In the meantime, you might give "Back to the Homeplace" a read. I'll be doing in Book Signing in Emporia, Kansas, this weekend:

Dr. Bill (William L.) Smith will be signing his novel, "Back to the Homeplace," and his latest non-fiction book, "13 Ways to Tell Your Ancestor Stories," at the:

4th Annual Author Extravaganza at the Town Crier in Emporia Kansas

Saturday, June 26, 2010, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 716 Commerical in Emporia.

See details at: http://www.towncrierbookstore.com/ 

Happy Summer reading!

Bill  ;-)

Monday, June 21, 2010

It's Monday, What are You Reading? An Artist in Treason

It's Monday, What are You Reading? An Artist in Treason

This is the eleventh entry for this meme, suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books.


My latest read is An Artist in Treason by Andro Linklater with a subtitle that may set a modern day record: The Extraordinary Double Life of General James Wilkinson, Commander in Chief of the U.S. Army and Agent 13 in the Spanish Secret Service.

The subtitle really tells it all. Though he betreayed (some of) America's strategic secrets, sought to keep the new country from expanding beyond the Mississippi, and almost delivered Lewis and Clark's expedition into Spanish hands, four presidents {some might say the most important four, since they were the first four} - Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison - all turned a blind eye to his treachery. In the end, in the crucial test in 1806, Wilkinson did, at the last minute, turn the army against Aaron Burr and foiled his conspiracy to break up the Union.

Linklater adds documentation from Spanish archives unseen by prior historians further illuminate this distinctive character in American history.



Happy Reading!  ;-)

Bill  ;-)

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Congratulations, Barry

Very proud of my brother, Barry Smith, on the success of his distinctive novel, Only Milo.

See photo and really good story in Ames, Iowa, newspaper:

http://amestrib.com/articles/2010/06/12/boone/news/doc4c123f52b99cd489041776.txt

Happy Reading,

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Monday, June 14, 2010

It's Monday, What are You Reading? The Revolutionary Paul Revere

It's Monday, What are You Reading? The Revolutionary Paul Revere

This is the tenth entry for this meme, suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books.

I am now reading "The Revolutionary Paul Revere" by Joel J. Miller

From the back cover of this trade paperback book:

He's famous for his ride.
He's essential for so much more.

The story of Paul Revere is the story of the American Revolution. Always smack dab in the thick of things, he was an ordinary citizen living in extraordinary turbulent times. Revere played key roles in colonial tax fights and riots, the infamous Boston Massacre, the Tea Party, the Battle of Lexington and Concord, and even the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. In this fast-paced, dramatic account, Paul Revere's life pulses with energy as author Joel J. Miller explores his family and church life along with his revolutionary contribution as a spy, entrepreneur, express rider, freemason, and commercial visionary.



The first few chapters have been an enjoyable read. I am looking forward to the rest of it.


Happy Reading!  ;-)

Bill  ;-)

Monday, June 7, 2010

It's Monday, What are You Reading? Mom Still Likes You Best

This is the ninth entry for this meme, suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books.


I am currently reading "Mom Still Likes You Best: The Unfinished Business Betwen Siblings" by Jane Isay

From a series of fairly heavy reading books, I have shifted to some lighter reading, partly as background research for my fiction writing, a family saga series.

Jane Isay is the author of the earlier "Walking on Eggshells: Navigating the Delicate Relationship Between Adult Children" and has been an editor for over forty years.



Happy Reading!  ;-)

Bill  ;-)

Friday, June 4, 2010

Beautiful Blogger Award

Thank you, Esther of Esther's Blog for awarding me the Beautiful Blogger Award.


In a bit, I'll follow the rest of the award process. Thank you, again.

Happy Reading,

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Book Giveaway Winner - Dead or Alive

Book Giveaway Winner - Dead or Alive
The winner of the Book Giveaway contest for the book: DEAD OR ALIVE by Michael McGarrity is Barbara from Minnesota. Thanks to all who entered. My Book Giveaways will resume in Mid-June. Note that Amazon has an amazing price on the book, if you want to order it for yourself.




I am going on vacation, for about three weeks. Don't forget me, but I'll let the blog sit during this time.

Happy Reading,

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Friday, May 21, 2010

Book Review of Back to the Homeplace by Linda


Book Review of Back to the Homeplace 
by Linda Brandau @ Bookvisions


Back to the Homeplace is an engaging story of four families brought together because of the unusual stipulations of a will. The cover of the book is beautiful and sets the Midwestern tone.

The characters are nicely developed so that each is unique. You understand who they are and why they returned to the homestead. The families are realistic with normal family dynamics, and it is easy to care about what happens to them. The reader understands how each character’s personality – the temperamental one, the team players, the loner – influences their role on the property. Mr. Smith’s descriptions of the different areas of property are well done and it was easy to visualize the White Oak trees, trails, and buildings.

As soon as you are settled in and comfortable with the story, there are several twists. Secrets are revealed and lives are torn apart. This has quite an emotional impact on the story. I appreciated the way the Mr. Smith handled sensitive subjects tactfully.


This review is posted at: Bookvisions, amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, powells.com, librarything and goodreads.


Thank you, Linda!


Happy Reading!  ;-)

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Sunshine Award

Thanks to Julie @ Reading without Restraint for passing along this Sunshine Award!


May we each bring a little Sunshine into each of our days!

Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Monday, May 17, 2010

It's Monday, What are You Reading? The Science of Liberty

It's Monday, What are You Reading?

This is the eighth entry for this meme, suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books.

I am currently reading "The Science of Liberty" by Timothy Ferris

From the Amazon site, editorial review from Booklist:
Ferris, the prominent science author and PBS series host, champions scientific and classical liberal values in this work. Holding that the rise of science blazed the trail for liberal democracy, Ferris opens with profiles of seventeenth-century philosophical pioneers in each arena, Francis Bacon and John Locke, and continues with embodiments of the Enlightenment’s intersection of science and self-government, such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Paine. Historical episodes in which authoritarianism suppressed liberty and democracy occupy much of Ferris’ subsequent analysis: in his discussions of the regimes of Robespierre, Hitler, Stalin, and Mao, Ferris convincingly demonstrates that the disasters that befell science and scientists under their sway stemmed from the extinction of freedom. In contemporary times, the threat to scientific and democratic values, Ferris writes, comes from deconstructionist philosophers and their pilot fish in academia, and from Islamic radicalism. Disparaging illusions about a perfect society at the base of various stripes of totalitarianism––Communist, Fascist, or Fundamentalist Muslim––Ferris vindicates his thesis that humanity’s progress ensues only whenever science’s anti-authoritarian, egalitarian commitment to free inquiry is allowed to range wherever curiosity will take it. --Gilbert Taylor





Bill  ;-)

Author of "Back to the Homeplace"
http://eduscapes.com/v2a/back_to_the_homeplace.html
Hope you'll check out my book giveaways:
http://drbillsbookbazaar.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Book Giveaway Winner - Glorious

The winner of our Book Giveaway contest for Glorious by Bernice L. McFadden was Wendy from Indiana. Congratulations!



Be sure to see our new Book Giveaway contest already underway: Dead or Alive by Michael McGarrity.


Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Monday, May 10, 2010

Book Giveaway - Dead or Alive

 
Book Giveaway - Dead or Alive

For the next ten day, I will be conducting a Book Giveaway contest for the book for which I wrote a recent book review: DEAD OR ALIVE by Michael McGarrity. I love this series. But, you need not have read any other books in this series to enjoy this book to the fullest. 




If you would like to win this copy for your own, here are the simple rules:

1) Comment here that you want to be entered.

2) Leave a valid email address in your comment (I need a way to contact you! No email address, no entry!)

3) For an extra entry, Follow my blog. If you already follow my blog, just mention that in your comment.

4) US residents only.

5) If you blog about the giveaway on your blog, you get 5 extra entries! Include your blog address, so I can see it. Thanks!

All entries must be submitted by May 20, midnight, cst. I will contact the winner by email. If I don't get a response within 3 days, another winner will be chosen. The winner will be announced on this site, when determined.

All winners are picked by Random.org List Randomizer.

Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Friday, May 7, 2010

Book Signing at Body Works Spa and Salon in Branson

Book Signing at Body Works Spa and Salon in Branson

On Thursday of this week, late afternoon and early evening, I had a Book Signing at the Spring Open House of the Body Works on Green Mountain Drive in Branson, MO. Here I am with one of the ladies who bought a copy of the book.


A good time was had by all. Met some really nice people.

Happy Reading!  

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Here is the clip from TV interview

I was very pleased to appear live on Tuesday on Springfield, MO, ABC Affiliate KSPR 4 pm news segment, Community Closeup. Here is the clip.



If you haven't already, I hope this encourages you to buy the book. Click on your choice in left sidebar.
Back to the Homeplace.

Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Monday, May 3, 2010

Book Giveaway - Glorious

Book Giveaway - Glorious by Bernice L. McFadden

I currently am the proud  holder of two autographed copies of this fine novel. One of you will be the lucky one who will receive one of these copies as winner of this Book Giveaway Contest. If you have not seen the great review and comments at Just One More Paragraph, I encourage you go over there and read that information, including a couple of links to other good information. But, first, enter the contest here.

If you want to simply buy the book, now, here is your opportunity to do that.



Finally, this contest during the first third of May is also to celebrate our 100 blog followers, sure to be reached during this contest.

If you would like to win this copy for your own, here are the simple rules:

1) Comment here that you want to be entered.

2) Leave a valid email address in your comment (I need a way to contact you! No email address, no entry!)

3) For an extra entry, Follow my blog. If you already follow my blog, just mention that in your comment. For this contest, a NEW FOLLOWER gets one extra entry!

4) US residents only.

5) If you blog about the giveaway on your blog, you get 5 extra entries! Include your blog address, so I can see it. Thanks!

All entries must be submitted by May 10, midnight, cst. I will contact the winner by email. If I don't get a response within 3 days, another winner will be chosen. The winner will be announced on this site, when determined.

All winners are picked by Random.org List Randomizer.


Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)

P.S. Do you have your copy of Back to the Homeplace, yet? Click on one of the gadgets in the left sidebar to order, TODAY! THANKS!  ;-)

Book Giveaway Winner - Moonlight Falls

Book Giveaway Winner - Moonlight Falls by Vincent Zandri

The winner of our Book Giveaway for the second half of April is Moonlight Falls by Vincent Zandri was Karen from Arizona. Congratulations! It is on its way to you. If you were not the winner, but would still like a copy of the book, here is the link to Amazaon.com to order one.




Watch for our new May book giveaway later today or tomorrow, celebrating our 100th follower during this contest!

In the meantime, order your copy of Back to the Homeplace, just click one of the links in the sidebars, on the left,  for your choice. Thanks, and...

Happy Reading!  ;-)

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Latest Book Review and Giveaway - Allison's Attic

Go to Allison's Attic to see the latest Book Review and Book Giveaway for Back to the Homeplace.

Order your copy today, see sidebars for options! Lowest cost is at Amazon.com"



For an autographed copy, or to see the book trailer, see: 

Happy Reading!  

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Proofreading reminder

Thanks to our friends at; eNews from the New England Historic Genealogical Society, toward the end of a good article on proofreading manuscripts:

"One thing you must prepare yourself for is that no matter how many people proofread your document, the minute you publish something you will find an error that wasn’t caught. Rare is the book or magazine that doesn’t have some type of error in it. You will also discover that many people jump to give you feedback about errors. Some will present it to you in a friendly tone to assist you. Others will come across as self-important know-it-alls who criticize others to inflate their own self-worth. Kindly thank the former, and ignore the latter. Include the important step of proofreading in your writing, and your final product will always be the best it can be."

To subscribe or view back issues of eNews, please visit www.newenglandancestors.org/publications/eNews.asp.

Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

See Interview by Linda Weaver Clarke

If you haven't seen it yet, please do stop by the blog of Author and Lecturer Linda Weaver Clarke to see the interview she did with me about my new book, Back to the Homeplace. You will learn some new things not previously disclosed. She is also offering a free, autographed copy of the book in her giveaway!

Happy Reading!

Dr. Bill  ;-)

Monday, April 26, 2010

It's Monday, What are You Reading? Savages & Scoundrels

It's Monday, What are You Reading?

This is the seventh entry for this meme, suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books.


I am currently reading "Savages & Scoundrels: The Untold Story of America's Road to Empire Through Indian Territory" by Paul VanDevlder

From the Book Description: Paul VanDevelder takes as his focal point the epic federal treaty ratified in 1851 at Horse Creek, formally recognizing perpetual ownership by a dozen Native American tribes of 1.1 million square miles of the American West. The astonishing and shameful story of this broken treaty—one of 371 Indian treaties signed during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries—reveals a pattern of fraudulent government behavior that again and again displaced Native Americans from their lands. VanDevelder describes the path that led to the genocide of the American Indian; those who participated in it, from cowboys and common folk to aristocrats and presidents; and how the history of the immoral treatment of Indians through the twentieth century has profound social, economic, and political implications for America even today.

Early on he suggests: "It was in twelfth-century Europe that a succession of brilliant Catholic popes ... also created the laws that enabled them to send crusading armies into the Holy Lands to confiscate territory..." Well researched and documented, I am interested in seeing more of the detail that is promised.




Happy Reading!  

Bill  ;-)

Author of "Back to the Homeplace"
http://eduscapes.com/v2a/back_to_the_homeplace.html
Hope you'll check out my book giveaways:
http://drbillsbookbazaar.blogspot.com/

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Book Review - Dead or Alive

Book Review - Dead or Alive

I just finished reading Dead or Alive in paperback by Michael McGarrity, the 12th in The Kevin Kerney Novel series. I've read them all, over the years. As Tony Hillerman, since deceased, is quoted on the back cover, "How good it is to follow a detective created by a man who has been there and done that." Over the years, Kerney, the lead character has held numerous New Mexico law enforcement positions, which has made the series especially interesting. He is now in semi-retirement (my description) with a wife and young son.

The Kearney family is in London, where Sara is a career Army officer on her last assignment before retirement back to their New Mexico ranch. When word reaches Kevin Kearney that his ranch manager/horse business partner has been gunned down at the ranch, it brings him back in search of a psychotic murderer with a growing appetite for blood. He is joined in the search by his half-Apache adult son, Lieutenant Clayton Istee of the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department. The chase covers broad sections of northeast New Mexico and eventually brings grueling mountain treks leading to a satisfying climax.

A western setting for the police procedural murder mystery offers all any one who like this genre could ask. It reads well, being written by someone who know of what he writes... and really enjoys it! A five star recommendation.




Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill

Author of "Back to the Homeplace" - check it out:
http://eduscapes.com/v2a/back_to_the_homeplace.html

Monday, April 19, 2010

It's Monday, What are You Reading? Dead or Alive

It's Monday, What are You Reading? Dead or Alive

This is my sixth entry for this meme, suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books.

I am now reading Dead or Alive in paperback by Michael McGarrity, the 12th in The Kevin Kerney Novel series. I've read them all, over the years. As Tony Hillerman, since deceased, is quoted on the back cover, "How good it is to follow a detective created by a man who has been there and done that." Over the years, Kerney, the lead character has held numerous New Mexico law enforcement positions, which has made the series especially interesting. He is now in semi-retirement (my description) with a wife and child. A tragedy that occurs on his ranch while he is away, brings him back in search of a thrill killer... what more could you ask of a police procedural/murder mystery!  ;-)




Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill

Author of "Back to the Homeplace" - check it out:
http://eduscapes.com/v2a/back_to_the_homeplace.html

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Book Review - U. S. Grant by Joan Waugh

 Book Review
U. S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth 
by Joan Waugh

I finished reading U. S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth by Joan Waugh, and I am glad I did read the whole thing. April 27 will be the 188th anniversary of the birth of Ulysses S. Grant in a small town in Ohio. For many years after this death in 1885, April 27 was celebrated as Grant Day by many across the country and around the world signifying the high esteem in which he was held for many years following his service in the Civil War and as a two-term President of the United States. Many saw Washington, Lincoln and Grant as "Father, Savior, Defender." During the twentieth-century, this assessment changed dramatically for many reasons. This book is a serious effort to set the record straight - laying our the history as it occurred, the good and the not-so-good - and how "history" has been recorded differently during subsequent periods of our national existence.


Among other things, this book is a Main Selection of the History Book Club, and a Selection of the Military Book Club and the Book-of-the-Month Club. I have been waiting for a new "unbiased" book on Grant for some time. I have found it in Waugh's book. The first third of the book is a nice summary of his life, including the war and his presidency. The last two thirds is a thorough analysis, based on review of primary source materials, of how Grant has been treated by history, historians and the media since that time. The controversy surrounding the building of Grant's Tomb/Memorial in New York City is used as platform to examine the events of the latter years of the nineteenth century as they considered the events surrounding the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the roles of white southerners, former slaves and veterans of both the Union and Confederate armies as they approached old age.


I give this book a strong positive recommendation for anyone willing to read objectively about the last 150 years of our U. S. history as we approach the Civil War Sesquicentennial next year!



Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill

http://eduscapes.com/v2a/back_to_the_homeplace.html

Sunday, April 11, 2010

Book Giveaway - Moonlight Falls

Book Giveaway - Moonlight Falls by Vincent Zandri

Our Book Giveaway for the second half of April is Moonlight Falls by Vincent Zandri; I won this copy in a contest with Molly Edwards at Book Reviews by Buuklvr81 back in March.




I am pleased to pass this copy along to one lucky winner here.

About the novel, from the publisher:
In MOONLIGHT FALLS, novelist and photojournalist Vincent Zandri asks the question "If you knew your life could end at any moment, how far would you go t prove you murdered your lover?"
Albany, New York, is the setting of Zandri's paranoid thriller (in the Hitchcock tradition) about Richard "Dick" Moolight, former APD detective turned private investigator/message therapist, who believes he killed Scarlet Montana, his illicit lover and wife of his ex-boss Chief of Detectives Jake Montana. The dilemma... Moonlight doesn't remember what happened!

My comment: Read Molly's excellent discussion of this book from the blog tour! Enjoy!

If you would like to win this copy for your own, here are the simple rules:

1) Comment here that you want to be entered.

2) Leave a valid email address in your comment (I need a way to contact you! No email address, no entry!)

3) For an extra entry, Follow my blog. If you already follow my blog, just mention that in your comment.

4) US residents only.

5) If you blog about the giveaway on your blog, you get 5 extra entries! Include your blog address, so I can see it. Thanks!

All entries must be submitted by April 30, midnight, cst. I will contact the winner by email. If I don't get a response within 3 days, another winner will be chosen. The winner will be announced on this site, when determined.

All winners are picked by Random.org List Randomizer.

Happy Reading!

Bill  ;-)

Author of "Back to the Homeplace"
http://thehomeplaceseries.blogspot.com/

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Winner of the Back to the Homeplace Book Giveaway 1

The winner of the Back to the Homeplace Book Giveaway, picked by Random.org List Randomizer was:

Natalie W from The Book Inn

If  you missed out on the Giveaway, order your copy today:



Check in tomorrow for a new Book Giveaway for the second half of April.

Happy Reading!

Bill  ;-)

Author of "Back to the Homeplace"
http://thehomeplaceseries.blogspot.com/

Monday, April 5, 2010

It's Monday, What are You Reading? U. S. Grant

It's Monday, What are You Reading? U. S. Grant

This is my fifth entry for this meme, suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books.

I am now reading U. S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth by Joan Waugh. Among other things, this book is a Main Selection of the History Book Club, and a Selection of the Military Book Club and the Book-of-the-Month Club. I have been waiting for a new "unbiased" book on Grant for some time. I believe I have found it in Waugh's book. The first third of the book is a nice summary of his life, including the war and his presidency. The last two thirds, that I am just getting into is a thorough analysis, based on review of primary source materials, of how Grant has been treated by history, historians and the media since that time. I really like what I have seen so far....


Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill

http://eduscapes.com/v2a/back_to_the_homeplace.html



Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Winner of A Reliable Wife announced

The winner in the A Reliable Wife book giveaway, picked by the Random.org List Randomizer was:

Jennifer G. of NC


Thanks for the over 70 entries in the last giveaway! A new book giveaway will be held in the last half of April. Check back then.


Happy Reading!

Bill ;-)

Author of "Back to the Homeplace"
http://thehomeplaceseries.blogspot.com/

In case you missed it, you can get a copy of A Reliable Wife on Amazon:

Monday, March 29, 2010

Book Giveaway - Back to the Homeplace

Book Giveaway - Back to the Homeplace

I am giving away a copy of Back to the Homeplace by William Leverne Smith during the first two weeks of April 2010, starting today. You can see a recent book review in my last post.




If you would like to win this copy for your own, here are the simple rules:

1) Comment here that you want to be entered.

2) Leave a valid email address in your comment (I need a way to contact you! No email address, no entry!)

3) Your email address will be added to a mailing list for Dr. Bill's Homeplace Newsletter (electronic monthly, first of each month) unless you specifically ask to opt out.

4) For an extra entry, Follow this blog. If you already follow my blog, just mention that in your comment.

5) For another extra entry, Follow me on Twitter. If you already follow me, just mention that in your comment. (Twiter is at bottom of this blog, right side)

6) If you blog about the giveaway on your blog, you get 5 extra entries! Include your blog address, so I can see it. Thanks!

7) Domestic USA mailing addresses only, please.

8) If you win, I will encourage you to read the book, publish a review, and hold your own giveaway with the copy, and/or donate the book to your local library, so others have a chance to read it as well.

All entries must be submitted by Friday, midnight, cst, April 16. I will contact the winner by email. If I don't get a response within 3 days, another winner will be chosen. The winner will be announced on this site, when determined.

All winners are picked by Random.org List Randomizer.


Happy Reading!

Bill ;-)

Author of "Back to the Homeplace"
http://thehomeplaceseries.blogspot.com/

Book Review on Amazon 1


Book Review of Back to the Homeplace on Amazon

Back to the Homeplace by William Leverne Smith transports readers to small town American of the late 1980s. Four siblings and their families are reunited under the auspices of a unique will. Complex relationships and family secrets emerge as the Bevins family members search for their place in the local community.

The interesting introductions at the beginning of most chapters helped take me back to the news and entertainment of the 1980s. I've read many books set in the 1960s or 1970s, but this is the first that concentrates on events of the 1980s. This is important for the mood and context of the story. Smith did an outstanding job weaving social issues of the late 1980s with timeless family relationships. Growing up in the midwest, I could relate to both the small town atmosphere and the varied viewpoints represented in the book. What I found particularly interesting was how Smith followed members of both the older and younger generations dealing with issues unique to each group.

Strong character development and realistic situations draw readers into the family farm setting during the first half of the novel. Smith's creative double-twist climax keeps readers engaged through the second half of the book and the conclusion leaves readers wanting to return to the Homeplace for more.

I look forward to the next book in this great new series. Annette Lamb "eduscapes"

[Included in Cym's March 30 Book Review Party Wednesday - Thanks!]

Happy Reading!

Bill ;-)

Author of "Back to the Homeplace"
http://thehomeplaceseries.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Book Review - The New How

Book Review
The New How: Creating Business Solutions through Collaborative Strategy

As a recently retired Professor of Management at at AACSB accredited University business school, my first reaction to this book was: Oh-no, another would-be business guru consultant writing a book on business strategy!

With that background, let me give the negatives and positives as I see them. First, a positive: the word Collaborative in the sub-title is encouraging, and it seems to have been carried throughout the book, including in the neat cartoons used to make the reading easier. There must be ongoing collaboration among and between managers at various levels and different departments in order to either effectively plan or execute strategies.

The "Air Sandwich" metaphor that seems to permeate Merchant's consulting approach does not do anything for me, but if she has found it effective in working with her clients than I will object - because, the premise behind the metaphor is valid. Top executives must bridge that gap to front line managers and front line workers. Note the recent interest in the CBS television show, "Undercover Boss!"

The book may seem too big/long to some, but it is actually pretty normal in the business book publishing business. It is an easy read, with useful graphics and examples to break up the theory and procedural details.

It is certainly not a management text, and really offers nothing new (as the title would suggest), but I would recommend it to readers who have not had a lot of exposure to recent management classes or consultants. It does represent most of what is now seen as good practice, and I believe it is easy to follow and understand for the average manager.


Note: This review first written as a LibraryThing.com Early Reviewer review.

[Included in Cym's April 7 Book Review Party Wednesday]


Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill
http://stores.lulu.com/drbillshares
http://eduscapes.com/v2a/back_to_the_homeplace.html

Monday, March 22, 2010

It's Monday, What are You Reading? Farm Journalist

It's Monday, What are You Reading? 
Laura Ingalls Wilder, Farm Journalist: Writings from the Ozarks, Edited by Stephen W. Hines

This is my fourth entry for this meme, suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books.



Laura Ingalls Wilder, Farm Journalist: Writings from the Ozarks, Edited by Stephen W. Hines, is as book that has been on my shelf for a year or so, awaiting the right time to pluck it off and check it out. It is a timeless book, but the time was right this week. I am finishing my own debut novel set on an Ozarks farm, Back to the Homeplace, and outlining the next in the series, so my mind is on Ozarks farming, I suppose.

This volume contains collected essays by Wilder that orignially appeared in the Missouri Ruralist between 1911 and 1924. Writing as "Mrs. A. J. Wilder" about  modern life in the early twentieth-century Ozarks, Laura lends her advice to women of her generation on such timeless issues as how to be an equal partner with their husbands, how to support the new freedoms they'd won with the right to vote, and how to maintain important family values in their changing world. She also discusses practical matters such as raising chickens and how to save time on household tasks while setting aside time to relax now and then.


Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill
http://stores.lulu.com/drbillshares
http://eduscapes.com/v2a/back_to_the_homeplace.html

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Book Review - First in Peace

Book Review
First in Peace: How George Washington Set the Course for America
Conor Cruise O'Brien


It is a pleasure to review this little non-fiction piece on George Washington by the late Conor Cruise O'Brien, who is also author of "The Long Affair."

Written just before his death, O"Brien, the international commentator and author, wanted to set the record straight on his feeling about George Washington versus Thomas Jefferson after some of the reaction to his position on Jefferson in "The Long Affair." The subtitle of this book: "How George Washington Set the Course for America" gives a pretty clear indication of the direction he is taking. His position seems to fit well with my impressions after reading more than a dozen recent books of each Jefferson and Washington.

This book walks carefully through both the first and the second term of President Washington and documents, with excellent end notes, his relationship with Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson, of course, served first as Secretary of State in the Washington cabinet. After Jefferson resigned and resumed "private life," the rivalry continued as Jefferson acted behind the scenes to develop the rival Democratic-Republican party and Washington attempted to maintain his activities "above" the Federalist party. O'Brien notes some interesting exceptions, especially as related to the Whiskey Rebellion and the Jay Treaty ratification.

If you have an interest in the relationship between Washington and Jefferson and/or this critical period in our history, I highly recommend this small book.

Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill
http://stores.lulu.com/drbillshares
http://eduscapes.com/v2a/back_to_the_homeplace.html

Friday, March 19, 2010

Award Received and Passed On

I was very pleased to receive an award from a fellow book blogger, Paula at Community Bookstop.


This is a pass-along award, and I am pleased to that!
Rules are that when you receive the award you must:
a. post who it is from with their link; and then pass it on.
b. pass the award on to 5 other bloggers.

Note: Be sure you notify the new recipients of the award also.... :-)

My picks for the blog sites to award are:

1. Suko's Notebook

2. Allison's Attic

3. Bibliophile By the Sea

4. Home Girl's Book Blog

5. Reading to Know

Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill
http://stores.lulu.com/drbillshare

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Book Review - The Invention of Air

The  Invention of Air by Steven Johnson
Steven Johnson places Joseph Priestley well in his time as well as in the intellectual development science (natural philosophy), faith (a founder of the Unitarian Church), and political theory (interactions with Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson) coming out of the Age of Enlightenment. His multi-disciplinary approach laid the groundwork for ecosystem theories in today's science even though his experiments were as an "amateur." Finally, the end of the story regarding how the Jeffereson-Priestley letters had such a profound influence on the later Adams-Jefferson infamous correspondence exchanges was fascinating.

[Included in Cym's March 23 Book Review Party Wednesday - Thanks!]

Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill
http://stores.lulu.com/drbillshare


Monday, March 15, 2010

Winner in the Beach Street Giveaway

The winner of the Book Giveaway - Beach Street - was: Jackie from Georgia.



Be sure to check out our current book giveaway: A Reliable Wife.




Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill
http://stores.lulu.com/drbillshare

Book Giveaway - A Reliable Wife

Book Giveaway - A Reliable Wife

Our Book Giveaway for the second half of March is A Reliable Wife, the debut novel of Robert Goolrick, author of the memoir The End of the World As We Know It.




About the novel, from the publisher:
For Ralph Truitt, the wealthy businessman who had advertised for "a reliable wife," this was also to be a new beginning. Years of solitude, denial, and remorse would be erased, and Catherine Land, whoever she might be, would be the vessel of his desires, the keeper of his secrets, the means to recover what was lost. That was his plan.

My comment: Set in early twentieth century Wisconsin, this is a haunting story of love and madness, passion and murder. Enjoy!  ;-)


If you would like to win this copy for your own, here are the simple rules:

1) Comment here that you want to be entered.

2) Leave a valid email address in your comment (I need a way to contact you! No email address, no entry!)

3) For an extra entry, Follow my blog. If you already follow my blog, just mention that in your comment.

4) US residents only.

5) If you blog about the giveaway on your blog, you get 5 extra entries! Include your blog address, so I can see it. Thanks!

All entries must be submitted by March 26, midnight, cst. I will contact the winner by email. If I don't get a response within 3 days, another winner will be chosen. The winner will be announced on this site, when determined.

All winners are picked by Random.org List Randomizer.



Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill
http://stores.lulu.com/drbillshare

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Book Review - Drake's Bay

Last week I was reading "Drake's Bay" by Thomas Roberts. [It is an advance readers copy that my wife got from LibraryThing. Her review was so positive, I decided I should give it a try. It has to do with a history professor in San Francisco that lives on a boat with his young wife and gets involved in discovering some logs of Sir Francis Drake's late sixteen century voyages.]

Ethan Storey seems to be a fairly laid back California history professor, not intimidated by his colleagues at Berkley, and enjoys his time on his wooden sailing boat, the Drake, that his father, also a history professor, built as Ethan was growing up, after his mother had died. His father left Ethan the boat, and little else, when he died, years ago. Ethan takes on a part-time consulting job to catalogue a large, old collection of books, across the street from Berkley, owned by a rich family based in Antwerp, the Willems. It turns out the the collection has been the center of a struggle between the Willems and the Ballentines, a wealthy family based in Berkley, since the late 1930s. Ethan and Kay are not married; but living together on the boat in an interesting relationship that evolves along with the mystery. She is a property attorney, it turns out, working for the Ballentines.

The book does not read like a mystery at first, it is just an interesting story... although the professor who earlier had worked at cataloguing this same collection turns up murdered in New York City... New and old relationships are revealed among numerous twists and turns... and we end up with an exciting, exceptional, satisfying "mystery book" conclusion.

I highly recommend this book to any mystery enthusiast.

[Included in Cym's April 13 Book Review Party Wednesday - Thanks!] 


Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill
http://stores.lulu.com/drbillshare

Drake's Bay



Monday, March 8, 2010

It's Monday, What are You Reading? First in Peace



This is my third entry for this meme, suggested by Sheila@ One Persons Journey Through A World of Books.

After three mysteries in a row, I decided to go back to my Christmas Wish List gifts, and am reading a little non-fiction piece on George Washington by the late Conor Cruise O'Brien, also author of "The Long Affair," "First in Peace." Written just before his death, O"Brien, the international commentator and author, wanted to set the record straight on his feeling about George Washington versus Thomas Jefferson after some of the reaction to his position on Jefferson in "The Long Affair." The subtitle of this book: "How George Washington Set the Course for America" gives a pretty clear indication of the direction he is taking. It seems to fit well with my impressions after reading more than a dozen recent books on each Washington and Jefferson. I'll share more more in my review, in the coming weeks.

Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill
http://stores.lulu.com/drbillshare

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Winner of Emmy's Equal was Naida from New Jersey.




Be sure to be a follower and enter The Beach Street Giveaway.


Happy Reading! ;-)

Dr. Bill
http://stores.lulu.com/drbillshare