Just What the World Needs - Another Self-Published Book

A book of personal essays, yet. Insert eye-roll here.

Obviously, this is an obligatory post of self-promotion.

So, have you read my new book yet?

Speaking of personal essays...

17 That Just Might Change Your Life

Tips from Writer's Digest about crafting reader-friendly personal essays  and

Places to publish them! 

Thank You, Sweet Readers!

A personal and heartfelt note of gratitude to all those kind hikers and gift-givers who have purchased 60 Hikes within 60 Miles of Cleveland. You made it The #1 Travel Book in Cleveland and it's crept up to #33 in Fitness/Health>Exercise>Walking too!

You all rock!

~ Thank you ~

By the way, I'll be Talking about Walking at the Nordonia Hills Branch of the Akron Public Library on March 7, so if you'd like to have your copy signed, or pick up a new copy for someone you love, I'd be delighted to see you there.

Does Goodreads Know What UR Reading?

I'll admit I didn't see this coming. In the past couple of years, it seems Goodreads has put its algorithms to good use.  In fact it's going so good* that Goodreads' recommendations rival Amazon's for believability and translate into (gasp) sales. Mmm, mmm, good. I read it in the I read it in the NYT this morning.

 *Sorry, grammar nuts; I had to.

~Diane Stresing

Let's "book it" to School

School is fun! Well, it can be. Kindergarten, especially. (They still have snacks in kindergarten!) Yet when I was seeking enticing titles about kindergarten, my local librarian offered two titles. Two! The mammoth Amazon came up with fewer titles than I expected, and frankly, fewer still that appealed.

So what's up with the dearth of good, exciting, books about going to school?! If we read about one more kid who is afraid to go to school, my son might get the idea he should be worried about going to school.

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten was OK (in case you like it, there's a series) and The Kissing Hand is also nice, if you like that sort of thing. It's kinda' mushy for my taste, however. And it conveys, like, zero excitement about starting school.

Any suggestions? Anyone? (Psst: You don't even have to raise your hand!)

Why I Love Newspaper Book Sections

I've heard a lot about the eventual death of newspapers, enough to think the doom sayers will prove right. But not soon, I hope - I love newspapers. (Yes, the paper kind.) For a lot of reasons.

When I finished Laurie Notaro's there's a (slight) chance i might be going to hell,* I realized another reason why I love newspapers: it's the book reviews! I've never been steered wrong by one.

Generally, I read the reviews in the Plain Dealer, and the one on slight chance a few months ago was spot on. The reviewer said the book was sorta funny, sorta wacky, but not the year's best title, even by smarter-than-average chick lit standards. She was right. She also said the title's main character, Maye Roberts, was good company through all 302 pages - and she was right about that, too.

Maye Roberts happily accompanies her university-professor hubby when he moves from overheated Phoenix to lush and lovely Spaulding, Washington, only to find out it is possible for a town to be too green, and organic jelly donuts may in fact cause brain damage.

Maye, who is no wall flower, has a heck of a time finding a friend in town. Apparently, she's not old enough, vegan enough or hippie enough, and she has a tragicomic knack for turning little white lies into full-blown scenes worthy of the (Spaulding) nightly news.

The surefire way to make friends in Spaulding, Maye learns, is to enter the Sewer Pipe Queen Pageant. So she does.

The Miami Herald's review said Notaro "may be the funniest writer in this solar system," and while I seriously doubt it (and I think Herald guest columnist Dave Barry might disagree, too) she IS funny.

Sure, I could quibble about the too-neatly-wrapped-up-ending (no, she doesn't win the pageant) or the grammatical mishaps here and there (please, nobody look for mine!) but the fact is Maye proved fabulous company on a four-hour car trip. And for creating her, I believe Notaro earns a spot in reader's heaven.

*Powell's has it for $9.50 compared to Amazon's $11.16

Amazon Reviews and the Truth

I get sucked in by Amazon reader reviews - and I know better!

I don't "surf" much, but when I do, I'm likely to be found sifting through the pages at the amazin' Amazon of a bookstore. (Yes, I prefer REAL bookstores, but I'm stuck in front of a computer a lot.)

I love the convenience - Amazon has been able to deliver a few titles my library can't! - but I do make some mistakes. For example, I fell for great reviews, including one in an in-flight magazine, of Pete Dexter's Paper Trails.

I admit I fell for the catchy subtitle (True Stories of Confusion, Mindless Violence, and Forbidden Desires, a surprising number of which are not about marriage). I also love essays - good ones - and I thought the award-winning author and former Philadephia newspaper columnist would have a nice collection. There were a few gems, but overall, I found the lot uneven and uninspired. Sigh.

Guess it's back to Barbara Kingsolver for me.

And back to Amazon...

I'm sold on the site, for several reasons - including the various means of delivery offered by the giant e-tailer.

For example, Amy Friedman's collections of stories for preschoolers, Tell Me a Story and Tell Me a Story 2: Animal Magic can be purchased on CD or as MP3 downloads.

And speaking of these stories, they really do deserve the good reviews they've gotten. A friend of mine who teaches preschool (3-4 year olds) says her kids beg for them.

How 'bout you? Can you spout off about a book that didn't deserve the marketing hype or the reviews it got? Or, can you point out a little-known, wonderfully written book that was largely overlooked?