Book Review: The Kindergarten Wars by Alan Eisenstock

Read and reviewed for armchair interviews

When you are looking into prospective schools for your children, do you know what sort of questions that you need to ask yours?

Do you know that your answers on the application to questions like “where did you go to college?” may be one of the most important answers you can give. Yes, to get your child into kindergarten.

In these days of public schools getting less and less funding, more parents are turning to private schools to educate their children. Combine that with the fact that it is becoming more and more fixed in people’s minds that in order to get a coveted education at a prestigious university, it helps to have attended the right schools as a child. Also, there are the other facts like more children entering school, and that siblings get first picks at class openings. Competition to get one of the few openings at a private school can be fierce as hundreds of parents compete for the prize of having their child be one of the elite that made it into the class.

Alan Eisenstock has written a narrative book that follows four families through the process of looking at choosing, and applying to enroll their child into the kindergarten of their choice. Each prospective family takes us through the process of visiting schools, applying to them, going through the interview process, and finally the waiting to hear back from the schools as to whether or not their child has gotten one of those few coveted openings. Alan Eisenstock has traveled. The country interviewing the heads of many private schools, he has followed and interviewed many families about the processes and questions that they debt with. His book follows fictional families in a city that could be any big city in the United States. However, he brings us the readers all of the knowledge that he has gleaned from his research to try and answer the one question that parents in the same situations as his families all have:

“How do you get in?”

ISBN: 044657774X
ISBN-13: 9780446577748
Publisher: Warner Books, Incorporated
Publication Date: September 18, 2006
Binding: Hardcover

housing work's 2nd annual fair to help homeless people living w/ AIDS

For any NYC readers who might be looking for a good book sale that supports a great cause:

Housing Works is very happy to announce its second annual Open Air book Fair, on Saturday, September 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Crosby St. (between Broadway and Lafayette) at Prince Street. With tens of thousands of books, records, CDs and DVDs marked down to a dollar or less. A sale you can't afford to miss!

Too much inventory, not enough space! Housing Works Bookstore is bulging with books, and so it's time again for a street sale, our biggest and best yet! Boxes and boxes of modern fiction and classics; art books, cook books, children's books and more! Music lovers come early—be the first to check out the thousands of records we've been saving for this special sale! Once you're bored with books go try on the exclusive merchandise from Housing Works Thrift Shops! They will be offering clothing on an "all-you-can-stuff" $20 a bag basis, as well as shoes, accessories and furniture! Music and food all day long, this promises to be 100 percent fun!

http://www.housingworks.org/usedbookcafe/streetfair.html

Buy a Friend a Book Week!

Another contest, this time for y'all to play in if you like.

My friend, the keeper of the West of Mars and the folks at Front Street Reviews are running hand in hand contests to help promote the good folks at Buy A Friend a Book Week. This contest combines my two favorites, books and music.



Firstly, check out West of Mars' contest then check out then Front Street's and win some books!

blah

I do live. Just a note for those of you wondering why I have been so quiet.

I am working on writing a review and having a hard time wrapping my head around it, and working on reading another review book.

Plus I picked up a copy of a small press printed book off the leave a book, take a book shelf at the local coffee house and want to write a review of it as well. Since it seems to be a book that could use some exposure.

I think the biggest thing keeping me from concentrating very hard is the construction they are doing at the intersection right by our building. It is noisy, and they have guys working 24 hours so not much sleep had been getting had as our windows channel in their generator noises and the big Cla-Clank noise that happens after every car that drives over the inch thick steel plate covering a hole right where cars turn off or onto our street.

Another strange book banning attempt.

It's sad what people are protesting and trying to get pulled off of library bookshelves these day.


Mermaids afloat in Davis libraries despite protests

as someone who wishes she could draw fantasy images half as well as the artist being protested I'm glad that the descision that was made was that it should be up to the parentas discretion as to whether or not their kids could read this book. Illustrator James C. Christensen's work is amazingly well done, and I'm glad it is not getting pulled off of bookshelves.

Another viral blogging contest

I am participating in a blogging experiment hosted at dearauthor.com. To enter the contest, put up this blurb, image, and trackback and you are entered to win the following prize package.

• $200 Amazon gift certificate


• Signed copy of Slave to Sensation


• New Zealand goodies chosen by Singh


• ARC of Christine Feehan's October 31 release: Conspiracy Game

You can read about the experiment here and you can download the code that you need to participate here.

SLAVE TO SENSATION

Nalini Singh

Berkley / September 2006

Welcome to a future where emotion is a crime and powers of the mind clash brutally against those of the heart.

Sascha Duncan is one of the Psy, a psychic race that has cut off its emotions in an effort to prevent murderous insanity. Those who feel are punished by having their brains wiped clean, their personalities and memories destroyed.

Lucas Hunter is a Changeling, a shapeshifter who craves sensation, lives for touch. When their separate worlds collide in the serial murders of Changeling women, Lucas and Sascha must remain bound to their identities…or sacrifice everything for a taste of darkest temptation.

Excerpt

Book Review: The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Read and reviewed for armchair interviews

"To my dear and unfortunate successor,"

When a young girl finds a yellowing packet of letters all beginning with the same phrase, and an eerily almost blank book, containing only a woodcut of a dragon and the name Drakuyla on its inner pages, in her father's study little does she suspect the strange story that will be revealed to her.

When she questions her father Paul, a widowed diplomat, a tale begins to slowly unfold. He tells her of how of how he found the book as a graduate student. How he became obsessed with the book, and upon showing it to his friend and advisor, professor Rossi found out that his was not the only book like it. Professor Rossi found a similar book when he was a graduate student. The professor gave Paul a packet of documents only to mysteriously disappear that night.

What follows is the story of how Paul and Helen Rossi (professor Rossi's daughter) travel from their American university across Europe looking for clues that might help them find the missing man. Elizabeth Kostova intertwines the story of Paul and Helen’s past with that of the girl as she discovers of the past through both her father telling her the tale, and then through letters he wrote to her before disappearing himself. The girl's own story turns into one of discovery and travel, as she tries to catch up with her missing father.

Many cultures have folk tales about vampires, and folk remedies to keep one safe from those creatures of the night. Elizabeth Kostova has taken her fascination with the vampire myths and Stoker's Dracula and woven a highly entertaining tale of her own, a tale which takes her readers through Europe following three generations of vampire hunters. While the size of this book may be intimidating to some readers, it contains a well-crafted story that is both engrossing and informative. Elizabeth Kostova has crafted a wonderfully written story filled with historical fact, mystery, suspense, and vampire lore from many countries. Fans of both historical fiction and vampire lore will find much to enjoy in this book.

ISBN10: 0316154547
Biding Format: Paperback
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
Publication Date: October 3, 2006

One Book meme

tagged by antheras to do this meme.

1.One book that changed your life

This is hard as there have been so many good books over the years. I would have to say the first time I read The Hobbit in the third grade. It introduced me to a type of complex fantasy fiction that I had never experienced before.

2. One book you have read more than once?

The Lord of the Rings trillogy – I read it about once a year

3. One book you would want on a desert island?

The Hyperion Cantos – though to be fair that’s a several volume collection

4. One book that made you cry?

The White Shaman by Clive Nicol I read this in high school and it moved me.

5. One book that made you laugh?

Confesions of a Shopoholic I was rolling on the floor laughing at each decision made that got her further and further in trouble.

6. One book you wish had been written?

I have to think on this one some more

7. One book you wish had never had been written?

Mein Kampf by Adolph Hitler. Such a hatemongering book.

8. One book you are currently reading?

The Ragwitch by Garth Nix

9. One book you have been meaning to read?

Rhaeva by Linda Moore. It keeps staring at mefrom the to be read pile

10. Now tag five people

Not going to tag anyone in particular, but I would love to see any responses if any of y’all want to play in this meme

Happy Birthday to me

Today, this humble reviewer celebrates the day of her birth.

Let me tell you, 28 doesn't feel much different than 27 did so far.

I'm happy, I'm caught up on reviews to write, just editing the last one still unsubmitted. I have one book to read for a frontstreet review, but I have time to do that still. For once in the past month I can look at my pile of reachable "to be read" books (alot are still packed out of reach) and actually pick something to read and not have a deadline on it.

Currently I'm re-reading The Ship Who Sang by Anne McCaffrey. It's nice to revisit an old favorite.

For the friends who keep track of the books read list, you will be seeing an influx of science books and science based sci-fi as I start going through the books that I've collected for my mass themed release of bookcrossing books for UN World Space Week 2006 in October.

Book Review: Straight up and Dirty: A Memior by Stephanie Klein

Read and reviewed for armchair interviews

Stephanie Klein was living her dreams. Happily married to her husband Gabe, a medical student, she is several months pregnant, and is happily ignoring the problems with the relationship to keep this life that she loves. Never mind the fact that Gabe’s mother hates her (for not being good enough for her son, and other strongly implied reasons); that she and Gabe had to hide the fact that they eloped for three months because Gabe was afraid to tell his parents; and that he is increasingly gone from home. Suddenly Stephanie’s dream life spirals into her nightmare of being a divorcee shortly after discovering that Gabe had been cheating on her for several months with an older woman.

Straight Up and Dirty collects Stephanie’s recollections of that first year after her divorce. She struggles with jumping back into the dating scene much to soon after the divorce. We the readers are treated to her stories of trying to juggle “two dates and a spare” (on advice from her therapist), of being a small fish in the Manhattan dating scene at the ripe old age of “almost thirty”. Through her stories, we are witnesses to her triumphs and dramas as she learns to love herself for herself and not need to be in a relationship, grieves through her divorce, a breakup of a several month relationship (the first after her divorce), and the transformation from a woman who is afraid to love again to someone who is proud of herself and finding love unexpectedly.

Stephanie Klein shares the triumphs and lows she has experienced in her memoirs of becoming an older dater. In a market that is filled with memoirs of life before and after dating, this one stands out with its humor, honesty and attention grabbing stories. This book is a witty way to experience the dating scene in Manhattan, and take part in one woman's journey to find herself and true love. I found this to be a very engaging read and wondered where the time had gone when I finished the book.

ISBN10: 0060843276
Biding Format: Hardcover
Publisher: ReaganBooks
Publication Date: July 25, 2006
Author's Website: Greek Tragedy. Stories of my life

July 2006 armchair ezine

I don't always check the ezines as often as I should. However, I just noticed that my name made it into this month's ezine with a thank you from the author of The Price of Pride Donna MacQuigg.

Even though I had the email thanking me passed on earlier by the armchair crew, it made me smile to see it again in the ezine.

Now rubs hands together* to go finish these reviews I promised y'all were coming soon.

Super cute idea

Pin-back buttons or magnets with your favourite authors' names on them

Book Review: One Wizard Place by D.M. Paul

Read and Reviewed for Frontstreet Reviews

One Wizard Place.

Behind the glass doors, guarded by stone statues of giant winged creatures, is the headquarters of numerous governmental offices. These include the Mythical Bureau of Investigation (MBI) and the Incantation Enforcement Agency (IEA). Justin Kasey Hobskin (known as Kace), works with his partner Murdox as an agent of the Counter-Curse division of the IEA. This is a position he took after a very nasty curse left his father turned into a wolf, and Murdox a talking wolf-dog(an unfixable condition that has left him very out of sorts). The counter curse department is a small one whose agents are in charge of righting magic that has gone wrong. It's a tough job to have. It is too bad that there are only the two of them doing it.

After returning back to the office after a long, tough job of clearing a house of a particularly nasty infestation of nixies, Kase and Murdox are given their next assignment. The elf king of Greylock has accidentally drunk a potion which is slowly turning him to stone. Upon visiting the king, the partners discover that in order to cure him they need a very rare and hard to get ingredient. They will have to travel far, find the needed ingredient, and get back to the king with only ten days before the spell becomes irreversible!

In this, his first novel, author D.M. Paul has created a wonderful world where technology and magic mix. He introduces us to city named Cloudview that is a hundred levels high, each level a city in its own right. Where its inhabitants travel around by slug system(what was once the bus system), the vertical train (between levels), and the horizontal tube(a one level train-like system) It is populated by a myriad of inhabitants who don't always seem to be what they are. This book, while written for younger readers, will enchant and delight adult fans of fantasy fiction as well. This is the first book in a three book series, Book two Sentinel will be released later in 2006.

Readers can read an excerpt for the new book, see color images by the illustrators, and keep up with news from the author at http://www.onewizardplace.com.

ISBN10: 1598005952
Biding Format: Trade Paperback
Publisher: Outskirts Press, Inc
Publication Date: May 2006
Author's Website: http://www.onewizardplace.com

The Venus Fix

Y'all remember the post I put up a last week back about the dueling authors?

It seems my blog's post about the book The Venus Fix was chosen as this weeks winner of an autographed copy.

*blink blink blink*

Look for a review of it here when I get it and get it read :)

This was a surprise, definately.

Front Street Reviews

So one of the publishers that front street reviews deals with put this by their link to the website:

"We think Front Street Reviews is indeed “in front” when it comes to supporting small publishers and offering readers stimulating and innovative reading choices. Barb Radmore, the editor, is a visionary who is enabling the publishing industry to change, and for the better. She and her staff review everything from thrillers to poetry, interview authors, and even have a contest to win a free copy of a featured novel. There’s a real sense of appreciation for writers and small publishers on this website. If you love books that are more than just the cookie-cutter types, you’ll love this website!"

-------------------

This is a great compliment. The reviewers on staff there have written some absolutly fantastic reviews over the last couple of months. I hope mine turn out half as well when I start submitting here.

Oh yeah, I forgot to say, that I had been approached to review for this review site not too long ago. I'm exited, and working on review #1 right now :D

It never rains but it pours...

I got two books for reviewing yesterday, and there is a third one on the way.

Wow.

It wouldn't be such a big deal, but one is a very long book.

look for new reviews in the next couple of weeks :)

dueling charitable authors

Not review related, but I stole this from the West of Mars blog to post here as I think it is a fantastic idea.

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Join THE VENUS FIX Summer Buzz Promotion + raise $ for a worthy cause!

How it works:

From now until August 15, author M.J. Rose will donate $5 to the winning charity for every blog that links to MJ Rose AND The new book! in a post.

Please send permalink to venusfix@gmail.com to be counted; every blogger who participates will also be entered in a weekly drawing for a signed, personalized copy of THE VENUS FIX!

M.J. will also pledge an additional $1 for every "Friend Request" that myspace.com/thevenusfix receives until 11:59pm on August 15. Please help us to reach our goal of a $2500 donation by M.J. Rose to the winning organization!

And once you've done this, be sure to check out JA Konrath's blog, where he ups the ante (and suggests a partylicious evening)

Book Review: Living Well with Back Pain by Robert B. Winter and Marilyn L. Bach

The Authors of Living Well with Back Pain have put together a very comprehensive book on back problems. I loved how early on they broke down the types of back pains and what causes them (complete with illustrations of the muscle systems and the spine). This book easily breaks down how to look up real information on the web, what sorts of questions to ask your doctor, physical therapist, or surgeon about everything from diagnosis to care to operations that may need to be done to your back to help the problems go away, and let you live back pain free. The section that I personally found the most helpful is the one that shows stretches and strengthening exercises to apply towards your back.

ISBN: 0060792272

ISBN-13: 9780060792275
Publication Date: July 2006
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Binding: Paperback

Book Review: Tales of a Hollywood Gossip Queen by Mary Kennedy

Read and reviewed for armchair interviews

When Jessi Phillips is flown to L.A. to rerecord lines for the movie Reckless Summer the last thing she anticipates is staying longer than a few weeks. She, and her best friend Tracy get summer internships at a new gossip magazine about the stars called Juicy. Jessi is put in charge of the teen stars department, and her first interview is with rising star Jazz Holiday, another newcomer to “Tinsel Town”. However, she is thrust into the spotlight when her earlier romance with heartthrob Shane Rocket, who she met while co-starring with him in Reckless Summer, flames up into something serious. Suddenly life spirals out of control as she tries to balance life, work, and free time; and a jealous rival stealing and sabotaging Jessi’s stories. She still has to break the news of her new relationship to her on again-off again boyfriend Marc, and cope with not just dishing out the gossip, but being a subject of gossip herself. Jessi is discovering that her summer is turning out nothing like she had planned.

In this sequel to Confessions of an Almost Movie Star, Mary Kennedy has crafted a fun story that is filled with excitement, romance, and a healthy dose of celebrity gossip. Tales of a Hollywood Gossip Queen reintroduces characters from Confessions of an Almost Movie Star and lets readers learn more about their lives as the story develops. It is an extremely fun story that is perfect for summertime reading.

ISBN10: 0425209938
ISBN13: 9780425209936
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Publication Date: July 2006

I woke up today to an email forwarded to me through the armchair crew from an author thanking me for the wonderful review.

I feel all squishy and keep grinning like crazy now.