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Taita, çok sevgili kraliçesi Lotris’in ölümünden sonra, mumyalama ritüelini yerine getirir ve kraliçesini görkemli bir cenaze töreniyle gömer. Yaşadığı acı ve ıstırapla başbaşa kalmak istediğinden her şeyden elini eteğini çekerek Afrika çöllerinin en uzak köşelerinden birinde yaşamaya başlar. Sonunda, büyük kederini büyücülüğün gizemlerini incelemeye adar. Zamanla olağan üstü güçlere sahip olur ve Büyücüler Kralı olarak anılmaya başlar. Mısır’ı üzerine çöken kötülük bulutlarından kurtarmaya çağrıldığında, artık çektiği acı ve ıstırabın kutsal bir amacı olduğuna inanmaktadır.

http://rs166.rapidshare.com/files/87686977/simdiolmekzamani.rar

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Note

I'm trying to keep my readers posted about news/events regarding my recently published book, The eMedha Paradigm, through a weekly blog (usually posted over the weekend). This blog is already available at couple of other websites. Recently few of my readers asked me to post the same blog here at Wordpress website as well as they frequent this site. Hence, I'm posting all previous blogs here for the sake of completeness.

Going forth (from coming weekend onwards), you'll get to read a new post once-every-week.

***********************************************************************************************************

The news is yet to sink in, the significance is yet to settle down.

It was a quiet afternoon of 15th August (this year) when I'd launched this book, The eMedha Paradigm, in front of a select audience. Though getting an overwhelming response was something that I certainly wished for, even a decent sale of few hundred copies would have been great in realistic domain, esp since only media coverage during this period was a web press release!

But then, I was underestimating the reading quotient of my audience, esp colleagues from my current organization who posed their confidence in this book by lapping up significant number of copies. When bookstore shutters came down on 31st August, the first major milestone in any book's (as well as its author's) journey had been accomplished by this book: 1000+ copies had been sold!

THANK YOU, DEAR READERS, FOR YOUR FABULOUS RESPONSE !!!

As I gear myself up for an uphill task, getting the book across to a vast reader-base across India, I recollect a blog that I'd written at the beginning of this year.

I'd made a new year self-commitment to get this book, The eMedha Paradigm, published before end of 2008 and I wanted to keep track of my efforts (through blog) as I would have gone through the tedious process of looking for a publisher, dealing with rejection, trying again until a publisher accepted the manuscript etc.

As luck would have it, I got a publisher as soon as I made my first serious attempt to get one. In wake of that good luck and unprecedented pressures from my day-job, I couldn’t keep up with my blogging commitment that I’d made to myself. More so, a lot of time and energy got directed towards working with my publisher to bring out the print edition.

Having gone through this full circle as well as moving past first meaningful milestone of my writing career, I'll try to hang out lot more in this blogspace! Also, since aforementioned blog was my very first step towards getting this book published, I think it’s only fair to start my second blogspace innings by including that blog at the end of this post.

We'll meet again soon. Until then...

Have a nice time.

Rakesh Misra

www.rakeshmisra.com

********************** Blog from the Past **********************

Operation eMedha : An impulsive writer strives to become a successful author

31-Dec-2007

Transcript of a CNN broadcast anchored by Monita Rajpal.

No one could have imagined that an unknown IT professional from India will do a Houdini and give us this year’s mega seller book, The eMedha Paradigm. This book has already sold more than a million copies in first six months itself!

This is nothing less than a miracle for a book that was left in cold by its writer for almost six years as he struggled to survive through a catastrophic hit to his entrepreneurial venture, in wake of 9/11. As his focus shifted back to corporate world, a promising writing career got nipped in the bud. Until…until, a weary eyed editor somehow stumbled upon his book on an online publishing website. And, the rest as we say, is history.

Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to present the man behind this year’s mega-seller…the Indian phoenix… Rakesh Misra !!!

01-JAN-2008

Last night, I waited until last few nanoseconds of 2007 for one of my guardian angels to appear and wave her magic wand towards TV so that aforementioned CNN broadcast could become a reality.

Alas, that was not to be the case…

I can’t believe that all the heavenly powers of creation couldn’t accomplish even such simple task, even though I’d given them an opportunity window of one year!

At the beginning of year 2007, I’d made a deal with heavenly community that I’ll move out of the scene after putting my book on web. After that, they will get their fair chance to try out their magical powers to bridge the small gap that existed between an unknown PDF file on web and a mega-seller book that had its place of pride in bestseller section of Borders and Waterstones of the world. They just had to get one top-of-the-line editor to “somehow” stumble upon my book’s online avatar, read it, take first plane to India to get my sign on a multi-million, multi-book deal and do the rest of stuff like publishing it, promoting it etc.

Was it too much to ask for?

I guess, it was.

So, here am I…Sitting in a lonely, cold room in Noida, trying to write my first blog.

This was Plan B, you see…

While striking that deal with heavenly folks, I’d said to myself that if they are not able to show any results, I’ll do this not-so-glamorous task myself...like printing out the manuscript, finding out addresses of publishers who might be interested in my first work, searching for some literary agent to get me a good deal, sending out the manuscript to first publisher, then second, then third…so on and so forth.

Plan B also included keeping a record of all such mundane tasks that I have to do in order to get my first book, The eMedha Paradigm, published…first, an Indian sub-continent edition and then, for rest of the world markets. And, this blog is supposed to help me record the times I’m about to venture into. I haven’t thought of any fixed periodicity for this blog, but will update it as and when I make any effort towards seeing my book in print.

In a way, keeping this web journal will kind of force me to keep on making progress so as not to let this blog entry be the first as well last one for the whole of 2008!

Having set the background and agenda for this blog, my mind goes back to a fine day in Feb, 2001 when it all started.

********************** Flashback **********************

I’d been in IT industry for nine years when I resigned from Infosys, the reigning mascot of Indian IT, and took an entrepreneurial plunge that had been enticing me for quite sometime.
When my friends and family came to know about this decision, they were nuked because they knew that due to my erstwhile gypsy life, I’d been playing a monetarily zero-sum game throughout my career.

So when I woke up on an early February, 2001 morning, my possessions included money that would see me through next twelve months, freedom from corporate boundaries and an idea that has been tempting me from sidelines since the early days of my software project management career.

This teasing idea originated from a basic paradox that loomed large in the software arena: while we had physically moved on from “Industrial Era” to “Information Age”, our underlying management paradigms had not changed much. The duality of “what-was-being-preached-to-practice” was in extreme conflict with “what-was-happening-in-real-life-scenarios” ; hence, making our lives real difficult.

With this background and understanding, I started working towards a “realistic” paradigm for software project management domain. The work that I did over next few months resulted in eMedha that I viewed upon as a realistic roadmap for software project management practitioners.

In its final form, eMedha stood for:

empowering ambience, Manageable Targets, entrepreneurial attitude, decisive mindset, heuristic approach, attainable quality

Around summer of 2001, I released eMedha in training and consulting market as first commercial product/service of my entrepreneurial avatar. The feedback that I received was overwhelming both in terms of responsiveness as well as meaningful critique and suggestions.

I kept on getting opportunities to present eMedha to bigger and broader audiences through seminars, conferences, training courses and corporate events. Still, I had initially not envisioned putting eMedha in a book form.

The idea of turning it into a book came from the most unlikely place…

I was in a metro city to present eMedha to an elite gathering of senior IT managers. On my way back, I was lazing around in airport lounge as my flight was delayed. Sprawled on a comfy lounge sofa, I was just shuffling through eMedha presentation material that I’d shared with seminar delegates. It was sometime before I noticed a familiar face across the table.

Was it for real?

The reigning heart throb of Indian film industry was sitting across me! While other males in the lounge must have thought that she sat over there as that was the only sitting space available in the overflowing lounge, I still believe that my intellectual persona (near-by lying eMedha presentation material, CDs and a serious look) compelled her to sit near-by :-)

Anyway, after initial shock and hormonal aberrations subsided, I asked her for an autograph. She smilingly obliged on the back of my boarding pass!

Almost few minutes into “our” conversation, she suddenly asked me what eMedha was all about.

Before I could envision her as being an ardent fan of this software project management paradigm, she pointed towards eMedha stuff that was lying around me. While she wasn’t able to follow exactly what software project management was all about, she got interested in the human traits that I’d associated with eMedha.

Like all the good things, “our” meeting came to an abrupt end as her flight was announced. Just before she got up, she asked me for a copy of eMedha book. When I told her that I work through Presentations, CDs and web only, she looked perplexed.

“Don’t you think that bringing out eMedha in a book format will take it to much bigger and broader audience?”

Slowly I was able to reconcile with the fact that magic of her persona extended well beyond her fairy-like beauty.

“Send me a copy if you ever write one,” these were her last words as she moved towards the lounge gate.

“Sure. I’ll even mention that you gave me this idea,” I mumbled through in trance.

She smiled back before fading away out of sight. For next few minutes, I basked in envious glory as people around me tried to find out any hidden talent or good looks in me.

During my flight back home, I went through myriad thoughts as I tried to think through feasibility of her suggestion. If I wanted maximum number of software professionals (and even people from other walks of life) to benefit from eMedha philosophy, I needed to put it in a book format.

So, soon after my return to home, I went into a self-imposed exile for next four weeks. My laptop and endless cups of tea kept me company.

When I embraced the rest of the world again, I found myself in a situation where a divorce loomed large and my clients and friends were ready with most-wanted-preferably-dead-than-alive posters. I could buy my peace only when I showed them first draft of this book to reassure that I hadn’t wasted away those four weeks perfecting my computer gaming skills!

Initially I’d written the book in an academic, non-fiction format. Then, somehow I realized that I’ll be able to reach across to a much wider audience if I can weave the eMedha philosophy in an interesting storyline and present it in fiction format. Hence, the current form of the book came into being: bringing eMedha philosophy to you through story of Kalpana, the main protagonist of this fictitious storyline.

As you might have guessed by now, this name (Kalpana) is my tribute to the angel eyes who inspired me to turn eMedha into a book. Kalpana is her childhood nickname...I owe you at least this much, you-know-who-you-are!

Coming back to the book…

This book was initially supposed to be published through my software consulting venture, MisraSoft and was to be distributed in North America and Europe through my US & Europe based business associates in 2001 itself.

Unfortunately, one of them suffered huge personal & financial losses in the wake of 9/11 tragedy. Losing out one key partner, even I lost my rhythm vis-à-vis getting this book published and marketed. It didn’t help either that the book was anyway supposed to be a secondary medium as far as eMedha’s evolution and success was concerned because it was moving on greatly through corporate training and consulting circles.

**********************  End-of-Flashback **********************

01-JAN-2008 :: 11:34 PM

It was a big nostalgic break that I took in-between…

I need to wrap it up to keep up with my self-commitment of posting this blog with today’s dateline. More so, having NOT won the multi-million dollar book deal last year, I still need to go to my day-job tomorrow.

Having spent last few hours in writing this blog (with some excerpts from the eMedha book as well), one quote of Helen Keller comes to my mind:

I long to accomplish great and noble tasks, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along, not only by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker.

See you again. Same place. Sometime down the line.

***********************************************************************************************************

Books are, I think, like relationships. Sometimes you just aren't ready to be with the people who you have recently met by chance. They are people who you would be perfect with ten years later. People who, if you had your time with them again at a later date, may be the one you want to spend your life with. Pity you can't just put someone on the shelf until you are ready (well, some people try...).

But worry not. You can with books. They don't take it personally. In fact, some of the best books I have read took me years to finish; books that I have put down for several months, only to pick back up again, not from where I stopped, but right from the beginning. Only to have me put it back up on the shelf for a little while longer. The Blind Assassin was one of them.

What I previously found boring and inane suddenly became complex and mysterious. The plot was not a celebrated collection of short stories, but an intricate web of lives and history. But what I found most amazing about read #3 was the fact that I never would have ever experienced such awe in The Blind Assassin had I not bought it on a whim one sunny day in spring. If it did not own crappy real estate in the top corner of my bookshelf, I probably would have just gotten past the first chapter, found it crappola, cursed all the reviewers who found the book absolutely spectacular, returned it back to the library or wherever else I managed to get my hands on it and never give it another thought ever. Again. 

Instead, every few months, I would take it back down from the top shelf and dust down the heavy cake of dust secreted into the pores of it's cover. I would most likely be a rainy day where I had nothing better to do, therefore I can safely factor a cup of tea into the equation. And finally, one day, my cup of tea would cold.

And yes, it would be amazing.

1. Nimm das erste Buch in deiner Nähe
2. Öffne das Buch auf Seite 123 und finde den dritten Satz
3. Poste die nächsten drei Sätze
4. Wirf das Stöckchen, die ursprüngliche Regel sagt 5, ich sage an wen auch immer, weiter

Okay - here we go:
"Mit der Generation Doof ist sie bestens vertraut. Jährlich bewerben sich bei ihr Dutzende Studenten um begehrte Jobs in der kreativen Branche. Hofer hat schon oft miterlebt, wie hart der Aufprall mancher Traumtänzer auf dem Boden der Realität sein kann: Wer das Studium überwiegend zum Ausschlafen genutzt und einen Großteil seiner Freizeit damit verbracht hat, diese geschmeidig totzuschlagen, kann mit den hohen Anforderungen der Unternehmen nicht mithalten."

Quelle: Stefan Bonner/Anne Weiss: Generation Doof. Wie blöd sind wir eigentlich?

Leider habe ich den Bestseller gerade erst käuflich erworben, so dass ich nichts zum Inhalt sagen kann. Ich habe lediglich in den Medien einige Auszüge gelesen. Das obenstehende zufällige Zitat des Stöckchens ist ja bereits inhaltlich sehr aussagekräftig. Macht Lust auf mehr (Trivialliteratur?).

Apropos Trivialliteratur... Da hatte ich doch heute noch einen Zeitungsbericht über das Thema "Feuchtgebiete und Bushido führen Bestsellerlisten an" gelesen. Finde den Link leider nicht mehr. Es ging darum, ob diese Bestseller (nämlich recht niveaulose Trivialliteratur) ein Indikator für unsere Gesellschaft sind.
Im gleichen Atemzug fällt mir eine Vox-Doku-Soap (Liebe mich und meine Kinder) vom Wochenende ein, wo ein "esoterisch angehauchter alleinerziehender Familienvater auf Frauensuche" stolz damit prahlte, seinen Kindern im Pubertätsalter Charlotte Roches "Feuchtgebiete" als Aufklärungslektüre geschenkt zu haben. Da kann sich jetzt jeder seine eigenen Gedanken und Meinungen zu machen... Ich sag dazu nichts. Gefunden habe ich noch diesen "Feuchtgebiete"-Kommentar in der "SZ jetzt"-Onlineausgabe. Isch seh dasch kritisch nä...

An wen kann ich mein Stöckchen weitergeben? Arne, magst du?

But I get it. I do. I was scared to death to write. I thought, Who am I to write a book? More than that, Who am I to even think that I could write a book?

And publishing? Forget it!

But I want to share something that not only told me that I could and should go for it, but keeps me motivated every day to get something down on paper.

(*Note: I don't think you need any religion whatsoever for this to apply. Not tryin' to stand on the pulpit here!*)

The Parable of the Five Talents

To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability.  Then he went on his journey.  The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.  So also, the one with the two talents gained two more.  But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.  The man who had received the five talents brought the other five.  “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five talents.  See, I have gained five more.”

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness!”

The man with the two talents also came.  “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.”

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness!”

Then the man who had received the one talent came.  “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground.  See, here is what belongs to you.”

“Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.  For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.  Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.  And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

- Matthew 25:14-30 (NIV)

So, it's not like I ever fancied myself a young, white girl version of Toni Morrison or anything. I just knew that I had a huge passion for books and that writing is something I always wanted to pursue.

Since I was ten I wanted to be a writer, but always thought it impractical. (Yes, I was a very rational little girl. I think even then I wanted to be a lawyer--or maybe race dogsleds.) 

Anyway, I was a counselor at my childhood camp a couple years ago and re-heard the parable of the five talents. I swear, someone might as well have spanked my behind with a rolled up newspaper because I felt downright forlorn that I had been the servant who had buried my talent.

There was good news, though! I could dig my talent up, dust it off, and start putting it to use.

Now, every day I think, It's not about whether or not I get published because I'm peddling that talent. I'm using it to get new talents. Like writing graphic novels. And reviewing books. And now snagging my agent, getting ready to submit to publishing houses.

So many good things have come from dusting off that rusty old talent. The one I wasn't even sure was in the same spot.

I kept writing through rejections letters, through close calls, and through moments where that damn plot was stuck in a quagmire so mucky Bilbo Baggins himself couldn't wade through. I did it because I'd know there was something inherently wrong about sticking my talent back in the dirt.

Point being: If you want to write. Write. Don't be scared. I think this comes at a particularly good time because so many people are considering doing Nanowrimo. Now, I'm not saying the book you wrote for Nano will be on the fast track to the NYT bestseller list, but it's a great place to brush the dirt off your talent and let it stretch its legs. So have fun and start planning for November or whatever writing related goals you may have! Look forward to hearing about your successes!

Status: Still expanding my synopsis. I must say, I think it's coming out well. I mean, it should be when eeking out each page takes me a day! That's ok, though, because I want it to be perfect.

It's got some dialogue and I've incorporated several captions. I think it's really capturing the "feel" of the graphic novel. I also had a cool breakthrough with the help of the artist regarding some of the "science" behind shapeshifting. Tons of fun and I got the chance to add it to the synop.

And, if you don't know what in the heckfire I'm talking about and, instead, would like to be clued in, stop by my Scout page!

Jetzt gerade habe ich das Buch "Die Chemie des Todes" (2006) von Simon Beckett durchgelesen und merke:

Der Krimi hat bis jetzt schon zwei Folgeteil.

Nun erst einmal zum ersten Teil:

Die Geschichte spielt in der heutigen Zeit in England. David Hunter, einer der besten forensischen Anthrologen Englands, zieht nach einem tragischen Unfall, bei dem Frau und Kind starben, aufs Land um als Landarzt zu arbeiten und ein neues Leben zu beginnen.

Als die erste Leiche gefunden wurde, holt sein altes Leben ihn wieder ein. Denn bei der Leiche handelt es sich um eine halbverwehste und verstümmelte Bewohnerin des kleinen Dorfes...

Dieses Buch ist sehr sehr spannend und wird zum Ende hin immer spannender. Ich musste das Buch fast in einem Stück durchlesen... ;-)

Aja, das Buch ist übrigens ein Bestseller.

Also schaut mal rein und schreibt mir eure Meinung...

Computer Science

Science und Technology

1990 - The Plains of Passage by Jean Auel

1991 - Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley

1992 - Delores Claiborne by Stephen King

1993 - The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller

1994 - The Chamber by John Grisham

1995 - The Rainmaker by John Grisham

1996 - The Runaway Jury by John Grisham

1997 - The Partner by John Grisham

1998 - The Street Lawyer by John Grisham

1999 - The Testament by John Grisham

John Grisham celebrated 6 of the 10 titles on the best seller list during this decade. Quite an amazing feat in my humble opinion.

Of the titles listed above, you can find a first edition copy of Scarlett on this website:

The Paper Trail

October 13, 1992

Naturally, she would always remember the moment she met Ian. In fact, she was fortunate enough to have it recorded. Of course at the time she didn’t realize the importance of what she recorded, or who she would be meeting on that talk show. And by all rights, she should have met him in the green room, but he’d been delayed in traffic. By the time he arrived she was already onstage.

Her slightly dazed condition made her segment seem both quick and unending. She remembered being introduced. Then she blathered on about her novel, the characters, and being stunned about how it had made the bestseller list. Marjory Vasquez deftly led her through the interview, likely preventing her from making a real fool of herself.

“Will there be a sequel?”

“I don’t think so. There really isn’t anywhere to go from here.”

“But you’ve gone to all the trouble to create the world and the cultures…”

“That’s very true, but unless new characters from that world come to me with a new story, I’ll have to be done with it. I can’t really write the same thing over again.”

“Many authors do so very profitably.”

“Good point. My writing is character driven. Until a character lets me in on his or her story, I really don’t have any idea.”

“I wish you the best of luck with your next project.” Marjory then turned to the audience and camera, “Many thanks to our first guest, Joy Mitchell.

“Our next guest has a long and distinguished film resume, playing characters that range from sweet and seductive to downright evil. What you may not know, is that his theatre resume is equally distinguished. He started his career many years ago on the stage in his native England, before coming to America. Now he’s returning to the stage here for a new play called Second Sight. Please welcome Ian Stevens.”

Ian walked on wearing half a smile, blue jeans, a white shirt and a black jacket. Standard attire including the smile, Joy would later learn. She found herself surprised to be paying close attention to him.

He shook hands with Marjory and Joy, nodded cordially to the audience, and took his seat.

“Welcome,” Marjory said.

“Thank you. It’s good to be here.”

“We’ll just jump right into the questions here. Your resume is about evenly balanced now between film and stage credits. Do you prefer doing one over the other?”

“I think the stage credits still substantially outnumber the film credits actually. But my preference depends on that which I’ve just done. Lately, I seem to be spending much more time on movie sets. It’s all work of course, but each seems like a vacation after the other. At least for a while.”

“Onstage, you’ve done quite a bit of Shakespeare. What are the challenges?”

“That was quite a long time ago. But to answer your question, for me it’s a bit of a proving ground really. That’s in part because of its complexity. There’s the verse of course. And then there’s the weight of the expectations associated with it. There’s a lot to live up to.”

“Is it harder than doing a new play?”

“It’s not really a fair comparison. The risks are completely different. There’s a certain freedom with new works, but also a burden to prove their worth. Getting free of the inertia of tradition can be very difficult. I do like the energy associated with new plays. It’s a much different atmosphere. We always hope that the audience picks it up, too. We do our best.”

“Tell us a little bit about the production you are currently in, Second Sight.”

“Well, it’s a romantic farce, although it’s deeper than a strict farce. Love at first sight is a theme. A number of people are smitten, but of course not with each other. There’s more to it, but I don’t want to give too much away.”

“Is any true love revealed?”

“Well, you’ll have to come and see it, won’t you?” He looked a bit smug just before he turned to the audience and said, “We’re still in preview this week. Opening night is next Friday, and there are still some tickets available, I’m told.” Surprisingly, enthusiasm and sincerity trumped the obvious playing of the audience.

“Not for long, I’m sure. So do you believe in love at first sight?”

“What kind of love would that be?” He paused briefly, looking thoughtful. “No I don’t think so. But, it is an interesting idea, and it makes for a great story.”

“So you’re not a romantic.”

“Oh, I think that I am,” he replied, half smile back.

“Your fans will be glad to hear that. They’d also like to know, considering that you were divorced about two years ago, if you’re eligible.”

“I don’t talk about my personal life. It’s not important to the work I do,” he said effectively shutting down that line of questioning.

Marjory recovered quickly moving on to asking him about planned film projects.

After the interview they walked back to the green room together to collect their rain gear.

“That went reasonably well, I think,” Joy said, just looking for something to say.

“Very well for you. I saw most of it from the green room. Good for me until near the end.”

“Oh, when she tried to get too personal?”

“Yes. Unfortunately, the divorce is public record. But I’m certainly not going to talk about it or my eligibility with the media.”

“I may be a writer, but I don’t have a single journalistic aspiration. And I won’t ask those kinds of questions, but I’d actually like to know more about this play you’re in. It sounds interesting.” That didn’t come out very well, she thought.

“Would you like to go get a cup of coffee or something? I can bore you with too many details.”

Disarmed by the warmth in his eyes, she agreed. Surprised too, expecting perhaps a quick synopsis before a parting of the ways. Instead, they walked in the rain to a coffee shop nearby.

“Do you worry about being recognized,” she asked.

“It doesn’t happen too much as long as I don’t go out of my way to attract attention. People don’t seem to notice me out of context. When they do, New Yorkers at least, are pretty good at letting me go about my business.”

“I guess it’s a good thing you don’t look like you,” she said with a smile.

“Conveniently, a number of my movies have been period pieces, costume dramas and the like.”

They found a table in a corner that afforded them a little bit of privacy as well as a window to watch passersby. Ian pointed to the book still in her hand, “That’s really your first book?”

“Yes, but I have a couple others, not fantasy, in progress. Have you read it?” She cringed as soon as she said it, wishing she hadn’t put him on the spot.

“No. Not yet, anyway. May I?” he asked, reaching for the book.

She handed it to him and said, “Consider us even then. I’ve only seen two of your movies and didn’t realize that was you in them. I noticed the characters you played. They made an impression. I’m ashamed to say, your name didn’t stick.”

“Can you remember it now?” There was a bit of calculated mischief in his half smile.

“I think so,” she said grinning in spite of herself. Flirt, she thought, not sure if she meant herself or him.

“Really, I’d rather have the characters remembered. Then I know I’ve done my job well.”

“I think I’ll have to go looking for the others.”

“Good luck with that. Some of the more interesting ones are getting difficult to find. Peril of doing indie films. They either don’t get released or they go out of print.” He paused for a moment. “So why are you switching genres already? You’ve a bestseller.”

“Funny how that works. That bestseller was a story that came to me and demanded to be written. It just happened to be a fantasy. I wasn’t looking to write one specifically. In fact, I wasn’t even looking to write a book at all. It eventually became a gift for my daughter. The others also came to me demanding to be written, but I put them aside until after the first one was finished. They just happened to have diverse backgrounds. It’s making my agent’s life tough,” she said ruefully.

“If you ask my agent he’ll tell you that he loves having me on his client list, but I’m not always an asset to his bank account. At least that’s what he likes to tell me. What does your family make of your sudden success?” When he looked at her, it seemed as if time stopped. His attention belonged entirely to her in a warm and completely unthreatening way. She admired his social skills while quickly considering her answer.

“My daughter Jessie, who’s nineteen and a sophomore in college, is duly impressed. Her father would have been, but he passed away three years ago.”

“I’m sorry. That must have been very difficult.”

“Thank you. It was. Has been. Is still sometimes.”

“I didn’t mean to dig that up. You get a freebie. My divorce. My wife wanted to move back to England. I didn’t, just couldn’t bring myself to do it. It was a truly irreconcilable difference. No infidelities. We never had any kids to complicate things. Ultimately, she divorced me and went back.” He played absently with a plastic coffee stirrer.

“I’m sorry for that. So is this home, now?”

“Hard to say. I’m not really sure where that would be anymore. England doesn’t quite feel like home like it probably should, or like it used to, but America doesn’t feel like it either. To make matters worse, my things are in storage and I’ve been living out of hotels for the last two years.” Suddenly he seemed accessible and endearingly ordinary.

“Why on earth have you been doing that?” She touched his hand briefly, wishing she could just leave it there. That shocked her, as did the idea that she didn’t want to scare him off.

He smiled without looking up, continuing to mangle the coffee stirrer, finally tying it into a knot. “Indecision, travel, work… I just hadn’t got around to it. Somehow a few months became two years.” He shrugged. “I’m actually hunting for a flat now. I suppose I should call it an apartment, but flat is the one word I can’t seem to switch over. Stupid, just stubborn probably.”

“I like it,” she said.

“It doesn’t get the odd looks that lift and lorry did when I used to slip with those.” Ian looked at his watch, “I’m so sorry, I really have to go.” His regret appeared genuine. “And I never even told you about the play. So I’ll say this, I think it’s wickedly funny. And there’s always a bit of danger in preview. Who knows what could happen. I could leave a ticket for you, if you’d like to come.” He actually looked hopeful.

She wondered when and whether to trust an actor. “All right. I would like to see it. Thank you.”

Quickly he wrote his phone number on the cardboard cup insulator. “Here’s my number at the hotel. Call me. I want to know what you think of the show.”

“Give me that book back a minute,” she said. Inside she wrote

To Ian,

For whom all the world’s a stage.

       Fondly,

       Joy

She added her phone number under the dedication and handed it back to him. He read it and smiled, saying “You have no idea how appropriate that is. Thank you.”

***

Her friend, Christine grilled her later on the phone, but probably wasn’t terribly satisfied with the answers.

“We just sat and talked,” Joy said.

“What about? Anything juicy?”

“No, not really. We compared agents. He invited me to the play tonight. He’s excited about it, the play that is.”

“Come on, what else?” Christine was beginning to lose patience.

This stumped her. She remembered the way he lit up from within talking about the show.  “All kinds of little things that tick the moments by.”

“You like him,” Christine declared in a tone that was used to stating indisputable facts.

“What?” Joy was momentarily bewildered by the actual meaning of the words.

“If you didn’t you’d be telling me every detail clinically.”

“The details are escaping me.” It wasn’t wholly true, but they surfaced slowly like single bubbles. And she found herself curiously reluctant to share.

“Like I said, you like him. So, is he available?”

“I believe so.”

“That’s a good start.”

***

Ian left her a note with her ticket.

Joy,

Please come around to the stage door after the show. I’ll give them your name so you’ll be let in. It will be easier than trying to tell you where to go, and fighting the crowd inside.

                                    Ian

She was surprised and willing, even though she was a little bit nervous about the idea. Although she’d been to many shows, she never bothered going to the stage door after any of them. What she wasn’t prepared for was the crowd. They seemed to mostly be waiting for Ian. At least they appeared to be a friendly bunch, cheerfully allowing her a clear path to the door. Admittance was as easy as knocking and giving her name.

One of the dressers was waiting for her with a message: Ian would be out for her in a minute. When he appeared, he was already out of costume but had yet to remove his makeup.

“Come with me,” he said, gesturing for her to follow. “Lucky for me,” he said, “It’s an old building. I get my own dressing room. Of course it’s tiny, but that’s not important.” She could barely keep up with him down the hallway until traffic slowed him down. He introduced her to so many people that she couldn’t begin to keep track of them. One of the cast members even begged her to sign a copy of her book. Joy agreed only on the condition that she could have her playbill autographed in return.

By the time they actually made it back to Ian’s dressing room the other cast members were starting to leave.

“That’s good,” he said. “I prefer to be the last one out. Anybody waiting outside the stage door at that point is serious about it. Of course, I don’t want to make them wait too long, either. It’s nice to be appreciated, but…”

“Some nights it might be nice to just walk out?”

“Yes,” he agreed somewhat sheepishly. “I feel guilty saying that because it sounds ungrateful and I don’t mean it to be. It really goes with the territory.” He finished wiping off the stage makeup. “Can I take you out for a drink or a meal, or dancing, or something? You name it.” He was just enough unsure of himself that she didn’t hesitate.

She smiled. “Yes, I’d like that.”

“Which? Or all of the above?”

“I guess we’ll have to figure that out.”

Ian escorted her to the waiting limo and then nearly bounded back to the stage door to sign autographs. He managed to be efficient while at the same time appearing to take his time with each person. Joy couldn’t hear the conversations, but he seemed gregarious and graciously at ease. With a last wave and a nod to the remaining crowd, he slid in beside her.

“What do you usually do afterwards?” she asked.

“Oh, some nights we meet for drinks. Other nights, I stop back at the hotel and then go for a walk. Or get something to eat. Speaking of which, have you? Eaten, I mean?”

“Yes, hours ago.”

“Of course. So did I, but wished I hadn’t. I should know better by now than to eat before going onstage.”

“Nerves?”

“You could say that.”

Ian, often the master of understatement, later admitted to having been physically ill before the previews and on opening night.

They ended up at a restaurant, the kind that served generic American food with pretensions and a matching price tag.

“It has a few things to recommend it,” Ian said. “The food is good, the tables are not jammed up next to each other, and it’s fairly dim. Also, we should be able to get a table.”

Of course he was right. They were seated quickly, with the service giving the impression of being efficient but not obsequious. They would not be rushed here.

“I want to know,” Ian said, “what you thought of the play.” His smile went past his eyes, which sparkled in the candlelight, to include itself inexplicably into his posture.

“It was very funny and very sweet. Strangely insightful, too.” She hoped she was answering correctly, even though she really knew that there were no right answers.

“It has layers. Very well written,” he said.

“Over time I have come to the conclusion that anything worth seeing is worth seeing more than once. The same thing applies to books, too. Once through isn’t enough. I just miss too much the first time around. Maybe I read too quickly.” She stopped talking, realizing that she was rambling on too much.

“I’m guilty of the same thing.”

Just then the waiter came for their order. Joy found it a welcome moment to collect herself, desperate to find again the ease they had that afternoon, even earlier in the evening.

“Tell me about you. I mean I know you write. I know you have a daughter. Tell me more,” Ian said.

Joy giggled. She couldn’t help it. “I feel like I’m on an interview.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that at all. Shall we take turns then?”

“Sure.” Now she couldn’t stop grinning at him. He was off balance and accessible again.

“Do you want to ask me something first? Anything. But you have to be willing to answer the same question,” he said.

“That’s fair.”

“Well, go on. You go first,” Ian said.

“What part of England are you from?”

“Innocuous question. London. What about you. What part of America are you from?”

“Not too far from here. A little town in Pennsylvania called Lehighton. It’s technically within the Pocono Mountains, but only people from this area would call them mountains. Your turn.”

“Parents?” he asked.

“Excellent, but both unfortunately gone too soon. Yours?”

“Wish I could say the first. They are also both gone. Your turn.”

“Siblings?” she asked.

“One brother nearly two years younger. What about you?”

“Only child. Your question.”

“Middle name and maiden name in your case.”

“Alice. It was my grandmother’s name. And Thompson. Your middle name?”

“Eliot. After T. S. Eliot. Your turn.”

“Musical instruments?” she asked.

“None. You?”

“Flute for a couple years as a kid. I’ve forgotten all of it. I was never any good, anyway. Your question,” she said.

“Favorite season,” he said.

“Hard to choose, but I’d have to say spring.”

“We agree on that. Your turn.”

“Sports?” she asked

“No thanks. I mean, I wasn’t particularly good at any of them and developed avoidance strategies. I don’t fancy watching them either.”

“I got by, but didn’t voluntarily participate. No favorites. And I don’t follow any. But I think we’re playing one now. Starting to look like tennis.” She giggled. “Next question.”

“Birthday,” he said.

“April 27, 1950.”

“You didn’t have to tell me the year.”

“But now you do. You asked the question. So out with it,” she said.

Ian giggled. “I’ve been cornered. It’s privileged information, but it looks like you have privileges. October 17, 1950.”

“So I have a few months on you. And it’s coming up in a couple of days. I think it’s my turn. Favorite movie that you weren’t in.”

“Believe me; I wasn’t in any of my favorite movies. Dr. Strangelove and Life of Brian.”

“That’s two. I sense a fondness for humor.”

“You’re lucky I was able to confine it to a list of two. Answer the question, please,” he said.

“My current favorite is Truly Madly Deeply. It might just be personal history, but this movie has displaced everything else on the list.”

“Well written, well acted. What of ghosts? Do you believe in them?” he asked.

“No unfortunately. It might’ve helped. You’re up. That didn’t count.”

“All right. Favorite book that you didn’t write.”

“The Door Into Summer by Robert Heinlein. And yours?”

“It keeps changing. Quite often, it’s whatever I’ve just read, if I liked it. Though they’re not books strictly speaking, and I prefer to see them rather than read them, but Peter Barnes plays have to be on the list. I’m sorry. I can’t just name one.”

“Ah, the sign of a true reader. My list is actually much longer, too. It’s just luck that I was able to name one book off the top of my head. If I thought about the answer more, I’d be in trouble.”

“Whose turn is it?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I’ll ask a question. Coffee or tea?”

“Both, but not at the same time.”

Joy giggled. “That does not sound like a gourmet concoction, but someone is sure to have tried it.”

“That’s sounds disgusting. I’m picky about the tea, less so about the coffee.”

“That’s fair. I like both also. The day must start with coffee though. That is non-negotiable.”

“I’ll remember that,” he said with a wink.

The evening ended far too quickly for Joy’s taste even though it was actually nearly one in the morning by the time they got back to her hotel. Ian put a hand on her arm before she got out of the cab.

“I’ll call you,” he said. “No, really. I just realized how that sounded. It’s not the standard line.”

She considered herself lucky she wasn’t yet standing. The expression on his face would have knocked her knees from under her. His persona had disappeared entirely and what remained was a mixed look of hope and concern. A puppy would have had nothing on him. Her free hand went to his cheek and she kissed him without lingering too long. It was a great act of will to stop. Forehead to forehead and nose to nose she said, “I expect to hear from you.” She kissed him again quickly and got out of the cab before she could do anything else.

October 14, 1992

“So, is this going to be a thing?” Christine asked the next day.

“A thing?” she answered stupidly.

“Yes, a thing. You know exactly what I mean. You and him. A thing.”

“Isn’t it a little soon to be figuring that out? We only just met yesterday.” Reticence winning out again. Joy didn’t quite want to admit yet that’s exactly what she wanted.

“Not necessarily. There can be signs.”

“There were flowers waiting on my doorstep when I got home this afternoon. Is that what you mean?” Reticence starting to crumble.

“Yes, something like that.” Christine had a way of finding the bull’s eye nearly every single time.

Ian called just as he said. With that look on his face, Joy didn’t really doubt that he would. Or think that he would make her wait for it. He didn’t. Ten minutes after she hung up with Christine, the phone rang.

“Hi Joy, it’s Ian.” She wondered if she would get used to the sound of that voice on the phone. It was one of the more distinctive and sonorous she’d encountered, delicious to hear. The accent didn’t hurt either.

“Hi. Thanks for the flowers. They’re beautiful.”

“I’m glad you like them. Very convenient for me that you have a listed number. But you might want to get that changed. Your newfound success might make that desirable.”

“Probably not a bad idea. I hadn’t really given it any thought.”

“But don’t forget to give me the new one when you do.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you have it.” She was glad he couldn’t see her insane grin over the phone.

“I’m going to be incredibly forward, but could I talk you into coming back to New York on Sunday? I can arrange a hotel room for you.”

“Yes, that would be nice. I’d like that.” In an effort to steady her voice, she completely twisted herself into the phone cord.

“Great! Sunday of course, I have two performances. I could get you a ticket for the evening performance, if you’d like,” he said, sounding like he couldn’t possibly believe she might want to see it again.

“Please do. I can’t think of a better way to spend the evening,” she said. And she couldn’t honestly think of anything she’d rather do.

Heute stelle ich euch das Bestsellerbuch- "die Wanderhure" (2004) von Iny Lorentz- vor. Es ist das erste Buch einer Triologie.

Ich habe bereits alle drei Bücher gelesen und werde sie euch nach und nach vorstellen- damit ihr immer schön am Ball bleibt! ;-)

Die Geschichte des Buches spielt im 15 Jahrhundert in Südwestdeutschland. In der Stadt Konstanz lebt Handelsherr Matthis Schärer mit seiner wohlerzogenen Tochter und Jungfer Marie. Seine Frau ist bei der Geburt des Kindes gestorben und Marie ist ohne Mutter aber mit Hausmagd aufgewachsen.

Wider erwarten hielt ein wohlhabender Herr -Magista Ruppertus Splendidus- um Maries hand an. Die Freude war groß!

Doch natürlich trügt der Schein. Der Bräutigam entpuppt sich als äussers hinterhältig. Er lässt Marie vergewaltigen, der Unzucht anklagen, auspeitschen und aus der Stadt verjagen.

Fast zu Tode geprügelt ist die hilflose und naive Marie auf sich allein gestellt.... nur ihre Rachgefühle lassen halten sie am Leben...

Echt spannend und super interessant. Das Buch ist leichtlesbar geschrieben und enthält viele Emotionen und Handlungen, sodass es nie langweilig wird.

Nebenbei lernt man sogar noch etwas über die Geschichte (Am Ende findet man einen historischen Überblick) und über die (schlimmen) Verhältnisse von damals. :-D

Mir hat das Buch sogut gefallen, dass ich gleich die Nachfolger verschlungen habe. Nach meiner Schwester liest jetzt gerade meine Mutter die Bücher.- Also ein echt guter (Frauen-) Roman- :-D

Lest selbst!!

Bis demnächst

This comes after a great Girls Night Out event with Kate this past May to promote the release of the stand-alone novel Comfort Food.  We are thrilled that she'll be coming back in January of 2009, and will keep you posted as to the date!

1. So, when will my movie be made?

2. You can guarantee me a $200,000 advance, right?

3. Alright, so when I call you every twenty minutes, you'll get back to me within five, ya?

4. You're so lucky to have me. I mean, you'll really thank me when I make the bestseller list.

5. Thanks for offering, I'll get back to you in ten weeks, k?

6. I took thirteen years to write this novel, but don't worry I'll cut it down to ten for the next.

7. Oh shoot, did I forget to tell you? I already accepted an offer. Thanks for reading my entire novel in 2 days though.

8. Yeah...um...can you just hold that thought while I query a dozen or so other agents? No offense, but I queried by third tier choices first.

9. So, have you sold anything in my genre? I didn't bother checking because I figured you could just tell me when we talked. Time management. Smart, huh?

10. You want me to...REVISE!? How dare you doubt my genius!

Moral of the story: It's usually a good idea to avoid sounding arrogant, psycho, cracked out or all three. Good talk. See you out there.

Status: Taking some suggestions from incredibly fabulous AW members. Will be thinking hard these next 2 days. It's a tough life, Charlie Brown. (Kidding! Kidding.)

Ho trovato casualmente questa recensione sul portale letterario Literary. Non conosco Elisa Davoglio, l’autrice, e quindi si tratta di una sorpresa, di una piacevole sorpresa: perché si è procurata il libro, perché l’ha letto, perché addirittura ne ha scritto (e bene, direi, se afferma che “la poesia appartiene a Storia penace”). Vedo da internet che è una giovane scrittrice. Dopo un paio di pubblicazioni di poesia, è uscito nei mesi scorsi da Mondadori il suo primo romanzo, Onore ai diffidati. Auguri vivissimi per la sua scrittura e grazie, grazie davvero.

Denn, mal ehrlich: Wie soll man sich in diesem Wust an ständigen Neuerscheinungen auch zurechtfinden? Kann man Elke Heidenreich wirklich trauen? Ist es mit dem Zeugs, das auf der Spiegel-Bestseller-Liste nicht schon zu spät, wenn es drauf erscheint? Sind Feuilletonisten diverser Zeitungen nicht eh ziemlich durchgeknallt? Ob nun der Buchpreis diese erhoffte Orientierung bietet, ist ebenfalls recht umstritten. Kritiker werfen unserem Vierjährigen Wettbewerbsverzerrung vor, schließlich bekommen die Auserwählten auf der sogenannten Longlist, der späteren Shortlist und vor allem letztendlich der Preisträger dermaßen viel Aufmerksamkeit, die Lizenz zum Gelddrucken, während das Restebuchvolk hinten runter fällt. Auch sind - siehe so sinnige Sportarten wie Eiskunstlaufen, Turnen oder Turmspringen - Bewertungen einer Jury immer mit Vorsicht zu genießen [welch bescheuerter Vergleich, ich weiß...]. Mit dieser Kritik muss sich der Deutsche Buchpreis seit seiner Geburt herumschlagen - und hat dabei ein echtes Imageproblem.

Klein-Buchpreis hat dieser Tage nun die Longlist der 20 Auserwählten in diesem Jahr vorgestellt. Wer sich darauf alles befindet, findet man hier. Um das angekratzte Image aufzupolieren, werden diese 20 Bücher in einem kleinen Lesebuch vorgestellt. Inklusive Leseproben und Autorenportraits. Diese Broschüre sollte kostenlos bei den Buchhandlungen des Landes bereitliegen. Eine schöne Idee, eigentlich. Nur leider kam dann wohl zum Image- auch ein kleines Marketingproblem. Zunächst weigerten sich die Verlage, die Finanzierung des Heftchens zu unterstützen. Und dann lag das Teil zum angekündigten Termin eben nicht in den Buchhandlungen bereit. Besser noch: Die meisten Buchhändler wussten garnix davon. Wenn sie denn überhaupt schon etwas vom Deutschen Buchpreis gehört hatten oder wussten, wann der verliehen wird. Zunächst dachte ich ja, dieses Problem gibt's nur im beschaulichen und ab und zu recht arroganten Heidelberg. Mitnichten, wie man hier nachlesen kann...

Gut, Hartnäckigkeit zahlt sich manchmal doch aus, beim siebten oder achten Nachfragen war der Gratis-Orientierungshelfer schließlich angekommen. Zwar nicht bei der Buchhandlung unseres Vertrauens, aber immerhin in der Stadt. Klein-Buchpreis hat also zumindest im Moment die Kurve gekriegt. Und jetzt herrscht auch erst mal wieder Ruhe an der Kritikerfront. Allerdings nur bis zur Preisverleihung im Rahmen der Buchmesse im Oktober. Ich bin gespannt, ob es der Zwerg irgendwann mal schafft, erwachsen zu werden. Irgendwann reicht's ja auch mal mit dem Rotz-aus'm-Gesicht-wischen...

" "I can't read it...I can't read anything. This is the greatest sadness of my life. I'll do anything so the children of my village never have to know this feeling. I'll pay any price so they have the education they deserve." "

Three Cups Of Tea, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, page 153

An old man, the head of his small, impovershed village in Baltistan (a region in northern Pakistan in the Karakoram Range of the Himalayans) speaks these words to Greg Mortenson, an American nurse and mountain climber after the completion of a small school. These words, according to Mortenson, along with Haji Ali's willing sacrifices for the building of that school and his bedrock common sense, make him the wisest man Mortenson had ever met.

Of course, Mortenson is possibly a contender for the title. His idea is simple - children belong in school. Not revolutionary, true, but few people spend years of their life in poor Islamic communities, building schools dedicated to ensuring that the children of these small villages, especially girls, have a place to study. Period. Build schools, make sure everyone including girls can attend, and make sure what they learn is balanced, and the same ciriculum that the government sets for the public schools.

It took Mortenson three years and several setbacks to build that first school. After that, with the establishment of the Central Asia Institute, he built another fifty-five - all since 1996. In the process, he spent months at a time in Pakistan, travelled to Afganistan's refugee camps, witnessed the aftermath of 9/11 in a Muslim country, overcame through Islamic law two fatwas, and touched the lives of tens of thousands of people.

I cannot recommend this book enough. I can't descibe how good it is and why. It is. Try it. If you do, and you don't find it a good book with a powerful, humanitarian message about a man who surely will one day with the Nobel Peace - I want to hear about it and why. But love it or hate it - read the book.

click book cover

( Thank You Suzaane for sending it to me from Canada )

I was expecting the different cover, like that one 

but this one is even better.

This would be my first ever novel,

i am a slow reader but when i finish i will write something here :)

Author: Rajaa Alsanea or (read her interview)

and for more: please click here or goto Google

Finished: Terrific novel.

Available for borrowing within model town, just drop me a line at modeltownblog@gmail.com and i will let you know where to pick it.

I've decided to share some books from my own personal library as well as those that I may read each week during library and bookstore visits.  My hope is that readers will be intrigued by a book (even one that I may not have enjoyed) and will go purchase or borrow the book and read it for themselves.  Some of these books are old favorites.  Others are books I would never read again.  But I believe every book has something to offer the reader and I hope to provide some good learning experiences I had from each book I review as well as my own opinions, criticism or action taken as a result of reading the book.

Onward...

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On the recommendation of several money-minded folks on the Living Like Noone Else Boards, I browsed through a copy of "All Your Worth" by Elizabeth Warren last week (clicking on the picture will take you to Amazon to see their review of the book but I have no affiliation with them and I'm not receiving any compensation for this review from anyone).

1 minute Synopsis:

Figure out how you will live by building a budget based on the following numbers: 50% expenses, 30% towards things you want, and 20% to savings.  While it's important to cover the necessities without overextending yourself, life is for living and should also include spending on things you enjoy along the way.  You don't have to deprive yourself of everything you love living on ramen for the rest of your life just because you got into debt.

What I learned:
I really enjoyed the introductory part where she talks about how the rules have changed. She said that it used to be good advice to just get a degree and a good job, and that everything in life would fall into place if you dutifully bought a house and didn't spend too much.  Today, banks and credit cards have helped many people dig very deep debt holes and now they feel trapped and can't get out.  Today, jobs are unreliable and may not last until you're 65 and ready to retire.  Today, the average family can't afford a new car and a typical house without overextending themselves by several times their annual salary. 

DH and I have spoken about this quite a bit during our first year of marriage as we've tried to figure out how we may or may not ever achieve the "typical" newlywed goals of homeownership, 2.5 kids, and a dog.  However we're both shocked at how much we've paid (and continue to pay) to fund our own degrees. We're also shocked at how much more our younger family members (who are only 5-10 years younger than us) are planning on taking in loans to attend college for the first time. Tuition costs have risen 20% since I graduated college the first time 8 years ago.  Don't even get me started on the rising costs of housing and food and how those may be impacting room and board charges at the local university.  So, these days, we leave college with a boatload of loans, a small amount of consumer debt, and possibly no job- unless you choose your major well.  It's very frustrating.  DH and I wonder if this is why so many people our age can't get ahead and just take a leap buying things they can't afford (houses, cars, designer duds).

I think it's extremely important today to be clear about one's career goals before pursuing expensive academic degrees.  There are lots of free educational programs, cheap community college educations, and cheap vocational programs out there for those who are ambitious and interested in other fields.  I don't believe a formal education is a necessity for every 17 year old graduating high school these days and I do believe that 4 years is plenty of time to complete a degree.  If your kid is binge drinking and taking fluff classes on the "5 year plan" (spending 5 years to get a 4 year degree due to repeated changes of major, failure of classes, etc) you're really doing them a disservice to the tune of $30-40,000/year or more.  It would be wiser to allow kids to explore volunteer or work opportunities for a few years and then pursue education that has meaning and value to them.

My Issues:
From there the wisdom of the book takes a sharp turn. Perhaps it's because DH and I are so gung-ho about saving that I couldn't stomach her advice.  But honestly, putting only 20% towards savings just doesn't sit well with me unless you've paid off your debts and have an emergency fund (3-6 months living expenses at least) on hand. 

Also, one of the rules my husband and I set for our marriage was that we would always base expenses around the smaller income of the two.  If we were to lose our jobs, or become disabled, or get pregnant...we would not face uncertainty as to how we will survive.  She makes no distinction about how many incomes the family has (despite apparently being the author of another book encouraging women to stay home?) or how much house or car is too much.  Why doesn't this book address any of that?

What she promises is really over simplified financial planning. It's less painful to tell someone that they can spend 30% willy nilly on whatever they please than it is to tell them to cut it out and stop spending on junk that they don't need.  Why would you encourage someone to pay the debt off (while not saving a dime since their 20% savings might be entirely used in debt reduction) and to continue throwing 30% away every month on more junk???!

Sorry if I'm too harsh about this book. I may have honestly missed the point if it was sandwiched in between buying ding dongs and shoes while continuing to carry credit card debt... I just felt she really ignored the importance of having savings and not having debt before giving people permission to continue spending like drunken sailors.

In America, it seems, you've really got to be cultivating your "spiritual" side. Oprah Winfrey, for instance, wants you to buy Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose. And, based on sales, more than three million Americans are duly awakening. Meanwhile, William Young's self-published religious novel, The Shack, has sold almost a million copies this year, while pastors and preachers like Rick Warren, Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer and Lee Strobel have all sold comfortably into five figures. Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir Eat, Pray Love has also done incredibly well publication - it has "pray" in the title - and for those not wanting to commit themselves to one religion, there's always Rhonda Byrne's The Secret.