Good Luck!

Seasons in Western NY State

I love taking photos in the fall, especially around our house. After another large snowfall this winter I decided to try to take some photos of the same scenes from Autumn. I hope I can remember to do it in the Spring and Summer too. It's so beautiful here and I would love to have a comparison for a whole year. These are the most recent photos. It's hard to believe they are the same place, isn't it?

The hills...

the road...



the porch.

Beautiful!

In the news today - Unstable economy impacts HarperCollins

I was sad to see the news on my homepage today. This is just a section of an article of yet another closing.


HarperCollins lays off employees, closes division

Feb. 10, 2009, 1:32 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) -- The wave of book publishing cuts has now reached HarperCollins.

The publisher of such authors as Nobel laureate Doris Lessing, Oprah Winfrey favorite David Wroblewski and Newbery prize winner Neil Gaiman has closed and dispersed the Collins division, which specializes in nonfiction books, and laid off a "small percentage" of employees.

"Over the last several months, the unstable economy has had a significant impact on businesses and consumer spending," HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray wrote in a company memo sent Tuesday. "Our industry is not immune to these market forces, and there is increasing pressure on us, along with our retail and wholesale partners, to adjust."

Also departing is Lisa Gallagher publisher of the William Morrow division, where best sellers have included Gaiman's "The Graveyard Book," John Grogan's "Marlay & Me" and Dennis Lehane's "Mystic River."

A once-"recession proof" industry is no longer as Random House Inc., Simon & Schuster and MacMillan are among the many publishers who have reported layoffs in the past two months.

The rest of the article by the AP can be found here.

Review: Multiple Bles8ings by Jon & Kate Gosselin and Beth Carson

Surviving to Thriving
With
Twins and Sextuplets.

I picked this up from the library as soon as I heard the family had written a book. I enjoy watching the Gosselins on Jon and Kate Plus Eight on TLC. Their twins are 8 and the sextuplets are 4. A camera crew started following the family in a few, one hour specials when the babies were less then a year old. The specials worked out so well that they now have a half-hour show on every week. There are no scripts and they film and show their good and bad moments. It even feels a bit uncomfortable at times when the kids are having tantrums or the parents are bickering. But they are average moments that are magnified in an unaverage family. I can't imagine having a film crew at my house when our "small" family of 5 is arguing! Not a chance! The Gosselins always make up and they obviously share an intense love for God and their entire family. Jon and Kate have said that they had always been curious about others themselves and now they want people to know what living with multiples is like. They do protect some private parts of their life but they are honest about what they share.

The story told in the book describes how Jon and Kate were unable to conceive children on their own so they began fertility treatments. They were eventually blessed with twin daughters and later hoped to add one more to finish their family. After settling into their first house in central Pennsylvania they started treatments again. When they found out that Kate was pregnant they were overjoyed but they became overwhelmed at their first ultrasound appointment. As the doctor continued to count babies Kate began to sob and Jon fell to his knees. That day seven babies were counted. The more babies there are the greater the risk is to them and to the mother. It is a life threatening condition. They relied on their strong faith and the excellent doctors at Hershey Medical Center to guide them on their amazing journey.

Kate tells the story from her viewpoint and includes her thoughts and feelings during this stressful time. She emphasizes that not everyone agrees with their choices or their techniques but their first priority as parents is their children. She makes no apologies for how they handles things such as her intolerance for germs and dirt being brought into their home with fragile infants. She is also a very organized mother and with all of the children and all of the helpers they rely heavily on the structure. Jon and Kate also stress that they are very grateful for all of the help they have received since the births of the sextuplets and that they couldn't have done it on their own. They never looked for handouts but they knew that they could not always provide what was the best for their children so when help was offered they accepted it. Shifts of volunteers helped around the clock when the babies first came home from the hospital. Times were especially tough when Jon lost his job and they were living off their savings. Things have improved dramatically for them now and they give back to others, including charity for children's cancer research. Beautiful and humorous family photos are included throughout the book, from their wedding day up to current time .

Whether you've heard of the Gosselins or not this is a touching story about one couple's hopes and dreams and what they did to accomplish them. And then what they did to survive them. I enjoyed reading more of their background and some behind the scenes information. I was impressed with their strength, their honesty and their faith. I was also impressed with the medical technology and the kind hearts of the people that belong to those brains.

Friday Fill-Ins

Thursday, February 5, 2009

#110

1. Please don't tell I still have on my flannel jammie pants.

2. Can you wake up on time in the morning?

3. The color yellow makes me want to smile!

4. I have a craving for ice cream.

5. If my life had a pause button, I'd pause it on my kids, who are growing up too fast.

6. Eyes are the most interesting things to draw.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing with hubby, tomorrow my plans include visiting my brother and Sunday, I want to nap and read!

Book Giveaway!

Pudgy Peguin Perusals

is having a giveaway for 5 copies of The Italian Lover by Robert Hellenga. The contest ends 2/10 and there are some very creative ways to get extra entries. So hurry over for your chance to win a copy!

Review: The Agency by Ally O'Brien

Meet Tess Drake.
She has everything she needs.
Now it's time to get what she wants...

We've had lots of discussions on book covers at different book clubs. When I was looking for the book cover to use for my review both of these came up. The second cover with the blue background is what was on my advance release copy. When I looked for it on other sites this is the one that also came up. I'm not sure what the other cover is being used for. Is it for the finished copy? I'll have to find out. There is nothing at all wrong with the first one but in my opinion it doesn't suit this book. At all. Not even close. The main character is a sexy agent in her mid-thirties in the "glamorous yet cut-throat" entertainment industry. She works at an international entertainment agency based in London. Now I ask you, which cover best conveys that message?

Tess Harper has worked for Bardwell International for 10 years and has made multimillion dollar deals. She is very good at what she does, in work and in bed. And she has been in some beds she shouldn't have been in. It's a fast pace with high stakes and Tess has made some enemies. Some of them are trying to move her out of the industry and when the senior partner of the agency dies a mysterious and dramatic death someone decides that Tess should take the fall. Cosima Tate is now the partner in charge and she would love to see it happen. Tess has been planning to start her own agency. She thought this could be the time to go for it but will she get the chance? Will she have any clients left to take with her?

There's plenty of twists and turns in this back biting, yet humorous story of one woman's ambitions. In her world betrayal can sometimes get you farther than loyalty. Tess has done both.

So I ask you again, which cover do you think is best for this book?

Thank you to Goodreads for my ARC of this book.