From Author Jim Michael Hansen

The Ja'Velle Nodja Thrillers are Coming!

Big news.Ja'Velle Nodja is a hypnotically beautiful Paris detective with a rough edge, a free spirit and a rather remarkable tattoo. She'll be introducted to Laws readers in Ancient Laws (2009), when Bryson Coventry gets entangled with her after getting pulled to Paris in pursuit of a killer.

Ja'Velle will then branch out into her own Edge series set in Europe, starting with Hot Edge. For all you Bryson Coventry lovers out there, don't panic. He will continue to appear in brand spanking new Laws adventures twice a year, just like he has since 2006. He's not going to leave town unless the coffee runs out.

News Release From Harlequin Romance

For Immediate Release


DailyLit and Harlequin to Deliver Romance Novels
Via Email Installments
Leading Series Romance Publisher Offers Frontlist and Backlist Titles in Digital Serialization Format

Mamaroneck, New York –– DailyLit (www.dailylit.com), a service that allows users to read entire books via email and RSS installments announced today its initial deal with Harlequin Enterprises Limited, the global leader in series romance and one of the world’s leading publishers of women’s fiction, to deliver in its digital serialization format 100 of Harlequin’s backlist as well as 20 frontlist titles each month on an on-going basis.

His For The Taking, Beauty and The Billionaire and Expecting His Love Child are just a few of the titles that will be added over the next few months. Most titles will be priced under $5.00 and will be delivered in daily email installments, with more on demand, at the click of a mouse.

“We are delighted to be working with DailyLit”, said Donna Hayes, Publisher and CEO of Harlequin. “DailyLit allows us to bring our compelling editorial to readers in a convenient new way. This partnership means that the Harlequin experience will be available as emails on demand to readers with computers or handheld devices anytime, anywhere.”

“We’re thrilled to offer romance readers a large selection of Harlequin titles, including brand new frontlist titles on a monthly basis,” said Susan Danziger, Publisher and co-founder of DailyLit. “Romance novels are a great escape from day-to-day life, and via

DailyLit, they can be read in any spare moment, from when you’re waiting to pick up
your kids from school to when you want to take a break from work.”


ABOUT HARLEQUIN
Harlequin Enterprises Limited is the global leader in series romance and one of the world’s leading publishers of women’s fiction, with titles issued worldwide in 26 languages and sold in 109 international markets. The company produces 120 titles monthly and publishes more than 1,300 authors from around the world. Harlequin Enterprises Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation, a broadly based media company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TS.B). Harlequin’s Web site is located at www.eHarlequin.com. Harlequin has offices in 18 countries, including offices in Toronto, New York and London. For more information please visit www.eHarlequin.com or press.eHarlequin.com.

ABOUT DAILYLIT
DailyLit (www.dailylit.com), a service that allows users to read entire books via email and/or RSS feeds, currently features over 500 classic and contemporary works offered for free and on a Pay-Per-Read basis. The books are sent in individual installments on the day and time selected by each reader (e.g., every weekday at 6:30 AM) and can be read in less than 5 minutes; additional installments are available to be read on demand. Co-founded by a team of publishing professionals and technology experts, DailyLit is headquartered in Mamaroneck, New York.

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Real vs. Fake: The Christmas Tree Debate

Three years ago, I got sick of trekking through snow to find a Christmas tree (I've always been a stickler for cutting our own to get the freshest tree possible). Given the fact that we are usually in and out throughout the holiday season, I just no longer saw the point in having a real tree taking up space in a small home. My children are older now, a 'tween and a teen, and they didn't seem at all interested in decorating a tree anymore. For this reason, my daughter and I went out and found a smaller fiber optic tree that is already decorated, looks pretty real, and takes up much less space than a real tree. The only downfall is that you lose the scent of pine, but I can buy candles for that purpose.

Then I came across a test in the local paper titled "How Green Are You?" Apparently, owning a fake tree is a sin to those preaching going green. They claim it is best to cut a tree every year. I still don't understand that mentality. Yes at some point, this fake tree will probably due out and need replacing, but by that time that happens, they may have come up with a way to recycle the nylon/plastic fibers that make up the tree. I've seen experiments that show a plant reacts to pain, and I find it equally heartless to cut a tree down before it has had a chance to fully grow up and live its natural life cycle.

I recycle everything I can and a recent change in practices here have made it possible for me to recycle every form of plastic found. So owning a fake tree, in my opinion, really doesn't make me a horrible, non-green person. Better yet, I'd love to see what the reporter who came up with the quiz drives. I'm going to bet that it isn't as efficient as my cars that get over 30mpg.

Holiday Rush & A Warning

One of my goals was to keep this blog updated more frequently, but between the holiday preparation, chauffeur duties for my daughter, my freelance writing, and life in general, I've fallen behind yet again. Something, however, happened yesterday that made me want to get online and warn any potential readers before they head out on their battery shopping quests for Christmas toys and electronics.

I was talking to my brother yesterday when he suddenly vanished. This was weird for him, but I waited it out. Turns out he'd heard a loud pop from his living room and went to see what had happened. His universal remote was lying there with the battery cover off and one of his batteries had exploded. Seems unusual and very scary, so he went online to do a check of Logitech Universal Remotes to see if there is a product recall. While he did that, I decided to do a check of this Duracell battery and the results were quite surprising.

http://www.pcw.co.uk/personal-computer-world/analysis/2196695/strange-case-exploding-aaa-cell

http://johnbokma.com/mexit/2007/06/22/exploding-9v-duracell-alkaline-battery.html

http://ask.metafilter.com/50042/9v-battery-explosion

I don't know why his battery exploded or why others are having the same experience, but I do know that I'll be avoiding Duracell batteries in the future!

Outstanding Customer Service

Back in March, my husband and I purchased and installed three outdoor motion dectector halogen lamps. We were having an issue at the time with our neighbor's teenage daughter and friends drinking in their driveway and then tossing their beer and Twisted Tea bottles into our yard. So hoping to deter them, we put in these lights from EML Technologies.

In August two of the bulbs blew and we took a bulb with us to Aubuchons to get replacement bulbs only they couldn't find a compatible size. So we went to Home Depot and ran into the same issue. In desperation, we emailed the company to ask what the bulb size is and to our surprise, not only did they provide us with the correct size, but they've now sent two separate shipments of bulbs so that we have plenty to last us for the years to come. That's what I call customer service!

Books or Music

I'm a music junkie. While my book piles stack up, this month has seen some incredible music releases. With the age difference between my husband and I, the music in our house varies greatly. Here's my take on some of the recently releases available.



I am a huge Eagles fan. Their harmonies rock! I love the song Long Road Out of Eden and even How Long has been rather catchy. The rest of this album is growing on me. The big downfall is that I feel Joe Walsh's offerings are rather weak. I've love his music in the past, but the two tracks he does on this album just are not that good IMO.



In interviews, Little Big Town have said that Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles, and CSN are idols. Little Big Town's harmonies are exceptional. If you caught the concert they did with Lindsey Buckingham, keep watching for repeats! They did an amazing job. Their third release is pretty impressive. I still prefer the second, but their new one still needs to grow on me.



Like her or hate her, I will give Carrie Underwood credit for wanting to write her own music this time around. The album is pretty catchy, but one specific song caught my attention. "I Know You Won't" is the best on the album and showcases the power in her vocals. Some of it is pretty sappy, but you listen to Carrie Underwood music expecting her to be perky.



Reba isn't someone I normally would have chosen, but I will give her credit for being a good comedy actress and some of her music does intrigue me. Stand out tracks on this album have to be the one with Leann Rimes (heartache of being dumped and blaming yourself) and then the track with Don Henley. The track with Kenny Chesney about divorce and sharing custody makes me cry every time. Over all, I find this album has become one of my favorites this fall.



Robert Plant teaming up with Alison Krauss - enough said it's a weird combination. Yet, for some twisted reason the rocking Led Zepplin frontman and Alison work very well together.



The rocking side of me always loves some harder music, but I tend to be a very vocal person and want music that I can sing along to. Foo Fighters appease to my son and husband who want harder guitar driven music, and I find it still easy to sing along with. Pretender is one of the best tracks on the album. Let It Die is a decent song. Summer's End is my favorite though.

Book Preview: Tom Brokaw's BOOM!

FSB Associates is kind enough to share a clip from Tom Brokaw's new book. Look for the review at RTR in the next few weeks.



Boom!: Voices of the Sixties
By Tom Brokaw

In 1962, I had an entry-level reporter's job at an Omaha television station. I had bargained to get a salary of one hundred dollars a week, because I didn't feel I could tell Meredith's doctor father I was making less. Meredith, who had a superior college record, couldn't find any work because, as one personnel director after another told her, "You're a young bride. If we hire you, you'll just get pregnant before long and want maternity leave."

In retrospect, the political and cultural climate in the early Sixties seems both a time of innocence and also like a sultry, still summer day in the Midwest: an unsettling calm before a ferocious storm over Vietnam, which was not yet an American war. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was confronting racism in the South and getting a good deal of exposure on The Huntley-Brinkley Report on NBC and The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite, the two primary network newscasts, each just fifteen minutes long.

In the fall of 1963, first CBS and then, shortly after, NBC expanded those signature news broadcasts to a half hour. As a sign of the importance of the expansion, Cronkite and Huntley and Brinkley were granted lengthy exclusive interviews with President Kennedy. ABC wouldn't be a player in the news major leagues until the 1970s, when Roone Arledge brought to ABC News the energy and programming approach he had applied to ABC Sports. Kennedy, America's first truly telegenic president, was a master of the medium, fully appreciating its power to reach into the living rooms of America from sea to shining sea

During our time in Omaha, John F. Kennedy was not a local favorite. The city's deeply conservative culture remained immune to Kennedy's charms and to his arguments for social changes, such as civil rights and the introduction of government-subsidized medical care for the elderly. I'm sure many of my conservative friends at the time thought I was a card short of being a member of the Communist Party because I regularly championed the need for enforced racial equality and Medicare.

One of the most popular speakers to come through Omaha in those days was a familiar figure from my childhood, when kids in small towns on the Great Plains spent Saturday afternoons in movie theaters watching westerns. Ronald Reagan looked just like he did on the big screen. He was kind of a local boy who had made good, starting out as a radio star next door in Iowa and moving on to Hollywood, before becoming a television fixture as host of General Electric Theater.

Reagan's Omaha appearances were part of his arrangement with GE, which allowed him to be an old-fashioned circuit-riding preacher, warning against the evils of big government and Communism, while praising the virtues of big business and the free market. He was every inch a star, impeccably dressed and groomed. But those of us who shared his Midwestern roots were a bit surprised to find that although he was completely cordial, he was not noticeably warm. That part of his personality remained an enigma even to his closest friends and advisers throughout his historically successful political career.

In Omaha the only time he lightened up in my presence was when I noticed he was wearing contact lenses and I asked him about them. He got genuinely excited as he described how they were a new soft model, not like the hard ones that could irritate the eyes. He even wrote down the name of his California optometrist so Meredith could order a pair for herself. (Later, when he became president, I often thought, "He's not only a great politician, he's a helluva contact lens salesman.")

President Kennedy also passed through Omaha, but only for a brief stop at the Strategic Air Command headquarters there. In those days, SAC was an instantly recognized acronym because the bombers it comprised -- some of which we could see because they were always in the air ready to respond in case of an attack -- were a central component of America's Cold War military strategy.

More memorable for me was a visit to SAC by the president's brother Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. The younger Kennedy was a striking contrast to the president, who had been smiling and chatty with the local press and even more impressive in person than on television. Unlike the president, who was always meticulously and elegantly dressed, the attorney general was wearing a rumpled suit, and the collar on his blue button-down shirt was frayed. He was plainly impatient, and his mood did not improve when I asked for a reaction to Alabama governor George Wallace's demand that JFK resign the presidency because of his stance on school desegregation. Bobby fixed those icy blue eyes on me and said, as if I were to blame for the governor's statement, "I have no comment on anything Governor Wallace has to say."

I was on duty in the newsroom a few weeks later when the United Press International wire-service machine began to sound its bulletin bells. I walked over casually and began to read a series of sentences breaking in staccato fashion down the page:

Three shots were fired at president Kennedy's motorcade in downtown Dallas . . . Flash -- Kennedy seriously wounded, perhaps fatally by assassin's bullet . . . President John F. Kennedy died at approximately 1:00 pm (CST).

John F. Kennedy, the man I had thought would define the political ideal for the rest of my days, was suddenly gone in the senseless violence of a single moment. In ways we could not have known then, the gunshots in Dealey Plaza triggered a series of historic changes: the quagmire of Vietnam that led to the fall of Lyndon Johnson as president; the death of Robert Kennedy in pursuit of the presidency; and the comeback, presidency, and subsequent disgrace of Richard Nixon.

On that beautiful late autumn November morning, however, my immediate concern was to get this story on the air. I rushed the news onto our noon broadcast, and as I was running back to the newsroom, one of the station's Kennedy haters said, "What's up?"

I responded, "Kennedy's been shot."

He said, "It's about time someone got the son of a bitch."

Given the gauzy shades of popular memory, the invocations of Camelot and JFK as our nation's prince, it may be surprising to younger Americans to know that President Kennedy was not universally beloved. Now Kennedy was gone, and this man was glad. I lunged toward him, but another co-worker pulled me away.

Copyright © 2007 Tom Brokaw from the book Boom! by Tom Brokaw Published by Random House; November 2007;$28.95US/$34.95CAN; 978-1-4000-6457-1

About the Author

Tom Brokaw is the author of four bestsellers: The Greatest Generation, The Greatest Generation Speaks, An Album of Memories, and A Long Way from Home. From 1976 to 1981 he anchored Today on NBC. He was the sole anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw from 1983 to 2004. http://www.boom-brokaw.com/

Becoming a Book Reviewer

I've been getting a few emails asking how someone can become a book reviewer. The answer is really easy - if you love books and love to talk about them, you'd fit right in.

At RTR, we've been getting a string of people who think they love to read everything and then after one or two reviews discover they hate reading books that they do not pick out for themselves. People feel book reviewers should be getting paid - that's nice if the advertising is heavy enough, but I hate ads, especially pop-up ads, and I refuse to charge authors a fee to get a review.

Reviewing can take a lot of time out of your day. I read a book a day on average. My day starts at 5:30 a.m. with a shower, followed by lunch preparation for the kids, and then my daughter and I fit in a half mile walk around the neighborhood. Usually, I work on my freelance writing jobs until noon. I write about some pretty unusual things from job duties of an underwater welder to medications for prostate infections. On better days, I write up airport, hotel, or product descriptions for a number of websites. After this, I go for a mile walk, and then get chores done. With whatever time is left over, I get some reading in. My kids are home at 3:30pm, so is my hubby actually, so chaos usually ensues until after dinner. Both of my kids have an hour to two hours of homework per night. I have a daughter who has to be shuttled off to team practices from 6pm to 8pm twice a week and then weekend practices and games are also involved. At 7pm, I try to get upstairs to relax for an hour or two with a book in hand and finish up what I started reading earlier. I've been reading since I was three years old, thanks Dr. Seuss, and read far more quickly than others. Yet, I can't own up to the rate that Harriet Klausner seems to be able to read at, nor do I think I'd want to because if she really does read as many books from cover to cover as is claimed, I can't see her having any time left over for her personal life.

I have the opportunity to work from home which helps out tremendously. I don't have to deal with commutes, work hours, and the likes. If I did go back to work full time, I'd give up reviewing because there are not enough hours in the day.

RTR is always looking for reviewers, but we don't accept everyone. Experience isn't necessary, but we do want people who enjoy trying new authors, aren't scared to sample a new genre, and can handle the pressure of sharing their thoughts on a book that they feel is truly sub par. That's where people seem to get lost. If they hate a book, they don't see the point in finishing it.

LOR Book Fair Starts Tomorrow

If you have some time to spare for the next few days, head over to the Love of Reading Book Fair hosted by FSB Associates. www.loveofreading.com

The first round of raffle books are up on their website and you can enter to win them with the click of a button. Reviews for the books are found below.

http://www.roundtablereviews.com/keetphilomena110107.htm

http://www.roundtablereviews.com/yennebill100107.htm

http://www.roundtablereviews.com/mayjane100107.htm

Book Fair for Book Worms

Love of Reading Online Book Fair
Second annual fair celebrates and connects online book community with three days of non-stop events.

The second annual Love of Reading Online Book Fair will be held November 14-16 at http://www.loveofreading.com/ from the hours of 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST. Talk about an idea that’s really plugged-in.

A cause for celebration and connection for the burgeoning online book community, the three-day fair has something for everyone, according to Fauzia Burke, a pioneer in online book promotion and president of FSB Associates, host of the successful event. With its “Love of Reading” theme, the event is designed for a wide audience—authors, publishers, booksellers, bookworms, bloggers, reviewers and anyone looking for a gift for the holidays.

“Participants will have non-stop interaction and information at their fingertips,” says Burke, along with a variety of special events and giveaways. Among the online happenings:

4 Free raffles—including 3 free books an hour and one large prize giveaway per day

4 Ongoing Podcasts and author readings by popular authors such as Alan Alda, Kim Edwards and Pulitzer Prize Winner Rick Atkinson.

4 Guest bloggers and reviewers will blog at the fair

4 Forum and discussion groups

4 Reader’s Choice Award for favorite book jacket. Last year’s winner was the mega bestseller, The Thirteenth Tale.

4 Roundtable discussions with topics including How to Get Your Book Published

“Today’s online book community is more vital and vibrant than ever” says Burke. “Throughout the book fair, we want to celebrate their increasingly important voice and connect people who love books in a whole new way.”

To participate in the book fair, or to get more information, visit http://www.loveofreading.com/

Red Sox and Patriots

What a treat for New England sports fans!! Congrats to the Red Sox for another championship. And my glass is raised to Tom Brady and his team - they rock!

Parenting Advice: A Book To Avoid

It's not even out yet, but I shuddered when I read that Britney Spears mom was penning a book that is touted to offer parenting advice. I'm not sure which aspect of her so-called "parenting" skills scares me more... the use your child to make you lots of money or the I didn't fit in as a cheerleader, so my girls are damn well doing it for me.

I haven't even seen a copy of this book, nor do I want to. Here's my own parenting advice and this comes from someone with two normal children! DO NOT take anything this woman says as decent parenting. If she was a great mom, she would have stepped in and helped out Britney long before now. She's always struck me as a media/drama queen and now with her book on the way and Britney and Jamie not earning enough money for her liking, she's going to ride Britney's coat tails and pull in some of her own money. Run far, far away!

http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=89a9f122-5d3b-4ccd-ad31-aaaf31673872&entry=index&sid=rss_topstories&utm_source=eonline&utm_medium=rssfeeds&utm_campaign=rss_topstories

Can We Move On?

I have a typical morning routine - I tackle writing jobs and then read the online news. Britney Spears is yet again in the news. This time she ran over a photographer's foot.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071019/ap_en_ot/britney_spears_foot_flap;_ylt=ApkjvuYKdZjO7mBL4hDa2xBxFb8C

First off, WAH. Maybe if he'd not been so close to her car and invading what little privacy she has, his foot would have been safe. I still think it is time for Britney to lock herself up somewhere, kick the drugs that she's fallen prey to and then try to start life anew. And meanwhile, could someone please wipe the smirk of Federline's face. He has his hands in her money because he's too pathetic to get a job, and now that the judge has supported his wonderful parenting skills--sarcasm included--he's been nothing but smug.

The quote I read earlier about him telling a pal that "Britney is a hard woman to control..." Perhaps had people allowed her to NOT be so controlled through her childhood and now adult years, she would have had the freedom to make mistakes without everyone jumping at her.

Guess what people, when I was four months pregnant, I lost my balance coming down the stairs and fell down five stairs. I'm not the only pregnant woman to lose my balance and the fact that Britney's stumble on the curve when she was carrying baby #1 and pregnant with baby #2 is still haunting her is just ridiculous.

Sure she's made plenty of mistakes, but you know what everyone has. The only difference is that the average person doesn't have psychos with cameras watching their every move.

Woodstoves

This winter, my husband and I decided that given the extreme expense of propane, and the fact that our company was dropping all pre-pay plans due to the rising costs, we need to revert to heating our home with the woodstove again. Our woodstove is older and I didn't trust it after fifteen years of non-use. With some money we'd saved towards propane, we purchased a new woodstove.

Now, when we first moved in, the previous owner only heated with woodstove. We never had, so inexperienced as we were, we used it and quickly learned it was hard to keep our house from quickly reaching 80 or 90 degrees. We've learned a lot since then. A book that can be of tremendous help -



Woodstove Cookery does teach you how to cook on the woodstove, but it covers far more than that. I am adamant that come the cold of winter when the woodstove is going, we will have pots of stew or soup simmering on the woodstove all day long. First, it is an efficient way to cook, but also it is like crockpot cooking only better - it uses no electricity.

I'm hoping for a relatively mild winter, but I won't hold my breath. In Vermont, mild isn't usually an option. I've seen January lows topping 30 below at my house before, and I know just how much propane can get sucked up after a week of below zero temperatures. I've had it with the propane and gas industry and think it's time to revert to the olden days with wood heating becoming my main source.

Favorite Novels

I read a lot, I mean a lot! Usually, it is not surprising for me to read one or two books per day. While I've never quite tapped into the pacing that Harriet K. claims to be able to read -- in all honesty, I do speed read and don't see how one can read as many books as she claims and still have a life -- I do enjoy reading a book or two after I've polished off my freelance writing assignments and sent them for editing. I usually have a three hour window between the time I finish writing and the time my kids return from school. Then if I'm lucky, I'll read a bit before falling asleep as well.

Over the years, I've read some duds and some real gems. But I find myself always reverting to a few favorites. In fact, two of them I kept after my senior year in high school ended (Sorry Mr. C., but I just didn't have the heart to give them back, but you never hounded me to turn them in either, so I'm thinking deep down you knew.)



George Stewart's EARTH ABIDES is the only sci-fi (though I prefer to title it postapocolyptic) novel I've ever enjoyed. Fans of Stephen King's THE STAND will find subtle common themes between the two. At heart, this is a story of a few people who manage to survive some epidemic and now must repopulate the earth and also figure out a way to survive without electricity and the modern conveniences of life.



Stephen King's THE STAND is similar to EARTH ABIDES. In fact, King admits that he's enjoyed EARTH ABIDES for years. I've read posts from people who think George Stewart's novel is a copy. For that reason, I'll note that Stewart wrote his book decades before Stephen King was an author. THE STAND tends to be a little more creepy, and for those who've seen the miniseries, it can be hard to get Gary Sinise's face out of the mind while reading...



Harper Lee's only novel TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD has to be one of my favorites. It's another book I swiped from high school. I fell in love with Atticus Finch in this novel -- I wish more men would look at others like he does. In fact, there is a blog I frequent, www.freelancewritinggigs.com, in which the author/owner of that blog shows us some of her reader mail throughout the week. Some of the mail is just downright hurtful and there's really no need to send in mail of that nature. I have never understood why people can't argue without namecalling.



Finally, Alice Sebold's THE LOVELY BONES haunted me the day I read it. I picked up that book and stretched out on the back lawn near my kid's swingset. I read it in one sitting and have never cried more during a story. It's been in the process of turning into a motion picture for years and I just hope that Peter Jackson does it justice. Casting an unknown for Susie's role is probably a very good idea. As for the rest of the cast--Susan Sarandon, Rachel Weisz, Ryan Gosling, Stanly Tucci, etc.--I'll just wait and see.

Recent Movies Worth Viewing

It's been pretty dreary and rainy in Vermont for the past few days. While I've been working on my freelance writing projects, and actually caught up, I've also been reading. As yesterday was a family day though, weekends are always family days, it was due time to sit down and do some movie watching. I've always had my favorites and have found some pretty good ones recently. As it is still dull outside, I figured it's a good time to talk about them.

Pleasantville (New Line Platinum Series)

First up is a movie that I've watched and re-watched for years--PLEASANTVILLE. The movie is a number of years old now, but I still watch it and think the producer/writer/director team had a stroke of brilliance. Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde) is one of those actresses who I really enjoy--she adapts nicely to the roles she plays. Pleasantville also stars Tobey Maguire (Spiderman) The pair play a brother and sister duo who get sucked into a 1950's television show and have to figure out how to get out. The problem is that if they behave more modernly, the show begins to colorize. The scene where Joan Allen learns how to pleasure herself is a riot!

Big Daddy


We also watched Adam Sandler's BIG DADDY again yesterday. It's been years since we've seen this movie, but our daughter happens to have an Adam Sandler lookalike for her teacher this year. He's a great guy and mixes schoolwork with lines from some of the movies, so that students who answer the question and name the movie correctly win prizes. She loves going to school every day, and this was on of the only movies she'd not seen yet. (Other than Punch Drunk Love, which I don't think was that good a movie anyway.) Any parent with tweens who are hooked on the Disney show "Suite Life of Zach and Cody" will be interested to know that the Sprouse twins happened to play the little boy in BIG DADDY.

Knocked Up - Unrated (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

KNOCKED UP is a newer movie, but I have to say I've already seen it twice. The movie has this knack for making me laugh and even cry a little towards the ending. What impresses me the most is that they didn't hold back during the birth scene. I happen to know two teenagers, both about to become parents far before I think they are ready, but there is that part of me that thought had they seen this birth scene it might have scared them from having sex. Birth isn't necessarily pretty, but it is an amazing experience, and those in KNOCKED UP did a great job with this scene.

My Fair Lady

MY FAIR LADY is a classic musical. Now some may be groaning now, but for anyone who enjoys a romance, MY FAIR LADY is an exceptional movie, yet the ending still ticks me off. I'd like the chance to go back and rewrite the ending! Audrey Hepburn is a timeless actress, so anyone who enjoys musicals must give it a shot.


These are only a few of my favorites. Today we'll be watching movies I've not seen yet - Adam Sandler's Reign Over Me. Hopefully, it will be a good one. Meanwhile, I have to figure out what's for dinner. With a high temperature of 45 and rain predicted for the day, I'm thinking it might be time to bring out the crockpot for a stew.

Parenting 101: SMARTEN UP

I just read the morning news and this story http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071012/ap_on_re_us/student_arsenal_5 truly disturbs me on so many levels. However, I will cover the issue that bothers me the most - the boy's mother.

What the hell is that woman thinking buying her 14 year old an assault rifle? I have a 14 year old. If he EVER asked me for a gun, I'd be locking him up, not purchasing said gun for him. In my own opinion, this woman now needs to have her children removed while she undergoes parenting 101. Had the boy gone through with his plans, I would hope she'd be charged as an accomplice and thank God the other student and his father called police and that police took it seriously.

Now, I understand bullying and know it can make a student feel helpless. I've been there. Here's a tip to those in that situation. The law is on your side. Instead of letting the bully push you to the point that you feel ending the lives of dozens is acceptable (and hopefully you have the brains to realize this is not okay), talk to your teachers--a teacher you trust. If that fails, slap the bully and his/her parents and the school with a lawsuit, include the school for not working harder to prevent it because schools are supposed to have bullying policies in place. I'm not one for suing over every little matter, but you know what if a lawsuit is what it takes to prevent these high school shootings from occuring, then it's time to try something a little more radical. I can guarantee that a school slapped with a bullying lawsuit, especially if it makes the news, is going to work harder at putting a stop to all bullying in the future.

NECAP Testing

With the school year newly in session, it is time for students throughout Vermont and New England to sit down and spend an entire week taking the government mandated NECAP tests. Now for those who may not be familiar with NECAP (New England Common Assessment Program), they are tests that students in all school districts in New England must take in order to receive any federal funding. Schools whose students do miserably are cut off from government money. In a nutshell, and in my opinion, this means that the students and schools that most need money to provide a better education receive a slap in the face for receiving failing or low test scores.

Tests cover the basics: Reading, Math, and Writing. According to the Principal's Guide, tests are broken into three sessions for each topic and each session takes 90 minutes. Children from the third grade up must take the NECAP tests, so in all it comes to six 90-minute sessions to complete the entire NECAP exam. Is it any wonder children dread this test?

In order to properly prepare children for this test, many teachers spend hours teaching the children how to take the test. That's right, focus is pulled from actually teaching school and instead teaching kids to take long, drawn out tests. I have spoken to many teachers that dread the NECAP tests just as much as the students.

Parents who want an idea on what the questions are like are welcome to answer the following questions taken from the sample test. These are fifth grade questions, so it truly is time to find out--Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader?

Now that you have a better understanding of the NECAP tests. It leads to my frustrations, and I'm sure hundreds of other parents feel the same way.

1. Parents are flooded with letters from the school principal and teachers urging parents to move up bed times and ensure the children are fed a full breakfast on testing days. Apparently research shows that children with a full belly are better prepared. While this may be true, the average parent gets home at 6pm if they are lucky. Dinner has to be cooked and homework must be completed before a child can even think about bed time. Now teachers swear they won't give out homework during NECAP weeks. If this is true, I'd LOVE to know why my son had fifty algebra problems and spelling definitions to write out last night.

2. It is also made general knowledge that the children will NOT be allowed to take bathroom breaks during the testing period. When I was admitted into the hospital for dehydration eight years ago, my doctor told me that a person is really supposed to drink enough so that they are peeing every hour. Test sessions are 90 minutes long during which kids cannot drink or use the toilets, let alone walk around or stretch. I am adamantly against keeping a child sitting on a hard plastic seat for a full 90 minutes before offering them a ten-minute break. Can you say thrombosis?

3. Students experience tremendous amounts of pressure by the school before and during these tests. I remember my son and daughter both coming home from school in tears in 4th grade because their teacher kept telling them that students who didn't score highly were letting their teachers down by not having tried hard enough. The teacher and I had words that year. A child should NOT be pressured by anyone, and for a teacher to make a child feel bad if they don't do well on the NECAP tests is horrifying.

What the government has done to our education system is unforgivable. It is time for them to sit down and take a long hard look at suicide rates and talk to the kids feeling this pressure. Childhood is the only time a person can truly enjoy life and act like a kid. Is it really necessary to take that away from them?

Today's Vent: Britney Spears

Going off the usual book topic again. Let me start by saying, I am not, nor have I ever been, a fan of Britney Spears. With this in mind, I am unhappy at the judge's decision to take her kids from her.

While I wholeheartedly agree that Britney needs counseling, drug rehab, and the likes, I just don't see Kevin Federline as being a great parent either. This is a man per the gossip columns was getting $20,000 a month - A MONTH - and wanted more alimony because $20,000 was not enough to live on. I know people who earn that much in ONE YEAR and have to struggle to survive. My message to Federline is to trade in his car of the week, buy a cheaper SUV and get a freaking job.

This is where I think the judge is wrong. Federline now has the kids in hand and I'm sure he's sat in his ritzy little home/apt/mansion (whatever he's living in) and rubbing his hands with glee. With both kids in hand, he now has a great way to tap into Britney's pocketbook. Those kids should have been placed in a good foster home (check it out first because some foster homes suck), put them far from the media's vulture-like stares, and given a chance to enjoy childhood while their mom gets the chance to get help.

For whatever reason, people seem to forget that Britney was a childhood star, her mother seems more than happy to let her child turn into a sex symbol at the age of 12, and also seemed to enjoy the money that Britney had rolling in. No one gave this girl a chance to be a kid and I'm sure that's where the majority of the problems lie. She was thrown into adulthood before she was a teenager, and that's always a recipe for disaster.

I know that there are Federline fans out there who think I'm nuts for insulting their hero. I know that there are those who completely loathe Britney who think she got what is coming. You're more than welcome to your opinions.

Meanwhile, I still shake my head at the fact that Britney's kids have been taken from her and thousands of other kids are starving their children, leaving them alone while they go out for drugs or drinks and social services don't have the manpower to handle all of these cases so non-famous kids are in risky situations and it will take their death before someone says, "Hey, we should have helped them."

Beer Drinking Throughout New England

At a local thrift shop, I came across a book in the dollar bin that I just knew would appeal to my husband. Andy Crouch must have spent a good deal of time touring New England, probably gaining a nice buzz along the way. THE GOOD BEER GUIDE TO NEW ENGLAND is the best guide to all of the brewpubs and breweries located in New England to hit shelves.



As a frequent traveler around my home state and through New Hampshire and Maine, I've been to many of the brewpubs listed within. While I don't always agree with the author's favorites, and that's not a bad thing, the information found within each brewpub or brewery guide is exceptional.

Listings include information on the brewery/brewpub's history, tour hours, regular and seasonal offerings, best beer (his personal favorite), and directions. There is little this guide is missing. He does delve into if the brewery/brewpub offers food or not, but I wish he'd spent a little more time on the menus. Redhook Brewery for example makes an exceptional white chili from turkey and their beer that is definitely worth ordering.

The author even hits places that I wasn't sure the general public knew about, so it is obvious that he spent plenty of time and energy finding every little nook and cranny where homemade beer is served.

Those coming to New England looking to sample some microbrews should not miss this guide. Order a copy before your trip and you'll hit some of the best places in town for a frosty mug of beer or two--or three if you're not driving.