Recommend book

Okay, so I know Everyone has different tastes in clothes, music, and books.

I'm no different. ;)

Being a reader and a writer I read a Lot of books, and I am writing, well, let's just say the file is pretty big and leave it at that, shall we.  

I also have a Lot of books in various stages of completion, both as a reader and a writer.    Hey, at least as a writer I'll wait until I can fix a sucky ending!

But if any of you have read this blog much, I don't often recommend books.  Mainly because I realize people are so different in their tastes.

But I have mentioned some of the books I've read that something about them touched me in some way and caused me to think.

Different than the books I'll just pick up to have a quick lark with.

And different than ones that I would take a chance on recommending.   Like Melina Marchetta's books 'Saving Francesca.' 

And now a local Richmond, Virginia writer, Gigi Amateau.  Her book 'Claiming Georgia Tate' is good, disturbing at some points, but good.  Has great characters.  

But her book 'Chancey of the Maury River" is a book to definitely pick up and read.  

And I'm sure Gigi would appreciate if you bought them of course, but I say you should definitely pick up and read 'Chancey' - it is definitely a 'chancy' book in more ways than one but I think Gigi pulls it off great.  And her writing is almost lyrical at times in it.

Gigi has become a great asset to the James River Writers here in Richmond.

I hadn't really talked to her, or read her books before....always thought of her as rather unassuming, quiet-like.  But she's rather a dynamo - but sort of a quiet seeming one. ;)

  And her books are like that.  I've not seen a lot of talk about them but they sort of quietly weave their way around your thoughts after you read them.  And they sort of keep themselves known there.  It's a bit hard to put into words, even for a writer!  But do check out her books, both of them, but especially 'Chancey' - I think you'll be glad you did.   And after it's woven it's way around your thoughts, come back and share.

You'll be glad you did. ;-D

Wisdom and Advice

Wisdom and Advice
We sure had a lot of great advice and wisdom from all our wonderful speakers at the James River Writers Conference this past weekend.
From Kirk Ellis, coming off his Emmy win for John Adams, telling us to never take no.
He was fantastic to talk to, with all the interesting projects he’s working on.
To Adriana Trigiani with all her wonderful advice, and what she considered her best - ‘Finish your damn book.’
To her recommendations of her favorite books that she believes everyone should read – which I put in a previous entry, directly from her email.

And then there is the lovely and gracious Diane Mott Davidson, of the Goldy the caterer culinary mystery series fame.
I don’t think I’ve ever met a more gracious person than Diane, and that’s saying a lot considering the world around here also holds the lovely gracious writer Emyl Jenkins. But then Emyl also taught Diane and takes credit for her writing career. ;) So maybe there were other things that transferred in there too. ;)

Diane was also interested in the books Adriana talked about and counted some of Adriana’s favorites as her favorites too.

Diane said that Napoleon Hill's THINK AND GROW RICH, which Adriana emphatically recommended – go buy it! - is an old favorite of hers.

As it is of Adriana’s also since Adriana said she bought another copy on her way to the airport.

Hmmmm, both successful authors, wonderful people, really liking this book – I think I need to take a look at that!

Diane mentioned that she wasn’t familiar with some of the other books that Adriana mentioned so she headed to a bookstore to remedy that.

And since I was lucky enough to have Diane tell me some of her favorite recommended books also, I will share them here with you -

The first recommendation Diane has and her favorite she said is Henri Nouwen ----

“I'd list the Nouwen first, and that would include my favorite Nouwen, The Art of the Beloved, which is also a FABULOUS audio, if you can get the one that Nouwen reads himself. I noticed the Henri Nouwen Society had reissued it for very little $.“

Diane also recommends Nouwen's SPIRITUAL DIRECTION

Then she lists - Norman Vincent Peale's THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING … “I also have an audio of Norman Vincent Peale reading The Power of Positive Thinking and it's super.”

And Louise Hay's YOU CAN HEAL YOUR LIFE, comes in on the list.

Diane did mention she had a bit of trouble finding the books as Adriana listed them in Adriana’s session at the Conference, but found books that she thought might be what Adriana was thinking of – THE MAGIC OF BELIEVING which Diane said was all she could find. And “The other book Adriana recommended that I didn't have is THE POWER OF YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND, by a fellow named Doctor Murphy. “

So there you have it as I have it.
And now I need to go find some books.