http://kaymarner.com/blog A blog about reading and writing, by a reader and writer! Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:32:01 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en An author responded to our Call for Submissions with this (paraphrased) question: Here is some information about me and my two kids with ADHD. Given this overview, what topic or angle should I focus an essay on in order to make it a good fit for your anthology? ... http://kaymarner.com/blog/2009/11/03/i-could-write-100-essays-which-one-is-right-for-your-book/ Although my review of this book for Adoptive Families magazine will appear in the January/February issue, I couldn't wait that long to recommend this powerful book. Anyone with an interest in international adoption will be intrigued by this, the true story of Vanya, a boy living in an orphanage ... http://kaymarner.com/blog/2009/10/17/powerful-new-must-read-book-the-boy-from-baby-house-10/ When I quit working outside the home back in March, I had no idea that before 6 months had passed, I'd be signing a contract with a publisher to compile and edit a book of essays. (Warning: Trite expletives ahead: It was meant to be! It's a dream ... http://kaymarner.com/blog/2009/10/08/a-book-contract-i-like-the-sound-of-that/ Up until about a week ago, if someone were to ask me what my all time favorite book was, I'd probably say it was Prodigal Summer, by Barbara Kingsolver. Well, move over, Barbara! Kathryn Stockett has hit the shelves! Stockett's first novel--first novel!--The Help, is just about ... http://kaymarner.com/blog/2009/04/20/the-help-by-kathryn-stockett-is-an-amazing-first-novel/ I have time--the hours between 8:45 am and 3:05 pm are mine, all mine. I have a laptop computer. It's missing two keys, the o and the p, but long ago I learned to hit the empty spaces where the keys belong just right, and it works fine. ... http://kaymarner.com/blog/2009/04/20/freelance-writer-in-the-market-for-some-self-discipline/ Do you remember when Oprah's Book Club was all the rage? Maybe it still is, for many people, but Oprah lost me when she moved away from just plain good fiction. Oh, those were the days! There's something about the experience of reading a book, then being able ... http://kaymarner.com/blog/2009/04/02/testimony-by-anita-shreve/ I first read Adriana Trigiani while working as a bookmobile driver. After reading Trigiani's book Big Stone Gap, a coworker shared a passage from the book during a staff meeting. The passage, in which Trigiani described the story's bookmobile librarian and sexpot, Iva Lou, led me and ... http://kaymarner.com/blog/2009/03/30/very-valentine-by-adriana-trigiani/ The Kingfisher Book of Family Poems was the second book I ever reviewed for Adoptive Families Magazine, and as such, it's a sentimental favorite of mine. If you're looking for the perfect gift for someone with a new baby or newly adopted child, an Easter gift that the whole ... http://kaymarner.com/blog/2009/03/30/a-pick-for-april-national-poetry-month-spend-some-of-your-april-with-the-kingfisher-book-of-family-poems/ Three Little Words: A Memoir, by Ashley Rhodes-Courter Rhodes-Courter tells the story of her experiences in foster care, and how "the system" failed her. Through the help of a court appointed advocate, she was eventually adopted. I appreciate Rhodes-Courter's honesty when talking about her adoptive family--her attachment to them ... http://kaymarner.com/blog/2009/03/25/three-little-words-a-memoir/ Love Walked In, by Marisa de los Santos This story hit close to home. One of the story's characters is a girl whose mother (apparently) has Bipolar Disorder. The author's portrayal of the mother is so realistic that while reading this book, I had nightmares about my father, recently deceased, ... http://kaymarner.com/blog/2009/03/25/kays-picks-love-walked-in-belong-to-me/