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by kate
Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “All the little bird-hearts” by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow
Kate’s 2¢: “All the little bird-hearts” by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow
“All the little bird-hearts” by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow
Rose Akroyd did a good job of reading this novel. I like the title and think it exemplified the enigma that is the autism spectrum.
I felt an over-whelming sadness at the end of the story, until I read the epilogue. Then, I didn’t feel quite so angry at loosing her child. When I read about Vita’s taking the infant of AnnaBelle, I wondered if that was a fore-shadowing of what was to come.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow is a British writer whose debut novel, All the Little Bird-Hearts, was longlisted for the 2023 Booker Prize.[1] The novel tells of a friendship that develops between Sunday, an autistic woman living in a Lake District home, and her newly arrived eccentric neighbor Vita, who emigrated from London with her husband Rollo. The friendship between the two women eventually sours as Sunday’s daughter Dolly begins to favor the relationship with Vita while neglecting her mother.
The Booker Prize judging panel stated the work was a “lyrical and poignant debut novel [that] offers a deft exploration of motherhood, vulnerability and the complexity of human relationships”.[1] James Smart, writing for The Guardian described the work as a “tightly focused story, set almost entirely in two neighbouring houses on a quiet street, that’s also a gleeful skewering of social codes, a raw portrait of family life and a revealing account of neurodivergence.”[2]
Biography[edit]
Lloyd-Barlow obtained her PhD in creative writing from the University of Kent, with Amy Sackville serving as her doctoral adviser.[3] Lloyd-Barlow’s debut novel, All the Little Bird-Hearts, was developed as a result of her PhD studies.[3] She became the first autistic author to be nominated for a Booker Prize with the novel’s longlisting in 2023.[4]
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
All the little bird-hearts DB118799
Lloyd-Barlow, Viktoria. Reading time: 9 hours, 18 minutes.
Read by Rose Akroyd.
Family
Psychological Fiction
“Sunday Forrester does things more carefully than most people. On certain days, she must eat only white food; she drinks only carbonated beverages; she avoids clocks. It’s 1988, before autism was widely diagnosed. Sunday has an old etiquette handbook that guides her through confusing social situations, and to escape, she turns to her treasury of Sicilian folklore. The one thing very much out of her control is Dolly, her clever, headstrong teenage daughter, now on the cusp of leaving their home in the Lake District of England. When the glamourous Vita and Rollo move in next door, the couple disarm Sunday with their charm, and proceed to deliciously break just about every rule in Sunday’s book. Soon they are spending loads of time together, and Sunday feels acknowledged like never before. But underneath Vita and Rollo’s allure lies something else, something darker. For Sunday has precisely what Vita has always wanted for herself: a daughter of her own.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
Downloaded: August 4, 2024
Download All the little bird-hearts
Kate’s 2¢: “All the little bird-hearts” by Viktoria Lloyd-Barlow
Kate’s 2¢: “Angel Fire” by Ron Franscell
John Polk did a good job narrating this story for NLS.
I’ve read other accounts of the atrocities in Vietnam and even the descriptions can be very disturbing. I can understand how being witness to a massacre could really blow your mind.
I thought the ending was a fitting way to wrap up the story.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ron Franscell (born January 29, 1957) is an American journalist, novelist and true crime writer best known for the true account The Darkest Night about the 1973 crimes against two childhood friends in the small community where Franscell grew up.
Franscell was raised in Casper, Wyoming, where he attended Kelly Walsh High School. He attended the US Naval Academy in Annapolis and later Casper College, where he was editor of the school newspaper (The Chinook). He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wyoming in 1979.
Franscell and his wife live in Placitas, Sandoval County, New Mexico. His wife, Mary Franscell, is a high school English teacher. He has two children.
Career[edit]
He worked as a journalist in Wyoming, New Mexico and California for Gannett newspapers from 1983–1989 and is a past president of the Wyoming Press Association.[1]
When Hurricane Rita made landfall in Texas, Franscell, managing editor at the time for the Beaumont Enterprise, rode out the storm with staff members in the newspaper’s building.[2][3]
In 2001, he was hired as a senior writer and columnist to write about the American West by the Denver Post, where he stayed two years. Following 9/11, he went on assignment for the Post to the Middle East. He worked for the Hearst Corporation from 2004–2008.
He was a judge for Knight Ridder newspaper’s Top Books of 2003[4] and the International Association of Crime Writers Hammett Prize in 2017.
In 2008, the book Fall: The Rape and Murder of Innocence in a Small Town, Franscell’s book about a crime against two young girls who were his next-door neighbors in Wyoming, was republished by St. Martin’s Press with the new title The Darkest Night.[5]
His book Delivered From Evil, for which he interviewed survivors of notorious mass killings in America, was released in January 2011. After the assassination attempt near Tucson, Arizona the same month of U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords’, when 18 other people were shot, six of whom died, Franscell was asked to comment for media outlets about mass murders.[6][7]
True Crime Zine gave Franscell’s ninth book, The Crime Buff’s Guide to Outlaw Washington, DC released by Globe Pequot Press in September 2012, a five-star review.[8] The Huffington Post reviewed The Sourtoe Cocktail Club, about a father-and-son road trip before Franscell’s son Matt left for college.[9]
Franscell’s The Crime Buff’s Guide to Outlaw Pennsylvania was released by Globe Pequot in October 2013.[10]
From NLS/BARD/LOC”
Angel fire: a novel DB49893
Franscell, Ron. Reading time: 11 hours, 19 minutes.
Read by John Polk.
Psychological Fiction
Twenty-four years after the reported death of his war correspondent brother Daniel, Cassidy McLeod receives a call that will forever change his life; Daniel has been found alive in Vietnam. When the much-changed man returns home, the joyful reunion soon turns somber. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 1998.
Downloaded: August 4, 2024
Download Angel fire: a novel
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “Buck’s Best Dogs: Private Dog Training and Socialization Groups: a Comprehensive Approach to Training Your Dog” by Graham Buck
Kate’s 2¢: “Buck’s Best Dogs: Private Dog Training and Socialization Groups: a Comprehensive Approach to Training Your Dog” by Graham Buck
“Buck’s Best Dogs: Private Dog Training and Socialization Groups: a Comprehensive Approach to Training Your Dog” by Graham Buck
I was anxious to read Graham’s book, as I was one of his first two student at Guiding Eyes for the Blind in September, 1989. He trained me with my first guide god, Future Grace. She was a fabulous Golden Retriever guide dog and I realized this young man had a future in working with canines and people. I still use what he taught me although I’m on my 6th guide dog.
“Buck’s Best Dogs: Private Dog Training and Socialization Groups: a Comprehensive Approach to Training Your Dog.
Publisher: Xlibris Us
ISBN: 978-1664178649
Copyright © 2021 by Graham Buck.
Graham Buck, professional dog trainer, former guide dog mobility instructor, and published author. Graham is a devoted friend of the guide dog community.
One of his many zoom meetings with guide dog handlers, graduates, puppy raisers, and friend of the guide dog community was on July 17, 2024.
About the book from Graham:
“This book began by providing documents on different areas of dog training, behavior, and management to my clients. As I started to put documents together, I soon realized that a book was beginning to take shape. This is a starting point of building dog understanding with people and their dogs.”
The book is available from Amazon and Kindle:
About Graham Buck
Graham is a professional dog trainer with a comprehensive approach based on the east end of Long Island, New York. He grew up with dogs and has trained them for 36 years. Many of you may know Graham from his 31 years at Guiding Eyes for the Blind training guide dogs and their handlers. During that time, he came to truly appreciate the need for consistency and repetition in order to develop reliable dog behaviors.
As Graham says, “When training guide dogs it is very important to be able to proof the shaped behaviors in real life scenarios.” He currently helps people and their pet dogs accomplish their goals through his extensive training efforts. Buck has developed an online library of audio training files Below are links to a few of his audio files
Audio Files:
Senior dogs and puppies: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/co1rqtouyef20q0zij7nf/Senior-Dog-Puppy.m4a?rlkey=kv40ofi5ndjzxdmwe4d33pbx4&dl=0
Dog food and nutrition: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/m0rspur3cheduj21wolxe/Dog-food-and-dog-nutrition.m4a?rlkey=ysgjeg8jj1kc8poze5iayee96&dl=0
you can read more about Graham’s background and work here: https://bucksbestdogs.com/about
Graham’s book is also available on BookShare, which where I downloaded it.
btw: guidedogbookclub@gmail.com has created a new email list serve just for the Guide Dog Book Club community. To subscribe to the list, send a blank email to guidedogbookclub+subscribe@groups.io. Or request an invitation to be sent to your inbox by emailing guidedogbookclub@gmail.com.
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “Dogwood Blossom: growing up Native American” by DeAnna Quietwater Noriega
Kate’s 2¢: “Dogwood Blossom: growing up Native American” by DeAnna Quietwater Noriega
“Dogwood Blossom: growing up Native American” by DeAnna Quietwater Noriega
Laurie Coiley Massing did a nice job of narrating this poignant book. The stories within this slim volume relate the bond the young Native American girl, named Dogwood Blossom, has with her family amidst poverty and prejudice.
I like that DeAnna included several of the low-cost gifts and toys she made for her younger brothers and family members.
I briefly met DeAnna when we were attending the American Council of the Blind conference in Rochester, NY. She is soft spoken and travels with a guide dog for the blind. She has also published a book about her many guide dogs and shared her stories with us during meetings of the Behind Our Eyes organization of writers with disabilities.
Bio from “Behind Our Eyes 2: A Second Look” anthology:
DeAnna Quietwater Noriega is half Apache and a quarter Chippewa, living in Fulton, Missouri. She has been a writer and story teller since childhood. She has had work accepted in four anthologies. Her writing has appeared in “Magnets and Ladders” and “Generations”, a native literature magazine.
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Dogwood Blossom: growing up Native American DBC11736
Noriega, DeAnna Quietwater Reading time: 1 hour, 15 minutes.
Laurie Coiley Massing A production of Perkins Library, Perkins School for the Blind.
Biography of Persons with Disabilities
Family
In Dogwood Blossom, the author invokes a simpler time and how it was growing up in a world that didn’t always accept her. Poverty and oppression are no match for the strong bonds among the members of this hardworking and loving family. The life lessons here will resonate with readers young and old. Adult. Unrated.
Download Dogwood Blossom: growing up Native American DBC11736
Kate’s 2¢: “Philadelphia legal. Books 1-3” by William L. Myers, Jr.
“Philadelphia legal. Books 1-3” by William L. Myers, Jr.
While I enjoyed these three stories, I came away with the thought that defense attorneys sometimes bend the law and use unscrupulous sources and tactics to make their case.
Eva Wilhelm did a good job of narrating this book.
From the web:
William L. Myers, Jr., born in 1958 in Philadelphia, is a Philadelphia trial lawyer and the author of the best-selling Philadelphia Legal Series, as well as the psychological thriller Backstory. He has tried cases up and down the East Coast and has argued before the United States Supreme Court. He lives outside Philadelphia with his wife, Lisa.
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Philadelphia legal. Books 1-3 DB97214
Myers, William L, Jr; Myers, William L. Reading time: 34 hours, 2 minutes.
Read by Eva Wilhelm.
Suspense Fiction
Mystery and Detective Stories
Legal Fiction
Three novels, written between 2017 and 2019, feature Philadelphia attorney Mick McFarland and his coworkers. Includes A Criminal Defense, An Engineered Injustice, and A Killer’s Alibi, in which Mick must defend a mobster accused of murdering his daughter’s lover. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 2019.
Downloaded: July 4, 2024
Download Philadelphia legal. Books 1-3
Kate’s 2¢: “Suspect” by Robert Crais
What a wonderful story. As a guide dog handler, I know how well-trained and special working dogs are. This story takes you from the depths of despair experienced by Maggie, the military dog, and Scott, the policeman who couldn’t protect his human partner.
It takes you from the depths of devastation and trauma to the heart-warming heights of a new bonding and success.
Todd Fox did a good job of narrating this moving story.
robertcrais.com
Robert Crais – Wikipedia
Robert Crais (pronounced /kreɪs/) (born June 20, 1953) is an American author of detective fiction and former screenwriter. Crais began his career writing scripts for television shows such as Hill Street Blues, Cagney & Lacey, Quincy, Miami Vice and L.A. Law. His writing is influenced by Raymond Chandler, Dashiell.
Robert Crais is the author of the best-selling Elvis Cole novels. A native of Louisiana, he grew up on the banks of the Mississippi River in a blue collar family of oil refinery workers and police officers. Born in Independence, Louisiana, he was adopted and raised as an only child. He attended Louisiana State University and studied mechanical engineering.
Crais moved to Hollywood in 1976 where he found work
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Suspect DB76115
Crais, Robert Reading time: 7 hours, 49 minutes.
Todd Fox A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.
Suspense Fiction
Military dog Maggie suffers PTSD after her beloved handler is killed. LAPD cop Scott James is similarly traumatized after he almost dies and his fellow officer Stephanie is killed in a shoot-out. Scott and Maggie–both new to the canine unit–become partners and investigate Stephanie’s shooting. Violence and strong language. 2013.
Download Suspect DB76115
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Comments Off on Kate’s 2¢: “Steel magnolias” by Robert Harling
Kate’s 2¢: “Steel magnolias” by Robert Harling
“Steel magnolias” by Robert Harling
Jocelyn Towne, Brittany Snow, Amy Pietz, Shannon Holt, Frances Fisher, Josh Clark, and Jeanie Hackett dramatically read this play with enthusiasm and passion. I felt like I was ‘one of the girls’. They expressed their emotionally reactions to the various issues and made me laugh and cry right along with them. Well done, my friends.
Robert Harling is an American writer, producer and film director123. He was born on November 12, 1951 in Dothan, Alabama23. He is known for writing the screenplay for Steel Magnolias (1989), based on his own play, and for producing and writing The Evening Star (1996) and The First Wives Club (1996)13. He is not to be confused with Robert Henry Harling, a British typographer, designer, journalist and novelist4.
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Harling, Robert Reading time: 1 hour, 54 minutes.
Jocelyn Towne; Brittany Snow; Amy Pietz; Shannon Holt; Frances Fisher; Josh Clark; Jeanie Hackett
Family
“Within the walls of Truvy’s beauty shop are six women whose lives increasingly hinge on the existence of one another. Together, they absorb the passing seasons, just like the weathered wooden structure of the salon “home” that they share. An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast production, starring Frances Fisher, Jeanie Hackett, Shannon Holt, Amy Pietz, Brittany Snow, Jocelyn Towne. Additional voices by Josh Clark. Directed by Jessica Kubzansky and recorded before an audience by L.A. Theatre Works.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
Download Steel magnolias DB113222
Kate’s 2¢: “Man on the Run” by Carl Weber
“Man on the Run” by Carl Weber
This was one of seven stories included on a cartridge the NLS sent to me. I started to read it, but found it to be disgusting, misogynistic, racist, and pornographic. I did not finish the story.
Carl Weber (author) – Wikipedia
Carl Weber (born 1964) is an American author, publisher, television writer and producer. He owns Urban Books, a publishing company, and formerly owned Urban Knowledge, a chain of bookstores. His mystery novels was adapted into films The Man in 3B (2015), The Preacher’s Son (2017), The Choir Director (2018) and Influence (2020).
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Man on the run DB116552
Weber, Carl Reading time: 8 hours, 27 minutes.
Ron Butler; Kevin R. Free; Randall Bane; JD Jackson
Friendship Fiction
General
“Jay Crawford has spent too long paying for a crime he didn’t commit. For ten years, he’s been in prison, waiting for the right opportunity to prove his innocence. But when his family is threatened, the time for waiting is over. Jay just didn’t realize that escaping would be the easy part… To get justice, he’ll need the help of the three best friends who have always had his back — Wil, Kyle and Allan. But how long will Allan let Jay stay in his house if his new wife seems to prefer the sexy ex-con sleeping on their couch? And does helping Jay mean Wil finally gets pulled into the not-exactly-legal Duncan family business? As Kyle finds his loyalties — and his finances — stretched to the limit, who will he have to sacrifice? A man on the run requires absolute trust, but Jay might just be setting himself up for the ultimate betrayal…” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.
Title
Kate’s 2¢: “The Blue Book” by Alison Louise Kennedy
Kennedy A L The blue book
Kate’s 2¢: “The Blue Book” by Alison Louise Kennedy
I’m afraid I didn’t find this book memorable. Usually, I enjoy reading stories from authors of other countries. Maybe I just didn’t “get it”.
From the web:
Alison Louise Kennedy (Born: Oct 22, 1965) is a Scottish writer of novels, short stories and non-fiction.
From NLS/BARD/LOC”
The blue book DB76427
Kennedy, A. L. Reading time: 12 hours, 8 minutes.
Read by Rosalyn Landor.
Psychological Fiction
While on a cruise across the Atlantic with her lover Derek, Elizabeth encounters Arthur–her former flame and fellow con artist. Elizabeth tries to hide her history from Derek as she contemplates her life choices. Strong language and some explicit descriptions of sex. Commercial audiobook. 2011.
Downloaded: April 3, 2024
Download The blue book
Cornucopia: My Publishing Trek
2024May
My initiation into the world of book publishing was traumatic and unpleasant, to say the least. The writer’s group held a convention, inviting Kent Brown, an editor/publisher. He was enthusiastic about my manuscript for a children’s book, asked a lot of questions, and asked to take it with him. I was thrilled. After 6 weeks, my colleagues urged me to write to ask the status of my manuscript. He replied, he’d sent it to another department for review. After another few weeks, my colleague heard from a friend in the Buffalo writer’s group that he’d given it to a woman in his stable of writers. She changed my story to have the young blind girl walking with a guide dog in harness. I wrote that it had been brought to my attention that the change to my story was a dis-service to the blind, as trained guide dogs are not issued to very young children. Although I received no response, the woman changed the ending to have the young child playing in the meadow with the dog sans harness. The experience made me very wary of submitting my intellectual properties.
My next foray into publishing was to submit an article from the dog’s point of view to a dog magazine. Ross Becker, the editor, promptly replied that he really wanted my article, but that he was the only one who would write from the dog’s point of view and would I change it to a person’s point of view. Of course, I agreed and a long-term relationship was formed. I wrote two or three articles each year for several years until he and Judy’s untimely death in a car crash.
After my children went to school, I established a daily writing schedule to write from 9:00AM to Noon and beyond if I was in hot pursuit of a story. Many times I found the pieces I wrote through my tears or as I laughed turned out to be the most emotionally grabbing and popular pieces.
I edited my manuscript as best I could with the screen reader and the word processor’s attributes, then, discuss any edits with the publisher. With “Charles and David” the editor and I went toe to toe about an issue until we realized that she was coming at the diabetes from a hypo glycimic point, while I was coming at it from the hyper glycimic side. Bottom line, to get the book published, I caved and agreed with her. She carried “The Night Search” and “Charles and David” for 26 of her 27 years of being in business.
Self-publishing “Green Trillium” was not an experience I’d like to do again. I had a manuscript started and was introduced to illustrator from Finland who was here with her husband, a nano-physisist. They were here for the one year of his research grant. We got along well and I liked the descriptions I heard about the sample pictures she drew. I wantedto get the book published as a gift to her before they left the states. The publishers didn’t follow my directions about color, making the illustrations very cartoonish. They refused to put page numbers on a children’s book and a variety of other issues. A year after Mia and her husband went on to Genoa, Italy, I paid $75 to mail her one copy. Not long after that, I bing-ed her name and found that she’d translated it into Finish, without my copyright permission, but it was done and I didn’t see much sense of suing for royalties.
While I have two book manuscripts on my dream list of things to have published, I find magazine and newspaper articles are most rewarding. They have a built-In market and I can concentrate more on writing.
I’ll be happy to answer any questions when Alice opens the discussion phase of our meeting. Thank you.
### format for talk
My initiation
into the world of
book publishing
was traumatic
and unpleasant,
to say the least.
The writer’s group held
a convention,
inviting Kent Brown,
an editor/publisher.
He was enthusiastic
about my manuscript
for a children’s book,
asked a lot of questions,
and asked to take it with him.
I was thrilled.
After 6 weeks,
my colleagues urged me
to write to
ask the status
of my manuscript.
He replied,
he’d sent it to
another department for review.
After another few weeks,
my colleague heard from
a friend in the
Buffalo writer’s group
that he’d given it
to a woman in his stable
of writers.
She changed my story
to have the young blind girl
walking with a guide dog in harness.
I wrote that
it had been brought to my attention
that the change to my story
was a dis-service to
the blind,
as trained guide dogs
are not issued
to very young children.
Although I received no response
the woman changed
the ending to
have the young child
playing in the meadow
with the dog sans harness.
The experience made me
very wary of submitting
my intellectual properties.
My next foray
into publishing was to
submit an article
from the dog’s point of view
to a dog magazine.
Ross Becker, the editor,
promptly replied
that he really wanted my article,
but that he was the only
one who would write from
the dog’s point of view
and would I change
it to a person’s point of view.
Of course, I agreed
and a long-term relationship
was formed.
I wrote two or three
articles each year
for several years
until he and Judy’s untimely death
in a car crash.
After my children went to school,
I established a daily writing schedule
to write from 9 aM to Noon
and beyond
if I was in hot pursuit
of a story.
Many times I found
the pieces I wrote
through my tears
or as I laughed
turned out to be
the most emotionally grabbing
and popular pieces.
I edited my manuscript
as best I could
with the screen reader
and the word
processor’s attributes,
then, discuss any edits
with the publisher.
With “Charles and David”
the editor and I
went toe to toe
about an issue
until we realized
that she was coming at the diabetes
from a hypo glycimic point,
while I was coming at it
from the hyper glycimic side.
Bottom line,
to get the book published,
I caved and
agreed with her.
She carried “The Night Search”
and “Charles and David”
for 26 of her 27 years
of being in business.
Self-publishing
“Green Trillium”
was not an experience
I’d like to do again.
I had a manuscript started
and was introduced to an
illustrator from Finland
who was here with her husband
a nano-physisist.
They were here
for the one year of his research grant.
We got along well
and I liked the descriptions
I heard about the
sample pictures she drew.
I wanted to
get the book published
as a gift to her
before they left the states.
The publishers didn’t follow
my directions about color,
they made the illustrations very cartoonish.
They refused to put page numbers
on a children’s book
and a variety of
other issues.
A year after Mia
and her husband went on
to Genoa, Italy,
I paid $75 to mail
her one free copy.
Not long after that,
I bing-ed her name
and found that she’d
translated it into Finish,
without my copyright permission,
but it was done
and I didn’t see
much sense of
suing for royalties.
While I have two
book manuscripts
on my dream list
of things to have published,
I find magazine
and newspaper articles
are most rewarding.
They have a built-In
market
and I can concentrate more
on writing.
I may have
Only 3 books
But I have
Over fifteen hundred by-lines to my credit.