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Figures in Motion by Cathy Diez-Luckie – A From Left to Write Book Club

August 27, 2010 5 Comments

Figures in Motion: Dinosaurs on the Move by Cathy Diez-Luckie

Isn’t history an easy subject in school? No? This is the first children’s book we have read here on From Left to Write and, our club being comprised of many moms, we can’t wait to talk about more children’s literature in the future. Read the stories the From Left to Write bloggers are sharing today, inspired by the Figures in Motion books Famous Figures of Ancient Times and DINOSAURS on the Move by Cathy Diez-Luckie.

About the book:

Dinosaurs on the Move: Make prehistoric times come to life with extraordinary dinosaurs that once roamed the earth! Cut-and-color or pre-colored action figures really move as you bring Tyrannosaurus Rex, Allosaurus, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Brachiosaurus, and others to life.

Move their jaws, clash their teeth, and make their powerful legs run as you act out your own dinosaur battles—or make up your own stories about these mighty creatures that ruled the planet.

Use this creative learning tool to introduce and reinforce the wonder of natural history and inspire a love of paleontology with hands-on activities for children ages 6 to 12.

Figures in Motion: Famous Figures of Ancient Times by Cathy Diez-Luckie

Famous Figures of Ancient Times: Emperors! Conquerors! Philosophers! These 20 peoples haped history and our world today. Now you can make real moving figures of these world-changing individuals from thousands of years ago. Cut-and-color or pre-colored action figures really move as you play out the lives of Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, Jesus, King David, Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi (builder of the Great Wall of China), Hannibal (and his elephant!) and others.

Their stories are right in the book – or make up your own stories about these powerful men whose fame has lasted for thousands of years.

Yes, they really move! All you need is this book, a hole punch, and easy-to-use fasteners for assembly. Move their arms and legs, use their swords and shields and act out the real stories of history or make up your own and travel through time.

Famous Figures of Ancient Times by Cathy Diez-Luckie is the National Bronze Medal Winner of the 2009 Independent Book Publishers Awards in the Children’s Interactive Book Category.

Visit the Figures in Motion website.

Follow Cathy Diez-Luckie on Twitter.

Purchase your copy of Famous Ancient Figures and DINOSAURS on the Move by Cathy Diez-Luckie.

Check out other From Left to Write upcoming book clubs and follow the From Left to Write Google Calendar to keep up to date on all of the book club events and dates.

Filed Under: Alma, Book Club Days, Children's Activity Books, Children's Literature, Dannie, Elaine, Elena, Linsey, Lisa H, Melanie, Michele, Michelle F, Paige, Rebecca, Robin M, Susan, Thien-Kim, Tiffany

The Stuff That Never Happened by Maddie Dawson – A From Left to Write Book Club

August 11, 2010 4 Comments
The Stuff That Never Happened by Maddie Dawson

The Stuff That Never Happened by Maddie Dawson

What stuff do you pretend never happened? Nothing, right? Read the stories the From Left to Write bloggers are sharing today, inspired by the book The Stuff That Never Happened by Maddie Dawson.

About the book:

What if you were married to a wonderful husband for twenty-eight years but in love with another man? What if you were in love with them both?

Annabelle McKay knows she shouldn’t have any complaints. She’s been in a stable marriage that’s lasted almost three decades and has provided her with two wonderful children, thousands of family dinners around a sturdy oak table, and a husband so devoted that he schedules lovemaking into his calendar every Wednesday morning. Other wives envy the fact that Grant is not the type of man who would ever cheat on her or leave her for a younger woman. The trouble is Annabelle isn’t sure she wants to be married to Grant anymore. The trouble is she’s still in love with someone else.

In the early tumultuous years of her marriage, Annabelle carried on a clandestine affair with the one person whose betrayal would hurt her husband the most. When it ended, she and Grant found their way back together and made a pact that they would never speak of that time again. But now years later, with her children grown and gone, and an ominous distance opening between them, she can’t help but remember those glorious, passionate days and wonder if she chose the right man.

Then, when called to New York City to help care for her pregnant daughter, Annabelle bumps into her old lover. Offered a second chance at an unforgettable love, she must decide between the man who possesses her heart and the husband who has stood squarely by her side. A journey into the what-ifs that haunt us all, The Stuff That Never Happened is an intricate, heartfelt examination of modern marriage that brims with truths about the nature of romantic love.

Visit Maddie Dawson’s website and the publisher’s website.

Follow Maddie Dawson on Twitter.

Purchase your copy of The Stuff That Never Happened by Maddie Dawson.

Check out other From Left to Write upcoming book clubs and follow the From Left to Write Google Calendar to keep up to date on all of the book club events and dates.

Filed Under: Book Club Days, Brandi, Brenda, Christy, Cindy, Cristie, Darryle, Elaine, Emily C, Grace, Heidi, Jen B, Jennifer M, Kristine, Linsey, Lisa H, Max, Meg, Meghan, Melanie, Melissa, Michele, Neena, Nicki, Nicole, Novels, Pamela, Rachel, Robin, Sarah, Sharon, Stacy, Tesa

This Is Not The Story You Think It Is by Laura Munson: A From Left to Write Book Club

July 20, 2010 2 Comments
This Is Not The Story You Think It Is...

This Is Not the Story You Think It Is by Laura Munson

Can you choose happiness? Even in the midst of a very unlikely time to be happy? Read the stories the From Left to Write bloggers are sharing today, inspired by the book This Is Not the Story You Think It Is by Laura Munson.

About the book:

When Laura Munson’s essay was published, The New York Times was so flooded with responses that they had to close down the comment feature. Readers wrote in saying that they had sent the column to all of their friends. Therapists wrote Munson to tell her that they were passing it out to their clients.

What did Munson write that caused such a fervor?

Laura detailed what happened when her husband of more than twenty years told her he wasn’t sure he loved her anymore and wanted to move out. And while you might think you know where this story is going, this isn’t the story you think it is. Laura’s response to her husband: I don’t buy it.

In this poignant, wise, and often funny memoir, Munson recounts a period of months in which her faith in herself-and her marriage-was put to the test. Shaken to the core after the death of her beloved father, not finding the professional success that she had hoped for, and after countless hours of therapy, Laura finally, at age forty, realized she had to stop basing her happiness on things outside her control and commit herself to an “End of Suffering.” This Is Not The Story You Think It Is… chronicles a woman coming to terms with the myths we tell ourselves-and others-about our life and realizing that ultimately happiness is completely within our control.

http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780399156656,00.html?This_Is_Not_The_Story_You_Think

Purchase your copy of This Is Not the Story You Think It Is by Laura Munson here.

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Full Disclosure: From Left to Write bloggers received complimentary copies of the book This Is Not the Story You Think It Is for use and participation in the From Left to Write Book Club. They were not obligated to write about this book.

Filed Under: Alma, Book Club Days, Brenda, Cristie, Darryle, Elaine, Heidi, Jen B, Kristine, Linsey, Lisa H, Meghan H, Melanie, Melissa, Memoirs, Michelle F, Neena, Nicki, Rachel, Roxane, Sharon, Thien-Kim, Zen Mama Wannabe

Men Who Hate Women? The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

July 12, 2010 3 Comments
girl_dragon_tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

My favorite job was when I spent four summers working at a summer camp as a counselor to the women counselors.  I loved the experience, getting to know the different personalities of women who all had a love of children, encouraging them throughout the long weeks, and, of course, lots of trips to relieve our stress with ice cream.

One summer, as I was getting to know the women on our staff, I discovered that two women were only recently starting to deal with the fact that their older brothers had abused them when they were young girls.  This was their first time to acknowledge something that neither of them had even shared with their parents.  Their emotional needs were great as they sought to make sense of something that was so senseless.  Both women wrestled with feeling unsafe with their brothers and anger at their parents for not protecting them somehow.

Suddenly, I needed more than ice cream to fix a problem.  Unfortunately, this was an issue that went way beyond my experience and my ability to counsel.  For me, this was the first time that something this devastating and horrific had even come close to touching my world.  I grew up with one other sister.  I may have dated some weird guys, but no one came close to abusing me.  How could something like this happen in an otherwise normal, happy family?  If even brothers were capable of such terrible acts, was it possible ever to feel completely safe around men?

Thankfully, both were able to get counseling from another resource.  All they wanted from me was a listening ear and affirmative friendship.  Together we all began a process of acknowledging that there are men out there who hate women as well as wonderful men who treat women with proper love and respect.

Stieg Larsson wrote a crime thriller, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, that on the surface seems to be about international criminal fraud.  As one gets deeper into the book, however, one learns that the book actually reveals a deep-seated and chilling tale about men who commit horrible and horrific acts against women.  While this novel  is a work of fiction, Larsson reminds the reader throughout that the statistics of men who mistreat women are high, even in a seemingly peaceful country like Sweden.

Now that I have a son, as well as three daughters, I find myself trying to find a balance between being aware of the potential risk and dangers of abuse and being aware that my kids are just normal, average kids who don’t have thoughts along these lines.  Of course I don’t want to be a paranoid, hypersensitive mom on the verge of a freak out about something that probably won’t happen.  I also don’t want to be a naive mom who lets something happen right under her nose without any awareness of it.

My goal is teach my son to be a man who loves women appropriately, with respect and honor.  I want to teach my girls to love themselves enough only to date men who will love them this way as well.  Hopefully my only contact with such horrors will be limited to what I read in books like Larsson’s.

This is an original post to the Left to Write book club.  You can find out more about Melanie’s parenting quandaries and qualms at her personal blog, tales from the crib and reviews from the crib.

Filed Under: Melanie, Novels Tagged With: , , ,

If You Knew Suzy by Katherine Rosman: A From Left to Write Book Club

July 6, 2010
If you knew suzy

If You Knew Suzy by Katherine Rosman

What would you find out about your parent when they die? What would your kids find out about you? A new thing or two might be learned, would it not? Read the stories the From Left to Write bloggers are sharing today, inspired by the book If You Knew Suzy: A Mother, A Daughter, A Reporter’s Notebook by Katherine Rosman.

The Twitter hashtag for the From Left to Write book club is #left2write. Follow From Left to Write at @fromleft2write. Follow Katie Rosman at @katierosman.

About the book:

Faced with the loss of her mother, Suzy, to cancer at sixty, Wall Street Journal reporter Katherine Rosman longs to find answers to the questions that we all wrestle with after losing someone we love. So she does what she does best: she opens her notebook and starts investigating.

Thumbing through her late mother’s address book, Rosman begins to discover a woman whose life was intricately connected to a host of characters her daughter hardly knew. Her reporting skills at the ready, she embarks on a cross-country odyssey, tracking down total strangers from whom she hopes to learn about a woman she once thought she couldn’t know better. Venturing into the heart of some colorful communities, Rosman interviews friends and acquaintances of her mother’s, as well as people whose relationships with her were more complex though no less potent—among them a former golf caddie, a legendary Pilates instructor, an eBay glass collector, and an immigrant doctor at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. As Rosman attempts to fill in the blank spaces that may explain her mother’s motivations and philosophies in building a life and in facing death, she comes to understand this woman as she never imagined she could.

Blending humor, honesty, and old-fashioned reporting, Rosman grapples with the bittersweet reality that sometimes we can’t truly know someone until after she is gone. At once comforting, candid, and very funny, If You Knew Suzy is a heartfelt memoir against which readers can consider themselves and the lives of all those they love.

Author website:

http://www.katherinerosman.com

Publisher website:

http://www.harpercollins.com/books/If-You-Knew-Suzy-Katherine-Rosman/?isbn=9780061735233

Purchase your copy of  If You Knew Suzy by Katherine Rosman here.

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Full Disclosure: From Left to Write bloggers received complimentary copies of the book If You Knew Suzy by Katherine Rosman for use and participation in the From Left to Write Book Club. They were not obligated to write about this book.

Filed Under: Book Club Days, Brenda, Cristie, Darryle, Elena, Emily, Emily C, Grace, Heidi, Helen, Jennifer M, Linsey, Lisa, Lisa H, Melanie, Melissa, Memoirs, Michelle, Paige, Pamela, Rachel, Rebekah, Samantha, Sarah, Sharon, Thien-Kim

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