A Passion for Books

A Train To Poteva...And my own memories

noreply@blogger.com (Ilka Flood) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:12:00 +0000

From the moment I started reading "A Train To Potevka" I was hooked and couldn't put it down. I love spy novels and I am an avid 007 fan. But to me, it was more than a spy novel, it was a walk down memory lane.

While I never visited Russia, although I would have loved to, (well, not the Soviet Union, but the Russia how it was in the olden days under the Czar) reading the book brought back sweet memories of the time when my husband and I first dated, back in Germany.

When Randy and I met, he was a young Captain in the US Armee, stationed at Graves Kaserne in Aschaffenburg, Germany, my hometown. Everything about him was exciting and fascinating. Military life was fascinating. So many new impressions, so much to take in.

I had forgotten the feelings I felt in certain situations...until...I read "A Train To Potevka" and the chapter where Mike Ramsdell describes his experiences as a young Lieutenant in Bavaria, Germany. Some of the places he describes I have visited also...and if it wasn't for me dating my husband back then, I may have never visited them. It was also Randy who brought me to Heidelberg and who made me take part in my very first (and last) Volksmarch. Oftentimes we take things for granted if we are natives and we don't appreciate them as much as those visiting.

Because of all these memories, "A Train To Potevka" will have a special place in my heart and on my bookshelf. It has been a very suspenseful book, one which I will certainly read again and again.

A Train To Potevka will take you on an incredible winter's journey across Great Mother Russia along the 6,000-mile Trans-Siberian Railway. This fascinating story about an American intelligence agent from a small town in the Rockies, is a tale of failed espionage, escape, and second chances.

You can buy it at a discount at my bookstore.

I finally read "The Christmas Box"

noreply@blogger.com (Ilka Flood) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 22:55:00 +0000

I told you in an earlier post, that when I was still living in Germany, I was reading every English book I could get my hands on...and that that was actually the reason I met my husband. (You find that story under the title "Love is...")

Well, when we moved back to the US after being stationed in Bremerhaven, Germany, it was just the opposite. I was hungry for German books because I was so homesick. Now you can't find many books written in German in the bookstores over here, just like I couldn't find that many books written in English over in Germany in the "olden days" ;o) So, I did the same thing as before. I put an ad into a magazine looking for anyone in Germany to trade paperbacks with me. (They would send me books in German, and I would send them books in English in return.)

That's how I met my friend Liz from Bad Cannstadt near Stuttgart 15 years ago. Liz would send me books of my favorite German authors and I in return would send her books of her favorite English authors. It worked out great and we even continued to exchange books for several years after Amazon came along. It wasn't just books anymore either that went across the ocean as we had grown pretty close as friends. It started off with letters, then faxes, then emails and now we skype each other on a regular basis.

But anyway, what I wanted to tell you is, that a few years back I sent "The Christmas Box" by Richard Paul Evans as a Christmas present to Liz. I had no idea back then, that I would one day meet him in person, let alone be in business together with him.

Well in May of last year I joined BookWise which is Richard Paul Evans' brainchild and a wonderful home-based business. And in October I was fortunate enough to meet him at the First BookWise Annual Convention in Salt Lake City. I asked him to autograph a copy of "The Christmas Box" back then which I wrapped up and put under the tree as my Christmas present to myself.

Once I started reading it, I could not put it down and read it in one setting. I forgot the advice to read it with a box of Kleenex' nearby though. When I remembered, it was too late. What a wonderful story!

You can find it in my bookstore here: www.ShopBookWise.com Just type it into the search box.

And remember to have a box of Kleenex nearby.

Enjoy!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Ilka Flood) — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 18:02:00 +0000

To all my friends who visit this blog...

I would like to wish you a very merry Christmas, a wonderful Holiday Season and many blessings throughout the coming year!

May there be peace on earth!

Quotes about books and reading

noreply@blogger.com (Ilka Flood) — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 02:46:00 +0000

I find television to be very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go in the other room and read a book. _Groucho Marx

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog it is hard to read. _Groucho Marx

The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them. _Mark Twain

A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. _Chinese Proverb

Be as careful of the books you read, as of the company you keep, for your habits and character will be as much influenced by the former as the latter. _Paxton Hood

To acquire the habit of reading is to contruct for yourself a refuge from almost all of the miseries of life. _W. Somerset Maugham

If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what book he reads. _Ralph Waldo Emerson

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends: they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers. _Charles W. Eliot

There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island. _Walt Disney

The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go. _Dr. Seus

For those who've never seen a book...

noreply@blogger.com (Ilka Flood) — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 22:08:00 +0000

I thought this was pretty funny. Enjoy!

"Introducing the book"
(Click the picture)

I had no idea I had a "money and success blueprint".

noreply@blogger.com (Ilka Flood) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 04:05:00 +0000

Wow! Finding out that I had a personal "money and success blueprint" ingrained in my subconscious mind really blew me away. Learning that this blueprint will determine my financial live was really eye opening. I was often wondering why, although I worked so hard, I never seemed to be able to reach the success I wanted. It seemed to be so easy for some people, however I struggled and I couldn't find out why. I was ready to give up and just settle for whatever I would get...until...I read this book.

"Secrets of the Millionaire Mind Mastering the Inner Game of Wealth", by T. Harv Eker

I don't think I ever read a book as fast as this one. Right from the start there were so many "aha moments". I kept thinking, "yep, that's me alright." How could I change anything before if I didn't even know what it was that I was doing wrong.

Since I have started to apply the "Wealth Principles" in this book my life is changing. I highly recommend this book to anyone young or old and especially married couples. If you are fighting about money your financial blueprints don't match. Read this book it may just save your marriage.

What hidden talents are in YOU?

noreply@blogger.com (Ilka Flood) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 16:50:00 +0000

It's amazing what a bit of confidence can do.
Watch the video below...you'll be speechless.

After watching the video above, please go here for
the rest of the story...

SEMI FINAL

FINAL

Have you ever read a book that changed your life?

noreply@blogger.com (Ilka Flood) — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 21:32:00 +0000

That is what happened to me a month or so ago. "The 5 Lessons A Millionaire Taught Me About Life and Wealth", by Richard Paul Evans was part of my starter kit at BookWise a business I had just joined, partnering up with Richard Paul Evans and Robert Allen, two New York Times bestselling authors. I probably wouldn't have found out about this book until much later had I not joined BookWise. I can not put into words how the simple but powerful lessons in this book are transforming my life and that of our family's.

I could totally relate to Richard Paul Evan's childhood story at WinningInTheMargins.com and agree that the only way to get ahead in life is "Winning in the Margins". (To learn about the principles of Winning in the Margins go to WinningInTheMargins.com and enter passkey: booklover)

My husband's business had taken a nose dive over the past 18 months and we were heading in the wrong direction financially. But instead of getting depressed and feeling hopeless about the situation we started to use the advice and knowledge of the "5 Lessons" to turn our lives around.

This book has been a Godsend as has BookWise. Our low monthly membership fee also includes different seminars. One of them, the weekly WealthWin seminar, follows along the principles of the "5 Lessons". So in a way, this book becomes interactive, as Richard Paul Evans, one of the founders of BookWise, goes more into the detail of his teachings of wealth acquisition and the proper way to use money.

"The 5 Lessons A Millionaire Taught Me About Life and Wealth" teaches in easy to understand terms how to accumulate wealth and keep it. It is the most powerful and life-changing book I have ever read and I just wish I would have come across it a lot earlier. I recommend this book to anyone but especially to young people just starting out and to anyone who is struggling with their finances.

Book lover burns books

noreply@blogger.com (Ilka Flood) — Mon, 28 May 2007 23:00:00 +0000

"Book lover burns books", read the headline on Yahoo today. "Oh no", I thought, "how could he? What was he thinking?" But then after reading the article I sympathized with Wayne. His heart must have been aching more and more each time he added another book to the bonfire. Mine sure would have. Read the article by clicking HERE.

That kind of reminds me...

Not of burning books, but leaving them behind. I already mentioned below that I met my husband while he was in the military and stationed in Germany. When it was time for us to pack up and move over here he told me that I couldn't bring all of my things because of the weight limit. That meant I had to leave a lot of my books behind....as well as some of my record collection.

Now, my little apartment was full of books. My mom, whom I lost to cancer when I was 21 had belonged to a bookclub, so I inherited a lot of hers and since I had stayed with the bookclub after she passed away I had accumulated more. I just loved books and reading...and obviously still do.

It was heart-wrenching to chose which books to bring along and which to leave behind. So I left most of the American authors behind while I brought most of my favorite German authors along. I figured it would be much harder to replace those over here. There was no Internet and no Amazon.com in 1980 ;o)

BookWise is already changing my life

noreply@blogger.com (Ilka Flood) — Sun, 27 May 2007 02:22:00 +0000

A month ago my husband send me a link he had received in a newsletter he subscribes too. "You might be interested in this", the subject read. Since I had a little bit of time I clicked on the link. It brought up a BookWise website. "Hmmm", I thought, as I watched the presentation, "very interesting." And before the whole presentation was over, I had already decided to join.

This was absolutely perfect for me! I already love books. I already am into personal growth and self development. I love savings and I love earning extra money. What I didn't anticipate was, what an enormous impact this program would have on my life in just a few weeks.

See, for my low monthly membership fee I not only get a hardcover book of my choice, an audio book and an ebook. I also get training by the founders of BookWise, two New York Times bestselling authors, on how to be WealthWise and TaxWise. Plus, I save a lot of money by getting my books 40% - 50% off. And no, that's not all. Not by a long shot. But instead of explaining it all here, why don't you visit www.WinningInTheMargins.com and enter passkey: booklover.

If after watching the presentation it all makes sense to you, get in contact with me and let me know your feedback...or...join our team HERE!

This is the most incredible opportunity I have seen in my 10 years in Network Marketing. This is a perfect home business for young moms who would like to stay home with their children, or for the person who already has a home business and wants to add an income stream and at the same time grow as a person.

LOVE IS...trading "pocket books"

noreply@blogger.com (Ilka Flood) — Thu, 24 May 2007 22:50:00 +0000

If it wasn't for my passion for books I probably wouldn't be married to my husband right now as books are the very thing that brought us together....kind of.

I grew up in Germany and next to my love for books I always had a love for foreign languages also. Actually, I started learning English translating Beatles songs when I was...very young. ;o) Later I devoured as many books in the English language as I could get my hands on, which actually weren't that many as most bookstores in my hometown only carried a few so I had to read whatever was available.

One day I had the brilliant idea to put an ad in a magazine to look for someone who would like to "trade pocket books" (as we called paperbacks in Germany) with me. So I did, and a few weeks later, I got this letter in the mail from someone with a return address of "APO New York" interested in trading with me.

"Cool", I thought, "this guy lives in New York" for sure they have English pocket books there. (Little did I know that APO stood for Army Post Office and was a military address.)Anyway, I answered. The second letter I got from him had a different return address...it was actually a town just a few miles away....and he asked me for a date. That's not really what I wanted. I didn't want a relationship, I just wanted to trade pocket books. But since this seemed the only way to get some, I agreed.

Our first date was at a little "Weinstube", an intimate little wine restaurant and after talking for a little bit about this and that, my future husband put a cute little handmade (in Romania) wallet on the table. "What's this?", I asked, and he said "I thought you wanted to trade "pocket books?" ;o) ;o) ;o)

The rest as they say...is history!

Books, a part of my life since the beginning

noreply@blogger.com (Ilka Flood) — Wed, 23 May 2007 21:07:00 +0000

Books have been a part of my life as long as I can remember. My grandfather was a bookbinder and as a little girl, my favorite place was a spot on the table right next to the book press by the window in his workshop. I would sit there and watch him as he carefully restored the treasured heirlooms of his customers. I could tell he was very passionate about what he was doing.

Sometimes he had children's books to fix with loose pages or tattered covers. Then it was "storytime" if he wasn't too busy. Just thinking about those long ago times gives me the warm fuzzies. There's just something about books and the way they make you feel...and the stories that become part of your life.

Back then I went on adventures with Laura Ingalls from "Little House on the Prairie" or I climbed up a Swiss mountain with "Heidi" to visit her grandpa. When I was in the hospital when I was 13 "Treasure Island" helped me forget the pain. And later I gratuated to "For Whom The Bell Tows" one of my alltime favorites.

Books can take you to far away places you may never be able to go in real life. But you can read about them, dream about them and in your imagination actually be there. It works for me all the time.

Even now, when I get homesick I pick up a copy of one of my favorite German authors and then I'm right back home...at least for a couple of hours. I can feel the light brise of the North Sea. See the grass wave in the wind or hear the quiet splashing of the little mountain streams. Depending on what novels I'm reading of course ;o)

Have you ever noticed that when you read a book for the second time, or third, or fourth (as sometimes in my case), the exact same images play in your mind as when you read it for the very first time? Interesting, huh?