If this sounds like you, then these three books should be on your desk. Not on your shelf. On your desk, open, in process. They’re no substitute for tailored-for-you coaching, but they’ll give you a great DIY boost.

  

1. What Color Is Your Parachute Workbook
Not the thick tome. The slim workbook is what you want. Start here for getting a map of what’s most important to you in your work life. It involves homework. It’s worth it.

2. Now Discover Your Strengths
Forget the Myers-Briggs. (Or rock your MBTI if you love it.) When I coach clients on career design, I have found strengths to be more helpful than type. You’ll need to buy your own copy so you can get a code to take the StrengthsFinder online.

3. This Time I Dance!
Turn to this read when you want encouragement to step off the beaten path. The author’s personal story of leaving a successful law career will companion you through the ups and downs of your own adventure.

After you’ve discovered your strengths and determined the color of your parachute, and are dancing toward your own authentic path, give me a call for private coaching. We’ll use left- and right-brain processes to help you integrate what you’ve uncovered, set goals, and get into action.

Click here to view on Elka’s Blog.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Here is what I wonder, sometimes, having grown up around writers. I wonder if the idea is there, but not fully formed, but the writer is getting too much pressure from fans and/or agents and editors. If the idea of writing the book is stronger than the idea of the book. If the idea is there, but not ready, but forced to come out anyway and get all over the paper in a still-good-but-vaguely-unsatisfying ending.

A lot of this book read more like a movie, or a video game, than the other two — and that’s saying something, because the other two were not exactly slow pacing. And I had to keep reminding myself that at this point Katniss was only about 17, and how did I feel about boys when I was 17, because at times I really did just want to slap her and tell her to choose already and shut up about it.

But what I really liked was that at the end, she’s still sort of damaged. That’s very true. Many people who have been to war, or through horrific events, are still messed up — it’s not all flowers and unicorns like many books and movies would have us believe. So overall, I really liked the ending of the series.

View all my reviews

We’re Making a Call to Volunteers…

We love this space, but the truth of it is, we need help.

We are growing and stretching in so many ways, we’re hosting more events, and the FoWI non-profit board has grown to be a beautiful statement of diversity and dedication.

This year alone we’ve welcomed five local and independent authors, and we’ve listened to Amy Ray, Zoe Lewis and Maria Carter play intimate shows.

We fell in love with six amazing interns and a dedicated board of directors who created projects like Operation Comfort Doll and compiled Recommended Reading Lists for Queer Fiction, Queer Non-Fiction, LGBTQ Families, Body Image Acceptance and Environmentally Friendly Homesteading.

We co-sponsored two Living History Events, gatherings centered on storytelling about the LGBTQ experiences of coming out and building family, partnering  with UF and other community organizations like the Pride Center.

Every month we host a Feminist Book Club, Feminist Open Mic, Trans Discussion Group, NOW Board Meeting, and Pagan Meet Up.  And we’re always willing to host more.

We’ve celebrated and watched Cafe Colette settle in, find their rhythm and become part of the family.  They were a missing piece of the puzzle and they have been an important catalyst in the midst of all this growth.

Your help now is critical – do you have 15 hours a month to help make sure Florida’s only Feminist Bookstore continues to be a safe space in our community?  We are one of less than a dozen Feminist Bookstores left in the country and we need your skills, love and dedication to keep our momentum going and our doors open.

Here’s what we’re asking for:  a minimum of 15 Hours a Month, a monthly schedule, and help at 1 event per month.  Stop by anytime on Thursdays from 1-9pm or contact us for more information.

Once you go through your first 15 hours of training/volunteering – here’s what we’re able to offer.  Including of course – our most sincere gratitude.

• Free Cafe Colette Meal per 4+ Hour Shift
• Access to the Recycled Reads Program
• Borrow Hard Cover or Used Books
• 10% Off All Non-Consignment Purchases
• $10 Gift Certificate for every 25 hours

So Think About It…
How Can YOU Help the Last Feminist Bookstore in Florida Survive?

Join Us For the Discussion at:
Civic Media Center
Tuesday, May 22, 7:00pm
BASICs Bus Tour

In recent years, pornography has become increasingly violent, cruel, and degrading towards women even as it has become more and more mainstream. Millions of women and young girls are trafficked as chattel in the international sex industry. This is NOT society becoming more comfortable with sex; this is society becoming saturated with the sexualized degradation of women. Meanwhile, Christian fundamentalists and others are assaulting women’s right to abortion and birth control. Forcing women to have children against their will is female enslavement.

Women are not objects. Women are not things to be used for the sexual pleasure of men NOR are they breeders of children. WOMEN ARE HUMAN BEINGS CAPABLE OF FULL EQUALITY IN EVERY REALM!

Sunsara will talk about how we can – and must – defeat the war against women and how doing so can contribute to the movement for the kind of revolution that can fully liberate women and emancipate all of humanity.

About Sunsara Taylor:

Sunsara Taylor is a writer for Revolution Newspaper, a host of WBAI’s Equal Time for Freethought, and sits on the Advisory Board of World Can’t Wait. She has written on the rise of theocracy, wars and repression in the U.S., led in building resistance to these crimes, and contributed to the movement for revolution to put an end to all this. She takes as her foundation the new synthesis on revolution and communism developed by Bob Avakian. You can find her impressive verbal battles with Bill O’Reilly and various political commentary on things from abortion to religion to cultural relativism by searching “Sunsara Taylor” on youtube and don’t forget to check out her blog.

About the Bob Avakian BAsics Bus Tour:

As one facet of the BA Everywhere…Imagine the Difference It Could Make! Campaign, there will be volunteers streaming into cities on a 30 foot RV decorated from head to toe with the front and back covers of the book BAsics, a book of quotations and short essays by Bob Avakian, the revolutionary leader who has re-envisioned communism. They will be traveling and bringing the message of revolution and introducing people from all walks of life to Bob Avakian’s revolutionary vision and works. This work can introduce people to “the basics” of understanding and changing the world and give them the foundation from which to act on the world and learn more and getting into all kinds of discussions off of it.

As Revolution newspaper says: “…The bus tour will be changing the atmosphere, bringing the fresh wind of the possibility of a whole new world, attracting people’s deep hopes for humanity and outrage at the world as it is… stirring up controversy, deep engagement and critical thinking. The crew will be representing something much bigger than themselves.”

We encourage you and others to check out and follow the tour’s blog.

What people are saying about the BAsics Bus Tour:

“I wanna put in my strong endorsement of this freedom bus… Courageous brothers and sisters going down to the gut-bucket South. The old Jim Crow senior, still the Jim Crow junior, of course. Whole lot of lynching used be going on in the past, still police brutality taking place, unemployment and underemployment taking place. Dilapidated housing in place, disgraceful school system’s in place… Revolutionary Communist Party bearing witness in a serious kind of way. And I just want to let folk know… I’m behind what they’re doing… keeping track of the injustice here in the state. Keep track of the freedom bus—the Avakian bus!”

-Cornel West

“Greetings from New York City. When I first heard about the /BAsics /Bus Tour I was immediately reminded of the Freedom Riders who traveled boldly and courageously into the belly of the beast, the Deep South, some forty years ago. Their mission was to desegregate interstate bus travel. Today, 40+ years later, the bus tour’s goals are more far-reaching – to question and to confront the existing system of capitalism and imperialism. The good news is that the tour is providing the answers and solutions to all of this through the works of Bob Avakian.”

-Professor at an inner-city school, NYC

Of course you are … well… we have good news – Wild Iris Books is now offering affordable and eye-catching advertising space on our website.

We know that in these times, creative thinkers and exceptional business’s need to band together.  Promote yourself on a website that has shown a long standing respect for diversity, hosts numerous events, features several spectacular guest authors, and posts regular resources for the diverse communities we serve.

Everything we do is flexible, so please contact us if you’re a non-profit with a small bank account or if you need some help with creative idea design at a minimal fee!

You have several options to get your ad noticed:

Top Banner Ad – (728 x 90)
$100 per month

This is the most prominent ad space on our site and the best way to take advantage of our great advertising rates!  Your ad will be featured throughout the site – showing up on every page a user clicks!

Bottom of post/page – (486 x 60)
$50 per month

Using the advertising space that displays on the bottom of every post/page is another way you can ensure high visibility.  Wild Iris Books helps by sending out email notices of all new postings to our entire email list (as well as connecting with the facebook and twitter crowds).  Every time someone opens a link – there you’ll be!

There’s 3 more options to for you to advertise, so head on over to Wild Iris Books to check them out.  All column ads are visible on every page and at these prices there’s something available for every budget!

Side Bar (Multiple Sizes)

Top right column (350 x 250) – $75 per month

Bottom right columns (135 x 135) – $30 per month

Bottom right columns (135 x 250) – $50 per month

We’re here to help you get the word out about the amazing products, services and opportunities you make available. Use our handy on-line form to send us your information or contact us directly if you have more questions.  We’re available store hours at  352-375-7477 or at info@wildirisbooks.com.

If you are a non-profit organization or running a community event and have a publication where you are offering advertising, contact us about trading advertising opportunities.  

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Even when you win, you lose.

Or, at least that is what President Snow would like to drill into Katniss, who spends a good portion of the book trying to convince him that she and Peeta are indeed a couple, and happy, and … wait, what? Another fight to the death? Are you KIDDING me? Can’t a girl catch a break?!

At first I was a little eye-rolling at the idea of her having to go back into the ring. It just seemed like a very … a very sequel thing to do. Take all the things everyone liked from the first book (young love! a fight to the death! conflict!) and play that out again, exactly, in the second book.

However, it certainly didn’t turn out the way I expected, and I was glad I’d bought all three books at the same time, so that I could go right into the last installment.

View all my reviews

On Thursday, May 3, ABA CEO Oren Teicher e-mailed member stores about an important opportunity to make a public comment about the Department of Justice consent decree in regard to the agency model. The full e-mail follows.

Dear ABA Member Bookseller:

Since the Department of Justice made international front-page headlines earlier this month with its filing about e-book pricing, I have been asked by scores of booksellers nationwide, What can we do? How can we make our voices heard about this issue of paramount importance?

I’m writing today to share news about a step that every independent bookseller in the United States can take to advance the argument that the agency model must be preserved to help maintain diversity and competition in our industry. It will involve some work, but rarely has there been a more important issue before us — or a clearer path to allow our views to be known. I know there is a certain degree of skepticism about whether anything we say will have any effect, but to remain silent at this critical juncture would, in my opinion, be a bad mistake.

As you recall, on April 11, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a civil suit against Apple and five major publishers with agency model pricing for e-books. In announcing the civil suit, DOJ also announced that Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, and Hachette had settled with the government. While denying that they had violated antitrust laws and while defending the agency model, the three publishers agreed that they would no longer employ the agency model for e-books for two years. And, while Apple, Macmillan, and Penguin have stated that they intend to vigorously fight the civil suit, clearly this dramatic federal incursion into the marketplace has sent highly disruptive tremors across the publishing landscape.

Importantly, there is federal legislation —  the Antitrust Penalties and Procedures Act (often referred to as the “Tunney Act,” after the law’s sponsor, former California Senator John Tunney) — that gives us a crucial opportunity to make our views known about DOJ’s proposed settlement with the three publishers.

That settlement must be approved by the court, but, before that can happen, the Tunney Act requires DOJ to accept comments from the public, to publish the comments, and to submit a written summary of the comments to the federal court charged with considering approval. A federal judge will then determine whether the remedy being proposed is “in the public interest.”

The comment period extends for 60 days, and the deadline for submitting comments is Monday, June 25.

Even if you have already written letters this year about other important issues — be it sales tax or free expression — I’m calling on you to please once again pick up your pen. It’s hard to imagine a more pressing or important moment.

The law requires that these letters be published, summarized, and considered by the court. We often use the phrase “speak truth to power.” Here is the issue, the time, and the opportunity to do so. Please join ABA, the regional booksellers associations, and your colleagues in writing.

As ABA made clear in a meeting with DOJ on March 19, we could not believe more strongly that the agency model has been good for our channel, good for all bricks-and-mortar bookstores, good for publishing, and, most importantly, good for readers and book buyers. Since its introduction, the agency model has corrected a distortion in the market fostered by below-cost pricing, predominantly led by Amazon.com, the ultimate result of which is, we believe, to reduce or to eliminate competition among both retailers and publishers.

Since the introduction of the agency model many more independent booksellers are selling e-books, and those sales have shown steady growth. The agency model has lowered prices to indie bookstore customers, and indies themselves have seen significantly increased price competition among publishers in regard to promotions, discounts, and special offers, all of which have allowed bricks-and-mortar bookstores to offer customers a wider array of titles at a greater value.

In short, since the introduction of the agency model, the e-book market for consumers has become far more competitive — not less so!

Deeply discounted books were among the key components in the fuel stoking Amazon’s engines of growth. It’s frankly somewhat stunning that DOJ would accept the possible upending of an industry as important to the cultural and intellectual life of our nation as bookselling and publishing so that one retailer could pursue a policy that is nearly certain to result in monopolization of the e-book market.

Before the introduction of the agency model, Amazon had a 90 percent market share in e-books, when they were selling below cost, a price far lower than indie booksellers could purchase e-books from publishers. Today Barnes & Noble, Google, Apple, Kobo, along with indies and others have joined the market, which has become far more competitive and diverse.

If the agency model goes away for a significant period of time, there is every reason to believe that Amazon will again price below cost and increase its e-book market share. We believe this can only be bad news for the reading public, resulting in a cultural landscape offering a far less diverse range of titles being published and a much-diminished range of publishers.

If you agree that the preservation of the agency model is essential for our industry, please, take the time today to share those thoughts in a public comment letter. As an independent business that will be directly affected by the proposed consent agreement you have the opportunity to join what could be a powerful, and eloquent, choir of voices explaining just how misguided this proposed consent agreement is.

You can send your comments to:

John Read
Chief, Litigation III Section
Antitrust Division
U.S. Department of Justice
450 5th Street, NW, Suite 4000
Washington, DC 20530

We would appreciate it if you would send a copy of those comments to Dan Cullen so that ABA can also track what is being said about the proposed consent decree.

Importantly, there are publishers that adopted the agency model that are not cited in the civil suit (notably Random House), and there have been no indications yet that those publishers are abandoning the agency model. Also, it’s not yet clear what will happen in the short term vis-à-vis agency for the publishers that are fighting the legal action.

So, as is often the case, in the short term it is critically important to focus our attention and energies where they have the potential of creating the greatest positive effect.

I hope that you will share your views with DOJ as soon as possible.

Over the years, I know many of you have heard me say that as a group we often tend to under-estimate our capacity to influence public policy, but we’ve had numerous successes when we’ve joined together and have expressed our views in a clear and concise manner. It’s important, however, that every letter reflect your own individual style and opinion.

In issues such as this — in which many of the players are massive corporations and the issues sometimes can seem frustratingly complex — all of us can feel daunted and can wonder whether our contribution might make a difference. But as all of us have seen, many voices joined together can channel the power of important ideas. And, as Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”

This is one of those moments that we might just be able to look back at and say that we made a real difference. Send in a letter. Don’t delay.

And, as always, if you have any questions about this critical issue — or any other ABA-related matter, don’t ever hesitate to contact me.

Warm regards.

Sincerely,

Oren Teicher, CEO
American Booksellers Association
200 White Plains Road
Tarrytown, NY 10591
oren@bookweb.org
(914) 591-2665      , ext. 6611

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If I were still a 13-year old girl I probably would have stayed up all night to read this book. As it is, I’m 42… so it took me two nights. Hey, I had to work the next day.

Whenever it was that Mockingjay came out, a bunch of my reader friends went nuts. I decided right then that I wasn’t going to read this series, since the people who talked about it had that same sort of fevered intensity that people had about the movie Forest Gump, and there’s two hours of my life I’ll never get back.

However, the movie is about to come out, and I figured I’d rather go to a bad movie than read a bad book, but I’m also a snob and get a little twitchy when people complain about a movie without having read the book first. So, I got suckered into reading the book. And I may never forgive my friends for Forest Gump, or The Big Bang Theory, but I have to say I am now firmly in The Hunger Games camp.

Things I liked about this book (may contain spoilers):

1. Katniss is wise, for having a troubled childhood, but not so wise beyond her years that she instantly knows all the answers to every one of life’s questions. In fact, in many ways, she’s still quite naive.
2. While she may be estranged from her mother, at first, this is not one of those teens-without-adult-supervision stories. She may not have a great relationship with her mother, but she does have Haymitch, and Cinna, and Effa (for what she’s worth).
3. There was love and physical closeness, but it wasn’t sexualized, like in many teen movies I’ve heard of lately.
4. Not everyone winds up happy and healthy at the end. In fact, she gets, and pretty much remains for the series, emotionally damaged. War is hell; it’s good to see that not glossed over.
5. While it was written for teenagers, it wasn’t written down to teenagers. And only someone who has read a preachy, treacly book when they were young will understand that.

When we went to see the movie, I was a little disappointed with some liberties taken. I thought that it was much more tense, at the end of the book, with Peeta being near death and the revelation that the mutts were the previous tributes. I understand why they changed some other things (Madge), but that was the main thing that jumped out at me as “whyyyyyyyy”.

And yes, I would totally have wanted to be Katniss when I was a teenager… Games and all.

View all my reviews

BLNCF is an initiative that is “designed to promote our local economy and support local businesses. Dollars spent at local and independently-owned businesses create a “multiplier effect” in the local economy, meaning that they re-circulate within our community to support small-scale livelihoods and what is unique about North Central Florida.”

BLNCF members receive a 10%*  discount off  in-store purchases.  For online orders use the coupon code “BLNCF” to receive your 10% savings.  Wildirisbooks.com offers over 4 million titles and e-books.  Need a place to start? Check out the Indie Bestseller Lists, our Local Author List or Our Recommended Reading Lists.

If you don’t have your BLNCF Card yet – not to worry – we have them available at the store and you can pick one up to save on your purchase immediately.  Once you come get your card – don’t forget to visit the list of other participating businesses around town.

*Sorry – Discounts do not apply to consignment merchandise

Your sliding scale $5-10 door fee will go to support Maria’s musical endeavors and Friends of Wild Iris.

We’ll be open all day long if you want to hang out before the show starts at seven. Cafe Colette starts serving dinner at 5pm so grab some friends, come early to eat and stay to enjoy a great show!

If you’ve never been a member of NOW, NOW is the time. If you’ve let your membership lapse, renew today! Even if it’s been years, NOW needs you back.

Legislators and lobbyists look at membership to gauge how effective an organization is, and how much of a threat it poses to the patriarchy. Help Gainesville NOW add to this threat with your support!

NOW Board Meeting, Thurs. May 10th, 6:30pm

If you would like to be more active in local feminism, join us for our monthly board meeting at Cafe Colette inside Wild Iris Books.

SE Regional Conference, Sat. May 12th, Raleigh NC.

Florida needs your support. There are two candidates from FL running for National Board member. You can help by voting for them at the conference. If you are a NOW member, we can get you to Raleigh relatively inexpensively, and bring you home again. Let us know of you are interested.

The Invisible War showing at the Hippodrome, Tues. May 15th, 6:30 pm.

$7.50. Co-sponsored by Veterans for Peace.

Feminist Friday Happy Hour, Fri. May 25th, Northwest Grill. 6:30 pm.

Please RSVP.

Florida NOW State Conference, Fri-Sun. June 1-3, Airport Hilton West Palm.

See more about it.

National NOW Conference, Fri-Sun June 29-July1, Baltimore Hilton Airport.

Register for the conference.

Gainesville Area NOW needs you to join our chapter! Every dollar counts in our fight for women’s rights. Your annual membership of $35 is vital. With your support, we can continue to bring issues that are important to you, to the forefront.

You can join here, and you can renew here! Choose FL0165 – It’s important!

For more information check out please visit the website GainesvilleNOW.org