blogbloghttp://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2012-02-09T03:56:09ZSquarespacemy3books/OVekhttp://feedburner.google.comSubscribe with My Yahoo!Subscribe with NewsGatorSubscribe with My AOLSubscribe with BloglinesSubscribe with NetvibesSubscribe with GoogleSubscribe with PageflakesSubscribe with PlusmoSubscribe with The Free DictionarySubscribe with Bitty BrowserSubscribe with NewsAlloySubscribe with Live.comSubscribe with Excite MIXSubscribe with Attensa for OutlookSubscribe with WebwagSubscribe with Podcast ReadySubscribe with FlurrySubscribe with WikioSubscribe with Daily RotationHow to Win An Election - advice from Quintus Tullius Cicero, circa 64 BChttp://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2012/2/8/how-to-win-an-election-advice-from-quintus-tullius-cicero-ci.htmlJohn Mesjak2012-02-09T03:12:49Z2012-02-09T03:12:49Z<p><embed src="http://www.npr.org/v2/?i=146541242&m=146541229&t=audio" height="386" wmode="opaque" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" base="http://www.npr.org" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></p>
<p>As featured on NPR's All Things Considered with Robert Siegel on Feb. 7, Princeton University Press author Philip Freeman, the translator, speaking about How To Win an Election: An Ancient Guide for Modern Politicians.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>SIEGEL: And there's one piece of wisdom at the beginning that I found most striking and sounded to me most modern. He said, every day as you go down to the forum, you should say to yourself, I am an outsider. I want to be consul. This is Rome.</p>
<p>FREEMAN: It was great advice for him to do every day because as an outsider, Marcus Cicero, stood very little chance of being elected as consul, so he always had to remind himself just what he was up against.</p>
<p>SIEGEL: He sounded to me there like a sports psychologist, telling him to visualize, you know, imagine yourself...</p>
<p>FREEMAN: Oh, absolutely.</p>
<p>SIEGEL: ...being consul of Rome. I also love this line. He wrote, now, my brother, you have many wonderful qualities, but those you lack you must acquire and it must appear as if you were born with them.</p>
<p>FREEMAN: Absolutely. Cicero, like I said, was a fairly shy and reserved person, so Quintus wanted him to learn to be an actor. And that's really at the heart of a lot of the advice he gives him, is how to act like a person who cares about voters, even if you really don't.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><span class="thumbnail-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><a href="javascript:showFullImage('/display/ShowImage?imageUrl=%2Fstorage%2Fpost-images%2F9780691154084.jpg%3F__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION%3D1328758502915',400,267);"><img src="http://www.my3books.com/storage/thumbnails/4015891-16496473-thumbnail.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1328758502915" alt="" /></a></span></span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780691154084?aff=mesjak" target="_blank">How to Win an Election: An Ancient Guide for Modern Politicians</a><br />by Quintus Tullius Cicero<br />translated by Philip Freeman<br />Princeton University Press | 9780691154084 | $9.95 | Feb 2012</p><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=j5lOyrduTDI:nPExQa1CuLg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=j5lOyrduTDI:nPExQa1CuLg:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=j5lOyrduTDI:nPExQa1CuLg:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?i=j5lOyrduTDI:nPExQa1CuLg:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/my3books/OVek/~4/j5lOyrduTDI" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2012/2/8/how-to-win-an-election-advice-from-quintus-tullius-cicero-ci.htmlLooking back at 2011: the musichttp://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/12/23/looking-back-at-2011-the-music.htmlJohn Mesjak2011-12-23T19:13:47Z2011-12-23T19:13:47Z<p>Like a lot of publishing sales reps, I spend a lot of time listening to music, both at home and on the road. This year, with the arrival in the US of Spotify, I was able to indulge in a more expansive sort of experimental listening. And that, combined with a renewed account at last.fm which meant I scrobbled nearly every Spotify track I listened to, gave me a fairly easy base for looking back at 2011's music.</p>
<h3><span style="font-weight: normal;">My most-played & favorite artists/tracks from 2011</span></h3>
<div><strong>(<a href="http://open.spotify.com/user/mesjak/playlist/7kj6tyW8hm0Z7nzK5aEJ3A">A Spotify playlist of these Top 10 tracks and the honorable mentions.</a>)</strong></div>
<div id="_mcePaste"><ol>
<li>Wilco - I Might (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/7ItmbW6RMmR7O60sme8FGW">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>Feist - How Come You Never Go There (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/7clky2ejh1gJzdTBRk2CzF">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>Arctic Monkeys - The Hellcat Spangled Shalala (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/4H4mHkI5qfHI2mdZvoF8Mb">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>Mike Doughty - Into The Un (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/43vKdyDGQwQKrXyh7WjoMj">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>Dave Stewart - Can't Get You Out of My Head (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/41XfGRFjWhg51nU7OoLVOk">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>The Belle Brigade - Lonely Lonely (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/5G9EeE9pB2oPRTsr17bJ6O">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>The Watson Twins - You Showed Me (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/0hKPueAn0ZeZCCbk8GKLtP">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>Laura Marling - The Muse (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/6B60GrZnoggxKspWj19CoI">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>The Decemberists - This Is Why We Fight (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/6t3x9CzCRsnIZVCspFIExs">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Codeine (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/0dmL5PxfMqeqmq7NetPkPh">spotify</a>)</li>
</ol></div>
<div id="_mcePaste"><strong>Honorable Mentions</strong></div>
<div id="_mcePaste">Bon Iver - Holocene (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/5bGd0OxvxZSATIf2eEkmTD">spotify</a>)</div>
<div>Nick Cave & Neko Case - She's Not There (from True Blood) (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/5lSb9EaJwpfpEUMtXwPZ5Q">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">Real Estate - It's Real (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/1C79tkBfmpyiPUQFm4BHkQ">spotify</a>)</div>
<div>Florence + The Machine - What The Water Gave Me (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/3RiOPzAvhNKuMIdPYOrKV8">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">Elbow - lippy kids (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/3Ki2I2Gt09IuDNe4ZNw7J1">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">Fool's Gold - Wild Window (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/3EqH2JkMvJYgwmR80xkytJ">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">Beastie Boys - Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win (feat. Santigold) (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/1Emrs7nn0qSeoCzSRApiFK">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">Beirut - East Harlem (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/0nkZmqmEJOMuezTZ8N20nY">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">The Jayhawks - She Walks in So Many Ways (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/0QPnl3itK95mqi015sFox8">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">The Civil Wars - 20 Years (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/1644Cl6L0NzPaz68swmGCQ">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">Kathleen Edwards - Change The Sheets (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/5nyQrMeZe1GfPsLlrMB33y">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">Ryan Adams - Chains of Love (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/1HeuEDA1PyJX339oaJJ9jN">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">Lissie - In Sleep (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/2fTSxtmdeKMT1OkqHRtHtJ">spotify</a>)</div>
<div>Josh Rouse & The Long Vacations - Diggin' In The Sand (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/7IaF4vLNW53MGTXbIk76Az">spotify</a>)</div>
<div>Wild Flag - Romance (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/662xOLbcQsT8zFFjeADLEl">spotify</a>)</div>
<div>
<div id="_mcePaste">I Break Horses - Winter Beats (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/1FfW5dHTqtjyb2yyPqN4Xn">spotify</a>)</div>
<div>Destroyer - Savage Night At the Opera (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/3ygiu2TdSgWd50UW6hCLNV">spotify</a>)</div>
<div>Drive-By Truckers - Used To Be A Cop (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/6K5ssuBghWgwXJmNfMW9K8">spotify</a>)</div>
<div>Foo Fighters - These Days (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/2kN05N1AQQplsgFweFAqYb">spotify</a>)</div>
<div>The Mountain Goats - Damn These Vampires (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/6rfD0hu8Dgz7U2rD2HK1pZ">spotify</a>)</div>
<div>The Dodos - Don't Try and Hide It (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/2cSwIPdpLOqedvBsVaiCat">spotify</a>)</div>
<div>Fleet Foxes - Battery Kinzie (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/7pgfJbK2S5qdZzWGzF4auK">spotify</a>)</div>
<div>Peter Bjorn and John - Second Chance (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/2p5ieZMPXzUSec8yaiGTvY">spotify</a>)</div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div id="_mcePaste"></div>
</div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div id="_mcePaste"></div>
<h3><span style="font-weight: normal;">My most-played & favorite albums released in 2011</span></h3>
<div id="_mcePaste"><ol>
<li>Wilco - The Whole Love (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/77WMbPujQbxWvY6P6XO5aC">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>The Decemberists - The King is Dead (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/3hd8GiXOy4KUTxVDVUDT5F">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>Arctic Monkeys - Suck It and See (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/6ePsSjLdhZ8cFbxcZExAwl">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>The Smiths - Complete (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/30g571JKoxs8AnsgAViV2J">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>Mike Doughty - Yes and Also Yes (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/2FuYDhp59Y1oPcKIRN8P3B">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>Feist - Metals (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/7d9qVO7iOXlUGvlXTFWhAE">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>The Belle Brigade - The Belle Brigade (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/06OFNJmsEtiBEpWrKOKlaT">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>Dave Stewart - The Blackbird Diaries (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/5IR8Zzn85gIcYdutzxsmZS">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/6embeY4aFzhjb25UbR8RU6">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>Bon Iver - Bon Iver (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/7pTARJYCVO49nFXB1Mo5re">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and Keys (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/26HVbJdxW1zC799gz8yzUr">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/20RJRsAPD9Yx3Nols5cAGR">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Here We Rest (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/3sWIPHWpnhaYTR3fTjT25v">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>Destroyer - Kaputt (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/1clYDgHxfhzxWQJH0ieRpx">spotify</a>)</li>
<li>Drive-By Truckers - Go-Go Boots (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/28yxeG53ravfHzf7fmtMr5">spotify</a>)</li>
</ol></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div id="_mcePaste"></div>
<div id="_mcePaste"><strong>Honorable Mentions</strong></div>
<div id="_mcePaste">Paul Simon - So Beautiful Or So What (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/3IgGfqM8bUCbPsu1ckxiEQ">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/7wmwaIt99NVwdOc7Z8jXYK">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">Josh Rouse & The Long Vacations - Josh Rouse & The Long Vacations (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/2gxpiLJyHjnnh5UFb9xSSA">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">Thurston Moore - Demolished Thoughts (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/6hUTxk6xY5Rnay3FcSaAL9">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">The Jayhawks - Mockingbird Time (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/7khLGS8lclvYPd6K7TEOFY">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">Wild Flag - Wild Flag (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/2HcZpInX7XfjQ69EsGKrhS">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">Elbow - build a rocket boys! (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/7f2e28BTOg0IQiwUG6trp6">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">Laura Marling - A Creature I Don't Know (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/514nMOvJnN8c5AK85r3W7W">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">Gillian Welsh - The Harrow & The Harvest (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/7d43Lo04zus42vyadC3Izr">spotify</a>)</div>
<div id="_mcePaste">Foo Fighters - Wasting Light (<a href="http://open.spotify.com/album/5lnQLEUiVDkLbFJHXHQu9m">spotify</a>)</div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div id="_mcePaste"></div>
<div id="_mcePaste"></div>
<div id="_mcePaste"></div><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=nvv66J-g_DQ:Mn99TxOaZXY:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=nvv66J-g_DQ:Mn99TxOaZXY:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=nvv66J-g_DQ:Mn99TxOaZXY:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?i=nvv66J-g_DQ:Mn99TxOaZXY:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/my3books/OVek/~4/nvv66J-g_DQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/12/23/looking-back-at-2011-the-music.htmlAuthor Leon Logothetis gives free rides in his Kindness Cab cross-country tour to promote The Amazing Adventures of A Nobodyhttp://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/10/28/author-leon-logothetis-gives-free-rides-in-his-kindness-cab.htmlJohn Mesjak2011-10-28T17:54:03Z2011-10-28T17:54:03Z<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ayjf9KapENE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>The Channel 4 reporter seems intent on making this clip more about HIM rather than Leon and his cool story, but the bare bones do peek through.</p>
<p><span class="thumbnail-image-block ssNonEditable"><span><a href="javascript:showFullImage('/display/ShowImage?imageUrl=%2Fstorage%2Fpost-images%2F9780984308132.jpg%3F__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION%3D1319824643118',400,259);"><img src="http://www.my3books.com/storage/thumbnails/4015891-14866742-thumbnail.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1319824643120" alt="" /></a></span></span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780984308132?aff=mesjak" target="_blank">Amazing Adventures of a Nobody</a><br />by Leon Logothetis<br />Bettie Youngs Books / SCB Distributors | 9780984308132 | $14.95 | Oct 2011</p><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=ii7RIIbCY_Q:MfETwaM-m0o:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=ii7RIIbCY_Q:MfETwaM-m0o:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=ii7RIIbCY_Q:MfETwaM-m0o:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?i=ii7RIIbCY_Q:MfETwaM-m0o:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/my3books/OVek/~4/ii7RIIbCY_Q" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/10/28/author-leon-logothetis-gives-free-rides-in-his-kindness-cab.htmlSpring 2012 Preview: No Crystal Stair by Vaunda Micheaux Nelsonhttp://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/10/26/spring-2012-preview-no-crystal-stair-by-vaunda-micheaux-nels.htmlJohn Mesjak2011-10-26T17:00:24Z2011-10-26T17:00:24Z<p><a title="“Lewis Michaux's House of Common Sense and Home of Proper Propaganda,” 1964. (Courtesy of Bettmann / CORBIS) by TheFreedwomensBureau, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/thefreedwomensbureau/4669273127/"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/4669273127_83ec6ffc49.jpg" alt="“Lewis Michaux's House of Common Sense and Home of Proper Propaganda,” 1964. (Courtesy of Bettmann / CORBIS)" width="380" height="480" /></a></p>
<p>Above, a photo from the Bettmann/CORBIS Archive.</p>
<p class="p1"><span class="full-image-float-left ssNonEditable"><span><img src="http://www.my3books.com/storage/post-images/9780761361695.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1319579074524" alt="" /></span></span><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780761361695?aff=mesjak" target="_blank">No Crystal Stair: A Novel in Documents, Based on the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller</a><br />by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson<br />illustrated by R. Gregory Christie<br />Carolrhoda LAB / Lerner | 9780761361695 | $17.95 | Feb 2012 </p>
<p class="p1">I read a book today that's coming out from Carolrhoda LAB/Lerner next February - a YA novel told in the form of an oral history - about Lewis Michaux, founder of the National Memorial African Bookstore in Harlem. The book is written by his great-niece, Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie.</p>
<p class="p1">Michaux's was the first (the first!) bookstore specifically selling books by and for African-Americans. He had a sign up over the storefront that proclaimed it "The House of Common Sense and the Home of Proper Propaganda". </p>
<p class="p1">The National Memorial African Bookstore was in the middle of everything and everyone from the Harlem Renaissance up through the Civil Rights struggle and into the Seventies: Langston Hughes, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Eldridge Cleaver, Nikki Giovanni and more. Thousands and thousands of regular bookstore customers' lives were enriched by the presence of such a passionate, intelligent bookstore owner in their midst.</p>
<p class="p1">Although Michaux's bookstore is no longer open – it closed in 1975 after a faceoff with the State of New York over the state's redevelopment of the blocks surrounding the store's original building and a brief tenure in a second location blocks away – Vaunda Micheaux Nelson and <a href="http://www.gas-art.com/" target="_blank">R. Gregory Christie</a> have brought it back to life in these pages, accompanied by dozens of historical photographs.</p>
<p class="p1"><a href="http://www.netgalley.com/PopupHandler.php?module=catalog&func=galleyTitleDetails&projectid=11299" target="_blank">Booksellers, bloggers and reviewers can obtain an advance copy now through NetGalley.</a></p><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=MVcc1sup9x8:gI_buwSGkVQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=MVcc1sup9x8:gI_buwSGkVQ:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=MVcc1sup9x8:gI_buwSGkVQ:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?i=MVcc1sup9x8:gI_buwSGkVQ:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/my3books/OVek/~4/MVcc1sup9x8" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/10/26/spring-2012-preview-no-crystal-stair-by-vaunda-micheaux-nels.htmlFirst Lines: "The Naturalist", from Maureen McHugh's After The Apocalypsehttp://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/10/24/first-lines-the-naturalist-from-maureen-mchughs-after-the-ap.htmlJohn Mesjak2011-10-24T16:00:32Z2011-10-24T16:00:32Z<p><span class="thumbnail-image-inline ssNonEditable"><span><a href="javascript:showFullImage('/display/ShowImage?imageUrl=%2Fstorage%2Fpost-images%2F9781931520294.jpg%3F__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION%3D1319388493698',400,259);"><img src="http://www.my3books.com/storage/thumbnails/4015891-14771136-thumbnail.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1319388493699" alt="" /></a></span></span></p>
<p><span class="thumbnail-image-inline ssNonEditable"><span>"Cahill lived in the Flats with about twenty other guys in a place that used to be an Irish bar called Fado. At the back of the bar was the Cuyahoga River, good for protection since zombies didn't cross the river. They didn't crumble into dust, they were just stupid as bricks, and they never built a boat or a bridge or built anything. Zombies were the ultimate trash. Worse than the guys who cooked meth in trailers. Worse than the fat women on WIC. Zombies were just useless dumbfucks."</span></span></p>
<p><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781931520294?aff=mesjak" target="_blank">After The Apocalypse: Stories</a><br />Maureen F. McHugh<br />Small Beer Press/Consortium | 9781931520294 | $16 | Oct 2011 </p>
<p>You can <a href="http://smallbeerpress.com/forthcoming/2011/05/19/after-the-apocalypse/" target="_blank">read a sample</a> at Small Beer's site.</p><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=uyxZWBwrhw8:rpBOH2u015A:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=uyxZWBwrhw8:rpBOH2u015A:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=uyxZWBwrhw8:rpBOH2u015A:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?i=uyxZWBwrhw8:rpBOH2u015A:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/my3books/OVek/~4/uyxZWBwrhw8" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/10/24/first-lines-the-naturalist-from-maureen-mchughs-after-the-ap.htmlAngela Sherrill says this is the best short article on bullying and school policy you'll read.http://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/10/19/angela-sherrill-says-this-is-the-best-short-article-on-bully.htmlJohn Mesjak2011-10-19T18:06:10Z2011-10-19T18:06:10Z<p>This is strong stuff.</p>
<p>You'll want to click through to read the full post by guest poster and YA author <a href="http://www.booksbyharmon.com/index.html" target="_blank">Mike Harmon</a> on book blog <a href="http://randomactsofreading.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Random Acts of Reading</a>.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Todd was quiet, personable, received good grades, and was a football player with scholarships in his future. He’d never been in trouble with the school or the law.</p>
<p>Then he threw two punches and it almost all fell apart. Garrett, a wrestler, bumped into Todd in the hall. Words followed. Garrett pushed, then tried to punch him. Todd threw two punches, breaking Garrett’s eye socket, nose, and fracturing his jaw. My son’s friend saw it happen. Blood flew everywhere, Garrett fell to the ground, and Todd walked away.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>[Full post: <a href="http://randomactsofreading.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/author-mike-harmon-on-bullying/" target="_blank">Author Mike Harmon on Bullying and Schools</a>]</p>
<p> </p><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=rb4kaTliiqk:icd4f2MB8fg:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=rb4kaTliiqk:icd4f2MB8fg:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=rb4kaTliiqk:icd4f2MB8fg:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?i=rb4kaTliiqk:icd4f2MB8fg:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/my3books/OVek/~4/rb4kaTliiqk" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/10/19/angela-sherrill-says-this-is-the-best-short-article-on-bully.htmlThanks, Steve.http://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/10/6/thanks-steve.htmlJohn Mesjak2011-10-06T12:51:01Z2011-10-06T12:51:01Z<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8rwsuXHA7RA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Steve Jobs narrates the first Think Different commercial, "Here's to the Crazy Ones".<br />It never aired with his voiceover.</p>
<p><span class="full-image-float-left ssNonEditable"><span> </span></span></p>
<p> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://www.my3books.com/storage/post-images/Made_On_A_MacBlackLogo.jpeg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1317916987283" alt="" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=bpDkPuFpZFg:_H6KcYG4uKc:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=bpDkPuFpZFg:_H6KcYG4uKc:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=bpDkPuFpZFg:_H6KcYG4uKc:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?i=bpDkPuFpZFg:_H6KcYG4uKc:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/my3books/OVek/~4/bpDkPuFpZFg" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/10/6/thanks-steve.htmlMovie trailer: Red Tails (ties in with upcoming paperback from Oxford University Press, Freedom Flyers)http://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/10/4/movie-trailer-red-tails-ties-in-with-upcoming-paperback-from.htmlJohn Mesjak2011-10-04T15:26:57Z2011-10-04T15:26:57Z<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/E4QNoTOz1U8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>George Lucas is producing, Anthony Hemingway is directing, from a story by George Lucas, screenplay by John Ridley and Aaron McGruder. Cuba Gooding, Ne-Yo, Terrence Howard, Bryan Cranston star.</p>
<p>Movie opens January 20, 2012. The new paperback pubs in early January. Watch the trailer, read the book, see the movie.</p>
<p><span class="thumbnail-image-inline ssNonEditable"><span><a href="javascript:showFullImage('/display/ShowImage?imageUrl=%2Fstorage%2Fpost-images%2F9780195386554.jpg%3F__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION%3D1317743533367',400,263);"><img src="http://www.my3books.com/storage/thumbnails/4015891-14469855-thumbnail.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1317743533368" alt="" /></a></span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780199896554?aff=mesjak" target="_blank">Freedom Flyers: The Tuskegee Airmen of World War II</a><br />by J. Todd Moye<br />Oxford University Press | 9780199896554 | $17.95 | Jan 2012</p>
<p class="p1"><a href="http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/HistoryAmerican/AfricanAmerican/?view=usa&ci=9780199896554" target="_blank">The book at OUP USA's site</a>.</p><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=fqbvY1YWOfw:ZuqRxe9s7JQ:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=fqbvY1YWOfw:ZuqRxe9s7JQ:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=fqbvY1YWOfw:ZuqRxe9s7JQ:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?i=fqbvY1YWOfw:ZuqRxe9s7JQ:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/my3books/OVek/~4/fqbvY1YWOfw" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/10/4/movie-trailer-red-tails-ties-in-with-upcoming-paperback-from.htmlBook Trailer: A Monster Calls (Candlewick Press)http://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/9/26/book-trailer-a-monster-calls-candlewick-press.htmlJohn Mesjak2011-09-26T16:53:36Z2011-09-26T16:53:36Z<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/iEX5g6c7ueE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p class="p1"><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763655594?aff=mesjak" target="_blank">A Monster Calls</a><br />by Patrick Ness, inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd<br />illustrated by Jim Kay<br />Candlewick Press | 9780763655594 | $16.99 | Sept 2011</p>
<p class="p1">I wrote about A Monster Calls in a <a href="http://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/4/27/fall-favorites-preview-three-illustrated-readers-from-candle.html">preview post </a>earlier this year, shortly after I first read it. It's still one of the fall books that comes back to me most powerfully when I tell others about it:</p>
<blockquote>
<p class="p1">The two authors have created a novel that shares the hallmarks of both their best works: the story goes in directions that are simply not anticipated, and the tidal pull of emotion that hits the reader by the end is out of all proportion to what should be possible.</p>
</blockquote>
<p class="p1">From the <a href="http://www.candlewick.com/cat.asp?browse=Title&mode=book&isbn=0763655597&pix=n" target="_blank">Candlewick Press web site</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<div id="_mcePaste">At seven minutes past midnight, thirteen-year-old Conor wakes to find a monster outside his bedroom window. But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting – he’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the nightmare he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments. The monster in his backyard is different. It’s ancient. And wild. And it wants something from Conor. Something terrible and dangerous. It wants the truth. From the final idea of award-winning author Siobhan Dowd-- whose premature death from cancer prevented her from writing it herself-- Patrick Ness has spun a haunting and darkly funny novel of mischief, loss, and monsters both real and imagined.</div>
</blockquote><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=zCcDw8ossro:Fp2sQaTmotA:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=zCcDw8ossro:Fp2sQaTmotA:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=zCcDw8ossro:Fp2sQaTmotA:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?i=zCcDw8ossro:Fp2sQaTmotA:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/my3books/OVek/~4/zCcDw8ossro" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/9/26/book-trailer-a-monster-calls-candlewick-press.htmlBook trailer: The Flint Heart (Candlewick Press)http://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/9/16/book-trailer-the-flint-heart-candlewick-press.htmlJohn Mesjak2011-09-16T17:50:07Z2011-09-16T17:50:07Z<p><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3yNsdkY5ybQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p class="p1"><span class="thumbnail-image-float-left ssNonEditable"><span><a href="javascript:showFullImage('/display/ShowImage?imageUrl=%2Fstorage%2Fpost-images%2F9780763647124.jpg%3F__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION%3D1316195558316',400,336);"><img src="http://www.my3books.com/storage/thumbnails/4015891-14184920-thumbnail.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1316195558317" alt="" /></a></span></span></p>
<p class="p1"><a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763647124?aff=mesjak">The Flint Heart</a><br />by Katherine Paterson & John Paterson<br />illustrated by John Rocco<br />Candlewick Press | 9780763647124 | $19.99 | Sept 2011</p>
<p>A really lovely book trailer for The Flint Heart, the enchanting new novel from Katherine and John Paterson, illustrated by John Rocco (who also did the animation for this trailer from his own illustrations).</p>
<p>I originally read this in manuscript with just place-holding unfinished sketches for most of the art. I got my finished copy of the book the other day and now I want to re-read it to better appreciate Rocco’s art.</p>
<p>More about the book from @CandlewickPress’ web site:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>An ambitious Stone Age man demands a talisman that will harden his heart, allowing him to take control of his tribe. Against his better judgment, the tribe’s magic man creates the Flint Heart, but the cruelty of it causes the destruction of the tribe. Thousands of years later, the talisman reemerges to corrupt a kindly farmer, an innocent fairy creature, and a familial badger. Can Charles and his sister Unity, who have consulted with fairies such as the mysterious Zagabog, wisest creature in the universe, find a way to rescue humans, fairies, and animals alike from the dark influence of the Flint Heart? This humorous, hearty, utterly delightful fairy tale is the sort for an entire family to savor together or an adventurous youngster to devour.</p>
<p> A robust and wildly entertaining fairy tale, freely abridged from Eden Phillpotts’s 1910 fantasy and wryly retold by Katherine and John Paterson. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Flint Heart (Book Trailer by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yNsdkY5ybQ" target="_blank">CandlewickPress</a>)</p><div class="feedflare">
<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=PGav0pxEFq0:EQhxd4Ver24:yIl2AUoC8zA"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=yIl2AUoC8zA" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=PGav0pxEFq0:EQhxd4Ver24:qj6IDK7rITs"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?d=qj6IDK7rITs" border="0"></img></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?a=PGav0pxEFq0:EQhxd4Ver24:F7zBnMyn0Lo"><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/my3books/OVek?i=PGav0pxEFq0:EQhxd4Ver24:F7zBnMyn0Lo" border="0"></img></a>
</div><img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/my3books/OVek/~4/PGav0pxEFq0" height="1" width="1"/>http://www.my3books.com/my3booksblog/2011/9/16/book-trailer-the-flint-heart-candlewick-press.html