Virginia Woolf (25 January, 1882 – 28 March, 1941) was a strange character as we all probably heard about. In my research I found many strange and wonderful facts about this accomplished woman, some are weird, some are sad and some are funny but they are all fascinating. Here are my top favorites. Virginia Woolf by Roger Fry Books by Virginia Woolf Since she was a small toddler, Virginia Woolf was nicknamed “The Goat” During one summer, Woolf believed that birds were chirping in Greek and King Edward VII was cursing behind close shrubbery. When her brother in law made fun of her hat, Woolf was miserable for a full 24 hours. Woolf and her husband kept petrol in their garage during World War II (a rationed product at the time) so they could commit suicide if the Nazis would win. When Virginia Woolf went shopping, she would argue with shopkeepers about the products they have for sale and what products they should have for sale. During her life, Woolf constantly struggled with anorexia. One day Woolf and some male friends painted their faces black, wore robes and presented themselves as the Prince of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and his entourage. They received a 40 minute tour…

Many people have a book inside of them just waiting to get out, yet have no idea how to go from being a writer to published author. The first step is to know what you want to write about, and start writing. I say this because writers sometimes do everything under the sun, except actually write. Perhaps, you have already written a manuscript, but cannot get an agent or publisher to read it. The good news is it easier to get published these days than ever before, if you are willing to follow some sound advice. You must know what you want to write and publish, and who to market your work to. If you are seeking a general publishing house, obtain a copy Writer’s Market by Robert Lee Brewer. On the other hand if you are writing for the Christian market you need a copy of The Christian Writers’ Market Guide by Jerry Jenkins. Both are fine books and offer a good place to learn about your specific genre. In addition, you can obtain great advice and tips from people who are in the business. Do a Google search for other writers and publisher’s blogs. Look for names like…

Article first published as Book Review: A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash on Blogcritics. About: A Land More Kind than Home by Wiley Cash is a novel taking place in a small town in North Carolina. I saw a lot of great reviews and articles about this book and thought that I might enjoy the story as well. The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one copy of this book –to enter fill out the Raf­fle­copt­ter form at the end of the post. 320 pages Publisher: William Morrow Language: English ISBN-10: 0062088149 My rat­ing for A Land More Kind than Home — 3 Buy this book in paper or in elec­tronic format* Thoughts: I had a tough time getting into A Land More Kind than Home by Wiley Cash (website | Facebook | @WileyCash). The first 80 pages or so seemed to drag and only when the sheriff was introduced did the story pick up. even though the book is cataloged under the “mystery” genre, the story is pretty much straightforward and there is no mystery per-se. From a technical aspect, this is a superb book. Mr. Wiley is extremely talented and even though I might not have enjoyed the whole of the story, I certainly enjoyed embracing the literary aspects…

Venturing away from books a bit, Tripp Braden (website | @TrippBraden) has written a post on his experiences with early civil rights leaders when attending college. As a lover of history I found this piece interesting and enlightning and would like to share it with you (yes, you!) on this day. Post first published as Create a Great Leadership Team Like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on http://www.trippbraden.com What made Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. such a powerful serving leader? Can we use the same principles he used to help impact our world today? During the 1980’s, I was given an opportunity to interview his wife and several of his closest associates about what they felt about the civil rights movement and what made Dr. King effective as a man and as a leader. I met with several people in Dr. King’s inner circle. They included Coretta Scott King, Andrew Young, Ralph David Abernathy Sr., Jesse Jackson, and James Meredith. Each had a different perspective on Dr. King but I believe each can help us better understand the man who changed our world so much. The first thing you notice about all the people around Dr. King was that they…

Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas is the second book in what is now knows as the d’Artagnan Romances (the first being The Three Musketeers and the third being The Vicomte de Bragelonne). As in the previous book, the novel was serialized in 1845 before being published in book format.

British children’s author A.A. Milne (18 January, 1882 – 31 January, 1956). Most people know his most beloved creation Winnie the Pooh.

We all know Benjamin Franklin from history classes and the teacher might have mentioned his other notable achievements, however Mr. Franklin had many notable achievements – far too many to mention in a 45 minute classroom. This biography is a terrific sweeping read and full of insights.

[Accompany Eugene Uttley on a mythological “hero’s journey” to another world and back again, and join him as he articulates the prize that he won there — The Ultimate Boon. Through his struggles in coping with schizophrenia, Uttley has come to know what he wants. Now he just needs to figure out how to get it. This experimental open letter includes original and appropriated prose, poetry, song, prayer… memoir, travelogue, sketches of Uttley’s present-day life, and literary exegesis. Its many sources and topics are ranging, but circle always back to the overarching theme of recovery from mental illness through better knowledge of self and becoming more whole, a complex process both mental and spiritual, which entails increasing awareness of connectedness to the greater whole, the infinite.] Enter the Giveaway Today Review / Authors Den / Bio / Interview / Blog / Facebook / Twitter. We hope you’ll enjoy the opportunity to visit each of these sites on this tour: Oh, Chrys! D.S. White Marat M’saev Daan Fly High Brooke Blogs A Grumpy Young Woman Delia Bourne R. Tsoumbakos BooksRUsOnline Mary’s Cup of Tea Girl-Who-Reads Uttley’s Take

About: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier is a historical fiction novel taking place in 17th Century Holland. The book has fascinating descriptions of the times, how people lived and behaved. 256 pages Publisher: Plume; Deluxe edition (August 30, 2005) Language: English ISBN-10: 0452287022 My rating for Girl with a Pearl Earring – 3 Buy this book in paper or in elec­tronic format* More Books by Tracy Chevalier Thoughts: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier (website | Facebook | @Tracy_Chevalier)was neither here nor there. The story seems like an episode of the old British drama “Upstairs Downstairs” set in Holland with a coming of age story neatly tucked in it as well. The plot is somewhat interesting with one well developed character (Griet) and none others I cared about. The book is written very well but nothing happens and for awhile I was actually bored. Some of the characters are well developed but I was hoping for Johannes Vermeer’s character to be more in depth. To my disappoint Vermeer played a minor (yet important) part in the book. However, the descriptions of 17th Century Holland, the class system and mercantile society were excellent, which by itself was worth finishing the book. The descriptions of how the paintings were…

Buy this Star Wars Book in paper or elec­tronic copy* Andrew: Orig­i­nally pub­lished at: http://www.rancorslovetoread.com/2009/01/andrews-review-of-jedi-academy-trilogy_2371.html 2/5 Rancors – Champions of the Force is the final book in Kevin J. Anderson’s Jedi Academy Trilogy. It continues much in the vein of the first two novels: a somewhat promising and engaging storyline is dragged down by pedestrian writing and some very hokey scenes. The 300-some pages of this book are essentially one extended climax to the trilogy. One battle in particular, the assault on the Imperial facility in the Maw, almost stretches the entire length of the story. The Bantam Spectra era of Star Wars novels was noted for the authors’ predilection to invent “superweapons-of-the-week.” True to form, this trilogy contains not one but two in the form of a prototype (but fully functional) Death Star and the even more powerful Sun Crusher. It’s not that hard to swallow the existence of a prototype Death Star, although the idea feels a trifle overused after seeing them in A New Hope and Return of the Jedi. However, the Sun Crusher concept goes beyond the pale. Anderson asks the reader to accept it took a 100+ kilometer wide sphere to support a laser that could destroy…