William Saroyan was born this day, 31 August 1908 (d: 18 May 1981); he was a prolific writer of immigrant parents who based many of his stories on his childhood experiences during the Great Depression as well as the rootlessness of immigrants. Mr. Saroyan is known for his short stories and insightful texts. He won a Pulitzer Prize for for his play The Time of Your Life (1939). Books by William Saroyan 1 ) Saroyan’s was left fatherless at the tender age of 3. He was raised in an orphanage along with his brother and sister. 2 ) After his mother reunited the family, Saroyan helped out by selling newspapers at age eight. 3 ) After he saw his father’s writing, Saroyan decided to become a writer. 4 ) The first stories Saroyan wrote appeared in Overland Monthly, some under the name Sirak Goryan . 5 ) My Name is Aram, a short story collection, was published in 1940 and became an international best seller. 6 ) Saroyan’s breakthrough story The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze (1934) takes its name from a 19th Century song. 7 ) During World War II Saroyan served in the US Army and…

When my son (5) saw his big sister’s summer project and “reading responses” (see here and here) he got jealous and wanted to do one also. Here he is with his first reading response of a book we took out of the library for him. A nice comment would be appreciated 🙂 Buy this book from Amazon.com After he finished the story he was even more excited to find out that there is such a thing as shoo fly pie – below is his first taste at the local farmer’s market (I think he liked the book better). Zohar – Man of la Book Disclaimer: we borrowed this book from the local library. BOOK BLOGGERS – Have you read Shoo Fly Pie? If so link up your review below:

Silver: Return to Treasure Island by Andrew Motion is the novel which continues the adventures of the son of Jim Hawkins, protagonist of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Stevenson’s book was originally published in 1883 and is considered a classic which has influenced many authors, readers and adventure seekers alike.

Military Strategy… can books get anymore interesting? Reading about heroics in battle is the stuff which makes books exciting, but strategy is what makes them interesting. Heck, The Hunger Games is about strategy as much as the Killer Angels is even though they are two very different styles of storytelling and genre. Of course there is the grandaddy of all military strategy books, The Art of War which is being talked about today as much as it was many moons ago. The lessons in these books do not belong only on the battlefield, but in everyday life whether at home or in business. Check them out, let me know what you think. Check out the books below, I only found one for free but the rest are $0.99 at the time this post was written. Authors: If you’d like your book to be fea­tured on Tight­wad Tues­days please email me. Harold’ The Last of The Saxon Kings [Illustrated] by Edward Bulwer-Lytton Digital List Price: $0.99 Print List Price: $18.98 Kindle Price: $0.95 includes free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet You Save: $18.03 (95%) Harold Godwinson, (1022 – October 14, 1066 A.D.) also known as Harold II, is widely regarded as the…

Article first published as Book Review: The Orchardist by Amanda Chopin on Blogcritics. About: The Orchardist by Amanda Chopin is a novel taking place in Washington State at the early part of the 20thCentury. This is Chopin’s first book and is a majestic debut, a new book which reads like an old friend. The pub­lisher is giv­ing away one copy of this book— use the Raf­fle­copter form at the end of the post to enter. 448 pages Publisher: Harper Language: English ISBN-10: 006218850X My rating for The Orchardist – 4 Buy this book in paper or electronic format Thoughts: The Orchardist by Amanda Chopin is a beautifully written and haunting novel, a mood not usually captured by first time authors. The prose is lyrical and the characters enchanting, even though they might not be likeable they grow on the reader and make one invest in their future. The reason I requested to be on the tour for this book is actually quite nostalgic. Many years ago, what seems like 100 years ago (and unfortunately, what seems like 100 lbs. as well) I walked along the Inca Trail in Bolivia(slightly less famous than its Peruvian counterpart which I walked several weeks later). After a few days we…

This week I reviewed The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu. As it is with many books which have captured the public’s imagination there are varied covers galore. Below are some of my favorites. I especially like the first one, even though I wouldn’t have minded the leather bound (3rd one down) edition. There are several others Fu-Manchu books, I’m not sure I’ll read them all but I think the covers were certainly better than the first book in the series. So tell me, which one is your favorite? Zohar -Man of la Book

1 ) The Insidious Dr. Fu Manchu, the first book in the series, is actually a collection of short stories. The novel was originally called The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu but the title was changed when released in America. 2 ) Fu-Manchu’s goal is to restore the Chinese Empire to its former glory. Even though he uses some despicable and cruel methods, the book does show him as a benevolent man who uses compassion as well as ruthlessness. 3 ) When MGM adapted The Mask of Fu Manchu in 1932, the assembled group of Asian villains (Chinese, Persians, Indians, Arabs) stated that they must “kill the white men and take their women”. The statement prompted a group from Harvard to petition MGM to stop from making further films based on the novels. 4 ) Before the US entrance to World War II (around 1940), the State Department asked MGM to stop making future films starring Fu-Manch. This was because China was an ally against Japan. 5 ) Once the US entered World War II the books’ publisher, Doubleday, ceased publication of the series for the duration. 6 ) The author, Sax Rohmer, stated in his biography that “Of course,…

Dr. John Petrie, a physician and our narrator, meets his friend Denis Nayland Smith who served as British police commissioner in Asia. Smith seems to know all things Asia and the innate ability to get all the support he needs from British government officials. Petrie is, of course, knowledgeable in medicine, forensics, chemistry and an ace with a pistol – for good measure.

Article first published as Book Review: The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva on Blogcritics. About: The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva brings back Israeli spy Gabriel Allon in this seventh installment. This time we find Allon as a weary, tired agent ready to hang up his holster and, unwillingly, accept his fate in management. 385 pages Publisher: Putnam Adult Language: English ISBN-10: 0399154221 My rating for The Secret Servant – 5 Buy this book in paper or elec­tronic format More Books by Daniel Silva Thoughts: I found The Secret Servant by Daniel Silva (web­site) to be a more current, at least in atmosphere, of the Gabriel Allon series. As usual with the rest of the series, the book is difficult to put down, a fast paced adventure and thriller which brings back familiar characters. The characters age with the books, which I like. None are superheroes, but people with issues and problems who only justify their acts to themselves by holding a high moral ground. However, this high moral ground must be broken from time to time which leaves them feeling confused and filled with regrets. The book is filled with many characters, bumbling politicians, Islamic extremists, non-extremists Islamic people and other hot button issues from current day world. However,…

The Spread the Word Initiative allows bloggers, reviewers, and faithful readers to gain early access to new releases by authors published by The Story Plant. The Story Plant was started in 2008 by two industry professionals who have over 60 years of experience between them. Lou Aronica, Publisher, spent twenty years at big publishing houses, serving as Deputy Publisher at Bantam before becoming Publisher at Berkley and Avon. During this time, he edited and published numerous New York Times bestsellers. A New York Times bestselling author himself, Aronica has written three novels, including the national bestseller Blue, and coauthored nine works of nonfiction. Peter Miller has been managing writers in books and film for more than three decades, representing more than a dozen New York Times bestsellers and Executive Producing more than a dozen movies. His current film projects include a ten-part miniseries based on Reclaiming History by Vincent Bugliosi for HBO with Tom Hanks’ production company Playtone, and a film from Oscar-winning director Brad Bird, based on 1906 by James Dallesandro. The goal of the company is to turn commercial novelists into best-selling authors. With Spread the Word, we offer you the chance to read a novel by one…