Desperate as to what to do, Christoffersen decides he will take a walk.  He lives in Seattle and decide to leave everything and walk to Key West, ”the furthest point reachable by foot.”  Most of the book covers the early days in his walk.  The chapters are short, and the pages turn quickly.  It is fairly interesting, but there is little depth.  The author, Evans, spends too much time on details about what he eats on his journey and on how his legs are aching, and not nearly enough time on what he encounters on the journey.  In the sections where Evans details the encounters, the book is far more intriguing, and it is these sections that make you stay with the book.

As mentioned, this is the first of a series.  I will not tell you how far Christoffersen gets on his journey in this first book.  The book is light, quick reading. 

On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being GREAT), columbiabookseller gives “The Walk”  a  3

We welcome your comments and feedback!! 

“The Walk”

Richard Paul Evans

Published by Simon & Schuster, April 2010

ISBN  978-1439187319

If you want to try an Andy Andrews book, I highly recommend that you start with his latest release, The Heart Mender, a 2010 book from Thomas Nelson Publishers.  It is everything great fiction should be:  history, mystery, suspense, romance, tragedy, and more. 

In addition to writing, Andrews frequently travels for speaking engagements.  I would love to her him as he gives one of his motivational speeches.  Recently he wrote a blog on forgiveness.  It is on Michael Hyatt’s website.  Hyatt is the Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson, the world’s largest Christian publishing company and the seventh largest trade book publisher in the United States.  Read Andrews’ blog at http://michaelhyatt.com/2010/07/leadership-and-forgiveness-part-2.html . And go out and find an Andy Andrews book to read.  It won’t be the deepest book you’ve ever read, but I can guarantee it will be meaningful.

The two books that were mentioned that were of most interest to me were John Grisham’s latest thriller, due for a late October release, and Condoleeza Rice’s memoir-style book, also due for an October release.  I am a fan of Grisham and have read all his books (except for his recent release, “Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer” -  I haven’t gotten to it yet, but definitely will read it soon).  And I have always admired Condoleeza Rice as one of the seemingly most intelligent people in our country.  I did not always agree with her politically, but always had utmost respect for her.  It is intriguing that her book will focus not on her Washington years, but more on her years growing up and dealing with days when segregation was still quite a hot topic.  It should be an interesting read.

I wanted to share with you the latest “Independent Bookstores Bestsellers List” which is for the week ending May 2, 2010 and was published in the latest (May 7, 2010) issue of “Bookreporter.com Newsletter”.  The latest list, in various categories, follows”
 

May 6, 2010

The Indie Bestseller List
Published Thursday, May 6, 2010 (for the sales week ended Sunday, May 2, 2010). Based on reporting from many hundreds of independent bookstores across the United States. For information on more titles, please visit IndieBound.org

Booksellers: The Indie Bestseller List may be downloaded as a color PDF for display in your store. Go to the Indie Bestseller page under the IndieBound section on BookWeb.org or click on the bestseller link in Thursday’s Bookselling This Week email.

Debuts for the week:
Hardcover Fiction
#5-ISLAND BENEATH THE SEA, by Isabel Allende (9780061988240)
#11-THE 9TH JUDGMENT, by James Patterson, Maxine Paetro (9780316036276)
#12-THE GOD OF THE HIVE, by Laurie R. King (9780553805543)
#15-LOVER MINE, by J.R. Ward (9780451229854)
Hardcover Nonfiction
#8-MOM, by Dave Isay (Ed.) (9781594202612)
#10-PARISIANS, by Graham Robb (9780393067248)
#13-LIFT, by Kelly Corrigan (9781401341244)
Paperback Fiction
#12-SAVOR THE MOMENT, by Nora Roberts (9780425233689)
Paperback Nonfiction
#3-SHOP CLASS AS SOULCRAFT, by Matthew B. Crawford (9780143117469)
Children’s Interest
#3-THE CARRIE DIARIES, by Candace Bushnell (9780061728914)
#10-SCAT, by Carl Hiaasen (9780375834875)
#15-THE CLOCK WITHOUT A FACE, by Gus Twintig (9781934781715)
Children’s Illustrated
#7-THE SANDWICH SWAP, by Queen Rania of Jordan Al Abdullah, et al. (9781423124849)
Children’s Fiction Series
NEW IN SERIES: BURNED (House of Night), by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast (9780312606169)

HARDCOVER FICTION
1. THE HELP
Kathryn Stockett, Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam, $24.95, 9780399155345
2. THE DOUBLE COMFORT SAFARI CLUB
Alexander McCall Smith, Pantheon, $24.95, 9780375424502
3. IMPERFECT BIRDS
Anne Lamott, Riverhead, $25.95, 9781594487514
4. EVERY LAST ONE
Anna Quindlen, Random House, $26, 9781400065745
5. ISLAND BENEATH THE SEA - DEBUT
Isabel Allende, Harper, $26.99, 9780061988240
6. THIS BODY OF DEATH
Elizabeth George, Harper, $28.99, 9780061160882
7. DELIVER US FROM EVIL
David Baldacci, Grand Central, $27.99, 9780446564083
8. MAJOR PETTIGREW’S LAST STAND
Helen Simonson, Random House, $25, 9781400068937
9. SOLAR
Ian McEwan, Nan A. Talese, $26.95, 9780385533416
10. MATTERHORN
Karl Marlantes, Atlantic Monthly, $24.95, 9780802119285
11. THE 9TH JUDGMENT - DEBUT
James Patterson, Maxine Paetro, Little Brown, $27.99, 9780316036276
12. THE GOD OF THE HIVE - DEBUT
Laurie R. King, Bantam, $25, 9780553805543
13. BEATRICE AND VIRGIL
Yann Martel, Spiegel & Grau, $24, 9781400069262
14. ANTHILL
E.O. Wilson, Norton, $24.95, 9780393071191
15. LOVER MINE - DEBUT
J.R. Ward, NAL, $25.95, 9780451229854

HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1. THE BIG SHORT
Michael Lewis, Norton, $27.95, 9780393072235
2. CHELSEA CHELSEA BANG BANG
Chelsea Handler, Grand Central, $25.99, 9780446552448
3. THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS
Rebecca Skloot, Crown, $26, 9781400052172
4. EAARTH
Bill McKibben, Times Books, $24, 9780805090567
5. THE BRIDGE
David Remnick, Knopf, $29.95, 9781400043606
6. WOMEN FOOD AND GOD
Geneen Roth, Scribner, $24, 9781416543077
7. IN THE GREEN KITCHEN
Alice Waters, Clarkson Potter, $28, 9780307336804
8. MOM: A Celebration of Mothers from StoryCorps - DEBUT
Dave Isay (Ed.), Penguin Press, $21.95, 9781594202612
9. THIS TIME TOGETHER
Carol Burnett, Harmony, $25, 9780307461186
10. PARISIANS: An Adventure History of Paris - DEBUT
Graham Robb, Norton, $28.95, 9780393067248
11. OPRAH
Kitty Kelley, Crown, $30, 9780307394866
12. BORN TO RUN
Christopher McDougall, Knopf, $24.95, 9780307266309
13. LIFT - DEBUT
Kelly Corrigan, Hyperion, $16.99, 9781401341244
14. STONES INTO SCHOOLS
Greg Mortenson, Viking, $26.95, 9780670021154
15. 13 BANKERS
Simon Johnson, James Kwak, Pantheon, $26.95, 9780307379054
ON THE RISE:
17. HELLHOUND ON HIS TRAIL
Hampton Sides, Doubleday, $28.95, 9780385523929
An intense look at the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the search for his killer, by the bestselling author of Ghost Soldiers.

TRADE PAPERBACK FICTION
1. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
Stieg Larsson, Vintage, $14.95, 9780307454546
2. LITTLE BEE
Chris Cleave, S&S, $14, 9781416589648
3. THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE
Stieg Larsson, Vintage, $15.95, 9780307454553
4. CUTTING FOR STONE
Abraham Verghese, Vintage, $15.95, 9780375714368
5. LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN
Colum McCann, Random House, $15, 9780812973990
6. A RELIABLE WIFE
Robert Goolrick, Algonquin, $14.95, 9781565129771
7. THE ELEGANCE OF THE HEDGEHOG
Muriel Barbery, Europa Editions, $15, 9781933372600
8. OLIVE KITTERIDGE
Elizabeth Strout, Random House, $14, 9780812971835
9. THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN
Garth Stein, Harper, $14.99, 9780061537967
10. HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET
Jamie Ford, Ballantine, $15, 9780345505347
11. THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY
Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows, Dial, $14, 9780385341004
12. SAVOR THE MOMENT - DEBUT
Nora Roberts, Berkley, $16, 9780425233689
13. SARAH’S KEY
Tatiana De Rosnay, St. Martin’s Griffin, $13.95, 9780312370848
14. BROOKLYN
Colm Tóibín, Scribner, $15, 9781439148952
15. SHANGHAI GIRLS
Lisa See, Random House, $15, 9780812980530
ON THE RISE:
23. PYGMY
Chuck Palahniuk, Anchor, $14.95, 9780307389817
A darkly comic novel from the bestselling author of Fight Club and Snuff is now available in paperback.

TRADE PAPERBACK NONFICTION
1. FOOD RULES
Michael Pollan, Penguin, $11, 9780143116387
2. THREE CUPS OF TEA
Greg Mortenson, David Oliver Relin, Penguin, $16, 9780143038252
3. SHOP CLASS AS SOULCRAFT - DEBUT
Matthew B. Crawford, Penguin, $15, 9780143117469
4. EAT, PRAY, LOVE
Elizabeth Gilbert, Penguin, $15, 9780143038412
5. THE GIRLS FROM AMES
Jeffrey Zaslow, Gotham, $16, 9781592405329
6. FOR YOU MOM, FINALLY
Ruth Reichl, Penguin, $13, 9780143117346
7. MENNONITE IN A LITTLE BLACK DRESS
Rhoda Janzen, Holt, $14, 9780805092257
8. THE LOST CITY OF Z
David Grann, Vintage, $15.95, 9781400078455
9. ARE YOU THERE, VODKA? IT’S ME, CHELSEA
Chelsea Handler, Simon Spotlight, $16, 9781416596363
10. THE AGE OF WONDER
Richard Holmes, Vintage, $17.95, 9781400031870
11. I AM NUJOOD, AGE 10 AND DIVORCED
Nujood Ali, Three Rivers, $12, 9780307589675
12. ANIMALS MAKE US HUMAN
Temple Grandin, Catherine Johnson, Mariner, $15.95, 9780547248233
13. THE OMNIVORE’S DILEMMA
Michael Pollan, Penguin, $16, 9780143038580
14. THE GLASS CASTLE
Jeannette Walls, Scribner, $15, 9780743247542
15. EINSTEIN’S GOD
Krista Tippett, Penguin, $16, 9780143116776
ON THE RISE:
25. THE FIRST TYCOON
T.J. Stiles, Vintage, $19.95, 9781400031740
A powerful account of the life of Cornelius Vanderbilt.

MASS MARKET
1. THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
Stieg Larsson, Vintage, $7.99, 9780307473479
2. THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE
Stieg Larsson, Vintage, $7.99, 9780307476159
3. THE CATCHER IN THE RYE
J.D. Salinger, Warner, $6.99, 9780316769488
4. GONE TOMORROW
Lee Child, Dell, $9.99, 9780440243687
5. DEAD AND GONE
Charlaine Harris, Ace, $7.99, 9780441018512
6. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
Harper Lee, Warner, $7.99, 9780446310789
7. THE LAST SONG
Nicholas Sparks, Grand Central, $7.99, 9780446570961
8. BORDERLINE
Nevada Barr, Berkley, $9.99, 9780425233788
9. FATALLY FLAKY
Diane Mott Davidson, Avon, $7.99, 9780061348143
10. FIRST FAMILY
David Baldacci, Vision, $9.99, 9780446539746

As a booklover, I found a very interesting item related to our President, Barack Obama, and a speech he gave in Iowa City, Iowa on Thursday (March 25, 2010), in which he referred to an area book store in a speech he was making on health care and the recently passed bill.  Following the speech, he actually went to the referenced book store and did some browsing and more.

The item I read was found in the Friday March 26, 2010 edition of “Shelf Awareness”.  The “Shelf Awareness” articles states, “In a speech on health care delivered in Iowa City, Iowa, yesterday, President Obama cited ‘your own Prairie Lights bookstore downtown’ as an example of a small business that will benefit from the new law.  An hour later he visited the store and bought several books, endearing himself yet again to many book people”.

According to the article, in his speech, quoted by the New York Times, “the president said Prairie Light has been ‘offering coverage to their full-time employees for the last 20 years.  Last year their premiums went up 35%, which made it a lot harder for them to offer the same coverage’.”  With the new law, the President stated that the store owners will qualify for a tax credit that will cover up to 35% of the health insurance costs.  Read the entire speech in the New York Times article.

Following the speech, President Obama made a visit to Prairie Lights Books.  At the store he browsed, and purchased books for his daughters and one for the son of press secretary Robert Gibbs.  Excellent articles about the shopping trip are found in the Cedar Rapids Gazette and “a pool report quoted by the New York Times“.   Thanks to “Shelf Awareness” for their article about the speech and book store visit.

I found the article in “Shelf Awareness” and the referenced newspaper stories very interesting.  I agree with many people that the health care bill is not perfect.  But I do not believe we will ever be able to get a perfect health care bill.  This is a great start and I commend President Obama for the hard work he has done to get the bill passed.  I have found so many interesting comments from my “Facebook” friends both for and against the health care bill and comments that were, of course, very strong about the politicians who have been involved in the process of developing the bill.

In one post, raging against the health care bill, a friend wrote a comment basically saying that since President Obama smokes cigarettes, a definitely unhealthy habit, that he does not have a right to sign health care legislation.  While I respect my friend’s opinion, I would like to add my thoughts.  First, President Obama has what is probably the highest pressure job in the world.  OK, he smokes some.  He admits it is a problem and has tried many times to quit.  Give the man a break.  I certainly can’t criticize him for that.  He DOES exercise with regularity, a very healthy thing, and I almost never exercise!  Another thought on the comment about smoking.  The “Facebook” friend who made that comment lives (along with myself) in South Carolina.  Our state has the LOWEST cigarette tax in the nation.  Our legislators refuse to raise that tax.  While I don’t advocate raising taxes as frequently as it done, there is absolutely no reason why South Carolina’s lawmakers should not immediately raise the cigarette tax.  Our state’s budget is desperate for more revenue,  the state’s education budget is on the verge of being cut drastically, and yet the legislators won’t raise the cigarette tax?  Let us get our priorities straight.  If people do want to smoke, then let them pay a price.  Maybe a higher tax would cause some people to stop smoking.  That is definitely a HEALTHY thing to do!

I strayed some from my usual books topic.  I am so glad that President Obama visited an independently owned bookstore.  He helped support a small business. He purchased books for his kids.  He is making a positive impact by many of his efforts.

I hope that all the tension between Democrats and Republicans will die down some now and that the focus of both parties will be to work on other ways to better our country. 

In Wednesday, March 3, 2010’s edition of “Shelf Awareness” the new CEO of Macmillan, John Sargent, directly addressed the issue.  Following is a statement, directly from “Shelf Awareness”:

In his first post on Macmillan’s website, CEO John Sargent addressed the e-book agency model, which the company will adopt at the end of March, “and how it will affect our business in the near term.” Sargent focused on what he termed “the two major effects at retail”–price and availability.

“All the new adult trade books for which we have the rights to publish in e-book format will be available at the first release of the printed book,” he wrote. “We will no longer delay the publication of e-books (read: no windowing). Readers were clearly frustrated at the lack of availability of new titles, and the change to the agency model will solve this problem. We are also working hard to make more books available in digital editions. The consumer will have broader choice and much greater availability.”

Sargent added that Macmillan will sell its e-books “at a wide variety of prices. In the ink-on-paper world we publish new books in different formats (hardcover, trade paperback, and mass market paperback) at prices that generally range from $35 to $5.99. In the digital world we will price each book individually as we do today.” Pricing for new hardcover releases will range between $12.99 and $14.99, with “a few books will be priced higher and lower,” including e-book editions of New York Times hardcover bestsellers, which “will be priced at $12.99 or lower while they are on the printed list. E-book editions of paperback new releases will be generally priced between $9.99 and $6.99.” 

It seems that Sargent certainly realizes that the e-book trend is not going to go away (even though some of us probably wish it would!).  It appears to me that his comments show that he definitely wants Macmillan to be at the forefront of the publishing world.  Likely a wise decision. 
 

The story in the newspaper was a feature because a special day is coming up, and that is Read Across America Day.  The day is officially Tuesday March 2, 2010, but can certainly be celebrated at any time.  The special day was created by the National Education Association, and they are encouraging schools all across the U.S. to focus on reading with the goal of motivating people of all ages to read.  If you go to www.nea.org/readacross, you can find all kinds of ideas to help you put the focus on reading in your school or at home.

The article in this morning’s “The State” newspaper was full of tips from some various area District Teachers of the Year that could definitely help you as you work to “Raise a Reader”.  The teachers who contributed to the article were Sarah Bowers of Richland (SC) District 1, Becky Krantz of Lexingon-Richland(SC) District 5, and Kimmy Varner of Lexington (SC) District 4.  The article also stated that some of the ideas came from http://www.rif.org/, which is the website for Reading is Fundamental, which is the Nation’s Largest Children’s Literacy Organization.

The newspaper article stated that in order to raise a child who loves to read you must “Create a (reading) Culture At Home”.  I definitely agree with that.  Kids need to see you, the parent, reading.  The newspaper article stated, “Young people are more likely to model behaviors they see regularly.  Don’t worry about what you are reading.  Everything from newspapers and news magazines to biographies, fantasies, and classics will show your young person that reading is important.”  Another suggestion, which I definitely find is helpful, is to “Leave all sorts of reading materials around your home, including child-oriented books, magazines, newspapers and colorful catalogs.”  I make sure that we always have plenty of reading material around the house, particularly in our den.  I also make certain that we subscribe to at least a couple of child-oriented magazines.  My son is particularly interested in science and nature, so I subscribed to “National Geographic for Kids” and he seems to really enjoy it.  I am always thrilled when I see my son with a book or magazine in his hand and he is reading on his own, outside of the times that we read together!

As I mentioned earlier, my son and I definitely read together.  We have done so since he was born (of course, I did the reading for many years!).  Now he is doing much more of the reading when we read together and I love that.  The newspaper article in “The State” said “Read aloud with and to your child every day.  Experts recommend 20-30 minutes a day, but even as little as 10 minutes a day can help build skills - or, restore confidence for a child with poor reading skills.”  It is important - very important - to pick books that are on a topic or subject that is interesting or appealing to your child.

It is really important for children and teens to make regular trips to the library and to bookstores.  I remember how thrilled my son was when he got his first library card for our public library.  He likes to go the library and always manages to find a lot of books that he wants to check out.  He always manages to find TOO many books, but I generally let him check-out all of the ones he picks, as long as it is within the library limits of course, so he will have a good selection to choose from when he gets home.  He is very good at finding books in the library that are on topics that interest him, such as construction, animals, nature, machinery, etc.  He also likes to go to bookstores and we do that from time to time.  For Valentine’s Day, my wife and I included a gift card to a local bookstore and he seemed pleased with that.

A final suggestion that I would like to pass along, that came from the article in ”The State” newspaper, was to “Introduce the bookmark.  Remind your youngster that you don’t have to finish a book in one sitting; you can stop after a few pages or a chapter, and pick up where you left off at another time.  Don’t try to persuade your child to finish a book he or she doesn’t like.  Recommend putting the book aside and trying another”.

Reading is a wonderful way to add to your life.  I hope you will make it your goal to “Raise a Reader!”. 
 

Jenny Sanford, who has a Georgetown education, will be featured on ABC’s “20/20″ in an interview with Barbara Walters tonight (2/5/2010).  The show generally airs on most ABC stations at 10:00 EST.  In “The State” newspaper, it is stated that in the book and in the Walters interview, Jenny Sanford reveals that “Mark Sanford insisted they skip the part about marital fidelity in their wedding vows 20 years ago.”  According to the newspaper article, “Mark Sanford kept asking her permission to see his lover after he confessed the affair to her.”

“I could never have imagined this.  I mean, I could never have even made this up,” Jenny Sanford told ABC News. “It never occurred to me that this person I knew, who was actually a fairly grounded person, would be asking me something so morally offensive.”

The book should be available today in virtually all bookstores and online.  The suggested retail price is $25.  The book is 214 pages and is billed as an “inspirational memoir.”

Sanford is scheduled to autograph her book in South Carolina’s capital city, Columbia, on Friday February 12th at 7:00 pm at Barnes & Noble on Forest Drive (in the Richland/Midtown Mall).  According to a sales rep at the store, the books being autographed must be purchased from Barnes & Noble.  You can buy the book at other Barnes & Noble locations - just bring your receipt so you can show that the purchase was from B&N.  Sanford will sign up to two copies of the book per customer and she will only be signing her name.  She will not be able to put personalized inscriptions in the books.

It is certainly possible that she is doing other autograph sessions at other stores in other cities in the near future, but I do not have that information to pass along at this time.

The iPad will be a direct competitor with Amazon.com’s Kindle electronic book and with other similar products (like the Sony Reader or Barnes & Noble’s Nook) that have recently been released.  These electronic products are certainly going to change the way people read books (and magazines and newspapers) and the way publishers and booksellers market their products.  Apple believes its new iPad is superior in many ways to Kindle. It does have many features that Kindle does not have, and it is more versatile than Kindle - meaning it can be used for more than just reading a book or magazine.  It can, as mentioned earlier, be used to e-mail, surf the Web, play games, etc.  One distinct feature it has that Kindle lacks for the e-reader is that is has a backlit LED screen.  As reported in USA Today (1/29/2010), the iPad user “can tap and pinch to summon apps, change pages and zoom photos or Web pages, or rotate the machine to go from portrait to landscape orientation.”  Apple says the iPad has up to 10 hours of battery life when fully charged.

Publishers as a whole seem pleased to have the competition for Kindle and the other e-readers.  Again, as reported in January 28’s USA Today, “book publishers are eager to find an alternative to Amazon’s Kindle. Many are displeased by the online retail giant’s low $10 price for many best-selling e-books”.  The publishers have started withholding some books from immediate release to the e-book format.  “Some, including Simon & Schuster and HarperCollins, are fighting back by refusing to release some titles in digital form for several weeks, so devoted fans will pay for the higher-priced hardcover editions (USA Today 1/28/2010)”.

Apple apparently believes it can sell many e-books at a higher price than Amazon is currently selling them at.  USA Today reports, “In a demonstration of its upcoming iBookstore, it showed the late senator Ted Kennedy’s memoir, True Compass, selling for  about $15, vs. Amazon’s $10.” 

The new release certainly gives readers another option.  The iPad will sell at a price starting at $499.  It will be interesting to see how the publishers and bookstores, and READERS, react to the e-book opportunities available now. 

I was very pleasantly surprised. The book, while very easy to read, is very good and very challenging. It emphasizes the importance of having/keeping the right “perspective” at all times.

The book’s main character is “Jones”, not Mr. Jones, just Jones. He wanders in and out of people’s lives in a small beach town community. A quote from Jones in the book says “In desperate times, much more than anything else, folks need perspective. For perspecitve brings calm. Calm leads to clear thinking. Clear thinking yields new ideas. And ideas produce the bloom of an answer. Keep your head and heart clear. Perspective can just as easily be lost as it can be found.”

Also important in the book is when Jones asks one of the books characters, Andy, “What is it about you that other people would change about you if they could?” In the Reader’s Guide at the end of the book, the author challenges the reader to create a list of ten things that people would change about you if they could. Of those ten things, which ONE do you think they would change FIRST?.

In chapter one of the book, “Jones” reminds us that “Whatever you focus upon increases.” In the Reader’s Guide the author asks, “Are there areas in your life that could use some refocusing?” That is certainly a big challenge to think about!

“The Noticer” is a very motivational book. It will challenge you to look at your life and see how you can change. The biggest challenge is MAKING those changes. I highly recommend this book!

Check out the author’s website at www.andyandrews.com.