Author: Emily Roberts

Your Inner Being

The modern world is a testing, stressful place that demands much of us, and often gives too little back. Many of us look for spiritual growth, for serenity and a hedge against the howling world outside. An article entitled ‘10 Tips on How to Maintain Good Spiritual Health’

http://www.wikihow.com/Maintain-Good-Spiritual-Health

features a variety of useful suggestions, from meditation and deep breathing through prayer and being part of a spiritual community (attending church, synagogue or whatever fits your own needs) to simple things like singing along with your favourite song and doing something for someone else every day.

Just Help Yourself —-

— and be yourself, and improve yourself, and organize yourself, and sell yourself! A key element in the world of self-help books is that you can – and should – be (as the old sales pitch for the US Army had it) Be All You Can Be. So there are a myriad of books showing how we, the readers, can start on that path to self-improvement.

A huge number of self-help books are about being organized.

Another huge amount of self-help books are about being inspired – often by the example of famously successful people (who may or may not have anything in common with your own situation).

Others involve being a great salesman. Indeed, there are so many books about being great at selling, that a few people have had successful careers simply telling others how to be great salesmen!

First of all, which self help-books actually help?
http://www.raptitude.com/2013/02/five-self-help-books-that-actually-helped/

The first book listed is Richard Carlson’s “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff (and It’s All Small Stuff”), a classic of its genre.

Now let’s look at a naysayer – someone who, having bought many, many self-help books, questions their value:

http://www.motivationalwellbeing.com/self-help-books-are-useless.html

So, even though some self-help books primarily help the publisher’s bottom line, others can be very useful to the reader – but only if the reader puts that advice into effective use.

Summary of Posts – May 19th 2013

Mysteries, a genre like no other – they spark our imagination and keep us guessing, on the edges of our seats until the ride is over. Join the discussion this cycle about mysteries of all shapes, sizes, and forms:

What Makes a Good Mystery or Detective Audiobook?

If you’ve ever listened to a good mystery – not just read, but listened to a mystery audiobook or heard someone read a mystery – then you’ve probably experienced that extra depth that can be added to a detective story when it’s read. What adds this depth and drama? What makes mystery and detective audiobooks so captivating? I can’t give you the full answer (that’s part of the mystery), but I think I can point out something that I’ve noticed that really makes up a good mystery or detective audiobook.

One of the most important things about an exceptional mystery audiobook is the narrator. These often under-appreciated men and women sit down, take a good book, and read it. But they don’t just read it, do they? They express it. They make the book come alive, build the mystery with their tones and inflections, dramatically raise the stakes as each chapter flies by . . . in short, they breathe life into the stories that have already been written. This is why it’s always good to not only check the author of a mystery, but also the narrator. The mystery genre is really like no other, so it makes sense that certain narrators are better at reading mysteries than anyone else. So, next time you purchase or borrow an audiobook, find out who the narrator is, and appreciate the work they’ve done to breathe a mystery to life.

The Secret of Audio Mysteries

Hoping for the answer to what makes an audio mystery so compelling? Sorry, I can’t tell you the secret – it’s truly a mystery. However, I can offer you some great examples of mystery audiobooks to set you on the right track. Whether you’re a long-haul trucker or facing a boring airplane ride, Marilyn Stasio’s wit and audiobook suggestions will help see you through the trip.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/25/books/review/audiobook-mystery-suggestions.html?_r=1&

Five Star Mystery Audio Book Narrators

When it comes to audio books, it’s important to not only consider the author of the story but also the reader of the story. An amazing mystery can become a boring, flat story if the narrator hasn’t done his or her job well enough. On the flip side, an average mystery can become exciting and suspenseful with a good narrator. Read about some of these great mystery narrators in a post from The Cozy Mystery List Blog.

Source: http://www.cozy-mystery.com/blog/listening-to-mystery-books-on-tape.html

Mystery Audiobook Review: The Girl With Glass Feet

The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw (read by Heather O’Neill) is a fantasy-mystery about a woman suffering from a strange milady: her feet are slowly turning to glass. Why is this happening? How can she stop it? What’s going to happen? You’ll have to purchase the audiobook yourself to find the answers to all of these questions, but you can read more about the book in an article by Lanea from Books for Ears.

Source: http://booksforears.com/2011/09/21/girl-glass-feet-ali-shaw/

Three British Mysteries You Don’t Want to Miss

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles’ Blood Never Dies. Peter Robinson’s Watching the Dark. Susan Hill’s A Question of Identity. These are  three books from the pens of acclaimed British authors that you definitely don’t want to miss. Paula Wolf reviews the trio of novels and explains exactly why you need to read these delicious mysteries.

Source: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/844545_Trio-of-mystery-treats-from-British-writers.html

The Father of Nancy Drew

The Nancy Drew books are some of the most famous and renown girls’ mystery stories ever known. Who first invented the rather paradoxical character of Nancy Drew? Where did she come from? How has she managed to stay so popular, even as different authors write her books? It appears that Nancy Drew is a bit of a mystery herself. Meghan O’Rourke talks about the origin and story of the Nancy Drew mysteries.

Source: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/11/08/041108crat_atlarge

Summary of Posts – May 12th 2013

This cycle, we talked all about books and moms. Are you searching for books to buy for your mother on Mother’s Day? Are you a mom trying to fit more time into your schedule for reading? Whether you’re looking for a good read for yourself or someone else, you’ll find these articles helpful and interesting: