Roberto Scarlato's Blog, page 10

100 reviews for 2012

Lately, I've been reading a lot of books. I read so fervently that I often get carried away and start skimming the pages. But no matter how many books I read, I've put a simple star rating on them, added them to my just-read list on Goodreads and just shelved them away.
That simple routine has me feeling guilty.
Like I'm not contributing...just consuming.
That wasn't always the case.
Back in the day I'd review movies on Flixster but that teetered out when I kept seeing more and more garbage. The great movies are rare now. And I didn't feel it was worth my time.
Books on the other hand, need more encouragement. It's gotten to a point where if someone asks me what's good to read I go into reviewer mode where I give them a five paragraph speech on the latest book that not only thrilled me but changed my life.
In a way, it feels like cheating, people. It's been on my mind.
When I did have an urge to review books, I setup an amazon account under the name of The Film Noir Fedora.
I wrote a total of 207 reviews and a lot of them were on books I've read through the years. The last one I wrote was for Elisa Lorello's book Faking It. Which, by the way, is a very good book. It's staying strong at four stars with 209 reviews. These are committed reviewers. They took their time to add their two cents and made that book skyrocket to exactly where it needed to be.
Speaking of which, Elisa's not the only one who has been writing. Paul Lorello has just come out with a new novel called Compounded of Dust. A book I've had the joy of rereading. And you should too!
The last book review I put up on amazon was Feb 16th, 2010. That's too long to stay silent...especially in regards to books, which I love talking about the most.
I've realized that a lot of effort has gone into these books and that, I feel, has to be matched by reviews as well. After all, the more you write reviews, the more you encourage your favorite writers to write more books. It's just that simple, folks.
So, for this year, I am going to make an effort and write at least 100 reviews of books I'm currently reading. If you feel you need an honest review of a book you have recently written, do not hesitate to email me at
Robertoscarlato@gmail.com
I know I won't be able to read every single book out there but this will at least help me stay more committed to the craft of writing and will, hopefully, get people to read better books.

In short, stay committed. It helps others.

Clifford Makes a Comeback

Hello readers and welcome to another author interview. You've read his work before. His work speaks for itself. He has written several bestsellers, notably Trial, Tom Mix and Pancho Villa, Final Argument and Daddy's Girl. Not only is he prolific and a master of literature but he has also done works tied to Elmyr De Hory, the famous art forger, and Howard Hughes, the reclusive billionaire.
When I first emailed him, I wasn't sure what to expect. I told him how I was really enjoying his one book The Hoax and how I noticed the wealth of titles that seemed to be popping up in recent months. So I asked him if he would be willing to do an interview.
I was expecting a simple no thanks.
Instead, he responded with, "You pushed the right button when you said you were enjoying my book."
So, without further delay, please enjoy this interview with Mr. Clifford Irving:

1. Your bestselling book Bloomberg Discovers America is on Kindle right now. Tell us a little bit about it. What inspired you to write the story?

It’s kind of you to call it a “bestselling book.” Not at all, at least not yet. It’s a short novella or a long short story, and it’s based almost entirely on a tale that a man named Phil Salonic told me about himself 50 years ago when I was hitch-hiking around the USA. He gave me a lift; I can’t remember from where to where. And I have no idea if any of his story is true. I don’t care. It was memorable and inspiring, and it was set in a world – the Deep South during the Great American Depression – that I didn’t know. It was a fantasy. only the people were remarkably real, and they were lovely. I knew I had to write it. I just didn’t realize it would take me fifty years to get down to it!

Needless to say, I don’t know if what I finally wrote was what he told me or what I conjured up in my imagination over the years. And it doesn’t matter.

2. Jack Bloomberg is such a likable character who is after the American Dream. Did you base him off of a figure in history, someone you knew or was he pure imagination?

Answered above.

3. The Hoax is a very compelling story. How long did it take you to write it?

I wrote it more rapidly than anything I’d ever written before, which probably accounts for “the ring of truth” that many critics have noticed. I had to write it quickly because I was headed for prison and wanted to finish before that grim departure. I said to myself, “To hell with how it turns out. I’ll just wing it. I’ll tell what really happened and how I really felt about it. I won’t worry about how I look to the reader.” So it probably took all of four months to knock off a first draft, writing ten or twelve hours a day (or night) and I made very few changes later on. I had help, of course, in the person of Dick Suskind, my co-conspirator in the Hughes Hoax. We were always laughing at what idiots we had been, and laughter often keeps you focused and on the move.

4. In Fake, a struggling artist, De Hory, is forced to make forgeries when he is short of money. How many paintings did he do in his lifetime?

I don’t know and he didn’t know either. Thousands of works, including drawings.

5. What makes De Hory so fascinating is his commitment to perfection. Every time someone asked for a painting, he would paint it and have the authentication papers to boot. What fascinated you the most while writing about him?

I was fascinated by his skills at lying, both to me and to himself. I had to double- and triple-check almost everything he told me, and I’m still not sure that I got most of it right. Again, I don’t believe that matters, as it’s only a story, as all our lives (as we see them and relate them) are just stories. I tried to make it all coherent, to make it jell, and to isolate the themes that were irresistible to a storyteller and a reader who wants to be both entertained and enlightened.

6. What is your writing process like? Longhand or typewriter? Can you write anywhere?

I write now on a computer and often wonder if that makes the work better or not as good. Writing in longhand gives you a physical connection with words, with phrases, sentences. Your body works in tandem with your mind. I miss that. Decades ago I used a portable Royal typewriter and various big clunky office typewriters (mostly Smith-Coronas) that made a lot of noise when you hit the keys and slammed the carriage back for a new line, and that was exciting. You felt righteous to be working so hard. Computers rob you of that physical connection. But of course with a computer you edit as you roll along, so you always have your text up-to-date. My typewritten manuscripts were a fantastic jumble of sentences, inserts, arrows, balloons full of text, and cross-outs. Sometimes l lost control of the process. I would have to stop for a day or a week and type a new draft. It was fun.

No, I can’t write anywhere. I like a desk and a secretarial chair with a firm pillow stuffed against my spine so that my back doesn’t stiffen up. However, when I’m on a train or a bus or a restaurant, I scribble away with a pen in a notebook or any piece of paper that’s available. And, long ago, I wrote part of a novel at night in a noisy bar, in Spain, by hand, in various notebooks. That was because my little house by the Mediterranean had no electricity. Sometimes I lugged my portable typewriter to the bar and banged away while the Spanish fishermen at the other tables drank and smoked and yelled. I became immune to noise. In the morning, at home,I’d type up what I’d written by hand the night before in the bar.

7. Are you working on anything at the moment?

I’m writing a seemingly endless novel about the French Impressionist painters. The working title is Les Amours. Actually, it’s two novels: one about the early, roguish, fly-by-night years of Claude Monet; and the other about the doomed love of the scholarly, scheming Edouard Manet and the beautiful genius Berthe Morisot. The two tales intersect and I need to be more disciplined and saw them apart.

I’m also writing a work of metaphysics called nine days to a newbetter life. It’s about everything I believe and don’t understand. It’s about purposelessness and indescribable reality, the minuscule unimportant place of human beings in the universe, the practical absurdity of almost everything we believe in. I will have to publish this myself because it will offend most people.

8. Why did you decide to self-publish in 2012?

I’m tired of battling with publishers and agents and the sales force they cater to; there are hardly any great editors left. Editors have become hustlers of books and publicity devils. I would love to find a great editor who believed in me, and was independent, and could get things done without prostitution, and I’m sure they exist, but it’s not worth the hunt. This way, I have control, and it’s a challenge. Something new. I like new things and get caught up in the illusion of progress.

Also, it was an opportunity to do a project with my oldest son, Josh, a kind of bonding experience. I couldn’t resist.

9. Some would say that the face of publishing is forever changing with ebooks and each new ereader that comes out. Traditional Publishing companies seem opposed to people publishing their works independently to the Kindle. What are your views on the matter seeing as how you've been on both sides of that fence? Where do you think the Publishing industry is headed?

I don’t have views that matter or that are carved in stone. I enjoy change. The publishing industry certain deserved a wake-up call as it’s grown more conservative and more Hollywood-like over the years. Human beings will always be driven to tell their stories, to define their lives based on their needs. From the campfire to ereaders, and perhaps one day to a telepathic method of communication through chips in our brains. The method doesn’t matter. Truth doesn’t matter because it’s so unattainable. What matters is that we make efforts and effort is what makes life interesting.

10. What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Make sure you can earn a living doing something else and that the something-else doesn’t corrupt you as a writer. Alternately, be willing to sacrifice everything else for your writing. Don’t have children unless you know you can afford them. Find a lifemate who has money and/or a good job. Make sure your writing chair is comfortable and has a solid lower-back support. Recognize that everything you write, including so-called nonfiction, is just a story. Recognize that who you think you are is just a story you and others made up. Don’t take yourself or your work seriously. Nothing matters.

With Angel of Zin you've given us a dark and vivid picture of a concentration camp through the eyes of Paul Bach and Captain Dobrany. How difficult was it, writing about this subject knowing that you share the heritage?

Angel of Zin is the story of a decent man, a “good German” in a time when there were very few of them. I spent my 20s and 30s in Europe and knew many Germans. I found that I could only be friendly with those who had left Germany to live elsewhere. I could never understand how almost a whole people could act in such an antihuman way. That was naive of me. What happened in Germany could happen anywhere, including the USA.

Of course it was difficult to write about a death camp and the awful fate of so many Jews. But that wasn’t because I’m Jewish, it was because I’m human.

In Final Argument you redefine the lawyer thriller. Ted Jaffe is defending the very same person he put away. What inspired you to write such an intriguing story?

Ted Jaffe is a decent man, in the same sense that Warren Blackburn, the central character of my novel Trial, and Dennis Conway, the central character of my novel The Spring, are decent men. I often write about such a person who is confronted with his own weaknesses, temptations, past mistakes, and current conflicts, and the horror of events that seem beyond his control. (Paul Bach in The Angel of Zin is such a man; so is young Tom Mix in Tom Mix and Pancho Villa, which in my opinion is my best book.) I like to write about challenge and response. My characters plumb the depths of their possibilities and do what they can to overcome what’s so obviously wrong and bizarre in our world. I wish I could be as good a man as the men and women I write about.

You can check out Mr. Irving's website by clicking here!

Buy his books by clicking here!

And special thanks to both Josh Irving and Clifford Irving. Looking forward to more of your work in the future.

If you liked this interview please share it and leave a comment below.

Travis Thrasher Tells Solitary Tales

It's been quite a while since I've done the author interview segment of this blog. Almost a year, in fact. If you couldn't tell, my last post I gave 11 writing tips I've learned along the way and provided a link for the book that inspired the tips written by the writer of Sky Blue, 40, Isolation and Ghostwriter. Well today we have Travis Thrasher. A very prolific author who doesn't believe in being boxed in by any one genre. And his work definitely shows his flexibility. Here's a bit about the author himself from his own Goodreads page.

Few authors have shown such diversity as Travis Thrasher. From starting his career with sweet and moving love stories, Travis has navigated through various genres including suspense, adventure, and most recently supernatural thrillers. At the core of each of his stories lie flawed characters in search of redemption. He loves surprising his readers, not only with a different style of writing in each book but also with amazing twists in each story. The author of eighteen critically-acclaimed works of fiction, Travis lives with his wife and three daughters in a suburb of Chicago.

And now, let's have a chat with Travis Thrasher about his series known as The Solitary Tales.

#1 Tell us about the first book you wrote.

I wrote and completed my first novel in ninth grade. It was called The Adventurer though it's really just a revenge story about a man who avenges his wife's death and kills about 100 mobsters. It was pretty awful but I did manage to finish it, proving I could possibly do it again.

#2 What''s your writing schedule like?

I've been a full-time writer for four and a half years. It's taken a while to build up writing stamina. Currently I'll arrive at my office (which is away from my home) usually by nine and will write until noon. I usually go through emails and Facebook and all that before diving in. I'm back at my desk a little after one and will write until 4:30 or so. The afternoon writing is difficult because that's when you want to just sleep. I usually will work on one project in the morning and another in the afternoon. Lately I've also been writing late at night--adding a few more words to whatever project I'm immersed in.

#3 When did you decide to become a writer?

I've wanted to be a writer since third grade.

#4 How did it feel to have your first book in print?

It was a dream come true. My first book was called The Promise Remains and it's a sweet little love story. But it was a beautiful hardcover, so I was very excited. It never gets old seeing a newly printed book.

#5 What inspired you to write Solitary Tales?

I've always wanted to write a teen series. I tried and failed several times. I took two genres that I'd already written in--my first which was basically a teen romance and my most recent at the time which was horror. I blended the two to make my version of Twilight (minus the vampires).

#6 Jocelyn is such a vivid character. Was she based on anyone you knew growing up?

Yes and no. There are bits and pieces of real people that go into all my characters. But that's the starting point. Jocelyn in particular was someone who I made up and isn't based on one particular person.

#7 How many books are going to be in the series?

Four. It's funny because when the first book, Solitary, was given away for free a couple of years ago, a lot of readers were angry it ends the way it does. I kept thinking It's a series! Answers are going to come! That's why it's called The Solitary TALES!

#8 Does Chris Buckley''s father make an appearance in later books?

You have to read Temptation (book three).

#9 The ending was totally surprising. Was it difficult to choose that ending?

I always knew I wanted it to end like that. That was one of the first things about the story I thought of. I hoped the publisher (if I found one for this series) would go for it. Thankfully they did. I think it sets a great tone that all bets are off and this series can go in a million directions.

#10 What''s your main advice for aspiring writers?

Never give up. Finish what you start. Pick a story (if you write fiction) that you're dying to write and just write it. Writing is practice, so writing a few novels without getting published is perfectly fine. It took me seven complete novels before my first got published. Believe in yourself but also take feedback. Be proactive and persistent. And never give up (did I mention that).

Thanks for the opportunity, Rob! Here's a link to my latest blog talking about the free giveaway and the Kindle Fire contest.

Click Here to Get These Books!

Take care.

#11 Tips On Writing Fine and Saving Time

Lately I've been in a rut. Don't worry. Writers often get into those. I've often complained on this blog about how I don't have Writer's Block but I am now thoroughly convinced that I have Writer's Bulk. That's right, folks. The ideas are pilling up and they don't seem to be stopping any time soon. This is nerve-racking for a writer. Especially since it looks more and more that the bigger my idea vault gets, the lazier I become when mapping the stories out. So, I've decided to draw up some ultimatums for myself.
And after reading a book like Travis Thrasher's 101 Writing Tips, which was done remarkably well, I realized that as a writer you have to train yourself to be more goal-oriented. Please check this book out. It's only 2.99 and it is worth every penny.
So here's the list I've come up with for Writing Fine, Saving Time method. You can adapt it to your schedule if you like. Because as of today, I am implementing these rules right now. No more excuses, no more complaints from me. So here we go.


#11 Face That Book - To start, let's talk about distractions. We all have them and we're going to cover them in this list. If you want to be serious about being creative, you have to control the things that are just draining your time. Case in point, I used to be addicted to video games. Not anymore. Once I realized that I was spending more time gaming than I was writing, I quit altogether. I have been a retired gamer for years. Now Facebook has come along. While it's not gaming it can be very distracting. With all the notifications, requests and events to keep track of, it gets to be too much. Don't get me wrong. If you're an author and you feel that Facebook is a good tool that markets your books and is directly contributing to your sales then by all means keep doing what your doing. But if you're like me and Facebook has just taken up your whole day, every day then its time to take control. I've been off Facebook for over a month now and it has really made a difference. For now, Twitter suits me just fine. I haven't outright deleted my Facebook page. Just put it on hold. I may come back to it again but for right now a new book is waiting to be written. If you're serious too then you have to take a break from Facebook and Face-That-Book which you have been trying to write this whole time.


#10 The NetFlix Flip - If you're an ordinary joe like me than I know that you have done NetFlix at some point in your life. And if you're like me, you've taken advantage of a little thing called the Instant Queue. When I signed on, I thought it was the best thing ever. Now, however, it's become one of my biggest distractions when it comes to writing. Every time I'd watch three movies, I'd add twenty more. We've all been through it. So let's be honest. You're never going to watch all the movies you want to. Just like you're never going to listen to every song or eat at every restaurant. It's just not gonna happen. So, why bother, really? Every time I watch a show or movie, I'm entertained but I feel that I'm also draining the time it takes to write away. Right now, my queue holds 289 instant videos. Every day I'm going to delete 10 videos off that list. With less variety, I'll be more inclined to want to entertain rather then being entertained. The only videos I would keep are the show channels, which are around 40 or so and only the documentaries that can provide sound research when it comes to telling more stories.


#9 Listen Up - I'm a voracious reader but lately I've been slipping. I've read close to 400 books in my life but still I'm thirsting for more. 9 months ago I was reading 15-20 books a month! Last month, that number was reduced to 4 books. This month I've only read, again, just 4 books. In order to write you must be an avid reader. So, I'm going to start loading up on audio books. These things come in handy. I could drive, work out or clean up while listening to at least an hour of an audio book. Maybe I can break 30 books read by next month. I'm ambitious like that.


#8 Worth 500 Words - I've always set a goal of 500 words whenever I sit down to write. That's roughly a page and a half. It's just enough to make me feel satisfied. But its also a reasonable amount. Because I always surpass the number. There have only been a few times where I felt the writing wasn't going anywhere and I stopped at 400 or so. Regardless, this will be my goal every single day. Just last night I started work on a new novel and was able to get 687 words into it. So it's not impossible and it may work for you.



#7 Silence is Golden - I've written in many circumstances. I've written in an attic while there were verbal battles with my parents. I've written laying on my stomach. I've written while my room was flooded or when I was waiting in line for something. You know what I've learned? The quieter it is, the more work you'll get done. Some have said write in a coffee shop. Others have said the Library. Folks, I'm here to tell you that the library works every time. I've spent huge chunks of time at the library. One such stretch was an 8 hour binge of reading and writing. It's also the perfect place because you have all the reference material right there. I've been to Starbucks and Caribou. They don't cut it. Too noisy. People don't know how to use their inside voice anymore. And this is coming from a naturally loud Italian! But I'm serious. Plus there's just too many distractions. The songs are too loud or too annoying or, no matter how invested you are in that laptop, there's always a person who comes up to you asking, "Would you like to try a sample of our Caramel Mocha Vanilla Chi Organic Zesty Pumpkin Cinnamin Chocolate Fluff Drink?" The longest stretch at a coffee house? 2-3 hours at most. Sometimes I'd give up halfway. Not anymore. I'm going to be getting very familiar with the library in the coming weeks.


#6 The One Day Pitch - Say you're a guy who has got a great idea for a flick. We've all heard of people pitching ideas to Hollywood. Now we can use that enthusiasm to pitch an idea to yourself. Give yourself a full 24 hours to write an outline for a novel. Write two or three sentences on what you want to happen in each chapter. With this method, you'll find out how many chapters it takes to complete the story. The beauty part is that it doesn't have to be perfect. I've diverted many times from the outline. The surprises are a big plus.


#5 Four Book Influence - This idea was actually pitched to me by a friend of mine. I really like it so I decided to share it with you. If you're a reader/writer than chances are you have been heavily influenced by writers you liked. You may have read all of their work or just a couple of books. I'm sure that if we narrowed it down we can point to four of the best books we've ever read. So why not introduce that into your writing? Pick four great books from four of your favorite authors and study them. What are your likes? Dislikes? Is the format unique? Is it a High-concept idea? Or is it subtle? When you're in a room writing, you wanna cover every corner of inspiration.


#4 Five Book List - Take your five best ideas for novels and write those first, marking your progress by a dry erase board. When one idea is finished, cross it out and replace it with another idea.


#3 Time To Clock In - Writing is fun. But if you want to be more organized, you have to be more disciplined. Lately I've been entertaining the idea of treating the act of writing as a job. I'd still have fun, but I'd be more diligent with my time. I plan on picking up time cards, filling in how many hours I wrote and how many words I wrote. It would be nice to write 20 hours a week or even more. But it would be more productive to see how many times I've decided to clock in and actually get some work done.


#2 Listen More - This one should be a no brainer. Writer's are observers. Did you witness something awesome, funny, cruel or otherwise weird that took place on a train, plane or bus? Well, that could be the raw material you've been mining for in the first place.


#1 Write Now - That's right. We've come to the end of the list and this is the number one thing you can do and that is to start right now. What you doing? You have anything planned? You got some time to kill? Why not take that time and write something? All you need is a comfortable chair and your writing tools and your set. You can even set up an egg timer if you feel that you need to be strict with yourself. But the important thing is to start. I wanted to do something right now, so I chose to write this list.


Leave a comment below. Tell me if this list helped. I'd like to know. I'll update you guys again in two weeks. I bet you I'll have some more stories done.


Also, share this list with someone.


[P.s. Follow me on Twitter. @robertoscarlato ]

Notable Movies #8

Every writer must own a copy of Midnight In Paris.

Writing The Book - A New Series

Trying something a little different. Just to give you an idea of what I do when it comes to writing I have decided to chronicle my progress. That's right! From the germination of the idea to the inevitable print and ebook conclusion; you'll be able to track my trial and error of writing just one book. A lot goes into it and I've learned some things along the way. And who knows? Maybe this system of writing will work for you.
Song Choice is Martha and the Vendellas "Nowhere to run to."I do not own this song. Just using it for the intro music.

Tales From The Script

The most horrific thing I have ever heard of is a writer submitting his work to ten Hollywood business execs who know nothing about writing. This movie was an eye-opener. It also serves as a warning to aspiring writers; protect your work.

The Death of a Short Story

I'm slowly learning that ideas, the ones that are malformed at least, must die.
William Faulkner once said, "Kill your darlings."
What he meant by that is that if your story is not up to it, whether it be a lack of character, theme or passion to write it, then you must get rid of it, my friend.
I'm in the midst of editing my short story collection which was over 60,000 words. After typing in the corrections for the last week and a half, half of the manuscript is finished.
And I've been able to trim 1,642 useless words. I can honestly say that those words were just fat. They needed to go. But, not only did I play snip-snip with my manuscript but I also decided that of the twenty stories which have been collected, one of them had to go.
It was a three paged story called A Rusty Decision. It was based off of a dream I had but that dream wasn't able to support a plot. I guess it was just me experimenting. Anyway, that story is now gone. And yet, I don't feel the need to replace it with anything. So, if this collection is one story light, then that's okay with me.
The important thing is that I'm on the right track, making progress and am amazed at some of the helpful/insightful edits that a friend of mine has made.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Let me break it down for you this way. I was on a hunt. The hunt for a good book. This was on a day when we needed to take the cat in for a haircut and the nearest place was a Petco in Bloomingdale. It was nearing the end of rush hour and I had just dropped my wife off at the place. I decided to walk to the nearby Barnes and Noble. It was one of those single-floor ones.
As I was browsing in the Literature and Fiction section, my phone buzzed. My wife was telling me it would take two hours for them to complete their work. So, she decided to join me. I thumbed through Pilgrim's Progress and a couple of Stephen Kings. They only had one Joseph Heller book. Then I stumbled upon Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Johnathan Safran Foer.
We huddled into the Starbucks area and I began to dig in. I had a Brief Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald which I lost interest in and immediately moved to Incredibly Close. What a book! I had already covered six pages and I was completely engulfed.
I had seen the movie trailer and was interested in reading it.
As far as format goes, this book is unique. Books that stray away from the conventional format of a book are always a must for me. Ordinarily, a book is separated by numbered chapters and the paragraphs are justified left and right with all the proper indents for new paragraphs. Perfectly routine and traditional, wouldn't you say? But, the books that do it differently (A Million Little Pieces, Blindness, House of Leaves), have just enough format chaos to grab your attention.
Quite often I was reminded of another book with a similar style. It was called The Curious Case of the Dog in the Night-Time. Don't bother Googling it. Just buy it. Thank me later. It's just that good, folks. No pre-Google search needed to know its a book you will spend hours enjoying.
The story for E.L&I.C. follows the thoughts of Oskar Schell, an eight year old boy, fresh from the incident that changed his life. His father died two years earlier in the 9/11 attacks. Now, in an effort to distract himself from his grief, young Oskar is on a mission to find what a key unlocks in New York City. He found the key while rummaging through his father's closet. His father is described as a smart, patient man who provided many puzzles, riddles and critical thinking games for his son. The son has autism which usually prevents him from venturing out into the world and its clear that the father created these "reconnaissance missions" for Oskar's benefit.
Right off the bat, I'm a sucker for Father/son stories. Along the way Oskar faces his fears, establishes friendships and, in my opinion, truly finds what he's looking for. This is a deep poignant story that people need to read, preferably it should be offered up in high school as required reading. The story's theme is about being connected. Often, when we're busy with our gadgets and personal problems, we lose sight of the people we're passing by. In the grim face of tragedy, people seek to be connected. I don't often use the word Heartwarming but this story has to be defined that way. The ending is bittersweet.
Because the book was so good, I'm not going to rush to the theatres to see the movie. Not to belittle the credit of actors Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock but, why would I go see a movie when the book offered such a unique experience and accomplished much more than I was expecting?
I give this one 5/5 stars.
Here's the trailer. You be the judge. Book or Movie?
Which will you experience?

Give The Kids What They Want

When I was a kid, I was read to by my parents. We had all the Dr. Seus books, I swear they were worn down and weathered by the time we had the house fire.
After we moved, we were still given books but, as far as school went, I hum-de-da'd my way through their library and found a few good books. Then I discovered great books. Then came High School...where textbooks sounded like their writers were on Vicodin or something.
I only remember two books they made us read. Black Boy and Run, Baby, Run.
I never finished Black Boy. I couldn't connect with it.
Run, Baby, Run was a true account of a gang member. I already knew to stay away from gangs so the entire book to me goes without saying.
I had to discover great books on my own. Like Catcher in The Rye, The Invisible Man, Into The Wild, The War of The Worlds, The Most Dangerous Game, Jumper, Johnathan Livingston Seagull, Catch-22.
Luckily, I already had a passion for reading so I sought out books for myself to read, without anyone guiding me. I read classic young adult novels.
But some are not so lucky.
Lowest literacy rate is in the country of Mali - 26 percent.
The highest is Andorra - 100 percent.
United states has 99 percent.
But I heard that Rhode Island has the lowest literacy rate of all. Their literacy rate is 27.3 percent.
It's true that our country needs to bump up in areas like science and math but I believe that reading is the most important one of all. If a child does not get inducted into reading with some good books under his belt, then there is very little you can do.
But, there is one website I support.
James Patterson has made one. Even thought I don't particularly like his writing style, he has made a way for parents to find out exactly what books their kids need by making lists of young adult classics through ages 1 to 10.
If you really want your kids to be smarter, happier and critical thinkers then give the kids what they want.
Go here - Read Kiddo Read to find out more. Who knows, maybe you can brush up on a couple of childhood classics you missed during your youth.