Cover Story: Son of a Gun

Son of a Gun

Ten Ways to Judge a Book by its Cover

1. The spine stands out with an arresting color and compelling lettering.
2. The overall design captures the personality of the book.
3. Images tell part of the story.
   
4. The title pops off the background and is large enough to read from a distance.
5. It must convert well to black and white for one color advertising.
   
6. A tiny image on the Internet must show up.
   
7. The font suggests the time period, setting or genre of the book.
8. Fewer words in the title are better.
9. Colors work to suggest a mood (dramatic, antique, stark, modern, scary.)
10. Consider: would you pick this book up if you saw it on a Barnes and Noble display table?

Three things not to do:

1. Colored title on a black background—it won't show up in black & white.
2. A detailed picture of a character—let the reader's imagination supply that.
3. Meaningless clutter—focus on a strong theme.
   

"Readers will only give a book a few seconds of consideration. It must wrench their attention away from thousands of other volumes . . . In a bookstore, most books are shelved spine out, so this narrow strip is your first sales tool. Next, book browsers look at the book's front. Your cover is your billboard. If it interests them, they'll turn to the back. If they're still intrigued, the first few sentences will receive their consideration."

—The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing

There's so much more to publishing a book than just writing it!


Does the title show up in black and white?



Will the tiny image on Amazon catch anyone's attention?

With several choices, some direction from Kenna (head of the cover design department of Tate Publishing) and input from Mark (my marketing guru) Son of a Gun is getting dressed up for its debut on the shelves. I'm thrilled with its cover story!

How do you decide to buy a book?

Crowning Glory

The King's Speech

"The significance of that photo in the scrapbook must have been explained to me, but as a young boy I never paid too much attention," wrote Mark Pogue.

Lionel and Myrtle Logue 1907

"Lionel was ancient history to me; he had died in 1953, twelve years before I was born. The sum of my knowledge about my grandfather was that he had been a speech therapist—whatever that was—and I left it at that."

Lionel's grandson, Mark Logue

"After the death of my father in 2001, I was left the task of going through the personal papers he had kept in a tall grey filing cabinet. There, among the wills, deeds and other important documents, were hundreds of old letters and photographs collected by my grandfather—all neatly filled away."

The real Lionel Logue and Geoffrey Rush

"I found vividly written diaries in which he had recorded his meetings with the King in extraordinary detail. There was copious correspondence with George VI himself. Taken together with other fragments of information I managed to gather online, I learned more about my grandfather's unique relationship with the King."

Practicing for the speech

A passage in Lionel's diary described a conversation with the King after his annual Christmas message to the nation. "'You are indispensable,'" he told me. "Two days later he wrote me a very beautiful letter, which I hope will be treasured by my descendants."

Lionel's grandson, Mark, wrote, "Had I had the letter I would have treasured it, but it was nowhere to be found. This missing letter inspired me to leave no stone unturned, to exhaust every line of enquiry in what became a quest to piece together as many details as I could of my grandfather's life."

Mark's quest for his grandfather, Lionel Logue, won an Oscar tonight.

(All quotes are from the introduction of the book The King's Speech.)

The Movie gets ★★★★★ from me and Dee!

The Royal Family

Hey! Don't you have an ancestor or two?
They may not be royalty but I bet they did some good here and there.
Writing down a few stories might be your crowning glory!


To get started, click here:
Ten Steps to Family History.

Write something up: I'll watch for you at the Oscars next year!

(I'm deep in the Irish history of someone's else's grandpa and I'm fascinated and impressed—I want to be related! I might write myself in as a long-lost cousin just to get in on the family traditions!)

Copy Writing

Film Noir by Damalia

"The secret of creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
—Albert Einstein

I'm reading a great book called The Nighttime Novelist by Joseph Bates. He says:

"New novelists seem to have a particular hang-up about making sure their idea has 'never been done before.' If you have this worry, let me try and put your mind at ease: It's all been done before . . .

"What makes your book different from every other book out there is that it's been written by you . . .

"Don't get discouraged when you begin to think of books similar to yours, as you undoubtedly will, or when you discuss your story idea with someone who chimes in, without thinking, 'Oh, it's like _____.' Just nod your head and say, 'Sorta.' Because it probably is like a number of other books . . . but it's also a particular product of your distinctive vision and voice."

This entertaining and easy-to-read book has sections on: Where to Look for Story Ideas; From Initial Idea to Book; Twist Your Ending; Checking for Plot Holes; Practical Tips; Worksheets.
Bates says:

"The truth is, there are only a handful of writers working who make their living solely by their fiction. Most are people who put in long days, have families to care for or responsibilities to meet, work hard to make the bills, could probably use a rest, and who nevertheless feel compelled to sit by themselves and write stories.

"These Nighttime Novelists publish the majority of books on the shelves . . . all of them have decided that there's something wonderful, something worthwhile, in staying up late to work on a novel. It makes them feel like they're part of something bigger than themselves. It feels meaningful."

If you're looking for a writing book full of tips and encouragement, I'd highly recommend this one.

Another source for tips and encouragement is the TravelinOma comment section!

You Won!

Thanks to everybody who entered the Quirky Giveaway. (I asked for some traits I could give the characters in my upcoming mystery.)

1. Max Bauman—a wealthy 60-year-old American in 1933. His construction company builds dams.
2. Clara Bauman—his 55-year-old wife, from humble beginnings, anxious to be accepted by upper-class society.
3. Alice Bauman—18-year-old heiress to the Bauman fortune. Used to privilege, she's on a grand tour of Europe with her mother.
   
4. Baron Erwin Sarkoti—a 36-year-old Hungarian aristocrat who lost everything but his title, and is looking for an heiress.

Here are the winners and their winning quirks:

• ~Kristina: Max could be a compulsive winker.
• Diane: Clara should be a nail-biter.
  
• Chiska: Alice ought to look around expectantly to see who else is listening.
• Raejean: Baron Sarkoti will have clicking dentures.

Your prizes are in the mail!

Now it's your turn:

List a book (or author) that could encourage,
teach or influence up-and-coming writers—
like us!

Twinkly Wrinkles

♫ It's always fun when Grandpa comes,
When Grandpa comes, hooray!
He always says the kindest things,
And in the kindest way. ♫
He has a wrinkly, twinkly smile,
♫ He's jolly all the day . . .
It's always fun for everyone
When Grandpa comes. ♫

And when does he come? On Christmas! When I remember Christmas Past, my grandpas are always there.

Christmas 1959

Grandpa Lundgren lived in a gingerbread kitchen with Grandma and his dog, Tuffy. Of course, there was more to their house than the kitchen, but in the winter, that's the room that warmed me in spite of the cold linoleum floor.

Mormon grandpas don't usually drink coffee, but my grandpa did, and he dipped sugar cubes in his cup and popped them on my tongue when Mom wasn't around. I'd learned in Sunday School that we shouldn't smoke, or drink alcohol, tea or coffee. So I asked, "Why does Grandpa drink coffee?" Mom replied, "Well, he's Swedish." (I guess they got a special dispensation.)

Dinner at Grandma's 1960

I knew I was Grandpa Bagley's favorite because I was left-handed. (Sorry everyone, but I was.) For Christmas dinner he set our places with the silverware backwards and then he and I sat next to each other admiring how skilled we were in a right-handed world. Grandma bragged about his left-handed penmanship and showed me the love letters he'd sent her before they were married.

A letter to Adelila from Hawley, sent in 1918.

My Loving Sweetheart and Little Pet:

I get so used to receiving notes from you everyday, that I was lost when one failed to arrive this morning. Lover, I can't help missing them, but pet, it's now only a little over a week until we will be together again.

Darling, I don't know how I'll act to see you once more. I never supposed a man could miss anyone on earth like I have missed you. Do you get tired of me writing nothing but this same old stuff every time? Lover, I'm afraid you might sometimes, but there is nothing here to write about.

With a whole heart full of love, kisses, and a big squeeze,
I am always your only,
Hawley

She was twenty years old, teaching school for $60 a month in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho, and he was seventeen, starting law school at the University of Utah.

I was lucky to know both my grandpas, but I didn't learn all they had to teach me. That's why I was thrilled when Erin Bried sent me her new book: How to Build a Fire, and Other Handy Things Your Grandfather Knew.

By
Erin Bried

Erin interviewed grandfathers across the country, all of whom survived the Great Depression and served during World War II, to discover some essential life skills. Her book has fabulous chapters on:

• How to split firewood
• How to read animal tracks
• How to paint a room
• How to strip wooden furniture
• How to change the oil
• How to comfort a loved one
• How to bounce back after failure
• How to get a raise
• How to find self-confidence
• How to shake hands
• How to shoot pool
• How to iron a shirt
• How to banish monsters under the bed
• How to make beef jerky
• How to make root beer
• How to play the harmonica
• How to apologize
  
• and lots more

Everything you've wanted to know but had no one to ask.

These guys were proud to share their amazing stories and incredible advice. One of the grandfathers told Erin, "Modesty is overrated."

If you have a grandpa come over for Christmas, ask him how he shines his shoes. If you are a grandpa, show off your turkey carving skills. And if you need some great pointers, give somebody Erin's book.

Grandpas know how to put a twinkle in a wrinkle!

Never Too Late

Art by Carl Larsson

One of my heroes died last week at age 95.
She was the Grandmother Who Wrote Best-Sellers.

Belva Plain wrote her first novel at an age when most people are wrapping things up. Evergreen, the saga of a Polish immigant girl torn between two men, was published in 1978, when Plain, 63, had already raised three children. It stayed on The New York Times bestseller list for 41 weeks in hardcover and another 20 in paperback, and was later made into an NBC miniseries.

As a young woman she was a prolific writer, and sold a few stories to magazines. After marrying an ophthalmologist, she settled in New Jersey and put her career on hold to raise her children. "I couldn't have done both," she said.

By the time Evergreen became a success, Plain was a grandmother. She never owned a computer, and wrote her novels in longhand. More than 28 million of her books are in print, including Random Winds and Eden Burning. She believed coming to novels late in life gave her a unique writer's perspective. She said: "You see your grandchildren, you remember your grandparents, and there's a sense of overall family continuance.

Plain maintained a disciplined work schedule, writing five hours a day, four days a week, and published a novel about every two years until her last, Crossroads, in 2008. Shortly before he death, she finished a sequel to Evergreen, to be published in February.

She's my hero!

Belva Plain 1915-2010

*It's never too late to start doing something you've always wanted to do! But it takes the get up and go you thought got up and went (scary stuff!) Go find it!

Scary Stuff: Memory Loss

I'm engrossed.

I'm in the middle of a book called The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton. The heroine, Nell, was only four years old when she was found, all alone, on a ship that had just arrived in Australia from England. The dock-master and his wife took her in and raised her as their own. When she was twenty-one she was told of her mysterious beginnings, and was devastated to realize she had no history. The rest of the book is the search for who she really is. History makes great stories.

Today we attended an historical event. Dee knows the background story well (he wrote it) and was thrilled to be invited to the celebration. During the program there was a lot of congratulating and thanking, counsel to be appreciative of this special occasion and to remember the gathering forever. (Of course, that took forever.)

Kids wiggled, teens texted, adults nodded off—sadly, there were no stories to hold our attention, which was a shame. The stories from the past were full of adventure, courage and faith. Listening to the speakers, we were surprised that nobody mentioned the extraordinary (yet ordinary) people we were actually celebrating. They had been totally forgotten. With a captive audience aching for entertainment, not one of their stories was told, and an opportunity was lost.

History tells us who we are. But who is History? My grandpa was, my mother was, I am, you are. We have a responsibility to tell the old stories—to pass on the lessons. Don't wait for a formal meeting with somebody at the microphone or somebody in their grave. Start small:

1. While you're carving pumpkins, tell about Halloween when you were little. Describe how your mom stitched beads on your costume the year you were an Indian princess. "Her name was June and she could sew anything."
2. Don't make the turkey the only memorable thing about Thanksgiving. Tell how your grandma made you play Teakettle at the table after dinner and then play it. "Her name was Adelila and she made the best lemon meringue pies ever!"
3. Sing an old song and say, "My dad used to sing this to me. His name was Jiggs and he fought in Australia in World War II."

If you know a story about your grandparents or great-grandparents, find an occasion to share it. (As I'm writing this, I realize I have a second wave of grandchildren who don't know that my grandpa ran away to the circus, or that my great-grandma and her daughter married brothers.) We have to share our stories. I. AM. SO. SERIOUS.

The Forgotten Garden tells a memorable tale of memories lost. It's like having amnesia to not know your history. Scary stuff. Even scarier to be the memory that got forgotten. Make yourself memorable. On November 22, tell your kids where you were in 1963. If you weren't born yet, ask your mom where she was. Ask your dad what his number was in the draft lottery, and how that changed his life, and maybe yours.

I told some grandkids that we didn't have remotes when I was little. "Was that in the olden days?" asked Chelsea. "Was that in the 90's?" asked Lucy.

If you were alive in the 90's you have some great history. Don't forget it.

Create White Space

You walk into a bookstore, looking for just the right read. A cover blurb here, a dust-jacket there, an inviting display table—they catch your attention, and you thumb through some pages. Best-selling hardcovers, a rack of new paperbacks, an author you like, your book-club selection. How do you choose? Do you read a random chapter? Start at the beginning? Check the number of pages?

I pick a book based on it's white space. I'm not enticed by pages jam-packed with unrelieved words. Long, mind-numbing paragraphs invite skimming, and tiny margins scream "boring." White space suggests dialogue, characters, time to breathe and enjoy the story, or helpful sub-chapters and room to examine the facts. I like a built-in place to take a cocoa break and turn a book upside down for the night.

Some wisdom I picked up from the Blogging Zen panel was that real life needs some white space, too. Marta said she's had to choose between being a good blog reader and a good blog writer. Destri said she limits her facebook time to once a week. Susan's business has taken off, and that's where she focuses her efforts. These productive women have learned to prioritize.

When I was a young mom, the modern motto was "I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in the pan . . ." implying that a woman could have it all, be it all and do it all. There was a built-in shame factor to that thinking. I assumed there was something wrong with me because I couldn't handle it all; I was embarrassed by my deficiency. So I put a lot of energy into appearing to be as capable as I thought everyone else was. Eventually I was just skimming all those long, unfocused paragraphs, missing the meaning of my story. I needn't some white space.

Wise editing makes a book readable. If a writer stuffed the pages with every locale, adventure, romance, or thrill she thought up, it would be an overwhelming fantasy. Even the characters would be confused by the dialogue and the plot could unravel. Enlightened authors, of books or life stories, learn to create some white space.

Postcard: We're in Heaven

Oma in Heaven

"Book lovers are thought by unbookish people to be gentle and unworldly, and perhaps a few of them are so. But there are those who need books as wildly as the dope-taker in pursuit of his drug. They may not want the book to read immediately, or at all; they want them to possess, to arrange on their shelves, to place by their bedside." —Robertson Davies

Do you like to buy books? There's a wonderful shopping list by the author Italo Calvino— (I'm paraphrasing and editing because it's too long for a blog.) See if you recognize your bookstore habits:

In the shop window you identify the cover with the title you're looking for. You force your way through the shop, past the barricade of Books You Haven't Read, but you're not intimidated. You know that among them are:

1. Books You Needn't Read,
2. Books Made For Purposes Other Than Reading,
3. Books You'd Read If You Had More Time. You bypass them, and move into the
   
4. Books You Mean To Read,
   
5. Books You'll Read When They Come Out In Paperback section, and bump into the
   
6. Books That Everybody's Read So It's As If You've Read Them,
   
7. Books You Want To Own So They'll Be Handy Just In Case and
   
8. Books You Ought To Get Now So You Can Read Them Next Summer. Suddenly you see
   
9. Books Read Long Ago Which It's Now Time To Reread and
   
10. Books You've Always Pretended to Have Read And Now It's Time To Really Read Them.
    

Tattered Cover Bookstore, Denver, CO

Is there a more pleasant place than a room full of books?"
—Erik Christian Haugaard

Today we'll be at The Tattered Cover in Denver. Wish you were here?

"Some people say life is the thing.
I prefer books."

Story Time

"One of the advantages of being disorderly,

is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries."
—A. A. Milne

There in my box of treasures I was excited to discover an old friend. When I was very young this volume sat on my bookshelf; it was a Christmas present from my Canadian cousins and it seemed very foreign. The stamps were different, with pictures of the queen, and the book had words like "dressing gown" and "Mummy" and "vespers." The little boy even wore shorts with suspenders. Very exotic, I thought. I quickly memorized the last poem in the book:

"Little boy kneels at the foot of the bed,
Droops on the little hands, little gold head.
Hush, hush! Whisper, who dares?

Christopher Robin is saying his prayers."

I was developing a crush on Christopher Robin for sure.

Later that same year, Miss McDonough introduced my third grade class to Winnie the Pooh. She read the words easily, with a British accent, and I loved the stories about Pooh and Piglet and the Hundred Acre Wood. Disney had not yet decked the characters out in full costume and makeup and they still seemed of the common make-believe variety.

Hundred-Acre Wood

I wanted to climb down a rabbit hole and move in. "When Rabbit asked, 'Honey or condensed milk with your bread?' Pooh was so excited that he answered, 'Both.' Then, so as not to appear greedy he added, 'But don't bother about the bread, please.'" I could identify with this character!

"My spelling is wobbly. It's good spelling, but it wobbles and the letters get in the wrong places." Isn't this the perfect hero for third-graders? He could sit it my table.

"It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long difficult words, but rather, short easy words like 'What about lunch?'" Pooh stuffed his way into my heart and I knew food would be our topic of choice.

A.A. Milne, Christopher Robin and Pooh

Here's the true story of that tubby little cubby, all stuffed with fluff:

"Winnie—short for Winnipeg—the Pooh was a brave Canadian soldier, of sorts, during World War I. Purchased for $20, the black bear cub was adopted as a mascot by a Canadian infantry brigade and traveled with the soldiers to England. While the infantry was fighting in mainland Europe, Winnie was left in the London Zoo, where he became a favorite attraction.

One of his frequent visitors was A. A. Milne's son, Christopher Robin Milne. Christopher Robin's interactions with his toys—which included a teddy bear, a tiger, a pig, a baby kangaroo, and a donkey with no tail—became the basis for Milne's stories."

Under-Covers-between-Sheets-
by C. Alan Joyce and Sarah Janssen

Are you feeling it yet? Phrases, thoughts, quotes, bedtime stories you've heard or told, books on your shelf, dad's legends, foreign cousins, Christmas presents, your third-grade crush on Miss McDonough? There's a memory making it's way through the fluff to your brain. Something wants to be written. Stop and think about it.

"Did you ever stop to think and forget to start again?"
—A. A. Milne

There's even more to Christopher Robin's world to think about. A.A. was a proper English gentleman, not anxious to be bothered by children who moved about, or spoke out of turn. It bothered his sensibilities. So Christopher was raised by a nanny who brought him below stairs formally three times a day to show-off and be critiqued by his parents. He was sent off to a boarding school when he was finally old enough. His dad thought at 7 he was mature and able to say goodbye to imaginary playmates in a fantasy world. (Of course, his dad continued to make his living there.)

The world inspired by Christopher's toys was not shared with him. As Christopher got older, he was embarrassed to realize he was the little boy in his father's children's stories, and resented his father for making them up about him.

They parted company over this rift when Christopher was a young man, and they remained estranged until A. A. Milne died. Not the cozy, happy ending Milne provided for his readers.

Does this disappoint you, or rejuvenate your desire to write? Seemingly, the wisest, kindest, cuddly father is bugged by own his kid, and sends him off to be raised by strangers while he creates a father/son world of enchantment where animals and boys promise never to leave each other..

Juicy ideas are oozing out of every sentence on many topics. Choose one that speaks to you!

*Homework:

~As a 7 year old, write a letter home from Boarding School. Would you beg to come back home, or would you have a "stiff upper lip?"

~Create a little world for your forgotten stuffed animals, or if they're truly forgotten, use your kids little friends and make up a fantasy story complete with dilemmas and problems solved. Tell it to your kids.

~Imagine that you're home from college and neighbors come to meet you, expecting a grown up version of a child your parents made up, but somebody you never were. (An athlete, a musician, a scholar, a leader . . .) Write a newspaper article about the real you.

“'Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?'
'Supposing it didn't,' said Pooh.
After careful thought Piglet was comforted by this.”
A. A. Milne quote

Know Any Old Ladies?

"I know an old lady who swallowed a pie . . .
A Thanksgiving pie, which was really too dry.
Perhaps she'll die."

She swallowed some cider, a roll and a salad,
"she was looking quite pallid
after that salad . . . "

And then the old lady swallowed a turkey.


"Her future looked murky, after that turkey!
She swallowed the turkey to go with the salad . . .

She swallowed a roll to go with the cider,
That rumbled and mumbled and grumbled inside her.

She swallowed the cider to moisten the pie,
The Thanksgiving pie, which was really too dry.

Perhaps she'll die."

" I know an old lady who swallowed some bread.

"I'm full," she said.

Read the whole story before you start gobbling!

The Book Shelf: Soulmates

Mary Badham

I met Scout in the orthodontist's office when I was fifteen. She introduced me to her brother Jem, her neighbor Dill, and her father. Atticus. Maycomb was my first southern visit, but even though it was "a tired old town" I was instantly comfortable there; the people were authentic. If you haven't met them yet, you really should.


There is no mistaking a real book. Although I had devoured books since I was 6, this was one of my first real ones. It crawled into my conscience, and burrowed into my soul; it opened my mind to gaps in humanity I knew nothing of before. It described childhood through adult eyes, and parenthood through children's eyes. I am better because I've read it—not once, but over and over again.

Seeing it on my shelf is like running into an old friend on the street. I can jump in and browse any page, even though I have no intention of reading it that day, and be reminded that, like an old friend, this book has influenced who I am.

Each of my kids studied To Kill a Mockingbird in junior high. There was a ragged, dog-earred copy floating around our house (with red underlines and notes jotted during classroom discussions) that had been feasted on by several 9th graders. I took it with me on a trip to Maine and uncovered symbolism and character elements that were new to me, even after years of reflecting on the book.

Jem had just ditched his pants under the Radley's gate, when the washer in the hotel laundromat beeped for me to add the soap. Holding the book in one hand, I managed to measure the detergent and lift the lid with the other while I kept on reading. Suddenly this prized paperback was swirling around in the bubbly water. I grabbed it, and tried to salvage it with the hairdryer, but it was crispy and wrinkled the next morning, beyond repair. I replaced it immediately with a pristine copy that begged for a red pencil.

Turning to the last two pages, I underlined Scout's childhood memories, described with such tenderness: "It was daytime and the neighborhood was busy" . . . "It was summertime, and two children scampered down the sidewalk" . . . "Fall, and his children trotted to and fro" . . . "Winter, and his children shivered . . . silhouetted against a blazing house" . . . "Winter, and a man . . . walked into the street, dropped his glasses, and shot a dog." I could savor the whole book again in just a few sentences.

My childhood is a tender place to visit, too. I run barefoot down the burning, softened asphalt to catch the ice-cream truck; sit on the screened-in porch late at night, with the perfume of lilacs hovering in the air; smell the furnace on that first chilly morning; taste Grampa's sour green apples, sprinkled with salt; sprawl on a blanket in the backyard, and listen to my dad sing You Are My Sunshine while Aunt Marie strums her ukelele. It all seems as imaginary as Boo Radley's soap dolls in the tree. But it's inside me, as are Heck Tate and Aunt Maudie. I experienced it all.

Books help me recall chapters in my life. Characters' lives are entwined with mine. Being inside an author's mind is an intimate thing. It's like knowing their soul.

Homework: Pick one or the other, or be inspired.

~Read something on your book shelf for sheer pleasure.

~Blog about a book you've read over and over. Prompt: "I can rifle the pages of ____and easily find my favorite part about____."

"As the book finishes, I go as slow as I can.
I don't want to leave this book's world."
—Jill Robinson

Book Shelf Seminar: Class Presentations

Dee in a bookstore in Paris

"When I get a little money I buy books;
and if any is left, I buy food and clothes."
—Erasmus

In heaven I want to work in a bookstore. I won't have to worry about making or losing money, or what will be worthy of the bestseller list. As thousands of books arrive in boxes (unpacked and stacked by angel employees) I'll peruse them all, and supervise their placement on the shelves. I'll be surrounded by people's words and thoughts, and other people who love to read and write. And I'll never run out of time.

My bookstore will have oodles of nooks and crannies, furnished with squishy furniture and lots of pillows, and foot stools for short people. The temperature will be 57 degrees, cool enough for a sweater, and perfect for fires in dozens of different fireplaces blazing in every corner. The scent of mulled cider will warm the rooms, and there will be numerous oak end-tables to hold your mug, and stack of books.

Picture it: ladders with wheels glide around the perimeters, giving access to the highest shelves, and low benches make it comfortable to examine the paper-backs closest to the floor. Dictionary stands display immense art books, and library tables have slanted tops so there's no glare or strain if you want to look at a weighty anthology.

Oh, did I mention the divine donuts? Homemade applesauce donuts. And the best frosted sugar cookies—all free (calorie free, fat-free, guilt-free.) The fudge brownies will bring out the devil in everybody.

Salzburg window display

And there will be a map room with giant tables to spread them out on. Plus, a sound-proof children's room with a loft and kid-size furniture, and endless healthy snacks (while we're munching the good stuff) and quiet, educational (but fascinating) toys.

Art by Judith Dufour Love

An angel will read mesmerizing stories to them so all the adults can browse for hours on end. And nothing will ever get dusty or faded, and the bathrooms will be handy and clean with sweet-smelling soap, and trustworthy attendants to help little kids. And the whole store will have lighting that doesn't buzz, or flicker, and makes me look . . . heavenly.

Bookstore in Krakow, Poland

Our class presentations today are about bookstores. Read the excerpt and then click on the name for more.

Tales of a Hummingbird described a bookstore this way:

that smell. that beautiful, musty, ancient and all-knowing smell of dusty books on shelves. they've been there for ages, all their collective wisdom and inspiration patiently waiting for me. the aging colors of their mix-matched book sleeves, fading a little more as the sun dutifully arcs its way across the shop window day after day, make up the most brilliant display as you stroll through the aisles. wooden shelves, hand crafted a long time ago when they really made things out of real wood and sweat. the wood is a little rough, you can see the grooves and the rings-those shelves alone tell you a story about life.

that perfect bookstore is just like a library, but much cuter and with a really spunky librarian who loves chatting to you about her favorite books. forget that no talking rule, and yes please bring a cup of tea! its homey and comfortable, a few chairs inviting you to get lost in the pages if you dare, if you can make time in your schedule. you should do it. just sit down in the cozy chair over by the window and lose an hour of your day. there's nothing better."

Vienna window display

Sue worked in a bookstore and she wrote this funny story:

"Another day a lady comes in and asks for 'all over sex books.' (This is in no way a weird request. It you've worked in a bookstore, you know.) I proceed to begin showing her our section on sex. (I'll bet most of you did not grow up in a place with your own section on sex. Well not my own, but you know what I mean.)

"I point out to her books like The Joys of Sex and several others. Finally she looks at me with the weirdest expression, and asks, 'What did you think I was asking for?' 'All over sex books,' I say. Then she laughed like I had never heard a laugh before. It took her several moments to calm down enough to tell me, 'I was looking for Oliver Sachs books!'"

"Always read something that will make you look good

if you die in the middle of it."
—PJ O'Rourke

Homework: Do any or all or be inspired.

~Rearrange your books so that you'll remember what you have. Then eat a donut.

~Pack up a box of books you don't want anymore and take them to Deseret Industries or another charity. Share the wealth.

~Be an angel and read a story to somebody.

Leave a comment here (with a link to your homework if you want to share it) and/or a link to your blog (so we can get to know you.) School Days has open enrollment so join anytime. No make-up work required! If you're new, click here for an orientation.

Book Shelf Seminar: Mother Goose

Mary Engelbreit's Mother Goose

Ten reasons why Mother Goose is my Hero.

1. She's old but still productive.
2. She compiles historic events, political cartoons and accounts of daily life into easy-to-remember rhymes.
3. She understands women who have so many children they don't know what to do.
4. She says, "Leave them alone, and they will come home..."
5. She's loved by children and trusted by adults.
6. She encourages Merry Old Souls.
   
7. She has a healthy fear of spiders.
8. She has an antidote for stress: "Bake me a cake as fast as you can!"
9. She gives wise marriage counseling. (Refer to Jack Sprat)
   
10. She might be made up, and she might be real, but she's worthwhile either way.

Last Halloween.

Extra touches:

"Diddle Diddle Dumpling....went to bed with his stockings on, one shoe off and one shoe on..."

"Ladybug, Ladybug, fly away home..."

"Lucy Locket lost her pocket..."

OK. She's not Winston Churchill, Sheri Dew or Eleanor Roosevelt. But I bet you quote Old Mother Goose occasionally. How else would you remember how many days April has?

Do you have a favorite version of Mother Goose?





The Real Mother Goose







Mother Goose



Take this quiz to see if you need a refresher course.

1. Who went up the hill?

Mother Goose
Little Boy Blue
Jack and Jill
Simple Simon

2. Who lost her sheep?

Little Bo Peep
Mistress Mary
Mary
Little Miss Muffet

3. Who could eat no lean?

Jack Sprat
Jack Sprat's wife
Mother Goose
Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater

4. Who ran away when the boys came out to play?

Humpty Dumpty
Georgie Porgie
Little Jack Horner
Little Bo Peep

5. Who sat on a wall?

All the King's Horses
Jack Sprat
Mistress Mary
Humpty Dumpty

6. Who was under the haystack fast asleep?

Little Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
Humpty Dumpty
Little Boy Blue
Little Jack Horner

7. Whose cupboard was bare?

Little Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
Jack Sprat
Old Mother Hubbard
Georgie Porgie

8. Who had a wife and couldn't keep her?

Little Jack Horner
Old King Cole
Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater
Jack Sprat

9. Who called for his pipe, bowl and fiddlers?

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater
Simple Simon
Humpty Dumpty
Old King Cole

10. Who lived in a shoe?

Little Old Woman
Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater
Old King Cole
Jack Sprat

My Very First Mother Goose

Homework: Do any or all or be inspired.

~If you dressed up as one of your heroes, who would it be? List 10 reasons why.

~See how many nursery rhymes you can recite to a baby you know.

~Who are three of your favorite children's book illustrators?


*If you do any part of this assignment on your blog, please link it back to TravelinOma and provide proper attribution. Leave a comment here (with a link to your homework if you want to share it) and/or a link to your blog (so we can get to know you.) School Days has open enrollment so join anytime. No make-up work required! If you're new, click here for an orientation.