New Book

Despite the media claiming children no longer play or are as imaginative in this age of video games and computers, one eight-year old boy knows how to use imagination and follow through to create a dream few children realize: Jared Tinlin has published his first children’s book “Hey…Hey…Think Out Loud!”

After watching the film “Walking the Line,” Jared Tinlin was inspired to try writing a Johnny Cash style song, so his parents bought him a guitar and taught him some chords. Soon Jared was asking Mom for help with spelling words for the lyrics and he had written down verses about a train and the yellow sun along with simple guitar chords over some words. When his mother, Sandra Tinlin, suggested they compile his words into a book, Jared was excited to begin the process.

As Jared wrote, he talked out loud to come up with ideas. The musical rhythm he created and his brainstorming writing process are reflected in the book’s title “Hey…Hey…Think Out Loud!” Expanding upon the Fundations process he learned in kindergarten and first grade, Jared ran through the alphabet to create fun rhyming words. “I wanted to write about things outside,” said Jared in a recent interview. The subjects explored in the book include the sun, a flower, a cloud, a train and a race car.  A farmer and a dog are the next animals questioned.  Other subjects examined in the book are a standup bass, guitar and a drum set. The book is concluded with a t-shirt, socks and all the subjects of the day. 

Guest post by Stephanie Rose Bird

Interviews can be fun and interesting.  In preparing for an interview, I often try to prepare beforehand by figuring out what the questions will be.  Sometimes I’m dead on with a few questions but there is always the stumper.  Recently, I had an interview wherein the interviewer successfully baffled me.  I think she was playing devil’s advocate but I can’t be sure.  Her question was very thought-provoking; it was something to the effect of: With so many ready-made herbal products available why on earth would anyone want to go through all the trouble of creating their own herbal formulations? 

The question was provocative.  I thought long and hard about it.  I thought for others not myself because I am an herbalist and aromatherapist and that’s not about to change in the foreseeable future.  What came to mind as being implicit in the question: Is Herbalism dead or is it a dieing art form?  My answer is an emphatic “no.”

In a refreshing change, along comes a children's book that does not rely on magic to explain the unexplainable. The Krybosian Stairpath puts forth the notion that just because you don't understand something, it doesn't mean there must be magic behind it. Knowledge and perspective can make all the difference.

Enter a world of wonder deep inside the earth as 11-year-old geologist Madison Terrence follows her pet gopher down a stairpath portal she discovers in her family's cavern. When she descends the Krybosian Stairpath, a mystery from her family's past begins to unravel. She soon realizes her arrival in the interior world of Krybos is no accident. Madison discovers that she's been pulled into a sinister plot to destroy the most beautiful place she has ever seen.

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse.com; 1st edition (October 2, 2009)
• ISBN-13: 978-1440159275
  
  Purchase The Drybosian Stairpath

Robert Leslie Fisher
AuthorHouse (2009)
ISBN 9781438981925
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (02/10) 

Guest Post by Kaylin McFarren

Everyone during their lifetime is faced with the possibility of losing a dear friend, family member or loved one. Each of us along with terminally-ill patients has been known to experience the same steps of grief before coming to terms with acceptance.

1 – Denial

Upon hearing a disheartening report, the recipient immediately retaliates with a conscious or unconscious refusal to accept facts, information, or the reality of the given situation. It's a defense mechanism and perfectly natural. Some people can become locked in this stage when dealing with traumatic change and simply refuse to move on.

2 – Anger

Frustration can manifest itself in different ways. People dealing with emotional upset can be angry with themselves or with others – especially anyone close to them. Some lash out at God, avoid their workplaces, and even isolate themselves.

3 - Bargaining

This stage often involves attempting to bargain with a religious deity. Some individuals are driven to convert and others offer themselves in trade to save a dying loved one.

4 - Depression

This is the dress rehearsal or the practice run for the 'aftermath' although this stage means different things depending on whom it involves. It's a sort of acceptance with emotional attachment. It's natural to feel sadness and regret, fear and uncertainty. It demonstrates that the person has begun to accept the reality or brutal truth.

5 - Acceptance

Geoff Ryan, P.M.P.
AuthorHouse (2009)
ISBN 9781449041960
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views

The three main factors for each construction project - and actually, for any kind of a project - are quality, cost and time, or as  Mr. Ryan calls it in his book, the Schedule (productivity). If you’ve ever been involved in any construction or renovation, you will have to smile when reading the wonderful little example from the introduction to the book:

“A Plumber once summed it up for me by telling me that I could have a project:
Good and Fast, but it won’t be Cheap.
Or Good and Cheap, but it won’t be Fast.
Or Fast and Cheap, but it won’t be Good.”

The author then argues that it is possible to have a project done good, fast and cheap, as long as one focuses on good and fast. This can be achieved by using the WorkFace Planning process, which has been identified as a best practice amongst constructors by the Construction Owners Association of Alberta (COAA) in 2005.

Michael R. Zomber
iUniverse (2009)
ISBN 9781440155635
Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (11/09) 

Purchase Shogun Iemitsu 

Michael R. Zomber’s “Shogun Iemitsu” is a truly surprising book. When I first read the introduction to it, which spoke of “war and romance in 17th century Japan,” I had no preconceived, detailed notions of what to expect, just a vague assumption that it will be something filled with a lot of blood, action and ugliness. While there were certainly enough violent moments, the overall impression was one of great beauty and considerable elegance.

Unlike the author, I am certainly no expert on art and culture of the exotic Japan, yet that did not stop me in the slightest from enjoying his incredibly detailed descriptions of minute detail filling the lives of two young samurai warriors, Hideo and Kobiyashi, as well as those who come in contact with them during a rather crucial moment in Japanese history, the suppression of a rebellion against the Tokugawa government. While “Shogun Iemitsu” focused mostly on politics and martial arts, there are lyrical moments as well, some of them involving the memories from the past as well as the present “falling in love” events.