ON THE ROAD AGAIN - KEROUAC, THE BEATS, TRANSGRESSION AND REBELLION

Daniel Radcliffe as young Allen Ginsberg - Kill your Darlings (2013)

For once I didn't want to open the new school year talking about Early Romantic Poetry or reading passages from Gothic novels, Jane Austen and Sir Walter Scott. Students in their last year at High School are supposed to read authors from the 19th and 20th century in English Literature and even authors from Anglo-American literature can be read. What usually happens is that following a chronological order, we manage to study many texts from the 19th century and only a few the the 20th, and the last ones in a hurry, when the final exams are approaching. First of all, my syllabus this year - since I can pick up which authors, themes and texts to include -   doesn't follow a chronological order, then I've also divided authors and texts according to short theme modules. 

The first theme I wanted to discuss with my oldest students (18-19 years old) is Rebellious Youth,  starting with J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, then reading pages from Jack Kerouac's On The Road as well as a poem by Sylvia Plath, Daddy,  and the conclusion of this set of lessons will be a movie my students haven't seen so far: Dead Poets Society.

SPOTLIGHT ON ... RIPPLE EFFECT ROMANCE NOVELLA SERIES

The Ripple Effect Romance Novella Series 

Enjoy this exciting new series of clean novellas by six critically-acclaimed authors.

"Like a pebble tossed into calm water, a simple act can ripple outward and have a far-reaching effect on those we meet, perhaps setting a life on a different course—one filled with excitement, adventure, and sometimes even love."

Book 1: Home Matters by Julie N. Ford
Book 2: Silver Linings by Kaylee Baldwin
Book 3: Righting A Wrong by Rachael Anderson
Book 4: Lost and Found by Karey White
Book 5: Second Chances 101 by Donna K. Weaver
Book 6: Immersed in Love by Jennifer Griffith

SPOTLIGHT ON ... THE RIDDLES OF HILLGATE BY ZOEY & CLAIRE KANE + GIVEAWAY

Tour Schedule

 The Riddles of Hillgate Zoey Kane is known around Riverside for making risky purchases. When her daughter Claire learns a most recent investment is eighty acres on the haunted side of town, she is simply flabbergasted. Amazement takes over the whole community, however, when an old mansion is discovered deep within trees. After the estate is turned into a popular hotel, no one could have expected just how risky this purchase would be.

Riddles of Hillgate is currently FREE!

Download a copy

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The Z&C Mysteries are a fresh, unique series, where the mother and daughter can kick butt in heels if they have to. The situations can get very scary, but nothing is ever too gory. The reading is clean, while also vibrant. It's just plain fast-paced fun.   

HOW SOCIAL NETWORKING IS READING?

Is reading a social networking activity? Or is it more a solitary adventure? 

I've been in a real reading group only once in my life and it hasn't been a totally rewarding experience, especially because not all the readers in the group shared my passion for the author we were reading: Jane Austen. That can be disappointing, you know. 

I also read books and discuss them with my teenage students, but also in those cases disappointment can come, and not unexpected. Not many teenagers love reading or appreciate literature. My job is quite challenging, my task is to "convert" them to liking it. I personally like challenges and I like my students too,  but it is difficult to really share with them the experience of reading a book. I love listening to their comments, they are sometimes very personal and heartfelt but ... generally,  they just avoid reading, they simply say they hate it.

BOOK BLAST & AMAZON GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY - MK McCLINTOCK, GALLAGHER'S CHOICE

Gallagher’s Choice Synopsis

He finally had a family to call his own. She now knew what it meant to risk it all. Together they had a chance to find peace at last. Eliza Gallagher is tough, resilient, and rides a horse like she was born in the saddle. All necessary qualities for someone who runs a cattle ranch. She had more to avenge than any of them and she was counting on those skills to finally find the justice they all sought -- until she realized it could cost her everything and everyone she loved. Ramsey Hunter finally knew what it was to have a family and what it took to keep that family together. He knew coming back wouldn’t be easy, but he never imagined what he would have to risk to keep it. Eliza got him home; now Ramsey has to do whatever it takes to save her life and help bring peace to Hawk’s Peak.

Print * Kindle * Nook * AllRomance

TOLKIEN'S INFLUENCE ON FANTASY SAGAS

(by guest blogger Elizabeth Eckhart) 

The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and J.R.R. Tolkien are all phrases considered synonymous with high fantasy. Since The Hobbit’s publication seventy-five years ago, the consensus among fans and critics is that J.R.R. Tolkien was one of the most, if not the most, ingenious fantasy writers to have ever existed. Even the less-than-habitual reader recognizes Tolkien’s legacy, and rightfully credits him with the onslaught of fantasy novels we enjoy today. Tolkien did more than bring back the the fantastical elements children and adults had been missing since the era of the Brothers Grimm -- he also thoroughly altered them. Because of Tolkien, we began to see tall, beautiful elves instead of tiny, mischievous creatures; the beginning of an elves vs. dwarves racism that carries into hundreds of subsequent fantasy novels; and even larger tropes such as the necessity for a world other than ours, war on an epic scale, an almost undefeatable enemy and, of course, a small band of heroes. Tolkien is credited with the popularity of the reluctant, anti-hero (think Bilbo and Frodo in comparison to Beowulf) who defeats the enemy in some way other than hand-to-hand combat. The list, of course, goes on.

AUTHOR GUEST POST: MELISSA ESKUE OUSLEY, ON RAVENS - SIGN OF THE THRONE BLOG TOUR

Ravens get a bad rap. They have been cast as harbingers of death and doom, immortalized in mythology and literature. In Edgar Allen Poe’s famous poem, The Raven, his midnight corvid visitor is described as having eyes that “have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming.” They are opportunistic feeders, known for consuming carrion, and are as willing to feast on roadkill as they are on human remains on the battlefield. Even in the shamanic cultures of indigenous North American tribes, Raven is seen as both a creator deity and a trickster, driven by his greed for food. Raven is powerful—a clever shape-shifter who can change into anything or anyone to obtain what he desires.

It is true that ravens are intelligent. Ravens and their smaller corvid cousins, crows, are social creatures that brilliantly adapt to their environment. According to John Marzluff, Professor of Wildlife Science at the University of Washington, and his co-author Tony Angell, a member of the American Ornithologists Union, ravens and crows have large forebrains similar to mammals, and demonstrate innovation in using tools and solving problems. In their book, Gifts of the Crow, Marzluff and Angell offer many examples of how corvids learn to manipulate their environment to obtain food. They recount an incident in which they observed crows working together to herd doves into high-speed traffic on an interstate near San Francisco, and then harvesting the roadkill. Near Seattle, corvids drop clams on a stretch of road near the ferry docks. When the ferries unload, cars drive over the shells, crushing them and releasing the mollusk meat. Once the unloading lane is empty, the crows converge and feast. In Tasmania, forest ravens have learned to check the pouches of dead marsupials in case there is a baby inside. Corvids also form alliances with people who feed them regularly, and remember and mob humans who have done them harm (Marzluff & Angell, 2012).

THE RELUCTANT BACHELORETTE BY RACHEL ANDERSON - GRAB YOUR COPY FOR FREE TODAY!

The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Renee Anderson

Unknowingly cast as the bachelorette for her town’s charity event, Taycee Emerson wants out. Especially when she discovers her old teenage crush, Luke Carney, is one of the bachelors and it’s up to the viewers–not her–to decide which bachelors stay or go.

Coerced into participating, Taycee does what any self-preserving girl would do. She launches a subtle attack on Luke’s good name with the hope of getting him voted off the show. Unfortunately, Luke’s an eye-for-an-eye kind of guy, and when he discovers what she’s up to, it means revenge.

Grab a copy for FREE on Amazon!

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SEPTEMBER KINDLE FIRE GIVEAWAY (OR $199 AMAZON GIFT CARD OR PAYPAL CASH)

 

This is a joint AUTHOR & BLOGGER GIVEAWAY EVENT!

Bloggers & Authors have joined together and each chipped in a little money towards a Kindle Fire HD 7″.

BOOK BLAST & GIVEAWAY - THE PITCHER BY WILLIAM HAZELGROVE

The Pitcher

“I never knew I had an arm until this guy called out, “Hey you want to try and get a ball in the hole, sonny?” I was only nine, but mom said, “come on, let’s play.” This Carney guy with no teeth and a fuming cigarette hands me five blue rubber balls and says if I throw three in the hole we win a prize. He’s grinning, because he took mom’s five bucks and figures a sucker is born every minute. That really got me, because we didn’t have any money after Fernando took off, and he only comes back to beat up mom and steal our money. So I really wanted to get mom back something, you know, for her five bucks.” A boy with a golden arm but no money for lessons. A mother who wants to give her son his dream before she dies. A broken down World Series pitcher who cannot go on after the death of his wife. These are the elements of The Pitcher. A story of a man at the end of his dream and a boy whose dream is to make his high school baseball team. In the tradition of The Natural and The Field of Dreams, this is a mythic story about how a man and a boy meet in the crossroads of their life and find a way to go on. You will laugh and you will cry as The Pitcher and Ricky prepare for the ultimate try out of life.

WOLF'S HEAD: BACK TO ROBIN HOOD - MEET AUTHOR STEVEN A. MCKAY + BOOK GIVEAWAY

Hello, Steven, and welcome at FLY HIGH!  Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions about your “Wolf’s Head”.  My first question is ... please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us what are the best and the worst  aspects of being a writer. Well, that is more than one question but, can you please, answer? 

Hi Maria, thank you for having me I really appreciate it! My name is Steven and I'm from Scotland. I'm new to the writing business, but so far the best part has been realising that people have really enjoyed my book. When you're writing you think you're coming up with something pretty good, but it's only when other people start reading it you find out what it's REALLY like. So far, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with lots of great reviews on Amazon.

The worst aspect is probably the amount of work – and time – it takes to try and make a success of it. It can be hard to juggle the writing with family stuff, as I have a 5 year old daughter and I love to spend as much time as possible with her, but I hope the hard work will all be worth it in the long run.

Second question must be “Why Robin Hood”? I mean, what is it that you find so appealing in this ancient legendary hero to write a book about him?

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 - EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE

Our task today (and every day) is not to forget. Not to forget so that all those lives lost forever will make sense. For us if not for themselves. But how can we make sense of things that don't even make sense?
This is what Oskar wonders after his father died, killed in the attack to the Twin Towers on September 11, 2011.

Oskar Schell is only 9 years old. He is the protagonist of a 2005 novel by Jonathan Safrar Foer adapted for the screen in 2012: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. 

I saw the movie last week on satellite TV and I was happy I was alone at home because I was so emotional, touched , moved that I would have felt uncomfortable at being in a theatre surrounded by strangers. I loved this movie. I can't tell you much about the book it is based on, but it is certainly a good movie.

The main theme is trauma. Oskar (Thomas Horn)  has a simultaneous death wish (he hurts himself) and extreme need for self-preservation (his phobias and panic attacks). Oskar's journey "in search of  his father" (Tom Hanks) does not help him get over his traumatic experience but it helps him to build a new relationship with his mother (Sandra Bullock), for instance. In his journey throughout New York City  in order to discover what the key he found in his father's closet opens, looking for a guy named Black who might be related to the mysterious key, Oskar  has to face and overcome all his fears, happens to meet  people with complicated lives and big troubles, has to grow up until the final realization: he can't make sense of the things that don't make any sense, but  he can go on living preserving his father's memory and be a better man thanks to that. 

A BIRTHDAY GIFT

Yes, today it's my birthday and all I want is to forget about it. It makes me quite melancholic (or I'd better say sad?)  It is not any birthday,  it is a turning point in life and that's quite scary, you know. I don't feel like celebrating,  I feel more like escaping. Something I can't do, though.  I must stay here and face the ugly truth.

Anyway,  I have just found something which can console me a bit:  a  poem.  I'll  consider it the perfect gift arrived at just the right time.

A quote  from it has just been posted by a blogger I follow on tumblr.  I googled the name of the poet and found the whole poem. I like it, it touches my heart just in the place which hurts.   Thanks a lot for this beautiful gift, darling unaware blogger. 

RACHEL ANDERSON: FIGURING OUT THE PERFECT ROMANTIC HERO - WORKING IT OUT BLOG TOUR

"For me, the perfect romantic hero has to be both incredibly attractive to the heroine (lots of chemistry) and a compliment to her personality. With Working it Out, I had the heroine figured out first--a safe-playing girl named Grace. Therefore, I knew I needed a guy who was anything but safe. A guy who could draw Grace out of her comfort zone and make her see the world a little differently. Someone who teased, flirted, and constantly stirred the pot. Someone who drove Grace crazy at first but ultimately was exactly who she needed. He also needed to be a guy who was made better because of Grace. And that's how the character of Seth Tuttle came about. And oh, what an awesome character he turned out to be". 

Rachel Anderson

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WHAT MAKES YOU PUT DOWN A BOOK?

Daniel Pennac in his Reads Like a Novel stated it  as one of the rights of the readers: the right not to finish a book. 

How often do you avail yourself of that right? Well, you are not on trial, don't worry! I just would like to reflect with you on the reasons which bring us to put a book down at times and how often that happens in our reading life. 

Among the reasons I personally stop reading a book
- reason 1.  is  usually bad writing, - reason 2. I  can't relate to any of the characters at all 
- reason 3. I find it boring and of no interest.

The books I couldn't read to the end are less than the ones I completed, actually. Among the ones I still remember putting down after attempting reading them for a certain sense of duty, Jack Kerouac's On The Road (yeah! never finished) and Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being. I know, I know. They are best favourites of so many readers but I just couldn't like them nor convince myself to get to the end. There are many other books, especially in my recent reading life as a book blogger, that I couldn't finish reading. No sense of duty could  prevail and help me in those cases. Do I feel guilty? No, not at all. Reading must be a pleasure to me, not a duty, even less mind torture. 

DIGITAL STRESS - TIME TO JOIN THE SLOW TECH MOVEMENT

I'm writing this piece for myself more than for anyone else in particular. I'm reflecting on how overwhelming the presence of technological gadgets in my life has become, so overwhelming that I can't do without. And that is something I really don't like. If you can't do without, you are addicted. Addiction is always bad, since it means lack of freedom and lack of control on your own actions. 

Blogging has become my main hobby in the last few years and that's ok, because it has really enriched my life. But social networking,  exchanging and checking e-mails and messages, keeping in contact with a certain number of people all over the world for many different reasons, posting  to deadlines and a huge variety of other online activities I do on a daily basis  have come out as quite stressful. That is the ugly truth, I must face it. I'm stressed and I must slow down.

MASTERS, WORKERS AND SLAVES - THE MILL, TV SERIES & DVD

The Mill was unfortunately broadcast on Sundays,  while BBC1 The White Queen had been off to a good start  for a few weeks. The scheduling  was unfair, and probably unfruitful,  for Channel 4. Watchers like me, fond of period drama and longing to see both, had to choose. But it was not a huge problem: I saw The White Queen live and recorded The Mill.  I could catch up,  I saw the 4-episode series and it was worth it.

Set in a cotton mill in Cheshire in 1833, The Mill is a very interesting,  original drama based on the real lives of humble young people who lived and worked in that area when the political unrest to obtain more rights for workers was rising.

The idea of using the historical archives of the Quarry Bank Mill in Cheshire to tell the story of a social turning point, when workers and activists began to rebel against the use of unpaid child apprentices forced to work 12-hour shifts in dangerous conditions makes this series really realistic and unique.

The series offers a very realistic picture of the working class in the Victorian Age, something I only saw in one other period drama before, BBC North and South (1994) based on Elizabeth Gaskell's novel (1855). The Mill has been defined the anti-Downton Abbey, and it actually is a completely different attempt to period drama. 

SEPTEMBER IS FOR THE SEQUEL HOP - WIN THE SEQUEL OF YOUR FAVOURITE SAGA!

Have you started reading a saga and you love it? Which one is it? Why do you like it? I'd like to discover new ones thanks to your suggestions. Come on, share with us in the comments section!  

Here's another stunning giveaway for fan readers of sagas today: September is for the Sequel Hop - coosting blogs Lisa Loves Literature and I Am A Reader Not a Writer.
Because this is a sequels hop, you cannot pick the first book in a series, but any one from the 2nd on to whatever number that series is on now. You can win the e-book version of the book you choose (kindle edition) and it is open internationally. Only request, it does need to stay below $20.

There are over 100 blogs participating, so once you've entered my Rafflecopter form below, be sure to hop on along to the other blogs to see what other awesome prizes are available.