Marc's Musings

So far this summer, most of my reading has been nonfiction. Having a yearning to read fiction, I asked my social networks what they recommended.

Thanks to @amuhs, @llake, @cloudspark, @ddpaek, @LarryHehn, @frankmckay, my Twitter request yielded these suggestions:

• South of Broad: A Novel, Pat Conroy
• The Dead Don’t Dance, Charles Martin
• books by Eric Wilson
• The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown
• The Help, Kathryn Stockett
• That Old Cape Magic: A Novel, Richard Russo
• The Children’s Book, A.S. Byatt

And on Facebook Tom Golway, Hannah Doak Clifton, Elektra Damianos Gaebelien, Denise Lafountain, Greg Daly, Michell Arnold Paine, Kate Arnold Fitzpatrick, Katelyn Jo Melanson, Richard Cebra, Amy Cyrway, Maggie Hall, Jeff Pouland, Robert Sezak, Wayne Burke, Jean Coltart, Kathleen Tozier Duprey, Joanna Tracy Martel, Bill Taylor, and Faye Nicholson recommended:

• The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
• The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett
• World Without End, Ken Follett
• Quo vadis, Henryk Sienkiewicz
• Hadassah, Tommy Tenney
• The Strain, Guillermo del Toro
• anything by Agatha Christie
• The Stand: Expanded Edition: For the First Time Complete and Uncut (Signet), Stephen King
• Under the Dome, Stephen King
• As the Crow Flies, Jeffrey Archer
• The Sirens of Titan: A Novel, Kurt Vonnegut
• The Overton Window, Glenn Beck
• Everything Matters!: A Novel, Ron Currie (2 recommendations)
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson (2 recommendations)
• Day of Reckoning, Jack Higgins
• all the Harry Potter books
• The Tommyknockers, Stephen King
• On Writing, Stephen King
• Charlie’s Web: A Mystery, LL Thrasher
• A Year in Provence, Peter Mayle

These are all (affiliate) linked to Amazon but Robert Sezak reminded me that most of these books can be purchased at used books stores like RE-BOOKS in Waterville!

Love & War is the latest book from John and Stasi Eldredge. From the authors that brought us Wild at Heart, Captivating, and Epic, comes a book specifically on marriage. So when WaterBrook Multnomah offered to send me a book to reivew, I jumped at the opportunity!

I just got the book but right from the introduction, you get vintage Eldredge take on life. Stasi narrates a wedding ceremony John is officiating. I wish my ceremony had been like this! I love this quote from John:

Daniel and Megan, you are about to abandon yourselves to each other, throw caution to the wind, forsake independence, isolation, and all others. You will vow to each other you undying love. Before you do, we must call this what it is–this is perfect madness.

So true!

The chapters are:

Introduction: It Can Be Done

1. Remembering What We Wanted
2. Love and War
3. A Perfect Storm
4. The Greatest Gift You Can Give
5. More Than Just Roommates
6. How to Have a Really Good Fight
7. A Shared Adventure
8. Back-to-Back with Swords Drawn
9. The Little Foxes
10. When Storms Descend
11. The Chapter on Sex
12. Learning to Love

Epilogue
Appendix: Prayers

The prayers alone make this book a tremendous asset!

I love how the Eldredges remind us of the great adventure we’re on. That’s why we resonate with the great stories and movies of risk and adventure and friendship.

This book helps re-orient the perspectives of married couples. Marriage is a fight, but it’s also a bold adventure. The Eldredges are terrific guides on the journey.

I just finished writing a syllabus for MK337 “Marketing on the Internet,” a course I’ll be teaching in the spring at Thomas College.

I’m very excited about these 16 weeks! One of the projects for each student will be to actually market something, a prodcut, service, membership site…just about anything!

In addition to blogs and articles on the web, the text books include:

It’s an undergraduate course, but if you want to join us, I’m sure the Thomas College registrar might be able to help.

A colleague recommended a particular book this morning, so I went to Amazon to check it out.

Here’s what I saw on the home page:

Take a look at this close up:

Do you see the book on the right? It used to cost $10 but now Amazon buyers can get it for only $14.04?

I wonder if Amazon’s experimenting with a new pricing structure. Pretty bold in a down economy.

Now I know why I like my Kindle so much.

Kudos to XKCD.com for the cartoon! (Go there to see the bigger version of this cartoon.)

Every Christmas morning, before open gifts, we pause to eat fresh scones and biscotti while listening to the Christmas story.

Our favorite is The Nativity by Julie Vivas. We got it years ago from one of my best friends from college and his wife. The text is the King James, poetic if a bit archaic. (My 9 year old son read it today. He kept saying, “Huh? They did what?” )

But the images. What images! Angels with bulky boots and huge, colorful wings. The faces of sheer awe, wonder, and delight. Wow!

This book definitely reminds us of what Christmas is really about and who the real gift of Christmas is.

Could I ask you a big Friday favor?

Would you help me get Ask Without Fear! into Starbucks stores?

My local baristas strongly encouraged me to try to get Ask Without Fear! into Starbucks in conjunction with the National Philanthropy days in November. The "grassroots" appeal of the book is perfect for the typical Starbucks customer.

Naturally, as a former barista, I loved the idea! I think it’d be awesome to have Ask Without Fear! featured in stores!

So I found the agency that arranges for book promotions. Their email is: bookbreak@wma.com. I’ve emailed a couple times but haven’t heard anything back.

WHY NATIONAL PHILANTHROPY DAY?
National Philanthropy Day is November 15 but groups celebrate it whenever it’s convenient to their previously scheduled events. So there’s a long "celebration" time for National Philanthropy. It also positions Starbucks as a proponent of philanthropy and partnering with the communities it serves.

WHY MY BOOK?
I wrote "Ask Without Fear!" to be a simple guide to inspire and equip normal people to start raising money for their favorite causes. Definitely a grassroots thing.

The book is available through distributors like Ingram and all the major retailers including Barnes & Nobles and Amazon. And the book has been featured and positively reviewed in national print publications as well as on the blogosphere.

Would you send them a quick email today encouraging them to do a "National Philanthropy Day" promotion featuring Ask Without Fear!? The email address is bookbreak@wma.com. Getting an email from you will really help!

Thanks so much!

Need I say more?

I am thrilled beyond words to announce that Ask Without Fear is now on Amazon.com!

If you’ve purchased a copy, please write your review! If not, you can get a copy here:

• Ask Without Fear!: A Simple Guide to Connecting Donors With What Matters to Them Most

or here:

• Ask Without Fear at Fundraisingcoach.com

(Hint: You get the autograph if you buy through the Fundraisingcoach.com link.

[Cross posted on Fundraisingcoach.com.]

A week ago tomorrow, I got my first copies of Ask Without Fear!. Caleb even made me a sign!

What a whirlwind of a week!

My kids helped me pack up the 70 or so boxes:

And we finally got them done:

Here’s a link to the rest of the photos.

I’ve been thinking about my reading materials lately:

• Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War
• The Jewish War: Revised Edition (The Penguin Classics)
• The Magic of Thinking Big
• The Books of the Bible (TNIV)
• Judaism of the Second Temple Period: Qumran and Apocalypticism
• Journey to Gorakhpur.

These all fascinate me.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m a bit unbalanced.

At least I’m consistent, as you can see at my Goodreads.com profile.