notes from MochaJo Books

Eco-Friendly Books

2008-07-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

I recently read in Body & Soul magazine that roughly 30 million trees are used in the production of books consumed by the American public. Some major publishing houses are now beginning to use recycled paper. Scholastic printed the last Harry Potter book on 30% recycled paper and is now partnering with the Rainforest Alliance to use paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Random House and Simon & Schuster are also jumping on board with committments to increasing their recycled-paper content by the years 2010 to 2012.

Tales of a Female Nomad

2008-04-17T07:34:00.000-07:00

This book is not the usual type of book that I read, but a brief description of it struck a chord and I had to read it. Like, Rita, I enjoy traveling to new places but I think it was the description of her non-traditional, nomadic lifestyle that I wanted to read more about because it is so opposite of who I am. In Tales of a Female Nomad, Rita Golden Gelman is serendipitously stepping out in mid-life following an empty nest and a divorce. She packs her bags, leaves her home for months on end and travels to places that instinctively feel right.

She loves meeting new people, and her life just seems to flow from one event to another, one adventure to another as she is drawn in by the local people on her travels. She becomes one of them, staying at their homes, participating in their lives and events, and cooking with them. Did I mention that she is a cookbook author. Her travels definitely take her off the beaten path where she discovers her independence, spontaneity and the child-like joy of life once again.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and admire her courage in stepping out of the mainstream. She writes in an interesting conversational manner that keeps you reading along for the next adventure.

A Money Saving Offer from Suze Orman

2008-01-17T06:16:00.000-08:00

If your new year's resolution is to save money this year, then you may be interested in money expert, Suze Orman's new book, Women and Money. The book comes along with a special offer from TD Ameritrade. If you follow Suze's "Save Yourself" plan you can get $100. Yes, $100! The offer requires that you open a new TD Ameritrade (non-retirement) account and arrange for a direct deposit of $50 per month for 12 consecutive months. After the twelfth month, TD Ameritrade will pay you a bonus of $100. What a great way to get started saving! Direct deposit is the easiest and surest way to stay on track with a savings plan. It's easy and painless!

Suze Orman has written many personal finance books for women and has appeared on PBS to teach women how to be more savvy with their money. This offer is valid only through 3/31/08. Find out more at saveyourselfplan.com.

In the Land of Second Chances

2008-01-14T09:24:00.000-08:00

In the Land of Second Chances by George Shaffner you will find a most delightful tale. Vernon Moore, the mysterious travelling salesman, arrives in small-town Ebb just in time to save Millet's department store and the town from certain economic doom. He tosses out his witty philosophical belief in "reasoned faith," and the town's people wonder if he is an angel sent to save them all. Mr. Moore's striking character will grab hold of your own heart as you try to determine if he's human or angel, or perhaps a bit of both. Mr. Shaffner, a mathmetician by trade, includes many humorous mathematical equations (I didn't know math could be so funny) for determining the odds of situations throughout the book. I guarantee you'll fall in love with Mr. Moore, and the charming characters portrayed in this book.
Fortunately for me (because I liked the first book so much) a sequel entitled One Part Angel was recently released. Mr. Shaffner's second book is just as charming as the first. In this story Vernon Moore returns to find his former lover and mother of his child, Lorrtta Parsons clinging to life following a brutal attack in her hair salon. The person who has been arrested is Loretta's best friend's grandson. Once again Mr. Moore sets out with faith to reason with this young man who is protecting others from the evil attack. With time running out, Mr. Moore springs into action, while the richest man in town schemes (to no avail) to discover if he is human or angel. Curl up in a comfy chair with these two heart-warming books, and you'll forget it's snowing outside.

A Fabulous Autumn Read - Backyard Giants

2007-10-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

Backyard Giants written by Susan Warren is “The Passionate, heartbreaking, and glorious quest to grow the biggest pumpkin ever.” I know that there are gardeners out there that grow record size vegetables, but what I didn’t know is how serious they are about it. I figured they threw a little extra Miracle Gro on them, and voila’ a super-sized vegetable was a result. Boy, was I wrong. The Rhode Island gardeners that Warren features in her new book are what I would call “extreme gardeners.” They eat, drink and (don’t) sleep “extreme” pumpkins, sometimes at the expense of their relationships. This book will attest to the fact that prize winning pumpkins do not happen by accident. In fact, a ton of planning and cultivation goes into producing the next winner. Warren describes the heart-moving account of these gardeners in a humorous and delightful way. You can’t help but be intrigued by these passionately dedicated gardeners.

You can hear more about this popular book on CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood on October 28th. Click here to check local listings for times and stations. Click here to read the reviews of people who have purchased this book.

2007 National Book Festival

2007-09-13T07:25:00.001-07:00

The 2007 National Book Festival, organized and sponsored by the Library of Congress and hosted by First lady Laura Bush will be held on Saturday, September 29, 2007 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

More than 70 American authors, illustrators and poets will be making presentations and autographing books. You can listen to interviews with some of the award-winning authors on podcasts by clicking here.

Some Frightening Book Facts

2007-05-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some facts on who is reading books from 2000 by ParaPublising.com that I found on Rich Burridge's weblog.

* One third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives.
* 58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.
* 42% of college graduates never read another book after graduation.
* 80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.
* 70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
* 57% of new books are not read to completion.

These statistics are pretty shocking! Read more on Rich's weblog.

Oprah's Book Club Selection - The Road

2007-05-11T07:15:00.000-07:00

Oprah's current book club selection is "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. "Set in the smoking ashes of post-apocalyptic America, The Road tells the story of a father-son journey toward the sea and an uncertain salvation. The world they pass through is a ghastly vision of scorched countryside and blasted cities "held by cores of blackened looters who tunneled among the ruins and crawled from the rubble white of tooth and eye carrying charred and anonymous tins of food in nylon nets like shoppers in the commissaries of hell." The father and the son move through the ruins searching for food and shelter...They have only a pistol to defend themselves, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food - and each other....Awesome in the totality of its vision. The Road is an unflinching meditation on the worst and the best that we are capable of: ultimate destructiveness, desperate tenacity, and the tenderness that keeps two people alive in the face of total devastation."*

The Road is rated 4 stars, is 308 pages in length, and can be purchased for a low price of $6.78. Click here to read the reviews by Amazon customers. If you have read this book, please feel free to post your comments here.

*Provided by Vantage Books

A Favorite at Amazon.com in May

2007-05-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

One of Amazon's current best sellers is Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. This book is rated 4 1/2 stars by 284 customers who reviewed it.

Publisher's Weekly describes the book in their review, "See's engrossing novel set in remote 19th-century China details the deeply affecting story of lifelong, intimate friends Lily and Snow flower, their imprisonment by rigid codes of conduct for women and their betrayal by pride and love...Her in-depth research into women's ceremonies and duties in China's rural interior brings fascinating revelations about arranged marriages, women's inferior status in both their natal and married homes, and the Confucian proverbs and myriad superstitions that informed daily life...As both a suspenseful and poignant story and an absorbing historical chronicle, this novel has bestseller potential and should become a reading group favorite as well." You can read more of the review by Publishers Weekly, as well as the School of Library Journal's review here.

This book is 288 pages long and can be purchased at a beginning price of $7.14 at Amazon. If you have read this book, please feel free to comment on it.

2007-04-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd is one of my favorite books. "Set in South Carolina in 1963, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted black "stand-in-mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina - a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and honey, and the Black Madonna."

This book first appealed to me because I love books set in the south. I was hooked from the first paragraph with its captivating description of the sound of bees in her bedroom. I enjoyed learning more about bees from the tidbits of information disbursed throughout the book. But mostly, I loved the rich detailed descriptions of the eccentric characters, especially the three Boatwright sisters, the celebration of the divine female, and the portrayal of a loving, out-of-the-norm family. At the end, I did not want to leave the wonderful family in the little pink house behind.

After reading the reviews by readers on Amazon, most people loved the characters as much as I did, but I noticed that one person thought the characters were unrealistic. Afterall, the book is not a true story, and what makes for better reading than interesting characters! Click here to read the reviews for yourself.

Kidd's vivid descriptions of everyday events brought them to life. As she described a mundane evening sitting on the back porch in the stifling heat drinking ice tea, I could place myself into the scene knowing full well how refreshing a cold glass of tea can taste in the still humid heat of the evening.

I was so taken with this book that I searched on Amazon to see what other books this author had written. I discovered she had written two spiritual autobiographies. Well, since I love to read about other's spiritual experiences, I ordered both The Dance of the Dissident Daughter and When the Heart Waits. I was not disappointed in either of these books. Both were excellent!

If you've read any of these books, don't hesitate to chime in with your comments.

Customers Rate my Service

2007-04-17T06:26:00.000-07:00

It's official, I've now had two book buyers rate my customer service. Three weeks after mailing my first book, I am totally delighted to see that two customers rated my service a "5" which is the highest rating one can receive.

I will work very hard to maintain my "100%" satisfaction rating by providing accurate descriptions of my books, packaging them carefully and mailing promptly. I stand 100% behind my books, and if for some reason, a customer is not satisfied with the condition of a book, I will promptly refund their money.

Click here to see my current rating!

Just Launched

2007-04-17T06:13:00.000-07:00

On March 20th I launched my home-based online bookstore on Amazon. My obsessive book-buying habit finally caught up with me as my bookshelves overflowed onto the floor creating stacks of books in several rooms. So for now, I am forced to part with some of my books. If you love books as much as I do, then you understand that this was not an easy decision.

As usual, I turned to a book to learn how to do something. And, "The Home-Based Bookstore" by Steve Weber delivered the goods. This brief book (159 pages) adequately addresses many issues involved in selling books online. It is perfect for the beginner, like myself, because it provides the essential information to get you up and running. I read through it one time, and then as I began to add books to my bookstore, I referred back to the areas I had highlighted for a refresher.

I look forward to finding unique books and offering them to other book-lovers.