Reviews
I just got a blackberry that allows me to get e-mails and make phone calls. Why I got it, I cannot say. No one ever calls me and the e-mails just pile up. When you delete them on-line they don't get deleted on the blackberry which means you have to double-delete, a big pain. Right now, I have over 1,000 that need to be deleted and I'm afraid I'll get carpel tunnel syndrome if I even attempt it. Meanwhile, the thing vibrates at me all the time and I can't figure out why. What is it trying to tell me?
Yesterday, I received the most wonderful book from Margaret O'Hair called Star Baby (houghton mifflin books). Margaret sent it to me because she is a fan of The Ivy Chronicles and now I'm a fan of Margaret's. Seriously, if you have a little baby or know someone who does, pick this up for a holiday gift. The illustrations are delightful and the story is lyrical in that way that kids will adore having it read to them over and over. It reminds me of Chica Chica Boom Boom, that alphabet book that I used to read to my kids. Or Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear. The story celebrates the amazing small but huge accomplishments babies achieve every day like pointing, playing peek-a-boo, scooting, crawling. If there's a baby in your life, this will be a lovely book to add to his or her library.
Meanwhile, I got the nicest e-mail from Jeni from Edinburgh...I'm sharing this one because I want to contrast it with a mean, nasty one I gotten on Amazon (the majority have been great, but the few bad ones really do sting)...Here's what she said:
"This book saved me in Abu Dhabi airport. In a Muslim country where no girls travel alone let alone are seen alone, I was left stranded in Abu Dhabi airport after my friend desserted me to grasp the only standby seat left. Our scheduled flight had been delayed for 6 hours. From hiding in the ladies loos for an hour, buying some chocolate and secretely comfort eating in the cubicle (as it was ramadam!). I built up enough courage thanks to my friend Elaine, to venture out into the madness of abu dhabi airpot. With a thousand eyes from Jeddah and India leering and peering at me the stress of the whole situation got to me, like a caged pacing tiger I resorted to doing continuous laps of the duty free, with my mind numbing I came across a book shop. I spent 30 minutes ping ponging betweend shelves, then finally the 'richard and judy summer read ' sticker sprung out at me.
I bought the lovely candy pink striped coverback It gave me some assurance that I had a link with the outside world, I think becuase it reminded me of a stick of rock, I hated them and was never very grateful when my nanna would return with a stick but did love the colours and always wondered how they made stripey candy! THis book was my saviour. I hid in the European corner, there were only 6 of us, 2 couples a fetching young man et moi.
I'm not a big reader at all, but once I picked up this book I couldn't put it down.
I hid in the world of New York until the flight was called.
Thank you thank you thank you for writing this book. It's the funniest book I have ever read, I loved your turn of phrases. I have told all my friends that they must read it too and have bought 2 copies as Christmas presents.
Please hurry up and write another. I have withdrawel symptoms and have an empty feeling now that the book is over , just like when my friends and I joined hands to watch the last episode of Sex in the City. Talking of which, is this book going to be made into a film.
From Jeni in Edinburgh, Scotland
Isn't this the nicest? It really did make my day. Lifted by Jeni's sterling review, I decided to check my Amazon reviews and came across this posting I hadn't seen yet.
Reviewer:
Erica S. (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
More "chick-lit" garbage in an industry that's already overflowing with junk. It's amazing how nonsense like this actually gets published. I'm suspecting the"author" (and I use that term lightly) had a friend in the publishing industry. How otherwise to explain a useless waste of paper?
OuchOuchOuchOuchOuch!!!
Why Erica, why? Why do you bother reading a book that you must know by the third chapter you hate? Do you have no life? Also, if you don't like something, fine, but why are you so cruel about it? I hope you're in therapy to work out your anger issues. The truth is, I worked very hard on this book and I'm proud of it. I can't tell you how many people loved it and told me it was one of the funniest thing they'd read in years. In fact, here's an e-mail I got from Jill Kargman (Wolves in Chic Clothing) after she read it:
"THANK YOU...for the BEST read of my summer! Not to be sooo Kathy Bates-ish but I am so your #1 fan! I LITERALLY was peeing in my pants reading Ivy and my mom is now obsessed as well. We both will worship it to everyone we know. It will DEFINITELY be a HUGE bestseller, CONGRATS :)"
Now, if I hadn't thoroughly adored Star Baby, the book that Margaret O'Hair sent me, I just wouldn't have talked about it. I certainly wouldn't have eviscerated Margaret. In my opinion, if you don't like a book, put it down and go on to something you do enjoy. I start books all the time that I don't like. When I realize I'm not enjoying it, I put it away and move on to something else. It would never occur to me to go on-line and electronically stab the author eighteen times in some mad act of rage. It hurts to get attacked like that. Erica, how would you like it if I showed up at your office and told you what a terrible job I thought you were doing? But, instead of just saying you were doing a bad job, what if I called your work useless, miserable, stinking, disgusting garbage didn't deserve to see the light of day? And then what if I published my thoughts for thousands of people to see. You wouldn't like that. So lighten up, okay. If you don't like a book and want to say so, fine, but don't be cruel about it. And by the way, I didn't have a friend in the publishing business.
Okay, this is getting way too long and personal. But I just had to say it because I was so deflated reading it yesterday. Then, of course, I realized that rejection is just part of the job of being an author (as it's part of an actor's job) so I needed to get over it and move on. I have. Now I need to go work out. My blackberry is vibrating at me again. Why? What are you trying to tell me my electronic organizing friend?
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
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posted by Karen Quinn : 9:29 AM
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