24/8 Book Club

Wow 24/8 gave away four of Stacey Ballis’ The Spinster Sisters this week.  It was the first contest we ran and these gals were all very smart. 

 The winners were Nancy from Chicago, Julie from MI, Ellen from NJ and Leigh from Chicago.  We were looking for The Spingold Sisters for the answer. 24/8 is nationwide so tell a friend or make a date to meet on 24/8. 

We thank everyone for their participation and hope you check back for the next contest/giveaway that we will announce soon.

Falise and JoAnne

Entertainment reporter Joel Siegel died over the weekend from cancer.  Whether you liked Joel, watched him or never heard of him is not important, but he was able through his celebrity write a book of lessons for his young son Dylan in case he could not deliver them someday in person.   

This struck me as very powerful and I went out and bought the book. I wanted to see what a parent and a very gifted writer says to his young son given his diagnosis of cancer.  I thought it was very moving and made me remember my mother’s own death from cancer eight years ago and wishing I had a gift like this too.  Of course I was older when my mother died but I still think of her everyday and wish I could share things in person with her and hear her thoughts.

Not everyone can get a book deal as Joel Siegel did but everyone has the power to create such a legacy. We have blogs and they are in many cases free.  While many of us that did not grow up with blogs search for the meaning behind them, this is certainly an extraordinary use for them.     

If you know someone facing some challenges perhaps you should pick up a copy of Lessons for Dylan and maybe set up a blog for a friend today.  This could be a great gift for a friend and their famliy that is perhaps the most touching thing you can do in a time of uncertainty and loss of control.   

Falise

Yesterday I was with some 24/8 ers and they asked me if they could make suggestions for books and of course I said yes.  So just in case we have not been clear we want to HEAR FROM YOU. 

Why not blog about it? Why not prepare a Take Out List for us to post on the site? Why not write us and tell us what you are reading?  

 We love to hear from you! Otherwise it is just JoAnne and I left to our own devices. 

Based on a great suggestion from Mabel we are going to tell you the next book to be featured on 24/8.  It will be How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life. The author is Mameve Medwed and we will be dishing and shining the spotlight on her as well.

Why not head to the bookstore or library and pick up a copy. You can see if you agree with our review and if not, why not contact us and maybe you will be our guest reviewer. 

We have so many great reads to bring to you, we are just thrilled.

So much to do today to get ready for our event tomorrow evening at  ethel’s chocolate lounge at Westfield’s North Bridge.  We will be dishing with two editors from DailyCandy and if you don’t know them you should. 

The DailyCandy.com phenomenon is a delightful way to keep up with what is hot and what is not and what are the newest Chicago trends.  For those of you not from Chicago there are plenty of other cities to check and sign up for their daily newsletter, www.dailycandy.com. 

Join us as we find out more about DailyCandy, sample some tidbits from their very entertaining and engaging book, learn how to get their eye and maybe get a scoop about an upcoming treat in Chicago.  We look forward to seeing you there.   

I hope everyone is planning a great trip this summer or fall. If not you might change your mind after picking up and looking at one of these guides. 

Many years ago now a friend of mine that is a very particular traveler introduced me to guide books by Karen Brown.  I immediately went out to the book store as I working on planning our next trip and saw that Karen Brown had both domestic and European editions and for many locations.  But to my delight they offered places to stay and itineraries. 

So that began my love affair with these books. I have given them to friends that were going on a trip and I always purchase one when I am going on a trip.  They also have a great website, www.karenbrown.com, with so much information.

For me, the best thing about these guides are the truths found within the pages. The accomodations presented are always though they have personally stayed in so they can share their real perspectives. And they are what they say they are.  Karen Brown guides also present budget hotels and then five star hotels so there is something for everyone. 

 It was a personal thrill for me to meet Karen Brown at the Book Expo in May.  We did get a scoop from her as well, a new updated website will be available soon and will provide the visitor with more tools for planning that great trip.  

I am so happy to be able to share this fantastic resource with you as it was shared with me.   

Happy travels,

Falise 

The Printers Row book fair was outstanding.  They were lucky with the great weather, so that brought out even more people.  Great new booksellers,  and the poetry tent  which was a special treat.  If there was any doubt that this was a cultured crowd, almost every conversation I had ended with the question, “What do you think will happen to Tony Soprano tonight?”  I love Chicago events.