Showing posts with label Book Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Review. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

GIVEAWAY: Chuck Gaidica's 2 Kids Books Help Raise Money for Grace Centers of Hope - ENDS 10/3 (CLOSED)

Detroit TV personality and kid's book author Chuck Gaidica donates 20,000 copies of his books to raise money for the homeless.... 

WDIV-TV 4 news reporter and former weatherman Chuck Gaidica has donated 20,000 copies of his books, Tommy Starts Something Big: Giving Cuddles with Kindness, and Cuddling is Like Chocolate, to help raise funds for Grace Centers of Hope. One of southeast Michigan’s oldest and largest homeless shelters, Grace Centers of Hope provides homeless and rehabilitation services for nearly 200 men, women and children on any given day.

“We are so blessed to have an ally like Chuck Gaidica who truly cares about making a difference in his own community,” said Pastor Kent W. Clark, CEO of Grace Centers of Hope. “Through his generous donation, we will be able to raise funds to help support the life-saving programs and services for the men, women and children who call Grace Centers of Hope home.”


Tommy Starts Something Big: Giving Cuddles with Kindness is a heartwarming children’s story about a young boy named Tommy who faced his own challenge in life by deciding to inspire others in their times of need. The book, which features beautiful watercolor illustrations by Mary Gregg Byrne, reminds children and adults about the positive change that can happen when people help people.


Gaidica penned Cuddling is Like Chocolate as a short book for adults to address the many health and wellness benefits of cuddling. It includes inspiring stories, cuddle facts and humorous illustrations by Jeff Covieo to encourage readers to reach out and cuddle with someone they love.

Gaidica is an Emmy Award–winning television and radio personality who created the phrase "Cuddle Alert" as a fun call to action during cold-weather outbreaks. The alert is a platonic reason to cuddle with somebody for warmth and much more: a healthful connection of two souls. Gaidica has spent years researching the connection between cuddling and wellness. As a former weather forecaster, Chuck has issued "Cuddle Alerts" on TV and radio for nearly 30 years.

"I am so happy to use my books to help touch and restore the lives of others,” said Gaidica. “My children's book encourages kids to think bigger than themselves to help other people. It's like I wrote a book about the mission of Grace Centers of Hope."


Grace Centers of Hope provides a comprehensive range of programs and services to help individuals and families overcome issues of homelessness, addiction, neglect, physical abuse, poverty and spiritual emptiness. One hundred percent of the nonprofit’s revenues are generated through private support, fundraising initiatives and its four thrift stores. Last year, Grace Centers of Hope provided more than 45,000 nights of stay for men, women and children who sought help from the nonprofit organization.

Tommy Starts Something Big: Giving Cuddles with Kindness and Cuddling is Like Chocolate can be purchased throughout the year at all Grace Centers of Hope Thrift Store locations:

- 23105 Coolidge Hwy., Oak Park
- 43584 Van Dyke, Sterling Heights
- 26740 Dequindre Rd., Warren
- 5919 Highland Rd., Waterford Township

The books also can be purchased by calling 1-855-HELP-GCH or online by visiting the Grace Centers of Hope website at this link

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GIVEAWAY
Ten (10) FREEISMYLIFE readers will WIN a set of Chuck Gaidica's children's books - Tommy Starts Something Big: Giving Cuddles with Kindness, and Cuddling is Like Chocolate - A $20 Value - HOLLA TO THE FREE!!!

To Enter -

- Fill out the information in the form below.

- One entry per person please. Duplicate entries will be removed.

- USA addresses only.

- The contest ends on Friday, October 3, 2014 at 11:59am EST.

- The 10 winners will be selected by random number generation.

- Prizes will be mailed to the winners by the PR company for Grace Centers of Hope.


(7) EXTRA GIVEAWAY ENTRIES

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Instagram.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following Grace Centers of Hope on Facebook.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Twitter.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following Grace Centers of Hope on Twitter.


- Answering the Chuck Gaidica "Cuddle Alert" question at this link.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entries for tweeting the following message on Twitter "I entered the Chuck Gadica Book GIVEAWAY to benefit @GraceCenters on @freeismylife
http://ow.ly/BAb0u "


Random.org has spoken!! Out of 41 entries, Random.org has picked the following 10 winners the Chuck Gaidica Kids Books -

#1 Patti V. of Plymouth, MI
#2 Julie C. of Brownstown, MI
#3 Diana R. of Farmington Hills, MI
#4 Dinah B. of Detroit, MI 
#5 Mary T. of Allen Park, MI 
#6 Simone F. of Detroit, MI 
#7 Lisa L. of Harper Woods, MI 
#8 Menrose McB. of Pontiac, MI
#9 Joe T. of  Shelby Twp, MI 
#10 Kristen L of Troy, MI 

Enjoy and Good Luck!


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Friday, June 7, 2013

Books: Father's Day Reads that Dads and Kids Can Enjoy Together

Because I'm Your Dad by Ahmet Zappa
Reading is priceless when Dads and Kids share these books on Father's Day and every day...

BECAUSE I’M YOUR DAD BY AHMET ZAPPA

In Ahmet Zappa’s first picture book for children, Because I’m Your Dad, a dad like no other promises to give his kid a childhood like no other.

Whimsical monster characters bring the silly and sweet scenes to life and keep the book universal. The book's ending, a moving tribute to the author's father, guarantees intergenerational appeal: “Because I'm your dad, I will do all of these things for you and more…because that's what my dad did for me.”

Both a tribute to his happy childhood and a promise to his daughter, Halo, for a one-of-a-kind relationship, “I wrote this book for anyone who is a father, has a father, or hopes to someday be a father,” says Zappa. A perfect book to read on Father’s Day, or any day.

Watch the musical trailer for Because I’m Your Dad on Entertainment Weekly: http://family-room.ew.com/2013/03/29/because-im-your-dad-preview-ahmet-zappas-new-childrens-book-video/


RICKY'S DREAM TRIP BOOK SERIES BY BILL STEVENSON

In the “Ricky’s Dream Trip” book series, Ricky and PopPop go on adventures together in Ricky’s dreams, visiting far away places and long ago times. While the stories are fanciful and imaginative, they are full of real historical and scientific facts presented in a way that interests children. The books are a labor of love the real-life PopPop, Bill Stevenson, created for his grandson Ricky.

It's a fun Father's Day gift, but which Dream Trip to choose? The books take Ricky and PopPop on trips through the solar system, to Colonial America, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. Take the fun Facebook quiz to find the perfect book for Dad or Grandad to share with his kids or grandchildren on his special day.

See more on the website: http://rickysdreamtrip.com/


Enjoy!

Disclosure: A complimentary hardcopy of "Because I'm Your Dad" was provided by the publisher.  This post contains affliate links.


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Tuesday, April 24, 2012

BOOK GIVEAWAY "Hope is Love" by Sylvia Hubbard #hopeislove - ENDS 4/28 (CLOSED)

"Hope is Love" will hook you in from the first paragraph....

I have been following Detroit based author Sylvia Hubbard on Twitter for quite some time. Sylvia is a mom, a blogger, an author of 14 books, an editor, a self publisher, the founder of the Michigan Writers Network, and the owner of a literary radio network. In 2010, Sylvia invited me to attend her conference called Essence of Motown where I and the other attendees learned all about the business of self book publishing.

After the Essense of Motown conference, I started reading a lot of Sylvia's short stories that she shares on her website called "The Literary World of Sylvia Hubbard", but I had not read any of her published ebooks.  But that all changed one day when I was home on vacation. 

Sylvia Hubbard
Sylvia Hubbard is not called the Cliffhanger Queen for nothing...
I happened to swing by Sylvia's website when I noticed that she was live blogging a new book.  "Live Blogging" is when an author shares the story that he or she is writing with their audience as they are actually creating the storyline and outlining the characters.

The book that Sylvia was live blogging was called Hope is Love and from moment I started reading the story, I was hooked and I actually spent two hours of my vacation day going back to the start of the live blogging of the story so that I could catch up from the beginning.

Even though Sylvia did not share the entire Hope is Love story on her website, she shared enough that I knew that I wanted to read it again from beginning to end when it was finally published.

Hope is Love is the story of a homeless woman called Hope who is living on the streets in Detroit. Hope is definitely not someone that you would ever think would be homeless. She is very pretty, highly intelligent and resourceful, and knows how to keep warm and out of harms way by methods that would make Macgyver proud. Her natural engineering background makes the reader know that something is going on here that is not what it seems.  But her circumstances are so dire that you know if something does not change for Hope, the streets of Detroit will finally do her in.

On Christmas Eve, while Hope is trying to keep warm in an alley, she witnesses an attempted murder that changes her life forever. When a rich Detroit business man is shot in the head and thrown in a dumpster, Hope decides against her better judgement to help him and her entire complicated world becomes even more complicated.

The 1st book in the series
The rich man turns out to be James Black, a character first introduced in Sylvia's book Love Like This. If you have read Love Like This, some would say that playboy philanderer James got what he deserved by being shot and dumped in that alley since no married woman is safe in his presense, not even the wife of his own brother.  But now Hope has to use all of her resources to keep them both alive until James figures out who wants him dead.

So not your typical love story...
There so so many things that I loved about Hope is Love that it is hard to list them all. First of all, I love a good story and Hope is Love is one story that will keep you interested from the first page to the last. Sylvia Hubbard has been nicknamed "The Cliffhanger Queen" and her stories very imaginative and have lots of twists and turns that keep the reader very entertained. Some critiques might say the stories are so out there that they could never happen, but I think the imaginative aspects of the story are what make you want to see just how it will end.

I also love the level of detail that Sylvia puts into her stories. I was amazed by all the things that I learned about street life and being homeless. The character of Hope does things to survive in this book that amazed me and Sylvia's detailed accounts of street life made me realize that no one survives on the streets without true cunning and intelligence.

Hope is Love also delves in the all the drama involved in an interracial relationship since Hope is African American and James is White. And the story is further complicated with the added drama of Hope being illiterate and living on the streets and James being very well educated and rich.

Detroit is always another character in the story...
I also love that all of Sylvia's stories, including Hope is Love, are set with Detroit as the backdrop.  And because her stories involve both the poor and the rich, the reader sees Detroit at its best and its not so best.

One thing I should point out is that Sylvia tends to bring in characters from her other books which might be a little confusing if you have not read past stories. Of course I am sure she does this as a way to intice us all to read those books too :)

So if you like your romance stories a little out of the ordinary with tons of drama and a lot of mystery like I do, check out Hope is Love (affiliate link)  on Amazon.com.  And if you want to read all the drama that leads up to Hope is Love, also check out Love Like This (I believe it is still available for FREE) by Sylvia Hubbard. 


GIVEAWAY
One FREEISMYLIFE reader will win a digital download of "Hope is Love" by Sylvia Hubbard.  HOLLA to the FREE!!!

TO ENTER

Fill out the information in the form below and leave a comment on this blog post.

 - One entry per person please. Duplicate entries will be removed.

- The contest ends on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 11:59 am EST.

 - One winner will be selected by random number generation.

 - Prize will be fulfilled to winner by Sylvia Hubbard.


(3) EXTRA GIVEAWAY ENTRIES


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following Sylvia Hubbard on Twitter.


- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Twitter.



Enjoy!


Disclosure: I received complimentary digital download of "Hope is Love". Sylvia Hubbard is sponsoring the ebook for this giveaway. All opinions are my own.

The winner of Sylvia Hubbard's new book "Hope is Love" is Marcia of Detroit, MI !!!



Tuesday, September 13, 2011

"BOOK REVIEW": Rules of Civility by Amor Towles - Sex & Lies minus the Video Tape

Sex and the City 1930's style...

Do you like to read stories about strong women?  There is just something empowering about reading a good book about a strong women that overcomes her circumstances. 

Last month, I read the new book "Rules of Civility" by Amor Towles for the BlogHer Book Club. I enjoyed following the heroine through one funny and difficult year that changes her whole life.  This book is "Sex and the City", but set up 1930's New York where single women are coming into their own.

If you want to know more about "Rules of Civility" you can read my book review on BlogHer.com.

Enjoy!


Disclosure: I received compensation to be a BlogHer book reviewer.

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Thursday, June 16, 2011

BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Men :10 Essential Skills, the Professional Guide ENDS 6/24 (CLOSED)

Can you imagine a grown man wearing a clip on tie? Horror!

When I was a kid, schools taught skills that were deemed "essential".  Boys had to take woodshop classes. My older sisters took required cooking classes in middle school and high school. 

Both my sisters and I had mandatory sewing classes where we learned to make our clothing (yes, I know how to make a jacket, skirt and pants from scratch folks).

As our world changes, lots of skills that were once deemed essential are no longer being taught.  Most people have no idea how to sew on a button or how to cook a meal from scratch.

Essential Skills for Men
Most boys now grow up not knowing how to tie a tie (my son included) or how to drive a manual stick shift (you can save a lot of money on your car if you know how).  Even though these skills may not be required on a daily basis, some things just don't go out of style. Can you imagine a grown man wearing a clip on tie! Horror!

Since Father's Day is this month, I have been looking for ideas for gifts that men would love (and women would love buying their men).  So when I was asked to review a new book written just for men by men, I knew I had to check it out. 

The book Men: 10 Essential Skills, The Professional Guide is written by men's neckwear designer Robert Valdes-Rodriguez who came up with a list of ten skills that he claims men can not live without. He developed his list from sharing dozens of stories over the years with his family and friends.

And what does he think are the 10 Essential Skills?  Here is the list:

 1. Tie a Tie
 2. Swing a Golf Club
 3. Play Poker
 4. Light and Smoke a Cigar
 5. Drive a Stick Shift 
 6. Propose a Toast
 7. Catch a Wave
 8. Order and Taste Wine 
 9. Mix a James Bond Martini
10. Keep the Girl

Each chapter not only gives a breakdown of how to acquire the skill, but also ends with great films highlighting that particular skill. For golf there is the classic Caddy Shack. In the Poker chapter readers learn the game is “the great social equalizer.”

Whether you agree that all these skills are essential or not, Men :10 Essential Skills, the Professional Guide is a quick fun read that is entertaining and informative. The chapter alone on how to tie a tie will keep most men off of my fashion horror list.

Men :10 Essential Skills, the Professional Guide is available on Amazon.com in both hardcover ($19.99) and Kindle ($9.99) editions. 






GIVEAWAY
Three (3) FREEISMYLIFE readers will each win a hardcover edition of Men :10 Essential Skills, the Professional Guide, a $19.99 value. HOLLA to the FREE!


TO ENTER:

 - Fill out the information in the form below.

 - One entry per person please.  Duplicate entries will be removed.

 - USA addresses only.

 - The contest ends on Friday, June 24, 2011 at 11:59am EST.

 - The winner will be selected by random number generation.

 - Prize will be fufilled to the winners by the PR company for the book.



(2) EXTRA GIVEAWAY ENTRIES

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for tweeting the following message on Twitter "I entered the @freeismylife giveaway to win 1 of 3 copies of the book Men 10 Essential Skills http://bit.ly/iWGay0"


Enjoy!

Disclosure: I received a complementary hardcover copy of the book "Men 10 Essential Skills" in order to write this review and express my unbiased opinion. I was not compensated for this post.




Random.org has spoken! Out of 58 entries, Random.org has picked the following 3 winners who will each get a hardcover copy of the book MEN: 10 Essential Skills, the Professional Guide:

#15 Nichole V. of Wayne, MI
#43 Jacqueline D. of Ferndale, MI
#50 Joe G. of Wixom, MI


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Monday, May 16, 2011

Book Review & GIVEAWAY: The Wild Soccer Bunch, "Diego the Tornado" by Joachim Masannek ENDS 5/24 (CLOSED)

My son with his new book "Diego the Tornado"
The Wild Soccer Bunch totally rocked my son's world!

Does your child like to read?  Even though my son was brought up surrounded by books from a young age, I still have to fight with him to read since he prefers playing video games to picking up a book. Typical Boy!

So when I was asked to review an advance copy of Book #2 in Joachim Masannek's best selling children series The Wild Soccer Bunch, "Diego the Tornado", I jumped at the chance for my son to write a review for FREEISMYLIFE.

The Wild Soccer Bunch was created by Joachim Masannek, a father who coached his sons’ soccer team and was inspired to write a book about his experience. The stories are told from a child’s point of view which helps the books to really appeal to children.

"Diego the Tornado" tells the story of Fabio the son of a famous Brazilian soccer player, who wants to join the Wild Soccer Bunch. But Fabio's father wants his son to play for the Furies, one of the best youth club teams in the country.

From the moment I gave my son the book to review, he was captivated by the story.  He actually stopped playing video games and read (and reread) the book more than a few times - I was totally shocked! He even took the book with him to school to show it to his friends.  And I heard him laughing out loud a few times at some of the humorous parts of the story.

So here is my son's take on The Wild Soccer Bunch, "Diego the Tornado" :

The Wild Soccer Bunch, "Diego the Tornado" is about the players in the Soccer Wild Bunch. The players are going to face the Furies, an impossible team to beat.  The Furies wouldn't be as good as they are if they didn't have Fabio as a player. Fabio is the son of a famous Brazilian soccer player named Giacomo Ribaldo. Fabio wanted to play with the Wild Soccer Bunch but his father wanted him to play with the Furies. 

What I liked about the story is that The Soccer Wild Bunch became a great team because of their coach named Larry who taught them everything about the sport. People should buy this book because it is a great story that showed that you should never give up, no matter the odds, and that you should always respect your opponent.

The Wild Soccer Bunch Series was originally published in Germany and has now sold over ten million copies worldwide. Book #1 in the series, "Kevin the Star Striker", was published in North America just prior to the 2010 World Cup. The Wild Soccer Bunch, "Diego the Tornado" is the second book available in the series. The third book in the series, "Zoe the Fearless", will be published by Sole Books in October 2011.

These books are aimed at kids ages 8-12. If my son loves this book, then I know most other kids will love it too. For more information, please visit http://www.wildsoccerbunch.com/.

Get 10% off in the Sole Books Online Store
You can purchase The Wild Soccer Bunch, "Diego the Tornado" for a discounted price using special code WSB10 for an extra 10% off in the Sole Books online store.

GIVEAWAY
One FREEISMYLIFE will win their own copy of The Wild Soccer Bunch, "Diego the Tornado".  HOLLA to the FREE!

TO ENTER -

- Fill out the entry form below.

- One entry per person.

- This giveaway ends on Tuesday, May 24th at Noon EST.

- Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia who are 18 years of age or older at time of entry.

- One winner will be selected using Random.org.

- Sole Books is responsible for shipping the prize when the giveaway winner have been announced and a mailing address has been provided. Allow 3-4 weeks for delivery.


(2) Extra Giveaway Entries

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook.

- You can get 1 extra giveaway entry for Tweeting the following message on Twitter "I entered the @freeismylife giveaway to win the new kids book The Wild Soccer Bunch, Diego the Tornado http://t.co/AutqfIJ ".

Enjoy!


Disclosure: I received a complementary copy of The Wild Soccer Bunch, "Diego the Tornado" for the purpose of writing this book review and stating my unbiased opinion. I was not compensated for this post.

Congratulations to the winner: Scott H. of Farmington Hills, MI 

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Saturday, January 29, 2011

Why Is Everybody Else Rich & I'm Not?


Original Flicker Photo Credit: Pingüino
Don't Read This. It will Hurt Your Feelings...For the past month, I have been reading a book called "Attention! This Book will Make You Money" by Jim Kukral. The book shows how to use "Attention Marketing" to get the word out about your business for FREE. Believe it or not, I (the queen of cheap) actually paid money to buy this book - OK there may have been a coupon and gift certificate involved in the transaction, but the book was not totally free. Anyway, I loved the book and have been following Jim ever since.  This week, Jim posted the following slideshow on his website with 13 reasons that are keeping people from being rich.  I think Jim hit on the main reasons that most of us fail to totally commit to working toward our dreams.Just a warning that what is on this slides WILL hurt most folks feelings - they sure hurt my feelings. But they serve as a reminder that nothing worth having comes easy.Click here if you cannot see the slideshow

So what do you think? Leave a comment and share your thoughts...

Enjoy!

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I will do a GIVEAWAY when I reach 500 followers !!!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Hallmark Recordable Storybooks - ENDS 12/17 at Noon (CLOSED)

Give the Gift of a Moment in Time...

I few weeks ago, I was watching television and saw an adorable commercial featuring two little girls listening to a storybook that their grandmother was reading. But the grandmother was not actually there.  The grandmother had recorded her voice on a Hallmark Recordable Storybook that the girls had received for the holiday.  A remember thinking to myself what a wonderful idea to have a loved one's voice recorded and preserved to capture a moment in time.

Well last week, I was offered the opportunity by Hallmark to try out one of their recordable storybooks for myself.  I choose the holiday classic "Frosty the Snowman" since I still love this story even as an adult.

Let There be Light
The storybook has a hardcover and back with a recording strip at the bottom.  There are only two buttons - "record" and "stop" so it is not complicated to use. You need to be in a quiet place to record the story and the book should be laying flat on a surface. I found out the hard way that the room needs to well lit. I was in a dimly lit room when I first tried to record and story and I had all kinds of problems. Once I turned on the lights in the room, everything went smoothly.


Easy to use
All you have to to to record the story is turn to the page, hit the record button and then hit the stop button when you are done. Once the page is recorded, your voice will automatically play when you return to the page. If you don't like the way the recording sounds, you can record it again. To make the storybook even more unique, there is a page where you can record your own dedication for the book - how sweet! I dedicated my storybook to my son and told him to always remember that I love him when he plays the story.

Once you are happy with all the recordings, you lock the book so that no one can accidentally record over your voice by unscrewing the battery cover and sliding the switch to the "lock" position.

Hallmark Recordable Storybooks can only be purchased in Hallmark Crown stores.

There are 15 Hallmark Recordable Storybooks to choose from.  The current storybook choices for this holiday season are "The Night Before Christmas", "My First Christmas" or "Frosty the Snowman". These books would make a great keepsake gift so pick up one today!

This is one GREAT Hallmark coupon!
And use this $10 off $10+ coupon to get your Hallmark Recordable storybook at a great price! Coupon expires on Christmas eve.

Click here is video is not shown


GIVEAWAY
One FREEISMYLIFE reader will win a Hallmark Recordable Storybook - HOLLA to the FREE!!!

TO ENTER

-Fill out the information in the form below.

-One entry per person please.

- The contest ends on December 17, 2010 at Noon EST.

-The winner will be selected by random number generation.

- You can get 1 extra contest entry for following FREEISMYLIFE on Facebook.

- You can get 1 extra contest entry for Tweeting the following message on Twitter "I just entered the @FREEISMYLIFE giveaway to win a Hallmark Recordable Storybook http://t.co/zuZ0Gfu".

Good Luck!


To be in the know about future giveaways, subscribe to get FREE IS MY LIFE email alerts

Disclosure: I was given a complimentary Hallmark Recordable Storybook for the purchase of writing this review and expressing my unbias opinion.

CONTEST IS CLOSED

FORM HAS BEEN REMOVED

The winner of the Hallmark Recordable Storybook is Jeff L. of Waterford, MI

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I will do a GIVEAWAY when I reach 400 followers !!!

Saturday, December 5, 2009

BOOK REVIEW: "Fabulous Fakes" by Carole Tanenbaum


Even though I don't like spending money, I love fashion. I believe that everyone should look fabulous when they leave home, so my favorite things to buy are clothing and jewelry (but never at full price).

I also love reading about fashion. I am currently reading a book called "Fabulous Fakes" by Carole Tanenbaum. I have been following the fashions of First Lady Michelle Obama since she was on the campaign trail and Carole Tanenbaum's line of jewelry has been worn by the First Lady on many occasions. Two of Carole's pieces now made famous by Mrs. Obama is the brooch from her inauguration outfit and the orange brooch worn when Mrs. Obama was greeting military families at Norfolk naval base.

The book takes a look at costume jewelry made from the middle 1800's to current day. There are beautiful color illustrations and historical references that tell how the state of the economy influenced the type of jewelry people wore and the materials from which the jewelry was made.

It used to be that I would wear very small jewelry that only I could see. Now, as I am growing older and bolder, I am buying and wearing medium to large colorful jewelry pieces. I am also preferring costume jewelry to the real thing because it makes a bigger statement and is usually far cheaper that the real thing. I am really loving some of First Lady Michelle Obama's vintage inspired pieces that she is sporting. I guess that I am getting sassy in my old age. After all, everyone should be fabulous just like the jewelry in Ms. Tanenbaum's "Fabulous Fakes".