Photo quote de jour


I won't kid you; it's been bloody rough week and I'm grateful it's over. The thread weaving through this week's posts was the color red. When I picked up my library books this week, they all sported red covers. Coincidence? I think not. Even my magazines pile contained tons of red like the red hair of Rihanna on not one but two covers. Red is is about primal power and energy. It's in full force today whether you're dancing around a May pole, burning the Beltane bonfires, celebrating St. Joseph's feast day or labour day, one thing is certain spring has sprung and juices are flowing.



During stressful times I like the distraction of reading and the best of the "reds" is Blood, Bones & Butter a memoir by Gabrielle Hamilton, chef and owner of the East Village restaurant Prune, named after her childhood nickname. This succulent best-selling is what happens when you take a talented chef who has a MFA in writing. There's a dearth of chef/foodie memoirs out and now my favorite food writer Anthony Bourdain has stiff competition. And my mouth is watering for a meal at her restaurant. And don't you dare read an mouthwatering excerpt on an empty stomach BloodBonesandButter.net


I'm working on my book club selection this month No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy. For visceral writing it doesn't get better than this. He describes a character, teenage killer sent to the chair for killing his 14-year-old girlfriend. "The papers described it as a crime of passion, but he tolt me there weren't nothin' passionate about it. Said he'd been fixin' to kill someone for as long as he could remember. Said if I let him out of there, he'd kill somebody again. Said he was goin' to hell. Reckoned he'd be there in about 15 minutes."



I zipped through two non-fiction marketing related books which didn't sparkle as I'd expected. I really liked Gary Yaynerchuk's book Crush It! last year. His follow-up, a ghostwritten effort The Thank-you Economy didn't thrill. Yes, he's a marketing genius for his own brand and a social media maestro but what I found the most interesting were the book cover design contest entries at the back of the book. And I don't think he selected the best design. I say, thanks but no thank-you. 



Stories sell and Peter Guber's best selling book Tell to Win is chock full of good ones. He calls storytelling whether for entertainment (film, TV) or telling purposeful stories to propel business goals his “the secret sauce” behind his career success. If you want to feel like an under achiever check out his website. The speaking schedule, twitter feed, interviews... I'm exhausted just looking at it. PeterGuber.com