What I'm Reading This Week - July 17, 2011- Knowing Your Value & The Greater Journey
Quote de jour
"Give me a man or woman who has read a thousand books and you give me an interesting companion. Give me a man or woman who has read perhaps three and you give me a dangerous enemy indeed."
~Anne Rice
Every day I get requests from publicists on behalf of their clients. I pick and choose books based on the press release and hopefully they appeal to my broad interests. I appreciate receiving them. I really do, but the one which arrived yesterday, made me want to cry. Just when I thought it might be okay for me to wade into self-published waters, I wring my hands in despair. Sure there are fabulous self-published books that are beautifully designed, written and do well. But just because we have the technology people, doesn't mean everyone is a writer or should be published.
Everything about this book "that will not be named" was awful. From the crumpled note inside the book with no press release, the cover design, the author's photo, font colors and oh, yes, the words. Nonfiction self-help is all I'll say. It depressed me. I can't in good conscience, skewer it or dignify it with a review. If I want mindless crap (and I often do), I'll flip through my weekly stack of magazines. Mind you, there are jewels in there like the grilling recipes in Bon Appetit and the Reinvent Your Career article in Fortune. The unnamed writer (mentioned above) who has seven professions listed in her bio, may want to reinvent her career.
: Women, Money and Getting What You Want by Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” sounded like a good read, but this book didn't offer any insights beyond: know your value and competitor's value. Stop being a doormat or nice girl. Ask for what you want. If you want a raise, frame the argument in terms of what your employer values. If you don't get what you want or you aren't paid what you're worth, be prepared to leave. This is repeated ad nauseum. Knowing Your Value isn't good value. Save your money.
When I began reading David McCullough's The Greater Journey: Americans In Paris, I wanted to cry again, this time from joy, and lamented the lack of time to dig deeper into this hefty book about Americans who emigrated to Paris between 1830 and 1900. The lives of people who influenced music, art, literature, poetry and science came alive by the Pulitzer Prize winning author and offers a riveting glimpse into Parisian culture. Magnifique!
"Give me a man or woman who has read a thousand books and you give me an interesting companion. Give me a man or woman who has read perhaps three and you give me a dangerous enemy indeed."
~Anne Rice
Every day I get requests from publicists on behalf of their clients. I pick and choose books based on the press release and hopefully they appeal to my broad interests. I appreciate receiving them. I really do, but the one which arrived yesterday, made me want to cry. Just when I thought it might be okay for me to wade into self-published waters, I wring my hands in despair. Sure there are fabulous self-published books that are beautifully designed, written and do well. But just because we have the technology people, doesn't mean everyone is a writer or should be published.
Everything about this book "that will not be named" was awful. From the crumpled note inside the book with no press release, the cover design, the author's photo, font colors and oh, yes, the words. Nonfiction self-help is all I'll say. It depressed me. I can't in good conscience, skewer it or dignify it with a review. If I want mindless crap (and I often do), I'll flip through my weekly stack of magazines. Mind you, there are jewels in there like the grilling recipes in Bon Appetit and the Reinvent Your Career article in Fortune. The unnamed writer (mentioned above) who has seven professions listed in her bio, may want to reinvent her career.
: Women, Money and Getting What You Want by Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” sounded like a good read, but this book didn't offer any insights beyond: know your value and competitor's value. Stop being a doormat or nice girl. Ask for what you want. If you want a raise, frame the argument in terms of what your employer values. If you don't get what you want or you aren't paid what you're worth, be prepared to leave. This is repeated ad nauseum. Knowing Your Value isn't good value. Save your money.
When I began reading David McCullough's The Greater Journey: Americans In Paris, I wanted to cry again, this time from joy, and lamented the lack of time to dig deeper into this hefty book about Americans who emigrated to Paris between 1830 and 1900. The lives of people who influenced music, art, literature, poetry and science came alive by the Pulitzer Prize winning author and offers a riveting glimpse into Parisian culture. Magnifique!
Posted by Layla Morgan Wilde at 7/17/2011 5:55 AM 
Categories: Food, Baby Boomers, Media, What I'm Reading This Week, Photography, Art
Tags: davidmcculloughwritergreaterjourneyreview Americansinparisreviewnonfiction mikamsnbcknowyourvaluereview bonappetigrillingbbqrecipes annericereadingquote
Categories: Food, Baby Boomers, Media, What I'm Reading This Week, Photography, Art
Tags: davidmcculloughwritergreaterjourneyreview Americansinparisreviewnonfiction mikamsnbcknowyourvaluereview bonappetigrillingbbqrecipes annericereadingquote
Don't let this one experience with a self-published book discourage you from considering going that route. Self-publishing is a viable alternative to traditional publishing that is becoming more and more attractive to many authors as the face of publishing continues to change. There are plenty of options out there to produce a product that not even the most discerning reader will be able to tell apart from a traditionally published book.
Of course, nothing is going to make up for content that should never see the publishing light of day, no matter whether it's produced traditionally or otherwise. And let's face it, there are plenty of traditionally published books out there, especially in the self-help genre, that are, to use your words, mindless crap.
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Thank-you for this. I really needed to hear it.
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Sorry, not a comment on your weekly reading (which I enjoy particularly for ideas on what to read next), this is a recommendation for a book I think you'd like. It's "Sideways on a Scooter: Life and Love in India: a memoir, " by Miranda Kennedy. A single 20-something reporter moves to Delhi to better report on what is going on in Asia. But that's not the real story. The friends she made and her insights into Indian life on many levels are more than a good story, they are a view of a culture both modern and traditional and definitely not Western. I found the book at my local library and devoured it in only a few sittings. Hope you enjoy it if you take a chance on it.
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Believe it or not: it's on my list. I love memoirs about India.
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