Writing
| Premium Spotlights Montblanc: dedication to written word The master jewelers and craftsmen of Montblanc have created a masterpiece: the Montblanc “Emerald Fountain Pen.” This pen epitomizes the passion and uncompromising art of high jewelery and craftsmanship for which Montblanc is famous for more than 100 years. The spirit, material and skilled craftsmanship that have been channeled into the high jewelery creation of the Montblanc “Emerald Fountain Pen” makes this piece a work of art. The inimitable creation took more than a year and a half to create by the skilled artisans of the internationally famous Montblanc Artisan Atelier. Each precise movement testifies to their dedication to detail and perfection. Montblanc StarWalker Cool Blue The successful StarWalker writing instruments are now available in a new, translucent blue look. The Montblanc StarWalker Cool Blue has an innovative and dynamic design. The StarWalker Collection has become Montblanc's latest successful line of writing instruments – unmistakable thanks to its striking silhouette and Montblanc star floating in the cap top. Now Montblanc is presenting a new StarWalker, one that appears to capture infinity in its translucent shimmering blue. Its name: Cool Blue. The ideas and visions of today are what shape the world of tomorrow. The innovative, translucent look of the new StarWalker Cool Blue is futuristic, its trend- setting silhouette characteristic of all StarWalker models. In addition, the infusion of color for Cool Blue's shimmering blue lacquer body with a three- dimensional effect arouses associations with an infinite universe. The subtle hint of a fine guilloche is revealed under the translucent surface. Platinum-plated fittings, a dynamically designed clip and a handmade, rhodium-plated 14-carat gold nib in the familiar Montblanc three-ring design provide a contrast to the shimmering blue. To learn more, visit www.montblanc.com. |
| Page Turners By Artsphoria's Bookmarker |
| HANG ON TIGHT DURING THIS ROLLER- COASTER RIDE as it delves into the complexities and joys of marriage and friendship. In Matrimony by Joshua Henkin, the reader feels a familiarity with the characters as they struggle with issues that test their relation- ships. The strength of their love, under- standing, and commitment is the barometer that determines the outcome. Henkin's writing is well seasoned with sprinkles of sadness, hope, laughter, and love. To learn more about this book and author, visit www.joshuahenkin.com. |
| IMAGINE SITTING WITH A CIRCLE OF FRIENDS IN FRONT OF A FIREPLACE. In Echoes, Maeve Binchy accomplishes this magic as she takes you to Ireland to live with Claire O'Brien, David Power, and their families. The story is basically a familiar one. What makes it different and causes you to question are the influences of a family in your upbringing and decisions as you grow up. How strong is your determination to pursue your goals, which are not the same as those decided for you? Can you put to rest the past and use it as a learning experience that enables you to move on? This powerful story is one that we can all relate to personally. For additional information, go to www.maevebinchy.com/echoes.html. |
| CLEAR YOUR MIND OF ESTABLISHED MORAL PHILOSOPHIES, formed opinions, and adopted behavior before you read Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult. The four main characters narrating the story raise controversial issues regarding justice, the penal system, religion, and bereavement. The author's thorough research causes one to question capital punishment and what it really accomplishes. Information regarding religion prompts you to think hard about your beliefs. In the book, June Nealon is a mother filled with anger and seeking revenge. Shay Bourne contemplates his death and wants the ending of his life to be the beginning of someone else's. Change of Heart comes to a conclusion that will leave you still debating the ethics, making this book one to ponder for a long time after finishing the last page. |
| FOR EVERY MOTHER, THERE IS AN stay-at-home parent or join the workforce. It volleys between personal choice or financial necessity, commitment or ambition, and which position provides the greater self-fulfillment. In The Ten-Year Nap, Meg Wolitzer delves into these dilemmas, compromises, marital differences, and questions of self-worth during a 10-year period of separation from main street. Even though the story is a bit lengthy and the situations too familiar, the writing is stimulating, insightful, and humorous. As the book concludes, so does the awakening from the nap. Then, the question is: What's next? |
Breathtaking Masterpiece "One of the most electric, profound novels ... in years. Let the Great World Spin is an emotional tour de force." ~ New York Times Book Review "McCann makes his prose dance across the surface of this ingeniously constructed novel. He is a fearless writer, experimenting with narrative styles, leaping from one story to the next." ~ The Telegraph (UK) "McCann's novel opens with a stunning five-page set piece about a tightrope performance that was called "the artistic crime of the 20th century. He weaves an ambitious mosaic... [and] sideswipes readers with language." ~ USA Today To learn more about this masterpiece and the author, visit colummccann.com. |
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| Dissent will save us: 21st-century rights By Andrea K. Hammer Director of Artsphoria With freedom of speech taken for granted during the 21st century, the thought of fully armed Canadian border police searching a journalist’s car and demanding notes for a book- tour presentation boggles the mind. Nonetheless, this invasion of privacy on the way to a Vancouver public library was the harsh reality for Amy Goodman, the co-host of Democracy Now! Publishing a weekly syndicated column titled “Breaking the Sound Barrier” and a collection of these pieces in a book of the same title, the investigative journalist is no stranger to controversy. During a talk at the Free Library of Philadelphia, Goodman stressed her commitment to encouraging “robust” debate about the critical issues of the day along with fairness and accuracy in reporting. According to Goodman, only 12 percent of op-ed pages present an antiwar viewpoint on the war in Afghanistan; only 3 of almost 400 interviews on major networks air this position. Openly offering her viewpoints along with details of her troubling experience in Vancouver, Goodman described being photographed and given “control papers,” stipulating a limited 2-day stay and requiring another agency check before departure. Goodman, referring to her sense of violation, eventually learned the patrol’s underlying concern. Activists were protesting massive funding for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, which some claimed had overshadowed other critical social services including those for the homeless. As a result of this encounter, Goodman also realized that although we live in a globalized world, the top story in Canada had not reached the rest of the world—an important function of journalists. During her interrogation in Canada, Goodman explained that her extemporaneous talks begin with the last column in her book. On her tour, she has discussed Tommy Douglas, the late premier of Saskatchewan and “father” of Canada’s universal health care system. The journalist expressed alarm that America is the only country that does not guarantee the right to health care, which she described as a particular outrage when trillions of dollars were poured into the escalating war. She also noted that everyone has basic access to education and then simply asked why this principle does not apply to health care. Stressing that “dissent is what will save us,” Goodman pointed out that army veterans are dying because they are uninsured. Health care is a subject close to Goodman’s heart, particularly after trying to navigate her now- deceased mother through a series of hospital blunders. Approaching the hospital with her three siblings as “advocates and armed guards” for her mother, the journalist said that she can’t imagine a patient managing without this protection in our “broken” health care system. Goodman also described a lack of personal care as hospital workers confused instructions for her mother’s no- solids diet; despite her vehement protests during the mix-up, one physician seemed to hold her accountable, asking “What don’t you understand about ‘no solids’?”. As a result of these agonizing experiences and remembering the extensive time that her own physician-father spent interacting with patients, Goodman stressed the critical need for doctors to help with pain management, talk with patients, and look directly at them. Through the wisdom of one physician at a New York hospital, she also learned five simple but important phrases to say during the end of a loved one’s life: (1) thank you, (2) forgive me, (3) I forgive you, (4) I love you, and (5) good-bye. Freely sharing her personal yet universal experiences, this award-winning journalist with a powerful voice is one whose impassioned words continue to reverberate. As Goodman suggests, freedom of speech and provision of health care are not yet fully protected rights—astonishing in a so- called democracy during the 21st century. |
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| Oprah.com's "Books You Can't Put Down" Summer Reading Selection Photo of Colum McCann by Brendan Bourke |
