FEATURE: WEBB HUBBELL, AUTHOR OF THE EAST END, IS FEATURED ON THE BECKER GROUP C-SUITE REPORTS PODCAST
This episode features Webb Hubbell. Webb is the author of the new book “The East End (A Jack Patterson Thriller Book 5)”. He is a nationally recognized award winning author and popular lecturer on the U.S. criminal justice system, politics and government, writing a novel, and life lessons from sports. He also writes, speaks, and advocates publicly on social issues including the inhumanity of solitary confinement, racial bias in the criminal justice system, the collateral consequences of a criminal conviction, the marijuana legalization movement, and the miracle of organ transplants.
Webb has held executive positions in government and industry, including Associate Attorney General of the United States, Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court, Mayor of Little Rock, Ark., Managing Partner of the Rose Law Firm, and Executive and Chief Counsel for a large Washington-based commercial insurance company.
FEATURE: THE ROSE CITY READER BOOK BLOG, TEASER TUESDAY: THE WOMAN IN THE PARK BY TERESA SORKIN AND TULLAN HOLMQVIST
It was amazing how much of a difference seeing Lawrence made, and not simply in the ways she would have expected. . . . She founded a wonderful new thrill to keep so vast a secret from her friend; Laura’s natural inquisitiveness only made it that much more of a challenge, as though getting through an interview with her might somehow prepare Sarah for the more daunting task of concealing the affair from her husband and her therapist.
– The Woman in the Park by Teresa Sorkin and Tullan Holmqvist. This psychological thriller finds a Manhattan wife and mother at the center of a woman’s disappearance from the park, but nothing is as it seems.
FEATURE: HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT SCHOOL FOR YOUR CHILD? NEW BOOK OFFERS PRACTICAL SCHOOL CHOICE ADVICE FOR PARENTS
NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2019 — Are you searching for a new school for your child—or do you know someone who is looking to find the right educational fit for their daughter or son? A new book by Andrew Campanella, The School Choice Roadmap: 7 Steps to Finding the Right School for Your Child, will likely provide jargon-free answers to many of your questions. (www.schoolchoiceroadmap.com)
Published by Beaufort Books and scheduled for release on January 20, 2020, The School Choice Roadmap is a practical guide to helping parents understand the different types of K-12 education options available in their states. The book provides seven steps that parents can use to find schools where their children will learn, succeed, and be happy—along with worksheets, exercises, and evaluations that parents can take to help guide their search process.
“What might be a perfect school for one student might not be a good fit for a child who lives right next door,” Campanella said. “Actively choosing a school or learning environment for your child allows you to select an education setting that best meets your child’s unique interests, and this book is here to help you through the process.”
According to Campanella, more parents in the United States today are actively choosing schools or learning environments for their children than at any other time in history. Approximately one third of parents now decide between traditional public schools, public charter schools, public magnet schools, online public schools, private schools, and homeschooling. The School Choice Roadmap provides an objective look at all of these options and does not encourage parents to choose one type of school over another.
Endorsements are in for Andrew Campanella’s debut book, The School Choice Roadmap: 7 Steps to Finding the Right School for Your Child.
“At a time when school choice is viewed through the lens of politics, Andrew Campanella offers a practical guide —underscoring the reality that for families, school choice is personal, not political. And with more school options than ever, this book should help parents navigate a complex landscape.”
Ingrid Jacques, Columnist, The Detroit News
“An excellent book that will teach experts and parents something new. If enough people read it, the education system will be a little better for all.”
Jason Russell, The Washington Examiner
“Andrew Campanella is one of the most passionate and knowledgeable voices in the school choice movement. The School Choice Roadmap is an essential guide for parents who want to find a learning environment where their children will succeed.”
Virginia Walden Ford, Founder, D.C. Parents For School Choice
“Finally, a tool that truly puts parents in the driver’s seat when determining the best education for their child. Thank you, Andrew Campanella, for putting children and families first with a clear, easy to understand roadmap with no hidden agendas or bias.”
Wendy Howard, Founder, Celebrate Youth
As a parent, this is the book I wish I had years ago as my family began our school choice journey. The School Choice Roadmap is a practical guide that will support parents as they navigate all their educational options and empower them to make informed education decisions.”
Tillie Elvrum, Past President, National Coalition For Public School Options
“Andrew Campanella is one of the rare people who can talk about education policy and school choice in a way that is understandable, empowering, and practical. The School Choice Roadmap is a valuable resource that will benefit countless families.”
Lisa Graham Keegan, Former Arizona Superintendent Of Public Instruction
“Parents are always looking for trustworthy educational resources to help them with their children. This book provides parents the educational, navigational tools needed to make informed decisions regarding their child’s education.”
Cecilia Iglesias, President And Founder, The Parent Union
“The School Choice Roadmap empowers parents to choose the best school for their child and equips them with resources to take an active role throughout their child’s education. In writing this book, Andrew Campanella has made a significant contribution to the educational freedom movement in our nation.”
I am the newest intern here at Beaufort Books & Spencer
Hill Press! Over the next four months, you’ll be seeing periodic updates on the
blog about my latest bookish adventures and NYC experiences. For this brief
time as a blogger, I’ll be going full James Bond and using the alias of Captain
Beaumerica (I am a Marvel fiend and cannot be stopped). I am so thrilled
to share my thoughts, musings, and lessons learned with you all!
I think it is only appropriate that this first post serves as an introduction to myself. Below you’ll find a list of a few of my favorite things.
Favorite Book:
One thing to know about me? I will never lie to you. I have so
many favorite books. I’m not a parent, but I imagine that choosing your favorite
book is not unlike trying to choose your favorite child. For the sake of time
and your sanity, I won’t list all my favorites, but here is my default:
Divergent by Veronica Roth – This book isn’t a
groundbreaking novel with an ultra-diverse cast, nor is it an underrated gem
that everyone will love, but as a lost middle schooler this book was exactly
what I needed to read. It brought me comfort and guidance during that
complicated time of adolescence. It was an influential book that shaped the rest
of my school experience. I could talk for hours about the first book in this
series and the injustice of the film adaptation, but instead I will just
encourage you to read it for yourself. Come share in the heartache.
Favorite Movie:
This probably won’t come as a surprise, but I have several
favorite movies… Here’s a few:
The Way Way Back – A coming-of-age story starring
Steve Carrell and Toni Collette. This film is so heartwarming and emotional. It
will always hold a special place in my heart.
The Truman Show – I love Jim Carey. He did a
phenomenal job in this movie, but honestly, when does he not?
The Entire Marvel Cinematic Universe – Captain Marvel.
Black Panther. Iron Man. Too many to name. I love them all with the passion
of a thousand Suns.
Favorite Place: In May of 2019, I spent two weeks in Southern Oregon and Northern
California. They are easily my favorite places in the World. If I could hole up
in the California Redwoods to write for the rest of my life, I absolutely
would. These massive trees brought tears to my eyes and made me emotional in a
way that I never thought trees could. I consider it a travesty that the
Redwoods are not on the official Wonders of the World list.
Favorite Thing About NYC (so far):
The subway. I consider myself I great driver, but I highly
dislike it. Not having to drive everyday is a blessing that I never want to
lose. Also, the bookstores. So. Many. Bookstores.
That’s it for now! I hope you enjoyed learning a bit about
me! I am so excited to be a part of the Beaufort team and interact with you via
Beaufort social media. Check back soon for more updates!
Your Favorite Hero,
Captain Beaumerica
This is a shared blog post for Beaufort Books and Spencer Hill Press.
FEATURE: WHAT IS GAINED FROM AN UNLIKELY PILGRIMAGE
As summer comes to a close, travelers are shaking sand out of their selfie-sticks, packing up their beach reads, and plastering self-satisfied smiles at their Instagram vacations. The thought to describe their vacations as “pilgrimages” is not likely to occur. In fact, a pilgrimage might seem like something from another era.
But that is the subject of Al Regnery’s latest book, “Unlikely Pilgrim.” Regnery is a long-time Washington, D.C. denizen more likely to be associated with publishing houses and exclusive dinners with national and international leaders than contemplative travel. Over the course of spending half a century in politics, he has written well-regarded books about the history of conservatism and is associated with presidents and diplomats.
But in his latest book, Regnery sets all that aside for more profound pursuits—reflection, the state of his soul, and, as he describes it, an opportunity for the “unruffled contemplation of God.”
Over 11 summers, Regnery takes several unique trips with his friend and traveling companion, Nick. Perhaps because of Nick’s training in theology, or merely in spite of it, their travels take on far deeper ramifications than simple sight-seeing tours.
It’s starting to get dark at 8 o’clock now, instead of 9. Any activities after 5 pm are going to start requiring a jacket. Oh, and pumpkin everything is officially back on the market. You know what this means: fall is approaching. With the end of summer quickly approaching, here are my top ten end of summer thrillers to devour before the sweaters and jeans start to circulate your wardrobe.
There was no holding back when it comes to the writing power in this novel. It’s psychologically brilliant, cinematically stunning and features a powerful heroine and pacing that will make your heart race. Sarah Rock has it rough. Her therapist is clinical and emotionless, her husband and his mistress are the worst and her kids show her no respect. This could be a love story when she meets a really handsome man in the park and she is immediately crushing on him… but this is no love story. When a woman goes missing in the same park, Sarah is the prime suspect. Her mystery man is nowhere to be found, her husband doesn’t have her back, and her therapist is working with the police. This one is relatively short at under 250 pages but jam-packed with suspense, reveals and an ending that will blow your mind. Pack your SPF for this beach read – I say that because when I read this one, I was so wrapped up in the story that I suffered a major sunburn.
“It’s books like this that make me wanna start a book club page so we can discuss, Reader! The Woman In The Park is a debut novel that had me captivated at the start. The Prologue drew me in so effortlessly.
In the beginning, I felt a little sorry and sad for Sarah. She believes her husband is having an affair. Her kids are in boarding school. She religiously goes to therapy (nothing wrong with that). And she has A LOT of time on her hands. Life is going on without her and you feel it too.
When Sarah meets Lawrence, I was a bit surprised she begins an affair with the ever-so mysterious man (even though the synopsis clearly states she has a lover). I didn’t think Sarah really had it in her to cheat on her husband. She just seems like a fragile bird.
However, when the facts and the details of this thriller began to NOT add up (when as a reader you get this sense that something is just not right), I teetered between feeling a bit sad for Sarah who is going thru what appears to be a midlife crisis to being a bit weary and cautious as she doesn’t seem to be all there mentally. And I LOVE it. I love how I was forced to think of Sarah as both the victim and the potential perpetrator.”
Q: How did you come up with the idea for The Woman in the Park, and for your character Sarah?
A: We put ourselves in the mind of a woman who really does not know what is real and what is not and imagined an elegant New York woman who meets a mysterious man in Central Park and gets dragged into something darker.
We both have children and have spent many hours in the park with them and the story grew out of that common experience and observing people. We are both storytellers and observers, Teresa as a writer and producer of TV and film and Tullan as a private investigator and writer with a background in acting, and we both love a character-driven approach to stories.
FEATURE: MASTERING THE EMERGING WORLD OF CONNECTIVITY
Our civilization is a top-down hierarchical one, as are most large-scale ones in the past, i.e., one-to-the-many, ‘top-down’, explains Kall in an interview with Tom Hartmann. Kall’s book, The Bottom-Up Revolution: Mastering the Emerging World of Connectivity, is the distillation of his experience founding and running the website Opednews, which started as a personal blog, i.e., one-to-the-many, ‘bottom-bottom’, and morphed into a many-to-the-many, with the potential of bottom-top, as a volunteer-based collective.
Kall calls this ‘gayan’, as contributors and management are directly interconnected in a symbiotic, transparent relationship. Writers can ‘fan’ their favorite writers at Opednews and both comment, generating discussions of controversial topics, and contact other members directly.
I have been a member since 2008 and can attest that it is a unique site, allowing would-be writers to submit, learning the ropes and getting feedback to hone their skills. It struggles with the tension between being open to new ideas, but constrained by the existing zeitgeist. Writers are warned on submitting to ‘think twice’ about using red-flag words (scatology, Hitler, Zionist), and the editors can just not publish something. Publishing progressive material which is highly critical of the powers-that-be (including PCness) is not easy.
REVIEW: MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW: MICHAEL DUNFORD’S BOOKSHELF
“The Bottom-up Revolution: Mastering the Emerging World of Connectivity” is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and academic library Business Management & Entrepreneurial Leadership collections and supplemental studies lists.
Synopsis: Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Sir Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg have all said that change or growth happen from the bottom up. But what does it mean and how do you do “bottom up” better and smarter? Essentially, bottom up is a way of life and a way of doing business. In “The Bottom-Up Revolution: Mastering the Emerging World of Connectivity”, award-winning journalist, inventor, software architect, connector and visionary Rob Kall picks up where Malcolm Gladwell’s seminal book “Tipping Point” left off. It is basically a how-to book for businesses, leaders, organizations, activists, and individuals, cracking wide-open humankind’s biggest trend in seven million years. By understanding the roots and implications of “bottom up” and “top down” corporate executives and business leaders will be better able to tap the incredible power of this trend, just as the billionaire founders of Google, Facebook, Craigslist and Twitter have done.
Critique: Drawing upon informative and illustrative interviews from more than one hundred ‘bottom up thought leaders’ ranging from jack Dorsey, Howard Zinn, Naomi Klein, and Riane Eisler, to Josephy Nye, George Lakoff, and Medea Benjamin, “The Bottom-up Revolution: Mastering the Emerging World of Connectivity” is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and academic library Business Management & Entrepreneurial Leadership collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that “The Bottom-Up Revolution” is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.07).
Review: SUMMER THRILLER, TERESA SORKIN AND TULLAN HOLMQVIST’S PAGE-TURNER IS THE BEACH READ YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR
You may not know the term “domestic thriller,” but you probably have read one—that is, if your library holds books by Gillian Flynn, Greer Hendricks or B.A. Paris. This summer, add two new names to that list: authors Teresa Sorkin and Tullan Holmqvist, whose novel The Woman in the Park (Beaufort Books) promises to be one of the best new iterations of the genre.
The story kicks off with a mystery: Police arrive at the New York City apartment of Sarah and Eric Rock, to ask Sarah about a missing person—a woman in the park. From that scene-setter to the epilogue, chapters told from Sarah’s point of view alternate with a psychiatrist’s session notes. We get to know the stylish, 40-something mother in therapy with a doctor who uses hypnosis in treatment. Adultery and madness, as well as erotomania, where a person believes another person is in love with them, are explored, deepened with quotes from Émile Zola’s classic novel of passion and murder, Thérèse Raquin. To reveal more would spoil the surprises in this delicious tale, but suffice it to say, the authors have brought to life Sarah’s self-doubt, personal fears and face-off with reality on every page.
