2011 May | All Things Jill-Elizabeth

A Slew o’ Reviews

Jill Elizabeth posted this on May 31st, 2011

So here at Jill-Elizabeth.com, we are not mindless slaves to tradition. No sirree bob. We respect tradition, sure, but do not feel the need to blindly follow it. Hence, this Book Review Tuesday post is going to be a little different than usual. I am not going with a theme or witty, clever repartee about reading or comparing books to life as I usually do. Nope, not today. Today I’m just giving you a slew of reviews (teehee – I’m a poet, don’t I know it?) for your reading pleasure. They are all for books that I have read this year – some good, some bad, some indifferent – and will give you a sense of the variety of things I read (and reread). They are not all of the books I have read this year – there are 46 to date and that would be a very long post, plus some of them have already made their way into other posts and I am trying to avoid repeating myself wherever possible (with the notable exception being Top Ten lists – sometimes a book just needs/deserves to be on more than one list or to be on a list even after it has already been reviewed elsewhere on the blog). So here you have it: a Tuesday Review Day slew of reviews. Enjoy!
Continue reading A Slew o’ Reviews

On Contests and Publication Challenges or What to Do, What to Say?

Jill Elizabeth posted this on May 27th, 2011

So I just submitted another story (“The Numbers” from Wednesday/Thursday this week) to another contest (New Millennium Writings). Hooray, she said! I wanted to submit two – there was another sponsored by Boston Review, but their 2011 submissions were already closed (grr, argh). While they were willing to accept 2012 submissions, I was not so much wanting to submit something for a year from now… I mean, who knows where my writing will be/what I will feel like in a year – eek, she said.

The reasoning behind the contests: I am trying to figure out how to get my work reviewed/garner some feedback and put my writing in front of people who have the potential to help me get published. I have heard one story so far of someone who got a book deal as a result of a publisher seeing their book posted serially on their blog. More often, though, I am seeing things that make me leery of posting anything that I intend to have/try to have published on the blog. The reason: the concept of publication.
Continue reading On Contests and Publication Challenges or What to Do, What to Say?

The Numbers (Fiction - Part Two of Two)

Jill Elizabeth posted this on May 26th, 2011

As promised, here is part two of The Numbers. If you missed it yesterday, the first half is available here. Enjoy!

***

The Numbers (Part Two)

There are an unusual number of people on the street for a Thursday afternoon. Apparently I’m not the only person getting a little freaked out by the numbers. I’m glad for the distraction, actually. I’m a long-time fan of people watching, and sidewalk people watching is one of my favorites. Plus, walking through this many people means paying more attention than usual, and more attention is good today. Zero Zero. Thirty. Fifty-one.

I reach the front steps of my building – at least, already, I can’t decide. Zero Zero. Twenty-four. Twenty-seven.

I walk up the three steps to the front door. I love my building. It’s an art deco brownstone from the 1920s, and the front door is a beauty – dark wood with stained glass panels that could have been designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany himself. The lock sometimes sticks, and the door is a bear to open in strong wind because it weighs about three hundred pounds, but I don’t care. It’s beautiful and makes coming home an event. Zero Zero. Twenty-three. Forty-nine.
Continue reading The Numbers (Fiction - Part Two of Two)

The Numbers (Fiction - Part One of Two)

Jill Elizabeth posted this on May 25th, 2011

Today’s post is the first half of a story that started out as Flash-ish Fiction but got a little long… I enjoy a little suspense in my reading, and if I do, I figure other people do too. If you don’t, I’m sorry – but I’m still only giving you half of the story today. Patience is a virtue, after all… (Teehee) The other half will be available tomorrow. I am not trying to annoy anyone or create artificial demand, honest. The story ended up running a little long for a blog post, so I decided to cut it in half and milk – oops, I mean, maximize – what I had by turning it into two posts. (Teehee again) Enjoy!

***

The Numbers (Part One)

I am in the middle of the city when the numbers first appear. One minute I am waiting in line for my morning coffee – like every other morning – and thinking through the list of things I have to do before the week ends, picturing shopping lists, papers I still have to grade, and the ever-growing pile of laundry at home. Then, suddenly, superimposed over everything in my head I see numbers. Ten. Thirty. Double zero. Separated by colons.
Continue reading The Numbers (Fiction - Part One of Two)

Book Review: The Color of Atmosphere

Jill Elizabeth posted this on May 24th, 2011

For today’s Book Review Tuesday post, I am featuring a slightly extended version of a book review conducted for LuxuryReading.com, a wonderful site for which I will be reviewing non-fiction on a (hopefully) regular basis. A review copy of the book was provided courtesy of LuxuryReading. The original review was posted May 20. LuxuryReading.com is also offering a chance to win a copy of the book, if you are interested - check out the review and requirements here.

***
The Color of Atmosphere by Maggie Kozel, M.D.

Anyone who has watched the news or read a newspaper is likely aware that the United States is facing a crisis in health care delivery. In The Color of Atmosphere: One Doctor’s Journey In and Out of Medicine
Dr. Maggie Kozel provides her personal slant on this crisis in the context of the changing nature of her pediatric health care practice.
Continue reading Book Review: The Color of Atmosphere

All Things Jill-Elizabeth

Follow Me!

Droid App

Mamy's Quick Reference Dictionary

Words Written this Month

Fiction Only

111 in 2011 Challenge

2011 Reading Challenge

A Slew o’ Reviews

On Contests and Publication Challenges or What to Do, What to Say?

The Numbers (Fiction - Part Two of Two)

The Numbers (Fiction - Part One of Two)

Book Review: The Color of Atmosphere

When I Wrote

Your thoughts and opinions

Where does this fit in?

Links

Grab my Blog Badge!

Kindle

Books Referenced in this Blog