simplepleasuresbooks-blog

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Happy Mother’s Day!

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Happy Mother’s Day to all moms out there!  

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I couldn't agree more! 

A message for Black Friday

Want to help get the American economy out of the shitter? Instead of dropping tons of cash at chain stores tomorrow for goods made overseas, how about one of these alternatives instead?

Buy handmade goods. (Think Etsy.com, Meylah.com, or a craft fair/art market.)

Buy a gift certificate for a service from a local business. (Consider massage, lawn care, music lessons, etc.)

Buy made-in-the-USA goods from independent retailers. (Check out http://americansworking.com for a great directory of items.)

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It’s not democracy, it’s Digiorno.

Jon Stewart, on Congress’ recent decision to declare frozen pizza a vegetable in public school cafeterias (via natteringnabobs)

  Makes me all warm & fuzzy with nostalgia... back to the days when they declared ketchup a vegetable in school cafeterias. ( insert sarcastic snort w/ accompanying eye roll here) . How can these people constantly keep doing and saying such dumb things and remain in office? 

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Yesterday we did a historic thing. We generated 87,834 phone calls to U.S. Representatives in a concerted effort to protect the Internet. Extraordinary. There’s no doubt that we’ve been heard.

So just to keep you updated: The well-intentioned, but immensely flawed “Stop Online Piracy Act” is still in the House Judiciary Committee. The hearing was yesterday and now members will debate and bring amendments to the bill. The Committee will reconvene in a few weeks — the date has yet to be scheduled. Nothing has been brought to a final vote. Everything is still very much in play. We’ll keep you posted on what’s going on and what you can do to help. But for now, we want to thank you.

One encouraging thing we heard yesterday:

I don’t believe this bill has any chance on the House floor. I think it’s way too extreme, it infringes on too many areas that our leadership will know is simply too dangerous to do in its current form.

— Representative Darrell Issa

We also want to express our tremendous gratitude to our friends at Mobile Commons who, on 30 minutes notice, hooked us up with their amazing platform (and provided their expertise) to automatically connect callers with their Representatives.

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Otherwise occupied...

Trying to write it out for NaNoWriMo this month. Will squeeze the reviews in as much as I'm able... :)

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There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they’ll take you.

Beatrix Potter (via pavorst)

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thepenguinpress:

When Jane Austen’s father submitted an early version of her second novel, First Impressions, to a publisher on her behalf, it was rejected. As Pride and Prejudice, it did much better. [via]

Don DeLillo wanted to name his 1985 breakout novel Panasonic, but the corporation’s lawyers...

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Book Event @ Zombie Clown Funeral Rising tonight!

Simple Pleasures Books will be with Pamela K.Kinney from 5-10pm for the Book signing tonight at Regal's Virginia Center Commons for their Zombie Clown Funerla Rising. All of her ghost books and my fiction too. Come buy a book, get it signed, be entered to win a bag of goodies (including a $10 cert to Regal), watch some zombies or come dress as one yourself and enter their costume contest, check out some hearses, and have a spooky good time. It's from 5-10 PM. 10091 Jeb Stuart Parkway, Glen Allen, Virginia

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What we're reading this weekend...

Reading Karen White's upcoming release: TheStrangers on Montagu Street. Due out November 2011

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wearethe99percent:

Healthy self-employed 54 year-old works 80 hours/week.  Due to 5 years of 20-plus % annual increases now pays one third of income in medical insurance premiums.  Why is it okay to pay 33% of my income to the insurance companies, but they can’t pay their fair share in taxes?

I am the 99%

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What we're reading...

Finishing up Little Gale's Gumbo by Erika Marks. Review to follow on our blog at: http://simplepleasuresbooks.wordpress.com/. next on our reading & review list is The Strangers on Montagu Street by Karen White. 

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Check out the videos on Banned Books Week Virtual Read Out YouTube channel

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mightycaseymedia:

reignsreign:

We could use another George Carlin.

Indeed we could. I miss him every time I watch a politician speak. Kind of like Zuzu’s petals … in reverse.