2008 Baseball - Homerun Derby Sweetness

Last night was the 2008 Major League Baseball Homerun Derby and it was a stunner. Josh Hamilton did a magnificent job and his story is one for the legends book. I was excited to see history take place for this special event in Yankee stadium. It was the perfect backdrop for another great night in baseball.

I am a big fan of Minnesota Twins baseball as well. Justin Morneau won the homerun derby and in his honor I would like to feature an author that writes about the "best" of baseball, author John Nemo and his book "The King's Game".

Some of the reviews of his book are:

PRAISE FOR THE KING'S GAME
"It's Game 7 of the World Series, and John Nemo provides a pitch-by-pitch narrative that not only showcases his baseball knowledge, but also shows a deft writing skill. Cody King, a tortured soul, relives his life while trying to keep runners off the bases. So much pain, brief moments of happiness and misguided faith: Will King be saved? The answer to that is a powerful metaphor."
- Tampa Tribune

"A compelling, play-by-play story ... As a fatherless son, Cody King grips tightly to his game, desperate to stave off further rejection and running away from his heavenly Father. With the feeling of being at the game, readers will watch Cody's life - with its shocking revelations, tragic losses and career struggles - unfold before their eyes. Finally, he must face the most important decision of his life - before it's too late. The King's Game ... offers the message of salvation loud and clear."
- Christian Retailing

"The King's Game is definitely more than just a simple book about baseball. It's clearly written with a warm perspective on life, too. It's easy to put yourself in the story, which is the objective of any good tale."
- Associated Press

"At its start, The King's Game makes you wonder if a 'real' pitcher could engage in that many - and that interesting - reveries. By its end, John Nemo makes you positive nothing could be more real. This may just be the only time a baseball game moves too quickly."
- SportsIllustrated.com

"A rich, well-told, thought-provoking tale about the precious moments we have on this earth and the role baseball can play in shaping our lives."
- The Tennessean

"The King's Game is a very interesting elaboration of Michael Shaara's For Love of the Game, and, for my money, Nemo's knowledge of baseball beats even Shaara's."
- Tim Morris, Guide to Baseball Fiction

“John Nemo hits a first-pitch home run with The King's Game. Richly sprinkled with characters I felt I had known all my life and scenes I could easily envision.”
– The Tuscaloosa (Ala.) News



Watch the video and let me know your thoughts of Major League Baseball. I know it has a lot of issues but last night is what the game of baseball is all about - a kid on comeback with a second chance at a game he loves - PRICELESS!

Guest Blog Review of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Hi BRIO Book Club readers. My name is Sara and every week I will contribute reviews on the BRIO Book Club blog about the latest bestsellers. In anticipation of the upcoming release of Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer, I chose to review Twilight. This is the first in a series of four books by the prolific author. Check back next week for New Moon-the sequel to Twilight.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
It has spent months on the New York Times Bestseller list, Amazon declared it the best Book of the Decade, and Publisher’s Weekly called it the Best Book of the Year.
This unassuming young adult book about young love has captivated the world. It is a phenomenon not seen since a young woman in a London coffee shop penned a story about a boy named Harry.
The story takes place in rainy, dreary Forks, Washington. Isabella Swan is moving to Forks to live with her father. Bella does not like Forks: she bemoans the lack of sun, the landscape being “too green,” and the fact that everyone seems to be staring at her. She is bored. But Bella’s life is about to become much more exciting when a boy named Edward takes an instant dislike to her. Bella is confused yet intrigued.
The emotion Bella construes as hate is actually passion. Edward does not hate Bella. He desires her; but it is not a passionate love but a passionate desire to taste her. The desire is so great; Edward forces himself to stay away from Bella. But for reasons he does not understand, Edward saves Bella’s life when he stops a runaway truck with his bare hands. Bella is fascinated. She does not know what Edward is but she is determined to find out. Bella Swan’s life becomes a journey to discover the truth about a boy who has superhuman strength and seems to desire nothing but to taste her blood.
Twilight takes the reader on a young girl’s journey to find true love and come to terms with a secret that may make her question everything she holds dear.
What follows is a rip-roaring, suspenseful page-turner guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. Readers will not be disappointed. In fact, with fan sites blogging about the characters, two sequels on the market and a fourth book due out August 2; Twilight fans are never at a loss for news.
So welcome to Forks. Prepare for the ride of your life.

The author discussing the book on YouTube:



Talking about her making of the movie at my home town place - the Mall of America in Minnesota:

Military Mother Patti Patton-Bader is a True Angel

I have had the pleasure of helping Patti Patton-Bader publish her book "May No Soldier Go Unloved Book 1" which chronicles the history of Soldiers' Angels, an organization dedicated to support the brave men and women that serve our country. The book talks about how this mother along with other military moms send care packages to the troops that show support. She started the organization in 2003 and now is a network of over 200,000 members in all 50 states.

An excerpt from her website about the book:

As you read this book, you will learn how Soldiers' Angels adopted its motto and how its members strive every day to honor the men and women who they support. Their mission.....

May No Soldier Go Unloved
May No Soldier Walk Alone
May No Soldier Be Forgotten
'Til They ALL Come Home

We encourage you to read this book. It is both incredible and inspiring and we will welcome you to come and join our members at Soldiers' Angels in our vital mission of supporting the men and women who ensure that our nation remains free, secure and safe for all of us so that we can go about our daily lives.

Patti was featured on the Today show on NBC during mother's appreciation week and won America's Favorite Mother. Her hard work and dedication has received recognition from Microsoft and Telefloral


Watch her YouTube video



Get involved by supporting her troops through her Soldiers' Angels organization

And watch her on MSNBC



Rachel Ray & Dunkin Donuts helping the Soldiers' Angels organization as well.



Thank you to the wonderful mothers out there that support their family, our troops and our nation for which they protect and serve. God bless!

Author Karen Sinclair's New Children's Book "Little Polka Sock"

Author Karen Sinclair has just released her third book and her first children's book called "Little Polka Sock". She came to BRIO to have our company help her publish this book and we are as excited as she is to share it with others. There are lots of cute illustrations with vibrant colors to help engage the child about the story of the polka sock.

The story is about Jellyann who puts on these fun socks and has a great adventure in her new pair of socks. I was excited to find a book to help teach my 2 year old son about matching socks, wearing shoes and the importance of putting them on so he doesn't ruin his feet. I also liked the song at the end of the book to help him learn right and left feet as well as the coloring section.

Karen Sinclair has a winner that I highly recommend for everyone to run out and buy -- or click here to find out more. If anyone else has some recommendations on books that they enjoy reading to their children as well please let me know.

Thank you and Happy Reading!!

Author Paul Grecco's book "My Flying Grandma"

I have to talk about a fabulous children's author, Paula Grecco. She has written two wonderful books titled "My Flying Grandma" and "Zero to Hero". My book review today is about her first children's book which BRIO did the re-design from a previous print on demand company.

I encourage every parent and/or grandparent to buy a copy and read this to their child or grandchild between the ages of 2-6. I have a two year old son who loves planes and his grandma. He instantly like this book and we read it with great delight. When my parents are over they enjoy reading it as well because he likes to say "grandma" and "plane". It is a wonderful time in my life to see my son learning so much.

Paula Grecco is a favorite author of mine as well because she donates much of the proceeds to charity. Her inspiration comes from her sister who is a nurse in the Burn Unit as well as being a cancer survivor herself. She flew to Minneapolis last year to help support my company, BRIOprint, which was featured on Oprah's Oxygen network. I feel very blessed to have met such a wonderful person and will continue to encourage others to buy a copy of her book.

Below is the video of her talking about her experience at BRIO.

Erin Gruwell's book Freedom Writers

I had the privilege and honor of meeting Erin Gruwell approximately 3 years ago. We have a mutual friend and we all went to dinner. Before the dinner I had no idea who she was and/or about her book and life as a teacher. After the dinner I found that she is a fascinating person with a lot to offer. This was right when Hilary Swank signed on to play her in the movie Freedom Writers.

She was very excited and I thought it was an amazing story. She has overcome many obstacles and triumphed by inspiring students not to give up and follow their dreams. She found these inner city kid's spirits when no one else was looking. Even though I only got to have one dinner with her, she is a person I will not soon forget.

I encourage everyone to watch the video from YouTube, check out the movie and you can buy her book by Clicking here.