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Book: Was There Ever Seen Such Villainy?
Author: Peter Carpmael

Congratulations to Peter Carpmael for a recent review that appered in the Southwold Organ. Click on the link below for full information.

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Book: I’m Only the Editor and Safarini
Author: Margaret Ann Hayes

Okanagan Falls (British Columbia) author Margaret Ann Hayes has shared her success with us. Margaret has been busy promoting her two books at various book signings (including Chapters in Kelowna and the Okanagan Falls library) and through write-ups and promotional work with a children’s hospital in Kenya. Click on the thumbnail below for more information.

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Book: Ancient Oracles
Authors: Milan Rýzl and Lubor Kysučan

The Journal of Spirituality and Paranormal Studies (April 2008) and Fate (March 2008) published reviews of Ancient Oracles, by Milan Rýzl and Lubor Kysučan. Click on the thumbnails below for a full view.

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Book: Quarry Grove: Hicky Gets His Wings
Author: Clive Tandy
Illustrator: James McLean

Clive Tandy sent us the following note discussing the sales and promotional success of his latest book:

Hi Ben, Please find attached a summery of where I am at the moment with the book Quarry Grove:
• I am supplying Blackpool libraries in the North West (Lancashire) and Sandwell libraries in the West Midlands.
• Myself and James McLean (the illustrator) did a book signing at Waterstones in Walsall West Midlands on 8th March where Quarry Grove was the best seller on the day.
• We have also done a book signing at Waterstones in Sutton Coldfield Birmingham on 12th April - once again Quarry Grove was the best seller on the day.
• We have a book signing at Waterstones on the 26th April 2008 in Wolverhampton West Midlands.
• We have a book signing at Borders in Preston on the 17th and 18th May.
• I have other promotions in the pipeline not yet finalised.
• I have just finished book number two, Crusty Pie From Mars and James is working on the pictures.

I have attached a couple of pictures.
Regards Clive Tandy

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Book: Willowmeena Worm
Author: Alfreda Henry
Illustrator: Diane Lucas

The Gainesville State College Oconee newspaper recently interviewed Trafford author Alfreda Henry about her beautifully-illustrated children’s book. Please click on the link below for the full story.

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Book: Autumn Seclusion
Author: Andrea Ferrell

Midwest Book Reviews recently posted a great review of Andrea Ferrell’s Autumn Seclusion on both Amazon and MBR Bookwatch:

Told through the eyes of Anna, a thirty year old woman reflecting upon her life, Autumn Seclusion is a tale of coming to grips with one’s hidden fears and blemishes. Anna’s experience of rejection at home set her up for a succession of draining and abusive relationships. The one loving relationship she experienced was with a Native American from Upstate, New York; her family severed her ties at home, and she eventually left the United States entirely to reconstruct her life. A tale that encourages the reader to think long and hard about themselves and the ones they love, Autumn Seclusion is ultimately a tale of the meaning of forgiveness. Highly recommended.

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Book: Country Kids
Author: Trina Trimm
Illustrator: Eugene Angelone

Congratulations to Trina Trimm for winning a Mom’s Choice award for excellence in family literature. Click here for more information. Congratulations, Trina!

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Book: Theatre for Living: The Art and Science of Community-Based Dialogue
Author: David Diamond
Foreword: Fritjof Capra

David Diamond’s Theatre for Living has won a great review in the most recent edition of Stage of the Art Journal. Click on the link below for the full article.

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Book: North Tonawanda: “The Lumber City”
Presented by: The North Tonawanda History Museum
Editor: Donna Zellner Neal

Trafford has received some wonderful writeups on North Tonawanda: “The Lumber City”, including two from the Am-Pol Eagle. Please click on the links below for the full articles.

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Book: A Philosophy of Information: Information is the Power that Drives and Controls Us All
Author: Bernard T. Smith

Clarion Reviews’ Kristine Morris recently wrote a wonderful four-star review (out of five) of Bernard T. Smith’s A Philosophy of Information. The full review is below.

The current era has been called “The Age of Information,” and much attention is given to the development of faster, more effective, and even more stylish ways to store, retrieve, and transmit that information. But beyond decisions about what new gadget to acquire lies a more pressing issue: the meaning, intent, and effect of the information being transmitted, and its deeper implications for individuals and for the larger world.
Author Bernard T. Smith avers that one of the main lessons of human life is learning “how to cope with an infinite mass of information, knowledge, and mystery,” and that information is the “most potent agent in nature and, equal to life itself…” Although intangible, information is one’s reality, and Smith states that, “Nothing is really known to exist until information about it is passed through a human mind.” Information affects one’s life for good or for ill depending upon its content, its truth or falsehood, and the use one makes of it; without it life is impossible, and from the cellular level to the far reaches of the universe, effective transmission of the necessary information is imperative.
The author, who lives in the United Kingdom, has worked with computers from their earliest beginnings, designing information systems and writing software. He writes from intimate knowledge of information technology and is able to take complex technical topics and present them in a manner that is engaging and accessible to average readers.
Since information defines reality, and since it is easily manipulated by anyone with sufficient access and motivation, understanding its nature and meaning is vitally important. Comparing and contrasting the functioning of computers with the way the human brain works, Smith makes readers aware of the blessings and dangers inherent in this “information age,” and has much to say about the effects of technology on daily life: “Nowadays, with a mobile telephone in the back pocket, the magic has gone.…Information at the finger tips is not an unmitigated blessing. Our lifestyles, and maybe our spiritual yearnings, are turned upside down because of it. We could be becoming a different kind of being, something not quite human.” Indeed, the manipulation of human DNA, the “basic blueprint of life,” is “the greatest test yet facing us in the handling of information,” and a wide range of benefits and horrors could be made possible through modifications made to the information carried in human genes.
Bernard T. Smith invites readers to become part of a vitally important discussion; recognizing that the “Information Age” has brought many blessings, he also brings to light the potential for the manipulation of individuals and populations to their detriment. A more engaging title might carry his invitation to a wider range of readers and include those not particularly drawn to philosophy; they too need to be aware that the relationship between human beings and information has a dark side, and that to ignore this is to risk the survival of humanity.
Kristine Morris