I will post discussion questions on April 2, 2006.

Details for those considering acquiring this title.
Mya’s Story by Darnishia Bolden “I am my father’s daughter,” is Mya’s mantra as she prepares to abort another fetus, one she had contemplated carrying to full term after a botched abortion. Afterall the abortionist’s message had been terrifying and clear: “It might have no head, no arms.”

Mya Sheppard, the most beautiful of Donovan Sheppard’s daughters, cultivates many careless and restless behaviors. Killing is simply one of them. She and her beguiling sisters emerge from a home where love is dictated by a Father who lost his dreams to Vietnam. Love to them is a shadowy figure trapped and twisted among sweet and wicked, fairytales and religion, mother and father, God and Satan. Depending on the sister, truth is destorted by the grieving memories of unfinished childhoods. The family secrets and shame assign each girl a fate of love, fear, hurt, and destruction.

We will begin discussing The Automatic Millionaire today. Below are just some questions to get us started. Feel free to add more questions and discuss. Also, take a look at the book selections for next month and cast your votes. For this round of book selections, Call2Arms will be the moderator.

1. When you first read the title of the book, what type of advice did you think Bach would give in becoming a millionaire?
2. Did the McIntyre’s give you hope that you too can become a millionaire? Were their practices something that you could incorporate into your personal finances?
3. What is your latte factor? And after reading the book, have you managed to decrease or eliminate the amounts you spend on your latte factor?
4. For me, learning to pay myself first is one of the hardest concepts to incorporate, what is the hardest advice to follow in this book?
5. After reading, have you automated any of your finances?
6. Is it better to save first or pay off debt?
7. For those who already own a home, can you give some of the benefits of home ownership?
8. And lastly, after reading the book, do you plan to incorporate any donations and/or tithing into your personal financial plan?
9. Which bits of advice do you plan to incorporate into your finances?
10. Additional comments.

Skyscraper by Zane Most corporations hand out bonus checks or gift certificates for Christmas but Wolfe Industries hands out drama. Skyscraper centers around the week before the Annual Christmas Party at Wolfe Industries, the first African-American automobile manufacturer. It examines the lives of four central characters: Chico, an 18-year-old mailroom clerk, Anastasia, a 25-year-old secretary, Diana, a 37-year-old executive assistant, and Tomalis Wolfe, the 50-year-old CEO.

The week leading up to the Christmas party is unforgettable, as the lives of four people who have barely interacted with each other in the past begin to cross paths in the most disturbing ways. By the time the actual party takes place, they will be lucky if the Wolfe Industries Skyscraper is still standing.

The Davinci Code by Dan Brown A mind-bending code hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci. A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe. An astonishing truth…concealed for centuries….unveiled, at last.

Mya’s Story by Darnishia Bolden “I am my father’s daughter,” is Mya’s mantra as she prepares to abort another fetus, one she had contemplated carrying to full term after a botched abortion. Afterall the abortionist’s message had been terrifying and clear: “It might have no head, no arms.”

Mya Sheppard, the most beautiful of Donovan Sheppard’s daughters, cultivates many careless and restless behaviors. Killing is simply one of them. She and her beguiling sisters emerge from a home where love is dictated by a Father who lost his dreams to Vietnam. Love to them is a shadowy figure trapped and twisted among sweet and wicked, fairytales and religion, mother and father, God and Satan. Depending on the sister, truth is destorted by the grieving memories of unfinished childhoods. The family secrets and shame assign each girl a fate of love, fear, hurt, and destruction.

The Perricone Promise- Look Younger, Live Longer in Three East Steps. Dr. Nicholas Perricone has helped millions of people maintain younger-looking skin. But in order to truly look and feel younger, readers must preserve the entire body, not just the skin. Now, Dr. Perricone reveals a groundbreaking, 28–day program that promises to help readers stay young forever.

Now that you have voted and the majority is set on The Automatic Millionaire, let’s get to work. This is how things will go. We will have until February 22, 2006 to complete the book. On February 15th, I’ll post a list of discussion questions so that when we commence discussion on the 22nd, we will have some questions to start with. In addition to the places listed on the sidebar, this book can pretty much be picked up at your nearest Walmart, Target, etc. Happy Reading!

Also, next up for the Moderator position is Call2Arms. So the week b/t February 15th through February 22nd, she will post her choices for the next book. We will try to cover one book a month. In b/t that time, keep checking back for author spotlights, book reviews, etc. If you have a book that you’ve read and think it’d be a good read or you would like to review a book, shoot us an email.

Everyone has that teacher that inspires. For me, it was Mrs. Strange. She was my eleventh or twelth grade Honors English and Creative Writing teacher. She had enough faith in me to get me a job writing a Sunday column about the High School for the local newspaper. For Michele, it was her fifth grade teacher, Ms. Middleton.

When Ms. Middleton read her story about The Chocolate Mountain to the class, that sparked a love and passion for writing. Michele felt like a “queen for a day!”

Growing up in a home in New London, Connecticut with seven other children probably presented constant material and inspiration for her stories and journal entries. At the age of sixteen, Michele began to keep a journal and has maintained those journals every since.

In early 2001, she completed her novel, Raymond’s Daughters and began to shop for a publisher. She obtained an agent and began sending queries to various publishing houses, however she realized that no one was as committed to her book as she was. So in September 2004 she released Raymond’s Daughters through self-publication.

When asked what her writing inspiration is, she responds “Events from my own life.”

Living in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Michele is a Contract Manager for a company that provides Special Operations Equipment to the military. And while her writing is her passion, it doesn’t pay the bills.

When we are devoted and passionate about a “thing” we usually make time for it. When Michele was working on Raymond’s Daughters, she actually woke up at 4:30 a.m. to write while her kids were still sleeping and the house was quiet. Not too many folks have the discipline to wake up so early.

After seeing her baby, Raymond’s Daughters on the shelves, she started work on a book of essays and poems that she plans to publish entitled Confessions of Beautiful Woman. And beautiful she is.

Some of you may be wondering how I found Michele. Michele actually maintains a blog, which she calls “Full House For Now.” When asked how she started blogging, she didn’t really know why, but she added “I’ve been journaling since I was 16 years old. In this day and time I find it easier to type my thoughts on a keyboard instead of handwriting them in my journal.”

Blogging has actually become a hobby for many people. Some initially started blogging to get their thoughts out on paper; others started as a therapeutic measure; and some actually blog for the exercise of writing. When I asked Michele who some of her favorite bloggers were, she listed: There are a few blogs that I read daily: Serenity23 and BDW are very insightful; The Humanity Critic and Brotha Buck keep me laughing, The Serial Dater gives me an inside peek into the life of a divorced man’s dating adventures and I get all the entertainment scoop from Princess Dominique. There are many others that are listed on my blog, Full House For Now.

And lastly, any advice for aspiring writers?

“Keep writing. You found me through blogging and I’m grateful for that. It just goes to show you that the world isn’t really as big as we think it is. I had no idea that there were so many people out there that shared my interests, ideas, fears and joys. It’s a comfort.”

In addition to Michele’s publication of Raymond’s Daughters, she is also a contributor for My Soul to His Spirit.

If you would like more information on Raymond’s Daughters or if you’d like to purchase the book, visit this site

Most of you have voted for your book selection. For those of you who have not, please be sure to cast your vote by Sunday as that will be the last day of voting.

Also, on Sunday I will be doing a Sunday Spotlight wherein I will interview a published author, Michelle Rene Matthews. Michelle is the author of Raymond’s Daughters and a contributor to the book My Soul To His Spirit. Be sure to check that out on Sunday.

Each month, we will take turns offering 3-5 books. The book club can vote on which book they would like to read and discuss. We will take one month to read and discuss the book. I know all of you have lives outside of the blog and other obligations, so a month may seem like a long time to you, but for others it’s not enough time. So a month seems standard.

Whenever it is your turn to offer up selections, you will be asked to give a brief synopsis, as well as explain why you chose the books you chose. This will give us an opportunity to learn more about you. Without further adieu, my suggestions for this month.

The Automatic Millionaire : A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich by David Bach
Synopsis
Now, in The Automatic Millionaire, David Bach is sharing that secret.The Automatic Millionaire starts with the powerful story of an average American couple—he’s a low-level manager, she’s a beautician—whose joint income never exceeds $55,000 a year, yet who somehow manage to own two homes debt-free, put two kids through college, and retire at 55 with more than $1 million in savings. Through their story you’ll learn the surprising fact that you cannot get rich with a budget! You have to have a plan to pay yourself first that is totally automatic, a plan that will automatically secure your future and pay for your present.

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki
Synopsis
The New York Times #1 Bestseller is changing how the world views money by shifting your context to that of a rich person.

If you are like many - dependent on your paychecks to cover your monthly expenses - then you don’t think like the rich.

The rich don’t accumulate cash. They accumulate assets that generate cash flow for them.

In reading Rich Dad Poor Dad, you’ll better understand the power that thinking can have on your life. If you are looking for financial freedom, then Rich Dad Poor Dad is a great place to start your learning process.

The Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer
Synopsis
Winning the Battle in Your Mind. Discover how to become free from being ruled by depression, anger, worry, doubt, confusion, condemnation, or fear! Joyce Meyer releases a companion study guide to her bestselling book, Battlefield of the Mind, that will help build your knowledge of the Word while teaching you vital principles from the book. Each of the thought-provoking questions will help you search for truths from God’s Word that you can apply to your life to bring the freedom you need. You’ll find this book to be a great guide for Bible study groups, devotional time and Sunday school classes. The workbook-styled format provides space for you to fill in your answers to each question, and with the special answer section in the back, you can check your work. Battlefield of the Mind Study Guide includes: -More than 150 questions adapted from Battlefield of the Mind. -A workbook-styled format so that you can write your answers directly in the book. -A section of answers to use in checking your work. Let Joyce show you how she won the battle in her own mind- and how you can too!

My Reasons for these suggestions:

First off, I’ve made a decision to manage my finances differently this year. And since I’m not a CPA or financial planner, etc. I don’t really know a lot about managing money and investing it. So what do you do when you don’t know something? You find someone who knows what you want to know and you soak up all of their knowledge. Hence, the two selections that deal with finances.

Lastly, I strongly believe that everything starts with the mind and how we think about things. With that said, I know it’s hard to change the way of doing things, if that’s how you’ve always done them. So to start from the basics, we have to change the way we think about them. I’ve heard great things about this book, The Battlefield of the Mind.

Now that you have your selections, please take the time to vote. The voting will end on Sunday, January 22, 2006 and you can pick up your book and get to reading. I have also provided a link on the sidebar to places you can purchase or borrow your book. Happy Reading!

Serenity23