Traveling to Egypt With, Of Course, Carole P. Roman as Tour Guide...Calling all Children!

Egypt is one of the oldest nations on

 earth with a history that stretches

 back ten thousand years. It is often

 called the cradle of civilization 

because of the development of cities,

 writing, farming, and a vast 

government that ruled the area.

~~~

 If you were me and lived in Egypt, your home would officially be called the Republic of Egypt. You would refer to your homeland as Masr. It is a transcontinental country, which means it is located in both Africa and Asia.

If You Were Me and Lived in...
                                                                  Egypt
A Child's Introduction to Culture Around the World

By Carole P. Roman

Illustrated by Kelsea Wierenga

Wouldn't it be a wonderful world if, as children, we could meet and become friends with all the children living in different worlds...Perhaps, then, we would never have wars since we all knew and loved each other. No, it is not possible, but Carole Roman has surely presented an excellent way for us to share and teach children about those who live in other countries... She wants us to be prepared, so that if we were to meet somebody from, say, Egypt, we would know something about their country and make a connection with them. I really enjoy each brief introduction to new countries, don't you?! 

First, we learn that children of Egypt might live in the capital, which was built on the Nile River.

It is the largest city in the Middle-East and the second largest in Africa. It is also known as Umm-al-Dunya, which means the motheroftheworld. Cairo is famous for having the second-oldest university in the world.

And so it is the children we hope to meet from Egypt... Boys may be called Mostafa, Youseff, or Aly...  While little girls might be called Deena, Salma or Fatma...

I was especially interested in the fact that they use images of their ancient places for their Egyptian money...  And I learned about money because our new friends stopped to buy halawa, a dessert!

One of my favorite parts of this series is learning about what we should visit when traveling to Egypt, in this case. I must admit that I had to use this picture...

Can you image living in Cairo, Giza or other cities in Egypt and looking out to see the Pyramids!?! Somehow I had always imagined they were built far away in the desert...it is wonderful to think about walking somewhere in a city and gazing across the sky to see the magnificent image of the Pyramids... and I even learned something new--that the pyramids are aligned with the stars! Cool! Then there is the Great Sphinx, which I would most like to see, given that it has the head of a pharoah and the body of a lion... There's even a mystery about the pharoah's head not ever solved!

They are large triangular-shaped buildings built thousands of years ago. They are constructed with clay bricks and are enormous. They are one of the great wonders of the world because of their precise measurements and placements in regard to the stars...

While...the Great Sphinx of Giza, which is a giant statue of the pharaoh's head on a lion's body. It is the most famous sphinx in the world...

The book also mentions riding down the Nile and learning about the history from Baba...I do want to take this time to mention the extremely beautiful artwork done for this book. The picture, which I believe includes Cleopatra and other royalty is magnificent in details and worthy of a permanent place in your child's library! Of course, all of the illustrations in this series have been fantastic, but I think this one picture is the best I've seen... By the way, while you're riding on the felucca, sailboat, you might have a chance for a meal. Everything sounded great. And I'd love to taste either the Kushari or Kofta...

Then comes the fun as you find out what the children get involved with in sports and other events! Including the celebration of the beginning of spring which includes a large outdoor celebration with egg coloring as a primary activity...it sounded much like our country fairs where food, fun and friends join together...

Egypt is a country I would love to have the opportunity to explore, so this was one of my favorite of Roman's books. And I've learned that she's expanding in a different type of historical book for us to enjoy...They should be on their way to me soon. 

Do make a special effort to check this book out. In fact, if you haven't already been enjoying this series, this is a perfect one to read as your first one. I can almost guarantee that you'll want to continue reading them...even if you don't have children, because there is always some child you can give it too... Seriously, all the books are age-appropriate and include everything that a child would want to know about a country that they were going to visit. Somehow emphasizing the child's point of view makes the stories more intriguing and unique. Children are bound to both enjoy and learn from this latest addition...Loved it!

GABixlerReviews

Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best of 2012 for her first book, award winning author Carole P. Roman started writing as a dare from one of her sons. Using an imaginary game she played with her grandson as a base, Captain No Beard was born."Captain No Beard- An Imaginary Tale of a Pirate's Life" has not only been named to Kirkus Best of 2012, it received the Star of Exceptional Merit, and won the Pinnacle Award for 2012. "Pepper Parrot's Problem with Patience" Book 2 in the series, received 5 Stars from The ForeWord Review The Clarion Review. Strangers on the High Seas has won second place in the Rebecca's Reads Choice Awards 2013. It has followed with six more books to the series. This year, Captain No Beard and the Aurora Borealis was named to Kirkus Best 2015. The entire cultural non-fiction series If You Were Me and Lived in... was named Best Series by Shelf Unbound. She has begun work on two new series that will be released in early 2016.
Motivated by her love of yoga, Roman has written a book that not only teaches four poses, but shows how easy and accessible yoga can be. 
Her new non fiction series, "If You Were Me and Lived in..." combines her teaching past with her love of exploration and interest in the world around us. The debut book in the series, "If You Were Me and Lived in...Mexico" has won the Pinnacle Award for Best in Children's Non Fiction 2012. France, South Korea, and Norway. Rebecca's Reads has given If You Were Me and Lived in...Norway an honorable mention in the 2013 Choice Awards. If You Were Me and lived in ...France won second place. ForeWord Review has nominated If You Were Me and Lived in...France for best in children's non fiction literature 2013. They will be followed with Kenya, Turkey, India, and Australia. She plans to do Portugal, Greece, and Argentina next year.
Writing for children has opened up a whole second act for her. While she is still working in her family business, this has enabled her to share her sense of humor as well as love for history and culture with the audience she adores. Roman lives on Long Island with her husband and near her children.

Adolph Caso Presents Photography and Poetry During National Poetry Month...

Adolfo recently wrote that he and Margaret were on their way home--you know, winter was over--only to be greeted with a snow storm! Beautiful pictures, but quite different from the warmth of Florida... It seems we are often on our way somewhere, not knowing what will actually be there when we get to that chosen place... This poem by Adolfo made me think of that constant state for many of us...

On My Way

Never the desire has left me

to get to you, oh God,

in these last thirty years

and some, of which so many

in darkness.

Are there more?

I should not ask the question

for night is yet my light

that fluctuates so distantly

though close to my heart:

too often,

it dimly disappears

So with the means--religion,

with all the man-made sinuousness

whose beauty and logic

have often brought me close to you
You

        remained distant

and dim...

Still,

I lay in thought of you

not knowing how much of it,

or the inner being,

is my feeling.

from

By Adolfo Caso

Greylock by Paula Cappa Gothic Supernatural Classical Music Mystery - It Had to Become a Personal Favorite!

Behind Josef, a woman screamed. He turned. A bird, with a wingspan of almost two feet, swung up to the ceiling. Josef crouched down like everyone else. 

Lexie didn’t move a muscle, his vision following the bird. Everyone dashed in wild circles, screaming, shoving, tripping over each other. “How did that get in here?!”

“Oh God, that’s not a bat, is it?”

“Get it out!” “Looks like a hawk.”

“Everybody get out!”

Tim and others tried to direct the bird to the doorway, but it darted ceiling to floor, like some jet bomber. It zoomed the tables then dove down, skidding into a landing.

Every photo crashed to the floor. The manic thing tore up the silk and netted decorations, sent the loops of flowers off their hooks, the whole time chattering  kee-kee-kee-kee-keeeeee! One guy tried to catch it under a basket. Another tried to snag it down with a shawl. Tim went after it with a broom.

 

Finally the bird found the archway out and

escaped. Howard wiped his brow with his handkerchief. “Holy shit! How weird. Must have been one of those psycho-pomps. You know, escorts to the afterlife.” He laughed alone on that one.

 “Not funny, you ass. Look at this destruction.” Tim was biting his thumb. 

Josef found Lexie by the front doors. “That was a black merlin. There he is. See him on that rooftop? Far to the left?”

“A what?” Josef looked up.

“Peregrine. Black merlin. Fastest falcons on the planet.”

“Yeah? How do you know it’s a black merlin?”

“Recognized his call. I want to kill that thing.”

~~~

GREYLOCK

By Paula Cappa

Wow! Once in awhile you find all of your favorite things within one book and this is one! Starting with the gothic feel of the storyline, even within a contemporary setting, add selected classical music, mostly minor, to support, and add a supernatural character to become the horror monster in this mystery and all I can add is that I loved it! It's fascinating, commanding, powerful and scary as hell...

“Hurry,” she said. He obeyed his aunt. Nine years old, he knew to trust Aunt Marta for everything. He dashed to the studio and sat at the Steinway. Was Dad still asleep? Would he hear him playing? “Play, Ah-lehk-SAY.” Auntie shouted from the bedroom. She sang his name as if to pitch him the first note.

 “Auntie? Will he‌—‌?”

 “He will hear your music. Begin.”

With trembling fingers, Alexei began Tchaikovsky’s Concerto Number One. He stumbled on the opening, failing to create the thundering chords, then stopped and began again. He hadn’t perfected the power of this concerto yet, but he knew his father loved it best. This will soothe him. Soaring though the allegro movement, Alexei enjoyed the familiar thrill of the music. The splendid harmonies urged him on as his fingers jumped across the keyboard. His father’s voice repeated in his mind.
All the world is music, my Lexie. Go inside the notes. The allegro movement would thrill his father too and make him open his eyes. What phantom? Auntie was just being Auntie. Tchaikovsky’s concerto would soothe his sick heart. The clear notes would send the phantom away. Dad would wake up smiling and say, Bravo, my boy, bravo. Music filled the house up to its gables. Resplendent notes played like spheres before Alexei’s eyes. Chasing one after the other. 
Flashings. Blurs of light. A kaleidoscope. Can you hear? Dad? I’m playing for you. Just like you play Tchaikovsky. Vibrations spun over Alexei’s body. Lively sound waves pulsed through his hands, throbbed into his left rib, a pleasant tingling. He inhaled the concerto’s warm tones. He swallowed the bright rhythms, his belly filling. Every chord tasted smoky. Octaves evaporated into aromas of melting candy‌—‌ razzes and dives and creamy crescendos. 
A beat later the music jammed. Choked to a dead stop. What did he do? Become the music, Lexie. Believe. He hit the white keys. Nothing. He slammed the black keys. Nothing. What happened? A hammer stick? Again he pressed. Every key resisted. Demanding the piano to obey, Alexei struck the stubborn keys once more. “Come on. I believe!” The keys held like bricks in mortar. Why won’t it play? His fingers slid recklessly above the locked keys. 
“Please.” He fisted up his hands with a hard shake. “Play.” Air flashed behind him. The concerto rolled forth. Sweeps and crescendos blasted. Glistening sounds broke over his head. He stared at his fists rigid above the piano keys. How was the concerto playing without him? Rhythms

hammered down. Vibrations shook the wood floor and wall paintings, nearly cracking the old plaster. The very air soared with music. 
Unable to stand the thundering a second longer, he fled the piano. The concerto followed him to the bricked chimney corner where he crouched. Booming, the double octave passages surrounded him. Eyes squeezed shut, hugging himself, ribs knocking, toes curling, he covered his ears. “What did I do? What’s happening? Dad! Make it stop!” The concerto halted. 
Did something sigh just then? A voice? Sounded just like the bed creaked. He’s awake. He’s up! Dawn flooded the studio, dusty rays humming with yellow light. “Dad?” A kiss misted against his forehead. He listened. Silence. Alexei burst into deep, quiet, sorrowful weeping. He let his hands drop, kitten-limp to his sides and lifted his head. 
Footsteps padded the hallway‌—‌ gentle and slow‌—‌ like treading upon a path of wool. Auntie Marta appeared at the doorway, half a lit candle in her hand. She blew it out, sat at the piano, covered her face and sobbed. Alexei watched her a moment, biting his lip, failing to hold his tongue. “Auntie, did he hear my music? Did he hear the concerto?” 
She lifted her face. “Oh yes, of course he heard your music. Alexei, don’t you know, child? The ear is the way.”

~~~

Billy Joel’s “Movin’ Out” played from

 the sound system. He smiled, taking it as a 

sign from the Muses that he was headed in

the right direction. Aunt Marta had never

 approved of his playing Billy Joel’s music. 

Poor old sweet Aunt Marta. She’d be happy

 to hear the news of his movin’ out plans.

 She never liked Carole Anne anyway.

~~~

Such a tragic happening. Alexei had played as his aunt had requested...while his father died in another room. Alexei had not played Tchaikovsky’s Concerto Number One since that time...

Now a grown man, he was playing things that his Aunt Marta did not approve of, but now as he listened to Billy Joel's Movin' Out, he knew that she would be happy

to hear the song title from him...he was moving out from his home and his marriage...

But he knew it was going to be difficult...and he found that it was much more than he realized... Carole Anne would never let him leave her and she'd make sure of that!

Alexei's character is sympathetic but also a little cavalier. His career has never really gone as he thought it would, until he first played the October Sonata...

But there was a secret about the October Sonata and Alexei had shared it with Carole Anne when they'd first been married, now she was threatening him, and was even, he later found, selling the exclusive piece to other pianists...

But that wasn't the only thing about the October Sonata. The best way to say it was that it was cursed...And when Alexei played it for the first time in public...It had awakened...





“Why is that? Why don’t you have a face, Varlok?”
“It was taken from me. When they seized my vision. I will not take your face when I seize yours.” 
“You’re disgusting. What world spawned you?” “I come here at the conjuring.”
“I never conjured you!”
 “You did. With every note of October. With every performance. Ahh, the timelessness of music.

~~~

And then Carole Anne was murdered, both carotid arteries slashed in a checkmark. But she wasn't the only one who had been killed this way. There had been three others...

Fortunately, Alexei had been awarded the opportunity to travel to Russia and record whale song for his proposed symphony, but the officer in charge of the case believed he was responsible... and there had been time for him to do it before he'd left, but he provided an alibi...

The belugas sang in streams of buzzes, clicks, and shrieks. Alexei followed a down sweep of trills. He mapped the notes and intervals. One whale whooped like a tiger’s growl. More sweeps and double sweeps. The songs went on nearly thirty minutes. The whales might have been applauding themselves. “They’re beneath us, really deep. God, I wish I could see them. I’m dying to see them.” Alexei leaned over the stern...
These musical marvels stirred the sea like a bowl of silk. What would that feel like? The sea and songs, the whales and sun? “I’m going in.” He tossed off his sneakers and jacket. 
“No, Mister Georg. Vater too cold,” Shemiossa warned.
Cold? Whales had the hottest blood of all! And right now their bodies were warming the sea with every flip, calling the sun inside every wave. Alexei dove in. Ahhhh, like swimming in warmed

cream. Buzzes and trills, screams and whoops. Treble strings stretched high. Was that a fragment of a scale in that call? The hydrophone hung from the ship’s hull. Had he pressed record? He did, of course he did. Pay attention! He came up for air inside this great sea of the oldest hierarchies. A beluga nearly met him head on. The tail-whack of another whale sent him under into a volume of whistles. He surfaced with a massive puff breath. Was there anything more invigorating than these giant white creatures twirling light as soap bubbles? Three belugas swam circles round him, checking him out. Alexei let them propel him farther out in the shifting currents. The whole pod surrounded him, these sea canaries rocking and rolling. 
Gleb called out to him and waved his arms to come back. No way. Alexei back-floated away from the ship. He followed the whales’ leaps like he was one of them. One shining beluga swam close enough to touch him. His single watery-grey eye, a porthole, invited him down. The grey-eyed whale propelled Alexei under. Sun light flowed like a waterfall beneath them. He followed the beluga into a funnel of water. Ten, twenty, maybe thirty belugas joined them. Their calls vibrated. His fleshed trembled. His ribs pulsed. Even his spine ached. He counted ten different vocalizations like violins’ up-bowing and down-bowing passage after passage. But he was running out of air fast.
The belugas powered Alexei up. That grey-eyed whale rubbed hard against his belly. Nearly a hug. Without any struggle from opposing currents, the belugas playfully hurled him to the surface. And just in time, he whacked up out of the water with a desperate new breath. 
Jovan tossed him a flotation ring. Alexei sucked in the beautiful air. He climbed aboard the ship and turned to see the whales one more time, to lock in their image. Only the metal-grey sea remained. “They’re gone?”
“Belugas go under...”

~~~

Ok, this is a little longer today, but the whale play was just too fun not to share! LOL...

Cappa's research on this book obviously has been extensive and she weaves a web of jealousy and intrigue even without adding the supernatural element. There are plenty of suspects in the murders, without involving Alexei, including those known and close to him. 

There is even romance as Alexei hooks up with a local news rep who seems to be perfect for him... But when everything starts coming out she is caught between the gossip from a former boyfriend/cop who's saying Alexei is about to be arrested and what her feelings are for Alexei.

Two interesting components I really enjoyed was the addition of a shaman who acted, first, as Alexei's translator while in Russia, but who then became even more important... The other was that Alexei had a love of mystery fiction such as Marlowe, which were highlights of my younger mystery fan days...

Have to say that what is creating havoc for Alexei and those caught in the supernatural component brings the most excitement and suspense to the novel. It brings the horror of The Raven and The Birds, and even a touch of The Shining, in a much more subdued, mysterious fashion due to the "magical tension."  The ending is intense and almost anticlimactic in its simplicity--if only because the activity seems impossible to actually do! Some really amazing, cool creativity went into the completion of this significant work.

I've not read this author before, but I'd have to add her to my favorite author list just on the basis of this one book...and, of course, this novel was added to my personal favorites for 2016. For me, this book was over-the-top in bringing me all that I could want into a few hundred pages! Highly recommended!

GABixlerReviews

I’m happy to announce that my mystery Greylock has won a Paranormal Chanticleer International Book Award, 2015.  The category is Supernatural. This is a Blue Ribbon writing competition that has become a champion for emerging and talented authors around the globe. They are partners with the Independent Book Publishers Association, The Alliance of Independent Authors, and The Writer.

Paula Cappa is the recipient of a Chanticleer Book Award, the prestigious Eric Hoffer Book Award, the Readers’ Favorite International Bronze Medal for Supernatural Suspense, and a Gothic Readers Book Club Award Winner in Outstanding Fiction.

She is the author of Greylock, The Dazzling Darkness, and Night Sea Journey—print editions published by Crispin Books, Milwaukee WI. Her short fiction has appeared in Dark Gothic Resurrected Magazine, Whistling Shade Literary Journal, SmokeLong Quarterly, Sirens Call Ezine, Every Day Fiction, Fiction365, Twilight Times Ezine, and in anthologies Journals of Horror: Found Fiction, Mystery Time, and Human Writes Literary Journal.

She is a freelance copy editor and writes a weekly short story blog, Reading Fiction, Tales of Terror at paulacappa.wordpress.com. Paula Cappa is Co-Chair of the Pound Ridge Authors Society in Pound Ridge, NY.

Special mention goes to the songs of the beluga whales in the White Sea, especially “Beluga Whale Music” by David Rothenberg (Thousand Mile Song). Hours of listening to these songs influenced my thoughts and creativity as I wrote Greylock‌—‌ and after many weeks’ listening to their lovely voices, I thought I might grow my own blowhole. Alas, I did not.

National Poetry Month... Want to Share at Book Readers Heaven? Today, More From Guy Graybill

Good Morning, Enjoy National Poetry Month! Guy Graybill submitted several poems, along with Thomas Kemp, and, although I don't plan on dedicating the entire month to poetry, due to other prior commitments, I certainly do want to celebrate the month with YOUR contributions if you'd like to share!

Guy Graybill is the author of five published books: KEYSTONE, BRAVO!, PROHIBITION'S PRINCE, PRINCE AND THE PAUPERS and FROST!
Guy attended rural Pennsylvania schools and graduated from Gettysburg College with a degree in History.
Guy Graybill worked in a Pennsylvania state capital mail room, in a brick plant, in the Geisinger Medical Center (Danville, PA) and in schools in Aguilar, Colorado (one year) and Loganton, Pennsylvania (two years). His career position was three decades in Middleburg, PA as a secondary History teacher. After retiring from Middleburg, he was elected to a four-year term as chairman of the board of commissioners of Snyder County.
Guy married his high-school sweetheart, Nancy Yerger. They have now been married for many decades and are the parents of four grown children.
Guy Graybill is proud of the support he has received from individuals who wrote the forewords to his books. They include a man who is now Budget Secretary to the governor of Pennsylvania, a Philadelphia opera singer, and a former speechwriter to five U.S. presidents.
Other than writing, Guy Graybill's hobbies include travel, amateur archaeology and photography. Guy has traveled in more than 40 of the U.S. states, as well as Japan, Okinawa, Canada and Guatemala. He conducted one local archaelogy project for the 1976 U.S. Bicentennial observance and his photographs have appeared on greetings, postal cards, and more than 100 covers of small magazines. 
Current writing projects include two developing books that are growing within the computer. A book of poetry/commentary [WHIMSY AND WRY] is currently on the publisher's desk. That book includes many poems and bits of commentary. Two samples of rhymes follow:

The following title comes from the word, 'century' that Nostradamus used to identify a group of his verses.It seems especially appropriate following the Mayan Doomsday silliness.

Mayan apocalypse: panic spreads as December 21 nears

CENTURIES

The fabled Nostradamus

Fooled simple-minded hacks,

With riddles that were riddled

With trash instead of facts.

Yet, ev'ry generation

Construes his mutant rhymes

In ways that fit their motives

And SEEM to match the times.

The truly thoughtful person

Will always be content,

To save each grand prediction

'Til AFTER the event.

~~~

]]] [[[

AN ACT OF SELF DEFENSE

Her smile is a rebel smile.

She knows the disarming art.

Her lips bring to light her guile:

A threat to my sov'reign heart.

Before my defiance slips,

I'll show that her threat is known.

I'll siege those rebellious lips,

To crush them beneath my own!

]]] [[[ 

What's Happening At Book Readers Heaven This Fools' Day?

Like Mr. T says...it's just another month--Fools! No, I'm not the type to pull pranks--it's unladylike you know. Besides, what could I say?

Seriously, I got to thinking about where this idea came from...do you know? Sure, everybody knows:

Constantine and Kugel...Another explanation of the origins of April Fools' Day was provided by Joseph Boskin, a professor of history at Boston University. He explained that the practice began during the reign of Constantine, when a group of court jesters and fools told the Roman emperor that they could do a better job of running the empire. Constantine, amused, allowed a jester named Kugel to be king for one day. Kugel passed an edict calling for absurdity on that day, and the custom became an annual event.

"In a way," explained Prof. Boskin, "it was a very serious day. In those times fools were really wise men. It was the role of jesters to put things in perspective with humor."

This explanation was brought to the public's attention in an Associated Press article printed by many newspapers in 1983. There was only one catch: Boskin made the whole thing up. It took a couple of weeks for the AP to realize that they'd been victims of an April Fools' joke themselves.   http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aprilfools1.html

Just goes to show that you can't believe anything you read in the paper...that's why I mostly read fiction...

So I goofed up last month, sharing my birthday poetry and other pretties, and I didn't take the time to thank everybody who visited last month... Soooo, here's to those who visited 25,184 times at one or both of my blogs in March! Do come back and spread the word to others! Except maybe today when people might think you're joking...

Soooo, it's been verified...Arthur is living with me and will be for the rest of my life... No, not a man! Arthritis!

So there I was getting down on my knees to grab a kitten who crawled under my bed...and I couldn't get back up...After many gyrations and determination which required my arms and knees to scream while I struggled up, I got up to face pain so bad that I had to get to the doctor and on to a specialist...It definitely is not an April Fool's joke to have your own body prank you! Hey, don't laugh, I look like this all the time! Do you like my hat? I wear it all the time day and night during the cold months!

What? Of course I'm reading! I'm reading a book right now that gives me shivers...spooky! But sooooo much more... Can't wait to get back to it, so will stop until the next time...I have to go to Physical Therapy and will be getting some shots in my knees, so really would appreciate good thoughts from all of you...I really would like Arthur to just calm down and leave me alone, you know?!

Keep visiting and say hello when you can! God Bless! Glenda