RECOMMENDED NON-FICTION

(also see the young adult page)

When Denny Hatch and I were at Columbia University at the same time, I thought he had one of the quickest minds I'd ever encountered. His witty repartee was legendary among our circle of friends, and he had an amazing memory for people he'd met and books he's read. He went on to become the most respected authority on direct mail in the U.S. Who's Mailing What is the world's largest archive of winning direct mail, with over 250,000 actual pieces. From these, Denny has drawn those he considers to be the top sellers, and turned those into The Secrets of Emotional, Hot-Button Copywriting: How to Employ the 7 Key copy Drivers that Make People Act. But this book is not just for those seeking a career in advertising. Rather, it offers a wealth of ideas for all kinds of promotion. Order from Direct Marketing IQ, a division of Target Marketing, which publishes Hatch's excellent Business Common Sense newsletter.

The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, by Mark Levine, which compares and ranks 45 companies in this growing field. Full review HERE. 

The Step-By-Step Guide to Self-Publishing for Profit!  by C. Pinheiro with Nick Russell, Pineapple Publications.  Read Bobbi's review HERE.

The Well-Fed Writer (updated) and The Well-Fed Self-Publisher by Peter Bowerman.
Read reviews HERE and HERE.

Publishize: How to Quickly and Affordably Self-Publish a Book That Promotes Your Expertise, by Susan Daffron, a hands-on guidebook for entrepreneurs who want to add a new revenue stream to their business. Read the table of contents and some sample pages at: www.logicalexpressions.com.

Release Your Writing: Book Publishing Your Way, by Helen Gallagher. Read Bobbi's review HERE.

This best-selling manual on self-publishing has shown thousands of people the faster, surer way to break into print, by the leading authority on how to write, publish and promote books.

This manual is your complete reference for writing, printing, publishing, promoting, marketing and distributing books. You will discover how easy it is to:  •  Build your book rather than just write it—and copyright it in your name. • Multipurpose your “book” into downloadable, CD and ebook versions.  • Wring maximum value out of your “book” by spinning off audiotapes, videotapes, magazine excerpts, foreign-language editions and more. • Bypass the publishers and go direct to a short-run book printer. • Set up your own publishing company and take the tax breaks. • Promote your books with email, book reviews, autographings, feature articles and radio/TV interviews. • Get your book into chain bookstores, online bookstores, specialty stores and catalogs. • Use the Internet for promotion. Appendix 2 has over 40 pages of valuable resources complete with email and Web site addresses.  Dan Poynter is the author of more than 80 books. His seminars have been featured on CNN, his books have been pictured in The Wall Street Journal, and his story has been told in U.S. News & World Report.

I See Your Name Everywhere, by Pam Lontos. Full review HERE.

The Thrifty Author’s Guide to Launching Your Book Without Losing Your Mind, the first in a series by author and international speaker Gail Martin.  Mini-review HERE.

Work Less, Do More: the 14-Day Productivity Makeover,  by Jan Yager, Ph.D. 
Full review HERE.

How Women Make Money, by Julie V. Watson (Dundurn, 2004) www.gotocreativeconnections.com      Other books by Julie Watson at: www.seacroftpei.com

David Thompson: A Life of Adventure and Discovery, by  Elle Andra-Warner. Part of the Amazing Stories series from Heritage House Publishing this book follows David Thompson's 28 years of exploring and mapping the unchartered wilds of North America. By 1812, he had surveyed over three million kilometres -- one-fifth of the continent -- and become the first European to navigate the entire length of the Columbia River.  Andra-Warner follows Thompson from his early years with the Hudson's Bay Company through his amazing accomplishments with the North West Company to his later struggle to claim his legacy. Surveyor, map-maker, fur trader and entrepreneur, Thompson left a wealth of detail about the country in his journals and spent two years creating a map so accurate and detailed that it was the basis of many Canadian government maps for the next century. This is the exciting life story of one of the greatest geographers of all time.

Recommended by World Fellowship for Schizophrenia and Allied Disorders, Schizophrenia: Medicine's Mystery - Society's Shame, is the 11th book by Marvin Ross, who has written definitive books about other health topics, such as opthamology and Alzheimer's.  Schizophrenia Digest Magazine calls this book a powerful resource for anyone looking for answers and insight into the world of mental illness. Order from www.bridgeross.com.

Susan Inman's memoir describes her family's nine year journey to help her younger daughter recover from a catastrophic schizoaffective disorder. One reviewer said: ...one of the best accounts I have read of serious mental illness as told by a mother. Highly recommended:  E. Fuller Torrey, MD, author of Surviving Schizophrenia Order from www.bridgeross.com

Winner of the Helene Kenigsberg Award for Excellence by the PKD Foundation of Canada.

My Favorite American, an inspiring biography by Dennis McCloskey is the dramatic story of a young woman who cheated death many times only to emerge as a ray of light to everyone she meets. Valen Elizabeth Cover survived Polycystic Kidney Disease, had a successful kidney transplant in 2002, and has worked to create awareness of this disease while holding down a full time job. McCloskey, who developed a  telephone and online friendship before finally meeting Cover, says, "Once or twice in a lifetime you might meet a person with such an indomitable spirit, supreme strength, and unimaginable courage that you wonder how you got so lucky as to cross paths with her."  Bobbi's blurb for the back of the book reads: This compelling story of remarkable courage is told with tenderness and candor in an engaging style that draws the reader into the circle that envelops both the author and his subject.  Published by General Store Publishing  www.dennismccloskey.com

The Worrywart's    Prayer Book  contains 40 mediations and prayers, but with the light touch Allia Zobel Nolan is famous for (see her humor books on the HUMOR page). This little book contains a lovely mix of advice and emotional support with a touch of humor, from a Christian perspective.  Order from : http://alliawrites.com/cat_books.php

Books by Helena Katz:   www.katzcommunications.ca/  (for young adults and adult readers)
       The Mad Trapper: The Incredible Tale of a Famous Canadian Manhunt  (Altitude Publishing, 2004). This is the incredible story of Canada’s largest manhunt. Hundreds of men spent 7 weeks tracking the elusive Albert Johnson for 240 kilometres across the frozen North. By the time he was caught and killed, he had seriously wounded two of his pursuers and murdered a third one. The identity of Albert Johnson, the Mad Trapper of Rat River, remains a mystery to this day.

        Gang Wars: Blood and Guts on the Streets of Early New York  (Altitude Publishing, 2005). Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the streets of New York were overrun with a succession of brutal gangs. For nearly 100 years, these gangs terrorized Lower Manhattan, doling out violence with bludgeons, pistols, fists, and teeth. Whether members of the city's early gangs were striving for power, out for revenge, or seeking riches, their activities almost always resulted in bloody warfare and horrific loss of life.

A Memoir of Creativity chronicles the life of a Manhattan art critic and former writer for TIME, as she derives a theory of art, based on her varied personal and professional experiences, locating this theory within a broader social context. Author Piri Halasz, a graduate of Barnard (and a classmate of Bobbi's), with a PhD in Art History from Columbia, writes the popular webzine, (An Appropriate Distance) From the Mayor's Doorstep, and is a frequent speaker at meetings and conferences. 

Method Weight Management
       Carrol Wolverton subtitled her book, “A Common Sense Approach to Weight Loss,” and that's what sets this book apart from unrealistic programs requiring drastic changes in diet, exercise, special foods or supplements. The opening anecdote will resonate with every woman who has cut the labels out of her plus-size clothes, and by page 8, Wolverton has set the tone: “change and substitute one item at a time. It's that simple.”
       She goes on to point out how important stress and lack of sleep have on our eating habits, and mentions how many of our holidays are sugar-based. Just think of the emphasis society puts on candy at Hallowe'en, Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter.
      Wolverton emphasizes that one shouldn't eliminate any foods, but rather substitute a healthier version. She suggests we start with the two of three worst offenders, and employ strategies such as saving half of particular favorites for later, or postponing dessert.
      This slim book includes suggestions on stress management provided by registered nutritionist Rosalie Moscoe, who has also offered some easy substitutions for high-calorie or high-fat foods.
      There are more than two dozen recipes at the end of the book, to help jump-start the program. These are indexed so you can find the one you want quickly, and all include ordinary ingredients available everywhere.
      The book is available at Amazon. 

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