How to Make Money Using Etsy, Timothy Adam

How to Make Money Using Etsy,

Timothy Adam

I found this book on Bookoutlet.com while looking for books for my daughter for Christmas. I have an Ebay shop, amysdancingelephant, and two Etsy shops, AmyVanGaasbeckArtist for my art and Gomboggitdesigns for vintage and jewelry, so I thought this might be a good one to get and improve my business. It's slightly out of date, as Etsy has changed a lot over the past few years, as well as internet and technology, but it does give you the basics of how to set up an Etsy account, how to use SEOs and gives some great interviews from other successful Etsy users. I would love to see an updated version of this book.

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Deepsix, Jack McDevitt

Deepsix, Jack McDevitt

A Bookcrossing friend sent me this sci-fi adventure to put in my Little Free Library. I set it in Mt. TBR first, and I am glad I did. I like sci-fi, but often it becomes predictable. You know who is going to die or get eaten. You know what the disaster is going to be and what "twists" lie ahead if you read enough or watch enough movies. You figure out who the survivor is going to be or what the underlying plot is. However, with this book, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have it all figured out. The author wrote it in a way that kept it moving and exciting the whole time. I was really happy with it and except for the tiny print on my 40-something eyes that require readers now, I had a hard time putting it down.

It's about a life-bearing planet that was discovered some 20 years earlier and was going to be explored, but it was found that the wildlife was very hostile and so the mission was aborted. Fast forward, and there's a rogue moon that is heading for the planet and it's about to be obliterated. Scans show a building on the planet, so a crew is sent to explore it before the moon hits. Disaster happens, and the crew must figure out a way to get off the planet in a hurry, while trekking across a continent making interesting discoveries and trying to survive the hostile and deadly creatures that live there.

Like I said, it was interesting the whole way through, and there was a lot that I did not expect. I liked that. 

I did not realize it, but this is #2 in The Academy series, the first being Engines of God. I have just found a bunch of his books on paperbackswap.com and have ordered them.

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Assistant to the Villain, Hannah Nicole Maehrer

Assistant to the Villain, by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

This was loaned and recommended to me by my oldest daughter, Elizabeth. She really enjoyed it, and she thought I would, too. She was right. 

This is the story of a young woman who is seeking employment so she can take care of her ill father and her young sister, and as she is out walking in the woods, she meets a mysterious man, who has the king's guards chasing him. He ends up hiring her as his assistant, and we discover he is known as The Villain. 

We learn what it's like  being morally gray and working for a villain who hangs the heads of his enemies from the ceiling, and tortures people in his dungeon. We read the story from Evie's perspective, and also from the Villain's perspective, and  eventually learn what made him the way he is, as their lives become intertwined and they discover some twists and turns in their reality while trying to uncover a traitor in their midst. 

This book gives me kind of an Ella Enchanted (the movie) vibe. It's a fun fantasy read and one can really come to love the characters in it. It's easy to read, easy to understand what's going on, but not so simple that it becomes boring. My daughter and I found a lot to discuss about this book and some of the complexities that we discovered in it. 

There's supposed to be a sequel out later this year. I look forward to reading it. This is an enjoyable read and although it's the first book I have read by this author, I like her style and would gladly read more from her.

Would you like to buy me a book, or help keep my little free library stocked and maintained? You can donate here: paypal.me/AmyVanGaasbeck 

 

Madame Sadayakko, The Geisha Who Seduced the West, by Lesley Downer

Madame Sadayakko, Lesley Downer

I have always been interested in Japanese culture, especially the aspect of Geisha. I was delighted to find this book through Paperbackswap.com and it did not disappoint. This is a biography of the life of Sada Kawakami, sold into the Geisha life at a young age, she quickly rose to become one of the most sought after Geisha in Tokyo in her youth. Eventually, she met an actor, Otojiro Kawakami, and married him. Together, they put together an acting troupe that traveled to America. They struggled and some of their troupe even died in the tough times. They never gave up, though, and found stardom, with Sadayakko as their shining star. This tells their story, the ups and downs, successes and failures.

I had never heard of Sadayakko before, but apparently she was famous like Isadora Duncan and Eleanora Duse in the late 1800s and early 1900s. She and her husband developed a bridge between Japanese Kabuki-style theater and Western drama, forever changing the world of acting in Japan; and Sadayakko was the first female actor--before, all women's parts were played by men in drag. 

It's a very good read, and not only talks about the historical aspect but also the cultural aspect of relationships--man had a wife, but it was expected that for pleasure, he would visit Geisha or have a few mistresses on the side. That was just accepted as normal...although not all wives accepted it. Also, and I already knew this, but Geisha, though not considered prostitutes in Japan, have their virginity sold to the highest bidder, usually a wealthy man of influence. He is her first, and then other men may pay for her sexual services. Although this, too is considered normal, even a Geisha of the highest order is considered one of the lowest class when it comes to being able to marry--Geisha, once retired, were allowed to marry within their class, which could be an actor (also considered low class). Rarely did a Geisha marry someone above her class or get rid of that stigma.

Would you like to buy me a book, or help keep my little free library stocked and maintained? You can donate here: paypal.me/AmyVanGaasbeck