Book Review Bin

Even More Reviews!

2011-11-25T12:02:00.001-05:00

It's still the holidays, but I can't sit around and do nothing, so here are some more book reviews.

Tibetan Book of the Dead by Guru Rinpoche

Death is a part of life. There’s not getting around that. Death is also a major subject in the world’s religions. One religious text that deals with death is the Tibetan Book of the Dead by Guru Rinpoche. There are many different versions and translations of this particular book. This review focuses on the Shambhala pocket edition (256 pages, Shambhala Pocket Classics, $7.00) with translation and commentary provided by Francesca Fremantle and Chogyam Trungpa.

Zen edited by Randy Burgess

Zen is the feeling, the aura that many in this life want to achieve. But what is zen? Is it a feeling? A way of life? In Zen (79 pages, Andrews and McMeel, $4.95), edited by Randy Burgess, the basic history and explanations of what the idea of zen can be is explored.

Fortune-Telling Book of Dreams by A.M. McCloud

When we dream, it has been said that we are looking deep into our minds to seek out what we really want. Dreams can often be interpreted in a variety of ways. Much of what we dream must be decoded from symbols instead of reading what’s on the surface.

New Reviews!

2011-11-23T12:47:00.001-05:00

Finally got around to reviewing some more books... check them out and let me know what you think.

An Illustrated Romance (review of Kiss & Tell by MariNaomi)
Discovering Home (review of No Place Like Home by Brooke Berman)
Flights of Fancy: The Great Pretenders (review of The Great Pretenders by Julia Wertz)
John Lennon's Story Through Pictures (review of John Lennon: Unseen Archives by Marie Clayton)
Hostility in Writing: Passive Aggressive Notes (review of Passive Aggressive Notes by Kerry Miller)

Angel: Nemesis

2011-01-20T07:28:00.000-05:00

Finally got around to some new book reviews! Angel: Nemesis

and

Kitty Foyle: All American Girl

Enjoy!

The Baby-Sitters Club Mystery #1: Stacey and the Missing Ring

2010-08-30T14:58:00.000-04:00

A review of the first book in Ann M. Martin’s extra BSC series.

Since the late 1980’s, Ann M Martin has been feeding the imagination of young girls and boys with her many books. One of the most popular series she created was The Baby-Sitters Club series. This series contains many titles, along with a few well-loved additions and spinoffs of the original series. One of the additions that Martin provided readers was The Baby-Sitters Club Mystery books. These books read much like the books in the original series, but the plot focuses mainly on solving a mystery while babysitting for new and regular clients.

Read more: http://bookstove.com/children/the-baby-sitters-club-mystery-1-stacey-and-the-missing-ring/#ixzz0y7KYxRHh

The Kids in Ms. Coleman's Class #6: Twin Trouble

2010-07-19T09:36:00.004-04:00

A review of book six in this classic Ann M. Martin series.

Twin Trouble is book number six in the Ann M. Martin series The Kids in Ms. Colman’s Class. If you are familiar with Ann M. Martin books such as the Baby-Sitters Club, you will instantly recognize the chracters and setting in this story. The Kid’s in Ms. Coleman’s Class series is a spinoff of the Baby-Sitters Club Little Sister series (which is a spinoff of the original Baby-Sitters Club series). In this series Martin gives us a sneak peek into Karen Brewer’s daily activities at school by showing us not what she is up to (she has her own series, after all) but what her classmates are struggling with in school and at home.

Read more: http://bookstove.com/children/the-kids-in-ms-colemans-class-6-twin-trouble/#ixzz0u8RQAeLj

No Time

2010-06-03T16:29:00.002-04:00

While I have very little time to read new books, I thought I would catch you all up on those books that I highly recommend. Check out my AMAZON STORE for Shy Writer's Recommendations.

Up Island Review

2010-01-07T19:17:00.004-05:00

I finally had a little space to finish Up Island and write my review. Here's a sneak peak:

If you have ever imagined a trip to Martha’s Vineyard in your mind, Anne Rivers Siddons book Up Island captures that shining landscape in minute detail. Up Island is the story of Molly Redwine, a charming Southern woman, wife of a successful businessman and mother to two children. The story begins with a seemingly innocent rash on her posterior that serves as the first sign she’s in for trouble. While on business trips, Molly’s husband has been having an affair with a coworker. When he finally confesses to Molly, she is lost and doesn’t know where to turn. When she tries to find comfort with her less than sympathetic mother, Molly is shocked with her mother’s death.

READ MORE

Description: Essential or Overdone?

2009-11-23T09:49:00.003-05:00

I've been shying away from books recently that include lots of descriptive passages. Why? I guess I have been spoiling myself with books that have a little more action. I'm still in the middle of Up Island, and when I picked it up last night I delved right into six or more pages of pure description -- nothing else. I'm telling you, those were some of the hardest pages to get through. It would have been better had the description served a huge purpose, but really, it didn't and I don't think it will have a large impact on the next chapter in the book.

A little progress

2009-10-16T08:59:00.004-04:00

While I was on a short hiatus from work last week, I finally picked up a book again! I'm still in the middle of Anne River Siddons' Up Island. So far, it's a pretty good book, but a lot different than Outer Banks. Instead of a love story/suspense with great flashbacks, Up Island has been more focused on internal reflection. It is still a good book. There are many beautiful descriptions of Martha's Vineyard. I have never been there, but I feel like I have after reading many portions of this book. What I am tired of is the internal conflict that almost seems whiny. I can understand how a divorce could be traumatizing, but sometimes the "why me?" goes a little overboard.

I'll give a full review after I finish the book.

2009-09-17T11:15:00.006-04:00

I'm not the type of person that gets excited about forthcoming books, but there is one book on the immediate horizon that I cannot wait to read. It's The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. I will admit that I have not read The Da Vinci Code or its sequel, but somehow the intricacies of Washington, D.C. intrigues me. It might be because I have seen many of the sites when I went there on vacation as a child.

Read Equire's review of The Lost Symbol.

Book clubs for the 21st century

2009-08-19T09:25:00.001-04:00

When I think of book clubs, I always get the picture of middle-aged housewives in 1960s fashions sitting around the living room, eating finger sandwiches and drinking iced tea. That's such a stereotype about book clubs that I saw everywhere as a kid. But now with the help of social media, book clubs have really evolved.

With things like Be the Change Bookclub and Online Book Club, anyone in the world can participate in a lively discussion about books. Book clubs now feature not only people with ample time to read, but those who read a few pages a day on their Kindle while commuting on the subway.

It's such a fast paced world, but with new technology and better ways to reach out, you can quickly become a part of an online community that meets your book discussion needs. And it's a great way to get started writing book reviews too!

Great Site for Students

2009-08-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

If you have a budding writer at home, writing books reviews may be a great way to teach kids many important elements to creating a good review. It can also present work that can be published online or in print through local sources. The site I found for students learning the art of writing reviews is Scholastic. It has a section for students called "Writing with Writers." In this section, Rodman Philbrick presents a step-by-step guide to writing a book review. It's an interesting tool for students or adults venturing into their first book review. If you have never written a book review before, why not give it a try?

started another one

2009-08-05T07:05:00.000-04:00

The three titles I'm in the middle of right now (Boom!, Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry: Book 1, and the Selected Writings of Gertrude Stein) are still at my old apartment for a few more days. Since I finally found time to read again, I had to choose a new book for the moment. I chose Up Island by Anne Rivers Siddons. I am only about six pages into the story so far, but I already have a comment: does Siddons always talk about sororities? I'm not complaining or against the mention of that type of institution, although the idea of paying for friends is not something I participated in during my college years. I know that some writers like to include one or two things that are dear to their hearts or that they have first-hand knowledge of. For instance, most of my characters either know how to write or appreciate classic movies, TV, and music.

The reason for the question is because I read Outer Banks a few years ago, and the sorority was a huge part of the plot. I kind of want to be prepared if that's the norm in her books since Low Country is include with Up Island.

Now I will keep my mouth shut until I finish the book so that I can give it a fair assessment. Every author deserves that kind of respect when anyone reviews their work.

At a loss on summer reading

2009-07-29T12:06:00.000-04:00

It's a terrible thing to happen, but I haven't been able to check a single book off of my summer reading list. With packing, constantly changing jobs/clients, and trying to find some balance in my life, reading was put on hold. For a writer, that's the first step towards sabotaging everything you have worked so hard for in your career. And it stops today. I will get back on the reading bandwagon full force - after all, what good is writing a blog about writing book reviews without new books to review?

I also want to branch out. I probably can't afford it, but I want to try and find some obscure books that I know I would take an interest in. Some of the ones I have been trying to locate are books that movies were based on in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Many of the movies that I'm thinking of were not even box office hits. Most of these titles can be found in the public domain, which gives me hope that maybe the original book that they based script on is floating out in the public domain as well.

I did find a pretty good site called Chasing the Frog that provides some of the more popular titles. I'll have to do some more exploring for the lesser-known titles. I'll let you know what I find.

The most important book on the shelf

2009-07-22T09:15:00.001-04:00

A lot of friends ask me for book recommendations because they know that I love to read, but they also think that I may have some insight on good books because I'm a writer. I don't know if that is necessarily the case, but I try to provide advice when I can. And for writers, there are some books they just cannot live without.

The most important book on my shelf just may be The Hollywood Standard (read my review of the Three Essential Books for Scriptwriters). Not all writers would need this book, but I'm very interested in writing screenplays. The Hollywood Standard is a guide to properly formatting a script so that it should not get thrown in the agent's rejection pile based on those type of errors. It may still end up in that pile, but at least you'll know that it wasn't because you didn't know how to format a telephone call.

I have read a few other scriptwriting books that give advice on how to format, but most of those were also focused on plot structure, scene development, etc. That means that only a few pages in the back could be dedicated to formatting issues. If you want a resource that you'll keep coming back to, I definitely recommend this book. I know that I have kept it on my lap for quick reference whenever I work on one of my scripts.

If you are a writer (script or otherwise), what's your most important book?

A new way to tell an old story

2009-07-15T12:11:00.000-04:00

Last night I saw a commercial for the movie version of The Time Travelers Wife written by Audrey Niffenegger. I received this book as a Christmas present a few years ago from my parents and quickly read through it. Out of the hundreds of books I have read just over the past ten years or so, this is by far one of the best. Since the movie doesn't hit theaters until August, I may dig this book out (hopefully I haven't packed it away yet) and reread it.

Movies usually pale in comparison to the original text, but there are a few movies that have at least met the standards of the book that it was based on. One that I can think of off the top of my head is The Five People You Meet in Heaven, written by Mitch Albom. Even thought it was a made-for-TV movie, it still followed the story and brought the text to life without having to make a significant amount of alterations. Unlike A Walk to Remember, which is really nothing like the beautiful story Nicholas Sparks originally wrote.

Anyway... I can't wait to see The Time Traveler's Wife. I don't go to the theater often, but I think I can make an exception for this one.

Going in a new direction

2009-07-08T18:00:00.000-04:00

My favorite books are the kind with a little bit of adventure, a little bit of comedy, and a lot of romance. I tend to stay away from books that tell me how to do something or explain why others do what they do. So it's strange to be looking into books about genealogy research. I started doing this type of research recently so I'm finding books that can help me along in the process. These books claim they can tell me how to conduct research, how to cite sources, and how to write this information into a publishable format. I have base information on all of these tasks to work with, so hopefully when I get one (or more) of these books, I'll be able to just skim through and get the additional information I need.

And on the "current reads" front? I suddenly got busy. Not an excuse, because I know how important and relaxing it is to escape in a book. So, my goal for this week is to crack open a book or two so I can finally have a new review out in a few weeks. Let's hope I can find the time!

Almost finished!

2009-07-01T12:02:00.001-04:00

I'm nearly finished with at least two of the three books I'm reading at the moment. Then I'll finally be able to write my book reviews and get back to making this blog more enjoyable for anyone that's still following it. Now I'm off to finish the books!

Life happens

2009-06-24T08:33:00.001-04:00

Now that I have a significant amount of free time because of the end of my project at work, I can finally return to reading. I'm still working on three books: The Selected Writings of Gertrude Stein, Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry, and Tom Brokaw's Boom!. It seems like a lifetime since I've picked up a book, but I'm going to pick one up today. Work is extremely slow and I don't have to worry about getting things done for the next few days.

And after finally logging into Entrecard today, we have another book review at Book Review Bin. You can check it out in the left column under Book Reviews.

Have a great week!

Ultimate Reviews

2009-06-17T09:22:00.000-04:00

I'm just curious: does anyone read NY Times Book Reviews to choose the next book you want to read? Do you pay attention to any reviews at all before deciding to delve into a book? Personally, I have never read a book review before picking up a book. Movies - sure. Always read reviews before wasting your money. But I think that book reviews sometimes ruin the book. At least movie reviews keep out most of the surprises.

Reviews on a bad book?

2009-06-10T09:39:00.000-04:00

It's inevitable - someday, somehow you will pick up a book that sounds interesting. Once involved in the story, you realize that the plot is weak, characters are flat, and you didn't even enjoy reading the gratuitous sex scene. It was a BAD BOOK. You want to warn your fellow reading community that this is not worth their time, but how can you effectively write a book review without getting caught up in your anger for a blatant misuse of the English language? Well, I have found an excellent handout about writing book reviews. It provides an outline for writing a review as well as tips to keep a balanced perspective in your review, even when you felt like burning the book after reading it.

You can find the handout HERE.

Family History Books?

2009-05-27T11:41:00.001-04:00

I am diving right back into family genealogy research after I abandoned it a few months ago. I thought I might be able to muster up some new leads online. I have yet to utilize the message boards, so that's my task this time. But what I really want to know is the best way to use the information once I collect it. Should I write a book? Would anyone care about my family history? Besides my own family members... probably not. As far as I can tell, we're not terribly interesting.

If anyone knows any good books about genealogy out there, besides titles that focus on how to conduct the research, any suggestions would be appreciated! If I get my hands on a good one, I will be sure to post a review about it.

For all the writers

2009-05-23T10:11:00.000-04:00

If you are a writer, are you on Twitter? There are a number of perks a writer can get from using Twitter... you can read more about it at my other blog, Truths of A Shy Writer.

Hmmmm....

2009-05-20T21:01:00.000-04:00

I think it has been way too long since this blog has featured an actual book review. I'm still stuck on reading Boom! by Tom Brokaw because lately I have been much more interested in movies than in reading books. I mean, I have to sit at the computer all day. Half the time is spent reading research and the other half of the time is spent writing about that research. So, if any readers out there have a book review they want to share, go ahead and reply to this post with a link to it. Thanks!

2009-05-13T11:06:00.000-04:00

Ever get the feeling that if you don't share your opinions on a book that you will just explode? Sometimes it's hard to tell someone about a book if they haven't read it, or worse – they have no interest in reading it. So I thought I would together a list of the top sites for posting books reviews.

1.Goodreads
2.Shelfari
3.LibraryThing
4.Bibliophil

I have not had the chance to personally use any of these sites, but I have talked to people who have used these sites with success. Now you can finally begin a dialogue with someone else who has enjoyed the book. And what's better than a virtual book discussion? (yep, I'm a nerd)

Swiping an idea

2009-05-05T15:25:00.000-04:00

I found something on Written that looked fun. It's originally from The Shore Bookworm, just to give credit where credit is due. And here it is:

1. To mark your page you: use a bookmark, bend the page corner, leave the book open face down? I always use a bookmark. I can't stand reading books with bent pages and leaving the book open usually breaks the spine.

2. Do you lend your books? I try not to. I'm really possessive over my books, but if you have proven to me you are trustworthy, I may consider it.

3. You find an interesting passage: you write in your book or NO WRITING IN BOOKS! Depends what kind of book. I have no problems writing in a book I bought used, but 'if I purchased it brand new it stays that way.

4. Dust jackets - leave it on or take it off? I take them off while I'm reading it, but promptly put it back on. I know people who throw the dust jackets out. WHY?!?!

5. Hard cover, paperback, skip it and get the audio book? I prefer hard covers if I'm buying used... they last longer. Paperbacks are great for traveling, and I tend to skip audio books. I listen to people all day. Why listen to a book?

6. Do you shelve your books by subject, author, or size and color of the book spines? Ah... you've found my weakness. I try as best I can to organize by all of those categories. But since my shelves are different sizes, size is first. Then I go for subject, author, and then whatever else is left.

7. Buy it or borrow it from the library later? Always purchase. It's not green to keep buying books, but I want to know that if I like it, I can treasure it forever and ever.

8. Do you put your name on your books - scribble your name in the cover, fancy bookplate, or stamp? I may write my name in the cover if I think I could lose it, but my name means nothing unless the person finding it knows who I am.

9. Most of the books you own are rare and out of print books or recent publications? I have a mix. Most of the books I own are recent, but my pride and joy is my rare OOP copy of Ai: Japan Through John Lennon's Eyes. I got it for a steal!

10. Page edges - deckled or straight? Straight. I like clean lines.

11. How many books do you read at one time? Right now it's 3. Most of the time I try to keep it at two, but I've read up to five at once before during those good old school days.

12. Be honest, ever tear a page from a book? Only my clarinet music books. Don't ask me why I did it.

New Book Reviews

2009-05-05T09:19:00.000-04:00

While I'm still in the midst of reading three books at the same time, here are some other book reviews that I thought I would share with you, written by others who love reading just as much as I do.

What They Don't Teach You At Harvard Business School

How to Win Friends and Influence People

Enjoy!

Reading Frost

2009-04-29T11:57:00.000-04:00

My hatred of all creepy crawly things just merged with my love of poetry. I was reading Robert Frost in one of my poetry books from college, and I read the poem "Design." It is a description of the delicate design of a spider devouring a moth on top of a wildflower. It was so beautiful that it makes spiders a little less creepy for me.

But my best Frost discovery today came when I turned the page and read the poem called "Provide, Provide." For some reason, I really connected to this poem. Makes me want to make priorities in my life and consider what I need to do to provide, provide.

More Woody Allen

2009-04-18T16:11:00.000-04:00

Ever since I read Woody Allen's short stories, I've been watching a lot more Woody Allen movies. Since I read the book I've seen Take the Money and Run, Crimes and Misdemeanors, and Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys. It just makes me appreciate more the talents of Woody Allen, even if the part is strictly acting without the writing or directing credit. And there's one more book (I think) that was not included in the complete works and I really want to get it. But I promised myself not to buy any more books until I read the ones I haven't touched yet, so I think it will be awhile.

Books or Movies?

2009-04-13T10:06:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking about this for awhile, and I'm never sure which one to pick first. If I read a book then see the movie based on it, I spend the whole movie saying how terrible the adaptation was (case in point: A Walk to Remember). But if I see the movie first, I'm not compelled to finish the book. The only time I actually finished the book in this case was when I watched a TV version of The Shining and didn't have time to watch the end of it.

I wonder about this because when I write my short stories and novels, sometimes I can see a film adaptation in them. But if there are too many people like me, the movie adaptations would never be successful. Just food for a writer's thought...

Series in order?

2009-04-05T13:04:00.000-04:00

I looked again through my pile of unread books. I have a couple of the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. I have numbers 8 and 10 yet to read. Problem is, I've only read the first three novels in the series. A friend of mine who has read them all says it doesn't really matter -- I could read them out of order and not get confused. And I've done with other books, like the Angel books I have or the American Dreams series. What's your preference? Would you rather read the books in order of just dive right in to whatever is on hand?

Just Can't Wait

2009-03-30T19:08:00.000-04:00

It's not that Boom! is a boring book -- on the contrary. I absolutely love the mix of personal and cultural stories that only Brokaw can write. But I just don't have time to sit through a whole chapter at a time, so I went back to reading my Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry. Hey... at least I'm still reading. That's more than I can say for the 47% or so of Americans that haven't picked up a story in the past year. It's sad that only half of the country reads. It's so fun!

I did it again....

2009-03-29T07:46:00.001-04:00

I went almost this whole week without picking up a book. The problem is, I have not been the busy! I think that because of my circumstances, I need to spend this whole afternoon reading. I have a great little place that I sit, right in the sort of bay-window (not really though) in the dining room. I love sitting there to read because it lets me ignore the television and any other distractions I can find to not read my books.

What about you? Where's your favorite spot to read?

Ignoring other outlets

2009-03-26T13:02:00.000-04:00

I got another issue of Shambhala Sun in the mail today. It's a magazine that only produces 6 issues a year, yet this new issues put me about 5 1/2 issues behind in reading it. Unlike my Entertainment Weekly, I can't just skim through it. For the Sun, I have to end up reading every single article because I find all of it fascinating. And because I'm still a voracious reader, I often ignore my magazines to finish a book. Does that ever happen to you?

Updating summer reading list

2009-03-24T21:02:00.000-04:00

If I have the chance to read all ten books I set as my goal, here are the other five that I plan to read:

Endangered Species
Book of the Dead
Dark Mirror
Nemesis
Sanctuary

...if you're wondering, these titles are all television tie-in novels to the series Angel. I bought a bunch of these when I lived with an Angel fan and became hooked, but still haven't had the chance to read them. I know they'll be quick reads, so maybe I can meet my goal this summer!

Summer reading list preview

2009-03-22T21:03:00.001-04:00

I'm still not sure how many books I will be able to read this summer, between working, writing, and moving. But I still have the goal to read at least 10 books between the beginning of may and the end of August.

I looked through my books that I still have yet to read, and have found at least the first five choices. These books will be:

Somewhere in Time by Richard Matheson
Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs (I love Bones!)
Up Island and Low Country by Anne Rivers Siddons (as the cover says: two classic novels, one low price)
Trace by Patricia Cornwell

I'm still in the middle of Boom! by Tom Brokaw, but I hope to finish that one soon. If anyone else plans to read any of these titles this summer, let me know. Maybe we can get a little online discussion group together.

Summer Reading List

2009-03-18T12:10:00.001-04:00

Pretty soon, I'm going to get organized and update my Summer Reading List. While I'm digging through the piles of unread books lying around the house, feel free to share some of the books that will be part of your Summer Reading List.

I'm Back!

2009-02-25T10:06:00.001-05:00

I've been gone for awhile, but work really got in the way of my reading habit. So is life. Anywhoo... I've finally managed to finish another book. This time it's The Complete Prose of Woody Allen, one of my favorite actors/directors and now, writers. You can read my full review here: Through the Mind of A Genius.

Have a great day!

Any Requests?

2008-09-04T10:53:00.000-04:00

What do you look for in a book? How do recommendations from friends, family members, and professional book reviewers impact the choices that you make when you choose the next book to read?

New Review

2008-08-26T08:21:00.000-04:00

I wrote a new book review. You can now read Antibodies: A Review. Enjoy!

Anyone Up for the Challenge?

2008-08-08T16:51:00.000-04:00

Hey all you authors out there! I know you're lurking around this site, wondering if you should submit your book to me. I do give honest, thoughtful reviews of all work. And I do reviews ebooks as well as physical, in-your-hands copies. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and send a copy my way. Guaranteed promotable book reviews in two weeks or less.

Poll

2008-08-01T10:29:00.000-04:00

Don't forget to vote in the book Review Bin's poll! Just look over to the left... and I think you might be surprised at some of the results.

Janet Evanovich

2008-07-26T22:15:00.000-04:00

If you haven't read any Janet Evanovich books yet, you are really missing something. The best by far are the Stephanie Plum books. I have only read the first 3 in that series, but I kind of skipped around a little and read two of the in-between-the-novels books: Plum Lovin' and Plum Lucky. These are short holiday books that use the Stephanie Plum character without getting too much into the main storyline of the series. Check out my reviews of Plum Lucky and Plum Lovin'.

YA Reviews

2008-07-25T20:38:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple of YA books that I reviewed recently. They are from the American Dreams series, and if you ever saw the NBC show of the same name, then you will already be familiar with the life and times of the Pryor family. These books follow the story of this 1960s era family, through the good times and the bad, as told through the perpesctive of 16 year old Meg. They are good, quick reads if you love the 60s, but they are not really deep. Here are the reviews:

American Dreams 1: Dance with Me
American Dreams 5: Fair Play

Welcome All!

2008-07-23T21:21:00.001-04:00

If you are looking for book reviews, you will want to stay right here and check them out. This blog will be dedicated to book reviews and promoting new books in any genre. If you are an author and would like to have a book reviewed here, all you have to do is EMAIL the reviewer and get everything set up.

So why should you have your book reviewed here? Basically it's free advertising. Not only is this blog out there on the internet, but it is connected to networks and other sites that will help with the promotion of your book.
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Are you a writer that already has book reviews online? EMAIL me and I will link to your book review, as long as you can include a backlink to this blog from your own personal blog website.