This is not so much a blog entry as it is a plea on behalf of people in desperate need of escape. As a book critic for several publications I receive, on average, eight-to-twelve books every month. It goes without exaggeration that books have a tendency to pile up. Stacks in every nook and corner of our small home quickly escalate from evidence of a moderate reader to hoarder status. A couple of decades ago when I first started reviewing books I simply gave them to friends or - forgive me - tossed the not-so-great ones into the recycling bin. Occasionally an editor would send me the first edition of a book that I had reviewed pre-publication, and I started donating these to my local library. I still do this, but for some reason I get sent fewer follow up first editions these days.

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Millions of people live in shantytowns across the world, many in corrugated-iron-roofed shacks with no windows. This leaves the residents with the choice of living in complete darkness or running expensive electric bulbs (if electricity is even available to them).

Liter of Light has a solution which is so mind-bogglingly simple that it is pure brilliance:

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Another chance to have your name immortalized in a book by a favorite author, or to give the ultimate unique gift to a loved one, while also donating to the First Amendment Project - a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free legal services on public interest free speech and free press matters.

Authors taking part include Suzanne Brockmann, Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, Dan Chaon, Andrew Sean Greer, Ben Katchor, Elinor Lipman, Margot Livesey, Rick Moody, Thomas Perry, Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum, Laura Benedict, T Campbell, Patrick deWitt, Joshua Ferris, Dan Gutman, Phillip Margolin, Nami Mun, Francine Prose, Mona Simpson, Ayelet Waldman, Robert Mailer Anderson, Janet Burroway, Stacey D'Erasmo, Dave Eggers, Dan Gutman, Derek Haas, Walter Kim, Lorrie Moore, Francine Prose, Mona Simpson,Jane Smiley and Vendela Vida

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Booklovers! Would you like to have your name immortalized in print, or give a once in a lifetime Christmas gift to a loved one? If so, now's your chance - just pop over to Ebay, and place one or more bids in the Authors for Autism Character Auction which has just opened.

Budding authors! Here's your chance to have your work critiqued by an established author. If you want to take advantage of this opportunity, pop over to Ebay and place your bid in the Authors for Autism auction.

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The Afghan Women's Writing Project is an online magazine comprised of writing by Afghan women. Our project is run by a team of volunteers, and our goal is to empower Afghan women to have a voice in the world by writing stories and poetry about their lives. The Afghan women write in English and students receive ongoing mentoring from women writers primarily from the United States.

I got involved in AWWP because I happened to hear Masha Hamilton, who founded the Project, on Minnesota Public Radio. I was inspired to read her book, Staircase of a Thousand Steps, which led me to read more of her books. I was curious about this woman who writes such compelling books about places that I'm not sure I would ever have the courage to visit. On her web site, I found a link to the AWWP and was impressed with the stories that I read.

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Cathy Marie Buchanan, author of The Day The Falls Stood Still, offers an impassioned plea to preserve the environment and natural beauty of Niagara Falls and prevent the planned high-rise development at the brink of the Falls.....

Lady Howard of Glossop, in her travel journals, published in 1897, describes Loretto Academy as "superbly situated on the highest ground, just above the Horseshoe Falls, commanding the whole bird's eye view of the Falls."   Because of its choice setting, Loretto was host to a steady stream of visitors including literary luminaries, ecclesiastical dignitaries and even, in 1901, the King and Queen of England.  Unfortunately, its choice setting has come into play once again, this time with a hotel developer planning three high-rises for the seven acres of treed green space surrounding the academy.

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