Dear Friends,

It is with great enthusiasm that I announce Hartford Books Examiner’s inaugural Holiday Book Giveaway Extravaganza.

Starting tomorrow (Monday, December 7) and running straight through Christmas Eve, I will be hosting a stellar, pinch-me worthy line-up of guest authors—including some of the nation’s most celebrated names, as well as local treasures who give Connecticut residents reason to be proud. They will be offering you holiday greetings, family recipes and traditions, personal reflections on Christmases past, excerpts and insights from their books, you name it…

Oh, and did I forget to mention that a copy of each author’s book—and occasionally multiple copies, as well as a few other goodies —will be given away to readers selected at random? All you have to do to be eligible to win is leave a comment (including your email address). If it sounds too good to be true, it’s not.

I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but I will give you a few hints as to who is scheduled to appear…

*A dynamic mother-daughter writing duo. Mother is known far and wide as “America’s Queen of Suspense” and has been praised for her ability to go for the jugular while Daughter has been accused of taking direct aim at the funny bone…

*A best-selling CT resident whose titles have been personally selected by Oprah for her book club—twice!

*A highly acclaimed author with more than 100 books to his name—including the ongoing Murder, She Wrote series, which has kept amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher alive for her legions of fans.

*A perennial presence on best-seller lists throughout the country who has written or contributed to more than 36 Christmas-themed books alone—and 150 + titles altogether.

It is a true honor to be hosting such distinguished guests, and I am thankful for their donations of both time and spirit. I hope that you will help me in welcoming them to Hartford Books Examiner…

Here is the link: http://www.examiner.com/x-3859-Hartford-Books-Examiner.

Happy Holidays!

John

PS – Might I suggest that you subscribe to my column? Doing so will ensure that you receive an email notification when each new entry is posted—meaning that you won’t have to worry about missing a single opportunity to win.

And be sure to tell your family and friends—the more, the merrier!

OK, now that I've had my Starbucks fix, I thought I'd take a quick moment to update you on our travels. Today, Chelsey and I headed to El Yunque-home to a tropical rainforest. All the attractions were set off of a road that was somewhat reminiscent of Hana (in Maui), and we first toured a 99-step observation tower before stopping by the side of a road to have our picture taken in front of a mini-waterfall. But our true destination was a larger waterfall set in the heart of a rainforest. It was a very intense thirty minute hike--at least for us!--with twists and turns (not to mention steep inclines and declines) in abundance. The waterfall itself was breathtaking, and you were able to swim under the cascading water. (Not that I did.) Unfortunately, tourists hindered my efforts to get a full, clean shot of the area, and there were no coconuts to throw at them to clear the area. The walk back was mostly a blur, with Chelsey reporting that she doesn't think she looked up from the ground once. Upon exiting the trail, Chelsey wiped off her mud-spattered legs with a leaf and we headed to the concession stand for a much needed drink. And wouldn't you know that it was closed? (I guess we know where those laid-off employees worked...) After changing out of our sweat-stained clothes, I took some sundown beach pictures before we had a Cuban dinner at Ropa Vieja. (I still maintain that our waiter was prejudiced against continental Americans, but that's a story for a different day.) We then took a quick detour before returning to the hotel, and Chelsey helped me to remove a Gloria poster from a public wall. Talk about a souvenir...

Yesterday, Chelsey and I ventured to the beach in Laquillo after hearing that it was the most beautiful one on the island. (This was after we had lunch at Fuddruckers, of course.) I was able to get some nice shots, both from the public and private sides, but we were dismayed to see that they charge you for the privilege of using the bathroom. Needless to say, we weren't long for la playa, and so we headed to Wal-Mart to kill time before our kayaking adventure. While there, I picked up a copy of Gloria's "Oye Mi Canto: Los Exitos" to make the travel time more enjoyable--not to say that driving the wrong way down a one-way street isn't entertaining. (And yes, I do have a copy at home--but this is Puerto Rico!) Then, it was on to the town of Fajardo to see bioluminescence--the production and emission of light by a living organism (which can only be viewed at five locations in the world, three of which are in Puerto Rico). To be able to view this natural phenomenon, we had to kayak thirty minutes out to the designated area. Which required navigating through narrow channels in near pitch-black conditions. And let me just say that I must have the body of a 90 year-old because that was not comfortable for me! But I digress... Chelsey and I did fairly well making it out there without losing our group, and it was certainly an experience to see the water light up when you ran your hand through it. Going back, however, was a chore, as it was completely dark. We hit a few trees, found our kayak going backwards a few times, and ended up being one of the last two groups back--with a special escort from one of the guides! (It would have helped if Chelsey was paddling more than air...) On the flip side, everybody else was held up in a tightly formed line while we got to be the second group out of the water--much to the chagrin of the skilled folks who had made it back first! Sadly, I have no pictures from this, as cameras weren't allowed because of the conditions. I did snap several from the beaches that we, though, so enjoy!

Today, Chelsey and I decided to "tour" the forts in Old San Juan. (You might recall that we were too fatigued to do so on Thursday.) We got a late start because we had a late night--one of us was up till 3:30 cropping pictures of Gloria! Our first order of business, however, was lunch. We went to Senor Frog's, where I got a free meal because my chicken parmigiana wasn't ready in half an hour. (Who knew?) The atmosphere was only sightly rowdy--the occasional blowing of frenzied whistles and waitresses pouring drinks down people's throats--and the decor was superb. (The bar chairs were shaped like butts clad in thongs!) Then, it was on to the second fort. (OK, you caught me--we saw the first fort before lunch but it was hardly worth mentioning...) Throngs of people were assembled outside, and many of them were flying ornate kites on the green, which was cool to see. The structure itself was amazing--several levels, and all with spectacular views and intricate architecture. Needless to say, I took dozens of pictures--to the point where Chelsey was feeling slightly neglected. My only complaint would be the stairs. If you're going to see the fort, you're going to walk--and if you're in as sad shape as I am, you're gonna feel it! As we reached the road, I stumbled to a vendor, purchased a Coke, and downed it. That probably offset all the walking, huh?

Oh, and we did end up driving the wrong way down a one-way street. Again. How does that keep happening? You can enjoy a small sampling of my photos as I ponder that...

Last night, Chelsey and I had front row seats to Gloria's concert in Puerto Rico. (Not front row as in Foxwoods, though--they herd you in here!) Before the show, we picked up our tickets at the coliseum and met up with some of our Conga friends to do some stalking. Sure enough, we saw Gloria and the band arrive for a 2:30 soundcheck, but there was no opportunity for pictures. (I did debate throwing myself in the road so they'd have to stop, but I thought that might be taking it a bit too far...) To kill time, we headed to the mall, where we saw Pandorum--just one question: what the hell?--and I bought a copy of "Mi Tierra" to listen to in the car. (Can you believe I left all of my CDs home? Me without Gloria is like a prostitute without birth control--not good!) After heading back to the arena, we began stashing cameras and other restricted items "just in case." I had a recorder down my pants for a short period of time, but that didn't work out well for me, and so Chelsey ended up smuggling it in--along with two cameras down her shirt. Fortunately, Gloria is good about pictures, and so we were free to snap away once we got inside the venue. The show started a bit late (9:15), but Gloria hit the stage with energy and enthusiasm, and performed for nearly 2.5 hours. She had provided 2,000 tickets for recently laid-off government workers, and her acknowledgment of them in front of an appreciative audience was typical of her kind-hearted nature. The show itself was phenomenal, and it was a homecoming for many members of the Miami Sound Machine, who were playing in front of family and friends. Gloria sang mostly her Spanish hits, and it was nice to hear a different repertoire--including a few songs I've never heard live before. (It's amazing to think just how many hits this woman has had--if she'd performed more than a sampling of her English songs, the concert would have doubled in length!) Of course, "Conga" had everybody on their feet, and the encore of "Dr. Beat/Get On Your Feet/I Just Wanna Be Happy" was madness. The explosion of confetti that brought the concert to a close typified the word for the night: Fiesta!

You can all relax--I survived our voyage through the Rio Camuy Caves this afternoon. Despite an abundance of stalagmites, scorpion spiders, and bat poop, I walked away relatively unscathed. (Of all the dangers, I think the cheeseburger from the cafeteria was the worst...) While in the caves--which, sadly, were not very photogenic due to the darkness--we got to see rock formations that supposedly looked like an Indian chief and an assortment of foods (broccoli, a bacon strip, and popcorn among them)--images that I call "coincidence." But that may be my bitterness talking, as I was led to believe that the tour would be a sit-down experience. The only sitting involved, however, was during the ride to and from the cave, in which I was squished between two people in a seat that was very clearly not meant to hold three. Upon returning to more familiar territory in Condado, I was disheartened to learn that even the Dunkin' Donuts here does not carry pumpkin flavoring. We had dinner at Tejanos, which was one of the restaurants Chelsey had read about in her brochures, and I was further disappointed when my beef enchiladas (with a "natural green sauce") came out covered in sour cream. So I salvaged what I could and then headed straight to Starbucks for a cinnamon bun. On the way, Chelsey and I attempted to "obtain" one of the gazillion promotional posters for Gloria's concert that are plastered up and down the streets. Though we had the cover of darkness on our side, we ripped about a dozen before realizing that it was futile. I'd better come away with something other than memories from tomorrow's show...




















And here's some footage of set-up and rehearsals for Gloria's concert, which is going to blow Puerto Rico away tomorrow night...

Today, Chelsey and I visited historic Old San Juan, where we took our own walking tour of the area. There was interesting architecture, pigeons, and construction in abundance--and I'm pretty sure we stumbled upon a bloody crime scene outside of the Chicago Burger! (See picture below.) After trekking it in the oppressive heat, we had lunch at Hard Rock Cafe (where they had some nice Gloria memorabilia for me to ogle) and ice cream at Ben & Jerry's. We also saw the Fort--but from a distance, as neither of us had the energy to walk to it, let alone through it. Then, it was back to the car so that we could turn up the AC and head to the Plaza Las Americas. Getting there was a chore--the drivers here are worse than Bostonians, if you can believe it--and Chelsey found herself driving the wrong way on a one-way street for a short period of time. (Fortunately, a panic-stricken police officer waived us in the right direction...) Still, we took a few wrong turns, and found ourselves hopelessly lost in the slums of Puerto Rico (with Chelsey alternating between tears of frustration and shouts of rage). At the mall, I headed straight to Borders and scored a copy of James Patterson's WITCH & WIZARD--a book that's not scheduled for release until December! We also saw "Couples Retreat," which opens tomorrow in the continental United States but has been playing at the Caribbean Cinemas all week. (I'm not sure what's up with these release dates here...but I like it!) On the way out, I downed some coconut soft serve, and then we braved the roads again so that we could come back to the hotel and watch Gloria on CNN. Chelsey, who was slightly hungry, took a quick walk to Subway and got me a Cuban sandwich. I had no business eating it. But I did. And I'm still burping up pickle...

Fear not, dear readers--Chelsey and I have arrived safe and sound for a week of adventures in Puerto Rico. Actually, I'm just here to see Gloria, but Chelsey has this notion that we'll be touring caves, riding horses, and hiking through the rainforest. Ha! (I told her I'd just assume lay in bed with a book in my hand and the AC cranked up...) My two other areas of interest? Eating and shopping. Oh, and there's a casino in our hotel... We had a great flight in this morning. Well, I did, anyway. Chelsey, on the other hand, had a kicker sitting behind her and a nervous man who must have thought he was Esteban beside her--he sang warbled Spanish on and off for four hours! Upon arrival, we picked up our rental car at Enterprise and hit the highway--Chelsey driving, as I prefer to be chaufeured. One of the first sights to greet me was a billboard of Gloria overlooking the highway. I immediately thought to myself, Could this be heaven? Unfortunately, while I was lost in my own thoughts, I neglected to reference the directions (or even open them, for that matter), and Chelsey missed our exit. After a nice tour of Puerto Rico, we made our way back to our hotel (in Condado Plaza) and set out in search of food. As funny as this might sound, you probably won't be too surprised to learn that we ended up eating our first meal here at Chili's. (I know, I know--but Chelsey wanted chips and salsa.) We also walked around a bit so that I could snap some pictures for your enjoyment. As I write this, Chelsey is down at the pool soaking up the sun. But I'm gonna be a good blogger and post pictures for you everyday so that you can live vicariously through me...

















And here's a video of Gloria arriving in Puerto Rico:

Whether you're a lover or a hater, one thing is for sure: Nobody has a voice like Whitney Houston's. After a seven year absence in which she hit rock bottom, Whitney has cleaned herself up and moved on. (The divorce was long overdue, don't you think?) And she's making her case for musical viability with "I Look To You," a new CD of all original material. Released today, the album--which many retailers failed to stock due to its atypical street date--features a beautiful picture of the diva looking healthy (as opposed to skeletal) and a sticker proclaiming it to be "the most anticipated new album of the year." I'm all for giving people second (and sometimes third and fourth) chances, and so I picked it up today and gave it a spin on my way home. The verdict? Pretty good. While it would seem that the soaring high notes are indeed gone for good (which is perhaps the natural progression of an aging artist), she still sounds better than you'd expect given the punishment she put her body through. And that voice, though matured, is still beautiful and unparalleled. Sadly, the one weakness of the album is the material, most of which does not seem fitting a singer of Whitney's stature. While the majority of the songs are feel good R&B grooves that'll have you throwing your hands up, there's not one that stands out as a true classic. The closest is the classy title track, a power ballad that is inspiring but lacks the requisite drama. Other standouts are the Alicia Keys penned "Million Dollar Bill" and "Call You Tonight." Sadly, the rest of the songs are pleasant but forgettable. And the real disappointment is Diane Warren's contribution, "I Didn't Know My Own Strength." Kudos to the hitmaker for trying to capture Whitney's triumphs and tribulations in four minutes, but the lyrics come off as disjointed and sloppy. (C'mon--who uses the words "tumble" and "crumble" in a song's chorus?) Still, mad props to Whitney for going through hell and making it back to the other side. Regardless of where this album is lacking, it's still leaps and bounds above the efforts of most of her contemporaries. And it's so nice to hear Whitney sing with joy again...