Chicken and Sponge

When You Buy From Amazon, Enter Through the Chicken and Sponge Shop

You can help support Chicken and Sponge by shopping Amazon.com.  The Chicken and Sponge Shop is an Amazon store.  Just be sure to complete your purchase after entering Amazon through Chicken and Sponge.  Go through the store or use any of the Amazon widgets on this site.  Yours truly thanks you.

If You Ever Buy From Amazon, then Please, Enter Through The Chicken and Sponge Shop

There it is.  Look to your right, now down a little.  Do you see it?  The Chicken and Sponge Shop.  Put your little cursor on it and click.  Voila!  You have now entered Amazon.com.

If you ever buy anything from Amazon, please come to Chicken and Sponge and enter through the Chicken and Sponge Shop to make your Amazon purchases. 

 The hook is, you can't just leave your purchases in your cart and come back to them later.  No, if you aren't ready to buy at that time, please print out your list or write it down and when you are ready to purchase, then come back to Chicken and Sponge and proceed through my shop and keep on going straight through check-out.

That way, I earn a tiny commission, and it doesn't cost you anything extra.

You can also use the Amazon Search widget or any of that other Amazon stuff you see  located right below the Chicken and Sponge Shop.  I'll earn commissions through that, too.  Also, if you don't see what you want in my shop, just search from within my shop and I earn credit for whatever you buy.  Neat, huh? 

Amazon can be overwhelming because Amazon has just about EVERYTHING.  While it is all available by entering through the Chicken and Sponge Shop, I have tried to fill the shop with items that I find interesting or think are the best of their kind.  I try to make it easier for you to shop by not overwhelming you with the millions of choices that Amazon offers.

Hey, the prices are great and the shipping is fast, too.  Can't beat it.  I'd like to thank you in advance for shopping Amazon by entering The Chicken and Sponge Shop.

The Chicken and Sponge Shop: Here's How It Works

Welcome to the Chicken and Sponge Shop.  That's it--to your right.  I'm still building the store and I'm always open to suggestions with what to "stock".  Currently, the shop has four categories and I'll add more soon.

The first category is the book shop called Absorbing Reads.  The books that are listed are ones that have totally obsessed me while I was reading them, the kind of books that you can lose yourself in.  In later posts I will discuss some of the individual books or series (I love a good series).

The second category is Multimedia--Chill, Grow, Escape.  This may seem like a catch-all category, but there is a common thread.  The first couple of pages in this category is music--my kind of music.  Most of it is new age, very beautiful, soothing or sexy, the kind of music that speaks to your soul and transports you.  Great music to put on in a bar if people start getting out of control.  Music is followed by new age books and self-improvement.  Then there are a few pages of the best exercise DVDs.  I highly recommend the ones I've stocked.  Lastly in this category are movies and television series on DVD.  Some of these I will feel compelled to write about in the future because there are some real gems here.

My third category is Toys and Fun Stuff.  I will admit that there are some weird things in here, too, because this category contains toys suitable for adults as well as for kids.  Prime example?  The Marie Antoinette action figure with removable head and guillotine.  Don't worry, there are great things for kids in here, too, like various craft kits, "ugly dolls", and more, much more.

The last category in the Chicken and Sponge Shop (so far) is Special Needs and Personal Care.  Whether you live remotely or have a special needs family member, this is a one-stop shop for supplies--from cases of adult pull-ups to supplements to wheelchairs and more.

The Chicken and Sponge Shop is an Amazon aStore.  Everything that I offer is found on Amazon.  Amazon can be pretty overwhelming some times, though, with thousands and thousands of selections for one simple keyword.  My shop is a slice of Amazon, making it more manageable.

For anyone wanting to order from Amazon, whether you order something I have listed or not, if you enter Amazon by entering the Chicken and Sponge Shop and pay for your purchase at that time (instead of filling your cart and paying later), I will earn a small commission.  This will be much appreciated.

Amazon is a terrific company.  Their prices are very competitive, the shipping is fast, the selection is huge, and their return policy is very easy.

Please check out the Chicken and Sponge Shop, located in the right margin, by clicking on it.  This will open the store and you can explore.  Readers, I would love some feedback.  At the end of each post is a place to click and comment.  I'd really like to know what you think and I'd love to know what you think I should be stocking in the Chicken and Sponge Shop.

Featured This Week in the Chicken and Sponge Shop: The Novels of Lawrence Block

Lawrence Block is one of my favorite authors.  That is why I have such a ridiculous number of his books in the Chicken and Sponge Shop (click on the shop at the right to enter and explore).  It amazes me that a writer can be so prolific and yet write such high-caliber works.  I have a couple pages of his books offered in my shop and these aren't even all of his works.  I may edit some out and rotate the books in and out in the future, but for now, here is an overview.

Lawrence Block has several series, but the books in these series do not need to be read in order.  My favorite series are his Mathew Scudder novels.  Mathew Scudder is a former New York police detective, now a private eye.  He messed up his life with booze and accepting kick-backs.  He divorced, quit drinking, moved into a run-down hotel and started working as a P.I.

The Mathew Scudder books are gritty.  These are page turners with finely drawn, fully developed characters, but Block is concise in his use of language.  He uses it precisely and sparingly so that the reader isn't burdened with pages of flowery description and narrative.  Though Matt Scudder regularly attends AA meetings, he is not in the least preachy.  The crimes are brutal, but Block doesn't over-sensationalize them.  Once again, he is concise and sparing, but very on-the-mark in his use of descriptive language.

Among my favorites are: Dance at the Slaughter House, Ticket to the Boneyard, Eight Million Ways to Die, and When the Sacred Gin Mill Closes.

Lawrence Block has also written the Evan Tanner novels, about an international spy who never sleeps (literally, he can't--he's awake 24/7), the Hitman novels ( the main character is indeed a professional assassin and a very intelligent and interesting character) and his Burglar books ( the main character Bernie Rhodenbarr owns a used book store, but always finds himself in situations where he has to call on his skills as a professional cat burglar, never allowing him to retire.  The Burglar books are light, as opposed to gritty, and very funny).

He's one of my favorites.  If you're unfamiliar with the works of Lawrence Block, do yourself a favor and pick up one of his books.  It's a great way to spend the weekend.

Featured This Week in the Chicken and Sponge Shop: "Outlander"

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to read.  Mick and I have a mixed marriage.  He loves sports; I love books.  The marriage works because I can read through his basketball games and he doesn't mind that I never speak to him while he's driving.

"Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon is not just a book.  It's actually the first of six that tells one story.  When Diana started writing "Outlander" she had no idea that her story would turn into six books, but that is how long it took to tell this sweeping adventure/ love story.  Less, and she wouldn't have done it justice.

I'm not going to give a detailed synopsis of the story.  I'm going to tell you why you should read this.  "Outlander" and the rest of the books in the series, combine the best elements of historical fiction, fantasy (time travel), adventure, and grown-up, enduring love with vivid, believable characters who are true to their times and places. There is enough action that these can't be dismissed as "women's books".  The medical procedures alone will appall and delight.  Diana Gabaldon took the hard to believe (time travel) and makes it so real that readers will want to find that location in Scotland and see if they can pass through the rocks.  This is romance with a capitol R.

I love nothing better than finding a great book and then finding out that it is first in a series.  Diana Gabaldon had already written the first five books before Louisa Whitmarsh, librarian-extraordinaire of Pelican, Alaska, made me aware of their existence.  It was torture waiting for the sixth book to hit the stores, but I survived and actually went on to read the entire series twice within four years.  No better recommendation than that.

The "Outlander"  series should come with a warning label.  These books are addicting.  Dust will settle, dinners will be late, and the light on the bedstand will burn into the wee hours until each and every book has been consumed.

Thank you, Lousia, you enriched my life.

Check it out.  You'll see that I'm right. Mick's waiting for the movie.