There’s nothing as festive as walking in a Winter wonderland…but it sure is cold! In this age of cell phones, texting, Tweeting, and multi-tasking, phones and mobile devices have become glued to our hands. Are you dreading another winter of clutching your gloves in one hand as you quickly type out messages with your freezing fingers? Sick of chilly fingers as you read the New York Times on your Kindle waiting for the bus in the snow? Then you will be delighted to know that there are now a special brand of gloves that you can keep on while you operate touchscreen devices!

Grandoe has a new line of Sensor Touch Gloves available, just in time for chilly winter weather. These gloves have conductive material woven throughout them, enabling the user to operate touchscreen devices, including smartphones, e-readers, GPS systems, and even ATMs or fuel pumps. I received a complimentary pair of their Leto Women’s Texting Gloves to try out, and I was very curious to see how this would work.

I’ll admit, I’ve tried to use my iPhone with regular gloves on before, and it does not work. When I received this pair of gloves, I decided to test them out during my physiotherapy walk – I use either my iPhone or Jai’s Android phone as a timer during these walks, since my physio involves walking a certain distance and building up the time. It was a cool fall evening, so it was high time to start donning winter accessories – I slipped these gloves on in addition to my scarf and legwarmers, and walked out the door.

I tried these gloves first with Jai’s Android, and sure enough, I had no trouble turning it on and opening the CardioTrainer application. It’s pretty nifty to be able to use a touchscreen device without having to stop and take my gloves off! Once we got home, I tried it out with my iPhone as well, and was able to navigate through various applications with the gloves still on. I tried typing out a test email with these gloves on, and it was a bit more cumbersome and slow than normal, but it is entirely possible to do without taking the gloves off – and I’m guessing it might get a little faster as you get used to using the gloves.

Wearing these gloves might not be quite as efficient as using your bare fingers, but it’s a great way to stay connected and warm during chilly commutes. You’ll never have to freeze your fingers texting in the snow again!

Grandoe’s Sensor Touch Gloves gloves are available for both men and women, making them a perfect gift for the tricky technophile on your list. The Leto, which I reviewed, retails for $40.

Visit Grandoe’s website and enter coupon code SLELEVEN to receive 15% off any full priced luxury handwear purchase, valid through the end of the year.

With Thanksgiving coming up next week, my US readers are probably planning their menu and making plans to visit loved ones. Thanksgiving is an important part of the holiday season in America, and is very dear to many people’s hearts. Brian D. Jaffe loves this holiday so much that he compiled a book called Thanksgiving Tales: True Stories of the Holiday in America, a collection of Thanksgiving stories.

I’ve always really enjoyed compilations of personal stories and anecdotes, so I suspected that I would enjoy this book. The 48 short stories in here come from all backgrounds and ages, both traditional and offbeat, with writing styles ranging from poetry to nostalgic memories to casual, modern prose. It’s quite a diverse collection – I’ve never read a book of holiday stories that was quite like this. Thanksgiving Tales ranges from recollections of childhood holidays spent on a farm in the 1940s to modern-day tales of transgendered couples hosting their first Thanksgiving. Some stories are glowing accounts of the joys of Thanksgiving past; others are melancholy memories, with contributions from people who downright hate the day! The diversity of the stories in this collection are what make it memorable. Not every story is compelling, but they are all unique and personal, because no two people experience a holiday quite the same way. But despite all the differences in backgrounds and traditions, the common thread of humanity is what ties all these experiences together and gives them common ground.

My favorite story in this book had to be the Italian-American family that put on such an elaborate spread of decadent food that they actually forgot to serve the turkey! I could also relate to the British family on a US military base, celebrating Thanksgiving with their Korean neighbors by serving Shepherd’s pie and eggrolls. As a Brit living in the US, I understand how turkey on Thanksgiving seemed odd to them – in the UK we eat turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes at Christmas, so having it on Thanksgiving always feels a bit like Christmas has come a month early to me! (Not necessarily a bad thing…I do love stuffing!)

This book is a perfect read during the holiday hustle and bustle – you can pick it up and read just one short story at a time, making it an ideal book to bring along on holiday travels. This would also be a great hostess gift if you are attending Thanksgiving at someone else’s house. Most of these stories are wholesome and heartwarming, though I should note that a few of them are irreverently modern and have very mild language – nothing you couldn’t say on TV, but I thought I should mention it so you can gauge this book’s appropriateness as a gift. Not much offends me, but I realize that your great-grandma may feel differently!

Thanksgiving Tales: True Stories of the Holiday in America edited by Brian D. Jaffe is available on Amazon for $12.38. You can learn more about this book at ThanksgivingTales.com. I received a promotional copy of this book for the purposes of this review.

The holidays are an interesting combination of high-pressure (Shopping! Baking! Family gatherings!) and goals for a more relaxed, productive life in the future (New Year’s Resolutions!). These days, it seems more and more challenging to fit time into your schedule for self-improvement pursuits. Sheevaun Moran is a meditation teacher with a background in a high-intensity corporate job, so she knows all about these kind of time pressures – and that’s why she has created a line of quick and easy meditation books and CDs to help those who are interested calming down their life but aren’t sure how or where to start. Whether you’re looking for a gift for someone on your list who is interested in New Age topics or simply want some peace in the midst of this busy season, then Moran’s product line may be of interest to you. And TWO lucky Contest Corner readers will win a Tropical Transformation meditation CD, so read on!

Sheevaun Moran’s CDs are quick, guided medications that you can use anytime you want a break from the daily grind. I received a copy of both her “Tropical Transformation” CD as well as the “Clutter No More” disc. When these CDs arrived during a hectic week, I honestly thought, “When will I have time to try these?”. Then I realized that the CDs were only 15 minutes long – that made it totally accessible, since I wasn’t “Committed” to meditating for hours! I really like the idea of using CDs for guided meditation, since it’s easier for me to follow along with that instead of trying to quiet my ever-busy mind on my own. It provides a structure that helps you get started and encourages you to stick with it; and since they are brief meditations, more people are more likely to actually do it, instead of filing it under the “Someday I’ll get around to it” file! These discs are great both as a gift for those with an interest in mediation as well as a tool for anyone wishing to simply relieve some stress during this hectic time of year.

The Tropical Transformation Meditation CD is available on SheevaunMoran.com for $12.95.

1. For your first entry, click here to visit SheevaunMoran.com, then come back here and leave a comment mentioning another product that you’d like to have. This step is required to qualify for the drawing.

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway and SheevaunMoran.com. Then come back here and leave me the link!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave me the link to your tweet! One Twitter entry per person. You can use the button at the bottom of this post to tweet with one click!
4. Subscribe to my blog updates by clicking here. Then come back and leave me the email you subscribed with!
5. Become a follower of my blog by clicking the “Follow” button in my sidebar! Then come back here and let me know in a separate comment!
6. Post Contest Corner’s button on your website – just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

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Coffee is a universally loved beverage, so it should come as no surprise that a coffee accessory is making an appearance in our gift guide! Today, I would like to introduce you to a product that would make a fab gift for everyone on your list from the coffee expert to newlyweds or even college students. That product is AeroPress Coffee & Espresso Maker – and one lucky Contest Corner reader will win an AeroPress of their own, so read on!

AeroPress Coffee & Espresso Maker is a unique, simple device that allows you to quickly and easily pull espresso shots and create delicious beverages – all you need is a kettle! AeroPress is an interesting take on a French press, using air pressure to create “Total immersion brewing”. AeroPress is a simple, manual coffee press that does not require any electricity to run – and its portable size means it could be used while traveling, in dorm rooms, or anywhere that you’re crammed for space. To brew a cup, you insert one small filter (A pack of which are included, and can be rinsed off and re-used) into the filter cap, which screws onto the brewing chamber. You then place this chamber directly over your cup (Or a carafe, if you desire a full pot’s worth), and insert a scoop of finely ground coffee. Add hot water from your kettle, stir, and then insert the plunger. Voilà! You now have an espresso shot in your cup. To this, you can add hot water to create an Americano, or hot milk for a café au lait. For further details on preparation, including a video demonstration, click here.

More About AeroPress:

“The AeroPress coffee and espresso maker is a $30 coffee press that has become popular with coffee lovers because it brews an absolutely delicious cup of coffee or espresso. The AeroPress utilizes a rapid, total immersion brewing process that is unlike that of other press-type coffee makers. AeroPress brewed coffee is smooth and rich, without the bitterness and high acidity found in coffee brewed by traditional, press or drip processes.”

AeroPress sent me a complimentary unit for review, and being the coffee fiend that I am, I was very eager to put this to the test! They actually included a small bag of fine coffee grounds so that I could see the recommended grind for this maker – I have a coffee grinder, but if you don’t, you can grind coffee in the grocery store or buy it from a coffee shop. I’m drinking a mug of AeroPress coffee right now, and I give it two thumbs up! I love the ease of which you can pull espresso shots with this maker, and I think it’s a versatile cafetiere that would be welcomed by anyone. Even those of us who have a lot of coffee equipment can enjoy this!

AeroPress Coffee & Espresso Maker is available at a variety of fine retailers for $30 – click here to locate a store near you. You can keep up with the latest news from AeroPress by becoming a fan of them on Facebook.

One lucky Contest Corner reader will win an AeroPress Coffee & Espresso Maker of their own! Here’s how to enter:

1. For your first entry, leave a comment on this post and tell me: What is your favorite way to prepare coffee? This step is required to qualify for the drawing.

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway and Aerobie.com. Then come back here and leave me the link!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave me the link to your tweet! One Twitter entry per person. You can use the button at the bottom of this post to tweet with one click!
4. Subscribe to my blog updates by clicking here. Then come back and leave me the email you subscribed with!
5. Become a follower of my blog by clicking the “Follow” button in my sidebar! Then come back here and let me know in a separate comment!
6. Post Contest Corner’s button on your website – just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

7. Add the Holiday Gift Guide 2011 badge to your website – just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

Do you know an aspiring writer who wants to pen “The great American novel” but is unsure where to start? This holiday season, consider giving the gift of inspiration in Write Publish & Market Your Book by Patrika Vaughn. And THREE lucky Contest Corner readers will each win a copy of this e-book, so read on!

I’ve been a journalist since 1997, and it’s been amazing to me to watch the industry change so rapidly with the advent of new technologies. I learned to type on a manual typewriter – I still tap my keyboard harder than I need to as a reflex from slamming my fingers down on those heavy keys! – and my first paid gig was writing columns for a newspaper. These days, my career utilizes mediums that didn’t even exist when I first got my start – there were no blogs or Twitter back then! It’s been exciting to watch the industry evolve and see a world of opportunities open up for authors around the world to get their voice heard in a way that simply was not possible a short time ago. Patrika Vaughn agrees, and hopes that her book Write Publish & Market Your Book can help more aspiring writers achieve their goal and get their work noticed.

I received a complimentary copy of this book to peruse, and I enjoyed reading it. Vaughn provides solid tips for getting started, crafting your story, creating a productive workspace, and more, in a helpful and encouraging manner. Write Publish & Market Your Book is full of good tips for those who wish to get a start but feel intimidated, and I also appreciated the sound advice provided to help green authors avoid pitfalls such as vanity publishing. In the chapter “Approaching The Markets”, I appreciate the author’s pragmatism and realism regarding the market. Getting a big publishing deal usually remains nothing but a dream for most authors; however, the Internet has revolutionized the industry – and like it or not, print is dying out, so a writer’s success can take many different forms these days. This book discusses the benefits of self-publishing, but since it was originally published in 1997, it doesn’t cover all of the options now available for electronic self-publishing via sites such as LuLu.com. I have seen both authors and musicians spend a fortune on producing books or CDs that they end up unable to sell, so I would personally advise that any new author carefully dip a toe in the water with on-demand publishing or ebook marketing (as this author has done) before investing a large sum of money on physical copies. Also, some authors are abandoning books altogether and marketing their writing on new platforms like blogs, so there are a lot of fascinating options available to writers now that didn’t exist a few years ago.

Because the industry has changed so rapidly, some of the information in this book regarding specific markets and places to pitch your manuscript is no longer as relevant as it was at the time of publication. However, good writing never goes out of style, and I think this is a good resource for the novice who wants to begin writing but doesn’t know where to start. Click here to visit Acappela.com to read the first chapter of Write Publish & Market Your Book for free.

Write Publish & Market Your Book by Patrika Vaughn is available on Acappela.com. The e-Book edition retails for $4.99 while paperback copies are available for $19.95; be sure to check out their “Gifts” section for special gift-wrapped sets just in time for the holidays!

About The Author:

Spanning a 25 year career, Patrika Vaughn has served as a professional writer, editor, ghostwriter and publisher. Her works have appeared in more than 100 national publications and she is listed in The International Writers and Authors Who’s Who, Outstanding People of the 21st Century and has been awarded The Order of Excellence in Who’s Who in the 21st Century. She teaches writing on both the university and community levels and holds writing seminars for corporate and community clients from Florida to Finland. Now incorporating her many skills, she has become the world’s foremost Author’s Advocate. Online classes and publications available through www.acappela.com including: Everything You Need to Know to WRITE, PUBLISH & MARKET YOUR BOOK, THE WRITER’S TOOL BOX, and HOW TO WRITE YOUR OWN LIFE STORY.

THREE lucky Contest Corner readers will each win the Write Publish & Market Your Book e-Book by Patrika Vaughn! The winners will receive this e-Book in PDF format sent via e-mail. Here’s how to enter:

1. For your first entry, click here to visit Acappela.com, then come back here and leave a comment on this post telling me something that you learned. This step is required to qualify for the drawing.

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway and Acappela.com. Then come back here and leave me the link!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave me the link to your tweet! One Twitter entry per person. You can use the button at the bottom of this post to tweet with one click!
4. Subscribe to my blog updates by clicking here. Then come back and leave me the email you subscribed with!
5. Become a follower of my blog by clicking the “Follow” button in my sidebar! Then come back here and let me know in a separate comment!
6. Post Contest Corner’s button on your website – just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

7. Add the Holiday Gift Guide 2011 badge to your website – just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

Sometimes when you’re racking your brains for a holiday gift, your best bet is to look for something classic. And if there’s a music lover on your list, there’s nothing that says “Classic” like Frank Sinatra. Just in time for the holidays, a 2-CD deluxe set called Sinatra: Best of the Best is being released so that fans can own some of Old Blue Eyes’ greatest hits. And one lucky Contest Corner reader will win a copy of this album, so read on!

Sinatra: Best of the Best is a collection of the crooner’s most-loved songs. Disc 1 contains 23 tracks, including “You Make Me Feel So Young”, “Strangers In The Night”, “Fly Me To The Moon”, “The Way You Look Tonight”, and so many more. Disc 2 contains a full live concert from Seattle that is otherwise out-of-print, with 19 live cuts. Whether you’re shopping for your Grandma or a music-loving college student, Sinatra is appreciated across the generations, making this unique two-disc set a fabulous present. Check out the following album information to learn more about this compilation and read quotes from Sinatra’s children, Nancy, Frank Jr., and Tina:

For the first time, Frank Sinatra’s greatest recordings for Capitol Records and his own Reprise Records have been gathered for one stellar collection. Sinatra: Best of the Best will be released in single-disc and deluxe 2CD packages on November 15, with insightful track notes written by Frank Sinatra Jr. Both configurations will also be available for download from all major digital providers.

Best of the Best’s chronological tracklist leads with 1953’s “I’ve Got The World On A String,” followed by 12 other classic tracks Sinatra recorded for Capitol between 1953 and 1960, including “Young At Heart,” “You Make Me Feel So Young,” “All The Way,” and “Come Fly With Me,” as well as the Sinatra recording that is the theme of “Married With Children,” “Love And Marriage.” 10 of Sinatra’s best Reprise recordings, released between 1962 and 1980, are also featured, including “Night And Day,” “The Way You Look Tonight,” “Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words),” “Strangers In The Night,” “My Way,” and “Theme From New York, New York.” Best of the Best’s 2-CD version adds a previously out-of-print and sought-after Seattle concert recording, and is packaged in a lift-top box with an expanded booklet and 6 postcards.

At Capitol Records, Frank Sinatra pioneered his landmark ‘concept’ albums. Working with arrangers such as Nelson Riddle, Billy May and Gordon Jenkins and singing the songs of Cole Porter, George and Ira Gershwin, and Rodgers and Hart, to name a few, set Sinatra’s recordings apart from those of all other vocalists of the 20th century and quite possibly all time.

In 1960, Frank Sinatra realized a dream when he founded Reprise Records. Sinatra was one of the first to recognize the value of artists owning their master recordings. The new label gave him the artistic and business freedom he longed for in his recording career. There Sinatra collaborated with new arrangers such as Johnny Mandel, Don Costa, and Quincy Jones, as well making albums with Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and Antonio Carlos Jobim.

During his years of recording for Capitol and Reprise, Sinatra was also making concert appearances around the world and starring in hit movies, including From Here To Eternity, Pal Joey, High Society, and The Manchurian Candidate.

Sinatra loved and found comfort in recording music, once saying “I adore making records. I’d rather do that than almost anything else. You can never do anything in life quite on your own – you don’t live on your own little island. Making a record is as near as you can get to it – although, of course, the arranger and the orchestra play an enormous part. But once you’re on that record singing, it’s you and you alone.”

Tina Sinatra recalls the ambience that was present in the studio while her father recorded saying, “I remember his command, it was palpable, you could feel the energy in the room. It was like this vacuum of power, all eyes were always on him. It was very similar to seeing him on stage.”

Frank Sinatra Jr. fondly remembers his father’s legendary sessions for Capitol and Reprise, saying “There was a tremendous level of excitement-air of expectation-every time he recorded. Everyone knew they were making the best records around. How could they miss? They had the best singer, best arrangers, best musicians, best engineers, and the best studios in town.”

Nancy Sinatra recalls the excitement of her father’s recording sessions at Capitol, saying, “I came to sessions whenever I could. We would go to dinner at the Villa Capri and then we would drive to Capitol. Attending record sessions at Capitol was like going to a concert today-it was the hottest ticket that you could get your hands on; it was fantastic. It was great for him to have a small audience in the room and everything was live. The orchestra was in the room and everybody as a result of that did their best. There was magic in those studios and that building.”

Frank Sinatra is one of the world’s most recognizable, admired and influential artists of all time, with a vast catalogue of music that is a soundtrack for our lives. Long acclaimed as the world’s greatest performer of popular music, he is the artist who set the standard for all others to follow. More than a singer, he was an actor, recording artist, nightclub and concert star, radio and television personality and, on occasion, producer, director and conductor. Besides recording nearly 1,500 songs, he starred in some 60 motion pictures.

A beloved entertainer for six decades, Sinatra earned three Oscars, three Golden Globes (including the Cecil B. DeMille Award), ten personal Grammys (and a total of 20 for his albums), an Emmy, a Peabody and the Kennedy Center Honors Award. A generous charitable contributor, he was honored with the prestigious Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In addition, Sinatra was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor and the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress’ highest civilian award.

Track Listing:

Sinatra: Best of the Best
1. I’ve Got The World On A String
2. My Funny Valentine
3. Young At Heart
4. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning
5. Love And Marriage
6. You Make Me Feel So Young
7. I’ve Got You Under My Skin
8. The Lady Is A Tramp
9. Witchcraft
10. All The Way
11. Come Fly With Me
12. Angel Eyes
13. Nice ‘N’ Easy
14. Night And Day
15. The Way You Look Tonight
16. My Kind Of Town
17. Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words)
18. It Was A Very Good Year
19. Strangers In The Night
20. Summer Wind
21. That’s Life
22. My Way
23. Theme From New York, New York

CD 2 – In Concert: Live In Seattle (out-of-print)
1. Introduction/You Make Me Feel So Young
2. It Happened In Monterey
3. At Long Last Love
4. I Get A Kick Out Of You
5. Just One Of Those Things
6. A Foggy Day
7. The Lady Is A Tramp
8. They Can’t Take That Away From Me
9. I Won’t Dance
10. Sinatra Dialogue
11. When Your Lover Has Gone
12. Violets For Your Furs
13. My Funny Valentine
14. Glad To Be Unhappy
15. One For My Baby
16. The Tender Trap
17. Hey Jealous Lover
18. I’ve Got You Under My Skin
19. Oh! Look At Me Now

Sinatra: Best of the Best will be available on November 15th for $26.98 – click here to pre-order it now. Keep up with the latest news by visiting FrankSinatra.com or Frank Sinatra’s Facebook page.

One lucky Contest Corner reader will win the deluxe 2-CD edition of Sinatra: Best of the Best! Here’s how to enter:

1. For your first entry, just leave a comment on this post and tell me what your favorite Frank Sinatra song is! This step is required to qualify for the drawing.

Want extra entries? Do any of the following, and leave a separate comment for each one:

2. Write a post on your blog linking to this giveaway and FrankSinatra.com. Then come back here and leave me the link!
3. Write about this on Twitter, then come back and leave me the link to your tweet! One Twitter entry per person. You can use the button at the bottom of this post to tweet with one click!
4. Subscribe to my blog updates by clicking here. Then come back and leave me the email you subscribed with!
5. Become a follower of my blog by clicking the “Follow” button in my sidebar! Then come back here and let me know in a separate comment!
6. Post Contest Corner’s button on your website – just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it:

7. Add the Holiday Gift Guide 2011 badge to your website – just copy and paste the following code, and let me know where you put it: