“A good book remains one of life’s true miracles . . . a remarkable value. What you are getting for the money is the result of several years of work on an author’s part, and a lifetime of learning. In some cases, a man or woman struggles for most of his or her life to produce one book. All the experiences of that lifetime, all the encounters and conversations, may have gone into the wisdom that produced the book.” – Bob Green, syndicated columnist and author
Barbara Brabec’s Current Books
Barbara’s “Amazon Central” Page
OF BARBARA’S BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS, reviewers have said that her descriptions “shine with such realism, humor, heartbreak and clarity that she conveys a picture with words;” and that she “knows how to tell a good story” and has “a refreshing style of storytelling.”
Marcella’s Secret Dreams and Stories—A Mother’s Legacy, by Barbara Brabec and Marcella Eliza Schaumburg (Print edition).
“… perhaps the finest jewel in Barbara’s publishing crown.”
– from a review on Amazon
THE STORY of a remarkable woman and three generations of a Midwest farming family—with insight into Barbara’s personal life as well. The authentic dialogue, stories, and unusual collection of letters in this book offer a mixture of history, humor, drama, and pathos. In particular, this book illustrates what life was like before the many products, advanced technology, and conveniences of life we take for granted today—most notably, cell phones, computers, and the internet.
—> The book’s page includes links to Table of Contents, reviews, and related articles.
The Drummer Drives! Everybody Else Rides—The Musical Life and Times of Harry Brabec, Legendary Chicago Symphony Percussionist and Humorist. (Print and eBook editions)
“… reveals Brabec’s considerable talent as a storyteller.”
– from a review on Amazon
A UNIQUE VIEW of a colorful period of Chicago’s musical entertainment history that is spiced with romance, drama, and Harry’s wit and humor. If you have an interest in music, life, love, marital relationships, and the “human condition,” you’ll find much to ponder and plenty of things to laugh about in this unusual, highly acclaimed book. Of special interest are backstage peeks into the lives and personalities of Chicago Symphony musicians and conductors, Shubert Theater and Melody Top musicals and stars, and other entertainers of the day; Harry’s big band days and Chicago’s recording studios; plus stories about Walt Disney World’s underground and the life of a Disney musician.
—> The book’s page includes links to Table of Contents, reviews, and related articles.
To read Kindle editions of Barbara’s Books on your MAC, PC, phone, or tablet, download Amazon’s free Reading App here.
New Book In Progress . . .
CALL OF THE HEART—A Rescue Dog’s Dream, by Barbara Brabec
GINGER was the remarkable dog Barbara and Harry rescued in the woods of Missouri in the seventies. This book is based on the dog’s true and dramatic life story told in first person in alternating chapters from two points of view—Ginger’s and Barbara’s. This will be Barbara’s first work of fiction based on a true story. (Join my blog’s mailing list if you’d like to be notified when this book is published.)
Barbara’s Short-Story Kindle Books
• Small Cowboys and Reflections of the Heart—A Short Story. “Heart Warming,” “A Sweet Read,” “A Kinder, Gentler Time …”
• A Few Choice Words: The Fine Art of Talking to People Who Don’t Speak Your Language. A collection of amusing anecdotes and short stories. “A light, easy read with a comical twist.”
Book details and reviews HERE.
For more of Barbara’s short stories, see Articles/Stories.
Barbara’s Classic Home Business Books
SIX OF THESE BOOKS—some of which enjoyed multiple editions—were published by various trade book publishers between 1979-2006. Barbara also published a couple of home business books early in her career. Highly acclaimed by reviewers and readers alike, these books were life-changing for thousands of readers. All of these books are either out of print now or soon will be. Click HERE for the history of Barbara’s trade-published and self-published home-business books.
Ten Million Words and Counting . . .
THE COMBINED WORD COUNT in Barbara Brabec’s home business books is well over half a million words of good advice, but when you add all the words in previous editions of each of her books, and consider that each new edition was often a total rewrite, Barbara figures she has surely written well over a million words in her trade books alone.
Add to this the three print books, eBooks, and reports she has self-published, the twenty years of print newsletters she wrote and published, her promotional newsletters, ezines, and several magazine columns (one of which ran monthly for twenty years) . . . plus all the content originally on Barbara Brabec’s World and two earlier blog sites . . . and you’ll find the total estimate of her outpouring of published words to be simply uncountable.
Almost forgot her many unpublished private journals, articles, stories, and books still in progress. Barbara used to joke that she had typed her way to the moon and back, but now she likes to think of it as “Ten million words . . . and counting.”
Why read books?
“A wonderful thing about a book in contrast to a computer screen,” said Daniel J. Boorstein, “is that you can take it to bed with you.”
(Whoops! He wrote that before the Kindle was a gleam in Amazon’s eye! Thankfully, we can now take our Kindle or other mobile device to bed with us.)