I was shopping in a local suburban Borders book store the other day and a noticed a big change. The Young Adult books which had formerly been housed in a small section inside the Kids' Books area, were now not only in the main part of the store, but were made very noticeable with big displays and aisles in different directions.

Many adults are now reading YA novels. The Harry Potter series set this in motion. Then the Twilight series cemented the idea that adults can love YA just as much as teens, if not more. Since I've begun reviewing Young Adult novels, I have been surprised at how much I am enjoying them. Adults will be much more apt to buy YA books if they don't have to go searching in the kids section to do so.

I have noticed that YA publishers are trying to attract more teens to their books also. Simon and Schuster has created a website, Pulse It, that allows teens between the ages of 14 and 18 to read books free online and then review them on the site. Since teenagers are more prone to listen to recommendations from their peers than from adults, I think this is a great strategy. The Pulse It site also includes Blogs and Message Boards about Young Adult books.

Penguin Publishers has created a YA Central page. This page offers short videos dealing with their Young Adult books. They could include an interview with an author, a group of teens discussing a book or a trailer for a movie being made from a YA book. While not as interesting to teens, this could be a great site for parents, teachers and librarians to learn more about new Young Adult books.

What do you think about all this. Are you an adult that has begun to read YA books? Have you been noticing them more and more? Are you a teen that now has parents reading your books? If you are an adult and haven't tried any yet, I would highly recommend doing so. Check out the Hunger Games. The much awaited sequel, Catching Fire, will be out soon. If you click on "Books" in the label widget on this page you will find many reviews or write-ups on some excellent Young Adults books currently on the market.

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Girlforce by Nikki Goldstein helps young women better understand their bodies and their personalities. It offers information on beauty, health, fitness, and much more. Through the excerpts and other resources in the book, teenage girls and their parents can get beauty and fashion tips, explore meditation techniques, learn yoga postures and more. Below is a guest post by Nikki Goldstein on just on area of her amazing book:

Wanna Get To Know Your Mum?
She can be the best friend a girl ever had or your worst nightmare. Find out tonnes of secret stuff about your Mum by testing your daughter-IQ and discovering her Body Type. The best news of all……once you know her Body Type you’ll discover new ways to improve your relationship with her.

1. Which celeb is most like your Mum?
a) Cool and quirky Teri Hatcher
b) Confident and passionate Olivia Newton John
c) Laid back and loving Susan Sarandon

2. Her fashion style could best be described as?
a) Creative, adventurous, funky
b) Sporty, fashionable, sexy
c) Classic, well groomed, good eye for detail

3. Her body frame would be best described as?
a) Slim with a small frame, either very tall or petite
b) Medium frame with good muscle definition
c) Solid or curvaceous frame, can gain weight easily

4. Her skin would best be described as?
a) Her skin is prone to dryness with an olive complexion
b) Her skin is sensitive, burns easily, has reddish undertones and is warm to the touch
c) Her skin is oily, thick and pale. It’s cool to the touch.

5. Her approach to getting good marks at school is?
a. She can worry a lot about me, so even though she doesn’t expect me to be the Dux of the school she want me to do my best
b. She’s quite competitive and wants me to get good marks
c. Relaxed, she’s not that ambitious for me

6. Which qualities best describe her?
a. Sensitive, creative, adventurous
b. Loyal, intense, passionate
c. Kind, forgiving, easy-going

7. When it comes to food she?
a. Eats like a bird and often forgets to eat
b. Can’t live without food, in fact she gets cranky if she has to miss a meal
c. Loves food but is rarely starving

8. When it comes to sleep she?
a. Sleeps lightly, has tonnes of dreams
b. Pushes herself hard during the day so she goes out like a light at night
c. Sleeps like a log and seems drowsy when you wake her


Suss Out Your Mum

Mostly a’s – She’s an intelligent and creative Air Mum
Mostly b’s – She’s a feisty and sassy Fire Mum
Mostly c’s – She’s a lush and laid-back Earth Mum

Air Mums
Air Mums are generally out-going, chatty and quirky. Of all the Body Types they are the most sensitive and are easily wounded. (She’ll remember every mean thing you say to her). Air Mums are without doubt the most embarrassing of all the Types because they love to be thought of as being “different”. Whether her chosen career is as a musican or actress she’s often singing in the shower or playing to the crowd (even if the crowd is just the family sitting around the dinner table). Air Mum’s are often witty, entertaining, creative, inspiring, fair-minded, rebellious, challenging and innovative. She’s the Mum most likely to be mates with all your girlfriends. She’s a wild child at heart so trust her, she understands you better than you imagine. You love her because she’s a true original.

Air Mother Wisdom: She teaches you independence and creativity

Fire Mums
Fire Mums are passionate and intense. They make committed and focused parents who take their roles very seriously. Fire Mums are loyal, big-hearted, generous, compassionate and energetic. However, when they’re stressed they can be aggressive, insensitive and impatient. Fire Mums are the archetypal warriors who will stop at nothing to protect their loved ones. (She’s the Mum who runs along the side of the netball court telling the umpires how to do their job). The best advice for coping with a feisty Mum is to try not to fight fire with fire. If you want to get along with her, or you want your own way, you need to reason with her – don’t go head to head with a Fire Mum, you’re the one who is likely to get burned.

Mother Wisdom: She teaches you courage and gives you the power to pursue your dreams

Earth Mums
Earth Mum’s are steady, calm, easygoing, affectionate and loving. They make caring, sweet and generous parents. Earth Types are said to be the most affectionate of all the Types - they can literally smother you with mother-love. Earth Mums are natural entertainers and like to throw lavish parties and celebrations. When they are happy they are open, generous and friendly but when they are ignored they become withdrawn and depressed. Mellower than most mothers, her easy-going attitudes make her a cool companion who will listen to all your secrets. Blessed with patience and stability she’s often the one your friends turn to for nurturing and advice.

Mother Wisdom: She teaches you how to be loving and kind


This content is by, Nikki Goldstein, author of the GirlForce series. Nikki Goldstein has worked as a beauty editor and writer for Marie Claire, Vogue, Elle, InStyle and Cosmopolitan. She regularly blogs on her two websites - www.mygirlforce.com and www.gettoknowyourdaughter.com which give further information about the power of GirlForce, as well as fun quizzes, activities and forums. You can also visit Nikki at her GirlForce Facebook page or http://twitter.com/MyGirlForce. Learn more about GirlForce by Nikki Goldstein at Amazon.

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One of the highlights of the Ypulse Youth Marketing Mashup Conference that I attended last month was the Totally Wired Youth Entrepreneurs Panel. It consisted of five teenagers that are already successful online entrepreneurs. Guy Kawasaki was the moderator and he was amazed by how well these teens were doing.

The Panel consisted of Daniel Brusilovsky, CEO of Teens in Tech, Jun Loayza, Co-Founder of Future Delivery, Jessica Mah, Founder of internshipIN.com, Carly Wertheim, Co-President of Teens Turning Green and Ashley Qualls, CEO of Whatever Life. They were all very confident, smart and well-spoken. With all my years of experience and education behind me, I was still awed by then. And at their age, I didn't have a clue.

Before I show you the video of the panel discussion, I want to give you a few links to show you that these 5 young entrepreneurs are not a fluke. Just take a look at these articles: 10 Young Tech Entrepreneurs and Teenagers Are Building Their Own Job Engine. If you have want to read more about this phenomenomn, Donna Fenn has a book coming out in September called Upstarts!: How GenY Entrepreneurs are Rocking the World of business and 8 Ways You Can Profit from Their Success.

Here is the funny and insightful video of the Totally Wired Youth Entrepreneurs Panel:

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Do you love music? Are you a charitable person. Would you like to wear jewelry made from the guitar strings of one of your favorite music artist's guitars? If you answered yes to these questions, you must check out Wearyourmusic.org. They make and sell bracelets and other jewelry out of guitar strings.

The Artists Bracelets form the Guitar String Music Charity Project. This is the merchandise from which the proceeds are donated to charities. Each of these bracelets are handcrafted from recycled fine silver and guitar strings used and donated by the music artist you select. The bracelets are then packaged in recycled DVD cases with certificates of authenticity and profits are donated to charities selected by each artist. Some of the artists taking part in this program are Bob Weir, Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, Elvis Costello, Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Keith Richards, Pete Townshend, Roger Waters and Ziggy Marley. This is just a small sample.

If you can't afford to purchase an artists bracelet, even though it is for charity, you can purchase Fashion Bracelets, which are regular guitar string bracelets, for under $10. They come in a variety of colors. They also make and sell other types of jewelry such as necklaces, charms and earrings, all for under $25. They are adorable. Everything here would make great gifts and all of the bracelets are unisex.

So check out Wear Your Music and The Guitar String Bracelet Charity Project. What better way could there be for a music lover to donate to charity?

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A few weeks ago I attended the 140 Characters Conference on everything related to Twitter. I purposely left out a session from my article on this twitter conference because I thought that the presentation by Howard Greenstein and Dean Landsman on The Wisdom of Twitter deserved its own writeup.

It is very difficult to explain twitter to people that haven't used it. It is also difficult for beginners to understand all of the unique benefits of twitter until they see them. Even regular users don't know of all the benefits that the many twitter apps now give us. Did you know that you can tweet into the future with TweetLater.

Here is The Widsom of Twitter slideshow:

Wisdom Of Twitter

View more documents from Howard Greenstein.

If you are interested in learning more about twitter, you might want to also look into the book, The Power of Twitter.

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