With the wide range of genres and topics available, Passport to Fun hopes that readers of all ages will also heed the words of the famous American satirist, Kurt Vonnegut: "New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on earth. The more truth we have to work with, the richer we become."

And as for new reading lists and the joy of learning that often accompanies them, here's a word from Mark Twain (ironically, perhaps, to whom Vonnegut is often compared; not only in writing style, but also in physical appearance): "The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."

-- Political Watch. UnChristian America, Michael Babcock; The Faith of Barack Obama, Stephen Mansfield; The Dark Side, Jane Mayer; Mike's Election Guide 2008, Michael Moore; The War Within, Bob Woodward.

-- History and Biography. Night of the Gunn, David Carr; The Terminal Spy, Alan S. Cowell; The Same Man, David Lebedoff; Old Masters, New World, Cynthia Saltzman; The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shafter & Annie Barrows.

-- Mystery/Suspense. Inkdeath, Cornelia Funke; The Gate House, Nelson DeMille; Good People, Marcus Sakey; Heat Lightning, John Sandford; Hot Mahogany, Stuart Woods.

-- Book Club Recommendations. Towelhead, Alicia Erian; Letters To A Bullied Girl, Olivia Gardner; Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide, Leonard Maltin; My Name is Will, Jess Winfield; Pharmakon, Dirk Wittenborn.

In addition to great extras like this early peek at a wide variety of multi-genre literary selections, AP9 PassportToFun offers savings on everything from spur-of-the-moment day trips to great dining deals. In fact, a world that's fun for the whole family waits at every turn, says Passport to Fun.

It's just a guess, but the late Jack Kerouac probably didn't have too many worries about extra packing fees and the like when he penned his now-famous On the Road back in 1957. For travelers back then, it was just "make plans to go"...and whatever was going to happen eventually did. But the modern traveler isn't so lucky; continued concerns over rising fuel costs and a generally sluggish economy have led to increased baggage costs.

That's why TodaysEscapes has come up with a few tips on how to pack more efficiently, lightly and cost-effectively. After all, traveling to satisfy that wanderlust is only natural. And Todays Escapes has some ideas to ensure that extra baggage fees aren't the thing that's stopping those innate travel urges:

-- Call the haul. Call the airlines and check websites to find out the fees for packing certain items. If a fishing trip is on the docket, for example, know that there could be extra fees for fishing poles, tackle boxes and the like. Before it's time to grab that "catch of the day," know how much extra there'll be to pay.

-- Learn online. The general rule is that the most up-to-date information on additional baggage fees is usually buried somewhere on the airline's website. Digging around to save a few bucks may not be the best way to start off a vacation, but a little patience may be rewarded. Check out links on major airlines' sites like Know before you go and Baggage; in this case, a little knowledge is a good thing.

-- Ship and save. If that dream vacation or long-awaited getaway requires oversized luggage (especially things like golf clubs and other sports equipment), consider shipping it ahead of time.

-- Trim the fat to lighten up. If the itinerary calls for a long time away, there's not a lot that can be done about bringing heavier bags. But for those shorter trips -- ones that don't require extra baggage -- don't over-pack. Stick to the basics, and try to get by with a carry-on and -- at most -- one checked bag.

Todays Escapes understands that traveling -- as great as it can be -- does carry added costs these days. So for travel needs and vacation ideas that help keep costs down but keep the "fun quotient" steadily moving up, look no further than TodaysEscapes.

The proverb, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," has been around for a few thousand years, thanks to an Egyptian sage named Ptahhotep (believed to be the saying's original author, written in about 2400 B.C.). More than 4,000 years later, that friendly advice still applies. In fact, according to a 2007 survey conducted by Robert Half International, a professional staffing and consulting organization, 51 percent of executives said employees are more productive after a vacation than before one.

So the majority of bosses out there think taking time away from work (and staying work-free while on vacation) plays a big part in long-term business success. That's why AP9 TodaysEscapes suggests leaving all those work-related worries back at the office:        

-- Time has come today. Just like the Los Angeles-based soul group The Chambers Brothers sang back in 1968, " … time has come today. Can't put it off another day …," the same goes for a much-needed vacation. Just remember to consider what the group/division at work is likely to focus on during a possible vacation time. Make sure all the bases are covered before skipping town for a while; nothing will break up vacation fun faster than the sound of a work-related phone call.

-- Cover me. As with most things in life, the "business merry-go-round" rarely -- if ever -- stops. That's why it's important to make sure a trusted colleague is on the case before getaway time. Consider setting up a meeting with the person covering to make sure everything is set.

-- Let it go. Yes, Todays Escapes understands that it can be tough to leave office matters behind, but try letting go. Get that trustworthy person to cover, leave the laptop and/or BlackBerry at home, and try to relax. Limit any out-of-office participation to the bare essentials; there'll be plenty of work to do post-vacation.

-- Create a recipe for relaxation. The ability to leave office life behind while on vacation depends heavily on preparation. If things are usually very busy, go in early and stay late, long before the vacation is scheduled to begin. Knowing that everything is in order (with plenty of time to spare) will make those first few moments away from the job what they're meant to be -- time off.                

Todays Escapes understands that today's work environment demands hard work. That's why taking time off is so important. And as for those other travel needs and vacation ideas down the road, look no further than AP9 TodaysEscapes.

DealMax (SM)

Back in 1916, then-President Woodrow Wilson officially declared June 14th as National Flag Day. Prior to that, though, and thanks to a dedicated New York City kindergarten teacher named George Balch, the first "unofficial" Flag Day celebration took place at the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia, PA, on June 14, 1891. (Apparently, Balch arranged a special day for his students to honor the flag in June 1889; his idea was adopted by the New York State Board of Education and was later recognized elsewhere.)

For years after President Wilson's proclamation, people in many cities in different U.S. states celebrated June 14th as Flag Day. And in 1949, some 60 years after George Balch's original patriotic notion, 33rd U.S. President Harry S. Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day. Armed with that bit of important history on "Old Glory," DealMax advises displaying the U.S. flag with pride … and with special attention to these simple but important U.S. flag codes:

-- Wait for the word. Only the President or a state governor can order a flag to be flown at half-staff. This often indicates a time of national (or statewide) mourning, and flags shouldn't be flown at half-staff unless the official word is given.
    
-- Don't seal the deal. It might look cool in a college dorm room or even as a decoration on the ceiling of a den or living room, but the U.S. Flag Code (established in 1923) prohibits the flag from being used as a ceiling covering.

-- Make sure it's the one and only. They say that George Washington commissioned Betsy Ross to sew the first U.S. flag to very precise specifications. That's why the flag needs to be displayed in its purist form; with nothing attached to it, nor altered in any way. Again, decorations might look cool or amusing, but they might also offend someone.

-- This ain't no costume party. No part of the flag -- except replica patches and lapels -- should ever be used as a costume. The late Abbie Hoffman probably didn't see things that way, but the flag represents a living country and is considered a living thing by many.

AP9 DealMax offers these handy guidelines on the American flag not only to help citizens celebrate Flag Day on June 14th, but also to honor America throughout the entire year. Show respect and personal pride in the U.S. -- with a little help from DealMax.

Passport to Fun

And the same goes for all the "grown-up kids" out there; kids who understand that "Mother Nature" means business are largely influenced by their adult role models. Let the kids have fun, sure, but don't forget to tell them there's more to summertime safety than beating the heat.

It's like 20th-century essayist Russell Baker said, "Ah, summer. What power you have to make us suffer … and like it." With that in mind, PassportToFun suggests that striking the perfect balance of summertime fun and safety means helping kids better understand summertime's potential perils:

-- Don't flake out on me. All the sun worshipers out there (kids and adults) need to know the facts: Yeah, sun feels great, but between all that sunning, sweating and swimming, skin conditions like eczema (a.k.a. atopic dermatitis) can worsen during the summer months. It's cool to let kids catch the occasional "ray," but keep skin moisturizers on hand.

-- Make like Mae West. Busty film starlet Mae West may have lent her name to the life vests of yore, but when it comes to modern water safety, kids need U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets or personal flotation devices. IMPORTANT: Be sure to read the fine print on things like arm floaties and other swimming aids. They're designed to help kids learn how to swim -- to use their arms and legs -- not to keep them afloat.

-- Sport the right shades. For kids, image counts for just about everything, especially during the summer. That's why it's so important to help them find the right pair of sunglasses -- ones that will protect their eyes from the sun's damaging rays, while still offering them "the look" they want.

-- Dr. Doolittle never got the memo. There's no doubt that nature's creatures are a joy to behold. But Passport to Fun wants to reinforce a few facts: Deer carry ticks that can lead to Lyme Disease, wild animals are still … well … wild, and they don't understand it when kids just want to pet them. Oh, and bees and wasps can't be reasoned with. Teach kids the joys of summertime nature. Just make sure they understand the realities too.

So welcome summer 2008. Have a fun and safe time out there. And remember, no matter what the season, the never-ending quest to get more for less starts with Passport to Fun.

About PassportToFun:
Passport to Fun is a leading membership discount program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC. Headquartered in Norwalk, Conn., Adaptive Marketing is a category leader in membership programs, bringing value direct to consumers through an array of benefits in healthcare, discounts, security, personal property and personals. Members may access their benefits at PassportToFun.com. With broad online and offline distribution capabilities, Adaptive Marketing offers its corporate client partners effective tools to enhance market presence, strengthen customer affinity and generate additional value through programs such as PassportToFun.

The key word is creativity, notes Passport to Fun. Anyone can plan a whole afternoon or an entire weekend of entertaining games and activities for the family, no matter the age differences or the size of the group. The thing is, people have gotten so used to paying for everything, including entertainment, that they forget how to do it themselves in a simple, more affordable way.

Get your creative juices going, and start off with some of these ideas, brought to you by AP9 PassportToFun:

Board Game Day:

Any rainy Saturday or Sunday afternoon is ideal for playing lots of board games. Place three different games on three different corners of the house. Start early, and kick things off with some milk and cookies to get everyone excited. Go to the living room, and put a puzzle together as a start, then play Pictionary or Scrabble in the kitchen, and for the finale, let the kids rule in the Beat the Parents Family Trivia Game.

Write a play ... and act it out!:

Role-playing is one activity that everyone enjoys, and kids actually learn a lot by role-playing. It's a perfect activity when relatives are visiting -- the more people involved, the merrier. Split the whole family in two groups, then act the plays just like Broadway professionals. Let each group invent the argument of the play, or use a theme, such as: "Mom and Dad's wedding day" or "life when grandma and grandpa were kids," etc.

Free Day to Learn:

The major expense for this idea might be gas. Schedule a family outing to a nearby museum on a day when admission is free. (Many galleries, museums, zoos and aquariums have a special day of the week when admission is either discounted or free.) Seize the chance to take the whole family, and make it a fun and learning day. Pack sandwiches and refreshments to keep costs to a minimum.

Show and Tell:

Reverse the roles, and make the kids the spectators. Include aunts and uncles, Grandma, Grandpa, other relatives, or even neighbors specially invited for the occasion. Adults can make it fun for kids if they tell funny stories or tales of their youth or times when their parents were little. Use pictures or homemade movies to make your presentation more enticing.

When it comes to quality time with loved ones, money isn't important. With ideas like the ones included here and many more you can plan together, family recreation won't push you into bankruptcy, reports Passport to Fun.

Your Savings Club (SM), a premier entertainment and shopping savings program offered by Adaptive Marketing LLC^®, has some great ideas to make any St. Patrick’s Day party a blast.

St. Patrick’s Day, which falls on March 17, is a great excuse for a party and can help the winter-weary shake off the doldrums. Ideas for an Irish-themed party can extend as far as one’s imagination and budget allow.

All that’s really needed is a fun environment and plenty of good food and refreshments. Then let guests do the rest, advises AP9*YourSavingsClub.

AP9 Your Savings Club helps set the stage, a green one.

While going green has a different meaning these days, around this time of year, it’s all about enjoying good food and drink with friends and family with an Irish twist, of course. Party goods stores offer a wide selection of decorations.

-- If invitations are being sent out, have a wee bit of fun by using the prefix “O” or “Mac” before guests’ names.

-- Decorate with green streamers, green light bulbs or green helium balloons.

-- Scatter cardboard shamrocks and gold, foil-wrapped chocolate coins about the house.

-- Position a large rock (we suggest a fake one, to save a trip to the chiropractor) near the door with a sign directing guests to kiss the rock for the gift of blarney before entering. Blarney, or talkativeness, is just what’s called for at a party!

-- Dig out that dated, but oh so green, blazer from the back of the closet. Don’t forget the green slacks, the fashion faux pas that once saw time on the golf course.

-- Pick up some paper leprechaun hats for guests.

-- Put some Irish music on, whether it’s traditional Irish ballads, Van Morrison, Enya or U2.

Green eggs and ham

Wondering what to serve? Your Savings Club advises:

-- If guests won’t lose their appetite, get out the green food coloring to dye everything from mashed potatoes to beer.

-- Decorate food with tiny Irish flags.

-- Experienced cooks can’t go wrong with traditional favorites like corned beef and cabbage. Many websites offer free recipes for this and other classics like Irish soda bread, beer cheese bread and Irish scones. Whet the palate with Irish cream liqueur or hot whiskey punch. Top it all off with Irish coffee and mint chocolate ice cream. Or bake a cake with (what else?) green icing.

-- For something simpler, use a cookie-cutter to make clover-shaped sandwiches. Put out bowls of green M&Ms, stock up on beer (green Gatorade and green Kool-Aid for the non-alcoholic crowd), and call it a day, suggests AP9 YourSavingsClub.

Passport to Fun (SM)

As the buds on the trees start to open and the flowers begin blooming, why not make exercise another rite of spring this year? Think of it … wouldn’t it be a kick to send Old Man Winter packing ahead of schedule? Now, with Passport to Fun’s following list of exercise tips, the whole family can get a jump on spring:

-- Walk the walk. Walking is not only good exercise; it can be a reminder that better weather will be coming. Just like humorist Doug Larson said, “Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.”

-- Seek and ye shall find. Most kids love hide-and-seek, so make it a point to join your kids in a game or two. Whether inside or outside, a well-played hide-and-seek game may just be the perfect way to kick-start spring — and help get the blood moving, too.

-- Hit the beach. Walking or running on the beach can make for a great family activity. Just wait for that first warm day, and plan to pull out all the stops: Bring along everyone and everything — kids, pets, and, of course, a sense of fun. As actor/comic Robin Williams once said, “Spring is nature's way of saying, ‘Let's party!’"

-- Bicycle races are coming. Maybe rock-opera pioneer Freddy Mercury had it right when he wrote, “Bicycle races are coming your way, so forget all your duties oh yeah!” And since exercise goes hand-in-hand with freedom and rebirth, rounding up the kids for a family bike ride just says “spring” all over.

-- Head for higher ground. Springtime dreams don’t have to wait, especially if the weather cooperates. That’s why making plans for a day hike can be a great way to exercise and watch spring “do its thing” at the same time. Whether kid or adult, heading outside to play is the first sure symptom of early spring fever. And planning to hit the hiking trails now — not later — is one surefire way to catch it. Don’t miss out.

Plan to spend time exercising and celebrating spring’s arrival with the family a little early this year. And remember, no matter what time of year it is, there’s always a way to have fun for less, courtesy of Passport to Fun.

If you are hosting, start with the idea that your guests should always feel as relaxed as possible. Friends and acquaintances want to attend parties that make them forget about work worries and life’s complications for a while. So concentrate on making things fun, and include future guests in your plans. They’ll feel good about being included in the planning when the party is still in its development stage.

Another key tip is to place a personal spin on the party event by, for example, choosing a traditional theme. Do a little bit of research and incorporate a personal touch into a traditional Mexican fiesta night, complete with your own tapas. Or have a “Zorro night” to commemorate the early 20^th century, swashbuckling hero, and have guests show up in costume. From a Venetian or Roman motif to seemingly countless other theme possibilities, once you have a definite theme in mind, Passport to Fun^SM also recommends:

-- Planning ahead. A good theme makes a great party, and planning ahead will make it a surefire hit. Make sure to send invitations at least three weeks in advance and be available to answer questions that guests might have about attire or different aspects of the party (specially if the theme is not a familiar one). Ask guest to RSVP a week in advance, so you have time to calculate how much food, drinks and accessories to purchase.

-- The setting. One reason why hosts don’t always have fun at their own parties is because they’re too busy cleaning up after guests or too concerned with an antique lamp that might get damaged if things become wild and the party gets out of control. The setting for the party should allow people to feel at ease — especially the host. If your party is at a private residence, make sure all expensive items are removed from the main entertainment area, and consider using decorations to set boundaries around the house.

-- Food and drinks . A good rule of thumb is to have more than enough to munch on and drinks of all kinds (from water and sodas to top-shelf alcohol). Both items should be related to the theme of the party, but make sure to offer some traditional party foods as well, such as chips and salsa or dip and vegetables. Set up different tables with all the food and drinks for visitors to help themselves, and be sure to have plenty of napkins and utensils around. This way guests don’t have to hunt around the kitchen or other areas of the house looking for silverware and the like.

-- Entertainment. Music and games are key elements of a themed party. If the motif includes going back in time (1960’s, 70’s, 80’s, for example), period tunes from those bygone days are a must. Hiring a DJ or getting a karaoke machine are good options, but if your budget is a concern, make sure to download or borrow an assortment of music that will last the duration of the event. And any games or other activities should relate directly to the chosen theme.

Hours of enjoyment are ahead of you if you prepare carefully.

This article is brought to you by Passport to Fun , a members-only savings program that offers significant discounts at popular retail stores, restaurants, movie theatres, shop-at-home services and many other leisure time choices.

When a customer chooses one restaurant over another, they feel that they’re doing the restaurant a favor by offering their patronage. But this mindset — the clichéd “customer is always right” philosophy — has led to the lax behavior and poor manners being witnessed at chain, fancy, and local restaurants throughout the United States today.

No one wants to fall into the category of people who frustrate other customers, restaurant staff, and servers with unpolished manners. And luckily, getting your manners back into shape — although it may seem like a difficult challenge to some — doesn’t require a whole lot of effort. Make dining out a more pleasant experience — for everyone — with the following suggestions, on how to avoid the most common types of poor restaurant etiquette today.

1. Don’t be late. Restaurant reservations aren’t any different than a doctor’s appointment or a scheduled meeting at work. Barring any extenuating circumstances, when you make reservations at a restaurant — especially at a fine dining establishment — stick to them. If you do happen to be running late, call the restaurant more than 15 minutes in advance to cancel your reservations or make other arrangements.

2. Dress appropriately. Jeans, sneakers, and T-shirts, which have become the new casual-chic, are commonly seen at all venues in the restaurant world today. And interpretations on what type of dress is acceptable can vary across the board, usually depending on the type of restaurant. To avoid looking out of place when you go out, prepare in advance. If you’re headed to a new restaurant, call ahead to ask what the dress code is. And when in doubt, dress on the more conservative side.

3. Stay off your cell phone. Would you answer the phone if it rang during a family meal at home? Well, hopefully, your answer was no. And the same concept applies when you’re out to eat at a public restaurant. Put your phone on silent or vibrate, or just turn it off before sitting down to eat. We all know the person who annoys everyone around him by talking loudly on his cell phone — like he’s the only person in the world. Don’t be that guy!

4. Treat the server with respect. The old saying, “treat others like you want to be treated,” applies to nearly every aspect of life, but especially when dining out. If you want excellent service, communicate and treat your server with respect. People who are polite and pleasant to serve have a better chance of resolving any potential complaints or concerns that could arise.