Library of Clean Reads: Giveaway

Showing posts with label Giveaway. Show all posts

Monday, March 23, 2020

Notes to My Son by Eric Lynn (Review and Giveaway!)

This book turned out to be an absolute gem. First-time father Eric Lynn pens words of practical wisdom, honest reflections, and unconditional love to his newborn son. Enter the giveaway for a chance to win your own copy!

Book Details:

Book Title: Notes to My Son by Eric Lynn
Category: Adult Non-fiction, 128 pages
Genre: Parenting
Publisher: Sharknado Press
Release date: September 9, 2019
Tour dates: Mar 9 to Mar 27, 2020
Content Rating: G: Advice from a parent to his son

Book Description:

“THE GREATEST GIFT FOR DADS OF ALL AGES AND IN ALL STAGES.”

“Your path is your own.” “No one can tell you how to walk it.” “Responsibility lies with you.”

These are just some of the important conversations we are gently reminded to embrace within Notes to My Son. With parenting, there are so many things we need to do and take care of, but what conversations are we having to be sure we truly impart the wisdom of our lives into our loved ones? Are we having difficult conversations, asking hard questions, and talking about things without regret?

Don’t let another day pass by without this book.

In Notes to My Son, you’ll discover twenty-five topics to inspire deeper, more meaningful conversations throughout your child’s life, even if your child is now an adult on their own.

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

I have a son. So the title of this book got my attention. What advice would a parent put into writing with the hopes that his son would one day read it and hopefully apply it? I have to admit, I was curious.

This book turned out to be an absolute gem. First-time father Eric Lynn pens words of practical wisdom, honest reflections, and unconditional love to his newborn son. Although the words are meant for his son Summit, they can be appreciated by anyone who likes good advice. Lynn's life and work experiences shine through and would make any son proud to have such a devoted father.

There are 25 notes in this book, which are short chapters that convey the author's advice to his son in well-written essays. This book is a pleasure to read with topics that range from turning your daydreams to reality to being financially literate to expressions of the joy of being a father.

Notes to my Son is perfect for first-time dads and parents, or even parents who struggle with everyday responsibilities and are overwhelmed with parenting. It's a book that will remind any parent of the amazing (and sometimes scary) role that we play in shaping the life of our children.

Click to View Book Trailer

Buy the Book:

Amazon.com

Add to Goodreads

About the Author:

Eric Lynn spends his professional life managing workforce solutions for small, mid-sized and Fortune 1000 companies. With years of professional experience, Eric understands the value of preparation. Thus when his wife, Ashley, became pregnant, Eric sought a way to prepare for his new role as a father. Something shifted within him causing him to ask different questions of life.

As he awaited the arrival of his first child, future conversations with his son, Summit, began to take shape. Eager to prepare for this new role, Notes to My Son was born.

The Lynn family lives in Colorado where they enjoy climbing 14ers, skiing, playing tennis and appreciating the abundance of all nature has to offer. Eric and his family hope that the relatable life wisdom shared in this book touches the hearts of all who read it.

Connect with the author: Website ~ Facebook

Enter the Giveaway!

Ends April 3, 2020

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

Speaking with Strategic Impact by Kate LeVan (Book Spotlight, Author Interview & Giveaway!)

The business woman in me will always be attracted to books that help with communicating better, along with having presence and persuasion. Today, I'm spotlighting this new book by Kate Levan. Check out my interview with her and enter to win a signed copy of Speaking with Strategic Impact, a $20 Amazon gift card, and an optional coaching call with the author!

Book Details:

Book Title: Speaking with Strategic Impact: Four Steps to Extraordinary Presence & Persuasion
Author: Kate LeVan
Category: Adult Non-Fiction, 152 pages
Genre: Business
Publisher: Delton Press
Release date: May 24, 2017
Tour dates: June 12 to 30, 2017
Content Rating: G

Book Description:

Speaking with Strategic Impact is for business people who make their living—or their mark—through presentations long and short.

It’s a must-read if you’re a consultant, analyst, pitch team leader, roadshow executive, technology specialist, project manager, internal or external marketer, sales rep, subject matter expert or innovator.

Do your presentations unexpectedly fall flat? Do others hijack your meetings? Do you spend more time compiling slide decks than actually influencing decision-makers? Has someone vaguely told you that you “should look more confident up there” or that you “lack gravitas”? Have you watched TED Talks but wonder how you can bring that level of effectiveness into real business presentations?

Speaking with Strategic Impact gives you the key to leadership presence and persuasion. More than just tips and tricks, it outlines a discipline for navigating real business situations with consistently superior outcomes that’s favored by top business schools and Fortune 500 companies. You’ll get specific strategic and tactical advice to keep you on the mark in your presentations and meetings—and differentiate you from the vast majority of business presenters.

Read Speaking with Strategic Impact to master the means by which you make a living and a difference in the world!

Buy the Book:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Add to Goodreads

Interview with Kate LeVan

LCR: Welcome to Library of Clean Reads, Kate! Can you describe your book in 20 words or less?

KL: Thanks Laura! Okay, here goes:

Contents: One simple communication process for handling high stakes interactions that make or break careers.

Directions: Add discipline. Learn. Repeat.

LCR: That a creative and succinct way to describe your book. What motivated you to write it?

KL: I’m basically a teacher. I enjoy seeing light bulbs go on over people’s heads.

I’m also a liberal arts generalist. But I greatly admire—and am a bit envious of—people who have deep knowledge and passion about their “one thing.” I always wished I had that. On some level though, I also knew that I could get promoted or recognized over others with deeper knowledge because I knew how to be seen and heard. It gave me an edge.

In my training/coaching—and now in my book too, I try to give that same “edge” to all the people who know their stuff and who aspire to lead: the subject matter experts, analysts, physicians, business developers, engineers, technologists, scientists, project managers, innovators, etc. By doing so, I also found my passion.

LCR: There are many books on public speaking and presentation. What makes yours different or unique?

KL: Tell me about it! Everyone wants to be seen and heard, and everyone seems to have advice.

The advice that’s out there now for business people seems to fall into two categories: 1. general compilations of tips and tricks (Be animated! Tell a story! Be passionate! Be yourself!) that can discourage those who are not born “life-of-the-party” people, or 2. elaborate systems of templates, charts and checklists that experts are often drawn to, but that keep them in their own heads and disconnected from their audiences.

There’s nothing new per se about audience-centered communication. In my previous life, I was in advertising and marketing which is all about targeting and being strategic in your messaging. So, what I do is apply this discipline to interpersonal communication. I’m told I do it in a way that is “elastic” enough for those who “wing it” and need just a little more structure to rein themselves in and connect the dots adequately for an audience. But it’s also “prescriptive” enough for those who “data dump” and need the dots connected for them, so that presenting doesn’t feel so risky. I like to think of it more as a professional discipline around communication that propels careers.

LCR: In all your work experience, what was the toughest situation you found yourself in when it came to doing a presentation.

KL: That’s a tough one. It’s either the time I disregarded the president of my agency’s instruction and presented the way I wanted to during a high-stakes pitch (when he couldn’t do anything about it) or when the technology went down right before I had to address 50 senior business leaders in Chicago who were guests of my banking client.

Both situations were nerve-wracking and nothing I’d wish to relive. But I also learned things I’d never forget from each. In the pitch, I learned that being just as straightforward and gutsy as the decision-maker was a way of building rapport with that type of person. In the other situation, I learned how having a good structure or map for what you intend to say in a presentation can help you look brilliant when you only have a flip chart and markers left to save you. Other than that, I’d only recommend insubordination if you have a very good chance of winning.

LCR: How did you come up with your book’s title?

KL: At the last minute. Speaking with Strategic Impact—as straight out of the text as it is—was NOT my original title. The cover was approved and the interior text was formatted when we had to stop the presses, as they say. This was due to some testing of the title that happened at a networking event. Colleagues there slapped me upside the head with the realization that I wasn’t following my own advice: to make what you’re saying about the audience as quickly as possible! I had become enamored of a thematic title with a play on words that only people who knew my emphasis on smart planning might understand (Before I Begin). What can I say? I have a degree in literary criticism. But the audience I’m trying to reach with this book—the experts who want and need to be seen and heard as “strategic”—would never have even found me on Amazon with that one!

LCR: As a trainer, what is the most challenging element in teaching people to speak with strategic impact?

KL: Getting them to not worry so much about creating those darn slides! When you start with the slides, you are starting with the tactical—not the strategic.

LCR: Finally, if you could travel back in time, where would you go?

KL: Back when I was in high school, I would have picked the late 19th or early 20th century decades when a lady of high society would host a soiree in her Parisian salon for artists, writers and philosophers who entertained her with their sparkling conversation in return for her patronage. Since then, I’ve grown fonder of becoming a woman of substance (if not great means) in 21st century Western society who can be seen and heard for who she is—wherever and however she wishes!

LCR: Thanks so much, Kate! And best wishes for the launch of your new book.

Meet the Author:

Kate LeVan trains, coaches and collaborates on business communication effectiveness with major corporations worldwide and as an instructor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Her training consistently receives top ratings from executive development program participants for its simplicity, applicability and career-changing impact.

Connect with the Author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

Enter the Giveaway!

Ends July 8

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thursday, April 6, 2017

New York City Haiku (Review and Giveaway!)

April is National Poetry Month! To celebrate poetry I will post, in the next two weeks, several reviews and features of poetry books that I've read in the last month. If you want to join in the fun, go on over to Savvy, Verse & Wit where Serena is putting together a National Poetry Month 2017 Blog Tour.

To begin with I have a very cool and neat little book that I want to share with you. Don't forget to enter the giveaway to win a copy for yourself or a poetry-loving friend.

Book Details:

Book Title: New York City Haiku

Authors: From the Readers of The New York Times

Illustrator: James Gulliver Hancock
Category: Adult Fiction, 128 pages
Genre: Poetry
Publisher: Universe Publishing (imprint of Rizzoli)
Release date: March 2017
Content Rating: G

Book Description:

One hundred fifty
haiku on New York City
in just three lines each.

New York City Haiku collects 150 of the best haiku inspired by the Big Apple. These succinct three-line poems express not only the personal experiences of every New Yorker (or New Yorker at heart), but also the universal truths about living and loving everything that New York has to offer as well.

Written by poets of all ages and from across the country, this affordable and giftable collection creates an honest and often hilarious volume chronicling what New York is all about. A must-have for anyone who aspires to “make it there,” New York City Haiku is a thoughtful and fun testament to the city and its people.

Find out more at Rizzoli.

Buy the Book:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble

Add to Goodreads

My Review:

Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

When I was in high school, I learned how to write Haiku poetry and it quickly became one of my favorite forms of poetry. So when I saw New York City Haiku, I knew I wanted to read it. In 2014, The New York Times invited its readers to write about NYC in 3 lines. What happened? The readers responded to the challenge by sending in 2800 submissions in ten days!

I loved reading these haiku! They really captured the spirit of New York City, its people, places, food, culture and attitudes. I read some of them to my husband and we cracked up. Like this one:

Tourists in New York
Three abreast, strolling, chatting:
I want to shove you.

Others made us reflect, like those that featured the homeless or loneliness. The poems are creative and succinctly describe NYC and its people. I loved this one:

Rainy Monday, you
won't defeat my stilettos.
Red soles leap puddles.

The black and white illustrations are perfect for this book. They fit the tone of the book and whimsically capture NYC. Most of the poems are written by New Yorkers, but there are are some from readers in other states and even other countries.

If you love New York City and poetry, then you will love this neat little book. The fact that it contains poetry from people of all ages and backgrounds who share readership of The New York Times makes this a unique collection about a unique city.

An entertaining, thought-provoking and worthy collection of haiku.

Disclosure: Thanks to Rizzoli for sending me this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.

About the Author:

The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. Founded in 1851, the newspaper has won 95 Pulitzer Prizes, more than any other newspaper.

James Gulliver Hancock is an internationally noted illustrator of print ads and The Bowtie Book, and author of books including All the Buildings in New York.

Enter the Giveaway!

Ends April 22

a Rafflecopter giveaway