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Showing posts with label Non-fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Non-fiction. Show all posts

Thursday, January 14, 2021

Face Value: DIY Secrets to Beauty and a Younger Face by Gregory Landsman (Book Spotlight and Giveaway!)




Book Details:

Book Title: Face Value - DIY Secrets to Beauty and a Younger Face by Gregory Landsman
Category: Adult Non-Fiction, 67 pages
Genre: Beauty & Grooming; Health & Wellness; Self Help
Publisher: Hill of Content Publishing
Release date: 2020
Tour dates: Jan 11 to Jan 29, 2021
Content Rating: G.

Book Description:

FIND SOME OF THE MOST POWERFUL ANTI-AGING PRODUCTS USED IN EXPENSIVE BEAUTY CREAMS IN YOUR OWN KITCHEN!

Following the success of the best selling first edition, the new revised version of Gregory Landsman’s Face Value is jam packed with simple DIY secrets to beauty and younger looking skin that can achieve powerful results in a very short time. Featuring an entirely new chapter on rejuvenating night serums, Face Value will change the way you think and approach beauty as you discover that utilizing natural ingredients can provide real and lasting solutions to give you a natural glow and a younger looking face.

Find recipes to…
• Reduce fine lines and wrinkles
• Stimulate collagen production
• Improve skin firmness and elasticity
• Protect skin from damaging free radicals
• Rehydrate, tighten and tone the face
• Restore the skin’s radiance and natural pH levels
• Reduce age spots, pigmentation and blemishes

With Face Value, you can achieve younger looking skin without having to leave your own kitchen!


Watch the book trailer:
After watching this, I was so motivated to start making my own beauty products!





Buy the Book:
Add to Goodreads


Check Out The Entire 10 Years Younger Series:


The complete solution to PREMATURE AGING. The simple, effective, science-based methods in these three books give everyone the opportunity to achieve younger, healthier looking skin at any age…for next to nothing!
  • Get your skin back on track after the holidays with the most powerful anti-aging ingredients found in everyday foods.
  • Fulfill a new years resolution to look your best self at every age with simple effective methods to achieve younger, healthier looking skin that will take years off the face.
  • Spend some time nurturing yourself and take years off your face for next to nothing.
  • This new year get the same results as expensive cremes without having to leave your kitchen.

    Each book stands alone, focusing on a different method to achieving younger looking skin i.e. Face Value - DIY topical treatments; Face Fitness - facial exercise; and Face Food - anti-aging foods). Together they represent the ultimate guide to younger, healthier and more vital looking skin at any age.

“With knowledge and know how we can counteract and prevent premature aging, as small changes make a big difference to the way we age over time.”
Gregory Landsman


To receive a free copy of Gregory’s e-book, STOP SKIN AGING PREMATURELY, which includes a list of the most powerful cortisol lowering foods go to: https://gregorylandsman.com/


Meet the Author:


Gregory Landsman is one of the most noted global beauty and wellness experts in the world, a best selling author of nine books, and a TV host who specializes in using food to take years off the face naturally.

Having worked in the beauty industry for 30+ years Gregory believes that looking youthful goes well beyond waging war on wrinkles, and that how we age is 100% controllable. His natural methods are used globally by models, shown in universities and recommended by doctors.

Often referred to as ‘The Beauty Advisor’, Gregory’s books and global TV program Face Lifting Food show viewers how to create quick skin-boosting meals and powerful skin treatments using everyday foods to achieve younger, healthier looking skin at any age.

Gregory is a strong voice for inclusion. His book, Faith Lifting Prayers is a celebration of humanity and captures his journey of extremes; from Apartheid South Africa to working at the height of the fashion industry, and his fundamental discovery that regardless of what we do, how we look cannot be separated from how we feel. This is why all of his books, even those about looking younger, all feature his own quotes and philosophy about the importance of feeling good in our skin. His book A Lifetime of BEAUTY also shares messages for early teens and middle years about embracing our differences and our individuality; finding happiness; and standing strong in a world that often judges us for the way we look. This book is endorsed for inclusion in the education system.

Connect with the author: website ~ podcast ~ goodreads




Enter the Giveaway!
Ends Feb 28, 2021


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Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Nonfiction November 2020


I like to read nonfiction books so I'm always excited when I see this challenge, so this year I'm going to finally participate! Do you like to read nonfiction? Are you participating in this too?

Here's all the info:

This year's Nonfiction November is being hosted by Katie of Doing Dewey, along with Julz of Julz Reads, Rennie of What’s Nonfiction, and Leann of Shelf Aware. They’ll be using the #NonficNov hashtag to share the weekly discussion posts starting November 2nd.

Discussion prompt schedule:

Week 1: (Nov. 2 to Nov. 6) – Your Year in Nonfiction (Leann of Shelf Aware): Take a look back at your year of nonfiction and reflect on the following questions – What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year? Do you have a particular topic you’ve been attracted to more this year? What nonfiction book have you recommended the most? What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?

Week 2: (Nov. 9 to 13) – Book Pairing (Julz of Julz Reads): This week, pair up a nonfiction book with a fiction title. It can be a “If you loved this book, read this!” or just two titles that you think would go well together. Maybe it’s a historical novel and you’d like to get the real history by reading a nonfiction version of the story.

Week 3: (Nov. 16 to 20) – Be The Expert/Ask the Expert/Become the Expert (Rennie of What’s Nonfiction): Three ways to join in this week! You can either share 3 or more books on a single topic that you have read and can recommend (be the expert), you can put the call out for good nonfiction on a specific topic that you have been dying to read (ask the expert), or you can create your own list of books on a topic that you’d like to read (become the expert)

Week 4: (Nov. 23 to 27) – New to My TBR (Katie at Doing Dewey): It’s been a month full of amazing nonfiction books! Which ones have made it onto your TBR? Be sure to link back to the original blogger who posted about that book.

Let me know if you're participating and I'll make sure to drop by your blog.


Tuesday, June 16, 2020

GenTech by Dr. Rick Chromey (Guest Review & Giveaway!)


How has technology shaped our society and who we are? This book explores this fascinating topic. Scroll down to see my guest review. Enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy! 

Book Details:

Book Title: GenTech: An American Story of Technology, Change and Who We Really Are by Dr. Rick Chromey
Category: Adult Non-fiction, 328 pages
Genre: History / Cultural & Technical History
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
Release date: May 26, 2020
Content Rating: G

Book Description:

Every twenty years a new generation rises, but who and what defines these generations? And could current generational tags mislead and miss the point? In this insightful analysis of technology history since 1900, Dr. Rick Chromey offers a fresh perspective for understanding what makes a generation tick and differ from others. Within GenTech, readers learn how every generation uniquely interacts with particular technologies that define historical temperament and personality and why current generational labels are more fluid than fixed, and more loopy than linear. Consequently, three major generational constellations emerge, each containing four, twenty-year generations that overlap, merge, and blend:
  • The Audio Generations (1900-1950): Transportation-Telephone Generation (1900-1920), Motion Picture Generation (1910-1930), Radio Generation (1920-1940), Vinyl Record Generation (1930-1950)
  • The Visual Generations (1940-1990): Television Generation (1940-1960), Space Generation (1950-1970), Gamer Generation (1960-1980) and Cable Television Generation (1970-1990)
  • The Digital Generations (1980-2000): Personal Computer-Cell Phone Generation (1980-2000), Net Generation (1990-2010), iTech Generation (2000-2020), and Robotics Generation (2010-2030). Dive in and revel in this exciting, compelling, and novel perspective to understanding recent American generations with GenTech.


Guest Review:
This book is reviewed by Jack

FIVE STARS. A really interesting book. The first three chapters alone are worth getting the book for their explanation of how we’ve traditionally thought about generations in America.

Dr. Chromey starts out by asking some very basic questions. What exactly constitutes a “generation?” What are the criteria for saying when a generation starts and stops? How long is a generation?

The author explains that traditionally it has been major political and socio-historical events that have been used as generational markers. Using that criteria there are currently six living generations in America:
  • G.I. Generation (1901-1924) – WWI, Great Depression
  • Silent Generation (1925-1942) – Pearl Harbor and WWII
  • Boomer Generation (1943-1960) – Eisenhower, JFK, Vietnam
  • Gen X (1961-1981) – Watergate, Iran Hostages, Reagan
  • Millennials (1982-1999) – Desert Storm, OJ, Columbine, 9-11, Katrina
  • Gen Z (the author uses iTech) – Those born after 2000 – Great Recession, War on Terror
Drawing on the work of Neil Howe and William Strauss, the author illustrates how identifying generations, going as far back to the middle ages, has focused primarily on these sorts of random historical events.

The book challenges this approach by arguing instead that technological change is what shapes the personality of a generation:

Technology is what creates our cultural awareness. It could be argued that the “printing press” generations were more “aware” because of Gutenberg’s invention. The historical events that shaped them were exposed and explained through print technology. The same could be said for radio generations or television generations or web generations. The automobile and airplane allowed people to travel great distances, to personally experience what they once only heard through story or read in print.

In short, it is the technology of a generation that that determines its personality.

Chromey also offers the interesting observation that most of us begin to retain memory of cultural events between the ages of 5-7. Consequently, it’s very difficult for someone, like myself, born in 1959, and so classified a Boomer, to relate to JFK’s assassination (even though it’s one of the seminal events used to identify Boomers), because I was too young to remember it. On the other hand, my generational psyche (like the author’s), was formed by other, later events like Neil Armstrong’s stepping onto the moon in 1969. Essentially, we are the product of certain technologies that shape us between our tenth and twenty-fifth birthdays.

The remaining chapters make the author's case in more detail – covering technologies from the invention of the telephone to the iPhone. From automobiles to robotics.

Any criticism? I wish the author would have addressed the work of Ray Kurzweil and what it may mean for the very concept of a “generation.” For readers unfamiliar with Kurzweil, in his blockbuster book, “The Singularity is Near,” he predicts that technological change, already growing at an exponential rate, will reach a point in time (he predicts 2045) at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unforeseeable changes to civilization and the human species.





About the Author:


Rick Chromey is a cultural explorer, social historian and generational futurist. He’s also served as a pastor, professor, speaker/trainer, and consultant. In 2017, he founded MANNA! Educational Services International to inspire and equip leaders, teachers, pastors, and parents. Rick has a doctorate in leadership and the emerging culture; and travels the U.S. and world to speak on culture, faith, history, education, and leadership topics. He has authored over a dozen books on leadership, natural motivation, creative communication, and classroom management. He lives with his wife, Linda, in Meridian, Idaho.

Connect with the Author: website ~ youtube ~ facebook ~ twitter ~ instagram
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Ends July 6, 2020


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Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Lighten Your Mental Load by Amy Thornton (Book Spotlight, Author Interview and Giveaway!)


A short book that offers practical advice (especially these days!) on how to lighten your mental load. You can enter the giveaway to win a copy of the book or a $25 Amazon GC.

Book Details:

Book Title: Lighten Your Mental Load by Amy Thornton
Category: Adult non-fiction, 129 pages
Genre: Self-Help
Publisher: Tell-Tale Publishing
Release date: January, 2020
Tour dates: Apr 13 to May 1, 2020
Content Rating: PG: The author uses occasional mild swear words in the book.


Book Description:

Mental labor, or the mental load, involves the many — and extremely varied — tasks that are involved in managing a household and/or workplace. This topic has exploded over the past couple of years, especially for women. As stated in an October 2017 Washington Post article, “The constant stress of trying to stay organized — and to remember to execute so many tasks every single day — is affecting women's relationships with their spouses, children, friends, and colleagues. They are experiencing mental, emotional, and physical fatigue trying to stay on top of it all.”

Lighten Your Mental Load shares real stories of what this load is like for both men and women across the globe and how it originated. It offers practical advice on how to lighten this burden through technology and other methods in the following areas:

• Home
• Shopping and Meals
• Marriage/Partners
• Children
• Pets
• Transportation
• Career
• Birthdays, Celebrations, Holidays, and Vacations
• Volunteering, Church Activities, and Hobbies
• Caregiving
• Retirement

Finally, the book discusses ways to not add to the mental load of others and how we can more evenly distribute the mental labor between both sexes for future generations.

BUY THE BOOK:


Add to Goodreads


A Short Interview with Amy Thornton:

LCR: Welcome to our blog, Amy! Do you ever get writer’s block? What helps you overcome it?

AT: Yes, definitely! What helps prevent it in the first place is creating an outline. I’m a bit of an outline freak! But having a guide helps me move easily from sub-topic to sub-topic and not get stuck.

Even with an outline, I encounter moments where my mind just goes blank. That’s my cue to get away from the book for a while and take a walk, read, or do some hoop dancing (dancing with a hula-hoop). Nine times out of ten, by getting away from my iPad/laptop, my brain resets, relaxes, and gives me the inspiration I need! Prayer helps as well.

LCR: What is your next project?

AT: I write a column about the sandwich generation for our local paper. If you’ve never heard of this term, it refers to members of a generation taking care of both their children and their parents. I’ve been taking care of my mom as well as my own family since 2016 and have had numerous “adventures” along the way! I’ve also learned a lot.

My next book will be a compilation of my columns to help millions realize they’re not alone. I’m hoping the book will provide laugher, information, and comfort to sandwich generation members.

LCR: If you’re a mom writer, how do you balance your time?

AT: I’m blessed that my boys are age 19 and 18 and pretty independent. However, they still need me for guidance at times, and of course, I want to enjoy them for as long as they still live at home. I make sure to set everything aside when they want to talk to me, as those moments are rare.

I try to write gradually, a little at a time, to not take away from family or work time.

LCR: Now here's a fun question for you: If you could go back in time, where would you go?

AT: I would go back to any dinner conversation that included my father. He died suddenly in November of 1993 and I would love to see him again.

LCR: Favorite travel spot?

AT: I’m a beach girl! Take me to the Florida Panhandle to enjoy the white, “sugary sand” beaches and I’m a happy camper.

LCR: Thanks for chatting with us!



Meet the Author:


Amy Thornton Shankland, GPC, has been battling the mental load for over 29 years. She is a former Dale Carnegie instructor, has been a grant professional for 18 years, is a columnist for the Hamilton County Reporter in Central Indiana, and a wife and mother. She also published Joy to You and Me (At Work!) in 2018 through Tell-Tale Publishing.

Connect with the Author: website ~ facebook ~ twitter





Enter the Giveaway!
Ends May 8, 2020


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Wednesday, March 25, 2020

GenTech by Rick Chromey (Book Spotlight & Giveaway!)


How has technology shaped our society and who we are? This book explores this fascinating topic. Enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy! 

Book Details:

Book Title: GenTech: An American Story of Technology, Change and Who We Really Are by Dr. Rick Chromey
Category: Adult Non-fiction, 328 pages
Genre: History / Cultural & Technical History
Publisher: Morgan James Publishing
Release date: May 26, 2020
Tour dates: Mar 23 to Apr 3, 2020
Content Rating: G

Book Description:

Every twenty years a new generation rises, but who and what defines these generations? And could current generational tags mislead and miss the point? In this insightful analysis of technology history since 1900, Dr. Rick Chromey offers a fresh perspective for understanding what makes a generation tick and differ from others. Within GenTech, readers learn how every generation uniquely interacts with particular technologies that define historical temperament and personality and why current generational labels are more fluid than fixed, and more loopy than linear. Consequently, three major generational constellations emerge, each containing four, twenty-year generations that overlap, merge, and blend:
  • The Audio Generations (1900-1950): Transportation-Telephone Generation (1900-1920), Motion Picture Generation (1910-1930), Radio Generation (1920-1940), Vinyl Record Generation (1930-1950)
  • The Visual Generations (1940-1990): Television Generation (1940-1960), Space Generation (1950-1970), Gamer Generation (1960-1980) and Cable Television Generation (1970-1990)
  • The Digital Generations (1980-2000): Personal Computer-Cell Phone Generation (1980-2000), Net Generation (1990-2010), iTech Generation (2000-2020), and Robotics Generation (2010-2030). Dive in and revel in this exciting, compelling, and novel perspective to understanding recent American generations with GenTech.


Buy the Book:



View the Trailer:



About the Author:


Rick Chromey is a cultural explorer, social historian and generational futurist. He’s also served as a pastor, professor, speaker/trainer, and consultant. In 2017, he founded MANNA! Educational Services International to inspire and equip leaders, teachers, pastors, and parents. Rick has a doctorate in leadership and the emerging culture; and travels the U.S. and world to speak on culture, faith, history, education, and leadership topics. He has authored over a dozen books on leadership, natural motivation, creative communication, and classroom management. He lives with his wife, Linda, in Meridian, Idaho.

Connect with the Author: website ~ youtube ~ facebook ~ twitter ~ instagram
Enter the Giveaway!
Ends April 10, 2020


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Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Deconstructing Anxiety by Todd E. Pressman (Book Spotlight)


If you've been reading my blog, you know that I like to feature self-help books that are in line with having a growth mindset. I've discovered this book on anxiety, although I've yet to read it. 

Book Details:

Book Title: Deconstructing Anxiety: The Journey from Fear to Fulfillment
Author: Todd E. Pressman, PhD
Category: Adult Non-Fiction (18+) (336 pages)
Genre: Self-Help/How-To
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Release date: January 2020
Tour dates: Jan 13 to Feb 7, 2020
Content Rating: PG


Book Description:

In Deconstructing Anxiety, Pressman provides a new and comprehensive understanding of fear's subtlest mechanisms. In this model, anxiety is understood as the wellspring at the source of all problems. Tapping into this source, therefore, holds the clues not only for how to escape fear, but how to release the very causes of suffering, paving the way to a profound sense of peace and satisfaction in life.

With strategically developed exercises, this book offers a unique, integrative approach to healing and growth, based on an understanding of how the psyche organizes itself around anxiety. It provides insights into the architecture of anxiety, introducing the dynamics of the “core fear” (one's fundamental interpretation of danger in the world) and “chief defense” (the primary strategy for protecting oneself from threat). The anxious personality is then built upon this foundation, creating a “three dimensional, multi-sensory hologram” within which one can feel trapped and helpless.

Replete with processes that bring the theoretical background into technicolor, Deconstructing Anxiety provides a clear roadmap to resolving this human dilemma, paving the way to an ultimate and transcendent freedom. Therapists and laypeople alike will find this book essential in helping design a life of meaning, purpose and enduring fulfillment.


BUY THE BOOK:






About the Author:




TODD E. PRESSMAN, Ph.D., is a psychologist dedicated to helping people design lives of fulfillment. He is the founder and director of Logos Wellness Center and Pressman and Associates Life Counseling Center. An international speaker and seminar leader, he has presented at the Omega Institute, the New York Open Center, and numerous professional conferences, including the prestigious Council Grove Conference, sponsored by the Menninger Foundation. 

He has written dozens of articles, educational programs, and two highly acclaimed books, Radical Joy: Awakening Your Potential for True Fulfillment and The Bicycle Repair Shop: A True Story of Recovery from Multiple Personality Disorder. He earned his doctorate in psychology from the Saybrook Institute and an undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, has studied under renowned leaders in the Consciousness movement and Gestalt therapy, and has traveled around the world to study the great Wisdom traditions, from Zen Buddhism to fire-walking ceremonies, providing a cross-cultural perspective of the extraordinary capacities of the mind and spirit. He makes his home in Philadelphia.


Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram


Wednesday, November 13, 2019

The Book Review Companion: An Author's Guide to Getting and Using Book Reviews by David Wogahn (Review and Giveaway!)


As both an author and a book reviewer that has been doing this for over ten years now, I was very interested to read David Wogahn's latest book marketing guide.


Book Details:

Book Title: The Book Review Companion: An Author's Guide to Getting and Using Book Reviews
Author: David Wogahn
Category: Adult Non-Fiction, 210 pages
Genre: Book marketing, Authorship
Publisher: PartnerPress
Release date: October 24, 2019
Content Rating: G


Book Description:

The Book Review Companion is a handy reference guide, loaded with feedback from authors and real-world experience. It includes step-by-step instructions for getting and using book reviews.
  • Proven review strategies applicable to any book, and any author
  • The ten major sources for reviews, including sixty resources
  • Amazon review policies demystified and clarified
  • A complete guide to soliciting and using endorsements and blurbs
  • Detailed instructions and resources for contacting book bloggers
  • A special bonus section written specifically for new authors
No matter where you are in your author journey—traditionally published or self-published—you’ll find yourself returning to this guide again and again.


My Review:
Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

As both an author and a book reviewer that has been doing this for over ten years now, I was very interested to read David Wogahn's latest book marketing guide. 

The Book Review Companion is an easy to read guide that will be useful both to new and experienced authors, and in my opinion, book publicists too. If you're an author and you are trying to get reviews, then this book will help you to do it right. I cannot tell you how many times I get emails from authors that make me cringe and are a waste of my time. Unless authors take the task of getting reviews seriously, they will not succeed. 

Wogahn has experience in the book industry and it shows. He discusses the various topics related to book reviews without judgement, such as customer reviews, editorial reviews and paid reviews. He clarifies Amazon and Goodreads review policies. And he takes the time to show you step by step how to find reviewers and how to contact them successfully. He even discusses blurbs which I think is often overlooked by new authors. 

I think any author or publicist reading this book will learn facts and have tools to make their work easier. As Wogahn states in his intro, book reviews "contribute credibility and raise awareness" of your book. If you've written a book, I strongly suggest investing some time to read the advice so well-dispensed in The Book Review Companion.

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


But the Book:


About the Author:


David Wogahn is the author of five books and is a LinkedIn Learning author. He has worked for the Los Angeles Times, the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, and was co-founder and COO of the first online publisher of sports team branded websites known today as the CBS College Sports Network.

He is a frequent speaker and trainer, including presentations for Publishing University (IBPA), the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), the Independent Writers of Southern California, and the Santa Barbara Writers Conference.

David is also the president of AuthorImprints, an award-winning professional publishing services company that publishes books for authors and businesses using their own publishing imprint. Learn more at AuthorImprints.com and DavidWogahn.com.


Enter the Giveaway!
Ends Nov 27, 2019


Thursday, May 9, 2019

Robot, Take the Wheel by Jason Torchinsky (Book Spotlight & Giveaway!)


Today I'm featuring a book that explores the topic of self-driving cars. I haven't read it yet but it's written in a savvy humourous way and I think this would make a perfect gift for my hubby. Check it out and then enter the giveaway to win a copy!


Book Details:

Book Title: Robot, Take the Wheel: The Road to Autonomous Cars and the Lost Art of Driving by Jason Torchinsky
Category: Adult Non-Fiction, 207 pages
Genre: Automobile Technology, Car enthusiasts
Publisher: Apollo Publishers
Release date: May 7, 2019
Tour dates: May 6 to 24, 2019
Content Rating: PG (this book is accessible to everyone)


Book Description:

 From the witty senior editor of Jalopnik, Gizmodo Media’s acclaimed website devoted to cars, technology, and more, comes a revealing, savvy, and humorous look at self-driving cars.

Self-driving cars sound fantastical and futuristic and yet they’ll soon be on every street in America. Whether it’s Tesla’s Autopilot, Google’s Waymo, Mercedes’s Distronic, or Uber’s 24,000 modified Volvos, companies across industries and throughout the world are developing autonomous cars. Even Apple, not to be outdone, is rumored to be creating its own technology too.

In Robot, Take the Wheel, Jason Torchinsky explores the state of the automotive industry. Through wit and wisdom, he explains why autonomous cars are being made and what the future of automated cars is. Torchinsky encourages us to consider autonomous cars as an entirely new machine, something beyond cars as we understand them today. He considers how we’ll get along with these robots that will take over our cars' jobs, what they will look like, what sorts of jobs they may do, what we can expect of them, how they should act, ethically, how we can have fun with them, and how we can make sure there’s still a place for those of us who love to drive with manual or automatic transmission.

This unique and highly readable volume is brimming with industry insider information and destined to be a conversation starter. It’s a must-have for car lovers, technology geeks, and everyone who wants to know what’s on the road ahead.

Buy Links:





About the Author:


JASON TORCHINSKY is senior editor of Jalopnik, a website devoted to news and opinions about all things automotive. As a writer and artist, he is known for his articles, artworks, talks, and videos about cars, technology, and culture. He has raced cars, wrecked cars, and driven possibly one of the most dangerous cars ever made with the King of Cars on the Emmy-winning Jay Leno’s Garage. He lives in North Carolina.

Connect with the author: Twitter​

Enter the Giveaway!
Ends May 31, 2019

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Monday, February 25, 2019

AMPLIFY: How to Grow Your Reputation And The Kickass Career You Love by Holly Chessman (Review and Giveaway!)


It's been awhile since I read a good self-help book. It just so happens that AMPLIFY turned out to be the perfect resource at this time in my life when I just started a new exciting job.

Book Details:

Book Title: AMPLIFY: How to Grow Your Reputation And The Kickass Career You Love
Category: Adult Nonfiction, 180 pages
Genre: Women in Business, Entrepreneurship, Career
Publisher: NCM
Release date: November 2018
Tour dates: Feb 25 to March 8, 2019
Content Rating: PG (rated PG because the word "Kickass" is on the cover)

Book Description:

It’s hard to fit in when you work in a mostly male world, let alone achieve your goals. Women in tech - as in many areas of business - are in the minority in every meeting. It’s difficult to find our voices in a room full of men. Even when we’re ready to share ideas, we often have to shout to be heard, trusted, and respected. It’s time for that to change.

Holly Chessman has used her marketing and business experience to navigate mostly male waters. She's taught people how to build their reputations using online and offline tools - and now she wants you to gain that same success.

Today is the day you start making the small changes you need to grow your voice and, consequently, your career. Small steps with big impact - that’s what it’s all about. Between the tips in this book and the straightforward, step-by-step exercises in each chapter, you’ll see your life change for the better.

As you go through this book, you’ll learn about the Defining You methodology, the exclusive system for accelerating reputation and career growth. You’ll get the step-by-step guidance to reach your goals faster than ever. You’ll develop the means to realize the success you’ve always envisioned: Speak up in meetings. Get the raise you want. Find a job that satisfies you. Do what it takes to meet the goals that are right for YOU.

Take control of your career TODAY and define the “you” you want to be.

My Review:
Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

It's been awhile since I read a good self-help book. It just so happens that AMPLIFY turned out to be the perfect resource at this time in my life when I just started a new exciting job. I was surprised by not only how useful this book is but how pertinent it is for any woman who wants to be successful at what she does for work. The advice is spot on.

First, I love that cover. It is simple but represents the topic well. This book is about girl power, truly encouraging and celebrating women's empowerment, independence, and confidence in the work field. I enjoyed Chessman's first person narrative as she shared her personal work experience, but mostly wrote in a friendly but expertly way about how to grow your voice and your reputation at work.

The book is easy to read and divided into chapters filled with practical exercises that clarify, define and help you to practice what you need to do to achieve the success you want in your career.  Not only does the author explain well these exercises but she follows up each exercise with examples of what you may want to achieve because sometimes you just need that direction. I loved how clear she made everything she talked about in her book.

I was so motivated by this book that I bought a notebook and set out to write out my long-term and short-term goals and the steps to achieve them. I am following the advice in this book and feeling much more confident because of the exercises that I've done. I haven't yet done all the exercises as this is one of those books that gives you lots of practical advice that you can use over and over and at different stages of your work life.

If you feel stuck at work, need a change in your career, want to improve your set of work skills, feel the need to prove your worth, want to build your reputation and expertise or advance in your company, then this book will help you achieve that. As the author states, it's not about working harder, it's about finding a way to let others know about the work you are doing and the results you are achieving. This is what she teaches you.

This is the perfect book for the young woman starting her career or the mature woman wanting to up her game.

To read reviews, please visit Holly Chessman's page on iRead Book Tours.

​
Buy the Book:



Meet the Author:



Named a Top Influencer in Content and Digital Marketing, Holly Chessman fully understands the power of online engagement. As an active advocate of women in business, she is passionate about helping people develop online and offline skills to grow their careers. She has been a leader in B2B tech for close to 20 years, running her own business (Holly Chessman Marketing) as well as empowering businesses with the strategies they need to speed growth and build revenue. Holly is a keynote speaker and a writer, contributing to such publications as Forbes, Maximize Social Business, Social Media Examiner, and more.

She is also not afraid to embrace her nerdy side (as evidenced by her love of Neil Gaiman and her "talking" TARDIS). Learn more at www.askholly.net.

Connect with the author: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook

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Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Dirty Trickster, Corporate Spy by Martin D. Kelly (Review and Giveaway)


I'm not one to read political books, but I do get drawn to memoirs of people who have done wrong things and regretted them. Check out my review and enter to win a copy.


Book Details:

Book Title: Dirty Trickster, Corporate Spy by Martin D. Kelly
Category: Adult Non-Fiction, 410 pages
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Strategic Media Books
Release date: August 2018
Tour dates: Jan 14 to 25, 2019
Content Rating: PG-13 (One sex scene but humorous rather than explicit; some 4-letter words)

Book Description:

Not until Dirty Trickster, Corporate Spy does a memoir exist by one of the principal Watergate saboteurs-provocateurs that exposes the full extent of the insalubrious side of politics and negative campaigning. And that is not all: After Watergate, Kelly became a corporate security consultant that provided undercover agents for client companies to spy on their employees. Kelly also specialized in eavesdropping detection, which took him around the world searching for clandestine listening devices for clients such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bob Hope, Ferdinand Marcos, the Miami Dolphins, Eastern Airlines and even suspected drug dealers. He secretly provided debugging training for entities such as IBM, Revlon, the U.S. Navy and dozens of others.

During President Nixon's second term when the Watergate scandal erupted, Kelly teamed with Donald Segretti in a wild series of underhanded capers that created havoc in the Democratic presidential primaries. Kelly and Segretti turned a fundraising dinner for front-runner Senator Ed Muskie at the Washington Hilton into absolute chaos; hired a University of Miami coed to strip naked and parade before Muskie's hotel; released two mice and a bird that threw a Muskie press conference into total confusion; organized fake luncheons, fake press releases, and other unscrupulous acts. The aim of the Nixon White House and Committee to Reelect the President was for the dirty tricksters to sow discontent among the Democratic primary candidates so they would blame each other for the dirty tricks, making it more difficult for them to unite in the general election against Nixon. The author was one of only three witnesses who testified specifically about dirty tricks before the Senate Watergate Committee.

Initial chapters reveal how dirty tricks were covertly planned and executed, how Kelly dealt with special prosecutors, investigators, Karl Rove, Watergate Judge John Sirica, the FBI, an inebriated Senator Ted Kennedy, the seven U.S. Senators on the Senate Watergate Committee, Bernstein and Woodward, Lesley Stahl and others in the media. Mid chapters expose inside secrets on successful tactics for public-office seekers or those climbing the rough-and-tumble steps of internal party politics.

In final chapters, Kelly unveils the widespread corporate spying that is going on in America to this day, with amazing examples from his security consulting career as a covert industrial undercover agent and secret mystery shopper who spied on all levels of employees. Kelly also fully discloses his role as a polygraph examiner and interrogator with hilarious anecdotes as well as how polygraph can be beaten. Even more controversial examples are revealed from Kelly's specialized international work as a detector of clandestine listening devices, complete with the tools and tricks of the trade.

With an intriguing yet amusing style, Kelly names names and holds back nothing in Dirty Trickster, Corporate Spy.
My Review:
Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

I'm not one to read political books, but I do get drawn to memoirs of people who have done wrong things and regretted them. I guess it's that part of me that likes to understand what drives people to do certain foolish things.

In Martin Douglas Kelly's case, from his youth he was one to play tricks and pranks on others, harmless for the most part, until he started getting involved in the dirty side of politics which seemed to come by being involved with the wrong people. It is clear from reading this memoir that Kelly is a smart, quick-witted guy who thinks fast on his feet. Too bad he wasted those smarts in his youth on doing unsavory things. 

Kelly's penchant for playing practical jokes has him describing them throughout the book, which makes for a humorous read, except when they went too far. Martin states plainly in his memoir that after all these years he is finally ready to come forward "to set the record straight and fill in the blanks, since no one directly involved with the Watergate black advance effort has done so."

Kelly goes into great detail about the stuff he's done, which for those who are into politics, would be just fine, however, it was sometimes too much for me. However, Kelly's writing style is easy to read and he is entertaining, forthright and regretful of his past actions. After his role in Watergate destroyed any political ambitions he may have had, Kelly turned to a career in security-consulting, which once again made for a very interesting life. I actually liked this part of the memoir more than the political confessions.

With all that we read today about American elections, Trump's presidential blunders and Facebook and Google spying on their users, this memoir is not as shocking as one would think. It's actually quite timely. Kelly does act with integrity with his security-consulting business, turning down jobs he knew involved the Mafia or drug dealers.

The author includes a bibliography and an index, which surprised me for a memoir but it actually makes sense because he mentions and talks about several historical figures and events, and they are easy to find using the index. I think that this book would be an interesting and enlightening read for students in political science studies and anyone interested in the history of politics.

To read reviews, please visit Martin D. Kelly's page on iRead Book Tours.



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Meet the Author:



Martin D. "Doug" Kelly is a successful author and freelance writer who resides in Clearwater, Florida. A rising Republican activist in college, his role in Watergate dashed any political ambitions. He thereafter engaged in a security-consulting career that included spying on the workforces of corporate America, during which time he also become renowned internationally as a locator of clandestine listening devices. When not fishing and playing golf, Kelly contributes travel- and outdoors-related articles for a variety of publications and co-hosts a weekly syndicated radio talk show.

Connect with Martin: Twitter

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Thursday, December 6, 2018

Looking to the Stars from Old Algiers and Other Long Stories Short by Jan Risher (Review and Giveaway!)


This book was an enjoyable read about one woman's journey through life written in a series of columns. Check out my interview with the author here and there's also a giveaway below to win a copy of the book.

Book Details:

Book Title: Looking to the Stars from Old Algiers and Other Long Stories Short
Author: Jan Risher
Category: Adult Non-Fiction, 312 pages
Genre: Memoir/collection of essays that create a narrative
Publisher: Sans Souci Press, imprint of University of Louisiana Press
Release date: Oct 9, 2018
Tour dates: Dec 3 to 14, 2018
Content Rating: G

Book Description:

Jan Risher took the long way to get from Mississippi to Louisiana with stops in between in Slovakia, Mexica, China, Burkina Faso and more than 40 other countries. Since moving to Louisiana, she has been a Sunday columnist for The Daily Advertiser and has written a column every single Sunday since 2002.

Looking to the Stars from Old Algiers and Other Long Stories Short is the collection of columns written over 15 years. Arranged in chronological order, the collection creates a narrative of one woman's aim to build her family, build up her community and weave the stories and lessons learned from the past into the present.

From her family's move to Louisiana, adoption of a daughter from China, covering Hurricane Katrina, travels near and far, author Jan Risher attempts, sometimes failing and sometimes succeeding, to do her small part to make the world a better place.

My Review:
Reviewed by Laura Fabiani

With a catchy title, Jan Risher has published 15 years worth of essays together in a compilation that gives the reader a glimpse into the author's life as a mother, journalist, teacher, and a woman striving to do her small but significant part to make the world a better place.

As a writer, mother and entrepreneur I could relate to many of Risher's stories. I enjoyed reading these snippets that held a view of the world from her perspective. Risher includes memories of her childhood in Mississippi, the effects of hurricane Katrina, the kindness of strangers both on her travels and in her hometown when her house was flooded. But most of all, her children are a big part of her stories. From the adoption of Piper from China in 2002 all the way to her first-born Greer leaving home in 2017 to attend her second year in college in NYC.

Her writing gets better as the years pass in the sense that she is a more confident writer. Her stories sometimes tie in to her past ones. I found these columns easy to read since they were very short, while simultaneously wishing some of them could have continued or been longer since I was caught up in the story and wanted to know more.

I enjoyed the gems of wisdom Risher shares with her readers about what her life experiences have taught her. One which has stayed with me is "Acknowledge and move on", and that it's never too late for missed opportunities.

Looking to the Stars From Old Algiers is one of those books that you take your time to read. A couple of essays at a time so one can enjoy the message in each one. This was an enjoyable read about one woman's journey through life written in a series of columns.


Buy the Book:





Meet the Author:


Jan Risher is an award-winning journalist and investigative reporter. She was managing editor of The Times of Acadiana. Before and after her time as a full-time journalist, she was an English teacher. She has taught English near and far, in its most basic and most lyrical forms. She continues her career as a freelance writer and now owns Shift Key, a content marketing and public relations firm. She, her husband and their two daughters have made their home on the banks of the Vermilion River.

Connect with Jan: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ Instagram


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Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Interview with journalist Jan Risher, author of Looking to the Stars From Old Algiers (Giveaway too)

I've had the pleasure of reading Looking to the Stars From Old Algiers and Other Long Stories Short by Jan Risher and doing a brief interview with the author. Her book is a compilation of her columns written every Sunday over 15 years for Louisiana's The Daily Advertiser. Look for my review this Thursday Dec 6. And enter to win a copy of her book!

An Interview with Jan Risher


LCR: Jan, welcome to Library of Clean Reads! Can you please describe your book in twenty words or less?

JR: Acknowledge and move on. Whatever the circumstances, Risher attempts to do her part to make the world a better place.

LCR: What was the hardest thing about putting together this compilation of your essays? 

JR: Believe it or not, the most difficult thing was actually finding all the columns! We’ve changed technology a lot since 2002. While I thought I had done a good job of archiving every column, I was wrong. I ended up having to go through microfilm in the university’s library to find some of the 2002 columns.

LCR: The easiest?

JR: The easiest piece of the puzzle was knowing a few favorites to be sure to include, especially the title column about the week after Hurricane Katrina when I helped the mother of a newborn find her missing baby.


LCR: What is the most important lesson you learned from your travels?

JR: The most important lesson I’ve learned through traveling is that finding common ground is easy to do.

LCR: What is the scariest thing that's ever happened to you?

JR: One night about 2 a.m., I reached Dakar, Senegal, and ended up in a taxi to my hotel. The driver pulled off the road into a field. I defended myself and yelled for help. People came running and then proceeded to run with me all the way back to the airport.

LCR: The funniest? 

JR: I once used charades to convey my request to a Polish bus driver to transport 11 friends and me from the place we were skiing back to the town where I lived at the time.

LCR: The weirdest? 

JR: Shortly after the Iron Curtain fell, for $134, I went on one-week guided tour of Spain — in Czech. I got on the bus and was ready for a fun trip. I had no idea the tour NEVER stopped at a single restaurant for food. Those people had packed every meal of the week — and I had none. Toward the end of the week, when we had all made friends, I learned that all the Czech school teachers on the tour had been afraid I was going to steal their stuff.

LCR: What do you want your readers to take away from your book?

JR: I’d like readers to be inspired to engage fully in their lives and realize that one doesn’t have to go far and spend lots of money on great adventures to have great adventures.

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

JR: I would go back to Slovakia in 1993. My time there was a beautiful experience.

LCR: What was the last great book you read?

JR: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

LCR: Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?

JR: On the coast of Spain

LCR: Thank you so much for chatting and sharing your experiences!


About Jan Risher:


Jan Risher is an award-winning journalist and investigative reporter. She was managing editor of The Times of Acadiana. Before and after her time as a full-time journalist, she was an English teacher. She has taught English near and far, in its most basic and most lyrical forms. She continues her career as a freelance writer and now owns Shift Key, a content marketing and public relations firm. She, her husband and their two daughters have made their home on the banks of the Vermilion River.

Connect with Jan: Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ Instagram


Enter the Giveaway!
Ends Dec 22, 2018


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