Reading Authors: July 2013

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Repost: Giveaway for Kindle Fire, $199 Amazon or $199 Paypal

This is a joint AUTHOR & BLOGGER GIVEAWAY EVENT! Bloggers & Authors have joined together and each chipped in a little money towards a Kindle Fire HD 7".

Kindle Fire HD 7" Giveaway

The winner will have the option of receiving a 7" Kindle Fire HD (US Only)

Or $199 Amazon.com Gift Card (International)

Or $199 in Paypal Cash (International)

Sponsoring Bloggers & Authors

Giveaway Details 1 winner will receive their choice of a Kindle Fire 7" HD (US Only), $199 Amazon Gift Card or $199 in Paypal Cash (International). There is a second separate giveaway for bloggers who post this giveaway on their blog. See details in the rafflecopter on how to enter to win the 2nd Kindle Fire. Sponsor a future Kindle Fire Giveaway by signing up HERE. Ends 8/15/13 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the participating authors & bloggers. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway Disclosure: I was in no way compensated for this post and not responsible for prize shipment. This is not my giveaway nor am I apart of it. I am reposting for informational.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Review: How Not To Murder Your Grumpy

When I first jumped in on the chance to read this book, I seriously thought it was a murder mystery. Wouldn't you by the title? I even thought, "grumpy" equaled grandpa.

I was never so far from reality on this one. In actuality, author Carol E. Wyer writes a tongue in cheek book about how to keep your now retired husband happy and occupied while keeping some sanity for ones self at the same time.

Beginning with the letter "A" with aeroplanes she discusses every hobby that could be known to...well, man...within the letter. Carol Wyer finds some obscure hobbies like under "H" for horseball or under the letter "Q" for quadrille.

There are also the more commonly know hobbies of billiards located under the letter "B" or Zumba under "Z". There is even needlepoint under "N" and volleyball under "V". All of course very great opportunities for the grumpy in ones life.

The truth is, I found all the entries after awhile to be daunting. Even though I found the book to be humorous at times, it was not the laugh out loud kind of book that I would normally like to read. I also felt this book was directed to one audience, that being the retired sect.

I do commend Mrs. Wyer for her unbelievable research that went in to this book. It was the most informative book I have ever read outside of a college book. I hope that maybe she put her own grumpy husband, whom she mentions throughout, to the task of helping her do the research. It would certainly have given her some peace of mind.

All in all, it was an ok book and I give her an "E" for effort.

This book: 3 stars.

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for my open and honest opinion as part of the Providence Book Promotion Tour. The views expressed here are 100% my own.

About Carol E. Wyer:

After completing a degree in French and English at Keele University, Carol Wyer became a language teacher in Casablanca, Morocco. She ran the EFL department at a private UK school (a non-magical Hogwarts), set up Language 2000 Ltd, teaching a variety of languages, including basic Japanese, and translated documents. Recurring medical problems forced her to give up teaching and become a fitness instructor. Thanks to older age, she now writes novels, articles and books that poke fun at getting older. Known for her light-hearted take on life, Carol has written two award-winning novels and now also tours giving talks on how to age disgracefully.

Where you can find the author:

Facebook

Amazon

Real vs. Electronic...Sunday Vlog

If you follow me on my other blog page, Just the Stuff Ya Know, then you know I usually do a vlog on Sundays. Today, I wanted to do a vlog for this blog.
Check it out. Tell me what you think and of course, please subscribe to my channel! :)
~Naila Moon

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Book Release and Free Kindle Downloads by Elisabeth Wheatley

Author Elisabeth Wheatley is celebrating her 18th birthday with a new book release and two free books on Kindle of her previous releases. Happy Birthday Elisabeth!

Disclosure: I have received no compensation for this post in any form. It is strictly informational for my readers.

Promo for "I Stood With Wellington" by James Mace

I Stood With Wellington

BLURB:

In February, 1815, after nine months in exile, Napoleon Bonaparte, the deposed Emperor of the French, escaped from the Isle of Elba. Seizing the initiative while the European powers bicker amongst themselves at the Congress of Vienna, Napoleon advances towards Belgium with an enormous army, where the combined forces of Prussia and England are cantoned. The French Emperor knows that if he can achieve a decisive capture in Brussels, it will shatter the already fragile European alliance.

Leading the allies is Sir Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington; the venerable British field marshal who defeated Napoleon’s best generals in Spain, yet who the emperor had never personally met in battle. Napoleon knows that if he can draw away Wellington’s chief Prussian ally, Gebhard von Blucher, and destroy his army first, he can unleash his entire might against the British. A victory over the unbeaten Wellington will cripple the alliance even further, as it will then deprive them of both English soldiers and financing.

In Belgium, Captain James Henry Webster has finally returned to a line regiment after being terribly wounded at the Siege of Badajoz three years prior. He is given command of a line company within the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards, the elite of the British Infantry.

A series of indecisive clashes will lead to a collision between the two greatest military minds of the age and the bloodiest single day of the entire century, as Wellington and Napoleon lead their armies to either immortality or oblivion. For Captain Webster, he fights for both his nation and to protect his young daughter in Brussels. Along with the rest of the Guards Division, he finds himself at the apex of the battle, where the fate of the entire world will be decided; at a place called Waterloo.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born in Edmonds, Washington, author James Mace is currently a resident of Meridian, Idaho. He enlisted in the United States Air Force out of high school; three years later transferring over to the U.S. Army. After a career as a Soldier that included deploying to Iraq, in 2011 he left his full-time position with the Army National Guard to devote himself to writing.

His well-received series, "Soldier of Rome - The Artorian Chronicles," is a perennial best-seller in ancient history on Amazon. In his latest endeavors, he also branched into writing about the Napoleonic Wars. After he finishes the last of The Artorian Chronicles in 2013, he looks to expand into a series about the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND JAMES MACE:

Amazon
Goodreads
Facebook

Disclosure: I did not receive any compensation, nor a copy of this book for this post. This is part of the Innovative Online Tour of which I belong.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Literary Junkies Meet Up #LiteraryJunkies

Come join me for Literary Junkies. We discuss a book a month and set questions by the host.
This month is, The Art Of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein.

I will be posting my review of the book later on in the week. For now, here are the questions we will be discussing at our Twitter Party at 7PM CST.

1. What are you currently reading? Tell us about it.

Currently, I am reading several books. The Secret, White Chalk, Steve Martin Born Standing Up, and Scar Wolf. I have several more ready to start. :)

2. What book first made you fall in love with reading?

Hardy Boy Mysteries, Nancy Drew Mysteries, and a book called Daddy Long Legs

3. Summer is a great time for series. What are your series recommendations?

Why not Harry Potter? Would you believe I have not read one of those books yet!

4. Does a song come to mind with the book you are currently reading? If so what it is?

Walk Like An Egyptian. ROFL!!!

5. Are you participating in any summer reading challenges?

I have been only doing the Goodreads challenge. Nothing much else. I have a ton on my plate and would prefer to relax.

Giveaway Announcement for Create Your Story

Prize:

I See Me Books Gift Certificate

4 Winners
ARV $42.90 each

Hosted by:

Java John Z's
and
M.O.O.N.

Sign-ups close 7/28

**The blogger with the most referrals will receive the additional links at no cost

Click HERE to sign up and for more html info.

M.O.O.N. has now added several perks/discounts for frequent participation in our events but you must be a member of our Facebook group to be eligible. Please visit the M.O.O.N. group if you are a blogger and would like more information regarding these perks and other group events.
**If you are a company and would like to see your brand advertised in a M.O.O.N. event similar to this please contact ldybug1682@gmail.com

Thursday, July 11, 2013

An offer to authors

An offer to all authors:

I am offering a prime Ad Spotlight (or two per month) here on my blog, for you to be showcased, for an EXTREMELY reasonable price.

In addition, I am offering a spot on this blog for your book trailer to be showcased.

Please only e-mail me if you are interested at nailamoon1968 at gmail dot com.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Giveaway:$500 BedAndBreakfast.com Gift Certificate Giveaway!

Check out this brand new giveaway from Michael Phillip Cash! I know I would love to win this. How about you?

Welcome to the $500 BedAndBreakfast.com Gift Certificate Giveaway!

Hosted by Giveaway Promote.

Sponsored by Michael Phillip Cash.

Michael Phillip Cash recently released his second book, Stillwell: A Haunting On Long Island.

Paul Russo’s wife just died. While trying to get his family’s life back in order, Paul is being tormented by a demon who is holding his wife's spirit hostage on the other side.

His fate is intertwined with an old haunted mansion on the north shore of Long Island called Stillwell Manor. Paul must find clues dating back hundreds of years to set his wife's soul free.

To celebrate the release of Stillwell: A Haunting On Long Island, Michael is giving away a $500 gift card to BedAndBreakfast.com.

Use this gift card to plan a romantic getaway for two. Who knows, maybe you'll even find a few spirits when you stay at one of the nearly 4,000 participating inns across the US and Canada.

Pack your bags and enjoy your stay. Be sure to pick up a copy of Stillwell and enjoy!

Enter to win a $500 BedAndBreakfast.com Gift Certificate

Complete the tasks below to earn entries into this giveaway.

Refer your friends using your unique link at the top of the Rafflecopter for even more chances to win.

One winner will be chosen at random from all valid entries.

Open Worldwide.

Ends at 11:59pm EST on July 22nd, 2013.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bloggers, if you'd like to participate in a giveaway event like this one, sign up for Giveaway Promote's weekly giveaway events newsletter.

Disclosure: Naila Moon of Once Upon A Time and Just The Stuff Ya Know was in no way compensated for this post and is not responsible for prize shipment.

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Review of Let's Hear It For Almigal by Wendy Kupfer

You may or may not know that I became completely deaf at the age of 36 years old. To say that my heart was broken was an understatement.

At the time, I thought I would never be able to hear my children's voices or anyone else's for that matter. I did not think I would be able to hear the things I really like either, like thunderous rain, music or the giggle from a child. I was devastated.

However, help was on the way and that would be in the form of a cochlear implant and two highly specialized doctors that cared for their patients. My life was certainly changed again for the better.

So, what does that have to do with a book review? Well...

Let's Hear It For Almigal written by Wendy Kupfer is a children's book about a little girl, Almigal, who is profoundly deaf but still she wears "cotton-candy pink hearing aids".

Almigal has a best friend who also wears hearing aids and teaches her some sign language. For the most part she feels special but not all the time. She cannot always hear the things she loves, like birds chirping and the music in her ballet class. These things makes her sad because she wants to hear everything there is to hear.

Upon a visit to her hearing specialist, Almigal's doctor introduces her to cochlear implants. She has the operation and is given her favorite color, "cotton-candy pink". She shows them off to friends who are very happy for her.

As all young kids will do, Almigal forgets to take care of her cochlear implants but it turns out okay anyway. In the end, she learns that they are special tools for her and the best part is, she can hear everything she loves including her Mom and Dad who tell her they love her.

-----------------
Now, you can see why I loved this book.
The illustrations were done by Tommie Lyon and are very bright and colorful like the character of Almigal that author Wendy Kupfer portrays.

The author based this book on her own daughter who was born profoundly deaf and eventually too had cochlear implants. Both work tireless for the causes of the deaf and profoundly hard of hearing. In fact, each book that is purchased, 5% of the sales goes to support deaf children. Win-win!

This book:

~Naila Moon

Where you can find Wendy Kupfer:

Amazon

Disclosure: I received a free copy of this book for review for my open and honest opinion. The views represented here are 100% my own.

Review of "If You Were Me and Lived In South Korea" by Carole P. Roman

In her third installment of the "If You Were Me and Lived In..." series, this time author Carole P. Roman takes us to South Korea.

As in the other two books, the adventure begins by illustrating to children where in the world the country is. From there it is on to the capital of Seoul with a small history lesson but nothing too much to bog the young child's mind.

If You Were Me and Lived In South Korea follows along with names of people and places to see. Also included this time is a holiday celebrated by the people, what clothes they would wear and what presents they might receive. The end of the book once again has a vocabulary of words with pronunciations. I do find that to be quite handy. The illustrations are bold, lively and colorful.

What makes this book even more interesting is that it is dedicated to some special ladies from South Korea, whom Carole P. Roman knows personally, that inspired her to write this particular selection. Ms. Roman discusses this on her blog, with photos of the women. I will leave that to you to discover on your own.

This book: