Julie's Journal » Books

Once In a Blue Moon Review and Giveaway-CLOSED

Jules — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:50:29 +0000

A couple weeks ago I got the chance to review a new book, thanks to One2One Network. They sent me a copy of Eileen Goudge’s new book Once In A Blue Moon, and I also have a copy of the book to giveaway to one of my readers!

Lindsay and Kerrie Ann are sisters who have known hardship from an early age. Without guidance from their neglectful mother, their only aid came from an unlikely source, a retired exotic dancer by the name of Miss Honi Love. When the girls’ mother was sent to prison, Miss Honi tried unsuccessfully to save them from being separated and sent into foster care.

Thirty years later, Lindsay is still trying to reconnect with her sister. The owner of a bookstore in the sleepy California seaside town of Blue Moon Bay, she was lucky enough to have been adopted by a loving couple. Unbeknownst to her, Kerrie Ann has suffered a very different life. Bounced from one foster home to the next, she ran away as a teenager before becoming a drug-addicted single mother. Now, newly sober, Kerrie Ann is fighting to regain custody of the little girl who was taken from her.

Neither sister’s expectations are met when they’re finally reunited. But as the two sisters engage in the fiercest battles of their lives, they are at last drawn together despite their differences, restoring belief in the unshakable bond of family.

Once In A Blue Moon isn’t normally the type of books I read, but I found myself really enjoying it and getting attached to the characters. It’s very well written and easy to read. If it sounds like the type of book that you enjoy then enter my contest to win a copy!

How To Enter the Once In A Blue Moon Giveaway
Each one of the following is worth one entry into the giveaway – make sure to leave comments so I can include each thing you do!

Leave a comment on my blog about this book. Why you’d like to read it, or if you’ve read any other Eileen Goudge’s before.
Blog about my giveaway and link back to my post.
Follow @EileenGoudge on Twitter.
Become a fan of Eileen Goudge on Facebook
Follow @JustJulie on Twitter.
Subscribe to receive Julie’s Journal in your email
Tweet: Enter to win the book Once In a Blue Moon by Eileen Goudge from @JustJulie http://tinyurl.com/yho9eda

Contest ends Wednesday November 4, 2009 at 12:00 noon PST. I will choose one random winner from all the entries and notify you by email. You have 36 hours to respond.

Once In a Blue Moon Review and Giveaway-CLOSED

Are You a Trust Agent

Jules — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 21:09:51 +0000

This is a sponsored guest post written by Chris Brogan on behalf of Trust Agents. Post powered by Sponzai

Want to know about our book, Trust Agents? My co-author, Julien Smith, and I want to know if you are a trust agent. What defines a trust agent? Here are the six main secrets of being a trust agent. Do any of these sound like you?

Make Your Own Game

You can do what’s come before or you can take a unique swing at the world. If you’re Hugh McGuire, you’re working on Book Oven, a whole new way to look at books and reading. You’re someone like Perez Hilton, who took on People magazine and won, as far as we’re concerned.

Are you making your own game?

One of Us

Maybe you’re the person in your industry who’s come to the larger online conversation, like Leslie Carothers is to the home industry. Perhaps you’re the next Matt Cutts, who represents Google to lots of us. He’s more Google than Sergey or Larry, because he’s here. He’s one of us.

Are you one of us?

The Archimedes Effect

Understanding leverage is what separates the hobbyists from the professionals. Do you understand how to take what you’re doing in one instance and extend it out into something bigger or better elsewhere? This is what brought Madonna from just another singer into being a worldwide brand. Leverage is behind all the most powerful people in the world, but it all starts somewhere. Gary Vaynerchuk leveraged his wine store into his video project and took that into his media project and his book deal. Gary bleeds leverage.

Do you understand the Archimedes Effect?

Agent Zero

Connecting and networking and building relationships is what moves you from an individual contributor to an interdependent kingmaker. Learning how to be a core element of several networks is where we think a trust agent works best. Take Robert Scoble. He went from being a guy talking about Microsoft to a guy on a mission to be moved by what he saw around him. Robert connects with people all over, and finds himself at the core of many important networks.

Are you Agent Zero to several networks?

Human Artist

There’s a world of difference between knowing how to build relationships with people and coming off as “that guy.” You know who we mean: that person who shows up with a bullhorn to promote her projects, to blurt about her interests, and then to leave before you get a chance to say anything about you. A human artist is what we call the people who interact well in this new world, and who know how to build nurturing relationships. People like Liz Strauss and Terry Starbucker are human artists.

How do you relate to others?

Build Armies

Working solo is easy. Do you share what you know to promote larger interactions? Can you create resources to help you and then thread your efforts into theirs? Building an army, especially a loosely-joined and flexible group of people from many disciplines, is the key to being an advanced trust agent. People like Danny Brown, who started a social good movement know the value of armies. Ze Frank turned entertainment into a massively multiplayer online experience, one that has yet to be replicated successfully. The implications to business are obvious.

Are you ready to build armies?

If You Answered Yes to Any of the Above

You are definitely in the mindset of trust agents. Your examples might be different. You might not do as much of one of the six secrets as others (I’m still not very good with leverage, for instance). But at your core, you’ve caught on that these new online tools require a different type of person, and that not just anyone can get the most from the experience. You, however, are in the perfect position to be a trust agent.

If you are a trust agent, Julien and I want to meet you over the coming months. We’re traveling the US (and sometimes abroad), and we look forward to connecting with as many of you as we can. Why? Because that’s what we do.

I’m excited you’re part of the experience. We’ll appreciate your help, your input, your support, and your own experiences as part of the project. It’s how we do things. Thanks in advance. You’ve already made this all very much worth it.

If you haven’t joined the Trust Agents Community, swing by. And if you want to buy a copy of Trust Agents, you can get it here.

Are You a Trust Agent

Dirty Bow Wow Review & Giveaway (Closed)

Jules — Wed, 06 May 2009 16:25:44 +0000

I got the cutest book the other day to review here on my blog, and I also have a copy to giveaway to one of my readers.

It’s called Dirty Bow Wow: A Tribute to Dogs and the Objects of Their Affection written by Cheryl and Jeffrey Katz. The book is just adorable and if you are a dog lover you will really enjoy the 50 full-color, all-breed canine portraits, each posed with a favorite play toy and accompanied by an affectionate anecdote.

To celebrate the books release the Dirty Bow Wow Dog Toy Drive starts May 2009 at bookstores across the country. It’s your chance to help shelter dogs find the toy of their dreams, and hopefully a permanent, loving home. Here is a list of retailers who are collecting dog toy donations or hosting events. Drop off a new dog toy at the location nearest you, and aid a dog in need today!

Dirty Bow Wow Giveaway: To enter for your chance to win a copy of Dirty Bow Wow: A Tribute to Dogs and the Objects of Their Affection all you need to do is leave a comment on this post telling me about your dogs favorite toy.

Dirty Bow Wow Giveaway Rules

Leave a comment on this post telling me about your dogs favorite toy.
One winner will be drawn randomly from all the comments I receive.
Contest ends on Thursday May 14, 2009 at 12:00 noon Pacific.
Winner will be contacted by email.

This Dirty Bow Wow: A Tribute to Dogs and the Objects of Their Affection review and giveaway is part of the Family Review Network.

Dirty Bow Wow Review & Giveaway (Closed)

Rent Books Online – Netflix Style

Jules — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 21:47:36 +0000

With the rising cost of almost everything these days, I’m always on the lookout for ways to scale back on our budget. The one thing that we had to give up on our last budget update was our book purchases. Michael and I use to spend about $200 a month at the book store. I loved our monthly visits where we’d spend hours looking through books and sharing titles with each other. You’d often hear me screaming across the store, “Hey baby, come look at this book!”

Following on the heels of the successful movie DVD rental company Netflix, comes
BookSwim. You rent books, take all the time you need to read them, send them back and they ship you more books.

BookSwim Features:

Free shipping both ways
Rentals include college textbooks along with bestselling novels
Keep the books you love with their book purchasing system
Automatic billing each month
No contracts – you can cancel at anytime
No due dates, no late fees
Unlimited rentals per month

BookSwim Membership Plans:

Devout Reader – 11 books – $19.93
Avid Reader – 7 books – $14.94
Casual Reader – 5 books – $12.45
Light Reader – 3 books – $9.95

BookSwim Current Promotion:

50% off the monthly membership price of $19.93. Just $9.95 to sign up now!

When I first came across this service I thought, why not just go to the library? Well it’s basically the same reason you don’t want to go to the movie rental store. There are no late fees, BookSwim never closes, no waiting list for popular titles, and they come directly to your house! Seems pretty nifty to me!

Check out BookSwim and tell me what you think.

[tags]Bookswim.com, book rentals, rent books, online book rental[/tags]

Rent Books Online – Netflix Style

Do You Watch the Showtime Series Dexter?

Jules — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 05:27:32 +0000

Back in September of last year the people at Showtime sent me the first season of Dexter on DVD (and second season also) along with a t-shirt that my oldest son immediately claimed ownership of, to watch. I was INSTANTLY captivated by this series, and have been an avid watcher ever since. I even added Showtime to my cable line up so I could keep up with Dexter, which eventually turned out to be a great thing with Weeds, and the Californication series.

Johnathan, the aforementioned son that took ownership of the Dexter t-shirt, also became a huge fan of the series, and asked for the books for Christmas. Dexter books? What? Are there really cheesy knock off books written after the series came out? Why no! After doing some research I realized that Dexter was the product of the creative mind of Jeff Lindsay long before it was a series on Showtime. How could I have been so stupid? I bought him the books and thought nothing of it.

Just this week I was running out of books to read so I started reading the Dexter books that I bought him and I flew through them without realizing the time that was going by on the clock. I started on the first book Darkly Dreaming Dexter and finished it in one day. My next read was Dearly Devoted Dexter and I finished that in one day also!

Currently I am reading Dexter in the Dark (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) and it is as good, if not better, than the previous two books.

I am anxiously awaiting August 9, 2009 when Dexter by Design: A Novel will be released. Watching the series on Showtime and reading the books that closely follow the series is exhilarating! If you are a Dexter fan, I highly recommend that you read the books.

[tags]Jeff Lindsay,Dexter,Showtime,Michael C. Hall[/tags]

Do You Watch the Showtime Series Dexter?

Blog Blazers – by Stephane Grenier

Jules — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 02:36:17 +0000

I recently got a copy of Stephane Grenier’s book Blog Blazers that he sent me to read. He interviews 40 of the top bloggers including Seth Godin, Jeff Atwood, Aaron Wall, Eric Sink, Neil Patel and 35 others, all wrapped up into a nice and handy book to have around.

I really enjoyed reading it, and it sits right next to me on my desk so I can reference different things when I need to.

It’s really neat to read the answers to the questions Stephane ask the top bloggers of today, and it gave me a lot of insight into marketing my own blogs. You will be really surprised by some of their answers!

Example questions

What makes a blog successful?
Do you spend time and money on marketing?
Who do you think are the most successful bloggers on the internet today?
Which 5 blogs do you read daily?
What is your best monetization method?
What’s the one biggest opportunity that came to you because of your blog?

If you’re a blogger you really need to check out this book. It will be the best $16.95 you’ve ever spent to becoming a better blogger, and you don’t even have to order promotional pens with your blog name on them!

[tags]Stephane Grenier, Blog Blazers, blogging[/tags]

Blog Blazers – by Stephane Grenier

Queen of the Road – Review & Giveaway

Jules — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:00:13 +0000

QUEEN OF THE ROAD: The True Tale of 47 States, 22,000 Miles, 200 Shoes, 2 Cats, 1 Poodle, a Husband, and a Bus with a Will of Its Own (Broadway Books; June 10, 2008; Trade Paperback Original; $13.95) by Doreen Orion.

I had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the online book tour for Queen of the Road. One of the great things about the tour is I’ve got a great prize package worth over $130 to give away to one of you! But first things first, I want to tell you about the book.

The book starts when Doreen (self-proclaimed Princess of Long Island) is approached by her husband Tim (Doreen-proclaimed Project Nerd) who wants to buy a bus and travel the world for a year. Doreen reluctantly agrees, and in her book she writes about all their trial and tribulations of living on a bus and traveling to 47 states, for 22,000 miles, with 200 shoes (I’m still not sure if that is pairs-100 pairs=200 shoes), 2 cats (Shula and Morty), 1 poodle (Miles), and a husband (Tim).

This book is AMAZING, and I read it in one sitting. I laughed, I cried, and I really got a feel for what living on an RV is really like. My husband and I have tossed around the idea, and Doreen’s story wasn’t enough to change my mind. Yes, she does tell the story of almost getting sucked out of the bus door while going down the highway, and the damn thing breaking down every 100 miles or so, but hey!? That’s the making of a great book, or an excuse to make a cocktail right?! (Listen to her podcast Mobile Martinis)

The part that touched me the most is that Doreen and Tim didn’t kill each other. In fact their relationship grew stronger, with both of them understanding each other a little (or a lot) better. Give it a read, I know you will enjoy it just as much as I did.

The Queen of the Road Giveaway

Everyone who comments on a tour post (including this one) will be entered to win a grand prize of:

Mom Logic Tote bag, eye brightener and mouse pad.
Wrist water bottle from Swiggies – $13 value
Gift certificate for free flashcards from GoosieCards – $29 value
Rose Pin – $10 value
Natural, dye-free dog tug from Purrfect Play – $18 value
Book, “Uncovered” by Mark Goldwich – $13 value
“Attitude of Gratitude” Tank Top Med from EmpoweringThings – $19.39 value
“Be Natural” tee shirt from JB-JustBe – $15 value
Cats on Cards Pet Rescue Stickers from PurrfectPlay – $7.95 value
2009 Park-It Guide for NYC from ParkItGuide – $13 value

The Queen of the Road Blog Tour Stops

For more chances to win:

Nov 28 Dorothy – Robyn – Louise
Nov 29 Christine – Beckie
Nov 30 Michelle
Dec 1 Tara (blog 1 blog 2) – Stacie (blog 1 blog 2 blog 3) – Ginny – Kat
Dec 2 Julie – Angela – Wendy (blog 1 blog 2) – Elizabeth
Dec 3 Renee – Christine – Dennise
Dec 4 Kimberly
Dec 5 Alisa – Aimee – Toni
Dec 6 Connie – Jackie
Dec 7 Cathi – Sheena – Laura
Dec 8 Maria
Dec 9 Jane – Lisa – Yvonne (blog 1 blog 2)
Dec 10 Kailani – Tara

Good luck to all who enter and you can click here to purchase Queen of the Road, and if you’d like a free signed bookplate from Doreen visit her site Queen of the Road for more details.

[tags]Queen of the Road, Doreen Orion, RV, traveling[/tags]

Queen of the Road – Review & Giveaway

My Book Sale Was a Success

Jules — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:05:42 +0000

You may remember me posting about all the books that I sell on Amazon last summer. I’ve done really good with that, but at some point it just gets to be a pain in the butt going down to the post office every.single.day to ship out all the books I sold the day before.

I still had about 300 books in boxes in the garage, and since we are unemployed (i.e. broke) we decided to have a book sale today. I posted it on Craigslist last night, and drove all over our neighborhood putting up signs. We got up this morning and spent about an hour putting them out on blankets in our driveway all nice and neat for the hundreds of people that would surely show up.

Just as the last box was unpacked a nice couple pulled up in their truck. The man asked Michael, “How much?” in which Michael responded, “$1.00.” He said, “No, for ALL of them!” I stood there thinking, what the hell, and Michael did the math in his head at lightening speed and came up with a price. They said, “SOLD, start packing them back up into boxes.”

I was floored, but gladly starting putting them back in the boxes, all the while thinking how I just freed up 6 hours of my Sunday. Hell, it took more time setting up for the book sale, than the whole sale lasted.

As we were packing up the books and talking to the couple, we learned that they own the big gymnastics academy here in town and they have girls that come and live with them from other countries to train for all the big gymnastics competitions. They were buying the books to create a library for the girls to learn English and the American culture! I was so moved by their story and I would have TOTALLY donated the books to them, had we not been so damn poor right now.

I do have their business card though, and I WILL be donating more books to them as I finish reading the ones I have. LOL! We got rid of over 300 books today, and we still have close to 1000 in our various book shelves around the house. I’m not sure how well all my Seth Godin and Christopher Moore books would go over with the young gymnasts but you never know. Then again those are books that I would never get rid of.

[tags]books, book sale, gymnastics, gymnasts, Seth Godin, Christopher Moore[/tags]

My Book Sale Was a Success

Free Audio Books

Jules — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 01:52:53 +0000

I have yet to get into audio books, but my friend Amy talks a lot about them, and how much she enjoys listening to them on her daily commute to work. I decided to look around for some online and came across a nice service that offers free audio books. Well, they are not free forever, but you do get your first 14 day membership trial for free. Has anyone tried Audible.com before? What do you think of their service?

[tags]Audible.com, free audio books[/tags]

Free Audio Books

Book Thongs

Jules — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 23:04:44 +0000

I’ve been messing around with different ways to make some extra money, and I came up with an idea to start selling Book Thongs. I first spotted Book Thongs at my local Barnes & Noble. I thought they were so cute, that I decided to make my own. Now I’ve expanded on that idea, and have been making them to sell here on my blog.

I’m starting small, and so far I only have 6 made to sell. You probably won’t see me starting my own mass-producing Book Thong business with promotional pens to hand out and all, but I am having a great time making them. I hope you like them!

You can read more, and see pictures here: Julie’s Book Thongs

[tags]book thongs, book thong, bookmarks[/tags]

Book Thongs