Book Review: Deceiving Derek

Katie September 20, 2013 0 Comments

Deceiving Derek is the first in a series of 5 short stories in a series called “Love & Other Calamities”  This book is only 28 pages (actually, less if you’re counting just the actual story and not the excerpt from the next book, etc) and was obviously a quick read.  Lacey is a lingerie designer and in a scavenger hunt for a bachelorette party – she needs to bring a cop to win.  Turns out, her scavenger hunt parter is the twin sister of a cop so she helps set up a story so that Lacey will try and get Derek to turn up to the party so that they can win. What the friend / sister is really trying to do is to fix the two of them up together.  Will it work?

It also sets up the story for the next book in the series which I am looking forward to reading the rest of!

Although the book is short, I think it properly introduced the characters to the reader and was able to completely tell the story that it was looking to tell.  It will be interesting to see how the other stories work in to this story line and what the other girls in the story have in store for them.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Sassy Shorts! Fun, Quick Reads. Deceiving Derek, Love & Other Calamities, Story 1. Deceiving Derek was previously published. This is a Revised and Updated Author’s Edition.

Lingerie designer Lacey DeMarco livens up her life by finagling an unsuspecting police detective into attending a funky bridal shower. She needs one last item to complete a scavenger hunt list, and handsome cop Derek McAllister is it. But a little trickery is at work. Both Lacey and Derek are both being hoodwinked…in the name of love.

Deceiving Derek is a romantic comedy short story of 5200 words, or approximately 12 typical book pages, and includes a Sneak Peek at Catching Claire, Story 2 in Love & Other Calamities.

Deceiving Derek is the first of five connected short stories, each featuring a heroine introduced in Deceiving Derek. Follow Lacey and her girlfriends as they prepare for a wedding and find true love along the way.

Book Review: Hard Listening: The Greatest Rock Band Ever (of Authors) Tells All

Katie September 19, 2013 0 Comments

Hard Listening is a compilation of various authors candid emails, writings and photos.  It is stories about “Rock Bottom Remainders” which is a rock band formed by the world’s bestselling authors.  They recently turned 20 and put this book together.  They were more than a band – which was a good thing because they were not a very good band.

Certainly an interesting read because you would think that you’d see these authors at a computer or with a pencil and paper in their hands – not guitars!

It is nice to hear about it all from the band members themselves as well as check out the photos.  I had never heard about this band before and figured it might be amusing to read about them.  Based on the photos it certainly looked like they had quite the time on stage.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Over 350M books sold. Forty New York Times #1 Bestsellers. One lousy band. Now go behind the scenes to hear their stories firsthand.

In 1992, a cadre of the world’s bestselling authors formed a rock band called the Rock Bottom Remainders. For two decades the band played proudly (and some would say, terribly) to sold out crowds across the country. Now they’re hanging up their guitar picks, drumsticks and leather whips, but not without a look back at twenty years of friendship, love, writing, and the redemptive power of rock ’n’ roll.

Hard Listening is a voyeuristic view into the private lives of your favorite authors, combining essays, fiction, musings, candid email exchanges and conversations, compromising photographs, audio and video clips, and interactive quizzes for a groundbreaking ebook experience. See Stephen King, Scott Turow, Amy Tan, Dave and Sam Barry, Roy Blount Jr., Mitch Albom, James McBride, Ridley Pearson, Matt Groening, Greg Iles, and rock legend Roger McGuinn at their most unguarded.
IMPORTANT: This version of Hard Listening offered on Netgalley includes essays, photos and interactive quizzes. To purchase a version with video and audio clips, please search for the Enhanced Edition: http://www.coliloquy.com/products/hard-listening/

Book Review: Unknown Museums of Upstate New York

Katie September 18, 2013 0 Comments

Unknown Museums of Upstate New York features 50 treasures of museums in New York that you probably don’t know about.  The book starts with mentioning that several of these museums did get damage from Hurricane Irene a few years back as well as another storm right after.  The author checked with the owners and many of them are back up and running or on their way to be.  The museums are broken up into regions Chautauqua/Allegany, Greater Niagara, Finger Lakes, 1,000 Islands / Seaway, Central-Leatherstocking, The Adirondacks, The Catskills, and the Capital District / Saratoga so you can more easily plan your trips based on what museums are near each other!

Each museum entry features 4 different sections. The main entry is the history of the museum. The second section is the “Wow Factor” or what the most special item is at the museum that makes visitors say “Wow!”, the 3rd is “The Take-Away” which is where the author describes the reaction to his visit to the museum.  “Up around the Bend” features other places for you to visit while on your trip to the museum. Also noted are the hours, location, directions, fees, etc.

While all of these museums have reasons to visit – here is the list I came up with of what I’d like to try and visit… Lucy Desi Museum & Desilu Studios (Jamestown), Kazoo Museum (Eden), Jell-O Museum (Leroy), Museum of Oddities (Cazenovia) and the Trolley Museum (Kingston). Who knew a cheese museum could be so fascinating?

It’s too bad that a lot of upstate New York is just too far from me to make these day trips (the Lucy Desi museum is 6 hours away!).  Sometimes I forget just how HUGE New York State really is.  Oh well, maybe one of these days I’ll find myself passing through for one reason or another.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Unknown Museums of Upstate New York is an informative and entertaining guide to the rich resources available at fifty small, often overlooked, regional museums. Even those familiar with the upstate area will likely have never visited and perhaps never heard of some of the treasures this guide unearths, such as the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum, the Kazoo Museum, and the Robert Louis Stevenson Cottage and Museum. D’Imperio tells each museum’s story, in light of its cultural and historical relevance, and he provides a wealth of information about the museums as places of interest to visit, not just to read about. In addition to information on ticket prices, hours of operation, and travel directions, Unknown Museums of Upstate New York highlights key information about the collections and offers suggestions for how visitors can make the most of their visit, listing nearby and related venues of interest to the regional explorer. Each of these museums deserves a visit, but you won’t find any of them in New York City. They’re some of the gems of Upstate New York, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find them without this guide.

Chuck D’Imperio is a well-known radio personality from Upstate New York and the author of several books that explore the hidden facets of his home region, including the recent Monumental New York! A Guide to 30 Iconic Memorials in Upstate New York.

Book Review: ABC of Toronto

Katie September 15, 2013 0 Comments

ABC of Toronto is an A, B, C book geared towards kids to teach them all about what there is to see in Toronto.  I visited Toronto 9 years ago and would love to go back, so I figured this book would be a nice way to “go back” without actually having to go there.  It has a lot of fun things to see and do in the area – museums, the CN Tower, etc and some great illustrations as well!  I went to only 2 of the places mentioned in the book – but even just as illustrations there are plenty more that I want to learn more about and check out!

An easy and fun read for your child who may live in Toronto, be visiting on vacation soon or who is just interested in learning about new places!

I received a free e-copy of this book from the publisher in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

This alphabet book celebrates the sights and sounds of Ontario’s vibrant capital. Joining Per-Henrik G?rth’s friendly animal characters as they explore Toronto from the Art Gallery of Ontario to the Zoo is as much fun as a ride on one of the city’s famous streetcars!

Book Review: The Social Employee

Katie September 14, 2013 0 Comments

The Social Employee is a book about How Great Companies Make Social Media Work.

In 2013, using social media can be a great advantage. The book really has a lot of great ideas on how the Social Employee can help better the social brand by forming those relationships, engaging customers, etc.

It can be scary on diving right in to social media with your brand – but you have to change with the times and shouldn’t let the fear of the unknown stop you.  Social media, like technology, is constantly changing.  Just try to keep up with it and things should be ok!

While I’m not really a business and I certainly have no employees I do know about the power of social media which is why I try to get all my blog posts out on Twitter and Facebook.  Are there plenty other networks I am completely missing the mark on? Of course.  But I am only one person and for me it doesn’t make sense to hire someone to oversee this type of activity (especially since I don’t make money on my blog) but for larger corporations it would be incredibly valuable to hire someone to oversee this type of thing. It brings customer service and interaction to an entirely new level.

Certainly a very interesting read and something that I think any business trying to make it in this social era should be checking out to see how they can improve their social presence.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review,  I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

As social media continues to grow in complexity, no public space is more important than the digital frontier. The social employee – the front-line worker who has been entrusted to be a highly visible brand ambassador – can offer a window into a brand’s soul, driving a brand’s reputation to new heights through rich engagement and authentic representation.

THE SOCIAL EMPLOYEE highlights five major innovative companies – Cisco, IBM, AT&T, Southwest, and Dell – that are frontrunners in the space of social branding and engagement, each with a particular strength in social media that brings in clients, strengthens the connection between employee and company, problem-solves, and creates new business opportunities.  These five companies are case studies in creating social culture from the top down, starting at the highest corporate levels and cascading down, to drive employee engagement, brand awareness, and overall profitability.

Mark and Cheryl Burgess, experts in social media branding and marketing, reveal what makes each company unique and how savvy business leaders and marketers can apply it to their own employee culture and media strategy. The brands that focus more on understanding, engaging and remaining relevant to consumers are the ones destined to win the marketing wars.

Embracing change, rewarding loyalty and innovation, inspiring trust and quality, empowering the employee – these are all beneficial byproducts of having Social Employees.