Jo Linsdell

September Struggles

September was a busy month. I know I didn't post as often during September but that was because I was just too busy. It was my birthday, school started (with my eldest starting a new adventure at secondary school), and then sports training started again too. Throw in a few other general "life" things and Tada! busy Jo.

Now I did try to get back into the flow of things towards the end of the month but life decided to put me on hold again. It all started with Facebook blocking my website URL...

Facebook blocked my website

I'm still not sure why they decided to block my URL as they have possibly the worst user/customer service on the web. I tried messages them, reported the mistake, and did their debug thing too... nothing.

I even tried to reach out to them via Twitter as I didn't have any luck getting an answer on their own platform. I know right?! Well I didn't get a response there either.

I reread the Facebook Community Standards pages about a thousand times over but can't see any way my website violates their terms. On this site I post about mainly about books and blogging.

I'm also definitely not a spammer. In fact, I'd been sharing my links on Facebook much less in recent months than usual due to the summer break.

It would be a shame to have to close my Facebook page but to be honest it's not what bothers me most about them blocking my URL. What I'll really miss is Facebook groups. I've been a member of some awesome groups on there for a while now and will miss the other members. Those groups were also getting good results in terms of traffic to my website and comments on my content.

Facebook finally unblocked my website yesterday. YAY! In true Facebook style they didn't send any communication about it, but at least it works again now. I also still don't know why it was blocked in the first place. Ah the mysteries of Facebook...

Increasing website security

So what now? Well, for starters I decided to make sure my website is more secure. I've updated my Who Is Guard and activated a new SSL Certificate. I also activated Comodo Secure (you'll notice the new certificate down at the bottom in the footer).

I'm not sure if it was updating these things that made Facebook unblock my website and let me share my links again or not. It was something I needed to do anyway, and so in a way I'm happy my website got blocked as it gave me the kick I needed to do it.

Website security is important and now I'm all up to date. This also means you have peace of mind when visiting my website as you know the systems in place to protect you.

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Book Review: Dinosaur in Danger by Paul Geraghty

My kids picked Dinosaur in Danger by Paul Geraghty at the library and enjoyed this beautifully illustrated children's picture story book.

A thrilling prehistoric world is brought to vivid life by awe-inspiring artwork in this reissue of the story of a young dinosaur separated from her pack

With a mighty blast the great volcano bursts and rivers of red-hot lava race down the mountain. As the forest burns and the dinosaurs flee, Talon, a young raptor, finds herself alone in a hostile world of giant carnivores and dangerous gangs. She must find food or soon she will starve, but to do so she must win over the enemy pack. Meticulously researched, this realistic dinosaur thriller is perfect for anyone moving to a new school, classroom, or home.

https://amzn.to/2NuvGhO

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DEARathon 6-8 Sept 2018

I love taking part in readathons. It's fun to join together with the rest of the bibliophile community to share our love of reading.

I took part in the DEARathon (Drop Everything and READ!) last week, and it was so much fun.

One thing that drew me to this particular readathon was that it didn't involve any challenges or special requirements for what to read. This gave me complete freedom when picking which books to read, and wasn't too challenging either.

Drop Everything and READ! hosts impromptu readathons throughout the year, and I'll definitely be on the look out for future events to take part in. DEARathon is hosted by @LittleBookOwl and @LittleRedReads

Official Twitter for the event is https://twitter.com/DEARathon.

DEARathon also offered the most entertaining reading sprints I'm come across so far during a readathon. Well done ladies!

Clapping Standing GIF from Clapping GIFs

My TBR for the readathon:

Letters From Alice by Petrina Banfield

About the book:

Two women. One secret. Will they be able to keep it under wraps?

It is a stormy evening in 1920s London. When newly qualified almoner, Alice, stepped into the home of Charlotte, a terrified teenager who has just given birth out of wedlock, she did not expect to make a pact that would change her life forever. Thrown into secrecy after an unexpected turn, Alice is determined to keep bewildered Charlotte and her newborn baby safe. But when a threatening note appears, she realises that Charlotte may need more protection than she first thought. But from who?

Based on extensive research into the archive material held at the London Metropolitan Archives, and enriched with lively social history and excerpts from newspaper articles, LETTERS FROM ALICE is a gripping and deeply moving tale, which brings the colourful world of 1920s London to life. Full of grit, mystery and hope, it will have readers enthralled from the very first page.

Grab a copy: https://amzn.to/2x1GuK8

Everything We Left Behind by Kerry Lonsdale

About the book:

An Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestseller.

From the bestselling author of Everything We Keep comes the highly anticipated sequel. Told from one man’s two perspectives, Everything We Left Behind effortlessly blends suspense, mystery, and romance in an exploration of loss, resilience, and the compelling need to protect the ones we love at all cost.

Two months before his wedding, financial executive James Donato chased his trade-laundering brother Phil to Mexico, only to be lost at sea and presumed dead. Six and a half years later, he emerges from a dissociative fugue state to find he’s been living in Oaxaca as artist Carlos Dominguez, widower and father of two sons, with his sister-in-law Natalya Hayes, a retired professional surfer, helping to keep his life afloat. But his fiancée, Aimee Tierney, the love of his life, has moved on. She’s married and has a child of her own.

Devastated, James and his sons return to California. But Phil is scheduled for release from prison, and he’s determined to find James, who witnessed something in Mexico that could land Phil back in confinement. Under mounting family pressure, James flees with his sons to Kauai, seeking refuge with Natalya. As James begins to unravel the mystery of his fractured identity, danger is never far behind, and Natalya may be the only person he can trust.
Grab a copy: https://amzn.to/2Qj0DEc

Here's a vlog I did during the readathon:

Did you take part in DEARathon? What are your favourite readathons to take part in?

Have you read either Letters From Alice or Everything We Left Behind? What did you think of them?

DEARathon 6-8 Sept 2018 Recap #Readathon

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Book Review: The Life and Lessons of a Young Author by Sunayna Prasad

Disclosure: I got sent a free copy of this book for review via I Read Books Tours.

Whether you are young or old, The Life and Lessons of a Young Author can offer those who dream of finding the right path in the world of writing and publishing. Sunayna Prasad shares her experience as a young author and discusses what went well for her and what she suggests to those who long for success.

Talking about her life as a published writer, Sunayna Prasad teaches you the rules of the writing craft and the standards of the publishing world, as well as additional tips and tricks. The Life and Lessons of a Young Author can help you choose your own writing and publishing paths.

US https://amzn.to/2Q4ULOK

UK https://amzn.to/2Q9Bk7m

Over 50,000 Signed Books - The World's Largest Selection For the Avid Fan, Reader, & Collector

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108 Book Blogs To Follow

As the summer holidays are coming to an end, it's time to get back into the swing of things. As I mentioned in a recent post Back to Work with a New Plan of Action I'm going to be making a few changes.

One thing that is changing is the Booktastic Link It Up Thursday! I want to grow this idea and so I'm turning it into a weekly meme instead of just a link up party.

Every Thursday you can link up your book related post. Posts can be book reviews, book hauls, book related meme posts... as long as the post is book related it counts :)

So what's changing?

First change is that I'll no longer be setting up a linky for you to post your links to. Your links can be posted directly into the comments section of the weekly post.

Second change is that I ask you to link back to the weekly blog post here on my blog some where in the post you're linking up.

As before I ask that you link up blog posts ONLY please. Other types of links will be deleted.

I'd also appreciate it if you follow me on any social media of your choice (I'm JoLinsdell everywhere). Of course, I would love it if you subscribed to my newest posts ;)

Why join the link up?

Linking up to parties and leaving comments on other posts is a proven way to increase traffic to your blog and grow your blog’s followers!

Please grab the Booktastic Link It Up Thursday button and share it somewhere on your blog (sidebar, post, bottom, etc.) and please share about this party with any book-lovers you know.

Booktastic Link It Up Thursday: A Meme For Book Bloggers

Let's grow this party!

Click to tweet:

Come and join in Booktastic Link It Up Thursday at www.JoLinsdell.com (hosted by @jolinsdell) #LinkUp #Books #BookBloggers

Everyone works hard on their posts and loves visits/comments/pins from others. Please visit AND comment on at least one other linked post if not more.