- Why book reviews matter & how they help sell books
- Star ratings: What they really means
I hope that this webinar will encourage more people to post reviews.
If you have any comments about the webinar, or questions about book reviews, please continue the discussion in the comments section below.
I got sent a free ARC ecopy of this book from the Publisher via NetGalley.
I'm giving this book a 3 star rating.
Pub Date: 13th Sept 2016
About the book:
Winter winds off the Atlantic have turned the tourist mecca of Seaside Creek, New Jersey, into a ghost town. Dr. Christina Paxton, however, is growing accustomed to living with ghosts. Recently widowed, the emergency room physician has returned to the shore with her young daughter, house-sitting a sprawling beachside Victorian home. One night, her two-year-old calls her by a name that makes Christina’s blood run cold and sends her thoughts spiraling back thirty years.
Deeply unnerved, and certain someone else is in the house, she flees with her child into the cold night, only to come face-to-face with Chief Harris Bowers, a former classmate with whom Christina has a complicated history. Now divorced, Harris hopes to mend their past, but Christina is wary of being played for a fool again. As threats emerge, Christina and her small family find themselves in grave danger. It seems there is no one she can put her trust in—least of all herself.
Last week the topic was Characters You WOULDN'T Want To Trade Places With. Here's my video:
This week the topic is Gateway Books To Your Favourite Genre. Here's my video:
What would your answers be to both topics? What is your favourite genre? Leave a comment below and let me know.
Throughout history, countless publications have faced censorship and banning in many countries around the world for a variety of reasons, be they religious, political, or just plain ridiculous.
As this week is Banned Books Week, I wanted to take a minute to talk about banned books and celebrate the freedom to read.
Watch the video to find out some of my favourite banned books:
Here's just a few of the banned books I have on my shelves:
What are some of your favourite banned books? Know of a really ridiculous reason why a book was banned? Share in the comments section below.
New Releases and Old Finds
Despite promising myself I wouldn't add any new books to my TBR until I'd cleared some of those already on it, I did a book haul. NetGalley is just too tempting!
I also found an old suitcase I had in storage full of books. Some I'd forgotten I even had. Some I'm super excited about finding again. Some I've never read... yep more for my TBR.
Anyway this video is a book haul for all the old and new books I've discovered/rediscovered this week. Enjoy!
Also includes info about my upcoming webinar "Book Reviews: Why, What & How" that I'll be doing on 30th September 2016.
Patreon
In other news, I finally got round to setting up my page at Patreon. You can now show your support at: https://www.patreon.com/JoLinsdell I'll be developing it more over the coming weeks and adding more goals and rewards.
Title: The Woman Who Lost Her Mojo
Author: Carol Wyer
I got a free ARC copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley.
I'm giving this book a 5 star rating.
Pub Date: 23rd Sept 2016
About the book:
It’s time for Charlie to ditch the life that’s been dragging her down in this romantic, funny, feel good read!
Since splitting from her husband, Charlie’s life has been stuck in a rut. Best friend Mercedes will do anything to put a smile back on Charlie’s face and so draws up a bucket list of things to help Charlie recover her mojo.
Sure enough, as Charlie works her way through the list, belly dancing and bungee jumping, she makes new friends and even begins to attract some male attention.
Journalist Jake gives Charlie butterflies but he almost seems too perfect – there must be a reason why he’s single. Perhaps Rob would be a better bet – yes he’s short and he drinks too much - but a girl can’t have everything can she?
The final challenge on Charlie’s list looms large. Can Charlie complete it and prove to herself that life is for living, whatever may have happened in the past? And can Jake get through to Charlie and stop her from settling for the single life or, the wrong man?
Join Charlie as she finds her happy-ever-after in this hilarious, heartwarming read that will make you laugh, cry and live your life to the full!
Watch the video for my full review:
I loved this book. 5 stars! I'm now planning my own bucket list so if you have some suggests please let me know. Maybe I could start Challenge Jo? Purchasing link:http://amzn.to/2creI2Z
As a writer, and avid reader, reviews are a big part of my life. I'm either doing them, reading/watching them, or hoping that people will post one for my books.
One thing I've noticed over the years though is that not everyone feels comfortable posting reviews. A big part of that is because they don't really understand them. They don't know what they should include, and have no idea just how powerful a review can be. Without knowing the What, Why, and How, people shy away from reviews. Well, I've decided to solve the problem with a quick, free, webinar.
On Friday 30th September I'll be uploading a free webinar to https://www.youtube.com/user/jolinsdell (and, of course, posting it right here on the blog too) called Book Reviews: What, Why, and How. There is no set time for the webinar and as it will be on my Youtube channel you'll be able to watch it whenever it's most convenient for you.
In the webinar we'll be taking a look at;
- What should be in a book review
- Why book reviews matter & how they help sell books
- Star ratings: What they really mean
I hope that this webinar will encourage more people to post reviews.
P.S. If you post a review for one of my books to Amazon, Goodreads, your blog, YouTube, or any where else, you are officially awesome and I send you virtual hugs of gratitude ;)
My thoughts about The Judas Game by Ethan Cross
This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning, I get a commission if you purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Read the fulldisclosure here.
I got a free ARC copy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley.
I'm giving this book a 5 star rating.
Pub Date:4th Oct 2016
About the book:
When a correctional officer climbs to the top of his watchtower and opens fire on the inmates and guards, federal investigator Marcus Williams and serial killer Francis Ackerman Jr. must join forces again to unearth the truth behind the incident. What they find is a serial killer using the prison as his hunting grounds. But the Judas Killer's ambitions don't end with a few murders. He wants to go down in history and has no reason left to live.
With Ackerman undercover among the inmates and Marcus tracking down the mastermind on the outside, the team must learn the identity of the Judas Killer and stop a full-scale uprising that he's orchestrated. But the more they learn about what's happening at the prison and why the more enemies they must face. From inside the overrun facility, Marcus and Ackerman must save the hostages and stop an elaborate escape attempt while trying to determine how a rival corporation, the leader of one of the world's most dangerous criminal organizations, and an inmate with no identity only known as Demon fit into the Judas Killer's plans.
Launching a bold new cycle of novels featuring The Shepherd Organization, The Judas Game is searing, mesmerizing fiction—it's Ethan Cross at his very best.
Discussing The Judas Game by Ethan Cross
I'm a huge Ethan Cross fan and love this series, so I had high expectations for this book. It reached them. I'm giving this book 5 stars. I highly recommend this whole series.
I've been tag-tastic lately on YouTube, having fun joining in all the wonderful bookish tags created by the BookTube community. Today I'm sharing with you my latest tag: The Ruler of the Books tag created by +Ariel Bissett
Just call me Queen Jo
These are the questions I had to answer for this tag:
If you were the Ruler of Books…
1/ What book would you make everyone read?
2/ What would you abolish in book construction?
3/ What author would you commission to write you any book?
4/ What book would you demote to the library basement to make room for new books?
5/ What cover artist would you commission to make a mural?
6/ What characters face would you put on a coin?
7/ What book would you award the “Ruler of Books” 2016 Prize to?
Watch the video for my answers
I have tagged a few of my BookTube buddies already but if you feel like doing this tag then please consider yourself tagged ;)
The Ruler of the Tags
I have a list of more tags to do and have decided to pass it over to you and get you to pick which one I do next. Here's the options:
1) New to BookTube Tag (OK so technically I'm not a newbie anymore as have been doing it for ages now but I've never done the newbie tag)
2) The Five Quotes Book Tag
3) The YouTube History Tag
4) Rapid Fire Book Tag
5) Totally Should've Book Tag
6) The BookTube BookTubers BookTube Book Tag
Cast your vote by posting in the comments section of this post. The one with the most votes will be filmed and uploaded next week to https://www.youtube.com/user/jolinsdell
I'm an active member of the BookTube community over on YouTube (if you are too come say hi at https://www.youtube.com/user/jolinsdell), and I recently joined in The Goodreads Book Tag.
I use Goodreads a lot and this tag was a good excuse to talk about the site, how I use it, what they could improve, etc... You can also find out about books I'm reading/ have read/ want to read, my favourite author's, and other little gems too.
Watch the video and leave me a comment on YouTube.
Also if you feel like doing this tag, consider yourself tagged ;)
I got sent a free ecopy of this book from the publisher via Net Galley.
I'm giving this book a 3 star rating.
Pub Date: 18 March 2016
About the book:
When Russian federal agent Nikolai Aven starts investigating the affairs of Moscow tycoon, Marat Ivankov, he finds himself caught in a web of corruption involving the lethal Russian mafia and their powerful political friends.
Driven by a primal resolve to protect his twelve year old daughter and exact revenge, Nikolai pursues his betrayers through the crazy, helter skelter world of the New Russia to the power bases of the United States, the thriving new frontier for Russian organised crime, in a life & death game he is determined to win.
A masterful thriller packed with intrigue, and well-drawn characters and set against the fascinating backdrop of modern-day Moscow and New York.
If you like political books, or mystery thrillers then you might like this one. Had me guessing about which characters were the good guys and which were the bad guys.
Have you read this book? What did you think of it?
September is here, and it marks yet another year of my being on this planet. Yep, it's my birthday month. I love birthdays. Prezzies, cake... what's not to like? Oh the part when you realise you're another year older.... OK so that part I'm a little less joyful about so I've decided to look at it from a new point of view. I'm not ageing. I'm levelling up ;)
If you'd like to join me in celebrating as I level up you can make a donation to my birthday fund here:
My thoughts about Love at First Dateby Susan Hatler
This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning, I get a commission if you purchase through my links, at no cost to you. Read the fulldisclosure here.
About Love at First Date by Susan Hatler:
Ellen’s figured out that finding the right guy is all about compatibility. That’s why she signs up for Detailed Dating—the local online dating scene in Sacramento. They ask men the hard questions, compare their answers with hers, then she filters through the profiles of each provided “match.” After numerous email exchanges, she narrows it down to two promising candidates she’s excited to meet in person.
When Ellen’s best friend asks her for a favor, dog-sitting leads to disaster and Ellen ends up at the local vet where she meets a man she can’t get out of her mind. Henry isn’t a logical choice, but she finds herself paying for dog obedience class to spend more time with him.
Ellen knows that in order to have a lasting relationship, she should take the safe route and go for one of the pre-screened guys. But, how can she think with her head when her heart keeps begging her to give Henry a chance?
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DISCLOSURE STATEMENT
JoLinsdell.com accepts paid advertising banners and some contextual affiliate links. An affiliate link means that I receive commission on sales of the products that are linked to in my posts. So if you click on a link and make a purchase from an affiliate site, then I may make a commission from that purchase. Please note that all opinions expressed are my own and that all of the products I mention are from companies I know and trust. By using this website, you agree to the terms and conditions outlined in the full disclosure statement + privacy policy.
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