Saturday, September 23, 2017

Fall Into Books Cash Giveaway


Fall Into Books

Hosted by I Am A Reader

$250 Giveaway

September 23rd to October 15th

The winner of this giveaway has the option of receiving a $250 Amazon Gift Card or $250 in Paypal Cash.

Sponsor List – Thanks to this wonderful group of bloggers and authors for sponsoring this giveaway!
I Am A Reader
Lori's Reading Corner
Helen Smith
B. Kristin McMichael
Kasey's Book Reviews
Simple Wyrdings
Dorine White- author
Author Dorothy Dreyer
Author Inger Iversen
Krysten Lindsay Hager author
Author Crystal Marcos
JeanBookNerd
AuggieTalk
Stacy Claflin, Author
Charissa Stastny Books
Caroline Clemmons
Laurie Here - Cont Fiction and MORE
BookHounds
Laurie Treacy
Geybie's Book Blog
The Late Bloomer's Book Blog
Every Free Chance Books
Jennifer Faye ~ Romance Author
Diana's Book Reviews
Laurisa White Reyes, Author
Author Candy Atkins and The Lost Knight
Dawn Malone, Author
Bound 4 Escape
The Readers Realm
Spirit Filled eBooks
Glistering: B's Blog
S.T. Bende

Giveaway Details

$250 in Paypal Cash or a $250 Amazon.com eGift Card

Ends 10/15/17

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via Paypal or gift codes via Amazon.com. 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 and sponsored by the authors, bloggers and publishers on the sponsor list. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
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Bronze can be pre-ordered through any bookseller (ISBN 9780982893678) or pre-order now at Barnes and Noble.
Visit theglisterjournals.com for news, excerpts, and more about The Glister Journals series.
Reviews for Bronze

All original text and materials by or commissioned by B. B. Shepherd are copyright 2012-2017 to B B Shepherd.

Friday, September 15, 2017

Banned Book Week Giveaway Hop


Banned Book Week Giveaway Hop

September 15 - 30

Welcome to the Banned Book Week Giveaway hosted by BookHounds! I'm giving away one $15 gift card to one winner. More information about banned books week can be found on bannedbooksweek.org and a list of banned books is on the American Library Association's website. Most of the banned books I've read are classics, but there are quite a few more contemporary books I haven't gotten to yet. Some I just can't imagine why they are/were banned. Which books on the list have you read? Which ones would you recommend?

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Visit theglisterjournals.com for news, excerpts, and more about The Glister Journals series.
Reviews for Bronze
Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller (ISBN 9780982893678) or purchase now at Barnes and Noble.

All original text and materials by or commissioned by B. B. Shepherd are copyright 2012-2017 to B B Shepherd.

Sunday, September 3, 2017

Review & Giveaway: Reading People by Anne Bogel

From the book site:
"Discover How Seeing the World through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything

Backed by extensive research and illustrated with engaging stories, Reading People explains what makes you uniquely you, what makes the people in your life uniquely them, and why it all matters. Popular blogger Anne Bogel makes it easy. In this fascinating book, she collects, explores, and explains the most popular personality frameworks, such as the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, StrengthsFinder, Enneagram, and others. She shares the life-changing insights that can be gained from each, along with practical applications across all facets of life, including love and marriage, productivity, parenting, the workplace, and spiritual life.

Want to revolutionize the way you live, love, work, and pray? Understanding personality is the first step!"

I've been intrigued by people since I was a teen. My dad and I talked by the hour trying to figure the universe out well into my twenties and thirties, and a major topic was always people - how they think and why they do what they do. Since I began seriously writing a little over ten years ago, I've been even more fascinated. I've had gaping holes in my understanding of other people all my life. It's only relatively recently that I've been diagnosed as autistic and now realize that my dad was too. The holes are still there, but Anne's book is going to be an important resource for me for many reasons.

Reading Anne's book is just like listening to her. Her tone is welcoming and confiding as she shares personal life stories and revelations from her research. I especially love her many references to authors and literary characters and their personality traits and probable types.

Personality typing might be how I discovered Anne Bogel's blog Modern Mrs. Darcy years ago. Or I might have discovered her blog through my love of books and then stumbled over one of her posts on personality. Or I might have just come across the title of her blog and been compelled (yes, compelled) to visit it, as any self-respecting Janeite would. You'd have to investigate a blog with such a title. Whichever way, Anne has certainly enriched my reading life and now is contributing to my growing understanding of what makes people tick. As an autistic writer of character-driven fiction, this is huge! I knew about extroverts and introverts, of course. But that's like Personality 101. I'd never heard of the Myers-Brigg assessment before frequenting her blog, and I find that fascinating. I'm quite sure I'm INTJ but I'd like to take the full test one day.

More recently (last summer) I joined Anne's book club (which I LOVE) and first heard about her soon-to-be-released book, Reading People. You may know her through her weekly podcast, What Should I Read Next, which I also highly recommend whether you need the advice or not! Anne's manner is calm and warm and humorous and gracious. I'm glad she's narrating her own audiobook and you can get a free copy! More of that below. First, the book.


As I said, everybody knows about introverts and extroverts, and I'd already discovered the Myers-Briggs typing through Anne's blog, but it's much more in-depth than I realized. If I'm serious about knowing my own or anyone else's type, it's going to require a little more time than a simple online test. I knew about the ancient four "humors," but I'd never heard of Keirsey's Temperaments. I am a Rational and, though I didn't pay for the advanced report, since I'm quite sure I'm INTJ, that makes me a Rational Mastermind. (Sounds diabolical. Hehe) The other big one I'm not familiar with is the Enneagram, though I've heard a lot about it. This one seems a little overwhelming and it'll take some time for me to work through it. I relate to too many of the types! I'll need to spend more time with the Clifton StrengthsFinder for the same reason.

The Love Languages I've known for a while (mine is quality time) and also about Highly Sensitive Persons (I definitely am one). I personally think the latter is largely neurological and not necessarily personality, but I can readily believe that being an HSP can shape one's personality.

Although I read a free ARC, I've already pre-ordered a copy and plan on buying copies for my daughters and my son, as we all struggle with similar issues. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand themselves or who deals with other people in any way. In other words, everyone!

For writers: A valuable resource for checking character traits against motivations. I've read too many books where characters suddenly act out of character purely to further plot or cover up plot holes. Sometimes it's just lazy writing - not bothering to come up with clear cut characters in the first place. Understanding your characters, at least the ones that have significant page presence, will go far to keeping your characters on track and believable.

For parents: I'm very fortunate to have had children that got along most of the time. They're very close to this day (the youngest is thirty this year!) Conflict resolution wasn't a big factor in their upbringing. But I know that's not the norm for a lot of parents. Understanding your children's personalities and the dynamics in their interactions will help with problem solving and conflict resolution.

For teachers: The reasons are similar to parents on a grander scale: understanding your students, finding better communication methods for individuals, and avoiding and resolving conflict.

For employers: Knowing the strengths and personalities of your employees can help them be more successful in their work and work relationships. Win for everybody!

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Reading People website. Pre-order the book to claim your free audiobook and Reading Personality class!
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
IndieBound


Visit theglisterjournals.com for news, excerpts, and more about The Glister Journals series.
Reviews for Bronze
Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller (ISBN 9780982893678) or pre-order now at Barnes and Noble.

All original text and materials by or commissioned by B. B. Shepherd are copyright 2012-2017 to B B Shepherd.

Friday, September 1, 2017

Farewell to Summer Cash Giveaway


Farewell to Summer

$250 Cash Giveaway

September 1st to 22nd

Enter for your chance to win $250 in Paypal Cash or a $250 Amazon Gift Card.


Sponsor List – This wonderful group of bloggers and authors has joined with I Am A Reader to sponsor this great giveaway!

I Am A Reader
Julie Coulter Bellon
Lori's Reading Corner
Donna K. Weaver
Helen Smith
Simple Wyrdings
Kasey's Book Reviews
Krysten Lindsay Hager
Geybie's Book Blog
Heather Gray, Writer of Christian Romance
Glistering: B's Blog
S.T. Bende
Heather Boyd, Romance Author
Simply Sherryl
Laurie Treacy, author
Maureen's Musings
Carol Malone
Bound 4 Escape
The Late Bloomer's Book Blog
Christy's Cozy Corners
The Editing Hall
Aubrey Wynne: Timeless Love
Auggie Talk
The Serious Reader
The Lovely Books
Bookroom Reviews
BloominThyme Organic Gardening

Giveaway Details

$250 in Paypal Cash or a $250 Amazon.com eGift Card

Ends 9/22/17

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use money sent via Paypal or gift codes via Amazon.com. 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 and sponsored by the authors, bloggers and publishers on the sponsor list. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
a Rafflecopter giveaway



Visit theglisterjournals.com for news, excerpts, and more about The Glister Journals series.
Reviews for The Glister Journals: Bronze
The Glister Journals: Bronze can be purchased through any bookseller or purchase now at Amazon.com

All original text and materials by or commissioned by B. B. Shepherd are copyright 2012-2017 to B B Shepherd.