The Book Cove

Words touch us all in different ways. Sometimes the original intent of a quote resonates so profoundly with us that it is hard to believe that another wrote it. Other times it is a single word, peculiar phrasing, or an alternative meaning regarding an event in our lives that resonates the most. I believe in the power of starting the the week off with a positive or provoking thought -- and so was created  A Penny For Your Thoughts . This is a weekly blog hop that will feature quotes of all kinds; classics, character, book-movie, personal, etc. The themes will range from funny to serious, but really it all depends on how you interpret it! How does this work? Every Sunday a quote will be posted Enter the giveaway by posting your thoughts on a post of your own or the comment section   below .  Collect the pennies!  Every week there will be a penny to collect and include with your post, if you choose. RAFFLE ENTRY:  Y our site or comment needs to be submitted...

Recent articles on gender inequity in Silicon Valley serve to remind that women still have a long way to go to achieve employment parity. The distance, however is nothing compared to what all the female scientists experienced in the new book by Rachel Swaby. Today’s women in STEM fields may have a difficult time climbing the corporate ladder, but it wasn’t that long ago when the corporate ladder was clearly marked, Women Not Allowed. Swaby’s book is divided into short chapters each highlighting an individual’s life and career. Don’t be surprise if you haven’t heard the names of most of the honorees. The author specifically selected women who, although produced significant contributions, are relatively unknown. No current women are included as Swaby also chose to concentrate on scientists whose professional life’s work is completed. The struggles to gain an education were impressive, doubly so when you realize they all lived in times when feminine worth was judged by looks and ma...

It's interesting to see the different ways that people go about writing in general. Some writers are intricate builders that plan every support beam and building exit before writing the details. Other writers get an itch of an idea and they can develop a design scheme before the stakes are in the ground. I write a lot for my job outside of the blog. I'm not sure if I write in one way more than the other but I use both methods. When I write a review I'm definitely more of the builder. I have a methodical process that I go though every time and I lay my reviews out in a sequential order. The Layout Why I picked up the book in the first place - I start by giving a little background on my mindset. Have I read work by the author before? Is this one I'd normally read based on the synopsis? What caught my interest first? Maybe a previous experience I've had with anything related to the book. This not only helps me center my thoughts specifically to that book, b...

Words touch us all in different ways. Sometimes the original intent of a quote resonates so profoundly with us that it is hard to believe that another wrote it. Other times it is a single word, peculiar phrasing, or an alternative meaning regarding an event in our lives that resonates the most. I believe in the power of starting the the week off with a positive or provoking thought -- and so was created  A Penny For Your Thoughts . This is a weekly blog hop that will feature quotes of all kinds; classics, character, book-movie, personal, etc. The themes will range from funny to serious, but really it all depends on how you interpret it! How does this work? Every Sunday a quote will be posted Enter the giveaway by posting your thoughts on a post of your own or the comment section   below .  Collect the pennies!  Every week there will be a penny to collect and include with your post, if you choose. RAFFLE ENTRY:  Y our site or comment needs to be submitted...

Blog Talk: Tips for a successful first year as a new blogger Once upon a time I considered writing a “first year’s review of a blog” post (it's the latest craze). Actually, I had it completed and then decided against it. It was long and tedious (not unlike some of my other posts...or this one) and in the end I don’t think it said anything extremely noteworthy. I had blog visitor stats, demographics, clicks, time spent – everything you can get from Google Analytics. But in the end, it was by personal observation that I was really able to tell when my blog was doing “good” or “bad”(which of course is all very subjective).  So instead of posting my first year stats to bore, shame, excite, or elicit smugness in others, I’ve decided on a simple post that states exactly when I had the greatest “success” for this blog; success in terms of shares, comments, and interaction.  These tips are really nothing new. You can find similar thoughts on pretty much any “successful ...

Words touch us all in different ways. Sometimes the original intent of a quote resonates so profoundly with us that it is hard to believe that another wrote it. Other times it is a single word, peculiar phrasing, or an alternative meaning regarding an event in our lives that resonates the most. I believe in the power of starting the the week off with a positive or provoking thought -- and so was created  A Penny For Your Thoughts . This is a weekly blog hop that will feature quotes of all kinds; classics, character, book-movie, personal, etc. The themes will range from funny to serious, but really it all depends on how you interpret it! How does this work? Every Sunday a quote will be posted Enter the giveaway by posting your thoughts on a post of your own or the comment section   below .  Collect the pennies!  Every week there will be a penny to collect and include with your post, if you choose. RAFFLE ENTRY:  Y our site or comment needs to be submitted...

When I first tried my hand at blogging a few years ago, I was careful not to reveal a single detail about myself. The blog was just a rambling of whatever and I wanted my thoughts out there but I didn't want them to be associated with me. When I moved on to this site I started out in the same way, but I had a different reasoning behind remaining anonymous. Posting reviews for the world to see can be fun, but the world is full of unstable people and you never know what nerve your reviews will hit. I've read horror stories about authors and fans tracking down every life detail of a blogger because they disagreed with an opinion. I certainly did not want that. I've experienced some online backlash but luckily it was nothing that got carried away and broadcast to the world. I didn't last very long with a pen name though. Maybe a couple of months. This site is a lot more open and interactive than previous ones. I receive many emails and comments every day and there was s...

Words touch us all in different ways. Sometimes the original intent of a quote resonates so profoundly with us that it is hard to believe that another wrote it. Other times it is a single word, peculiar phrasing, or an alternative meaning regarding an event in our lives that resonates the most. I believe in the power of starting the the week off with a positive or provoking thought -- and so was created  A Penny For Your Thoughts . This is a weekly blog hop that will feature quotes of all kinds; classics, character, book-movie, personal, etc. The themes will range from funny to serious, but really it all depends on how you interpret it! How does this work? Every Sunday a quote will be posted Enter the giveaway by posting your thoughts on a post of your own or the comment section   below .  Collect the pennies!  Every week there will be a penny to collect and include with your post, if you choose. RAFFLE ENTRY:  Y our site or comment needs to be submitted...

99 Cent Ebook Sale ends May14 Scroll to the bottom for a chance to win an autographed copy of One Enchanted Evening. Enchanted clothing has a mind of its own. Restlessness plagued Charlotte Becker. Unable to settle down, she moved from place to place searching for an elusive something to calm her turbulent spirit. A sudden invitation sends her across country to Lobster Cove, Maine. Anchors abound by the sea, but surely nothing would keep her rooted in place in a pokey resort town during the off-season. Drawn into a consignment shop named One Enchanted Evening, Charlotte is confronted by a mysterious article of clothing requesting her help to stop a man in a wolf mask from killing women. Charlotte agrees to protect the citizens of Lobster Cove and find the hunter before an innocent is slain. Luke Maddox’s hunting days are over. Wounded in action, he left the Marines to return to Lobster Cove. Hiding his disability, he accepts life will be nothing more than dull ...

I've never done a good job keeping up my Goodreads account. Even when I was a new blogger, fresh out of the gate, full of excitement, and a special twinkle in my eye. I just don't like the site that much -- which is weird because it's really the only big book community that has a ton of discussions and events to be a part of. I think people get to whiny on there and it's a turnoff. I post on Amazon as well, and while that has its fair share of trolls and henchmen that come after reviewers, Goodreads seems to be the breeding ground. I followed (author) from (site) and I think you (blah) about this book.  The other thing that drives me nuts about Goodreads is if an author is expecting a review from you, they sometimes use that as a tracking system. You're only 20% through a book I gave you a month ago?? Gah. I won't get into that whole ordeal. Anyways, back to the point. I find myself updating Goodreads about every 4-6 months. I just go back through my bl...

Words touch us all in different ways. Sometimes the original intent of a quote resonates so profoundly with us that it is hard to believe that another wrote it. Other times it is a single word, peculiar phrasing, or an alternative meaning regarding an event in our lives that resonates the most. I believe in the power of starting the the week off with a positive or provoking thought -- and so was created  A Penny For Your Thoughts . This is a weekly blog hop that will feature quotes of all kinds; classics, character, book-movie, personal, etc. The themes will range from funny to serious, but really it all depends on how you interpret it! How does this work? Every Sunday a quote will be posted Enter the giveaway by posting your thoughts on a post of your own or the comment section   below .  Collect the pennies!  Every week there will be a new penny to collect and include with your post, if you choose. RAFFLE ENTRY:  Y our site or comment needs to be submi...

What is Feature and Follow? F&F is a weekly blog hop that consists of book bloggers. It is hosted by Alison Can Read  and  Parajunkee . The rules of involvement are simple: 1.) Link up on the blog hop Linky gadget below this post, 2.) follow the hosts via their network of choice, 3.) follow the weekly featured blog(s) via their network of choice (listed as "featured" in the blog list below), and lastly, 4) check out the rest of the blogs on the hop! If you become a new follower of a blog, let them know and they will follow you back. The F&F is a great way to network, meet other book bloggers, and gain new followers. Even more so, it's a great way to drive fun discussion on a weekly topic. This Week's FF:   How do you cure a book hangover/blogging slump/reading slump? I'm a binge reader. The worst thing that can happen to me around work crunch times in my life is stumbling across a series read. I'll read one book in a day and ...