The Book Cove

I'm going to attempt to write these posts in a semi-short (HAH! Yeah right) series that allows me to express some of the ups and downs of being a book reviewer . I don't want this to come off as a bitchy rant about my trials and tribulations. Because it's not. Nor do I wish this post to come off as me being an All Mighty of the review community.  This is a post that has been in the works for a little while simply because I wasn't sure how I wanted to go about it. I'm sure by the end, it will sound like I'm shaming some part(s) of whatever subset of the book/reader community while raising others parts up on a pedestal. But really, when you're in this "business", you tend to not be as sensitive about offending people or inflating egos ;-) This post is more meant as a behind-the-scenes peek as to what some reviewers' lives are like . It's a collection of stories that have happened to me and others. Hopefully this brings some better un

(Blurb): Where does friendship stop and love begin? At just 19, Kendall Bettencourt is Hollywood’s hottest young starlet, with the world at her feet – but behind the glamour and designer dresses is a girl who longs for normal. Payton Taylor is Kendall’s best friend since childhood, and the one person who reminds her of who she really is – her refuge from the craziness of celebrity life. With her career taking off, Kendall moves Payton to LA to help keep her sane. But Payton is hiding a secret that could make everything ten times worse. Because to her, Kendall is more than a best friend – she is the only girl that she has ever loved. Just as they need each other more than ever, they’ll have to answer the question of where friendship stops and love begins? And find out whether the feelings they have can survive the mounting pressure of fame… The Gravity Between Us is a daring, romantic, emotional story about friendship, love, and finding the co

I've been debating on whether or not to do a Blog Tips post. I feel like it has all been said before - all it takes is a quick Google search of Blog Tips to find very complete and simple lists of the do's and dont's of blogging. But I also feel that there are a select handful of items at the "Top of the Tips List".  These handful of tips especially come in handy if you are an interactive blog that takes part in a lot of blog tours/blog hops/giveaways . (Don't we all wish to have an interactive blog, regardless of blog topic?) Because I am someone that falls in that category, I thought I'd share my thoughts on the short list of changes that could make your blog more user friendly; thus resulting in more readership participation. These are the issues that I encounter most often and are the ones that turn me away from blogs the fastest. So coming from a personal perspective, here are the 5 tips that could greatly improve your blog's readership participat

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 via their network of choice (this week is Magic of Words ), 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 discussion on a certain weekly topic. This week, the topic is: Describe your Christmas book haul! Which books did you receive? If you do not celebrate Christmas, which books did you receive/buy/read this week? Our responses: There are two bloggers for The Book Cove featured. Be sure to check out both of their follow sites.   C

What’s in a Name? (Part II) My previous blog dealt with modern genres such as urban or historical fantasies which have a basis (however slight) in fact.   Naming conventions are more stringent because you want human characters to fit into a realistic setting.   In a completely imaginary genre like sword-and-sorcery the guidelines loosen up. The ‘i’ and ‘ie’ rule of gender differentiation no longer apply. Think of Loki—very male and very bad. Nobody would dare call him a sissy-boy or mistake him for a girl. However, other feminine endings still hold true, especially the ‘a’ rule. Very few heroic male characters have an ‘a’ at the end of their name. It sounds odd to our Western ears. Perhaps that’s why I never warmed up to Peeta from The Hunger Games. The name appears more fitting for a pet monkey than a boy warrior. The author’s intent may have been to show a hero is more than a name. However, every time Katniss cried out for Peeta, I expected the poor dear to show up with hum

(Blurb): Famous musician, 26 year old millionaire, and known playboy Tyler Clark finds himself launched into his repressed past after a chance encounter with an old friend during the after¬party of one of his concerts. Under threat of blackmail, Tyler is forced to painfully reveal the truth behind a tragic summer of his youth...a summer that started with drugs, sex and good music, and ended in betrayal, hatred and suicide.   Book Information: Release Date/Publisher:  October 10, 2013 / G Street Chronicles Length: 256 pages Version : eBook/bound Genre:  New Adult/Adult Contemporary Purchase: Amazon   Signed copy giveaway: a Rafflecopter giveaway About the Author: Dave Patten Renaissance man may be the best way to describe musician, writer, producer and actor Dave Patten, whose creative passions often necessitate more time for work than sleep. 2013 has been a breakout year for Dave with the publishing of his first novel, Run of The Mill, a dramatic s

One of the pleasures of writing is the ability to draft a new world from scratch. You not only have god-like power to create characters, you baptize them as well. If your story is set in modern Western society, generally, anything goes. You can dub a kid Fruit Stand if you want and no one will squawk. (I’ve heard worse baby names from Hollywood.) Certain naming conventions still exist, however, and it’s confusing when the rules are broken.  Girls’ names may end with an ‘a’, boys names do not. If you have two characters in the story named Will and Willa, you know instantly who is the boy and who is the girl. A diminutive boy’s name will end in ‘y’ rather than the feminine ‘i’ or ‘ie’ (Nicky is masculine, Nicki or Nickie is feminine.) You can give a girl a boy’s name, but not the other way around. Once a boy’s name is fully adopted by girls, it never goes back to being a boy’s name. Originally, Stacy, Leslie, and Tracy were all boys’ name. They have since faded from little blue baby bo

( Blurb): Jack isn’t a rock star. He’s not the leader of a MC. He isn’t a billionaire. Lily’s not the daughter of a mob boss, or a stripper, or a virgin with a BDSM fascination. They’re just regular college kids, who somehow found each other in the middle of all the crap and chaos of growing up. “With you, Jack, it was the first time I ever felt real. It was the first time anyone looked at me and saw substance. It was the first time I wanted to make someone see me.” Jack and Lily have navigated his past, her desire to move on from her family’s demands of her, his depression, and her loneliness. Now, on New Year’s Eve, they have an entire year laid out ahead of them. First, though, Jack needs to meet Lily’s family, to be welcomed into her life. It’s intimidating, but with a sweater that is way too hot and his grandmother’s ugly car, he arrives at Lily’s gleaming house on a hill, ready to open himself up completely to her. Inside the perfect, sparkling house, Lily waits

 "The practice of rowga involves an exercise and a principle that bring body and mind together in a sanity that is irrevocable and indestructible—an invincible sanity. From the well of this well-being flows all good qualities—love, compassion, creativity, generosity, focus, effort, patience, peacefulness, strength, protection, leadership, discipline, equanimity, joy. The list goes on and on, because the well is so deep it can never run dry. The exercise is rowing. With a real boat and water and sky overhead. A machine in a gym will not do, any more than the meal the snail brought—of chalk bread, cardboard chicken and alabaster fruit—would do for poor Pinocchio, the wooden puppet who wanted to be a real person..." Book Information: Genre : Non-fiction, health (yoga, exercise, rowing, meditation) Version : eBook, hardcopy Length : 53 pages, full color Release date: estimated December 2013   Review: by Jessi The book, Rowga, is a little different t

We are currently seeking additional contributors for the site. The Book Cove is looking to diversify its posts,add to the content, and make the site more user friendly. However, reviewing alone takes a lot of time. Thus, we are hoping to find trustworthy and reliable people to help us out. The type of work we are looking for includes: Reviewers Blog topic contributors (co-bloggers) Newsletter contributors Web design Social media help If you fit into one or more of these categories - please contact bookcovereviews@gmail.com