What's Up Wednesday - Timely Topics

I finally am here on a Wednesday to do a quick tour of the blogs I follow - yay! :) Today in the blogosphere I ran into some very timely topics - to read them, simply click the hyperlinks attached to each of the descriptions below.

Nyx Book Reviews did a great post about vlogging, or video blogging. I've personally started trying to figure out ways to incorporate a video element to my blog for people like my husband, who basically never read unless it's something vitally important or incredibly good. ;) So this came at the perfect time for me, and gave me some interesting food for thought (to see my first attempt at adding a video into a blog post, go here). Plus, you should watch it even if you aren't interested in vlogging, because her accent is adorable!

Colorimetry wants to know your thoughts on the "steaminess" of novels, and how you decide when a book has crossed the line between YA and adult. I recently just finished a book that went far, far outside of the "steamy" comfort zone that I have - in other words, I prefer books with less "steam" and more content, and this book was more "steam" than content! I think had I known ahead of time, I would not have chose to read it. What are your thoughts?

I had to give a shout out to Neil Ostrof at Always Writing, because one of his books got a review that stated it was "bound to become a classic." Great job Neil! A book that I read not too long ago got a similar remark from me - All Men of Genius.

Love the Harry Potter series? Backwards Story posted a news blurb about the series receiving a cover facelift! Pretty sweet, and made me want to re-read the entire series again... if only my TBR list wasn't so long! ;)

With V-Day being tomorrow (oh and I guess it's Valentine's Day too! ;) lol), The Traveling PhoBlogWriPher shares a $20 date idea and encourages you to think about other creative dates that cost $20 or less.

Finally, here's one I'm super excited about - Amanda Hocking is doing a GIVEAWAY!! Yes, that's THE Amanda Hocking... wowza! Nothing makes me nerd-out more than books, especially books by someone as incredibly inspiring to all self-published authors as Amanda Hocking!!!

Happy hopping everyone!

Recommended Read - Eyes to See by Joseph Nassise

Hello lovelies!

I thought I would try something new today with my book review - at the end of the review, you'll find a little teaser I made about the book! It contains the first and last sentences, along with a montage of visuals that I feel represent the book. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let me know what you think - leave a comment below or on YouTube!! It will be my first experiment with adding a video component here on the blog. I may also be dabbling in a few other styles, so if you have a suggestion for something you'd like to see please let me know in the comments as well! Thanks!!
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Eyes to See by Joseph Nassise
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an absolutely stunning thriller! I couldn't put it down. It's fast paced, fresh, and original. I love how mystical elements were used without being the same old cliche drivel that you find in many fantasy and sci-fi books today. The characters are interesting,and the plot was spine-tingling with just the right mix of action and scariness. I will most certainly be reading the rest of this amazing series!

View all my reviews
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Recommended Read - How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one of those rare gems of books that you can't just read once! You have to read it, then re-read it again to truly absorb all of the wonderful knowledge contained in these pages. I recommend it for any person looking to improve her- or him-self, not just business professionals or those who are feeling like they lack true friends. It is packed full of useful advice that is completely relevant today, despite the fact that this book was originally written so long ago. Keep this in your arsenal of personal development books!!

View all my reviews

Shameless Stuff #13 : Speak up about something crummy that was done to you.

I've been putting off this post for a long time, but I've decided today is the day for it! I kept thinking "What if this drags down my blog views?" or "What if HE finds me?" or "What if I'm not ready?"... but when it all boils down to it, I know I can hold my head up high because I was not at fault.

You've probably heard these numbers, or some variation, before. 44% of victims are under age 18. 80% are under age 30. 54% are never reported to the police, and 97% of offenders will never spend a day in jail. Approximately 2/3 are committed by someone known to the survivor.

Yes, I'm going to that taboo topic - Rape. In the United States, someone is sexually assaulted approximately every 2 minutes. There are an estimated over 207,000 assaults PER YEAR - which when you do the math, averages out to over 567 per DAY.

My story is not just my story, but the story of so many women and men. Maybe some of the details are different, but the pain and trauma are the same.

For me, I was raped at age 19 by a guy that I was seriously dating. I was NOT drunk, I was NOT wearing "slutty clothes", and I most definitely was NOT sexually active before it happened. It was not some stranger in the alley, and I wasn't just "crying wolf."

But even if I WAS drunk, WAS wearing slutty clothes, and WAS sexually active, or even if it WAS a stranger, it still wasn't ok.

I reported to the police a couple of weeks after it happened, because I couldn't get over the shame or embarrassment at first, but I wish I had been strong enough to go right away. They treated me like the perpetrator instead of the victim - making me sit in an interrogation room with a tape recorder while they asked me questions that shouldn't have mattered. They accused me of being a "willing partner" and just "crying wolf" because he had dumped me afterward, saying I just wanted to "get back at him." They insisted that he couldn't have possibly done what I said he did, because he was the son of a well-known and well-respected pastor in the area. Their comments and treatment of me hurt almost as much as the crime itself.

To add insult to injury, my test results came back that I had contracted an STD - HPV, one of the most commonly contracted STD's. My strain ended up costing me several doctor's visits and a part of my cervix.

It's been 11 years, but it still feels like yesterday sometimes. The difference is now I have the strength and perseverance to admit that I am a Survivor - and I do what I can to advocate for higher awareness, better response and counseling, and any other program that can try to reduce the prevalence of this blight on our communities. I refuse to participate in any language that indicates it's ok to blame the victim or that it's ok to force someone to do something against their will, and that includes not purchasing music/books/movies/etc that may perpetuate that image.

Want to help me make a difference? Join V-Day 2013! This year is the 15th anniversary, and it's a big deal - they are trying to invite ONE BILLION women and those who love them to WALK OUT, DANCE, RISE UP, AND DEMAND AN END TO VIOLENCE. Year round, you can donate your time or money to RAINN, which is recognized as one of the top charities in the country.

The video below is from my local community.

Local Omaha events:

one billion rising omaha (Start a Rising)

https://www.facebook.com/events/196567140482200/ visit our facebook event page

https://www.facebook.com/events/196567140482200/

ONE BILLION RISING began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. On February 14, 2013, V-Days 15th anniversary, Omaha will join activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities, and women and men across the world as we express their outrage, demand change, strike, dance, and RISE in defiance of the injustices women suffer, demanding an end at last to violence against women.

From 2-6 pm on February 14 at the First United Methodist Church, join us and add your voice to the ONE BILLION in saying NO MORE. Enough is enough.

*******************
Planned events include:
*******************
-Booths from the following organizations will be
at the First United Methodist Church from 2-6 to provide:

INFORMATION
SUPPORT
VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES

*Catholic Charities*
*Legal Aid of Nebraska*
*NHHS Child Protective Services*
*NHHS Adult Protective Services*
*Omaha Police Department Domestic Violence Unit*
*Project Harmony*
*Planned Parenthood*
*Youth Emergency Services*
*Heartland Family Services*
*Girls, Inc.*
*Lutheran Family Services*
*Domestic Violence Council*
*Women's Center for Advancement*
*Women's Fund*
*UNO Counseling Center*
*House of Loom*
*More TBA*

Musical performances by:
*HERS*
*Max Holmquist*
*More TBA*

4 pm: Mayor Jim Suttle will proclaim February 14, 2013 'V-Day Omaha'.

5 pm: Marching, dancing, and rising around the block of 72nd and Dodge to show support. Gather in the parking lot of the First United Methodist Church at 4:45 pm.

-Sign Making

-Record your video messages of support

-Bake Sale to benefit the Women's Center for Advancement. Bring something to donate to the sale!

***There are opportunities planned for you to listen, speak, ask, sing, and dance, and tell, as we RISE to put an end to the culture of rape and violence. If you are unable to attend, you can still RISE. On 2-14-13 at 2:14 pm, for 3 minutes go out to the street and raise your hand and DANCE in solidarity with one billion others on this planet who say, NO MORE.

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UNMC student group EMPOWER, in partnership with Nebraska Methodist College, will host various speakers and performers while providing a space for the community to STRIKE.DANCE.RISE on 02.14.13.

Event Schedule:

PLEASE JOIN US AS WE STRIKE|DANCE|RISE IN OMAHA! 02.14.13   12:00 PM-1:30 PM THE UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER MICHAEL F. SORRELL CENTER, AUDITORIUM 3002 (ON THE CORNER OF S. 42ND STREET AND EMILIE) 2:00 PM-6:00PM   FIRST UNITED METHODIT CHURCH 7020 CASS STREET   4:00 PM-6:30 PM NEBRASKA METHODIST COLLEGE THE JOSIE HARPER CAMPUS-CLARK CENTER 720 N. 87TH STREET STRIKE|DANCE| RISE! JOIN THE REVOLUTION! Check out our event invite on Facebook at One Billion Rising Omaha, NE   Check out the One Billion Rising-Omaha Dance Video courtesy of Nebraska Methodist College students, faculty, staff and administration! 

Thursday, February 14, 2013 (All Day Event) GMT+00:00
Host:	Keri Wayne-Browne
Location:	UNMC AND Nebraska Methodist College (Omaha, NE) 720 North 87th Street Omaha, NE 68114

Updated Book Review List 2013

It's a little over one month into the new year, and I still have a hefty list of books to read! I have been so blessed to have received several review copies from authors who were on my list to read this year! I'm still waiting to hear back from a few more, and so far only one author has responded that a review copy is not possible.

If you are an author of one of the books below and would like to send me a review copy, or if you are an avid reader who has a copy and would like to send it to me, please contact me via Goodreads or here on the blog and let me know! :) I would be eternally grateful - I have a goal to try to donate at least 75 books this year to my local public library!

Without further ado, my updated list for February:

	Failing Test (The Shadow Series, #1)	Pierce, J.M. *
	Lily Loves to Love	Reil, Maureen*
	Nate Rocks the World (Nate Rocks, #1)	Toz, Karen Pokras *
	Before I Go to Sleep	Watson, S.J. *
	The Shapeshifter's Secret	Ostler, Heather*
	Rise of the Retics (Rosehaven the Hidden City, #1)	Lantz, T.J.
	Aldo's Fantastical Movie Palace	Friesen, Jonathan
	Whiskey Rebellion (An Addison Holmes Mystery #1)	Hart, Liliana*
	Nanowhere	Howard, Chris *
	Tropical Delusion: Misadventures in Paradise	Ashmead, Jeff*
	The Missing	Leslie, M.A.
	Silas	Duperre, Robert J. *
	The Counterfeit Princess	Knight, Aubrey *
	This Brilliant Darkness	Tash, Red *
	The Vanishers	Julavits, Heidi
	The Chronicles of Brendan Earle, Apprentice Mage. Totally Interactive. Autosaved.	Studholme, Bob*
	The Moon Moth	Vance, Ja
	No One is Here Except All of Us	Ausubel, Ramona *
	The Thread	Hislop, Victoria
	Silverweed: A Supernatural Fairy Tale (Volume 1)	Vann, Dorlana*
	27	Heald, R.J.
	An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace	Adler, Tama
	In Your Face: The New Science of Human Attraction	Perrett, David*
	The Cordello Quest (Lazuli Portals #1)	Gawn, Joanna *
	The Labbitt Halsey Protocol	Ryan, Andrew M. *
	Amaranth (The Resistance Trilogy, #1)	Wade, Rachael *
	Harvest of the Heart	Selmer, Michael *
	Fair Coin (Coin, #1)	Myers, E.C. *			3.54
	Goddess Cottage	Dub, Sherri A.*
	Homegrown and Handmade: A Practical Guide to More Self-Reliant Living	Niemann, Deborah *
	Glow (Sky Chasers, #1)	Ryan, Amy Kathleen *
	Katana (Katana, #1)	Gibsen, Cole *
	Wake Me When the Sun Goes Down (Forged Bloodlines #1)	Olsen, Lisa
	Naked Brain	Hunt, Michael A. *
	The Marcella Fragment	LaForge, Anna*
	How To Lose a Demon in 10 Days (10 Days, #1)	DeWylde, Sarann
	The Fire King	Marks, C.S. *
	Date with a Vampire (Harold the Kung Fu Kid, #1)	Gow, Kailin
	Just Add Magic	Callaghan, Cindy *
	The Legend of Mickey Tussler: A Novel	Nappi, Frank
	Destiny's Call (The Lightbridge Legacy, #1)	James, Elayne G. *
	Summer of the Wolves	Kline, Lisa Williams *
	Lady of The Shadows	Weikel, Belinda M. *
	Humblebrag: The Art of False Modesty	Wittels, Harris
	Walden 3.0: A Dystopian Romance	Fragasso, Phil
	The Never Prayer	Ritchey, Aaron Michael*
	The Puppet Maker's Bones(Death's Order, #1)	Tangredi, Alisa*

			Burning Blue			Griffin, Paul
			The Dream Sanctum			Koeker, Daniel*
			Wordcatcher: An Odyssey into the World of Weird and Wonderful Words			Cousineau, Phil*
			Before Ever After: A Novel			Sotto, Samantha *
			The Hour of Tiamat			Taylor, Lisa *
			Sonora and the Eye of the Titans (Sonora, #1)			Hall, Travis
			Buying Time (An Aspen Moore Novel, #1)			Cochran, Kelly*
			The Mermaid Collector			Marks, Erika *
			Cycles			Brown, Lois D. *
			Aventurine Heart			Wood, Carole
			Program 13 (The Emile Reed Chronicles, #1)			Sobon, Nicol
			Failstate			Otte, John W
			Freakling (Freakling, #1)			Krumwiede, Lana *
			The Seven Keys of Alaesha			Warren, Samantha *
			The Mulligans of Mt. Jefferson: A Novel			Reid, Don
		Spirit Binder (The Cascadian Chronicles #1)			Doidge, Meghan Ciana*
			Thorn			Khanani, Intisar*
			Blue Straggler			Harris, Kathy Lynn *
			Vigilare			James, Brooklyn *
			Rockapocalypse: A Disharmony of Justice			Suggs, Byron
			Edge of the Triangle			Cook, D.H.
			The Hunt (The Hunt, #1)			Fukuda, Andrew
			Matadors			Bauman, Steve*
			Soul Catcher (Dueling with the Devil, #1)			Dumas, Vivi *
			Until Darkness Comes			Price, Melynda*
		How to Be a Woman			Moran, Caitlin
	The Babysitter Murders			Young, Janet Ruth *
	The Torah Codes			Barany, Ezra
	Comic Squad			Voight, Ginger *

					Cinderella Geek						Jennkrist, K. Sean
					The Raven's Gift						Rearden, Don*
					Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and the Rise and Fall of America's Imperial Dream						Jones, Gregg
					Lisa's Way						Collins, Robert
					The Pawnbroker						Stuart, Glen
					Hidden from Destiny						Fischer, Micaela *
					Eat Naked: Unprocessed, Unpolluted, and Undressed Eating for a Healthier, Sexier You						Floyd, Margaret *
				The Faerie Guardian (Creepy Hollow, #1)						Morgan, Rachel*
			Multiplayer							Brewer, John C. *
			The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise							Stuart, Julia
			Try Not to Breathe							Hubbard, Jennifer R
			The Burn							Oldham, Annie*
			Songs of the Earth							Cooper, Elspeth *
			Wake Forest							Jackanicz, Charlotte *
			Written In The Sky: Rise of The Wadjet Witch							Obodo, Juliet C. *
			Romeo Spikes							Reay, Joanne
			Dolphin Girl							Delisle, Shel *
			Soul Seeker (Lasniniar, #1)							Smith, Jacquelyn *
			How Lucky You Are							Lewis, Kristyn Kusek *
			Beyond the Misty Shore(Seascape Trilogy, #1)							Barrett, Victoria
		The Only Living Man With A Hole In His Head					Pliss, Todd Colby
	Fathers & Sons (Forts, #1)					Novak, Steven
	Thief (Fringe, #1)					McLeod, Anitra Lynn
	Bound in Vengeance					Nelson, Erik Robert *
	As If a Bird Flew By Me: A Novel					Greenslit, Sara*
	Jokers Club					Bastianelli, Gregory *
	The Black God's War (Splendor and Ruin, #1)					III, Moses Siregar *
	Lacrimosa (Requiem, #1)					Fonseca, Christine *
	Marty Boggs and the Curse of the Mummy's Tomb					Acquaire, M.T. *
	My Dead Boyfriend (Daughter of the Sidhe, #1)					Rose, Barbara
	Big Miracle					Rose, Tom
	Black Crystal (Black Scarlet Saga, #1)					Oakes, R.A. *
	Redheart					Gamber, Jackie *
	Deadwood					Andrews, Kell*
	Lowcountry Boil (A Liz Talbot Mystery, #1)					Boyer, Susan M.*
	Amy Mah Vampire					Mah, Amy
	Freud's Sister: A Novel					Smilevski, Goce
	The Pond					Dubois, Michelle*
	Beautiful Lies					Warman, Jessica
	The Lost Book of Mala R.					MacDowell, Rose *
	The Pawnbroker					Stuart, Glenn
	The Crystal Bridge					Pulsipher, Charles M. *
	The Veil					Oakes, Cory Putman *
	Mouch and Company: The Dream Psychic					Dixon, Bob *
	Vampyre Kisses (The Last Witch, #1)					Kolodziej, Elizabeth J. *
	A Royal Likeness					Trent, Christine *
	Undertow					Kingston, Callie*
	Atlantean (Eternal Trilogy, #1)					Watkins, E.N. *
	The Awakening					Lacy, M.L. *
	The Genesis Key					Barney, James*

Yellow = emailed book request via Goodreads info

Green = received response and book is on the way

Light Blue = eBook format received

Pink = received response, unable to send copy

READ:

Hammerhead

Lost in Petra

Sunset: Pact Arcanum 1

I would say 4 of the books off my list in 1 month isn't bad, especially since I was gone on a cruise for one week, then moved to a new house, AND I have books in my TBR pile from publishers and other review requests that aren't on this list! :) But I'm hoping to catch up more on this list soon. 

Once again, I ask if you have a book on this list and would be willing to send it to me, I would be very very grateful! :)