Review: Paycheck Independence Day Learn How to Use Your Paycheck to Stop Needing a Paycheck by Thomas P. Rood

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Paycheck Independence Day is a book that answers the question “What should I do with the money I have left over every month so I don’t have to work a job to pay my bills?”
Most people are going to work 40 or 50 years just hoping they saved up enough money to retire. Paycheck Independence Day shows them that the average person only needs to work 10, maybe 15 years before they no longer need a paycheck to pay their bills. And, they don’t have to wait 10 or 15 years before they enjoy the rewards. They can start enjoying them immediately.
The author introduces the Paycheck Independence Day Categories of Bills. He explains why the old categories like utilities, automobile, home, etc. are useless for managing your money. Then, he walks you through the very simple logic behind assigning your bills to the Paycheck Independence Day categories.
Once your bills are assigned to the correct category he shows everyone the right way to pay each bill based on the category it belongs to. Each bill is eliminated one-by-one until none your bills are being paid out of your paycheck any longer.
The Paycheck Independence Day money management system is simple, easy and fun. It was designed for the average person who works a job to pay their bills.

MY TAKE:
The title of this book was enough to intrigue me to request for a copy.

In Paycheck Independence Day Learn How to Use Your Paycheck to Stop Needing a Paycheck, readers are given tips and tricks they can use in order to save more money and be able to pay their bills without using money from their paycheck.

I wasn't even halfway through the first chapter when I got the feeling that I was reading the transcript of a financial seminar. That's not necessarily good or bad thing. It's just an observation on my part as the tone of the writing is similar to the dialogue and tone I've heard in such seminars.

There were a number of interesting tips here. It certainly got me thinking about looking at stocks that pay dividends. My mom has some stocks that pay dividends and I've been meaning to get some of my own but I wasn't sure how to go about it. The idea of categorizing bills according to their priority is a good idea too.

As expected, there are computations within the book. The book also includes information on calculating inflation rates, which is very useful.

There were quite a few concepts in this book that were different from how I view it, but the explanations here make sense in their own way.

However, this book is obviously aimed at the American market so while you can still use most of the things in this book, if you're from outside the United States, there are things here that you won't be able to relate to or use.

The book itself doesn't have worksheets, which would have been useful, but the book's website has tools you can use. At the time I wrote this review, however, the tools section was still under construction.

Thanks to NetGalley and Smith Publicity - Plainview Products, Inc. for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. It makes you think about your finances in a whole new way.
2. There are helpful tips for things you need to calculate.
3. There are plenty of helpful tips. 

THE BAD:

1. Some may prefer a more straightforward writing tone.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

As my father always told me "Tom, it's not how much you make. It's how much you save." 

READ IT IF:

1. You're interested in learning about ways to invest.
2. You want to feel more secure about your future.
3. You want to not feel dependent on your paycheck. 

RATING:


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Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

For beginners and amateurs, rental properties can be a real shark tank - a virtual ocean of piranhas so to speak.

Book Reviewer Yellow Pages Book Blast

Are you trying to promote your books? Are you a writer, publisher, or agent?

Promote your book with this bestselling author's reference, the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages. Make your book promotion easier, and get the publicity you need from book reviewers. Learn how and where to submit your book for review. There are hundreds of new book reviewers listed in this book. Each listing details the individual book reviewer's:

1. Contact information,
2. Pet peeves,
3. Preferred genres, and
4. Submission guidelines

Reviewers are rated for quality and influence. This new edition includes several blog tour sites and their submission guidelines. Learn how to get the exposure that your book deserves! Authors and book reviewers can sign up for alerts at: http://www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net

*Note: This book is enrolled in the Kindle MATCHBOOK program. If you purchase the paperback from Amazon, the Kindle edition is free. The paperback has a genre index, which makes searching for accepted genres easy. The Kindle version has clickable website links (which is impossible to do in a paperback), so you can click directly to the reviewer's site and contact page. The publisher of this book recommends purchasing the paperback and then downloading the Kindle edition for free using Amazon's Matchbook program, and using both versions to maximize your promotion efforts.

PROMO TIP: This is a reference book with active hyperlinks in the e-book. It is easier to view and use the Kindle edition of this book on a computer using Amazon's free Kindle app. That way, you can use the full screen to check genre preferences and submit your query right from your desktop.

Purchase

Barnes & Noble * Kobo * Amazon

Interview with Christine Pinheiro, Editor, Defiant Press

The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages is a bestselling author’s promotional reference, designed specifically for authors who need book reviewers for their books.

Where did you get the idea for the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages?

At first, I did it purely out of self-interest! I wrote a nonfiction book in 2007, and I had a very difficult time finding book reviewers. It seemed like an impossible task. All of the regular outlets were closed to me—where do you go when you can’t get a review in the New York Times? Where do the “little guys” go when they need to promote their books? So I started the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages out of my own frustration. At first, the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages was just a big list on a simple website. I added to the list when I had spare time. Book reviewers started seeking me out, and asking to be put on the list, and it just grew from there. In 2009, I published the first “Book Reviewer Yellow Pages,” and the rest is history. The list just grew organically. Now we have hundreds of book reviewers on our list, and thousands of authors subscribe to the newsletter.

How about the book reviewers themselves, what do they get out of it?

Many book reviewers just do it for fun, and they get the benefit of free books and ARCs (advance review copies). Quite a few of them also earn money, either from sidebar advertising, blog tours, or other author’s services. There are so many self-published authors out there right now, trying to promote their books without the help of a traditional publisher, so there’s a lot of little business ventures cropping up to serve them.

Many reviewers list their “pet peeves,” is this something that the authors really want to know?

Yes! It’s the most popular part of the questionnaire—all the reviewers have their own horror stories. Sadly, many authors have terrible etiquette when they request book reviews. Many don’t take the time to even spell-check their queries, or find out if the reviewer is a man or a woman, so they can address them correctly! I used to review books myself, and it’s amazing how many times I’ve gotten a review request with nothing but a link to the book. No signature, no salutation, nothing! Why would I review your book, when you aren’t even willing to take a few minutes to send me a proper review request? We also added an “author etiquette” section to the front of the book, and that seems to help a bit.

Do Book Reviews really help sales?

They’ve helped my own book sales tremendously, and I know hundreds of authors who would say the same. Look, everyone knows that book promotion is boring work. Contacting dozens of book reviewers is time consuming, and you have to deal with rejection, but the payoff from a positive book review is enormous. That’s been the case in my own writing career. Reviews really help sales, and it’s nice to have a public testimonial that customers can refer to when they purchase. On the flip side, many of the reviewers accept ARCs and also work as beta-readers, so if you can get a few good reviewers to read through your manuscript before publication, they might be able to give you valuable feedback. I found a big plot hole in one of my novels that way—a reviewer found the problem, and I was able to fix it before the book went to publication.

Do reviewers ever drop off the list? Can authors get updates?

Yes, on our website. Reviewers get added and removed on a regular basis—and the list goes through a complete overhaul once a year. I do a formal update every April. That’s when we put out a new edition of the book, as well as update the reviewer list on the website. The abbreviated list on the website is free, and authors and publishers can sign up for updates to the list here: http://www.stepbystepselfpublishing.net. The newsletter is also free.

Do you have any advice for authors?

Be polite to book reviewers, always. Not everyone is going to like your book, that’s just the nature of game. But publishing is a business, and it pays to be professional. It’s just like any other creative business. Reviewers are our critics, and they give us valuable feedback that we need to improve. One of the best reviews I ever received on the Book Reviewer Yellow Pages was mildly negative. The writer gave me tons of feedback on how to make the book better. I followed his advice, and the book has been more profitable since. Book Reviewers really want to help authors—I’ve never met a single book reviewer that was interested in just tearing an author down. We are all in this business together!

For more information visit:
The Book Reviewer Yellow Pages
Website * Facebook

Blast Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 5/31/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. 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, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

FROM NETGALLEY:

Paycheck Independence Day Learn How to Use Your Paycheck to Stop Needing a Paycheck by Thomas P. Rood

Review: Cozy Classics: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Jack Wang, Holman Wang

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Give a kid a classic! Cozy Classics is the popular board book series that presents well-loved stories to children aged 0+ through twelve child-friendly words and twelve needle-felted illustrations. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is Mark Twain’s timeless tale of childhood about an imaginative boy who’s always getting into trouble, and is one of the world’s most beloved classics. Now you can share this classic with children of any age. www.mycozyclassics.com

MY TAKE:
I read a few of the Cozy Classics books before and I knew I just had to read this one too.

In Cozy Classics: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, the story of Tom Sawyer is condensed into just a few words that represent important scenes in the book. The pictures make use of tiny dolls that show the scene the word is supposed to represent.

Just like with the other books, I liked this one as well. I particularly like the use of the novel's first page in the background of the first included image. The chosen words do represent some key scenes, so kids might get the gist of the story.

These books are a great way to introduce kids to new words and it may help them remember the words better if they associate pictures with the words. These books are a good book to read aloud to toddlers and younger children, but if you don't really know the original novel, you may have a hard time telling older kids what exactly happens in the included scenes.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simply Read Books for the e-ARC. Publication date of Cozy Classics: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is on May 23, 2014.

THE GOOD:

1. It's a good book to read to very young children.
2. The pictures and words are well-chosen.
3. It can help kids improve their vocabulary. 

THE BAD:

1. You may have a hard time explaining the story to older kids if you don't remember or haven't read the original novel yet. 

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

paint 

READ IT IF:

1. You are looking for books your very young child may enjoy.
2. You want to introduce your toddler to the classics.
3. You liked the novel version of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. 

RATING:


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The Only Boy Book Blast and Giveaway

The Only Boy by Jordan Locke

Mary is stuck in Section One, living with three hundred women in a crumbling hospital. She wonders what life was like two centuries ago, before the Cleansing wiped out all the men. But the rules—the Matriarch's senseless rules—prevent her from exploring the vacant city to find out.

Taylor's got a dangerous secret: he's a boy. His compound's been destroyed, and he's been relocated to Section One. Living under the Matriarch means giving up possessions, eating canned food and avoiding all physical contact. Baggy clothes hide his flat chest and skinny legs, but if anyone discovers what lies beneath, he'll be exiled. Maybe even executed.

Mary's never seen a boy—the Matriarch cut the pictures of men from the textbooks—and she doesn't suspect Taylor's secret. If she knew, she might understand the need to stop the girls from teasing him. If she knew, she might realize why she breaks the rules, just to be near him. Then again, she might be frightened to death of him.

Taylor should go. The Matriarch is watching his every move. But running means leaving Mary—and braving the land beyond the compound's boundaries.

Amazon

Praise for The Only Boy

“It’s not a dystopia that does a good job—it’s a great book that happens to be a dystopia.”

Rachel Miller, Editor
“This book is one of the best of its genre I have read, it kept me gripped to its satisfying end.”

Janet Love, Amazon UK Reviewer
“If you like a different take on the dystopian genre then I would highly recommend this unique and amazing book.”

Tamara Bass, The Avid Book Collector



Author Jordan Locke

Jordan Locke lives in Connecticut with his wife, two lively daughters and a well-behaved whippet. A graphic designer by trade, his creativity spilled over into the literary world. After years of writing, reading and learning the craft, his fifth novel, The Only Boy, brought him offers of representation from two well-known agents. Now, after the dog is fed and the kids are in bed, you will find him tapping away at the keyboard.

Website * Twitter * Goodreads

Blog Tour Schedule

Blast Giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 5/31/14

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. 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, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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Review: The Kitchen Magpie A Delicious Melange of Culinary Curiosities, Fascinating Facts, Amazing Anecdotes and Expert Tips for the Food-lover by James Steen

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

A feast of hundreds of food facts, mouth-watering myths and culinary curiosities to satisfy all appetites.
The Kitchen Magpie contains fascinating tips and expert know-how. How do you make the perfect pork crackling, the finest fried egg, or roast beef in an oven that’s not even switched on? How do you tell a ripe melon? Why is the belly of salmon better than the tail? The answers are here, the science explained.
The book also delves into the history of food through the ages and reveals who ate what, why, when and where. There’s the tale of swan (and horse) in the British diet, as well as that of crane in the Japanese diet – the bird’s blood was mixed with sake and then swigged by samurai warriors. Along the way we find out why on earth John Wayne kept his cow at a hotel, and who invented the fork.
Also featuring exclusive cooking tips from the celebrity chefs of today, The Kitchen Magpie is a book unlike any other; a must-read for curious cooks and food lovers everywhere.
Featuring exclusive contributions from chefs including:
Mary Berry
Michel Roux Junior
James Martin
Antonio Carluccio
Marco Pierre White
Pierre Koffmann
James Steen is a journalist and ghostwriter, having collaborated with great chefs such as Marco Pierre White (The Devil in the Kitchen), Raymond Blanc (A Taste of My Life), and Keith Floyd (Stirred But Not Shaken).

MY TAKE:
This book has a little bit of everything.

In The Kitchen Magpie A Delicious Melange of Culinary Curiosities, Fascinating Facts, Amazing Anecdotes and Expert Tips for the Food-lover, readers get to read about food history, recipes used in the old days, and cooking tips. There are also some interesting essays written by noteworthy chefs.

I like books that teach me a lot of new things. This book taught me a lot of useful things that will be very helpful in the future. Some of the things I learned were how to perfectly cook poached and fried egg, and how to estimate water temperature based on the appearance of bubbles.

There were plenty of quotes from old books and documents, as well as some really old recipes. There were also useful tips like picking wine, best hangover cures, and how to store food without refrigeration.

The book is written in a conversational tone, like you're speaking with a sarcastic, witty foodie friend. I like this approach because it keeps the material from becoming dull.

Thanks to NetGalley and Icon Books for the e-ARC.

THE GOOD:

1. You'll learn something new.
2. You'll learn something useful.
3. The tone used isn't boring.

THE BAD:

1. Not all of the topics and anecdotes will be interesting for everyone. 

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

David Jacques, from the University of Buckingham, said people living there thousands of years ago were eating a 'Heston Blumenthal-style menu'. 

READ IT IF:

1. You think you're a foodie.
2. You like learning new things.
3. You enjoy trivia books.

RATING:


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