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April is being hosted by Cindy’s Love of Books

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia of A girl and her books and is now on tour. According to Marcia, “Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.”

                         Author-galley                      WOW Tours

               Sparkpoint Studio LLC      Gina @ Hott Books (signed!)

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Wow…did this week fly by, well at it felt like it to me.   Good morning Sunday Saloners.  Hope you had a productive week reading and blogging.  As far as my week goes, let’s get started.

Reading:  I only read one book this week, not because of the content, but because I spent too much time at the computer and taking care of other matters.  I also got quite a few books this week, but I will share those tomorrow with Mailbox Monday.

Blogging:  OK..there is an elephant in the room and I am sure this will be the topic of discussion today.  I only found out about it  through 2 of my blogging buddies or I wouldn’t have even known what was going on since I have never visited, at least I don’t think I have, the blogs affected.   And the topic is plagiarism.  I am not going to relate the situation as I don’t know all the details but will say that someone was caught copying another’s blog.  And Gina from Hott Books, also wrote about reviewers getting paid to write 5 star reviews.

I’m not going to address all the drama associated with the specifics but would like to state my overall general feelings on both issues.  And that is true sadness and much disappointment.

First… on the paid for trumped up reviews that are posted on certain sites.  Shame on you for deceiving the public that read your reviews in making their decisions to purchase a book.  Before I became a part of this community, I did take into account  reviews written by others when I wasn’t sure if I wanted to purchase a book or not.  Now that I am part of this community of book bloggers, I 100% rely on other bloggers’  reviews.   But after 2+ years, I am almost positive I know who the credible, honest, professional bloggers are and they are the ones that have made my TBR list grow to the point that I have renamed it to “hopefully in my lifetime TBR list”.   Do I think the bad apples will hurt book bloggers in general.  Unfortunately, yes, for a while until they get caught.  The honest book bloggers that review with integrity may not be believed by the general public.  But eventually  people will see the same name, always giving every book a 5 rating because we all know that not every book is for every person and we have all had those 1 and 2 rated books.  And for those paying for 5 star reviews, it will catch up with you.  The truth will come out regarding the work.  A friend of mine told me a long time, everyone digs their own grave, especially when they are doing wrong, and she is so right.  I have seen it happen too many times to the guilty parties.  There is Karma!!

And now the big topic of the week, plagiarism.  Again, sadness, disappointment and some naivety.  When I first started, my mentor Vicki from I’d Rather Be Reading At The Beach, told me that the “nicest bloggers were book bloggers” and I have found that to be 100% true.  I have considered this community one big international book club and still do.  Plagiarism, I don’t get it?  Why?  Most of us are copyrighted and personally, at least for me, I feel that is in place from the general public.  But if another book blogger asks if they can borrow, likes something on my blog or if they can link back to me, my answer is always a yes.  Matter of fact, I take it as a compliment.  I just recently saw something on someone’s blog that I liked and emailed her to ask permission if she would mind if I could use a similar format.  That’s just everyday courtesy, at least that’s what I think.  Aren’t we book bloggers that have a great passion for books and want to share our thoughts on different books?  This is a hobby with incredible people interacting because we love to read.  But plagiarism, again I ask why?  Maybe I’m missing something or like I said, just plain naive.

What are your thoughts about these 2 topics?  

Hope you have a great week!!  I know I will, but more on that in a couple of days.

……..of The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan

46 Susan Varney Follow @CherylMash on Twitter

2 Sheila McKinney DeChantal Be a Public Follower of ‘CMASH Loves to Read’

30 Maureen Carol Leave a Blog Post Comment

An email has been sent to the winners and they have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address or another winner will be chosen.  Thank you to all that entered.  Watch for new giveaways !!

Happy Saturday everyone !!  

Have you entered the giveaways?  Hope so and good luck if you did.    However, if you can’t wait to read one of the books that I am hosting as a giveaway, Oxford Messed Up by Andrea Kayne Kaufman, I wanted to share with you a notice I received from Rebecca at The Cadence Group.

“In celebration of love, life and hope, Andrea will be offering the Ebook edition for $ .99 on Amazon from May Day thru Cinco de Mayo – May 1-5.”

Have a great weekend!!!!

DISCLAIMER
I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com,
Barnes & Noble and/or any other retail/wholesale
outlets either online and/or elsewhere.
I am providing this link solely for visitors
that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.
I do not receive any monetary compensation from any parties

I am honored to introduce you to today’s guest.  I have said in the past that I have reviewed many books at the request of The Story Plant and have added each new author to my “author’s TBR list”.  Well today, I will be adding another author, having his book published by Fiction Studio, a division of The Story Plant.  So please help me give a warm welcome to Mr. Tom Avitabile as he talks about the 2nd book in his ‘Wild Bill’ Hiccock thriology.

ABOUT TOM AVITABILE

Author Tom Avitabile, a senior creative director at a New York City advertising firm, is a writer, director and producer with numerous film and television credits. He has an extensive background in engineering and computers.

Avitabile’s work on projects for the House Committee on Science and Technology helped lay the foundation for “The Eighth Day,” his first novel. In his spare time, Avitabile is a professional musician and an amateur woodworker. He is currently at work on his next novel featuring William “Wild Bill” Hiccock.
You can connect with Tom at his website here.

ABOUT THE BOOK

With Americain the crosshairs of terrorists who don’t have to play by the rules, President Mitchell needed an edge.  That’s where Bill Hiccock’s Quarterback Ops Group, (QuOG) a top-secret operations cluster run out of the White House, comes in. They are the Commander-in-Chief’s personal ‘pointy end of the stick’.  Given unprecedented power, these dedicated men and women cut through the cells and terror networks at home and abroad, unleashing the full force and determination of Americaacross the world.  QuOG’s goal: To find the loose suitcase nuke before it finds its way to a city near you.

From psych-ops, where we terrorize the terrorist, to the pure brute force of going in hot, wet and wild, QuOG uses innovative technology and on-the-spot improvisation to beat the bad guys before they know the game is on!

Hiccock fields his handpicked team of the ‘best of the best’ in abilities and prowess. From Brooke Burrell who distinguished herself as an FBI agent, going toe-to-toe with a terrorist mastermind, to Bridgestone and Ross who cut through countries, culture, and bull-crap like a laser through butter. To the former hacker for the mob, Kronos, an offbeat ‘techno-sapien,’ who practically mind-melds with any computer, network or Internet backbone and manipulates it to do his bidding.  With Janice Hiccock, Bill’s wife and insight into the human behavioral matrix. And Bill himself, whose brilliant analytical mind and propensity to somehow find himself in the line-of-fire, belies his overachieving academic persona, albeit one who also majored in throwing a pass 60-yards into the end zone as well.

America’s and Hiccock’s greatest challenge is saving millions of American lives in a high stakes game of deception, terror and heart-stopping acts of aggression which could bring America to its knees.

Look for my review in the coming weeks.

Watch the trailer here.

DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive
are ever sold…they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.

Hosted by An Island Life

From An Island Life:
In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.
If you’d like to participate, visit An Island Life answer the question and then post your own question on your blog and leave your link below. Don’t forget to visit the other participants! It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends!

MY QUESTION:
When going on vacation and/or away for business
travel, how far in advance do you start packing?

…….of The Book Of Madness And Cures by Regina O’Melveny

50 Maureen Carol Leave a Blog Post Comment

69 Dario Moniz Follow @CherylMash on Twitter

19 Michelle Stockard Miller Leave a Blog Post Comment

An email has been sent to the winners and they have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address or another winner will be chosen.  Thank you to all that entered!!  More giveaways planned!!