Wednesday, January 20, 2016

Lady Reader Book Tours Presents Learn Spanish The Gringa Way By Erin Ashley Sieber


About The Book:

Learning Spanish The Gringa Way By: Erin Ashley Sieber 
Published: September 24, 2014 
Publisher: AuthorHouse Pages: 232

Step into a new world of learning, in which the journey itself is actually fun and exciting! The Gringa has taken a somewhat "nontraditional" approach toward teaching the Spanish language to English speakers. In doing so, she pioneered a system, The Gringa Way, which allows learners to translate their English thoughts into Spanish thoughts and sentences. This total "new approach" not only makes the language much easier to learn and understand but it transforms what many thought was "impossible" and makes it completely achievable. Many people have been totally overwhelmed by the "strict rules" and vast grammatical differences they discovered when trying the "old" and "traditional" methods of learning usable Spanish - so they quit - saying it is simply way too hard and frustrating. With The Gringa Way method and the help of this book, you will be speaking Spanish easier than you ever thought possible.

Review:

Learning Spanish is hard but with this book you will learn Spanish fast and easy.

I first picked up the book with hesitation because everyone says they can teach Spanish easy but they really don't have any understanding and in turn makes it very difficult to learn from them. But this book was really helpful and fun to go through.

Erin takes you step by step through learning Spanish with ease and at points just down right hilarious. My daughter started reading it and she has learned so much in such a short period of time. She loves the breakdown of each chapter and how Erin describes everything in detail.

This is a must read book if you are trying to learn Spanish. It will guide you and help you learn faster than anything I have ever read.

Happy Learning! 

Book Links:


.99 Weekly Special:

Purchase the digital edition of The Gringa Way for the special reduced price of .99 during this week only at the thegringa.com. Not only will you get a stellar discount, but you will also receive a personalized and signed GRINGA card and pen. Please send proof of purchase with physical mailing address to ladyreadertours@gmail.com.


Book Trailer:

Follow The Tour:

January 18th – Cabin Goddess – Recipe and Review 

January 19th – Christine Abee – Review 

January 19th – aobibliosphere™ - Spotlight 

January 20th – A Diary of A Book Addict – Review 

January 20th – Unconventional Librarian – Guest Post

January 21st – Karin's Fantasy World – Review

January 21st – Heather Ann's Book Reviews – Review

January 21st – Pixie Vixen Book Reviews – Review 

January 21st – Room With Books – Spotlight/Excerpt

January 22nd – Anything But Vanilla Book Blog – Review 

January 22nd – aobibliosphere™ – Review

January 22nd – Lady Reader's Bookstuff - Tiff – Review 
About The Author:


"I fell in love with the Spanish language, as well as the Spanish people, at a young, impressionable age. When I was fourteen I received a trip to Cancun, Mexico as a gift for Christmas! It was this trip that changed the rest of my career course, and really my outlook on life and other cultures.

What happened you ask? When I arrived to Cancun, Mexico, I was excited and eager to explore this new and beautiful land. It was my first time out of the States, and I was ready to mingle! Along my journey in Cancun, I encountered some people from South America who were traveling. I was all too eager to hear and learn about their background and country of Argentina - but there was one big problem I encountered with this: I did not speak Spanish (at the time) and they did not speak English. Besides knowing how to say “hola,” I had yet to have learned any Spanish. My best friend, (who was with me on the trip) did have a year of Spanish, but she was not yet fluent in any sense of the term. What is the point of this story you might ask? It was in that very moment of pure frustration and disappointment from not being able to communicate - I told myself: I would not let this happen again.

When I got back to the states, not only did I pick Spanish as my (language of choice) for all of my high schooling, but decided to go on to also make the Spanish language my major in College, and then go on to pursue a career using Spanish. My love for the language opened up many doors:

In High School, the National Spanish Honor Society inducted me into their honor roll. I then earned my first degree in the Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and International Business from Florida Atlantic University. While attending the university, I jumped at the chance to live and study in Salamanca, Spain and El Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain, as well as attend the private language school, Estudio Sampere for six months, where I received some of my most intense instruction in the Spanish language. I then went on to obtain my Master’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Entrepreneurship from the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business at Nova Southeastern University.

Since then, I have traveled the world and been to more than 8 Spanish speaking countries, have worked for the major newspaper El Nuevo Herald as their Business Development Manager , am a member of the American Translation Association as well as a qualified Court Interpreter in my home state of Maryland. I have also had the privilege to teach English to Spanish speaking members of a Major League baseball team."

Author Links:


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Monday, January 18, 2016

Martin Luther King Day Celebration 2016 I Have A Dream..................




Today was MLK Day and I celebrated it by going to a service. As I was sitting there listening to all the speakers and the music I was brought back to a time where people were persecuted for the color of their skin. I am so blessed to be in a time where I do not have to suffer in silence.

They sang the Negro Anthem Lift Every Voice and Sing by James Weldon Johnson



And as they were singing I thought about all the freedoms we have today and all the freedoms we abuse. I for one am very grateful to have the freedoms we have because I have had three years of hell and have finally landed on my feet. As I sang along with the choir I couldn't help but tear up and thank God for all he has done for me and my family and where he has brought us from.

I have freedom and I am so happy to be alive because of Doctor Martin Luther King's Dream and visions as well as others.


Take the time out today or tomorrow to thank those who have given us the freedoms to be free!

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Alive (The Generations Trilogy #1) by Scott Sigler Review


Synopsis:

From New York Times bestselling author Scott Sigler comes something utterly new: a gripping sci-fi adventure trilogy in the vein of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Maze Runner. A group of young adults awake in a mysterious enclosed space with no knowledge of who they are or how they got there…and an indomitable young woman must lead them not only to answers but to survival.

A young woman awakes trapped in an enclosed space. She has no idea who she is or how she got there. With only her instincts to guide her, she escapes her own confinement—and finds she’s not alone. She frees the others in the room and leads them into a corridor filled with the remains of a war long past. The farther these survivors travel, the worse are the horrors they confront. And as they slowly come to understand what this prison is, they realize that the worst and strangest possibilities they could have imagined don’t even come close to the truth.

Goodreads:

Review:

This review is going to be a doozy I promise.

Have you ever started a book and put it down after reading a few chapters because you want to savour the story and make it last a long time?????? Well this is the book because I started it on Christmas Eve and ended it on New Year's Day. I started reading it and I was like WTF?????????????? OMG????????? What is going on? Why is she where she is? Why would someone do that to her? Why does she not remember who she is and where she is and why she is there?

Then BAM she is thrown into a world she has no idea is about to change her and her new friends for the rest of their lives. They will have to learn how to survive alone. They will have to fight the beasts that come and attack them. They find out that things do go bump in the night and that scarey stories may be true.

Okay so by now you must be like Tee what the hell are you talking about????????????

Well I am doing a review with no spoilers or glimpses into the story. No name for the main characters and no secrets that unfold in the story will be revealed because this is a book you need to read yourself to enjoy the unfolding of the story to the ending where you are like WTF just happened.

I need book two Alight which comes out on April 5th 2016 by Del Rey. Look for this day and plan on reading this book in one day because you will not be able to put it down. 



Synopsis:

In Alive, Scott Sigler introduced readers to an unforgettable young heroine and a mysterious new world reminiscent of those of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Red Rising. Now he expands his singular vision in the next thrilling novel of this powerful sci-fi adventure series.

Goodreads:



Synopsis:

Book III in the Generations Trilogy.

Goodreads:


About The Author:

New York Times best-selling author Scott Sigler is the creator of fifteen novels, six novellas and dozens of short stories. His works are available from Crown Publishing and Del Rey Books.

In 2005, Scott built a large online following by releasing his audiobooks as serialized podcasts. A decade later, he still gives his stories away — for free — every Sunday at scottsigler.com. His loyal fans, who named themselves “Junkies,” have downloaded over thirty-five million individual episodes.

He has been covered in Time Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher’s Weekly, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune, io9, Wired, The Huffington Post, Business Week and Fangoria.

Scott is the co-founder of Empty Set Entertainment, which publishes his Galactic Football League YA series. He lives in San Diego, CA, with his wee little dog Reesie. They’re both diehard Detroit Lions fans.


SOCIALIZE WITH SCOTT:









Friday, January 15, 2016

Around The World ARC Tours Presents In Real Life by Jessica Love Early Review


Synopsis:

Hannah Cho and Nick Cooper have been best friends since 8th grade. They talk for hours on the phone, regularly shower each other with presents, and know everything there is to know about one another.

There's just one problem: Hannah and Nick have never actually met.

Hannah has spent her entire life doing what she's supposed to, but when her senior year spring break plans get ruined by a rule-breaker, she decides to break a rule or two herself. She impulsively decides to road trip to Vegas, her older sister and BFF in tow, to surprise Nick and finally declare her more-than-friend feelings for him.

Hannah's romantic gesture backfires when she gets to Vegas and meets Nick's girlfriend, whom he failed to mention. And it turns out his relationship status isn't the only thing he's been lying to her about. Hannah knows the real Nick can't be that different from the online Nick she knows and loves, but now she only has one night in Sin City to figure out what her feelings for Nick really are, all while discovering how life can change when you break the rules every now and then.

Goodreads:


Review:

Oh man where do I start with this review.......

I really really loved this book. It came right on time because I had just finished an awesome book and I was on such a high I knew I needed a great book to follow or I would scream.

Reading the book description does this book no justice. I mean there are so many twists and turns I was literally yelling at the book. I was so mad at Nick and Hannah forget it. She is so sheltered it is not funny. Homegirl reminded me of someone I knew and when she finally shook off her sheltered life she went buck wild.

Nick and Hannah have been best friends since eighth grade. They talk all day long via text and messaging on the computer. The only problem they have is that they have never met in real life. So when Hannah finds out Nick is playing in Vegas she decides to surprise him by visiting him.

Things get crazy on this road trip and Hannah and Nick have to figure out what is going to happen between them. 

What I loved the most is that Nick and Hannah met online. Have you ever met someone online and started talking and became fast friends only to meet them in person and find out that they are not what they have been online. This is a story about online friends that met each other in real life and things are not always as they seem.

This is a must read for everyone who loves a great story about finding yourself and friendships. 


About The Author:

Jessica is a high school English teacher who lives in Southern California with her husband, her son, and their two tiny dogs. She's working on her Master's Degree in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Spalding University, and her big love is contemporary YA romance. Jessica spends all of her free money on concerts, constantly tries to prove that blondes have more fun, and is pretty much always on the internet. 

IN REAL LIFE will be released from St. Martin's/Thomas Dunne on March 1, 2015. PUSH GIRL, co-written with Chelsie Hill from Sundance Channel's reality TV show Push Girls, is out now.

Frequently Asked Questions

WRITING

What made you want to write? How long have you been writing?
I've loved writing since I was a little kid. I wrote stories when I was younger, I wrote letters to my collection of pen pals across the country when I was a teenager, and I wrote daily in my xanga blog in my 20s. 

It wasn't until November 1, 2008, though, that I wrote the first words of a novel. I remember the date because it was the start of NaNoWriMo. I always like crossing things off my bucket list, and I'd recently made a list of goals for myself, crazy things like running a marathon (which I did! Finished the LA Marathon in 2008!), and I put "write a piece of fiction" on there as well. I decided NaNoWriMo was as good a time to start as any. I "won" NaNoWriMo that year, but it took me three years of work on that book to get it into shape. Working on that book was how I taught myself how to write a novel. 

How did you get hooked up with Chelsie Hill to work on PUSH GIRL?
It was just perfect agent/editor matchmaking!

I've been wanting to write a book! Can you co-write it with me?

Working with Chelsie on PUSH GIRL was a really cool experience! When I joined in, Chelsie already had a deal with our publisher, and they found me after through my literary agent. Currently, any of my writing work goes through my agent, and I'm working on a bunch of my own books right now. 

Can you read my writing?

Congratulations on writing something and getting it to the point where you're willing to share it with others! That's awesome! I wish I had time to read it and give you feedback, but, unfortunately, I don't. With teaching full time, writing books, and getting my MFA, I just don't have any free time to add new critique partners to the mix. But there are lots of great places online to get hooked up with amazing critique partners and beta readers to help take your writing to the next level. Good luck!

Who are your favorite authors? What are your favorite books?

Some of my favorite authors include Gayle Forman, Stephanie Perkins, Sarah Dessen, Markus Zusak, John Green, Maggie Stiefvater, Laini Taylor, Rainbow Rowell, Sarah Ockler, and Courtney Summers. That's only the beginning, though. I fall in love with new authors all the time.

My list of favorite books changes literally every day. You can see a list of all the books I've read since 2008 here

GENERAL

Is Love your real last name?

Yes. It's the name on my birth certificate, not one that I made up for writing. I grew up with this name, and, let me tell you, you are not the first person to tell me "I LOVE your last name! Haha!"

Is your hair naturally that color?

No. But it should have been.

How tall are you?

I'm 6 feet tall in my bare feet. I'm what they call "a tall drink of water."

What are your dogs' names? What kind of dogs are they? Where did you get them?

Gunner, who is a Mini Schnauzer / Yorkie mix, came from a girl on CraigsList who was giving him away. She had raised him since he was a tiny puppy, and he was very loved and perfectly trained. It's unbelievable to me that she was giving him away because, as anyone who has met him will tell you, he is pretty much the best dog ever to walk the Earth.

Patrick, a Fox Terrier / Chihuahua mix, is the newest member of our family. We got him from the Pet Rescue Center, an amazing rescue in Mission Viejo, CA, who saved him from the local high-kill shelter on his last day before euthanasia. Patrick thinks everything is a game and he loves to play. He's also a huge cuddler, and when he's not chewing on one of his toys he can be found curled into the tightest ball on my lap.

I love my dogs SO much.


THOSE FACES!

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Around The World ARC Tours Presents an early review of Take The Fall by Emily Hainsworth


Synopsis:

WHO KILLED GRETCHEN MEYER?

Fear grips the residents of Hidden Falls the night Sonia Feldman and her best friend, Gretchen Meyer, are attacked in the woods. Sonia was lucky to escape with her life, but Gretchen’s body is discovered at the bottom of a waterfall. Beautiful, popular, and seemingly untouchable, Gretchen can’t be gone. Even as Sonia struggles with guilt and confusion over having survived, the whole town is looking to her for information…could she have seen something that will lead the police to the killer?

At the top of the list of suspects is Gretchen’s ex-boyfriend—and Sonia’s longtime enemy—Marcus Perez. So when Marcus comes to Sonia for help clearing his name, she agrees, hoping to find evidence the police need to prove he’s the killer. But as Gretchen’s many secrets emerge and the suspects add up, Sonia feels less sure of Marcus’s involvement, and more afraid for herself. Could Marcus, the artist, the screwup, the boy she might be falling for have attacked her? Killed her best friend? And if it wasn’t him in the woods that night…who could it have been?

Goodreads:

Review:

Good Lord this book was amazing so amazing! I can't explain to you how much I loved this book so much! If you like suspense you will love this book. It is for you because from page one to the end you are sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next.

In this story we meet Sonia and her best friend Gretchen. They do everything together. So when they are invited to a party they decide to go. What happens after the party is where the suspense begins. They are in the woods laughing and talking and having fun when something comes out of the blue and attacks them. Sonia runs for her life and is attacked from behind but makes it out of the woods alive.

She runs into her family diner when she screams for help and her family comes out and helps her. The police come over to her and ask her what happened but she can't remember because they were in the woods and fine one moment then the next they were being attacked.This is where the story starts to get good because Sonia will have to remember what happened to her and Gretchen in the woods.

Sonia and Gretchen's ex-boyfriend Marcus will have to piece together what happened and work together when they hate each other. But what will happen? Will they find the killer? Will they be able to work together and put aside thier differences?

This is a must must must read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


About The Author:

Emily Hainsworth was raised in Syracuse, New York, until she fell in love and fled its gray skies for the sunny Rocky Mountains. Before she started writing full time, she worked as a turndown maid at a fancy golf club, scooped poop at a dog boarding kennel, worked retail in an upscale pet boutique, and owned a dog grooming business. 

She currently resides in Denver with her family. Emily's debut novel, THROUGH TO YOU, a romantic sci-fi thriller, was published in 2012 by Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins. 

It was on the Fall 2012 Kids Indie Next List, received a starred review from VOYA magazine, was translated into nine languages, and was optioned for film by Paramount Pictures. 

Her second novel, TAKE THE FALL, is a suspenseful YA thriller about a girl trying to understand why she escaped murder when her best friend didn’t. Available 2.16.2016.

Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Around The World ARC Tours Presents The Word for Yes by Claire Needell Early Review


Synopsis:

After their parents’ divorce, Jan, Erika, and Melanie have to get used to the new world order: a father who’s moved to another continent and a mother who throws herself into moving on. Jan, off at her first semester of college, has plenty to worry about, including an outspoken roommate who’s kind of “out there” and an increasingly depressed and troubled long-distance boyfriend. Her younger sisters, left at home in New York City, and dealing with all the pressures of life in high school, aren’t exactly close. Erika is serious and feels awkward and uncomfortable in crowds, though her beauty tends to attract attention. Melanie is socially savvy and just wants to go out—to concerts, to parties, wherever—with her friends. The gap between all three girls widens as each day passes.

Then, at a party full of blurred lines and blurred memories, everything changes. Starting that night, where there should be words, there is only angry, scared silence.

And in the aftermath, Jan, Erika, and Melanie will have to work hard to reconnect and help one another heal.

At once touching and raw, Claire Needell’s first novel is an honest look at the love and conflicts among sisters and friends, and how these relationships can hold us together—and tear us apart. 


Goodreads:

Review:

This book broke my heart. I mean in a good way because I have an older sister and I can't imagine going through what those sisters went through. I mean I laughed and I cried and I had to put the book down because I just couldn't handle one of the topics raised in the book.

***Please beware that this book has Date Rape in it***

In this story we meet three sisters Jan, Erika, and Melanie. They come from a divorced family. The mother is a little off because she is looking for love in the wrong way and the father has moved away and wants nothing to do with his old life. Instead choosing to move on with his new life.

Jan is in college enjoying her freshman year. She is trying to move on with her life and not focus on her parents. While Erika and Melanie are left at home stuck in high school. Erika is the serious sister but Melanie is the wild social savvy one. She loves to do things on a whim and she decides she needs to go to this party.

Erika and Melanie end up at the same party and things go south for one of them and when the dust settles the girls are left to fight through this situation together. They will have to fight to stay together and remain sisters and let bygones be bygones. 

What happens? Will the sisters be able to fight together instead of against each other?


About Author:

Claire Needell is a graduate of Brown’s MFA Program, a middle school teacher, and the author of two books of poetry. Her nonfiction has appeared in The New York Times Sunday Review.

Around The World ARC Tours Presents Rebel Bully Geek Pariah by Erin Jade Lange Early Review


Synopsis:

"The Breakfast Club" gets a modern, high-stakes reboot in this story of four very different teens and a night that changes them forever. 

The Rebel: Once popular, Andi is now a dreadlocked, tattooed wild child.

The Bully: York torments everyone who crosses his path, especially his younger brother.

The Geek: Tired of being bullied, Boston is obsessed with getting into an Ivy League college. 

The Pariah: Choosing to be invisible has always worked for Sam . . . until tonight. 

When Andi, York, Boston, and Sam find themselves hiding in the woods after a party gets busted by the cops, they hop into the nearest car they see and take off—the first decision of many in a night that will change their lives forever. By the light of day, these four would never be caught dead together, but when their getaway takes a dangerously unpredictable turn, sticking together could be the only way to survive. 

With cinematic storytelling and compelling emotional depth, critically acclaimed author Erin Jade Lange takes readers on literary thrill ride.

Goodreads: 

Review:

What to say about this book? There is so much to say because so many things are going on and so much happening. I love stories like this because there is so much going on that you are not sure where one story ends and the other story begins.

You get to meet four different teens in this story. Andi who is the rebel. York is the bully. Boston is the geek. Sam is the pariah. Okay what the heck do these four teens have in common? They are completely different from one another but one thing will bond them together forever. 

The teens go to a party when the police come and they decide to run into the woods together. Once on the other side of the woods the teens get into the first car they see and take off. As the night proceeds the teens get a glimpse of what happens when you make the wrong decision. By the morning they will need each other and have a lot in common with each other.


About Author:

Erin writes facts by day and fiction by night. As a journalist, she is inspired by current events and real-world issues and uses her writing to explore how those issues impact teenagers.

She is an only child, so she spent a lot of time entertaining herself as a kid. This required her to rely heavily on her own imagination, which is probably why she became a writer.

Erin grew up in the cornfields of northern Illinois, along the Mississippi River in one of the few places it flows east to west. She now lives in the sunshine of Arizona and will forever be torn between her love of rivers and her love of the desert.