Tag Archives: about me

May 19, 2013 · 11:41 pm

And the Countdown Continues…

Hi Everyone,

Ready for the next bit of info about the Big Giveaway that starts Saturday? A couple days ago, in Let the Countdown Begin, I discussed the Twitter Guess the Character bonus portion of the giveaway. So today, I thought it would only be fair, if I shared the Facebook only bonus portion!

Every Monday, I will post on Facebook a line or stanza from one of my favorite poems growing up. These could be from anything, but I hope you will recognize at least a few right away. After you read the line or stanza, then you will head over to the Rafflecopter (links will be on here and on Facebook) and type in the Title ~OR~ Author of the poem. (I am allowing either or, since there are several poems that have no title.) Please do not answer on Facebook! There will be a separate entry in the Rafflecopter for each of the ten posts, so make sure you click on the corresponding weeks.

Pretty simple, right? My goal is to make this fun and easy for everyone! (And don’t worry there are several other options and bonus entries available. This is just a small portion!)

Only a few more days left before we begin. I know I am dancing right now from all of the anticipation!

Wishing you all a wonderful night!
Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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May 17, 2013 · 3:21 pm

Let the Countdown Begin…

Hi Everyone,

Today is Friday, May 17th… We are just a week away from the start of the Big Celebration Party! (Don’t know what I what I am talking about, please read the Big Announcement.)

I thought I would share one of the ways you will be able to enter to win the BIG Giveaway. As you know, the BIG Giveaway will be a Rafflecopter giveaway. There will be a page here, with the Rafflecopter widget and it will be available on Facebook. There are several “games” that will be played during the upcoming weeks. ALL answers will need to be entered into the Rafflecopter. For instance: (yes, I am about to reveal one of the games) every week on Sunday, there will be a “Guess the Character” game! Every Sunday, (at various times) I will post a character description from some of the books/stories that I read when I was younger. I call these characters “Classics,” because of the fact that I have read their stories multiple times. I will post these descriptions on Twitter only! (I will post a reminder here, but not the description.) Once you see the description on Twitter, please go to the Rafflecopter page on here or on Facebook and type in the Character’s Name. (Please do not post the Character’s Name on Twitter.) At the end of the BIG Giveaway, I will list the character’s names and their descriptions on here.

Sound fun? I hope so, because I have enjoyed picking the characters! (Let me tell you it was hard to narrow down to just 10!)

And if you don’t have Twitter, don’t worry! There will be a Facebook only game and a TON of other ways to enter to win!

I will give more clues and rules to the other games throughout the remaining days!

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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May 15, 2013 · 8:31 pm

Reading Update…

Hi Everyone,

How are you? I am just curious as to what everyone is reading this week. For me, I am half way through book number 44 on The List. It is a romance novel. I am also a third of the way through book number 31 on My Sister’s Books List. This book is a suspense/intrigue book. And I just finished a children’s book for the eMag and am going to start reading a sci-fi/fantasy young adult book. My plate is full of diverse books and I couldn’t be happier. (Thank you all!) I hope to be able to soon share the reviews that I wrote last month for the eMag. I will post them as soon as I am allowed to share.

Yesterday, the new Dan Brown novel, Inferno, came out and I am thrilled! I love Dan Brown’s unique and skillful writing. Are there any books that have come out or are about to come out this month, that you are excited about?

Hope you all have a wonderful evening!

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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May 12, 2013 · 7:55 am

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

Good Morning Everyone,

I just wanted to take a minute and wish everyone a Happy Mother’s Day!!! Whether your a Mama of a human baby or a fur baby, Happy Mother’s Day!!!

What were some of the books that you shared with your Mom while you were growing up?

For me, the Children’s Book… I’ll Love You, Forever is a book that I can still recite from memory. My Mom and I used to read that together all the time. Now my Grandmother used to bring me a set of 6 Nancy Drew books every time she would visit. So Nancy Drew will always hold a special place in heart, thanks to her.

As for being a fur-Mama, the book that made me laugh and cry because of its honesty and truth is… Marley and Me. If you have ever loved a dog with your whole heart, then that book is a must-read. (And no, I have never seen the movie.)

Hope each of you have a wonderful, beautiful day!

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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May 11, 2013 · 6:00 am

BIG Announcement!!!

Good Morning Everyone,

It is time. It is here. Today is Saturday, May 11, 2013 and it is 6:00am EDT and this can only mean one thing… It is time for the BIG Announcement. You all are amazing you know this, right?! I want to thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoy this BIG Announcement!

So without further delay…

I can’t believe that a year has gone by since I started this amazing journey. My little dream of finding a way into to the world of literature has grown into something that I could never have hoped for. Thank you all for your support. I am so honored to have each of you following along in this journey. I love being able to read books, write reviews and then talk with all of you about the wonderful books and authors. So on May 25th, 2013, I hope that you all will join me as I begin a three month long celebration party.

Why three months? Well… on May 25th, my blog will turn 1, on June 20th, my first posted book review will turn 1 and on July 27th, my first Indie Author book review will turn 1. Three BIG birthdays/anniversaries!!! And with all that is going on in the world around us, why not celebrate to the fullest. (Besides, who doesn’t love to celebrate good times!)

What kind of Celebration?

Starting on May 25th through July 27th, each Saturday, I will take a look back at some of the books that I have had the honor to review. “A Year in Review” weekly special. On the majority of those weeks, you the followers will get a chance to win some pretty cool prizes, such as bookmarks or ebooks, thanks to the author(s) of the book(s) being Re-Reviewed. Yes, that’s right, there will be 10 weeks with 8 giveaways! But this is only half of the BIG Announcement…

The second half?

This part is extra-special. You see, through May 25-July 31st, there will be a separate giveaway going on. Yes, that’s right another chance to win! This giveaway will be active the ENTIRE time between May 25th-July 31st. For this giveaway, some very generous authors have donated Autographed books, both ebooks and Paperbacks, plus bookmarks. AND… my very favorite and very talented artist friend, Dana Zalesky , has donated an original piece of artwork. So as you can see this giveaway will be BIG!!!

How do you win?

The individual weekly contests will be held like the regular giveaways. (And there will still be those scheduled during this time, too.) All you have to do is leave a comment under that week’s blog post to be entered to win. With the help of Random.org, winners will be chosen and announced the following week. Each contest/feature, will run for a week (Saturday-Friday.)

The BIG giveaway will be a Rafflecopter giveaway, but not just a plain Rafflecopter giveaway. It will be a game… A mixture of Guess the Book from the Quote and a Scavenger Hunt. Bonus points (bonus entries) will be plenty and some will be offered daily!!! You will be able to find the Rafflecopter here, as it will have a page to itself and on Ariesgrl Book Reviews Facebook Page.

(And yes, it is a possibility to win more than one giveaway.)

My goal is to make the next several weeks fun for everyone! I want this to be a true celebration as my way to say thank you to each of you! I hope I have answered any questions you may have, but if not just post a comment below. (However no specifics on authors/books/prizes will be given, just yet.)

So this was my BIG Announcement! I hope you all enjoyed it and that it was worth the wait!!!

Have a wonderful day!
Enjoy!!!
~Ariesgrl

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May 10, 2013 · 12:42 pm

Almost time…

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to give you all a quick update. There is less than 18 hours left before the BIG Announcement is made!!! I just have one question… Are you ready to have a party?

Hmm… was that a small hint… I don’t know. I just know, that I am super excited about tomorrow morning’s announcement and I hope you all are too.

Have a wonderful day everyone!!!

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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· 12:35 am

A Fellow Blogger Joins in on the Fun…

Hi Everyone,

I have some exciting news to share with you all today. (And no, it is not related to the BIG Announcement, which will be posted Saturday at 6am EDT.) This bit of news is related to the fact that Ariesgrl Book Reviews is expanding and constantly growing. I am very pleased to announce that Wendy, from Shhh, Mommy’s in the Bathroom, Reading will be writing guest reviews here. You may recall about a month ago, I had mentioned that some of my reviews would be posted on her Facebook page. Well… one night Wendy and I were talking about blogs, books and life, when the idea of being regular guest reviewers for each other’s blogs just sort of happened!

I am thrilled to introduce her to all of you and I hope each of you enjoy the extra reviews that will be coming your way. I asked her to write a short bio to help you all get to know her and here’s what she had to say…

“I am a mom of a 5 year old little girl. Prior to her birth, I hate to say this, but I hated to read. I was a movie girl, went at least once a week. After my daughter was born, little by little we found out about her multiple special needs and eventually found out she had a stroke at birth. To say the least we have had our hands full. When I tried to watch movies at home, I would only get to watch sections of them, and they lost all enjoyment. Then Twilight happened. A friend had been talking about the books long before the movie came out, and I was the person looking at her thinking, I don’t get you. The movie (DVD) came out and I pretty much only saw the end of the movie (which wasn’t the best), but I was left with wanting know what happened next. I know there are haters out there about Twilight, but if it wasn’t for that book, I wouldn’t have fallen in love with reading. It was something I could pick up, and put down and not miss something. It has definitely steam rolled from there. As you probably guess with the blog name, Yes, I would sneak to the bathroom to read, because that was the only time I seemed to find peace. And thanks to Kindle and social media, I have been introduced to so many books that wouldn’t have been available to me otherwise (our local library really seems to sensor what is allowed.) I am now an avid reader and always have some sort of reading material with me.”

I think we can all relate to that feeling of life being so chaotic that the only time we get a chance to breathe is when we run into the bathroom to hide!

Be on the lookout for her first guest review over the next coming days, as well as the BIG announcement on Saturday. In a few hours, I will be back with my latest bookstore book review.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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May 6, 2013 · 6:07 pm

Another Nook Delay and Some News…

Hi Everyone,

I was so excited when there was a knock on the door today. My replacement Nook had finally arrived. I quickly thanked the delivery man and opened up the box only to find… it was the wrong product. I was so disappointed. However I have been assured that the correct replacement Nook will be here by next week at the latest.

On a more positive note, I have a BIG Announcement that I will be making on here. It will be announced Saturday, May 11, 2013 at 6:00 am EDT. That means there is less than 4 days and 12 hours left!!! As for this announcement, I can’t say too much without giving it away, but I can leave you with a bit of information. I promise everyone who follows this blog will be excited about this announcement. I can say that this announcement will lead to something that will be a lot of fun for everyone, too. (At least I hope you all will be as excited as I am about this announcement.) I must stop now, before I say too much, but be sure to stop by here this weekend for the BIG announcement.

I hope you all have had a great Monday. I will be back in a couple of hours to post my next review.

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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· 2:00 pm

A Worldly Experience Through Books

Hi Everyone,

A few weeks ago, I was honored to participate in World Book Night. It was the most amazing experience to see people’s eyes light up over getting a free book. I can’t wait to apply to be a giver again, next year.

In the meantime, here is an article that I wrote about my experience that night and about the generosity of My Sister’s Books.

I hope you enjoy…

World Book Night
April 23, 2013
5pm- 6:30pm
Captain John’s Seafood Grille, a local restaurant in Pawleys Island, SC.

A Worldly Experience Through Books

World Book Night Organization hosts World Book Night every April 23rd, in honor of William Shakespeare’s birthday. This year was the second year that USA has participated and the first year that I was a giver. My Sister’s Books kindly donated 20 reading lights and 20 bookmarks to be handed out along with the free books. With help from My Sister’s Books, this event was advertised in the local paper. Most of the people that I met that night, had never heard of World Book Night but they were intrigued by the generosity and spirit that the organization represents by giving away free books.

With the advertisements from My Sister’s Books and with a bus of retirees from Florida that stopped for dinner, the books went fast. Among the many people that I got to meet, several were grandparents who were excited to send their grandchildren a new book. Plus a few of them promised to read the book first, since they hadn’t read a young adult book in a while. To see their smiling faces, is an experience I will never forget. One woman was a retired educator, who had traveled the world teaching young children. She started reading her book right away and made sure to come back and thank me, since she was already enjoying it so much. I am very grateful to World Book Night and My Sister’s Books for making that a night a reality. I look forward to participating again next year.

~Nicole ‘Ariesgrl’ McManus, Reviewer and Blogger

http://ariesgrlreview.com

http://www.mysistersbooks.com

Just re-reading this article brings a smile to my heart. If you all haven’t heard of World Book Night, please go to their website to learn more. It is a fabulous organization. You can be guaranteed that I will be signing up again next year.

Have a wonderful day!

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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April 30, 2013 · 9:43 pm

Thank You Everyone!

Good Evening Everyone,

Tonight’s post will be short and sweet, since there will be several important posts coming in the next few days. I just wanted to thank everyone for their support. Tonight the official Facebook page for Ariesgrl Book Reviews reached 100 likes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! As a sign of my appreciation for everyone following on Facebook, I posted a hint about the BIG announcement coming next week.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow and Thursday. There are two author blog tour/giveaways that will be taking place.

Thank you all again. Your support means the world to me. Thank you.

Have a wonderful night!
Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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