Tag Archives: wonderful day

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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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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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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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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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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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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And the Winner is…

Good Morning Everyone,

I just want to take a moment to thank everyone who participated in the Kitsune Tales Blog Tour. I also want to thank Twinsie Talk Book Reviews for putting together an amazing blog tour. Without further ado, the winner of this giveaway is … Dana Zalesky! Congrats Dana!!! I will contact you later today with information about your prize.

Thanks again everyone. I wish you all a Magnificent Monday. I will be back later tonight with a new review and news about the BIG Announcement.

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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Kitsune Tales Blog Tour!

kitsunetales

Book Blurb:

It’s been centuries since the last Great Other War that plunged the human race into the dark ages. Pulling away from the gods, and other creatures God had sent to watch over them, humans have made a go of it for themselves, trying to find their own path, and in the process they have changed the world from flat to round and created a universe to go with it. The gods, angels and demons are still there, but left behind, ignored, while the humans flourish. But the Others haven’t forgotten the humans….

Ki was content living her quiet, orderly little life on the outskirts of the city pack as a runt. She’d built up her own business as a freelance researcher and while she didn’t have much, she had more than enough for her. Then she wakes one morning to find that two days of her life are missing, supposedly spent with not just one man, but two, and she suddenly has breasts. Not to mention two tails when she shifts. If that isn’t bad enough, her apartment building catches fire and someone in the smoke wants her dead.

On the run, Ki finds herself in strange company, from Gods to mythical creatures, and sorting out who wants her dead from who wants her alive isn’t going to be easy. With a little divine help, and some old friends, she just might make it out of this mess alive, or lose everything before she even knew what she had.

Book Excerpt:

“They’re mad,” Hanners said.
“You would know,” Gage said with a snort.
“No, I’m a little crazy, yes, but there’s a difference,” Hanners said. “Fanatical devotion, even in the face of proof that what they believe is wrong, is madness.”
“A pretty point that doesn’t negate the fact that you’re several watts short of being able to power a light bulb,” Gage said.
Hanners gave him a hard look out of the corner of her eye. “What do you think our chances are?” she asked Oberon.
Oberon cocked his head as if he was listening to something. “Better than they think. Are you ready?”
Hanners gave a nod and Gage grunted. The night seemed awful still right then. It was so quiet that she could easily hear her own breathing and the deep even breaths that Gage was taking. Oberon stood, his body poised in front of them, the ax still on his shoulder, while the point of his sword rested on the ground. He was relaxed and at ease, as if he hadn’t spent the majority of the night fighting like the rest of them had. At least he looked like he’d been in a fight. It wouldn’t have been fair if he was as neat and clean as Gage was. Which posed a very good question.
“How do you do that?” Hanners asked Gage in a hiss.
“What?”
“Not get dirty.”
Gage smiled along the stock of the rifle. “Phase through the dirt.”
“That is so cheating,” Hanners said.
“Steady now,” Oberon interrupted. “Remember what I told you. Do not fire till I give the order.”
Hanners gave a grim nod and tightened her grip on the rifle. Scanning the tree line, she waited with her breath held. The angels came into sight, moving forward with swords at the ready. Crafty buggers, she thought as they slid through the trees. She couldn’t say they hadn’t learned something from the night, because they kept in cover so they couldn’t be picked off quite so easily. They were grouped toether and had added shields, the bastards. Depending on how those ovals were made, this could mean trouble for them. Hanners let her breath out slowly and took a bead on the closest angel.
“Hold,” Oberon said.
Licking her lips, she held, finger a hairs breadth from the trigger. Her temper flared and she reined it in harshly. She would not go over the edge, she wouldn’t. This wouldn’t be a repeat of what happened before. Her heart rate kicked up as the first of the angels cleared the trees and moved cautiously into the open, forming into phalanxes. Again with the Greek stuff, she thought with a roll of her eyes.
“Hold,” Oberon said again.
Hanners wasn’t sure what he was waiting for, but it was obvious he had a plan that everyone else knew, because no one on their side moved to engage. They were ready, of course, she was sure of that, but they didn’t move, just stared down the host of angels that ringed the house. More poured from the tree, moving quickly into their positions though they seemed wary. Still Oberon waited, relaxed, not even watching the angels come. He just stared down at the ground. The angels advanced and his head came up with a snap, as if they had crossed over some type of invisible line, and maybe they had.
Oberon moved so fast that he was a blur. His ax sliced through the air as he spun, arching high before blade struck deep into the ground. The earth bucked in response, a movement that didn’t touch the house, but spread out from it. It ran outward in an expanding wave jostling the angels. When it passed, he looked up with a grim smile.
“Do you know what they called me in olden days?” Oberon asked over his shoulder.
“No,” Hanners said.
He looked at her and smiled. “The Wrath of the Hungry Earth.”

Author Bio:

TJ Rowser grew up on a working farm that left her with plenty of time to explore her imagination while performing lots of physical labor. The older she got, the more that imagination expanded, and the less she liked the hard physical labor aspect. It took too much time away from the stories in head. Working through a string of office jobs, she found her niche in a helpdesk and settled down to raise a family while happily sitting around exploring the worlds that kept springing to life in her mind. When that wasn’t quite enough, she started writing them down and sharing them out, which leads us here, to an author’s page, and a book filled with the characters that knock around in her head on a daily basis. They (the characters) are quite pleased with the result and so is she, since happy characters make for a much quieter mind.

Where to find the author and this book:

Goodreads Shelf: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17555087-kitsune-tales?ac=1

Facebook :https://www.facebook.com/KitsuneTales?ref=ts&fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/search?q=%40tjrowser2013&src=typd @TJRowser2013

What was the inspiration behind this story?

The idea for this actually started out as a conversation with a bunch of co-workers on lunch one day. The topic was religion and how touchy it is for most people. There might have even been an argument or two in there, the your version of God versus my version of God type thing, and it got me thinking. So, as soon as I got to my desk I jotted the question “What if they were all real?” down and went back to work. It just sort of grew on its own from there, the characters, the story, all of it. There wasn’t ever really a style in mind, just a story to tell.

Where to purchase:

Barnes and Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kitsune-tales-tj-rowser/1114916019?ean=2940044386259

Smashwords:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/296774

iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/kitsune-tales/id623644729?mt=11

Amazon Link.

For further blog tour information and stops, please visit Twinsie Talk Book Reviews:

TTBRTH

Now for the fun stuff:
The author is graciously giving away an ebook, a bookmark, and a pendant to one lucky commenter! To be entered to win, please leave a comment below. Contest will be open from now until Sunday, May 5, 2013 at 11:00pm EDT. Winner will be chosen using Random.org and winner’s name will be announced Monday morning. Good luck everyone!!!

I just want to take a moment to thank Twinsie Talk Book Reviews for hosting a wonderful blog tour and allowing my blog to take part in the fun. I also want to thank TJ Rowser for hanging out at Ariesgrl Book Reviews today and offering such a fantastic giveaway!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!
Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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Catching Up

Hi Everyone,

My dog went back to the Vet’s today for a follow up and received a great report! Thank goodness. He is healing nicely and can stop taking the antibiotics.

Also, the new power cord to the Nook arrived this evening. Now my Nook is charging, so I should be able to use it again by tomorrow!

All of this means that life will hopefully be getting back to routine. There will be several reviews posted next week.

I hope you all are having a fabulous Friday!

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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eMag and World Book Night!!!

Hi Everyone,

Yesterday I submitted my first review to the eMagazine. I can’t share it with you all just yet, but I will as soon as I can. This should be a few days after the issue is released, but I will keep you all updated on my progress. This week I will be reading the second book and working on the review for that one.

This week, I am also reading a book for My Sister’s Books and the next book on The List. Plus, I will be adding reviews to Amazon, now that I am able to do so!

Not much reading will take place today, though I am currently working on last minute preparations for World Book Night! That’s right it is tonight!!! So be on the lookout in your towns, because there are thousands of givers this year! (I will be in Pawleys, handing out Rick Riordan books.)

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Enjoy!
~Ariesgrl

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