An eternity ago I preordered Seth Godin’s Linchpin and at the same time donated to the Acumen Fund. I received my advance copy of Linchpin as did several of you. Well, I patted myself on the back, am enjoying the book and put that event behind me.

I shouldn’t have.

Surprise, I received a surprise extra copy of Linchpin with a letter from Seth. It reads:

Generosity is a key piece of being an artist. It gives each of us a chance to connect, to make a difference, and to do indispensable work.

You were generous enough to make a donation to Acumen Fund, an organization that focuses on trade, not aid, building communities that work because each member contributes more than they get.

A few weeks ago I sent you a preview copy of Linchpin, as promised. Now, in recognition of your generosity, I’m giving you another. I hope you’ll share this one with someone you care about.

Thanks for the art you bring to your work every day.

Seth

Seth, you’re still a hero. You create; you think; you share.

Seth says share so I’m sharing.

The question for me wasn’t whether to share or not, but how to share it.  So I asked my Twitter buds.

They gave me the answer, MuseCrossing aka Christine Lacombe. Christine is one of my earliest connections on Twitter. Cheering me on, keeping an eye and ear out for me, sharing her joys, including me on her struggles, Christine is a friend.

Borders don’t exist online except in our minds. People like her, Glenda Watson, Liz Strauss, and more, they don’t see us versus them. They pour their energy out to those around them without regard to profit or cost.

Thank you Christine. You are a Linchpin!

——————-

Christine is MuseCrossing on Twitter. She has a personal blog. Be warned; you will feel something when you visit.

——————-

You can buy Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?.

Edward Jones Dome Inside by Tojosan, on Flickr

No escaping Superbowl Sunday.  This year it’s the Saints versus the Colts.  Not being a football expert, let alone Superbowl, I don’t have anything to write about.  I do have questions though.

Who is your favorite player on the rosters today?

What are you serving for Superbowl chow?

Which team are you rooting for?

Answer any of those questions or just leave your Superbowl rant below in the comments and you’ll be in the running for this.

This book claims to be the Ultimate Superbowl Book.  The reviews are positive and it’s current.  I’m no sports fanatic though.  Alternately, if you’re the winner and not a sports fan either, I’ll provide a $15.00 Amazon gift certificate.

To sum up the contest:

1) Comment below about the Superbowl, using suggestions above or not – one entry

2) Tweet about this giveaway, and leave a link below to that tweet in the comments – one entry

3) Blog about this giveaway, leave a link below in the comments – one entry.

This contest closes at Midnight Central on February 7th. Winner must be in Continental US. Please state in your comment whether you’d rather have the book or the gift certificate. I need your EMAIL to contact you.

Winner will be chosen on Monday by using Random.org.

Get commenting and do your team proud. And don’t feel limited to the max of three entries.  Comment to your heart’s content!

Oh yeah, Go Saints!!!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Review: iPhone apps for the Super Bowl (macworld.com)

UPDATE: WINNER SELECTED. COMMENTS ARE CLOSED.

The holidays are here and with that is gift giving.  I’ll be receiving books of course, and buying some with gift cards. Overflowing shelves will be the result.

Planning is everything though. Giving away some of my completed novels seemed like a plan I could enjoy implementing.

The Giveaway

I’m giving away the set of the first eight books. These are slightly used but I’ve been the sole owner.

Required Entry

Tell me your favorite thing about the Sookie Stackhouse novels or about your favorite vampire series, in the comments below. Winner will be notified via email. Please make sure your email is accessible in your comment.

Extra Entrees

The following are all extra things you can do for more entries. Leave an additional comment for each thing you do to earn extra entries.

• Subscribe via email here to my feed and then leave a comment letting me know you have done so. If you are already a subscriber, let me know that in the comment instead.
• Blog about this giveaway and come back here leaving a comment with the link. This can be done once.
• Follow me on Twitter, @tojosan, and send a tweet about the giveaway. You can do this once per day. Leave a comment with a direct link to that tweet for an extra entry for each tweet. Here is a tweet you can use or make your own.

Win the first eight Sookie Stackhouse novels and sink your teeth into some vampire fun. http://wp.me/pfLxC-ph Pls RT.

Rules

Only one of each entry method listed per person/family/household. No entering on behalf of others, using extra identities or others identities, no automated program entries, etc. If I catch you cheating you will be banned from this and all of my future giveaways! This giveaway is only open to those in the USA, ages 18+ only. All entries must be received by 11:59 pm Central Time on Thursday, December 24th, 2009. I will pick the winner and email them and they have 48 hours to claim the prize. If no response, I will pick a new winner. Good luck!

About the Sookie Stackhouse Series

Charlaine Harris brought new life to the vampire mythos with her Sookie Stackhouse series. Sookie is a Southern girl with a handicap; she can read minds. It just gets more interesting from that premise, with Sookie meeting and falling in love with a vampire.

Charlaine entertains us with ever more complex plots. There’s goth of course, along with sex, humor, and fairy creatures of all types.

Buy the latest in the series, Dead and Gone (Sookie Stackhouse, Book 9).

* Contest format inspired by Robyn of Robyn’s Online World.

Darren Rowse, aka ProBlogger, is giving away books for a comment:

I’d like to do a bit of a giveaway today of a few of them and all you need to do is leave a comment saying which one you’d like.

This Wednesday I’ll randomly choose a winner for each book, contact you to get your mailing details and pop them in the mail for you (I’ll pay for the shipping).

Here are the 5 books:

1. Yes: 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive
2. Search Engine Optimization: Your Visual Blueprint for effective Internet Marketing
3. Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success
4. Blog Blazers: 40 Top Bloggers Share their Secrets to Creating a High-Profile High-Traffic and High Profit Blog
5. Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What it’s Becoming and Why it Matters

Oh and for a little extra I’ll throw in a copy of ProBlogger the Book as a 6th Alternative.

That’s right. You comment, you have a chance at one of those six great books. I chose #2 on SEO. It’s definitely an area I can improve my skills in.

Which book will you choose?

Odd Thomas is the main character in a series of books by Dean Koontz. He’s young, he’s a fry cook, and he’s got powers.

Odd is a young man that’s been gifted with prophetic dreams, the ability to see ghosts, and the heart of a paladin. This fourth book sees him taking real ownership of what his actions mean. He ponders if he’s crossing a line as he steps into situations of violence and death.

In this latest book in the series, Odd Hours, we find Odd in a small sea side town, playing cook and attendant to Hutch, an aging actor. Odd has come to the town because of a vivid dream of catastrophe. Unfortunately he’s gotten no clues so far in his month long stay save one, the mysterious girl on the boardwalk.

The book moves a bit slow at first but quickly becomes a page turner. Honestly I finished this is one afternoon. Pacing is good considering the story takes place over basically two days. It helps that there are chases, gunfights, and plenty of unique characters for us to enjoy.

An interesting aspect of this book is the unusual people Odd encounters. The woman with the twinge, the young pregnant lady with the zen type conversations, and the Happy Monster. I read into this story that being such a potential catastrophe that a convergence happened of others with gifts and insights.

Odd Hours is the best of he sequels to date. Action, mystery, wisdom, gun play, sadness, and sainthood, this book has it all.

Bonus in this book, and really in the series, is a lack of swearing, death isn’t overly gory, and people worry about doing the right thing.

Anxiously awaiting the next in the series.

(oh yeah, Mystery Train)

Chris Snow may have a genetic disorder and a deadly one at that, but nothing keeps him from being the master of Moonlight Bay at night. Fear Nothing is the story of Chris Snow, his dog, Orson, and their friends as two dramatic days pass in Moonlight Bay.

The story begins with the death of Chris’s father at the local hospital. Chris soon discovers bodies going unexpected places ad well as an unexpected extra body. Of course he takes off on adventure into the night to uncover this mystery.

In spite of being a story that takes place over two days, it doesn’t move very fast. Oh, there is action, including chases, gun fights, and a few deaths, there is a much more in the way of inner conversation. The narrative takes place mainly inside Chris’s head. We see all other characters’ actions through his eyes.

The actions taken by Chris in this story are definitely unbelievable. He may have a genetic issue, but he’s managed to become a successful author, an accomplished surfer, and find a hot lady for a girlfriend. We find he also has an affinity for animals. All of those take him from one act in this novel to the next with him surviving relatively unscathed.

It turns out Chris is not just a bystander either. He’s central in several ways to the plot of the story, not just as the random guy caught up, though until later in the book he doesn’t get that. It seems his friends don’t get it either until the end.

In my opinion, not one of Dean Koontz’s best novels, but still not a bad read. The narrative is slow, and some of the characterization, though wordy, is shallow. The characters leave possibilities open but the way the book ends you’d think things wouldn’t end up well for Chris or his friends.

If you’re a die hard Koontz fan, pick this up. If not, skip this one.

One reviewer is right, this is a single idea book. It fleshes out the idea of what sways our decisions, specifically how we are swayed to make irrational decisions.

The authors define irrational as being out of line with well reasoned and logical choices. These are those cases where the pilot takes off without clearance, the woman is tempted to go around a car stopped at a light into oncoming traffic and more.

Explored are a handful of factors that do the swaying. The book doesn’t just list them though, nor are they even in bullet points of any sort. It’s a rather meandering course as we are taken from example to example and back again. It’s as if the authors felt the need to weave a tapestry of thoughts and experiences, perhaps to make the text more fluid. I found it distracting.

In spite of enjoying the book overall, and honestly, having my eyes opened, this could have been a shorter work The references could have been more on point. The sections in each chapter should have been more clearly defined.

If you enjoyed Blink, and books like it, then you’ll enjoy this as well. I recommend the paperback.
It’s also generally an easy read; you won’t need a dictionary to get through this.

Buy Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior.

So you I like to read. Seems like that’d be a fairly solitary hobby doesn’t it. At one time it was the most solitary pursuit. Oh, there are reading circles and such, but those are hard to keep up with and find one to fit your comfort zone. There are fan forums, but often those don’t have your friends and folks you actually know in person. Just as much you won’t see much of the author there.

Goodreads comes to the rescue. Goodreads is more than just a place to chalk up all of the books you’ve read. It’s a place to share, be shared with, and to find out what your friends are reading and recommending.

Lots of web sites have forums, and Goodreads doesn’t lack for those. The folks there brought us more than that though. Goodreads provides Groups. Groups act as more than chat rooms or a place to post your latest review. A group provides for sharing a bookshelf, planning events, and even taking polls. Of course, there is good old discussions as well.

Managing your books is another place where Goodreads does a great job. The basic categories are read, to be read, and reading. Pretty straight forward. Beyond that however, each user can create customized groupings of their own. These groupings are known as shelves. Books are easily swapped between groups at several of the screens, on the book, on the shelf or on any page where the books are listed.

Reviews are another plus here. Not only can you post your own reviews, but those are available for others interested in that book. Likewise you’ll have other readers’ reviews there for your own benefit. On the reviews page, you can let the reviewer know the post was helpful, and beyond that, provided feedback to them personally. It’s also a great way to find folks with similar interests.

Finally, the big feature for me among several other great ones is seeing what your friends are reading. Yes, your real friends. Get them to sign up and there you are.

You can leave messages about the books a friend is reading, follow the discussion about a specific book, and even tell a story about your friend for others to read.

Friends can recommend books to each other, mark a book as recommended by, or mark one you’ve read as a good recommendation to someone else.

All in all there are lots of ways to interact and share. Added benefits include real authors being members, printable lists, and Amazon searching. I’ve yet to not be able to find a book I’d like to include.

If you love to read, check out Goodreads.