Book Review - Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

This book was a gift from my niece. 

 It isn't the usual genre that I read, 

but I figured I'd give it a try. 

This is the first book I've read by 

Gillian Flynn and I've never seen the

movie Gone Girl.

Let me preface this review by saying this

was a graphic and disturbing book on 

so many levels.  At first it reminded me

of the type of writing you'd find in a V.C. Andrews

 book, but as the story progressed it took on a 

whole other level of wickedness and creepiness!!!

Camille Preaker is a reporter from Chicago

 who is sent back to her hometown of  

Wind Gap, MO to cover the story of a missing girl.

She is not looking forward to going back to the

town where she grew up and as the book progresses

you understand more and more why!

There's an abundance of hatefulness throughout this book.  
Definitely mental illness, self-harm, alcoholism, drug abuse and 
promiscuous behavior (and that's putting it lightly!!)

You learn about Camille and what her life was like in 

this small town growing up.  You can connect the dots

as to why she has such pain in her life due to
 the awful experiences she has gone through. 

So many characters in this book could use a 

good therapist and hospitalization.  

It's just one messed up person after another!

I don't want to give away spoilers, which is why I 

haven't gone into much detail about the plot, but

just know you will feel more and more uncomfortable

with what you're reading  chapter after chapter.

Surprisingly, this is a short book which packs a lot 

of story line into the pages.  If you enjoy dark

mysteries and psychological thrillers, you will 

most likely enjoy Sharp Objects.  If you're more

faint-hearted (like me) you will be disturbed by this book.

For some reason after I finished this book I thought

about 'how would this be turned into a movie?'

since I already knew Gone Girl was a movie.

Then I learned Sharp Objects was made into 

an HBO mini-series!  If you've seen the mini-series
leave me a comment to let me know how they 
incorporated this book onto the screen!
I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars only because the
author did weave a strange story that kept you guessing. 
I guess the psychological thriller genre just isn't my
cup of tea, so to speak.

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Posted at 7:36 PM  |  by Elle

Book Review: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

REVIEWERS NOTE:   

I have read books by Kristin Hannah before. My favorite being Firefly Lane.  I was not prepared for the domestic violence in this book.  I had to try my best to skip over those scenes in the book due to personal reasons.  I just kept envisioning my mother who lived through abuse in 1970 and luckily had the courage to find a way to leave and save me before I was born.  PTSD and war were not a part of my mother's situation, but mental illness and alcoholism was.  And as stated in the book, there wasn't any help or assistance for battered women in those days.  

The Great Alone follows the Allbright family from 1974 until 1986.  Ernt Allbright is a former POW and is a changed man from the Vietnam war.  His wife Cora 'stands by her man' no matter what.  Their daughter Lenora, whom they call Leni moves with her family like nomads because her father cannot hold down a job.   Ernt is notified that one of his friends that was killed in the war has left him his piece of land in Alaska.  The journey begins with him moving his family north.  They will live off the grid and start over.  They are unprepared for Alaska-living; the hard work it entails and the isolation.

Without giving too much of the story away, I must say that the writing in this book is extraordinary.  You feel like you are in Alaska...which is why I read this book in the winter.  I'm usually a beach-book reader, so this was an adjustment for me.  Kristin Hannah's writing is vivid, descriptive, picturesque and true to life.  The story flows genuinely and you definitely want to know the outcome of this family.  It surely is not a 'fluff' book.  

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Posted at 10:50 PM  |  by Elle

Book Review: #influencer by Brittany Hennessy

I borrowed this book from my public library because I was interested in learning about everything involved with being an 'influencer' on social media.  Contrary to popular belief, an #influencer is someone on social media that has a relatively large following.  10,000 to 24,999 followers is considered a micro-influencer.  25,000 to 49,999 followers is the collaboration stage when a person collaborates with other influencers.  50,000 to 100,000 followers is when an influencer starts to approach other brands that they can represent on their social media channels.

The author, Brittany Hennessey is the Senior Director of Influencer Strategy + Talent Partnerships at Hearst Magazines Digital Media.  As she puts it in the books, "it's her job to know the universe of influencers."  And yes, she does fully understand the influencer universe.

Before reading this book I had a basic understanding of what influencers do and my knowledge was mainly based off of what I have heard my 12 and 16 year old daughters talk about from their favorite YouTube & Instagram personalities.  There is definitely a broad range of influencers out there, but this book goes into the nitty-gritty of the steps and business knowledge needed to be successful as an influencer.

Most of the people who have followers in the thousands are eating, breathing & sleeping this business.  And the more popular they get, they are not doing it all on their own.  They have a team of people behind them.  From assistants, managers, publicists, attorneys, social media managers, photographers and agents....this is a team effort and serious business for serious income.

Throughout the book there are stories of highly successful influencers as well as many tags to check out on Instagram (the @name you find on the site.)  They highlight how they began, which platforms that focus on and what they wish they would've known when starting out.

Currently most influencers are women and because the author of this book has dealt with mostly women, this book is geared towards a female audience.

This book was a very quick read for me and I think it would be extremely eye-opening for the younger generation to read (middle to high schoolers) because I think that age group believes the life of these influencers is so glamorous, when in reality it's a lot more work than people let on.  Anyone aspiring to put in all the hours required to do this kind of work would greatly benefit from this book as well.

 

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Posted at 3:14 PM  |  by Lisa Epler, AVON AMB and Gold Amb. Leader / 10 Star Ambassador

Boss Up! : This Ain't Your Mama's Business Book

I received an Advanced Reader Copy of Lindsey Teague Moreno's book 

Boss Up! : This Ain’t Your Mama’s Business Book from NetGalley.

This book is meant for 'momtrepreneurs'' but can also be of assistance for anyone starting a small business.  Lindsey shares from her experiences in her current home-based business, as well as previous businesses.  She invites the reader to dig deep into what 'your thing' is and to start from there.  Most importantly she advises you to be your authentic self, which I am in total agreement with.  Who wants to see cookie-cutter when you're in business?  She shares her success philosophy, tips for social media marketing and other pertinent topics for anyone who's their own boss.

Lindsey's voice in this book is like she's talking to a girlfriend at a local coffee shop.  She is real, to the point and gives the information to you straightforward.  This book was a quick, enjoyable read and I highlighted many nuggets of wisdom throughout the book.  I wish I could share more about the book here, but since it hasn't been released yet I don't want to include any 'spoilers.'  

You won't be disappointed!!!

Pre-Order Your 

Copy Here!!!

ENJOY!!!

#BossUpBook

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Posted at 7:48 PM  |  by Lisa Epler, AVON AMB and Gold Amb. Leader / 10 Star Ambassador

Advanced Copy Book Review: The Oysterville Sewing Circle

I received an ARC from a Goodreads GiveAway for this book.  The book will be released 8/13/19, so this will not be a complete review, rather just a general feel for the book. Caroline Shelby has loved sewing since she was a little girl and becomes part of an elite New York design team as an adult. Because of certain circumstances, Caroline returns home to her West Coast hometown of Oysterville, Washington.  Throughout the book you'll learn about her childhood friends, family and the dreams she has and had for her life. You'll see how what you thought you wanted from your life can change and adapt to include your dream. You'll love Caroline for her integrity, character and courage. I was not expecting the underlying subject matter of domestic violence in this book, but it was weaved into the story line perfectly and realistically.  You'll notice on the cover of the book it says: We believe you.  We believe in you.  These few words are extremely important because so many are not speaking up for fear of others not believing the abuse that goes on behind closed doors.  Once you start reading this book you won't want to put it down!  Thank You Susan Wiggs & Goodreads!! Pre-Order Your Copy Here!

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Posted at 8:25 PM  |  by Elle

Book Review: The Four Year Career by Richard Bliss Brooke

3 out of 5 stars

This book was a 2017 Christmas gift from my Avon upline team leader.  This little book is a fast Read (65 pages with 24 pages of successfull direct marketers stories) and packed with a lot of information which would be greatly helpful to someone new to direct marketing, as well as a good review to someone who is not.

A lot of the points made and information given I have heard before.  Some of it was presented in a different way, which is always refreshing.  I found it quite funny that there were quite a few disclaimers reiterated every few pages throughout the book:

"Geometric progression of your sales team's growth is easy to show on paper as a hypothetical but takes leadership, motivation, and dedicated effort for years to accomplish.  Most people (an understatement) do not maintain their motivation to continue."

"These success stories are exceptional exceptions and are shared here to inspire you and show you people from different walks of life walks of life who have succeeded.  They are not what you should expect to accomplish.  They are 1 out of 10,000 or less.   And yet it is interesting to note where they came from and what they accomplished.  And maybe, just maybe, you could do the same."

I believe these quotes were repeated to make the reader aware that the likelihood of earning the kind of income represented in this book is not common and should not be expected.

The takeaway from this book is that most people who enter into a direct marketing company quit before their 'possible' big financial breakthrough happens.  It takes a high level of discipline, motivation and personally developing for the direct marketing entrepreneur to keep going.  There are no guarantees, just unknown possibilities.

Join my Avon Team here.

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Posted at 8:23 PM  |  by Lisa Epler, AVON AMB and Gold Amb. Leader / 10 Star Ambassador