Like many bloggers, I’m a regular reader of Darren Rowse’s ProBlogger and have had an eye on his book, 31 Days to Build a Better Blog for a while. I initially didn’t buy it because I’m stingy and in true Gen Y fashion, figured I could find all the information I needed for free.

Convenience is very much underrated though, especially for people lacking in the finances department. So while 31 Days can most likely be found in various forms on the ProBlogger website, it was absolutely worth the $20 I shelled out to have it as a concrete guide.

Blogging Is Overwhelming

Almost every single one of my closest friends now has a blog and I’m always like, “Ah! You should include YouTube videos!” and “Why aren’t you on Twitter?” and “Start linking between posts more!” Not a-one has actually included any of my tips and I think they’d really like me to shut the hell up. The thing is, there are so many blogging rules now that it’s taken me a year to get them all straight and incorporate everything into a daily and automated machine. While I love the catchy title of this book, 31 days can build you a better blog, but I think it takes up to a year to build a really great one.

That said, those steps you take during that year? All in this book. It’s THAT good. And… here’s the kicker: Some of this stuff I didn’t already know.

Gasp! Oh my! Yeah, I know.

In all seriousness, I’d like to think I’m relatively blog competent, so learning something new was a really great surprise. To give you a taste of some of the things I learned:

1. Build a Sneeze Page. This is basically a page built around a specific theme. For example, I could create a separate page just on Twitter advice. ProBlogger has one on making money. Apparently it’s supposed to get people to keep reading your content, even if it’s not recent.

2. Come Up With 10 Post Ideas. This one seems generic, but Rowse is a God among men. He shows you how to make a kick ass brainstorming chart where you come up with one post idea, and expand on it. For example: The first idea is “Why you SHOULD Use AdSense on your Blog”. Then Rowse takes it ten steps farther by coming up with ideas off that idea:

• Why You SHOULDN’T Use AdSense on Your Blog
• Write a case study on a blogger who’s successfully using AdSense
• Collect links from around the web on how to improve AdSense earnings
• Interview someone on AdSense

Pretty brilliant, right?

3. Write an Opinion Post. I see a lot of bloggers not doing this and it’s actually a really great way to jump start your community. The first opinion post I did got me a whole 6 comments. This was maybe a month after I started my blog and while most of the comments weren’t nice, it was a rush to get people arguing on my site. If you’re a blogger and wonder why no one’s commenting, get your opinions out there!

Pros & Cons

My one complaint with 31 DBBB is that the book links to various ProBlogger posts, and I feel like that’s a bit of a cop-out. Still, that’s really my only complaint. Like I explained above, it’s the convenience of this book that makes it worth the money. Going through the chapters and implementing some of their tactics has been extremely helpful in the week I’ve had it.

Any blogger who’s even remotely serious about having a great blog should spend their time reading these tips and putting them to good use. I can’t disagree with anything this book says and highly HIGHLY recommend it. Click here to buy.

UPDATE: Ugh, I am so annoyed. The ProBlogger site ran a challenge back in 2007, that’s laid out just like the book. Some of tips are different, but the idea is the same. Click here to see all 31 blog challenges. Buy the book for the updated 2009 version, but keep in mind the layout is basically available for free on the site. I’m feeling kind of ripped off…

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There’s this bookshelf in my room (left) that looks like a tornado hit it. This doesn’t include the piles of books next to my bed (I have two bedside tables), in my closet, or on my desk. I’ve been a huge reader all my life and take pride in my book collection. Unfortunately, every few years I need to do a mass donate to Goodwill because I would literally be drowning in books otherwise. Add to that the fact that I work with authors, agents and publishers, and this year has been insane in terms of book accumulation.

I’m moving soon though, and can’t take all these wonderful books with me. I’d leave them here, but who knows the next time I’ll be in the States. Some of these books I’ll never be able to part with, but some of them have been read, enjoyed, and are now just taking up space on my shelves.

So I figured I’d do a huge giveaway! There are some amazing books in my possession, and what better way to spread the love than to hold a contest? For now I’m only including the books that I think you lovely readers would like. You know, cuz I always have your best interests at heart.

The Rules

There really aren’t a hell of a lot. Below I’m posting a list of the books, so just leave a comment with the book of your choice. I can’t guess how many entries I’ll get, but if you want an extra chance at winning just retweet this post. For example, The incredibly beautiful & generous @marianschembari is doing a massive book giveaway on her blog. Click to enter: http://bit.ly/9Ebz6o (Or something along those lines.)

The Books

Social Media 101 by Chris Brogan. I reviewed this book back in March and really loved it. It’s a great resource to go back to again and again if you use social media. If you read Brogan’s blog, you’ll most likely love this book.

Flawless by Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell. The subtitle for this book is “Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History.” No joke, it’s awesome. Here’s the book trailer:

Free Agent Nation by Daniel Pink. This book is one of the reasons I struck out on my own as a freelancer. A friend recommended it to me when I was struggling with the whole “9-to-5-vs-freedom” thing and I love Pink’s thoughts on all of us as free agents.

Cleaving by Julie Powell. Unfortunately, this book is no Julie & Julia, but it’s cooking themed and I love me some food memoirs. Granted, I’m a hardcore vegetarian, but it was still interesting to read about the meat industry from a butcher’s perspective. Something I never would have learned otherwise!

The Shallows by Nicholas Carr. A really wonderful book that was sent to me after I wrote about my internet stress. Written by the man who wrote the Atlantic cover story, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?“, Shallows is required reading for anyone who works on the internet all day.

American Subversive by David Goodwillie. This book is a freaking rush. A novel the Associated Press called “a triumphant work of fiction”, American Subversive is actually impossible to put down. The very relevant love story between a gossip blogger and a terrorist. I’ll let the book trailer speak for itself:

That’s it for now! So, leave a comment below with the book of your choice. Tweet the contest to receive a second entry, but do so before Friday July 2 when the contest ends. And (don’t feel obligated to do this, but…) if you are so inclined to donate to the “Help Marian Mail 5 Hardcover Books to Loyal Readers Fund”, you can do so here:

UPDATED: AND THE WINNERS ARE….

The Shallows – JobJenny

Free Agent Nation – Jessica Lawlor

Cleaving – Susan Johnson

American Subversive – Baileythebookworm

Social Media 101 – Cassie Wallace

Flawless – Carin Siegfried

Thanks everyone for entering!!!

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Because I’m a huge dork, my dad saw this book lying around at work and thought I’d love it. The dork part comes in when I squealed in delight while proceeding to ditch my parents so I could read Chris Brogan’s latest book. Le sigh. How I love me some social media business-y literature!

Despite the fact that I read Brogan’s blog regularly and feel like I’m more at the 201 level, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. C-Broges is accessible, easy-to-read and has lots to say. However, since I usually write the intro to my posts last (it’s a quirky thing, don’t ask), I’ve actually listed as many cons as pros. Ignore that. The book really is excellent, but does seem a little haphazard. I haven’t (yet) read Trust Agents, co-written with Julien Smith, so I don’t know if this is Brogan’s usual style. Regardless, here’s my brief little review of Social Media 101 (damn, I need to set up some affiliate links).

Pros:

When it comes to social media, Chris Brogan reigns supreme. Seriously. As I know I’ve mentioned several times, I’m a little bit in love with him. Basically meaning the information he’s got going on is fabulous. It’s chock full of helpful information and anyone who loves his blog should read this book.

While not technically part of the book itself, Brogan has set up a post on his blog where readers can comment and provide feedback (to which Chris pretty much always responds) on the book. He writes:

If you’re here, it means you’re part of the conversation. If you’ve yet to pick up Social Media 101, it’s more like a reference book for the revolution than it is a breakthrough. I’m proud of the book. It’s comprised of some of the best of my writing from this site. I’d love for you to be part of it.

And he should be proud; if anything, the man seriously practices what he preaches.

Cons:

Navigation. Brogan says this book can be used as more of a resource guide than something you read cover to cover, but all 87 chapters come right after the other after the other. For someone who is all about ease and organization, the book could be better broken down.

This is kind of silly, but the footnotes drove me batshit crazy. I realize this book is really just an updated version of Brogan’s best blog posts, but because it’s a print book you can’t link. Meaning every single page is filled with footnotes that are really just links. My thoughts: if someone buys a book on social media, they usually know enough to understand how Google works. If they want to use a site or read a post listed in this book, just Google that shit, man. Otherwise, use endnotes. Footnotes are distracting.

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I’m finding I really love to read business and social media books, so if you guys have any recommendations, send them my way!

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Crush It!: Why Now Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion by Gary Vaynerchuk

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book made me VERY happy. Gary’s “stop whining and just do it” approach is a breath of fresh air and gives some great tips regarding social media and personal branding. I consider myself pretty well informed, but he gave suggestions I’d never thought of and some excellent short cuts.

This is not a “do what you love and everything will fall into place” kind of book. He doesn’t b.s. and doesn’t hide that making money doing what you love actually takes a ton of work. But his obvious passion for not only his job, but connecting with people, makes this book worth its weight. It’s a short, easy read, but full of information and practical advice, meaning I a) stayed up all night to finish it and b) reread the entire thing the next day.

My one problem is that his email address is EVERYWHERE. Which at first I thought was awesome, thinking he obviously practices what he preaches and wants to connect with his readers. I emailed about a week ago, but no response. It’s not the lack of response that bugged me – the man is a moderate celebrity and he has tons of followers, meaning no time to personally respond to every person who shoots him an email. The thing that bugged me is that he practically ASKED us to email. Either way, this is the book’s only flaw. The man is pretty much a genius, has a ton of energy, which I love, and is so positive it’s infectious. No matter what you love or what you do (hopefully they’re the same thing), definitely buy (don’t borrow, you’ll want to highlight) this book for a fantastic and useful read.

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Last night I attended the Women’s National Book Association event to kick off National Reading Group Month. At three hours long, I was more than a little hesitant, but after listening to five BRILLIANT women talk about their books, well, I’m glad I went. So just a brief post to promote what looks like a fabulous group of books:

Eva Hoffman: Appassionata – American pianist becomes involved with a Chechen radical leader. I loved listening to Hoffman read excerpts out loud, what a beautiful speaking voice! Sigh. I want an accent.

Christina Baker Kline: Bird in Hand – A four-perspective novel set in the suburbs about a mother who accidentally kills a young boy and the series of events that result from this one incident. This is Kline’s fourth novel, which is apparently very different from the others (and got great reviews).

C.M. Mayo: The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire – A little known (true) story about… Wait for it… The last prince of the Mexican Empire, the young Austrian Maximilian von Hapsburg. A lovely and very funny woman who’s knowledge on the subject is baffling. Took her ten years to research!

Julie Metz: Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal – I want to be this woman’s publicist. Metz is about to become incredibly famous once her appearance on Oprah airs, so I’m counting my blessings that I got to see her before the hype. A memoir about her husband’s shocking death and the subsequent discoveries of his mistresses. Her reading of the first chapter gave me chills.

Roxana Robinson: Cost – On the complicated relationships we have with our parents, with what seems like a lot of layers. Alzheimer’s, neurosurgery and addiction, all of which were meticulously researched. One of my favorite parts of the night was hearing about Robinsons discovery that her character was a heroin addict. Just goes to show how real some characters are – that often the authors themselves cannot control them.

I’m ashamed to admit, but  besides my parents, I’ve never heard an author speak about their work before. Was amazing to hear about the process and gave me a new found perspective on the difficulties (mainly emotional) that ensue. Basically, I could never write a novel.

Now of course I have to add these all to to my ever growing stack of books to read. Does anyone in publishing not have the same stack? I think not.

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Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I don’t think it’s possible for me to say enough good things about this book.  The Hunger Games was fantastic, and Catching Fire not only met its predecessor but surpassed it. Usually rare in sequels, but Collins is a genius! I just saw her interviewed where she says her idea for the trilogy came from channel surfing between reality TV and footage of Iraq. Catching Fire is exactly that.

I couldn’t put it down and stayed up until 3am last night finishing it up. It’s that entertaining/disturbing/beautiful/engrossing. My favorite thing about this book is that it’s scary without being unrealistic. Too many times authors have these fantastic “bad guys” that are super-bad but just too extreme to be  truly taken seriously. Colllins’ Capitol is one of the few really terrifying things I’ve read… ever. And it’s not ridiculous, it’s horrifyingly relevant.

Like I said, I have no complaints about this book. At one point (wont give spoilers) I thought the author was going in a direction that would have been redundant, but NO! Seriously, this woman is a genius. Where does she come up with this stuff?

Now, I’m not entirely sure it’s YA material. Think Harry Potter – some dark stuff, but certain themes you only catch with age. Anyway, this book is the perfect balance of social commentary and romance and adventure. READ. IT.

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The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder: A Novel by Rebecca Wells

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
There’s something about Rebecca Wells that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Her writing, her story… it’s like they’re from a different time but relevant all at once. I can’t say enough good things about Wells’ writing.
Crowning Glory is no Ya-Ya, but the Southern charm and sisterhoods are still there.The characters are fantastic – Calla is hit or miss unfortunately, but her young love Tuck is a riot, her hairdresser friends are quirky and fun, and childhood friend Sukie is deep and endearing and obnoxious (but in a good way). I especially loved the story of her falling in love with her gay hairdressing teacher. Classic.
The story, on the other hand, had only its moments. Calla’s childhood is filled with wonder and I couldn’t read it fast enough. But the Moon Lady spiritual stuff was pretty twee and didn’t add anything to the story, which was a shame, because I think it could have. The ending was also incredibly rushed and I feel like I missed out on something and had to re-read. But no, Wells just kind of tied up loose ends without really giving us anything to sink our teeth in to.
So all in all, definitely read this book. It’s moving and whimsical and Wells’ writing style never fails. Maybe some better editing or a little more attention on Wells’ part could have made this book worthy of the full five stars.

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The Impostor’s Daughter: A True Memoir by Laurie Sandell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Despite my 3-star review, I really liked The Impostor’s Daughter. It was both entertaining and a quick read. But it didn’t stick with me the way the best books should. Sandell’s story is interesting, but she skimmed over aspects of her life I would have loved to hear more about. Whether she was uncomfortable divulging (which I actually highly doubt given a lot of the content) or limited by the “graphic novel” status, it felt a little incomplete.
Though, as both a character in the book and the author, I liked Laurie Sandell quite a bit. She’s charming, has an interesting story and is completely, and often heartbreakingly, honest. But everyone else in the book? Eh. First of all, she spent a lot of time on the on-again/off-again boyfriend “Ben”. He was boring and offered little to her overall story. Her family annoyed me, and I can’t figure out whether that was her intention or not. Her father is obviously a complete nut job and I had a hard time understanding her fascination with him. Instead of a conman he really is just a crazy person – significantly less interesting if you ask me.
Nevertheless, I do recommend this book based on its ability to suck you in and its entertainment value. Though great literature it is not and the little momentum it’s picked up since publication will most likely fizzle and die sooner rather than later.

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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What a wonderful, thought-provoking, intense, beautiful (and every other cliche you can imagine) book. I was skeptical at first – seemed a little too depressing and futuristic for me. But this is no typical YA novel. I recommend EVERYONE read this book, and it’s appropriate for all ages (depending on what you take from it). I haven’t loved a book this much in a very, very long time.
The majority of the book centers around the Games, where basically kids up to the age of 18 have to kill each other off (to give a very brief synopsis). And our main character, Katniss, fills the books with complex and completely realistic responses to the situation she is forced into. Some of the things in this book are pretty horrifying to say the least, but not in a too depressing kind of way. Katniss is sympathetic without being a damsel in distress, confident and brave and a survivor, yet remains easy to relate to. PLEASE read this book, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t.

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Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World by Rita Golden Gelman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Please, will more people read this book?! My aunt gave me Tales of a Female Nomad after my high school graduation, with a deep and meaningful inscription on the inside about life and travel and adventure. Written in a very not-corny fashion, I can assure you. I have since read this book over and over and over.

Rita is a wonderful storyteller and the adventurer we all wish we could be. When I was 18 I even wrote her a fan letter, and I never do that. That is how much I loved this book.

I must point out what a few other reviewers have already done: it is ALL about Rita. She likes to talk about how she just observes and doesn’t judge the people she lives with. Which is fantastic (especially because many times her “observees” frustrate me to no end). But, she points it out just so many times that it becomes more about patting herself on the back than truly showing her open mind. But what the hell is a memoir for if not to toot your own horn?

The woman really is amazingly tolerant, brave and a lot of fun to read. If you liked Eat, Pray, Love, you will no doubt adore this book.

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