Non-Stop Reads: 08/12/13

Monday, August 12, 2013

Angelina Rose – Those Review Blues …

Those Review Blues …

by Angelina Rose

According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia… “a book review is a form of literary criticism in which a book is analyzed on content, style, and merit…”

For many authors, reviews are the most terrifying part of releasing their book out into the big wide world. Once the send button on a submission to a publisher or agent is hit, their book is out there, finding its way to one and all (we hope).

Reviews are important enough for some people to earn a living from… they’re a necessary part of publishing a book. Nowadays though, through the use of the internet, anyone of any age and, maybe it can also be said, with any axe to grind, can write a review on your book.

One important aspect to always remember is that each and every review is one person’s opinion only. And this opinion is certainly going to be colored by both their conscious and unconscious biases. It is also going to reflect their beliefs and values… none of us can escape our interpretation and view of life.

Statistics also reveal, there will always be a group of people who will not like, even hate your book. Let’s hope that is a small number… but they will always be there.

What do I think makes a good review?

Not all reviews are equal…

There are those containing a handful of words that tell you nothing. They just say the book was a good read or maybe a waste of time: they don’t tell you why.
When a reader, or I should say a reviewer, makes their personal biaz clear when giving a review, I take what they say seriously. At least they are honest enough to admit to what colors their viewpoint.
A review sounding like a book description only shows the reviewer read the book and which part of the story they enjoyed.
Some quality reviews are not positive reviews. These are the ones that I really give my attention to (once I get over the ego hit). They give a different view of my work and I chose to learn from these critiques.

If a reviewer can put into words what it was about your book that grabbed their imagination, or maybe didn’t grab their imagination, this then gives readers the ability to decide for themselves.

Getting over a negative review.

I actually read we need three positive reviews to negate the effect on us of one negative review. Apparently our brain is programmed to react much more strongly to negative stimuli than positive ones.

In other words, before reading your reviews, make sure you have some of your favorite chocolate on hand to help you celebrate a great review, or pick you up after a negative one.

Whether we like it or not, it’s a fact your book will receive some negative reviews, but its worth remembering a review is the opinion of only one person in the whole wide-world…

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre - Romance Contemporary

Rating – PG

More details about the author & the book

Connect with Angelina Rose on Facebook & Twitter

Blog http://angelinaroseromance.com/

The Critical Flaw by Alan P. Chan, Pharm. D

Chapter 1 – Money’s Fractured Foundations

Reserve Banking and Interest Creation During Money Generation

"At the end, fiat money returns to its inner value - zero."

- Voltaire, French writer

Most of us have used money all of our lives, but have rarely stopped to think about what money really is. Because economic theory is sometimes difficult to understand, many people do not take the time to find out more about our currency and the best ways to earn it, keep it, and grow it. Whether your economics-phobia came from a bad teacher in elementary school, a boring college class, or a disdain of the wonky terms and learning curve when you're an economic padawan, chances are that if you're living and working in our complex society today, you already have all of the skills and abilities needed. The first step is to understand what money is and how it is used by banks and corporations: "A History of Economics and Investing" short course is in order.

What is money? Money is created when a loan is obtained, and it should be extinguished when the loan is repaid. Banks issue only a fraction of their deposits, but cumulative lending and borrowing create an illusion of more money being available than there actually is. Furthermore, the interest charged on loans ensures that the money supply has to expand continuously if all loans are to be repaid with interest.

With expansion of money or growth of the economy, prices rise as the increased supply of money erodes its purchasing power. As this cycle continues, the percentage of interest-to-inflation increases at the cost of real increase in production and productivity. This makes defaults and economic slowdowns inevitable.

The American foreclosure crisis shifted the control of collateral to banks. This system of money generation ensures a steady shift in wealth from the productive sector to the financial sector. Concentration of wealth and power in the hands of those who create and lend money – the banks and the government – causes the economy, society, and the civilization to decline.

History shows us that in the long run, when greed consumes everything, everybody loses. Most forecasters agree that what is needed to avoid an across-the-board loss is the responsible and shared use of resources, elimination of the concept of interest, and stabilization of the unit that is used to measure the value of goods and services.

The rate of this paradigm shift has increased dramatically with the recent creation of central banks and the government's fiscal intervention. In the meantime, the only safe and profitable investment to this shift has been gold and silver. They have risen in value as accounts based on the dollar have continued to fall.

A Quick Introduction to Monetary Systems

A monetary system is a system in which a government issues currency that is accepted as a medium of exchange in a particular country-economy or in the whole world, and creates mechanisms employed by a government or a group of governments to control and manage it. It typically consists of a central bank at the apex. Mints and other commercial banks are the other pieces in this apparatus.

The international monetary system is the institutional mechanism that determines the exchange rate among different currencies, facilitates international payments, and accommodates the movement of capital across international borders. This system developed with globalization – the increasing connectivity between different regions of the world wherein events in one part of the world produce consequences elsewhere.

Traditionally, coins made from precious metals such as gold and silver were widely used. These coins have a value of their own and continue to possess this value, even if they are not currently used for common purchases. Because gold and silver coins are quite difficult to carry, their use made buying and selling a difficult process.

Out of this difficulty emerged paper currency. The notes and coins do not have a value of their own, but are, nevertheless, used because they are easy to carry around – making buying and selling easier – and, most importantly, because they are a mutually acceptable medium of exchange.

Differences between Money, Currency, and Wealth

Money, currency, and wealth all seem the same to the casual observer and hobby economist. There are, however, subtle differences in these concepts, as well as the terms of the economy, economics, and finance. While some of these terms are very different, all are inherently connected.

An economy refers to all of the institutional mechanisms directly and indirectly related to production, distribution, exchange, and consumption of goods and services. Economics is the study of these institutional mechanisms. Finance involves all of the transactions that are conducted for obtaining and repaying loans.

Wealth is anything generally considered valuable in an economic system. Fundamentally and historically, it can be created only through the processing of natural resources by human labor. Wealth can be traded through purchases or sales with barter, the exchange of currency, and through the creation of money.

Currency is the concentrated form of wealth used for trading. We understand currency in the form of coins and paper notes, such as the American dollar, the euro, and pound sterling.