Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Book Review: Out of the Classroom Lessons in Success; How to Prosper Without Being at the Top of the Class



Out of the Classroom Lessons in Success

by Cynthia Kocialski
Release date: 12th January, 2012
Publisher: CreateSpace
Pages: 112 (paperback copy sent for the blog-tour in exchange for an honest review)

Summary from Goodreads:

In our grade-focused school years, the rules of success seemed as simple as making straight As. However, in the working world, success is often far more complex, and formal education is only the baseline to ensuring career advancement in a highly competitive world, where prospective employees are up against international candidates who have been long schooled in skills. Now, a self-professed over-achiever shares how her professional triumphs wildly strayed from the honor roll tactics in an eye-opening, easy-to-read compilation of truisms from the trenches of real life.

Out of the Classroom Lessons in Success: How to Prosper Without Being at the Top of the Class offers hard-won wisdom on achieving professional glory that will serve as an invaluable resource to anyone who is contemplating a career, or for parents who want to help their children lay the groundwork for success in the work place. Inspired by the experience of her daughters, Kocialski realized that many young adults graduate and are completely unaware of a new playing field that is not always predicated by superior grades or talents.

In eighteen concise chapters, the author draws from her professional achievements and challenges to debunk common myths that can lead astray aspiring professionals in the early years of forging a career. This slim, indispensable book serves up the “aha!” moments that will assist young hopefuls and parents in navigating the path to success. Does practice really make perfect? Do good things come to those who wait? From teamwork to tooting your own horn, this matter-of-fact guide to greatness underscores that happily, successfully ever after does not just happen; it’s the result of planning, promoting, taking action, and going for it. Inspiring and uplifting, this simply brilliant take on creating a career will help anyone realize their goals, anyone avoid common pitfalls, and lay the groundwork through the secondary talents, skills, and mindset necessary for optimal success.

Book Review: My Soul to Save



My Soul to Save

by Rachel Vincent
Series: Soul Screamers #2
Release date: 29th December, 2009
Publisher: HarlequinTeen
Pages: 279 (paperback copy bought by me)

Summary from Goodreads:

When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies.

So when teen pop star Eden croaks onstage and Kaylee doesn’t wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can’t cry for someone who has no soul.

The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad’s ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend’s loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls: a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can’t possibly understand.

Kaylee can’t let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk...

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Interview: Cynthia Kocialski, author of Out of the Classroom Lessons in Success

As part of her blog tour I can honestly say I'm happy and proud to introduce you all to Cynthia Kocialski!
Please, help me welcome her and her instructive, interesting and bright book Out of the Classroom Lessons in Success: How to Prosper Without Being at the Top of the Class!



Interview with Cynthia Kocialski

Alaiel: First of all, thanks for the interview Cynthia and welcome to Librarian Mouse!

Questions about yourself.-

Alaiel: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Cynthia: I was raised in upstate New York, where it was way too cold for me. I got my undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester and graduate degrees from the University of Virginia. My career has taken me to New York City, Washington, D.C., Miami, and San Francisco. I have spent my career working in technology companies. About 15 years ago, I began working with start-up companies. I’ve founded three companies and I have worked with numerous other start-up companies. I love start-ups and all the wonderful gizmos and gadgets they make, and just the atmosphere of start-ups. I live in California with my husband and two young daughters.

Alaiel: What is your favorite book? Why?
Cynthia: That’s a hard one to answer. I have always been an avid reader. As a child, I read tons of fiction and I remember my favorite books by Dr. Seuss, Nancy Drew, Agatha Christie, J.R.R.Tolkien, James Michener, Herman Wouk, Richard Adams and Mary Stewart. I also recall those I really disliked too. As a middle schooler, I thought Milton’s Paradise Lost, Hemingway’s A Farewell To Arms, and Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago were painful to read. My older brother convinced my parents that if they wanted me to get into a top university, I had to start reading more serious books. I actually hid Farewell To Arms in our attic so I won’t have to finish the book.
As an adult, I read mostly non-fiction except when I’m on holiday. I really enjoyed Margaret Thatcher’s The Path to Power, Alan Greenspan’s The Age of Turbulence, Jack Perkowski’s Managing the Dragon, Tarun Khanna’s Billions of Entrepreneurs, and Pietra Rivoli’s The Travels of a T-Shirt in a Global Economy.

Alaiel: Where is your favorite place to write?
Cynthia: My favorite place to write is in my home at the dining room table between 3 am and 6 am in the morning. It may sound odd, but I do my best thinking in the very early hours of the morning. I’m refreshed and my kids are quietly sound asleep.

Alaiel: Is there some kind of ritual that you need to do to write? Like listening a special playlist or have your favorite drink with you.
Cynthia: I write non-fiction, mostly about business topics. One way I get the thought flowing is to listen to others people podcasts on the subjects I write about. I find it gets my thoughts moving along. Plus, I can sometimes combine the listening in the podcasts with my morning exercise. The only problem is I have to keep stopping along my route to use the voice recorder to remember my thoughts.