Margaret Ntifo's Blog

Book Giveaway

Book lovers never go to bed alone.

I’ve blogged about my love for gardening. However, even before gardening, another great pastime of mine has always been reading. I have loved reading ever since I can remember. When I was in secondary school, I remember I used to read 5 novels every day! I am not kidding. I am ashamed to say (of course I wouldn’t want my children to imitate this rather bad example), but I used to hide a novel behind my textbooks and blatantly read throughout classes. Where the teacher was standing, which was often right in front of the class, he or she could only see the textbook which I held up on my desk, tilted at the right angle to hide my novel, and if ever any busybody teacher started walking down the class aisle I would slide the novel away. Clearly, an example of ‘the goat and his own tail’!

My love of reading has held me in good stead. Back then I used to read novels. Now, I cannot remember the last time I read a novel. Admittedly, I completely lost my zest for reading when I began having my children. Around 2001, I picked up reading again. This time I had absolutely no time for novels.

I started reading on different ‘life’ subjects that I was interesting in learning more about – pregnancy, bringing up kids, depression, marriage, divorce, domestic abuse, prayer, meditation and more importantly money, prosperity, investing, property and wealth-creation. I singlehandedly taught myself how to invest from reading. This was when I couldn’t afford the expensive weekend seminars.

In the past few years, I have been reading loads of memoirs, biographies and autobiographies of successful people and how they have done what it is that they have done. You name it, I have read it.

In a bid to share something that’s helped me so much recently, I would like to start a periodic book giveaway. The first book I am giving away is: Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love.”

 
I really enjoyed reading this book and thanks to my friend Ivy for directing me to it. Initially, I thought it was a novel so I was uninterested in ordering it. Plus, I read a few negative reviews on it, which did not inspire me. However, when I realized it was a memoir I rushed to get it much later after everyone except me had read it. I loved it. That book helped me in more ways than one and it also reads like a novel so don’t be put off. Anyway I think it’s a fantastic book and would like to give away a copy.

Following are my guidelines to win a copy:

1. Submit a comment on your favourite post anywhere on this blog including why you like that post in particular. Either return to this post to register your interest, or just add the word 'GIVEAWAY' at the beginning of your comment.
2. Forward the web-link of this blog to 2 or 3 friends or colleagues who might find it useful. Web-link as follows - http://www.margaretntifo.com/
3. Only one entry per person
4. This giveaway is open to UK residents only. Others can register their interest and I will consider it.
5. The offer will run till Sunday, 24^th April, 2011
6. A winner will be chosen at random after 24 April 2011 and contacted by email for their mailing address.

Amanda Hocking; An Exercise in Persistence

I love it when people take their destinies into their own hands like Amanda Hocking did. I love success stories. We need those stories.

 

and here again in her own words...

 

Too Much, Too Young - Love, Survival and Celebrity

I’ve been having a ball with reading autobiographies! After all, it is the holiday season, isn’t it?

Just finished reading Kerry Katona’s ‘Too Much, Too Young - My Story of Love, Survival and Celebrity', after which I couldn’t help but think – ‘what a life she’s had!’ Unbelievable! But, hands up to her as she has dealt with the most difficult of situations right from childhood and still comes up trumps.

I must say the romantic in me wanted the ‘happy ever after’ ending when she finally got married to Brian Mcfadden of Westlife, and I was rather disappointed that fate reared it’s ugly head to spoil that for her as well. But good old Kerry simply used this experience to learn more about herself and move on with life. Even if only after she almost lost it completely.

I loved reading her story. I was disgusted at what some mothers can put their own children through, honestly. But with compassion we can understand that she had her own issues and really did the best she could with a most ugly situation.

I cannot help but wish the two of them the very best that life has to offer. Fantastic!

Insights From Autobiographies

“If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have been reading a series of very interesting, informative and inspiring books recently. It started off with my mentor lending me her copy of ‘Nothing down for women’ back in March 07. Rather busy at the time, I put it aside until recently when I felt so guilty about having kept the book for so long. A third way into the book, I instantly knew that I had to have my own copy so I logged onto Amazon to order my copy.

Whoever invented cross-selling? Right on Amazon, there was the suggestion that the ‘perfect partner' for this book would be Duncan Bannatyne’s ‘Anyone can do it: my story’. So of course I ordered that book as well and truly, I was not disappointed.

They were both enthralling to read, really captivating. Following that I remembered I had once bought Richard Branson’s ‘Losing my virginity’, which had been left on my shelf for virtually a year. The sheer size of it – 488 pages must have made me think I needed a whole month, if not a year to read it. Took me three days! An amazing three-day insight into what has made virgin what it is today. Must admit, I was on edge throughout the three days simply reading how Richard has made both life and business decisions.

I did notice a number of similarities between Duncan and Richard. Much as they both come from totally different backgrounds some of the things they have in common are:

1. Their ability to take calculated risks,
2. Refusal to let bureaucracy hinder their progress,
3. Even sometimes making their own rules, and
4. Their ability to make good use of borrowed money, and we are talking huge amounts, often millions. Really puts things into perspective for any budding entrepreneur.

Both men although more focussed on their business activities were well invested in property right from the beginning. Duncan bought terraced houses and rented them out as bed-sits whiles running his ice-cream business at the same time. That, is making good use of passive income. Richard initially bought a big country house, ‘The Manor’ and renting it out as a recording studio for musicians.

I must read both books again! It has awakened in me a renewed zest to read more biographies and autobiographies. Afterwards, I did try reading Betty Boothroyd’s but found I simply couldn’t ‘get into’ it, which is no reflection on the book itself but much more of what excites me. I guess it isn’t politics. I bought the book wanting to read about successful women. I will put this one back on the shelf until another time.

As if that wasn’t a good enough cue, I picked up Hilary Clinton’s ‘Living History’, another really big book – 562 pages. Really struggling with this one as well. Even took it to the library yesterday, and forgot it there! I hope they have a system for recognizing stray books because I will be there first thing in the morning to try and locate it.

At a loss for something to read, I grabbed David Bach’s ‘Start Late, Finish Rich’. Now, that’s my kind of thing! If this one is anything like his ‘Automatic Millionaire’, then I am in for a good couple of days.

“When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes.” Erasmus

P.S. If you're interested in any of these books, simply scroll down to the left, and order your copy from Amazon.

Wife In The Money

Talk about making money inadvertently!

I have just been alerted to the existence of yet another interesting blog, this time written by Judith O’Reilly, WIFE IN THE NORTH.

This ‘wife’ is also a mother of three who started blogging just last November about her experiences after having to downshift from London to rural Northumberland.

What is more interesting about this lady’s blog is that through a series of connected coincidences, she has just landed a £70,000 publishing deal to turn her blog into a book to be published by Viking Penguin.

This is what she has to say about herself.

Moving to Northumberland from London was not my idea. My husband was in fact the only one terribly keen on the move. When I asked my younger son what he thought, he confided: “Bears might eat me”. "There are no bears," I told him as I looked into the darkness and the growling started.

Her wry humour and lyrical style certainly presents a joy to read. Understandably, there is quite a growing community of bloggers out there who are not only using the internet to share their experiences and joy of writing, but are obviously making extremely good money from it advertently, or inadvertently.

Talk about earning from your secret wealth!