Thursday, April 28, 2011

CAT THURSDAY


Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)







Monday, April 25, 2011

SPRING'S SERENITY READ-A-THON MINI-CHALLENGE AND MY READING PLANS

UPDATED


Hello there, read-a-thon-ers! I am ready with your mini-challenge and the prizes!

I decided to do something a little fun and whimsical (I think)! I want you to take at least three (or more) of your planned read-a-thon books and write a short paragraph using the first line of each book.  It does not have to make sense.  I think it will be fun to see what everyone comes up with...how funny they all will sound. You can do a post on your blog and leave the link in the comments or you can just leave your answer in the comments.  Here's an example from four of my read-a-thon books:

*Decided to edit my paragraph to make it sound more cohesive.  You do not have to do this, but you can if you would like*

In the cold, nearly colorless light of a New England winter, two men on horseback traveled the coast road below Boston, heading north.  "We should start back," Gared urged as the woods began to grow dark around them.  It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.  Today, I learned what I am for.


Sentence 1:  John Adams by David McCullough
Sentence 2:  A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Sentence 3:  Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Sentence 4:  The King's Daughter by Christie Dickason


Now...the prizes! There will be three winners.

First place will win a print copy of each of Charlie Courtland's books (open to anywhere Amazon ships).
Second and Third place will win ebook copies of each book.  Thank you to Charlie who was so generous with this contribution!

Here are the books (click the title to read description on Goodreads):

Dandelions in the Garden: The Rise of the Blood Countess (Countess Elizabeth Bathory #1)

The Hidden Will of the Dragon (Countess Elizabeth Bathory #2)

The Secret of a Spicy Jalapeno (her new book!)

Winners will be selected randomly (random.org) from all mini-challenge participants.  This mini-challenge contest is open until Sunday, May 1st at 11:59pm CT.  Good luck! I can't wait to read your entries. =O)

My Read-A-Thon plans:



  1. Read the section for TuesBookTalk of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
  2. Catch up on my reading of John Adams by David McCullough for the John Adams Read-a-long
  3. Finish A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (one of my new favorites!)
  4. Read The King's Daughter by Christie Dickason
  5. Finish Dante's Journey by JC Marino
  6. Locate my copy of Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and hopefully, at least get started on it.  I want to read it before I see the movie!
Since I'm only reading sections of a couple of books, I'm hoping I might be able to add a couple more to at least get started on, but we shall see how the week progresses!


SPRING'S SERENITY READ-A-THON STARTING LINE


Please excuse the formatting on this post.  I have tried to fix it several times, to no avail! I give up. =O(


A little late with this...sorry! We were moving stuff from our old house ALL weekend and we're still not done.  But I digress...It's time to start the read-a-thon! This is the starting line.  Sign up in the linky with your starting post and/or reading plans on your blog.  If you do not have a blog, you can link to your Twitter, Facebook, or Goodreads (and also post your updates from there as well).  Everyone who signs in here and participates in the read-a-thon will be entered in a book giveaway donated by publicist, Stephanie Barko.  Here are the details:

The Gold Rush:  1847-1849
(Western Tales Publishing, 4/19/10)
Western Historical Fiction, paperback, 494 pages, $23.95
by Frank W. Lewis

Synopsis:

In 1849, the greatest gold rush in history began as thousands of
would-be miners, gamblers, murderers and prostitutes made their way to California to seek their fortunes. In less than two years, more than 100,000 people arrived from all over the world to get in on the action. When the first gold nugget was found in the "Mother Lode," no one understood the importance of the discovery. Soon however, hundreds of ships littered San Francisco's harbor, abandoned by crew members rushing to the goldfields.


The first gold was actually discovered in 1847 when California


was still part of Mexico. The United States had declared war against Mexico in 1846. In 1848, Mexico ceded California and other western lands to the United States before news of the gold strike was known. The land belonged to the U.S. Government, but was not free for the taking, so all




the mining done was extralegal. Once word got out that there was gold for the taking, short




of sending the Army in to kill them, there was no way to stop the miners.







Miners seized land and set about governing themselves in mining districts that 


weren't authorized by federal law. San Francisco and Sacramento became lawless, criminal-


dominated cities where no man was safe. In The Gold Rush, 1847-1849, the seventh book 

in the series, Caleb Landers and his ladies fight to protect their property from a ruthless 

New York syndicate that will stop at nothing, even murder, to take over their operations.


Check out this recent review:

Author Bio:

Frank W. Lewis single handedly built an empire out of little more than hard work, good timing, 

and a few neglected mining deeds. His company, F. W. Lewis Inc was perhaps the largest patented 

and deeded mine holding company in Nevada. Today on the grounds of the state capitol in Carson 

City, you will find Lewis’ name engraved as one of the state’s most prominent prospectors. Visit the author at www.rumpah.com and join his fans on Facebook.


I will also be hosting a mini-challenge which I will post for you later today.  Charlie Courtland is donating book prizes for it.  I will let you know for sure what the prizes are when I post the mini-challenge.  Both the mini-challenge and the Stephanie Barko giveaway will be open until Sunday, May 1st at 11:59pm CT. 


Julie at Knitting and Sundries is hosting her own mini-challenge and giving away book prizes.  Go HERE for details! She's giving away some great book prizes or a Book Depository for International participants (if shipping is over $10).


Julie at My Book Retreat is hosting a mini-challenge as well.  Go HERE for details! She is giving away a copy of Last Snow by Eric Van Lustbader. 


Remember, if you can't sign in today, no problem.  I made this read-a-thon a week long so that people could participate when they can.


If you're on Twitter, be sure to come on over and chat with other read-a-thoners.  The hashtag is #readathon.


I hope I haven't forgotten anything! Let me know if I have or if you have any questions, leave me a comment or email me at truebookaddictATgmailDOTcom.


Frankly, I'm too tired tonight to start reading so I will post my reading plans also later today.  I have to work on moving again tomorrow until my husband goes to work at 2:30 and this will go on for at least three days so my read-a-thon days most likely will not start until around 3:00pm...at least for the first few days.  I had no idea this moving would be going on when I planned the read-a-thon back in March.  Oh well...ces't la vie!


Here's the linky (I'm going to use the button linky this time...the other one has been acting wonky lately)!





Thursday, April 21, 2011

CAT THURSDAY...HAPPY EASTER


Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)

A few days early, but wishing you all a safe and happy Easter!


The kitty in this video must be really exhausted! We are moving the rest of the junk stuff and the rest of my books from our old house all this weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday and possibly Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday too) so I would imagine that this will be about what I'll look like when it's all over.  UGH!







Wednesday, April 20, 2011

WOW WEEKLY 100 WORDS...A GAME OF THRONES

WOW WEEKLY 100 WORDS

Details:

Although this is a Wednesday blog hop hosted here at Ruthi Reads!, you are welcome to hop in at any time. Just grab the button and link for your blog post where you share exactly 100 words from your current read(s) and add your post URL to the linky list provided at the end of this post. Feel free to share anything else you'd like on your post, especially book-related items. And be sure to visit and/or introduce yourself to others on the WoW list during week.


Click the button above for more details and to participate.


Here are my 100 words:



The Grand Maester nodded. "I recall now, the widow is sister to your own noble wife.  If an old man may be forgiven his blunt speech, let me say that grief can derange even the strongest and most disciplined of minds, and the Lady Lysa was never that.  Since her last stillbirth, she has seen enemies in every shadow, and the death of her lord husband left her shattered and lost."


"So you are quite certain that Jon Arryn died of a sudden illness?"

"I am," Pycelle replied gravely. "If not illness, my lord, what else could it be?"

"Poison,"..... 


Tuesday, April 19, 2011

HISTORICAL FICTION CONNECTION NEWS, ETC.


As some of you may already know, I co-host a historical fiction blog with Marie (The Burton Review) called Historical Fiction Connection.  We host authors for guest posts, giveaways, and interviews, but we are also looking for bloggers who are passionate about history and historical fiction to submit guest posts as well.  Here is our submission guideline for bloggers (created by Marie) that can also be read over at the blog:


Bloggers:
Would you like to submit an article or a post, or even a book review? Anything that is related to History is welcome. Share your creativity! Connect with other historical fiction lovers. Email us your idea of what you would like to post and when you would like it to post. We will respond back to you and discuss the details further with you via email. We will also take care of posting the content on to the site, all you would need to do is to email us your content, on a word document is the easiest.

If you would like to submit a book review, it may also be cross-posted on your own blog.




If this sounds like something you might be interested in doing, why not stop over at Historical Fiction Connection and take a look around.  You can read full submission details and obtain our submission email address HERE.


We are also currently hosting two giveaways at HF Connection.


Wickham's Diary by Amanda Grange (ends 4/23--click cover to enter)




and


Daughters of Rome by Kate Quinn (ends 4/26--click cover to enter)




Hope you will stop by and visit.  And if you enter the giveaways, good luck!


Monday, April 18, 2011

MAILBOX MONDAY

Mailbox Monday is being hosted by Amy at Passages to the Past this month.

(clicking the book covers will take you to the book's page on Amazon)


BookBox: embed book widget, share book list


FOR REVIEW:


The Secret of A Spicy Jalapeno--Charlie Courtland...from the author (I accepted this before I changed my review policy, although I will never turn down the chance to review for Charlie!)


BOOK TOUR:


The King's Daughter--Christie Dickason...Crazy Book Tours
Queen By Right--Anne Easter Smith...Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours


WON:


Comfort and Joy--Kristin Hannah and a ton of swag...from Martha at Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf

From Contest Craze at Princess Bookie:
Horton Halfpott--Tom Angleberger
Between Two Ends--David Ward


The New Zed Order: Survive--Todd Sprague...from vvb32 reads


Jane Eyre movie tie-in prize pack (movie tie-in book, soundtrack CD, pencil, mini-journal)...from Lisa at Lit and Life


Tote Bag and How to Love an American Man by Kristine Gasbarre (galley)...from Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon

Peeramid Bookrest...purchased with Amazon gift card won from Kate at Midnight Book Girl for her Book Sentence mini-challenge during the read-a-thon
What did your cats you get from the burglar mailman this week?

GAME OF THRONES--WINTER IS COMING...THOUGHTS


No worries to those who have not watched yet...there will be no spoilers.  I just could not contain myself regarding the magnificence of this show.  HBO has truly done it again.  I started reading the first book in George R. R. Martin's beloved series, A Song of Ice and Fire, last weekend.  I'm about 200 pages in and this book has been very hard for me to put down.  I was happy to discover tonight that the first season on HBO will cover the first book only.  As I stated, I'm 200 pages in and I'm already well past what transpired in the first episode so I will be able to stay ahead of the television series very easily in my reading.  I'm also happy to report that the series (the first episode anyway) was very close to the book.  Visually stunning and with stellar performances by the actors, I highly recommend you check this series out.  Also, if you haven't read the book(s), what are you waiting for?  I can't believe it took me this long to discover these books and I owe a bow of gratitude to HBO and their show for sparking my interest.  Let's hope the series will lead some non-readers to the books as well.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

CAT THURSDAY


Welcome to the weekly meme that celebrates the wonders and sometime hilarity of cats! Join us by posting a favorite LOL cat pic you may have come across, famous cat art or even share with us pics of your own beloved cat(s). It's all for the love of cats! Enjoy! (share your post in the Mr. Linky below)


Alice was languishing on the bed the other night and she was actually rolling around and posing like a model (yeah, I know she was trying to play, but it seemed very model-like to me). *L*




On a final note, are your taxes done?  Kitty's are...






Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Christopher Smith: GIVEAWAY: $250 Gift Card at Amazon US, Amazon UK o...

Christopher Smith: GIVEAWAY: $250 Gift Card at Amazon US, Amazon UK o...: "New contest! Help get the best-selling thriller, 'Fifth Avenue,' back onto the Amazon Top 100 and/or Nook Top 100, and win a $250 Amazon ..."

SPRING'S SERENITY READ-A-THON SIGN-UP

I apologize for the delay in posting this.  I know I promised it two days ago, but I've been a little under the weather and my life is in perfect turmoil lately, as usual!
Spring's Serenity Read-A-Thon, Monday, April 25th through Sunday, May 1st.  The read-a-thon will run from 12:00am Monday through 11:59pm Sunday (adjust your time zones accordingly).  Remember, you can join in any time through the week and read as little or as much as you want.  It's all about personally challenging ourselves and also having fun as a community of readers.  I hope you will join us!

I have author Charlie Courtland who is donating prizes (her novels....yay!) for a mini-challenge and Julie at Knitting and Sundries will also be donating a few books for a mini-challenge.  Not sure yet if she will host that or not, but I will have more details closer to the read-a-thon date.

Any other authors/bloggers who would like to donate a prize for read-a-thon participants and/or host a mini-challenge, please email me at truebookaddictATgmailDOTcom

Sign up in the linky below.  Also, I will have a starting line linky and I may even have a short "start of read-a-thon" meme.  You do not have to sign in at the starting line until you are ready to start the read-a-thon.  Remember, you can join this read-a-thon at any point during the week.  All mini-challenges and/or giveaways will also be open for the entire week.




Monday, April 11, 2011

MAILBOX MONDAY

Mailbox Monday is being hosted by Amy at Passages to the Past this month.

(clicking the book covers will take you to the book's page on Amazon)

BookBox: embed book widget, share book list
BookBox: embed book widget, share book list

Won:


The Black Chalice--Steven Savile...from Adele at Un:Bound


PaperBack Swap and BookMooch:


A Winter Haunting--Dan Simmons
The Distant Echo--Val McDermid


Library Sales:  I had two this weekend and both were half price.  This entire list--a combination of hardcover and trade paperbacks--cost me only $22.00!


An Exchange of Gifts--Anne McCaffrey
The Book of Atrix Wolfe--Patricia A. McKillip
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories--Robert Louis Stevenson (different cover)
Chasing Brooklyn--Lisa Schroeder
Duchessina: A Novel of Catherine de' Medici--Carolyn Meyer
Diary: A Novel--Chuck Palahniuk
The Shape of Snakes--Minette Walters
Dark Demon: A Carpathian Novel--Christine Feehan
Dark Slayer: A Carpathian Novel--Christine Feehan
Cold Comfort Farm--Stella Gibbons
The Red Scarf--Kate Furnivall
Neverwhere--Neil Gaiman
Sorceress of Darshiva: Book 4 of The Malloreon--David Eddings (to Ryan--I nabbed my first Eddings!)
The Betrayal: The Lost Life of Jesus-A Novel--Kathleen O'Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear
North River--Pete Hamill
In a Dark Wood--Michael Cadnum
Brief Gaudy Hour: A Novel of Anne Boleyn--Margaret Campbell Barnes
Marie Antoinette: The Last Queen of France--Evelyne Lever (non-fiction)
The Hawk and the Dove Trilogy--Penelope Wilcock
The Monstrumologist--Rick Yancey (different cover-ARC)
The Serpent in the Garden--Janet Gleeson
Mansions of Darkness--Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Borne in Blood--Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (slowly, but surely acquiring her entire list of Count Saint-Germain books!)

Treasures of Imperial Russia: Catherine the Great from the State Hermitage Museum, Leningrad (click title for Goodreads description)


Sunday, April 10, 2011

24 HOUR READ-A-THON--END OF EVENT SURVEY


It's over. *combination sigh of relief/sob of despair*  Now I must complete this end of event survey before I collapse from exhaustion.

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? hour 23...I actually fell asleep for 20 minutes and woke with a start...and went back to reading.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?  I haven't found one yet.  Whoever does know...let me know.


3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  no improvements needed, IMO.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?  I think the Twitter chatting is wonderful!

5. How many books did you read?  I didn't start reading until 5/6pm CT.  I read 104 pages of Dante's Journey by JC Marino and 100 pages of A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin.  I'm enjoying Dante's Journey, but I have to say that A Game of Thrones is absolutely excellent!


6. What were the names of the books you read?  see above


7. Which book did you enjoy most?  see #5

 
8. Which did you enjoy least? not applicable


9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? N/A


10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?  Oh, yes...I will definitely participate again! I love it, even if I do not get much reading done.  As I said above, the chatting on Twitter is great fun.  I will most likely be a reader again.  Once I get my time management skills in order, I might take on cheerleading in the future. =O)



Just a reminder...my week long Spring read-a-thon, Spring's Serenity Read-A-Thon, is coming up at the end of this month.  I will have the sign up post up tomorrow.  I hope you will join me for a laid back week of read-a-thon reading.


24 HOUR READ-A-THON--BOOK TRAILER MINI-CHALLENGE

One of my favorite book trailers is for the book Random Magic by Sasha Soren.  Random Magic is a delightfully fun book and Sasha Soren is one of the nicest and most accessible authors I have been lucky enough to meet in the book blogging world.  Enjoy the trailer!



I'm hangin' in...are you?

24 HOUR READ-A-THON--UPDATE TWO


So...since I didn't officially start reading until around 5/6pm CT, I've been reading (and tweeting and eating and mini-challenging and wasting time) for almost nine hours.  My end time is 7am this morning.  I'm determined to keep reading!

I've started on page 97 of Dante's Journey by JC Marino and I'm now on page 201.  I think I'm going to switch to Game of Thrones for a while...read about 100 pages into that and maybe come back to this one.

I have participated in about six or seven mini-challenges.  Can't be exact...brain is stumped. *L*

I won the book sentence mini-challenge at Midnight Book Girl and I won a prize form the read-a-thon for the mid-event meme! Thanks again!

I have wasted an inordinate amount of time on Twitter, but I've been chatting with some great read-a-thon--ers.  Good times!

Off I go to read and eat some more...LOL! Wish me luck. =O)

- See more at: http://www.techtrickhome.com/2013/02/show-comment-box-above-comments-on.html#sthash.TjHz2Px9.dpuf