Wednesday, July 31, 2013

HFVBT: Gracianna by Trini Amador--Guest Post and {Giveaway} #GraciannaTour

GIVEAWAY WINNER--EMMA


The Photos Story

Gracianna was my great-grandmother and when I was a child she used to talk a lot about being thankful. “Grateful?” Who talks to a four year old about that concept? Later in life I began linking shreds of stories I had been told with my own my beliefs to a jolting incident of being found walking around her house at four years old with a loaded German Luger. Suddenly, fifty years had gone by and it was time to tell the story about how that Luger came to be in my boy-hand. As a brand marketing executive that owns his own business I travel a lot. In the last few years I have put in over 750,000 miles worldwide and took advantage of that flying time by writing.

I live in Sonoma County, California where my family owns the lauded Gracianna Winery in the Russian River Valley but nearly all of my marketing work is outside the US. I wrote Gracianna in over thirteen countries! Folks have asked me about the photos in the book and I thought I’d spend some time with you telling you the inside story on where they came from. Gracianna took eight months to write but nearly two years editing with the talented Hillel Black, who has edited over 20 New York Times best sellers, and who gave Gracianna its wonderful tempo and grace notes.

Photos were sourced from World War II archives—it was obvious, once I saw each one of them which ones needed to be in the book. Below are some photos that are in the book with a brief description.


The owner of several of the archive images is a collector of World War two imagery from the United Kingdom. This candid photo of the German officers I found chilling for its realistic depiction of a field meeting—the casualness of the moment captured my attention. 

But there is one that got away. The photo of the 1936 Hispano Pourtout that Dom’, the owner of La Maison Cossette, cherished was impossible to source. In this day and age, my opinion is that with the internet folks are a lot less sensitive about using images that don’t belong to them. We searched and searched to be able to publish this photo with all the right permissions for commercial use but alas were unable to demonstrate the sweeping beauty of this sleek automobile as I introduce it sliding through the wet streets of Paris on the important flashpoint night of the Gracianna story. I add a link to it here however. This is the one that got away. 

The 1936 Hispano Pourtout: 

Recently, I was asked about my photos of Auschwitz. Here is how that came to be. At one point my business took me to Warsaw, Poland. I was writing the book during this business visit as well. For some reason it had not occurred to me to extend my research to Krakow and Auschwitz on that trip. But that ended when I was tackled by the bitter cold Polish air as it overwhelmed me when the door of the plane opened. I was traveling from South America and inconveniently left my winter coat in California. The burst of cold enveloped me. The thought of my grandmother’s sister (or anyone) withstanding that sort of cold in a concentration camp drew me to Auschwitz. I needed to see where she had been. I took hundreds of photos while I was there but have been unable to look at them since. 




It was gray that day. I was numb already after walking in the camp for only 10 minutes. I was on a tour but loosely followed the group, in a daze really. I heard the stories from the guide from 20 paces back my mind racing backward in time and trying to rationalize what had happened here with the present day. My chest was as heavy as the solid air. My heart weighed low. My eyes teared. Several of my Auschwitz photos were chosen by the producer of the Gracianna book video trailer that accompanies this posting. Have a look and let me know if these photos convey the starkness of my visit. 
Lastly was Gracianna herself. I have no photos of her during the war. But I have been told she was pretty with her flowing white hair.


If you have any questions or want to know more inside stories about the book just contact me—I would enjoy hearing from you. Trini.Amador3@Gracianna.net

About the book
Publication Date: July 23, 2013
Greenleaf Book Group Press
Hardcover; 296p
ISBN-10: 1608325709

The gripping story of Gracianna--a French-Basque girl forced to make impossible decisions after being recruited into the French Resistance in Nazi-occupied Paris.

Gracianna is inspired by true events in the life of Trini Amador's great-grandmother, Gracianna Lasaga. As an adult, Amador was haunted by the vivid memory of finding a loaded German Luger tucked away in a nightstand while wandering his great-grandmother's home in Southern California. He was only four years old at the time, but the memory remained and he knew he had to explore the story behind the gun.

Decades later, Amador would delve into the remarkable odyssey of his Gracianna's past, a road that led him to an incredible surprise. In Gracianna, Amador weaves fact and fiction to tell his great-grandmother's story.

Gracianna bravely sets off to Paris in the early 1940s--on her way to America, she hopes--but is soon swept into the escalation of the war and the Nazi occupation of Paris. After chilling life-and-death struggles, she discovers that her missing sister has surfaced as a laborer in Auschwitz. When she finds an opportunity to fight back against the Nazis to try to free her sister, she takes it--even if it means using lethal force.

As Amador tells the imagined story of how his great-grandmother risked it all, he delivers richly drawn characters and a heart-wrenching page-turner that readers won't soon forget.

Praise for Gracianna
"Gracianna is a riveting and remarkable narrative. The characters come alive through their unassuming but compelling stories, as Nazi-occupied Paris unfolds before our eyes. We come to care deeply about the characters, which makes putting down the book almost impossible. Highly recommended." - Stacey Katz Bourns, Director of Language Programs, Dept. of Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University

“While wine is obviously a significant part of life’s enjoyment, the story behind the wine can be even more gratifying. You will be fixated on this thrilling story written by Trini Amador which was inspired by Gracianna, his great-grandmother, the French Basque namesake of his family’s award-winning winery in Sonoma County.” - Bob Cabral, Director of Winemaking & General Manager, Williams Selyem Winery


About the author
Trini Amador vividly remembers the day he found a loaded German Luger tucked away in a nightstand while wandering through his great-grandmother’s home in Southern California. He was only four years old at the time, but the memory remained and he knew he had to explore the story behind the gun. This experience sparked a journey towards Gracianna, Amador’s debut novel, inspired by true events and weaving reality with imagination. It's a tale drawing from real-life family experiences.

Mr. Amador is a traveled global marketing "insighter.” He is a sought-after guru teaching multinational brand marketers to understand how customer and consumer segments behave based on their needs, values, motivations, feeling and values. He has trained over five thousand brand marketers on how to grow brands in over 20 countries in the last 15 years. His counseling has been valued at global brands including General Electric, Microsoft, AT&T, Yahoo!, Sun Microsystems, Google, Jack Daniel’s, The J.M. Smucker Co., DuPont, Mattel, and Rodale, Inc..

Amador is also a founding partner with his wife and children of Gracianna Winery, an award-winning winery located in Healdsburg, California. The winery also pays tribute to the Amador Family’s maternal grandmother, Gracianna Lasaga. Her message of being thankful lives on through them. The Gracianna winery strives to keep Gracianna’s gratitude alive through their wine. Learn more at: www.gracianna.com, like Gracianna Winery on Facebook or follow them on Twitter @GraciannaWinery.

Amador resides in Sonoma County with his family.


Visit other blogs on the tour--Tour Schedule
Twitter Hashtag: #GraciannaTour

Watch for my review of Gracianna...coming tomorrow!

GIVEAWAY:
One copy of Gracianna to a winner in the U.S./Canada. Please leave a comment and be sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win (email address, Twitter handle, etc). Last day to enter is Wednesday, August 14 at 11:59pm CST. Good luck!

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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Happy Birthday, Page Turner Book Tours!



PTBT opened their doors a year ago and has grown from strength to strength working with some amazing authors along the way. This year the official .com site was opened, a dedicated team of graphics designers joined the team and PTBT became the official host for all tours under 5 Prince Publishing.

The story doesn’t stop there…

There are already plans for further improvements and many more tours to be held in the future along with further charity work. 

We hope that you will check them out at this link: http://pageturnerbooktours.com

During July PTBT are offering the following discounts:

1 week tour - 1 additional day
2 week tour - $63.75 - 2 additional days
3 week tour - $85 - 3 additional days
4 week tour - $170 - 4 additional days

These discounts are good for a year AS LONG AS the tour is booked and paid for in July 2013.

“Working for Page Turner Book Tours has been amazing. I have met some amazing people, worked with some fantastic books and been privileged to be part of some amazing journeys. I know there will be great things to come for PTBT and I am excited to meet every request, author and to discover the wonderful books that I work with. Thank you to everyone on the past year who has worked with PTBT you are all amazing and I am so have been part of your journey. Here’s to the next fantastic year!” ~ Kate, Owner/Tour Coordinator PTBT

“I have been blessed to have had a long professional relationship with Kate and Page Turner Book Tours. Her organization of the tours and cover launches has always exceeded our expectations. She is thorough and knows what she’s doing. I believed enough in the company that Page Turner Book Tours is the official coordinator for 5 Prince Publishing. Kate sets up tours for our cover/book launches, for each of our authors, as well as book tours. Her prices are very fair and that helps individuals and small businesses. I give Kate and Page Turner Book Tours 5 STARS, for their consistently good service, well managed tours, and comfort level when working with them. If you are looking to promote yourself or your book I highly recommend Page Turner Book Tours.” - Bernadette Soehner, CEO, 5 Prince Publishing, Lost And Found Tour Details

“I enjoyed working with Page Turner Book Tours in 2012 for my second Lash Series Book, Shadow Man. Kate was able to arrange far more stops than I’d initially hoped for, and also garnered my book several five star reviews! The spreadsheet she gave me to work from had all the relevant contact information to write tailored engaging posts for each site, and she fulfilled every part of the agreement to create and deliver signature prizes for the tour. She tried her very best to make my tour the best it could be. The best recommendation is that I will be using her services again this summer to promote another coauthored work!

Service: At least half of service is value for the money spent. Kate gives great packages and I feel I got a very good value for the money I spent with her. She was knowledgeable and answered my questions in a timely fashion. I especially appreciated the reviews as part of the package, of which almost all were favorable.

Communication: the other half of service for this type of promotion is communication, and Kate was very good in that aspect as well. For my tour, I had a total of 5 interviews to complete, along with 12 guest posts. She got me info for topics and interview questions as soon as she had them, which helped me stay ahead and on time with my side of the tour.

Overall tour running: 5 stars” Tara Fox Hall, Author, Lash Tour Details

“I have had the pleasure of working with Page Turner Book Tours for just a few short months. When I first contacted Kate and told her what I was looking for, she helped walk me through everything that they could do, what it would entail on my part as well as what was to be expected from her and Page Turner Book Tours. 

Every time I have any questions Kate is sure to replay quickly. I have not encountered many problems while working with Page Turner Book Tours other than a few Bloggers did not follow through on their end. Which, I by no means, hold against Page Turner Book Tours. 
Kate does a wonderful job communicating what is needed by all her bloggers, if you are interested then you just let her know and she does the rest. All you have to do as a blogger is set it up to go on your scheduled date. 

Overall I think Kate and Page Turner Book Tours do a wonderful job with their Press Releases, Interviews, Book reviews and scheduling who needs to be where and what time. I would give Page Turner Book Tours 5 out of 5 stars!” ~ Marie, 5 Prince Publishing

“Page Turner Book Tours is a great resource for authors and I have personally found Kate and her tour company to be worth their weight in gold! I have worked with Kate on book tours for myself and I have even joined book tours for other authors as a host. Each time I have found Kate to be absolutely wonderful to work with. With many tours running consecutively Kate is adept and masterful as she customizes each tour to the specific author and his/her book.

Kate is a marvelous coordinator and I can’t wait to work with her in the future on a book tour. If you are looking for a company to schedule a tour, than I recommend working with Kate at Page Turner Book Tours. She will customize a tour specifically for you and work with book bloggers making your tour run as easy as possible leaving you with a sense of satisfaction and a great tour experience!
Page Turner Book tours is definitely a five star company!” M.M. Shelley, Murder On Mars Tour Details

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Monday, July 29, 2013

HFVBT: The Secret History by Stephanie Thornton--Review and {Giveaway}


My thoughts
I am sad to say that for all my knowledge of history, I really know almost nothing of Empress Theodora. What a story I have missed out on! A woman who rose from less than nothing to become the most powerful woman in the Byzantine empire. A truly inspiring story.

I am very impressed that this is Stephanie Thornton's first novel. It is an excellent piece of historical fiction. The reader can tell that she has a passion for history...the research she put into this novel really shows. But it's not only the historical aspects that really shine. The characters are interesting and engaging. Theodora especially is a heroine to root for again and again. I mean, who doesn't love a rags to riches story? But this is a story that beats all stories of that type, in my opinion. When we look at a character like Theodora, what she had to overcome to rise so far, our hardships in life seem to pale in comparison.

It's a rare treat to read a novel that is not only interesting and entertaining, but also an inspiration that all things can be overcome with a little faith and a lot of pluck. I'm so glad that I was given the opportunity to review Stephanie's first book and I'm so looking forward to her next release.

About the book
Publication Date: July 2, 2013
NAL Trade
Paperback; 448p
ISBN-10: 045141778X

Where Theodora went, trouble followed…

In sixth century Constantinople, one woman, Theodora, defied every convention and all the odds, and rose from being a common theater tart to become empress of a great kingdom, the most powerful woman the Roman Empire would ever know. But the woman whose image was later immortalized in glittering mosaic was, in fact, a scrappy, clever, conniving, flesh-and-blood woman full of sensuality and spirit whose real story is as surprising as any ever told…

When her father dies suddenly, Theodora and her sisters face starvation on the streets. Determined to survive, Theodora makes a living any way she can—first on her back with every man who will have her, then on the stage of the city’s infamous amphitheater in a scandalous dramatization of her own invention. When her daring performance grants her a back-door entry into the halls of power, she seizes the chance to win a wealthy protector—only to face heartbreak and betrayal.

Ever resilient, Theodora rises above such trials and by a twist of fate, meets her most passionate admirer yet: the Emperor’s nephew. She will thrive as his confidant and courtesan, but many challenges lie ahead. For one day, this man will hand her a crown. And all the empire will wonder—is she bold enough, shrewd enough, and strong enough to keep it?

Praise for The Secret History
“Stephanie Thornton’s Theodora is tough and intelligent, spitting defiance against the cruel world of the Byzantine Empire. Her rise from street urchin to emperor’s consort made me want to stand up and cheer. Her later years as empress are great fun to read, but it was her early struggle as actress and courtesan that really had me roaring: either with rage at the misfortunes heaped on this poor girl, or with delight as she once more picked herself up with a steely glint in her eye and kept on going.”—Kate Quinn, author of Empress of the Seven Hills

"Loss, ambition and lust keep this rich story moving at top speed. Stephanie Thornton writes a remarkable first novel that brings a little known woman to full, vibrant life...A sprawling and irresistible story."—Jeane Westin, author of The Spymaster's Daughter

"A fascinating and vivid account; in The Secret History, the life of Empress Theodora leaps from the page, as colorful and complex as the woman herself."—Michelle Diener, author of The Emperor's Conspiracy


About the author
Stephanie Thornton is a writer and history teacher who has been obsessed with infamous women from ancient history since she was twelve. She lives with her husband and daughter in Alaska, where she is at work on her next novel. 

For more information, please visit Stephanie Thornton's website. You can also find her on Facebook and Twitter.


Visit other blogs on the tour--Tour Schedule
Twitter Hashtag: #SecretHistoryTour

GIVEAWAY:
One copy of The Secret History and a Byzantine coin. Open Internationally. Please leave a comment and be sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win (email address, Twitter handle, etc). Last day to enter is Monday, August 12 at 11:59pm CST. Good luck!

A copy of this book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for providing it.

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Beat the Heat Read-a-Thon: What I'll be reading #BtHReadathon

Phantasmic Reads

Hosted by Auntie Spinelli Reads or Phantasmic Reads. Sign up HERE before August 5th.

What I'll be reading:

Gracianna by Trini Amador
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory (final 80 or so pages for read-a-long)

Not sure what else. I have to get my ducks in a row for my August reading. I'll add more later.

Since I never have time to update daily, I'm just going to do a couple of update posts during the read-a-thon. Plus, I'll be participating in two other read-a-thons in the coming week/weekend so I'll do separate posts for those.

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High Summer Read-a-Thon: My Goals and Updates

Wrap-Up at end of post


The High Summer Read-a-Thon is here! I'm a bit late getting this post up, but better late than never, right? There are a ton of people signed up this time and I'm so excited! Not sure how much reading I'll get done this time because I have to work every day, but I'm going to squeeze as much reading in as I can. You can still join us (please do!). Just make a post and sign in at the starting line HERE, anytime between now and Friday at 11:59pm CST.

Here's what I'm reading:

The Queen's Rivals by Brandy Purday (finishing for a review tomorrow)
The White Queen by Philippa Gregory (about 80 or so pages for read-a-long)
The Secret History by Stephanie Thornton (for a review/tour on Monday--this is also one of our giveaway books!)
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace (trying to catch up on the read-a-long for Summer of Jest)
Under the Dome by SK (trying to finish)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (read-a-long)
Katherine by Anya Seton (read-a-long)

Monday
Books read: The Queen's Rivals, Brandy Purdy (finished)
Pages read:  300 (page 48 through 348)

Tuesday
Currently reading:  The White Queen, Philippa Gregory
Books read: did not finish a book today
Pages read:  79 pages of The White Queen
Total pages read:  379

Wednesday
Currently reading:  started To Kill a Mockingbird
Books read: no book finished
Pages read: 1
Total pages read:  380

Thursday

Mini-Challenge-- A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words hosted by Laura at Booksnob
1. Choose a picture that represents a person, place or thing in one of the books you are currently reading.
2. Name the book you are reading and explain how the picture relates to the story you are reading.
3. Link up at Laura's blog

Here's mine:

On Monday, I finished reading The Queen's Rivals by Brandy Purdy which is a historical fiction novel about Lady Jane Grey and her sisters. The first picture is of the three sisters...Jane on the left, Catherine (or Katherine) in the middle, and Mary on the right (incidentally, Mary was a dwarf/little person...I did not know that until I read the book). The second picture is probably the most famous painting of the Execution of Lady Jane Grey (Paul Delaroche, 1833), who was named as successor in King Edward VI's will, but since it was not reinforced by an Act of Parliament, it was deemed illegal. She was queen for nine days. When Mary Tudor, the rightful heir, took the throne, Jane was convicted of treason and executed.




Currently reading:  To Kill a Mockingbird
Books read:
Pages read:
Total pages read:

Friday
Currently reading:
Books read:
Pages read:
Total pages read:

Saturday

Currently reading:
Books read:
Pages read:
Total pages read:

Sunday
Currently reading:  The Secret History by Stephanie Thornton
Books read: 2
Pages read:  448
Total pages read: 828

Wrap-Up
I managed to read two books, The Queen's Rivals and The Secret History, and about 80 pages of The White Queen for a read-a-long. Not too bad, I think! 828 pages total.

I enjoyed the reading week with all of my read-a-thon pals!

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Thursday, July 25, 2013

Cat Thursday--Christmas in July: How to Wrap a Cat for Christmas


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)

I found this quite hilarious. The look on the cat's face at the end. Priceless!



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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

A Couple of Announcements


My sons sometimes play games on a website called TotalJerkface. Well, I'm applying that acronym to myself today because...Book Bloggers International featured me on their site on July 11th and I. forgot. all. about. it. See...total jerkface me! So, I figure I'll announce it now because, although I don't deserve the exposure after my...shall we say, mishap...their site certainly does deserve to be recognized. So, if you forgive me my faux pas, stop by and check out my interview and certainly be sure to browse their site while you're there. Maybe when you're featured, you won't forget. Doh!

In other news...


Check out the Thrift Books Pinterest Contest! The page to find out how to enter is HERE (or click the image above). The Thrift Books contest pin is HERE. The contest runs until July 30, 2013 and is open to U.S. residents only.

Grand Prize is one (1) $50 gift card to Thriftbooks.com. Two (2) $25 gift cards to Thriftbooks.com will be awarded to two (2) runners-up. Winners selected based on their answers to "What’s your favorite book and why?" Prizes are only redeemable on Thriftbooks.com.

Here's the link to my board with my top ten, if you want to take a look at how it's done: http://pinterest.com/truebookaddict/my-thrift-books-top-10/

If you enter, good luck! And stop back by and share the link to your top ten. =O)

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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

HFVBT: The Queen's Rivals by Brandy Purdey--Review and {Giveaway}


My thoughts
Although I know of Jane Grey's story, her lineage and the circumstances surrounding her execution, I did not know a lot about her family. I certainly did not know that one of her sisters was a dwarf, or that her mother was so very cruel. Now I realize that this is historical 'fiction' and, not having read extensively about Jane Grey, I can't say how historically accurate this book is. However, Purdy has written a great book giving us not only the story of Jane Grey, but a glimpse of the lives that surrounded her. I enjoyed the characterization of the sisters. Jane, it would seem, was very studious and serious...and stubborn, which really rubbed their lady-mother the wrong way. The vivacious Kate was a delight to read about and Mary seemed such a sweet girl. It must have been a difficult life for her.

There were a couple scenarios in the book that were quite shocking. Again, not sure about historical accuracy, but the elements added some interest to the story. Of course, the execution parts of the books were very sad and, Jane's time at the block especially, brought tears to my eyes.

In all, I very much recommend this book. Maybe it isn't completely accurate historically (again, I can't say for sure on what I know of the subject matter), but historical fiction is 'fiction' and the value of a good story is that it makes the reader more interested in the subject matter and thus more interested in history. For me, that's the goal and it was achieved here.

About the book
US
Publication Date: June 25, 2013
Kensington Publishing
Paperback; 384p
ISBN-10: 0758265999

UK Publication Date: September 12, 2013
Avon Publishing
ISBN-10: 1847563457

Their ambitions were ordinary, but they were born too close to the throne...

As cousins of history's most tempestuous queens, Ladies Jane, Katherine, and Mary Grey were born in an age when all of London lived beneath the Tower's menacing shadow. Tyrannized by Bloody Mary and the Virgin Queen, the sisters feared love was unthinkable —and the scaffold all but unavoidable...

Raised to fear her royal blood and what it might lead men to do in her name, Mary Grey dreads what will become of herself and her elder sisters under the reigns of Mary Tudor and Elizabeth I. On their honor, they have no designs on the crown, yet are condemned to solitude, forbidden to wed. Though Mary, accustomed to dwelling in the shadows, the subject of whispers, may never catch the eye of a gentleman, her beautiful and brilliant sisters long for freedoms that would surely cost their lives. And so, wizened for her years, Mary can only hope for divine providence amid a bleak present and a future at the whim of the throne — unless destiny gains the upper hand.

A gripping and bittersweet tale of broken families and broken hearts, courage and conviction, The Queen's Rivals recounts an astonishing chapter in the hard-won battle for the Tudor throne.

Please note this book will be published in the UK as THE FALLEN QUEEN by Emily Purdy.


About the author
Brandy Purdy (Emily Purdy in the UK) is the author of the historical novels THE CONFESSION OF PIERS GAVESTON, THE BOLEYN WIFE (THE TUDOR WIFE), THE TUDOR THRONE (MARY & ELIZABETH), THE QUEEN'S PLEASURE (A COURT AFFAIR), and THE QUEEN'S RIVALS (THE FALLEN QUEEN). An ardent book lover since early childhood, she first became interested in history at the age of nine or ten years old when she read a book of ghost stories which contained a chapter about Anne Boleyn haunting the Tower of London. Visit her website at www.brandypurdy.com, you can also follow her, and her cat Tabby, via her blog at http://brandypurdy.blogspot.com where she posts updates about her work and weekly book reviews.


Visit other blogs on the tour--Tour Schedule
Twitter Hashtag: #QueensRivalsTour

GIVEAWAY:
One copy of The Queen's Rivals to a winner in the U.S. Please leave a comment and be sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win (email address, Twitter handle, etc). Last day to enter is Tuesday, August 6 at 11:59pm CST. Good luck!

A copy of this book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for providing it.

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Saturday, July 20, 2013

Mini-Bloggiesta: Goals and Updates


It's the start of Mini-Bloggiesta and I have been waiting for this...I actually have some tasks that need to be tended to so this comes at the perfect time. Why not join in on the fun. Check it out at the Bloggiesta blog.

My goals (in order of priority):

  1. I recently changed my two main blogs to two column (one sidebar) layouts so I need to make sure everything is arranged correctly in the sidebars. That is here on this blog and at my sister blog, Castle Macabre.
  2. Here on The True Book Addict I want to create a page (tab) for my favorite blogs' buttons so as to de-clutter the sidebar even more.
  3. Plan out and execute the details and announcement of the revamp of my Fantasy Reading Challenge.
If I have time, I might...
  • Finish updating my 2012 and 2013 'books read' lists here on the blog
  • Start adding my cataloged fiction books (from my home library...2000+ books) to my library blog, A Library, Collected.
Not sure about mini-challenges, as I'm concentrating on very specific tasks, but I will check them out. I'm also hoping to participate in the Twitter chat. 


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Thursday, July 18, 2013

Cat Thursday: Christmas in July...Cats in Trees


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)

So far this month I have neglected to post any Christmas in July kitties. What!? So, the next two weeks will be dedicated to just that. This week I give you....

Cats in Christmas trees!





The last one is my favorite. Poor Charlie Brown tree...not sure if the kitty makes it look worse or better. LOL!

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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

#TuesBookTalk August Selection: Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy


TuesBookTalk Read-a-Longs on Twitter (@tuesbooktalk #tuesbooktalk) and on Goodreads will be reading, Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy, in August. Our first discussion will be on Tuesday, August 6. Our chats take place on Twitter at 9:30pm ET/8:30pm CT on Tuesday nights (see hashtag above). If you can't join us on Twitter, feel free to share your thoughts in the Goodreads group. Get the full reading schedule HERE. Hope you will join us!

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