It Was A Dark and Stormy Night: Gone Reading for Christmas

Book lovers, have I got a Christmas gift for you! I was recently in touch with Brad from Gone Reading and he offered me a selection for review. More on that later. First, I'd like to talk about the great work behind the scenes of Gone Reading. Brad, their founder and CEO (and all around great guy) says:

"If you’re like me, you just can’t imagine living in a world without reading. Unfortunately, for almost a billion people today, that’s exactly where they find themselves. There are countless villages, towns and vast regions of this planet where the power of reading has yet to shine its light.

Gone Reading International, LLC was founded to counter these problems and spread the magic of reading. We believe that when people have open access to great reading materials, life always changes for the better. When libraries and reading materials are made available, people and their communities thrive through increased opportunity and self-empowerment.

That’s why Gone Reading International has pledged 100% of our after-tax profits to provide new funding for reading-related charities. By purchasing GoneReading brand gifts and merchandise, you’re treating yourself and the world at large to a wonderful gift. All purchases from GoneReading help contribute to our philanthropic work.

We donate to great non-profits such as READ Global, Ethiopia Reads and BiblioWorks, amazing organizations with proven models, long track records, and dedicated teams on the ground. Such groups partner with local villages and communities in the most underdeveloped parts of the world to create new libraries that effect real change."

Pretty awesome, huh? They have hit a great target market because us bookish types are all about good causes. Right? And this time of year is the perfect time to help spread the hope and love to those who are less fortunate.

Now, about that little item I chose to review. My choice was It Was A Dark & Stormy Night: A Game About Books!

Mom and I have played it several times since I received it just a few days after placing my order. We also played it with my sister and niece over the Thanksgiving holiday. It is great fun for anyone who loves books. A little healthy competition amongst bibliophiles. HaHa!

If you're looking for some great gifts for the bookish people in your life, or even for yourself (and at the same time supporting a great cause), then you need to head over to Gone Reading and do some Christmas shopping.

End of the Year 2013 Read-a-Thon #ReadingCram

Jenny from Juliababyjen's Reading Room and Dana at Dana Square are hosting the End of the Year Read-a-Thon from December 9 through 22. I'm a bit late to the party, but everyone knows I simply cannot turn down a read-a-thon. HaHa!

I'll mostly be focusing on Christmas reads, including two I have already started....

Winter Solstice, Rosamunde Pilcher
The Snowman Maker, Barbara Briggs Ward

I may try to squeeze in a couple of review books (???) and I need to finish Catching Fire.

My final words...Yay for longer read-a-thons!!!

HOLIDAY #READATHON December 6-8, 2013--Reading Plans and Updates

Of course, I'm signing up for a read-a-thon! This is the Fourth Annual Holiday Read-a-Thon hosted by WhoRuBlog. I hope I can get more reading done than I did during my read-a-thon two weeks ago. I really want to!

What I am doing charity wise...I have three big bags of clothing and other items which I'm donating to a charity called HOPE. It's a shelter for abused women and their children. Also, I have pledged to give at least a dollar once a day (or more) during the holiday season to the homeless workers that stand on various street corners. Here in Nashville, we have a newspaper called The Contributor that these people "sell" to passers by. The Contributor provides homeless and formerly homeless newspaper vendors with a source of income. The Contributor is a street newspaper which is a publication that focuses on homelessness and poverty and is distributed solely on the streets by homeless and formerly homeless people (vendors) who keep the profit from the papers they sell. To learn more about it, click here.

What I'm reading, hopefully....

Catching Fire, Suzanne Collins
Winter Solstice, Rosamunde Pilcher
The Snowman Maker, Barbara Briggs Ward

I may add some other titles or change things up. We shall see!

I had a busy weekend so I only managed to read a good chunk of The Snowman Maker (enjoying it) and some of Winter Solstice (wonderful book).

Cat Thursday: Christmas....It's the holiday season!

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)

We are officially into the Christmas season so time to break out the Christmas cat pics and lols. Yay!

 

I had to throw this one in here too. Saw it on Facebook the other day. Too funny...and true!

Image sources: lolcats
http://www.mariascrivan.com/
http://pusheen.com/
 

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Melissa Ann Goodwin shares the story behind her books, The Christmas Village and Return to Canterbury {plus Giveaway}

Originally posted at The Christmas Spirit...

Michelle was kind enough to invite me to visit as part of the Sharing the Joy event – so thank you so much, Michelle. I’ve been a guest here before, when my first book, The Christmas Village launched in 2011. Well, I’ve written a sequel called, Return to Canterbury, which will be released (knocking wood and crossing fingers, toes and eyes) by mid-December.

Both books are set against the backdrop of holidays. In The Christmas Village, it’s Christmas of course, and in Return to Canterbury, it’s the Fourth of July.

Why did I do that? Well, it was always a given for me that I’d write a book that takes place at Christmas because I have such vivid memories of childhood Christmases growing up in New England. In my mind, those holidays are preserved like Currier and Ives images, complete with snow-covered ground, fresh cut greens on the mantel, carolers at the door, wood fires in the hearth and candles in the window. Those memories create in me such a longing for days gone by and for a return to the innocence and magic of it all. Using Christmas as a backdrop for my story adds an emotional tug that makes our young hero Jamie’s adventure more intense and his longing for home more heart-wrenching. Wanting to be home for Christmas is what The Christmas Village is all about.

At first I didn’t want to write a sequel to The Christmas Village. After a while though, and with much prodding from my readers, I decided that I too, wanted to visit with our characters and the town of Canterbury again. But I didn’t want to repeat myself by setting the next story at Christmas.

Today you’re among the first to read the story summary for Return to Canterbury.

First time cover reveal!!!

Here it is:

Things have settled down for thirteen-year-old Jamie Reynolds since last Christmas. That’s when he time-traveled to 1932 and wound up in the town of Canterbury, Vermont. There he met Kelly and Christopher Pennysworth, who quickly became his best friends. Back in his own time again, he misses them every day. But as the July 4th, 2008 holiday approaches, the biggest black cloud still hovering over Jamie’s life is the mystery of what happened to his dad, who has been missing for almost a year.

Little does Jamie know that he will soon reunite with Kelly and Christopher for an adventure even bigger than their last. Together they’ll uncover a secret plot that threatens to destroy Canterbury. But will they be able to stop it before it’s too late? And will Jamie finally solve the mystery of his father’s disappearance? Return to Canterbury with us and find out!

So why did I choose the Fourth of July as the setting for Return to Canterbury? Because I also have fond memories of summer events in my town, like our Sidewalk Bazaar, Clown Town and Fourth of July fireworks. In Return to Canterbury, I was able to combine all those events into a July 4th backdrop.

Both stories are adventures in which Jamie and his friends Kelly and Christopher come up against villains who threaten their family, friends and their beloved town of Canterbury. The action plays out as the days leading up to each holiday unfold, heightening the urgency and intensifying both what’s happening and how we feel about what’s happening. I hope that you will enjoy my books, the characters and your visit to the fictitious, yet very-real-to-me town of Canterbury, as much as I enjoyed writing them.

When released in December, Return to Canterbury will be available in paperback and e-book for Kindle from Amazon.com and in all digital formats from Smashwords.

There is also a Goodreads Giveaway for Return to Canterbury that can be found HERE


The Christmas Village is already available in all formats from Amazon and Smashwords. Here are all the links:

The Christmas Village Facebook Page

Amazon Link to The Christmas Village

Smashwords Link to The Christmas Village

The Christmas Village on Goodreads

My Author Blog

YouTube Video Book Trailer

Read my review of The Christmas Village HERE.

GIVEAWAY! Follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter form.

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A Reading Life (23)

December is here! My favorite time of year...the holidays! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. =O)
 
Listening To:  Christmas music! Finally, the radio stations are playing Christmas music. I also got a free download of Dickens' A Christmas Carol so I think I will begin listening to that too.

Books finished:
Anvil of God, J. Boyce Gleason (review)
A Divided Inheritance, Deborah Swift (review)
The Red Queen, Philippa Gregory (not reviewed yet)

Reading: 
Winter Solstice, Rosamunde Pilcher
The Snowman Maker, Barbara Briggs Ward

Coming Up:  
Not sure what other Christmas books I'm going to read, but will also try to squeeze in a couple more review books...hopefully. I do need to finish Catching Fire because I might go see the movie this weekend.

Watching: Christmas movies on TV and some favorites I own. Hoping the regular TV shows will be in repeats soon to free up some time for me. I'm going to watch the TV Sound of Music, even though I can't stand Carrie Underwood, I do love the story and Stephen Moyer. =O)  I'm also looking forward to the a capella music competition on TV, The Sing Off. I love that show!

Making: My Thanksgiving dinner was a hit. Everyone loved my stuffing. I made sausage cornbread stuffing with sliced almonds. Yum! The five layer pecan pie was yummy...very rich and chocolate-y. My pumpkin dump cake was also a success. I will probably be sharing some of these recipes over at The Christmas Spirit during my Sharing the Joy event. For sure, I will be sharing the homemade spiced cider mix I made. It is SO awesome!

Grateful for: the wonderful visit we had with my sister, her daughter and my grand-niece and nephew. It was too short, but we made the most of every minute. Hopefully, it won't be so long before we see each other next time. Fingers crossed for a spring break visit to Michigan!

Looking forward to: all the holiday stuff I'm going to do with my sons. Making cookies, driving around looking at Christmas lights, watching movies, listening to music. Fun!

Picture: our Christmas tree!

Books I received or purchased:

Won from Bookreporter.com...Take Me Home for Christmas, Brenda Novak

For review, from the author...The Reputed Wife, Jo Ann Butler

What's been happening in your Reading Life?

#TuesBookTalk December Selection: Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher

TuesBookTalk Read-a-Longs on Twitter (@tuesbooktalk #tuesbooktalk) and on Goodreads will be reading, Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher, in December. Our first discussion will be this Tuesday, December 3. 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. The reading schedule is available in the Goodreads group here. Hope you will join us!