TTBA Weekly News and Mailbox Monday

This feature was inspired by It's Monday! What are you reading? hosted by Sheila at Book Journey and The Sunday Salon.

--The High Summer Read-a-Thon was a big success! I had over 20 participants and several people read 5 or 6 books.  The ladies at The Book Monsters read a ton.  Kate read 10 novels and 9 manga and Kristen read 8 novels and 12 manga! Julie at Knitting and Sundries read a ton as well....a whopping 13 novels! Wow! I'd like to say great job to all who participated and to thank you all for joining me.  I hope you will be with me for my Fall read-a-thon in October.  I have a scary theme planned for the spookiest month of the year!

Winners of the mini-challenge and the participant giveaway (winners were all selected by Random.org):

Mini-Challenge winner was #5...Sherrie at Just Books

She won 5 autographed original digital art prints from Michelle Franklin's Haanta Series, drawn by Twisk.

Participant winners were:

1st Place:  #4 Mervi at Mervi's Book Reviews
2nd Place:  #7 Melissa at Must Read Faster

Mervi gets first choice of the two prizes so I will email her first.  Melissa will get the other prize.  (Prizes can be viewed at the original post HERE)

Announcing the one year blogoversary celebration of literary publicist Stephanie Barko! She is hosting a month long event of exclusive blogoversary interviews from national bestselling award-winning authors, an entertainment attorney, a literary agent, a review journal editor, a book club founder, PLUS signed book giveaways.  Check out the schedule of the important dates for this month long event HERE.  I, for one, can't wait to read all the great posts!

TuesBookTalk...what are we reading next?  Our August selection is Captivity by Deborah Noyes.  Join us on Twitter (@tuesbooktalk #tuesbooktalk) and/or on Goodreads.  Our discussion starts Tuesday, August 16 on Twitter at 10:30pm ET/9:30pm CT or you can always share your thought in the Goodreads group if you can't make the chat on Twitter.  Get the full reading schedule HERE.

I'm going on vacation on Wednesday...visiting my hometown to stay with my sister for a week and a half and to attend my 25 year class reunion.  Yes, I'm that old! I am taking my computer with me since my sis has wifi, but I'm not planning on being on much (must. be. strong.).  I have this week's Cat Thursday already scheduled and I will also be scheduling my 2 year blogoversary post.  Yes, it's on Friday!!! Can't believe it has been two years! I will officially be back at home on Sunday, August 14.  Boy, I need this vacay...let's just hope I don't come back and get sick again like I did last year! No thank you!

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia and is currently on tour.  This month's host is Staci at Life in the Thumb .  (want to read a book description?  Clicking the book covers will take you to the book's page on Amazon)




WON:
The Devil's Company by David Liss...from Stephanie Barko, Literary Publicist

2011 Book Blogger Cookbook by Christy Dorrity (Kindle for Android)...from Chrystal at Snowdrop Dreams of Books

$30 PayPal in the Flash Follow giveaway from Sonya at BellyCharms.com with which I went over to BetterWorldBooks.com and ordered the following:

The Queen's Dollmaker by Christine Trent
The Wolves of Andover by Kathleen Kent
Stonehenge by Bernard Cornwell
King Hereafter by Dorothy Dunnett
The 3 A.M. Epiphany: Uncommon Writing Exercises that Transform your Fiction by Brian Kiteley
and two other books for my Mom's birthday.  Can't list them 'cause she reads my blog. =O)

Jane Austen notepad made by North South Creations (Etsy) from Carla at Library Mosaic
(image is poor quality--sorry)

Cover says: In vain I struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be
repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.
Mr. Darcy

PURCHASED from BOMC2:
A Novel Idea (Tyndale Publishers)

PAPERBACK SWAP:
The Once and Future King by T.H. White