Winners! Also: blog makeover

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

The winners of the BBAW giveaways have been chosen!

Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell goes to throuthehaze







Black Beauty goes to Sue






and The Last Juror goes to Rebecca N.







Congratulations to our winners, who were chosen by chance at www.random.org! I have contacted them through email. If I don't hear from the winners within the next 48 hours, new winners will be chosen.


In other news:
I gave my blog a facelift today. I'm actually quite proud of myself for figuring out some of the code that I used to customize the template. ( I know next to nothing about Html.) One thing that I can't figure out is how to get the 'Newer Posts' button that I made to show up. I've messed around with every bit of code that I could think of, but that basically comes down to a lot of guess work and trial and error for me, since I'm pretty clueless. So. If anybody out there can help me out, I'd appreciate it!

later this week:
I should be able to write some actual book reviews! Can you believe it?

BBAW giveaway #3 (Us only)

Friday, September 18, 2009

The third item that I'm giving away today is a trade paperback edition of John Grisham's The last Juror. The book is gently used, and in great condition. I haven't read this one yet, but I loved John Grisham's novels when I was in high school, so he holds a little piece of my heart.




Since I haven't read this book myself, here is the summary from Amazon.com:

In 1970, small town newspaper The Clanton Times went belly up. With financial assistance from a rich relative, it's purchased by 23-year-old Willie Traynor, formerly the paper's cub reporter. Soon afterward, his new business receives the readership boost it needs thanks to his editorial efforts and coverage of a particularly brutal rape and murder committed by the scion of the town's reclusive bootlegger family. Rather than shy from reporting on the subsequent open-and-shut trial (those who oppose the Padgitt family tend to turn up dead in the area's swampland), Traynor launches a crusade to ensure the unrepentant murderer is brought to justice. When a guilty verdict is returned, the town is relieved to find the Padgitt family's grip on the town did not sway the jury, though Danny Padgitt is sentenced to life in prison rather than death. But, when Padgitt is released after serving less than a decade in jail and members of the jury are murdered, Clanton once again finds itself at the mercy of its renegade family.

To enter, leave a comment with your contact information, and tell me why you would like to win this book. This contest ends Monday the 21st at 11:59 p.m EST

Don't forget to enter the other giveaways, too!
Giveaway #1
Giveaway #2

BBAW Giveaway #2 (US only)

Our second giveaway of the day is another thrift store find (I'll be honest, I couldn't afford to do giveaways if it wasn't for thrift stores). But once again, this book is in perfect condition.

This is an adapted version of the book, by Deidre S. laiken. I haven't read this version, so I don't know how good it is, but there are some lovely illustrations, and it looks as though it would be good for a child of about 8 years or so.


To enter, leave a comment telling me why you'd like to win this book, and make sure to leave your contact information, as well. The contest ends on Monday the 21st at 11:59 P.M. EST

Don't forget to enter the other giveaway, too!
Giveaway #1

BBAW Giveaway #1 (US Only)

Since most of the giveaways are going to be ending today, I thought I'd shake things up and start my giveaways today. CRAZY, I know.

First up is a hardcover copy of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.



I bought a cheap paperback edition of this book on a whim to read during a long trip. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I've seen it billed as 'Harry Potter for adults', but I think that description is misleading. This is nothing like Harry Potter. It reads more like a 19th century novel. The focus is less on story or plot, and more on characters and style. There is little actual magic done in the book, and it's a hefty one, weighing in at 782 pages. But I thought that Clarke's writing was wonderful. Because of the length of the book, you really get to know the characters. One of my main problems with this story, though, is that while the male characters are multidimensional, the female characters are flat and uninspiring. But, I did enjoy the book, and since I found a hardcover edition of it( in perfect condition) at a thrift store for one dollar, I've decided to share it with you! Huzzah for thrift store finds!

To enter the contest, just leave a comment telling me why you think you'd like the book. I'm not going to make you jump through any hoops to enter, everyone gets only one entry. Just remember to leave your contact information in your comment. The contest ends at 11:59 P.M on Monday the 21st.

BBAW Reading Habits: Second verse!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

What are you currently reading?
Oh, sheesh. Okay. Sometimes I get book ADD. I'm not always this bad. AND some of these are audiobooks, so I'm only listening to them when I really don't have time to be sitting and reading. Stop judging me.
1. Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver( I can't believe I still haven't finished this...)
2. Audiobook of Luck in the Shadows by Lynn Flewelling ( I might not be able to finish this one, because the guy that reads it is pretty boring)
3. Mansfield Park by Jane Austen ( I just can't get into this book as easily as I have some of her other work)
4. Audiobook of Flight by Sherman Alexie ( I started this one because I found that my mind was wandering quite a bit while listening to #2
5. The Federalist Papers by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and Isaac Kramnick (This is non-fiction, and thus it does not hold my attention quite as well. So while I do think it's interesting, it feels a bit like I'm doing schoolwork when I read it)
What is the last book you bought?
Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson (You can read my review here.)
Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
Um. Heh. Did you read the answer to the first question?
Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
At night, snuggled up on the couch, when the kiddos are sound asleep. No more interruptions!
Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
I don't think I really prefer either, but I do seem to be in the middle of quite a few series' at the moment. Why is it that fantasy books always come in sets of at least three? (Curse you, George R.R. Martin! Curse you, Patrick Rothfuss!)
Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over? Ray Bradbury! Neil Gaiman!
How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)

Wow, this question just makes me chuckle. Organize? Really? I TRY to organize them by genre, and then by author. But.. . they never stay that way long. I mean, really, look at this:
The left side looks kind of organized, right? Sort of? Well that's great, but those are mostly my husbands books and old text books that don't get looked at very often. The right side? Yeah. That's my mess. Okay, the top two shelves don't look too bad. I just organized those a few days ago, because someone asked to borrow one of my Harry Potter books, and I had to FIND it in the mess. And, I don't know if you can tell, but on the next shelf down, the books are stacked two deep. Yeah. I need more bookshelves. Now, to be fair, we did just move the bookshelves (and by just I mean... three weeks ago...) So the books got stacked haphazardly and then didn't ever get put back in any particular order. But, I mean, I'll get around to it one of these days.


Annd, here is a close up, because *drum roll* tomorrow, I'm going to be giving away three of the books in this photograph. Can you guess which ones? (Click to enlarge the picture)