Read-a-Thon Mini-Challenge: Book Puzzle

Welcome reader-a-thon-ers!  I'm super excited to be hosting the Book Puzzle mini-challenge again.  Hopefully this will be a fun break from your reading that will let you exercise other parts of your brain!

For this challenge, you will be creating a Book Puzzle.  Essentially, this is a series of pictures, graphics, or photos that you put together that will describe a book title.  I have been doing a biweekly an occasional game called Name That Book where I create book puzzles and let people guess the titles.  Here's an example from that first game:

This series of pictures illustrates the title Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale.

Now it's your turn to create your own Book Puzzle (or you can create more than one - they are quite fun).  Once you've posted your puzzle on your blog or wherever, come back and leave me the direct link to your puzzle below.  And be sure to visit others' puzzles - it's lots of fun to guess!

[For more examples or some inspiration, take a look at last read-a-thon's Book Puzzle participants, check out other episodes of Name That Book, check out Name That Book episodes from Stephanie Reads, or look at these awesome book puzzles created by Mrs. Stakey's 6th grade class.]

I'll be picking a winner (randomly of course, I'm not good at judging awesomeness) and the winner will get to choose any two books from the photos below (sorry about the crummy photo quality - you can ask me about specific titles if you need to).  Unfortunately, since my funds are a bit slim right now, I can only send it to US addresses (though international participants are still welcome to create Book Puzzles).  You have until the end of hour 10 to enter.  Now go forth and create!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Retell Me a Story: Welcome and Giveaway!

I'm so thrilled to finally be kicking off Retell Me a Story, a celebration of all things retelling! I've got some really fabulous guest posts from authors and bloggers, not to mention reviews and other retelling goodies to share. I hope you'll stop by every day this week to enjoy the fun and to feed your love for retellings. Check back shortly for my first guest post of the week.  But first, a little introduction:

Why Retellings?

Back in November 2011, I began to notice that there seemed to be an upswing of retellings hitting my radar. And not just fairy tale retellings, which are always available. No, there were more classic books and mythological stories making a fresh appearance. I've always been a big fan of classics, though I've really neglected reading them of late. I was really excited to see these often loathed classic books wearing shiny new faces that might actually attract new readers. Thus, my idea for a reading challenge, the Classic Double Challenge, was born. This challenge encourages people to read a retelling (or otherwise related book) and its "classic" predecessor. It is my way of encouraging myself and others to not only enjoy those fancy new retellings, but give some love to those dusty older classics as well. And from there I thought, why not have an entire week dedicated to celebrating retellings? I'm hoping this celebration will light the fire under you to read not only a retelling, but also the original story that was its inspiration.

But enough of the boring stuff, let's start this celebration off right with a giveaway of some retellings!  I'm not usually a fan of earning extra points, but in this case I'll make an exception or two. Everyone gets one free entry, but you can earn one extra entry by joining the Classic Double Challenge and one extra entry by commenting (in a meaningful way) on any of the posts for the Retell Me a Story event this week. Only one comment will count, but do feel free to comment as much as you like :)  Here are the prizes you can choose from (and I can finally open it to international readers!):

The Turning by Francine Prose (HC or ARC)
The Humming Room by Ellen Potter (ARC)
The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler (PB)
Princess of the Wild Swans by Diane Zahler (HC)
Catherine by April Lindner (ARC)
Sweet Venom by Tera Lyn Childs (ARC)
Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin (ARC)
Ten by Gretchen McNeil (HC)
International prize: One book worth up to $10 from Book Depository (must be a retelling of some kind)

The first winner will get to pick two books, the second will get to pick one book, and if I get enough entries I'll add a third winner who will get to pick one book.  All you need to do is fill out the form below before next Sunday, January 20.  Thanks for joining in the celebration and I hope you will enjoy Retell Me a Story! (Giveaway closed: Winners chosen)

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Reading Clean Giveaway Hop!

Welcome to the Reading Clean Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, Clean Teen Fiction & One Librarian's Book Reviews (um, that's me :).

This hop runs from September 6th to 12th. 

My Giveaway:

Pick two books from the stack of delicious MG reads.  My apologies for the lousy photo, the books are:

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass
Ivy and the Meanstalk by Dawn Lairamore
Fortune's Folly by Deva Fagan

All you have to do to enter is fill out the form, US addresses only.  You have until September 12th to enter.  Thanks for hopping through!  Be sure to check out the other giveaways going on for the Reading Clean hop below.
*Contest Closed - winner emailed.*

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Reading Clean Giveaway Hop Sign-Ups

So, I'm co-hosting (with Clean Teen Fiction) one of Kathy at I'm a Reader, Not a Writer's famous giveaway hops, this one for clean reads.  You can sign up to host a giveaway on this hop below.

Read on below for more details about the hop!

September 6th - 12th

Featuring Clean Reads! Books free from sex, language and gratuitous violence.

Book you can share with anyone without hesitation be it your mother, daughter or little sister. 

Hop Rules

• Your giveaway must be for a "Clean Read" (ie: free from sex, language, and gratuitous violence)
• Only 1 mandatory entry, all others must be optional.  Keep it simple, no long lists of things for people to do.
• Your blog & giveaway must be "family friendly".

To sign up to host a giveaway, click on the blue link at the bottom of the linky that Says "Click here to enter" and fill out the form with the following information:

Your Blog Name followed by where you will ship to in parentheses
Link to your Blog or Website
Email Address to send you a reminder email

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Armchair Bea, Day 2: Giveaway!

Design credit: Nina of Nina Reads.

So, I'm hosting a giveaway for Armchair BEA participants today! (For more giveaways, check out the linky at the Armchair BEA site.) I love to do a choose your own book type of giveaway, so I have a list of books and the winner will get to pick one book from the stack.  The only requirements are that you be 13 years old and have a US address.  Fill out the form below and then tell me in the comments one good thing about not making it to BEA in NY this year :)

(I know, my picture-taking skills astound me too)

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann, audio CDs
Dreamland by Alyson Noel, audio CDs
Destined by P.C. Cast, audio CDs
Tempest by Julie Cross, audio CDs
What Happened on Fox Street by Tricia Springstubb, HC
Wildwood by Colin Meloy, ARC
Father of Lies by Anne Warren Turner, HC
Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini, HC
Stunning by Sara Shepard, HC
Northanger Alibi by Jenni James, PB
The Best of the Best by Tim Green, HC
The Magnificent 12 by Michael Grant, HC
Kiss Crush Collide by Christina Meredith, ARC
The Final Four by Paul Volponi, ARC
Restitution by Kathy Kacer, PB
The Ivy: Secrets by Lauren Kunze and Rina Onur, HC

Good luck and thanks for stopping by!

Contest Closed - Winner chosen.

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Perfect Prom Date: A Prom Books Giveaway

As promised on the giveaway post, I thought I'd share an...interesting photo from my prom years.  My friends and I had a lot of imagination and not a lot of dates.  So, we decided the best thing to do was create the perfect dates.  Check these dream boys out:

They may not say a lot, but they sure won't break your heart!

So,  now that you've seen the embarrassment of my own prom dreams (ok, I did go and my date looked better than this one), don't forget to enter the giveaway for four fabulous prom books. 

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
The Fashion Coloring Book by Carol Chu and Lulu Chang

Check out the giveaway post for details - you still have a few days to enter!

What embarrassing things do you have photographic proof of?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Prom and Other Terrors - A Giveaway!

Thanks to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, I've got a fun spring giveaway for you.  April brings to mind flowers and showers and best of all - prom!  That crazy, fun, romantic, scary, depressing, you-name-it-emotion high school rite of passage.  I remember worrying so much every year about whether I'd go to prom.  It's amazing the feelings that still come when someone says the word "prom."  The anticipation, the worry that you won't get asked, the worry over dresses and boys and whether or not you'll get kissed (what can I say, prom for me was pretty innocent). 

And to celebrate this experience, HMH has four prom books to give away to one lucky reader!  You can find HMH on Facebook and on Twitter - go check them out.

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti
Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
The Fashion Coloring Book by Carol Chu and Lulu Chang

The contest will end on April 22 and I'll announce a winner on the 23rd.  HMH will send the prize directly to the winner.  All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, telling me one good or bad thing about your own prom experience (or lack of experience, as the case may be).  Then just fill out the form below.  US addresses only and you must be 13 or older to enter.  And if you're very lucky, I'll post a nice photo of my friends and myself dressed up with our "dates" (that ought to keep you intrigued for a few minutes anyway).  Good luck!

So, tell us your prom experiences!  The good, the bad, the ugly. 

Contest closed - winner was Ashley of Bookcase Siren!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Everneath ARC Winner!

Just wanted to let you all know, I did pick a winner for the Everneath by Brodi Ashton ARC and it is...
 

Cheyenne T.

 
I've contacted Cheyenne and I'll be sending the book out ASAP, so she can get it read right away.  Thanks to everyone for entering and I hope you all get a chance to read the book when it comes out later this month.  It's worth it!
 

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Everneath by Brodi Ashton and GIVEAWAY!!

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: January 24, 2012
ISBN: 9780062071132
Source: ARC provided by publisher

Nikki disappeared months ago without a word and then she suddenly returned home. No one knows where she went or what happened while she was gone.  Now, she must try to pick up the broken pieces of her life with her father, little brother, and her boyfriend, Jack.  But what none of them know is that she is leaving again, and this time she has no choice.  Can she say goodbye properly this time or is it too late for those she loves?

Things I Liked:
I've been looking forward to this one for a long time.  I follow Brodi's blog quite regularly and I really love her humor and fun.  Her book is definitely not a laughing-throughout book, but it was still fabulous.  I loved Nikki and the way she was coming to recognize all that she did to her family and friends when she left.  I thought it was particularly interesting to see the connections between actions and choices and consequences - that's something that a lot of teens (and adults) don't always consider.  The romance was just perfect, a sweet combination of passion and caring that makes it more realistic.  I just thought it was a such a great story, not crowded with too much action and adventure, but full of slow sweet moments, interactions, and feelings.  That's not to say that stuff doesn't happen (boy, does it), but it had more than just action.  I really liked the mythos, the way the Persephone myth played into the story and yet was changed.  Without ending on a cliffhanger, it manages to make me want to know more about what will happen next and how things will work out.  Great debut worth the read (not to mention, you can ogle the cover - simply gorgeous)!  Some favorite parts:

We'd pluck the spiky chestnuts, leaving their green outer shells intact, and throw them at the neighbor boys.  I always took particular care in aiming for Jack's head.  He told me later that he rode his bike by my house on purpose.  I asked if him if he liked pain. P 44 of ARC

"Because it's not the supernatural abilities that set mythical characters apart."  She leaned forward.  "It's the decisions the human characters make, in impossible situations, that have us still talking about them centuries later.  Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with." p 133 of ARC

Friends don't eat friends' souls. p 223 of ARC

Things I Didn't Like:
It has a bit of awkward phrasing here adn there and the ending was something I saw pretty far in advance, but it had plenty lovely writing and twisty turns, so I was unable to put it down from beginning to end.  Just what I love in a good mythological retelling - new twists with some of the same basic backbone.

Read-alikes:
Some other Persephone retellings:
Abandon by Meg Cabot
The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: ! 
a handful, not much though

mrg-factor: X 
kissing and such like, nothing explicit

v-factor: -> 
a little bit, nothing gory

Overall rating: ***** 

AND, lucky for you, I got an extra ARC and thought I'd share the love so you can get your hands on this one (hopefully) a bit early.  All you have to do is fill out the form below.  I'm offering an extra entry for those who spread the word about this, just provide a link to where you shared (twitter, blog, whatevs).  I'll close the contest about January 2nd and ship it out ASAP.  (US only, sorry I'm still poor.) Good luck!

Contest closed.

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Book Review: Can You Survive: Jack London's Call of the Wild adapted by Ryan Jacobson + Giveaway

Posted as part of Tween Tuesday, hosted by GreenBeanTeenQueen.

Can You Survive: Jack London's Call of the Wild adapted by Ryan Jacobson
Publisher: Lake 7 Creative
Publication date: October 2011
ISBN: 9780977412235
Source: ARC provided by author

In this choose your path story, you become Buck, a dog about to set out on a perilous journey.  Throughout his travels and becoming a sled dog, the reader is given options to choose just what they would do and then see where they end up. 

Things I Liked:
This was a fast and fun read.  I'm going to admit that I think I've read maybe one other choose-your-story type of book and I honestly can't remember it.  Jumping right into the action of Buck's frontier adventure, kids will lose themselves in the excitement and danger of this cold, deadly place.  Interesting choices are laid before you and following each to see just where you will be was fun even for this boring old grown-up.  I definitely think this book will appeal especially to boys longing for adventures and it's a great introduction to London's classic tale.

Things I Didn't Like:
There were some places here and there that the writing was awkward and might be a bit hard for younger readers to follow.  Also, it was quite violent as the dog faces some very frightening foes.  It might be especially traumatic to animal-lovers and sensitive kids, since being written in second person can make it feel more personal.  I did notice, however, that the author noted the violence was toned down in the final edition.  A fun adventure story, all these things considered!

Read-alikes:
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Choose your own adventure books by various authors

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none 

mrg-factor: none 

v-factor: ->-> 
some incidents of animal fights and animal abuse

Overall rating: *** 

And, I've got a chance for you to win a copy of this book for the adventure-seeking tween in your life (or, you know, yourself).  Open to US only, fill out the form below by November 5th. 

For more stops on the tour, visit Ryan Jacobson's blog.

Were you a choose your own path/adventure/story reader?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Read-a-Thon Mini-Challenge: Book Puzzle

Mini-challenge closed and winner chosen! Thanks for playing! 

Welcome reader-a-thon-ers!  I'm super excited to be hosting this mini-challenge again.  Hopefully this will be a fun break from your reading that will let you exercise other parts of your brain!  

For this challenge, you will be creating a Book Puzzle.  Essentially, this is a series of pictures, graphics, or photos that you put together that will describe a book title.  I have been doing a biweekly game called Name That Book where I create book puzzles and let people guess the titles.  Here's an example from that first one:

This series of pictures illustrates the title Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale. 

Now it's your turn to create your own Book Puzzle (or you can create more than one - they are quite fun).  Once you've posted your puzzle on your blog, come back and leave me the direct link to your puzzle in the Mr. Linky below.  And be sure to visit others' puzzles - it's lots of fun to guess!  

I'll be picking a winner (randomly of course, I'm not good at judging awesomeness) who will be able to choose two books from photo below (sorry I'm so lazy I just take photos - let me know if you can't read titles).  This is open only to US addresses and you have until the end of hour 6 to enter.  Now go forth and create!

(Don't laugh at my dreadful TBR shelf):

[For more examples or some inspiration, take a look at last read-a-thon's Book Puzzle participants, check out other episodes of Name That Book, or check out Name That Book episodes from Stephanie Reads.]

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin Winner!

Sorry I forgot to post the winner for this contest earlier!  The winner was:
 

Chen C.

 
I've emailed you and sent your mailing address to the publishers, so it should be on its way soon!  Thanks everyone who entered the contest.
 

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

BBAW Day 4: Readers and the Seven Realms

Another day of BBAW fun and I am excited for this topic. Today BBAW asks: Has blogging changed the way I read?

The short answer: Yes.

To elaborate on this, my post today is the perfect example.  Today, I am talking about my love for the Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima.   But not in the same way I would have before the blog.  Not only do I talk about the love, but now I have the chance to literally share it.

See, back in the pre-blog days, I'd occasionally rave to people about awesome books.  Now, I can rave, I can interact with authors, and I can participate in book celebrations, like this one.  It adds a whole new dimension (or two or three...) to the reading experience.  I love the author interactions, the celebrations and read-alongs and countdowns and cover reveals and giveaways that populate the book blogging world.  I love to host and to simply participate.  All these things have increased my enjoyment and give depth to my reading experience.  And, of course, it's fun too! :)  So, to illustrate, here we go:

As you may recall, I've raved about this series before (specifically The Exiled Queen and The Gray Wolf Throne)- it's pretty much everything you could hope for in an epic fantasy, especially a world so rich and deep it's almost impossible to distinguish it from our own.  It's the kind of book that you fall into and emerge calling yourself Frodo or Arwen or dressing in robes and clutching wands because you're so obsessed with the characters.  A story that will bring something new every time you reread it.

Emily of Emily's Reading Room invited me to join in this Seven Realms celebration by posting part of a puzzle that when put together will spell a secret word that will allow you to enter to win a set of signed Seven Realms books.  You can also change your Twitter avatar to one of the pictures below (each one represents a group from the books) and tweet using the hashtag #sevenrealms for more chances to win!

My piece of the puzzle:

You can find the links to the other pieces of the puzzle at Emily's Reading Room.

Once you have the word, email it to Emily (emilysreadingroom(at)gmail.com) with the subject: Seven Realms Week.

Below are the images to use for Twitter.  The crown represents the Queen’s Guard, the ring represents the Clans, and the amulet represents the Wizards.  On Facebook you can change your profile picture as well, and post on the Provo City Library’s Facebook Page they are offering another set of the books, signed.

So, what has blogging changed in your reading experience?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Giveaway: All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin

I've not yet had a chance to read All These Things I've Done yet, but just the description has me dying for more.  So, when offered the chance to host a giveaway for this title, I was super happy to share!  My copy of the book is still on The Pile, but believe me, it is calling to me from there.  Check out this description:

In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidentally poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame.  Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family.

And if that's not enough to tease you into it, here's the trailer:



One lucky winner will get a copy of All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin, courtesy of Macmillen Children's! Just fill out the form below (US or Canada only). Contest ends September 18th. Good luck!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage

Cliquey Clique: Giveaway Winner

I know you are all waiting with baited breath to know if you won Populazzi.  First, though, I wanted to list off all the delightful books you mentioned as your favorite (or one of your favorites) high school clique book.  I haven't read many of them myself, but if you're in the market for one, here are some suggestions (we got some movie suggestions too!):

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
before i fall by Lauren Oliver
Breakfast Club (movie)
The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell
The Clique series by Lisi Harrison
Dork Diaries series by Rachel Renee Russell
The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder (got three rec's!)
The Lying Game by Sara Shepard
Mean Girls (movie)
Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (I think, no author was listed) 
Private Series by Kate Brian
Rival by Sarah Bennett Wealer
Sweet Valley High by Francine Pascal (oh a true classic)
Vicious Little Darlings by Katherine Easer

And with that out of the way, the winner of the Populazzi ARC is:

Sarah R.

Anybody else have cliquey high school suggestions?  Maybe one that won't horrify me with its cruelty?  

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage