Update on BBAW Giveaways (+ Updates in General)

I'm sorry for the radio silence for the past week; my computer, which has prevented me from posting as much as I'd like for weeks, took a turn for the worse. In other words, regular updates may slow for a while, but I'll do my best to update at least twice a week until my computer is healthy again. For instance, I have a couple of reviews coming soon. (One of the nice side effects of not being about to blog means that I've been reading more!)

And in giveaway news, all my Book Blogger Appreciation Week giveaways ended last night! I'm going to pick the winners and post about it (hopefully) tomorrow. Good luck to everyone who entered!

BBAW Guest Interview: Lisa of "Lit and Life"

As a rather new blogger--I was but a twinkle in a blogger's eye last year, so to speak--I was both excited and apprehensive about participating in Book Blogger Appreciation Week. I certainly wanted to express my gratitude for all of the blogs--the dozens upon dozens--that I love to read and that make my day a little brighter. But I'm so new to the game; what could I have to contribute? I was particularly concerned about the BBAW interviews, where participating bloggers are paired to interview each other. I loved the concept, but felt I simply lacked the experience to have anything to say.

In a stroke of luck, for my BBAW interview, I was paired with Lisa of Lit and Life. Lisa, like me, is a newcomer to the book blogger world. We get each other. We remember what it's like to be new because we are new. My anxiety went away, and in the process, I learned about the author of a blog I will certainly be following from now on!

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And here is Lisa in all her glory:

1. An oldie but a good: what is your favorite book and why?

Pride and Prejudice; I love the dialogue between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy.

2. I see that you like flea marketing (and I can relate!); do you look for books there as well?

The only books I look for at flea markets are old children's books, which I collect. I'm pretty picking about buying used books; it's terrible to say but I don't like them once their pages are yellowed.

3. Since you love both cooking and reading, what is your cookbook collection like?

I do have a fairly big cookbook collection but don't use them as much as I should. I'm pretty prone to freelancing when I cook.

4. What is your favorite movie adaptation of a book?

That's a tough one! I love movies but I'm not always happy with adaptations of books I like. I do really like the most recent adaptation of Pride and Prejudice but mostly for the scene at the end in the field!

5. Do your husband and children share your love of reading?

All of the guys in my house like to read but none of them read as much as I do. My daughter really doesn't like to read which makes me so sad. I keep trying to find her that book that will really grab her and turn her into a reader.

6. What have been the highlights of blogging for you? Any negatives?

I have been happily surprised with the sense of community in the book blogging world. I really feel like I'm making friends, even if that makes my family laugh at me. The only negative is that I've become somewhat addicted to reading blogs now--which makes my TBR list grow daily but cuts into my reading time.

7. What criteria do you use when reviewing books?

I like to start my actual review with the things I liked about a book. I've been lucky since I started blogging in May and haven't picked up anything yet that I've had a hard time doing this. Next I'll get into what I didn't like about the book. But I always try to end on a positive note--even if it were just to say that maybe this just wasn't the right book for me or that it wasn't the right time for me to read it.

8. On your blog, you list the top five books you've read this year; why those five?

The Help, City of Thieves and The Housekeeper and The Professor all had wonderful characters first and foremost. The Mighty Queens of Freeville was such a positive book and made me laugh. People of the Book has this fabulous looks back into history. And I felt like all of them were really well written.

9. How do you choose your quotes of the day come from?

I've used several sources for my quotes. Sometimes I just starting going down a list until I find something I like. Sometimes I'm looking for something particular. I started with the idea to only use book related quotes but that went by the wayside one day when I found a really funny quote I wanted to use. My sister even sent me the one about the grandfather.

10. Do you have any plans for your blog looking forward?

I'm hoping to get my very computer-savvy son to help me put together a header and go to a three-column format. I love when I can figure out how to change or add something new on it. After the first of the year, I'm toying with the idea of hosting a challenge.

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Again, please check out Lisa's blog at Lit and Life, as she truly has a wonderful writing style!

BBAW Giveaway: Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell (Friday)

In support of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I will be hosting five giveaways: one for each day of BBAW. Though I will be posting them all on Monday, they will each represent one of the BBAW days, and will run until Sunday. For Friday's giveaway: Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. Here's a description:

From the author of Blink and The Tipping Point, a new book that asks: why are people successful? For centuries, humankind has grappled with this question, searching for the secret to accomplishing great things. This book takes us on a journey to show us what makes an overachiever. It reveals that we pay more attention to what successful people are like, and little attention to where successful people are from.

The Rules

1. The contest will run until midnight EST on September 20th.
2. This giveaway is limited to the United States and Canada only.
3. To enter, just leave a comment with your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you win.
4. For additional entries, you can:

+1 Follow my blog
+1 Subscribe by reader
+1 Subscribe by e-mail
+3 Post on your blog about this contest (either sidebar or post is
fine; include the link in your comment)

5. Please post a separate comment for each entry.

Good luck!

BBAW Giveaway: The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand (Thursday)

In support of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I will be hosting five giveaways: one for each day of BBAW. Though I will be posting them all on Monday, they will each represent one of the BBAW days, and will run until Sunday. For Thursday's giveaway: The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand. Here's a description:

Greg and Tess MacAvoy are one of four prominent Nantucket couples who count each other as best friends. As pillars of their close-knit community, the MacAvoys, Kapenashes, Drakes, and Wheelers are important to their friends and neighbors, and especially to each other. But just before the beginning of another idyllic summer, Greg and Tess are killed when their boat capsizes during an anniversary sail. As the warm weather approaches and the island mourns their loss, nothing can prepare the MacAvoy's closest friends for what will be revealed.

Once again, Hilderbrand masterfully weaves an intense tale of love and loyalty set against the backdrop of endless summer island life.

The Rules

1. The contest will run until midnight EST on September 20th.
2. This giveaway is limited to the United States and Canada only.
3. To enter, just leave a comment with your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you win.
4. For additional entries, you can:

+1 Follow my blog
+1 Subscribe by reader
+1 Subscribe by e-mail
+3 Post on your blog about this contest (either sidebar or post is
fine; include the link in your comment)

5. Please post a separate comment for each entry.

Good luck!

BBAW Giveaway: My Name Is Will by Jess Winfield (Wednesday)

In support of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I will be hosting five giveaways: one for each day of BBAW. Though I will be posting them all on Monday, they will each represent one of the BBAW days, and will run until Sunday. For Wednesday's giveaway: My Name Is Will by Jess Winfield. Here's a description:

Willie Shakespeare Greenberg is not living up to his name. It's 1986, and instead of finishing his thesis on the Bard, this grad student is saying "yes" to drugs, bedding coeds, and delivering a giant psychedelic mushroom to a mysterious collector. Meanwhile (or rather, back in 1582), would-be playwright William Shakespeare is an eighteen-year-old Latin teacher whose world is turned upside down when a stranger entrusts him with a sacred relic from Rome, drawing him into an underground network of Catholic dissidents.

The Rules

1. The contest will run until midnight EST on September 20th.
2. This giveaway is limited to the United States and Canada only.
3. To enter, just leave a comment with your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you win.
4. For additional entries, you can:

+1 Follow my blog
+1 Subscribe by reader
+1 Subscribe by e-mail
+3 Post on your blog about this contest (either sidebar or post is
fine; include the link in your comment)

5. Please post a separate comment for each entry.

Good luck!

BBAW Giveaway: BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker (Tuesday)

In support of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I will be hosting five giveaways: one for each day of BBAW. Though I will be posting them all on Monday, they will each represent one of the BBAW days, and will run until Sunday. For Tuesday's giveaway: BoneMan's Daughters by Ted Dekker. Here's a description:

They call him BoneMan, a serial killer who's abducted six young women. He's the perfect father looking for the perfect daughter, and when his victims fail to meet his lofty expectations, he kills them by breaking their bones and leaving them to die.

Intelligence officer Ryan Evans, on the other hand, has lost all hope of ever being the perfect father. His daughter and wife have written him out of their lives.

Everything changes when BoneMan takes Ryan's estranged daughter, Bethany, as his seventh victim. Ryan goes after BoneMan on his own.

But the FBI sees it differently. New evidence points to the suspicion that Ryan is BoneMan. Now the hunter is the hunted, and in the end, only one father will stand.

The Rules

1. The contest will run until midnight EST on September 20th.
2. This giveaway is limited to the United States and Canada only.
3. To enter, just leave a comment with your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you win.
4. For additional entries, you can:

+1 Follow my blog
+1 Subscribe by reader
+1 Subscribe by e-mail
+3 Post on your blog about this contest (either sidebar or post is
fine; include the link in your comment)

5. Please post a separate comment for each entry.

Good luck!

BBAW Giveaway: Hollywood Is Like High School With Money by Zoey Dean (Monday)

In support of Book Blogger Appreciation Week, I will be hosting five giveaways: one for each day of BBAW. Though I will be posting them all on Monday, they will each represent one of the BBAW days, and will run until Sunday. For Monday's giveaway: Hollywood Is Like High School With Money by Zoey Dean. Here's a description:

Twenty-four-year old Taylor Henning has just landed her dream job as an assistant at a major movie studio. But when her catty coworkers trick her into almost getting fired, she realizes that the old saying "Hollywood is like school with money" just may be true. The thing is, Taylor wasn't exactly a social butterfly in high school--how is she supposed to do any better the second time around?

That's when she meets her boss's popular sixteen-year-old daughter Quinn, and has an epiphany: maybe this teenager can teach her how to use her queen bee tactics to succeed in the Hollywood popularity contest. Quinn comes up with a plan to teach Taylor one lesson a week--everything from "Fake it 'til you make it" to "It's *never* your fault"--and soon Taylor finds herself winning the war against rival assistant Kylie. Until, that is, she's directed to steal Kylie's boyfriend, and something happens that's not in the game plan: Taylor falls for the guy. Now she must do the impossible--harness her inner mean girl while staying true to herself.

The Rules

1. The contest will run until midnight EST on September 20th.
2. This giveaway is limited to the United States and Canada only.
3. To enter, just leave a comment with your e-mail address so that I can contact you if you win.
4. For additional entries, you can:

+1 Follow my blog
+1 Subscribe by reader
+1 Subscribe by e-mail
+3 Post on your blog about this contest (either sidebar or post is
fine; include the link in your comment)

5. Please post a separate comment for each entry.

Good luck!