So this awesome giveaway is courtesy of the lovely folks at Simon and Schuster Canada. What’s up for grabs, you ask? Well the following three wonderful YA books!
Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
Possession by Elana Johnson
Thirst No.4 by CHristopher Pike
This contest is opened to Canada and the US. Just leave a comment telling me what YA book you are dying to get your hands on (besides these three, of course!). Contest ends Sept. 2nd, 11:59pm EST.
So, I have a signed copy of Lost on Brier Island up for grabs! But first, my review. You know, so you can see the awesomeness that you could win. 🙂
I hate when my brain refuses to come up with a description for a book besides “sweet” or “cute”. I always feel that it comes off as a cop-out and that I’m not doing the book – or the author – justice. But Jo Ann Yhard’s Lost on Brier Island is a sweet book. And it was cute, too. And I absolutely, positively loved it.
I really, really loved everything about this book. The writing, the premise, the setting, the characters. It was a great mix of mystery, sadness, lightness and character development.
I loved seeing the growth in Alex as she moves from a sullen, sad girl who really didn’t want to be on Brier Island to opening up to what life and the island have to offer her. And as an animal lover her relationship with Daredevil and how he helped her heal, really struck a chord with me. And I think it will with everyone who reads it.
Lost on Brier Island is the perfect summertime read regardless of your age.
Thanks so much to Nimbus Publishing for not only sending me a review copy, but for sending a SECOND one when the first one got lost. 🙂
GIVEAWAY time!!!!
So excited to me able to give one you you lucky Canadian readers a signed copy of Lost on Brier Island. Jo Ann is one of my fave authors and fave peeps in general.
To enter tell me of a close encounter of the animal kind that you’ve had. Contest closes Sept 1st 11:59 EST.
So, in the excitement of my brother in law’s wedding yesterday (congrats James and Nicole!) I totally forgot to post a giveaway. It was written and EVERYTHING. So today shall be a double giveaway day. Yay!!!
My third blogoversary giveaway is courtesy of the wonderful folks at HarperCollins Canada. It’s a trade paperback of The Lost Girls by Jennifer Baggett, Holy C. Corbett and Amanda Pressner. While I haven’t read it (yet) I’ve been hearing a lot of positive buzz about it.
Giveaway number four is an ARC of Bedbugs by Ben H. Winters. If you love horror, then this is right up your alley. The description had me cringing and itching. I shall be buying it when it comes out. Thanks to Random House for offering up the ARC.
To enter to win The Lost Girls just leave a comment and let me know where you would take off to for a little soul searching. If you want to win Bedbugs just tell me something that totally freaks you out. Feel free to enter to win both in one comment. Oh, and you have to be Canadian. Contest closes 11:59 pm EST on August 31th.
Happy blogoversary to me. Happy blogoversary to me. Happy blogoversary dear Lavender Lines. Happy blogoversary to meeee. Â Oh, and to youuuuuuu. Â Cuz I have some awesome stuff for you guys! I started the giveaways a day early yesterday, but for the actual BIG DAY I have one of my favorite books of the past year for you. Signed. Oh, and doodled on. Pretty cool, eh?
Up for grabs is one personalized copy of Ashes, Ashes by Jo Treggiari. (I just found out I get to met Jo in September at Word on the Street Halifax. Color me excited and fan-girly.) Â I frigging LOVED this book. I mean it. Here’s a link to my review in case you don’t believe me.
This one’s open to Canada and the US folks. Just comment and let me know an author that you would DIE to meet. (Well, not die literally. You know what I mean.) Contest closes 11:59pm EST August 29th.
So, I tend not to read a lot of non-fiction, but that’s something I’m hoping to change this year. I’m currently readin Jann Arden’s memoir and totally loving it!
But enough about me. My first giveaway is an awesome pack of 3 non-fiction ARCS of upcoming Random House Canada books:
Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness – Alexandra Fuller
Through the Glass – Shannon Moroney
Unquenchable – Natalie MacLean
These all look like amazing books. I may have added each to my massive, staggering wish-list. 🙂
So, how can you win them? First, you have to be in Canada. (Don’t worry, my international friends. I have some goodies coming up for  you guys.) Secondly, leave me a comment and tell me what non-fiction book I MUST read.  Contest will run until 11:59pm EST,  August 28th.
Yeppers, guys and dolls. Friday is my 2 year blogoversary as Lavender Lines.  And it couldn’t have come at a better time. For those of you who follow the blog or follow me on Twitter, then you know, book wise, the last couple of months have been rough. I haven’t really been reading a lot and haven’t been loving what I was reading. After a dismal June and July I took August off to decide what I wanted to do. I seriously thought about shutting down the blog and not reviewing anymore. It was the worst reading slump I’ve ever been in.
There were several reasons, I think, that I hated reading. It was hard to admit some of the reasons to myself. But I love all of you guys and feel like we’re friends. So I wanna let you guys know what’s been going on.
First of all, Â you may or may not know that I held an online book auction to raise money for Slave Lake Library. It was hugely successful and with over a hundred auction items it raised almost $5,000. But man, running an online auction all by yourself? DRAINING. I’m happy that I did it, but when it ended mid June I was physically and emotionally wiped. I’m still tying up loose ends. Was it worth it? Hell yeah. Would I ever do it again all on my own? Hell to the NO.
About a week into the auction the hubs decided we were going to go forward and open a used bookstore. While he and his best bud John did almost all of the renovations to our building, I gathered, sorted, inventoried and shelved over a thousand books for the store. Then we opened. And I averaged about $10 a day in sales. And I forgot that I pretty much hate talking to strangers and trying to get them to buy something. Also turns out I have a mini panic attack when referring books to people I don’t know. So my dream wasn’t quite the reality. Then we got hit with an infestation of earwigs at the beginning of August. The store has been closed since. Which my brain took as a failure. And since my brain was still exhausted from the auction, well, it wasn’t a happy situation.
The main reason, though was that most times I don’t feel like I’m a very good book blogger. I’m finding it harder and harder each review to really put into words my feelings, besides “I liked it, you should read it.” And, when you read a book that you know you should love and you were just meh about it, it’s hard to review. Â There’s also the fact that I am so frigging behind on review books it isn’t even funny. I hate to admit this, but I have books from 2009 that I requested and haven’t read yet. I mean, I ASKED for the books. The publisher took the time AND the money to send them to me, fully believing that I would review them, and hopefully in a timely manner. Â But I’ve found that I don’t do well with schedules when it comes to reading. I’m more of a “grab a book that appeals to me” and read it kinda reader. I have every intention of reader my backlog of review books. But when I look at the shelf, I get panicky and anxious. And I feel horrible and like a failure that I haven’t read them yet. Which makes me not want to read them. It’s a horrible cycle to be stuck in.
So, yeah, those are the main reasons I’ve hated anything book related the past couple of months. But this past week  I’ve felt myself coming out of it. I’ve read three books and loved each one. And I’ve decided that I would continue book blogging, but will be taking a bit of a different approach to it, for my own sanity.
Random.org choose Jody Bernard as the winner of the ARC of Bargains and Betrayals.
Congrats Jody!!!
Heya folks! Yeah, I know I said I was taking August off, but I have a wicked ARC giveaway that couldn’t wait. Up for grabs is one ARC of Shannon Delany’s Bargains and Betrayals. I LOVED the first book, 13 to Life and I’m about half way through the second, Secrets and Shadows. And when I’m done I have my very own ARC of Bargains and Betrayals that I’ll be digging into.
So, bet you wanna know how you can win, eh? Well, as always it’s easy as chocolate pie with a mile of whip cream (sorry, I’m having a craving). Just comment and let me know something fun you’ve done this summer. Or that you want to do. This is a short one and will be all wrapped up on the 4th of August. It’s also opened internationally. (YAY!)
Merci lots to St. Martin’s Press for the ARC. This is my first giveaway of a St. Martin’s Press book, I believe. Pretty cool.
Lavender Lines 