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.
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.
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.
Publisher:Â Penguin Canada
Released:Â May 10th, 2011
Genre:Â non-fiction, health, food
From publisher for blog tour.
What impact do food choices have on your health? Have you ever been curious as to where your food came from, who grew it, and the path it took to get to your table? Have you every wondered how much of each natural resource was used to produce your food—in other words, the soil-to-table environmental cost? In Whole Foods to Thrive, Brendan Brazier clearly explains how nutrient-dense, plant-based foods are the best choice, not only for your health but also for the health and sustainability of the planet.
Versatile and packed with flavor, whole foods have an abundance of health benefits for those who want sustainable energy, high-quality sleep, physical strength, and mental sharpness. Whole Foods to Thrive builds upon Brendan’s stress-busting, energy-boosting approach to nutrition and food introduced in his acclaimed bestseller The Thrive Diet, and includes 200 delicious, easy-to-make, plant based recipes that are all allergen-free and contain no wheat, yeast, gluten, soy, dairy, or corn.
• Breakfast Cereals • Salads • Dressings, Dips, and Sauces • Soups and Sides • Burgers, Wraps, Pizza, and Rice Bowls• Cookies, Ice Cream, and Pies • Kale Chips and Nori Crisps• Energy Bars and Gels
Features recipes for dishes such as • Gorilla Food Green Tacos • Quinoa Falafels • Indian-Spiced Lentil Hemp Burgers • Maple Crispy Rice Treats.
From Penguin Canada website.
This book seriously gave me some food for thought (no pun intended. Well maybe just a little). Brazier talks about food in relation to stress and this is definitely something I’ve never really thought about.  I mean, I know that eating healthy is important but he explains how there’s eating healthy and then there’s eating healthy.  I’m not going to go into it here in the review because I would most likely screw up the science, but he presents a solid case for eating whole foods and explains that there’s a huge difference between filling up and being full. And the way he explained everything, although very scientific, also made a lot of sense and I found myself going  “Uh huh, yup” a few times.
This isn’t just a book where Brazier explains the concept of whole foods: about half of the book is recipes using the recommended whole foods. Â There are a lot of great recipes in this book, folks. So it’s kinda like getting two books for the price of one.
Here’s just one of the recipes from the book. You’ll notice it has chocolate in it. 🙂
Chocolate Almond Smoothie with Sacha Inchi Milk
Rich in protein and omega-3, this smoothie will keep you going for hours with
sustainable, non-stimulating energy.
Time: 5 minutes • Makes about 3 ½ cups (2 large servings)
1 banana
2 fresh or presoaked dried dates
1 cup water
1 cup Sacha Inchi Milk (or chocolate variation) (see p. 126)
¼ cup almonds (or 2 tbsp raw almond butter)
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tbsp hemp protein powder
1 tbsp roasted carob powder
• In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.
Giveaway time!!!!
I have, for one lucky Canadian, a wonderful prize pack containing six Vega smoothie mixes (either Shake & Go Smoothie mixes or Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer mixes) in an assortment of flavours like Vanilla Chai, Bodacious Berry, and Choc-a-Lot. Yummy!
Entering is easy (as always). Just leave me a comment. Say hello. Tell me what the weather’s like in your neck of the woods. Talk about your favorite summer food. It really doesn’t matter what you want to chat about. 🙂 Contest ends June 5th at 11:59 Est and is open to Canada only.
Publisher: Random House Canada
Released: Jan 26th, 2010
Genre: non-fiction, animals
For blog tour.
What do Mickey Mouse, Ganesh, a leopard-skin pillbox hat, A Lion Called Christian, and the Aflac duck have in common? They all represent human beings’ deeply ingrained connection to the animal kingdom. In Being With Animals, anthropologist Barbara King unravels the complexity and enormous significance of this relationship.   Â
Animals rule our existence. You can see this in the billions of dollars Americans pour out each year for their pets, in the success of books and films such as Marley and Me, in the names of athletic teams, in the stories that have entertained and instructed children (from The Cat in the Hat back to well before Aesop created his fables), in the animal deities that pervade the most ancient forms of religion (and which still appear in sublimated forms today), to the paintings on the cave walls of Lascaux. The omnipresence of animal beings in our lives–whether real or fictional–is something so enormous that people take often it for granted, never wondering why animals remain so much a part of human life. It has continuously maintained a powerful spiritual, transcendent quality over the tens of thousands of years that Homo sapiens have walked the earth. Why?Â
King looks at this phenomenon, from the most obvious animal connections in daily life and culture and over the whole of human history, to show the various roles animals have played in all civilizations. She ultimately digs deeply into the importance of the human-animal bond as key to our evolution, as a significant spiritual aspect of understanding what truly makes us human, and looks ahead to explore how our further technological development may, or may not, affect these important ties.
From Random House Canada website.
My name is Colleen and I love animals. You could almost say that my life revolves around them. When we bought our house a year and a half ago we didn’t really care about the flooring, or the wall color or the kitchen. We were looking to see if we could fit all of our bird and bunny cages into the space. And during renovations, 6 wild cats moved into our house. We now have 6 dogs, 12 cats, 2 bunnies and 6 birds. Most of them rescues. So I felt a deep connection to Barbara J. King and her book Being with Animals. A book all about our connection with animals? Yeah, I was all over that.
I found this book enjoyable. It took me a chapter or two to get into it, but I think that has more to do with the fact that I don’t read a lot of non-fiction. It’s cool that way, way, way back in time people loved and worshiped animals. I mean, I knew about Egypt and how cats were worshiped, but I didn’t realize that there were other cultures and even earlier time periods that had a special bond with animals.
I think the thing I found the most appealing was King’s obvious enthusiasm for the topic and her deep, deep love and appreciation of animals. For me, it made all the difference. There’s a lot of factual information in this book and it had the potential to come off textbooky and I think it would have been fairly dry if someone else had written it. But King puts in just the right amount of her own personality and experiences that the book is interesting to read.
I think that anyone that loves animals or is interested in our history with animals will enjoy Being with Animals.
Giveaway time!!!!!
Okay, I have one copy to give away to someone in the US or Canada. All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me something animal-related. It can be how many animals you share your life with, your favorite TV or movie animals or the weirdest/coolest pet name.  The contest will run until the end of the month and then I’ll randomly pick a winner. 🙂
If you’ve read my review of Arranged by Catherine McKenzie, then you know how much I loved the book and how much I adore the author. Catherine is one of my favorite Canadian authors for sure. And I’m so happy that I get the chance to do a Q & A with her! Oh, and I also have one finished copy of Arranged to give away to a lucky Canadian reader. And tonight is the official launch party for Arranged. Congrats Catherine!
Thank you so much for stopping by today Catherine! I loved Arranged and I’m so glad to get the chance to pick your brain. :0)
LL: As you were writing Arranged, were you at all worried that some cultures that still have arranged marriages might not embrace the book?
CM: Sure, I always worry about that a little since both of my novels, though comedic, deal with issues that are serious (addiction in Spin, arranged marriages in Arranged). But I also try to keep in mind that you also can’t please everyone, and I try, as much as possible within the confines of the story, to be respectful.
LL: Anne’s mom is pretty much obsessed with Anne of Green Gables (which I loved, being from PEI). I take it that you yourself are a fan of the red-headed heroine?
CM: I am a huge fan of Anne of Green Gables and have read the Anne series of books more times that I can count. Having red hair and green eyes myself (and a tendency to gab a bit too much), Anne is someone I’ve always related to. If you haven’t read these books, please do so!
LL:Â Arranged has a scene that is a tad bit, well, steamy, at least compared to your first novel, Spin. Is it awkward or weird for you to write lovey-dovey (aka sex) scenes?
CM: It’s both! Honestly, when I wrote the first sex scene, I was worried about trying to get the balance right. But I thought it was important to the story that those scenes be realistic and more than a simple kiss-and-cut-to-the-next-morning moment. It was certainly awkward having friends and family read it for the first time though!
LL:Â Arranged had a very rom-com movie feel to it. If it was ever turned into a movie, who would your dream cast be?
CM: I generally don’t think about what movie actors might be good to play the characters in my books, and so, no one immediately comes to mind for Anne. I did always sort of imagine Jack as a James Tupper (Men in Trees) type, though.
LL: I’m always curious about what music writers listen to when working on certain projects. Were there any songs or artists that helped make Arranged what it is?
CM: Wow, that’s a tough one because I actually wrote the first drafts of Arranged in 2006/2007. I do often write to music, and at that time I was likely listening to a lot of Ryan Adams, David Gray, Matt Nathanson, John Mayer and the Counting Crows. During revisions I was listening to a lot of Mozella. I also tend to get really into a song and play it on repeat with my headphones on as a way to get energy from a song and tune it out at the same time. True story: I have sometimes thought of keeping notes of what I was listening to when when writing a particular book to be able to answer questions just like this. But I never did it. Guess I didn’t really believe I’d ever get published 🙂
Thanks again Catherine! Thank you, Colleen! And so glad you enjoyed the book.
The giveaway!!!
As I said, I have one finished copy of Arranged to give away to a lucky Canadian reader. Hmm, what question should I ask you guys to answer? I know! Have you ever met somebody in an unusual way that you ended up dating/marrying? If you haven’t don’t worry:  you’ll still be entered. Since I met the hubs through a personal ad and my folks met when the girl that was supposed to go out with my Dad chickened out and bribed my Mom to go I like hearing about how couples met. 🙂
The contest will be opened until January 25th.
*Important*
Okay, OMG Kelley and her assistant, Alison, ROCK.  After I retweeted the change to the contest, Kelley tweeted me that she could fix my international problem.  I just got an email from Alison and I once again have an international ARC of The Gathering to giveaway. So, that’s two Canadian ARCs and one International ARC. Awesome, right? I love authors who go that extra distance. 😛
So in my excitement about this giveaway I forgot that it was supposed to ONLY be for Canadians. I know, I know, I suck. International peeps feel free to throw virtual eggs and rotten tomatoes at me. Â Unfortunately both ARCs will have to go to Canadians.
But, I want to do something for you international folks so here goes: whoever wins internationally, wherever you are, I’ll buy you a copy of The Gathering when it’s published in your area. I know it’s not the same as receiving an ARC, but it’s the best I can do. AND it is still a free book. If I’m feeling generous (or even more guilty) I may throw another book the winner’s way.
OMG you guys, so I literally just opened the package and wanted to get this giveaway under way ASAP, because I know there are a lot of you out there (like me) who are chomping at the bit to read this one. Â And I am beyond excited that I have two -yes TWO – copies to give away.
So, who would like to get their grubby little mitts on an Advanced Reading Copy of Kelley Armstrong’s The Gathering? If you have no idea what book I’m talking about, please move on. Just kidding. Â Here’s the summary from Random House Canada’s website:
Maya lives in a small medical-research town on Vancouver Island. How small? You can’t find it on the map. It has less than two-hundred people, and her school has only sixty-eight students — for every grade from kindergarten to twelve. Now, strange things are happening in this claustrophobic town, and Maya’s determined to get to the bottom of them. First, the captain of the swim team drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. A year later, mountain lions start appearing around Maya’s home, and they won’t go away. Her best friend, Daniel, starts getting negative vibes from certain people and things. It doesn’t help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret — and he’s interested in one special part of Maya’s anatomy: Her paw-print birthmark.
Juicy, juicy, JUICY! This is gonna be sooo frigging GOOD! Â I worship the ground Kelley writes on and can’t believe that I get to read this 4 months before it comes out! So COOL. (Forgive me the overuse of caps and exclamation marks. If this was a vlog I’d be yelling in my excitement.)
So, the contest. As I said Random House Canada was generous enough to send me TWO ARCs of The Gathering to give away.One will be for Canadians only and the other will be opened internationally. I suck, see above note. To enter all you have to do is comment below, let me know if you are Canadian or international and tell me of one upcoming book that has you using all caps and exclamation points galore anytime you blog, Facebook or Tweet about it. No need to be a follower, tweet the contest or me up or post the contest on your blog – but feel free to do so if you want.
The contest will run until the 25th of January.
SO excited about this! YAAAAY!!!!!!!! 😛
Publisher: Ang’dora Productions
Released: December 15th, 2010
Genre: Adult paranormal, romance
For review from author
Defending souls is her purpose…but can she save her own?
Lost in despair, Alexis teeters on the edge of an abyss, her lifeline of hope fraying into a thin thread. If it snaps, she’ll plunge into complete darkness. With the help of her son and her writing, she’s been able to hold on. Until now. Erratic impulses, disturbing delusions and her own demonic blood threaten her sanity. When she’s forced to choose between hanging onto hope or letting go to serve her Amadis purposes, she faces a decision with inconceivable sacrifices.
Alexis runs to the one place she thinks will provide answers, only to find herself at the center of another battle of good versus evil, not only with the Daemoni, not only within herself…but also against the worst opponent imaginable. But even if she wins, what will she lose?
From the author’s website.
*Disclaimer*
I know I said this review would be up yesterday and that had been my plan. But my crappy mattress and insomnia banded together and my brain was like mush. If I had written the review yesterday it would have sounded much like all the adults in the Peanut cartoons.
I love when a sequel blows me away. You know, when you enjoyed the first book in the series, but then you hit the next book and it’s like “Whoa, this is some great stuff!”. Â Well, that’s what happened when I read Kristie Cooke’s second book in her Soul Savers series, Purpose.
I really, really liked this book. Really, really. While there is some romance in it, it wasn’t as romancey as the first book and that was just fine by me.  There was more mythos, action and bad guys and a lot more Owen (who, BTW, is my fave).
Purpose takes place a few years after Promise, and Alexis is not in a good place. I think my only issue with the book was that the first third of it was so frigging depressing. I honestly wanted to reach into the pages and shake the crap out of Alexis. She wanders around pretty depressed and teary-eyed for the first part of the book. She’s gone through something pretty traumatic and can’t seem to get over it. I just wish she hadn’t been quite as gloomy as she was. But she does eventually snap out of it, and for me that’s when the book really took off.
The writing in Purpose was better than the writing in Promise. I know that seems like a bit of an obnoxious thing to say, but it’s true. While Promise wasn’t badly written, there just seemed to be a better to flow to the writing in Purpose. Kristie was really in a cool writing grove.
I think some people that read and enjoyed Promise for the romance may be a bit surprised that Purpose isn’t as romance based. At least it didn’t seem that way to me. And for a chick who prefers her paranormal with just a dash of romance, it was the perfect balance.
GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!
Yay! So, I have one copy of Purpose to give away to a lucky reader. All you have to do is comment below and let me know of a sequel that  you enjoyed more than the first book or what sequel you are most looking forward to (beside Purpose) in 2011. The contest is open to Canada and the US and I’ll pick the winner on Christmas eve.*
*Yeah, so I’m going to extend this contest until the 8th of January because I took a bit of a blog break and so wasn’t promoting it.
Lavender Lines 