Winning Wednesday 25 Nov 2009 (short edition)

Hi everyone, this is going to be a sadly&unusually short Winning Wednesday post cause I got home at 7 pm tonight and am very tired after the first day at a new maybe job (maybe job because they haven't decided if they really want to employ me or not, and of course I haven't really decided if I want to stay, we haven't talked money or contracts yet, but it would be a position in sales - both domestic and exportation - for a small, family-owned firm which produces and sells luxury furniture).

So, I'm not really listing many giveaways in this post; only compilations of links or very, very interesting contests.

First of all: my own giveaway! Win your choice of a book up to €12 (that should be about $17-18) from the BookDepository. Open to anywhere in the world BookDepository ships to, which I am told is pretty much the whole world (to be certain, check on their FAQ page the list of countries they deliver to). Ends Dec 6 at midnight GMT+1, and if more than 100 people enter, I'm going to choose two winners. Check out all the details and enter on this post.

You can also check out Katrina Stonoff's Monday Giveaways, done regularly every Monday on her blog. This week she's giving away any book readily available for $25 or less. Open to anyone in the world who has access to "reliable mail service" (yes, I do wonder if the Italian post system can be labelled as such... well, I'm entering the giveaway all the same, lol). Next Monday, Katrina is going to choose two winers from one of her many beautiful hats!

Also check out Melissa Walker's Win-It Wednesday feature. She has a different (YA) book up for grabs every Wednesday if you answer her question. This week she's giving away The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas (I want it!). Enter before next Wednesday.

For many interesting contests, most of them open worldwide, check out the Contest page on The Book Resort (awesome blog, BTW).

If you like YA fiction, a good stop is The Story Siren, not only because Kristi's blog is awesome (she has over 1000 followers - can you imagine it?!), but also because she always has many contests going on, some international, some US (or US&Canada) only.

Huge Thanksgiving Giveaway (5 books for 5 winners) at Peace Love & Pat book reviews. International and ending on Dec 4.

Another awesome contest is at Book Bound. Three winners (or even more, depending on the number of entries) will be able to spend up to $20 in books at the BookDepository. Open internationally and ends on Dec 18. How generous is that?

Two ARCs by Lauren Kate (Fallen and The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove) are up for grabs at Steph Su Reads! Awesome, isn't it? This is an international contest ending on Dec 10.

Win Bad Apple by Laura Ruby at Books at Midnight. Open internationally and ends on December 11, 11:59 EST.

Win a gift voucher for your Christmas wishlist at Booklover Book Reviews, for a value of $25AUD (or equivalent value in other currencies. Ends Dec 11 at 5 pm (Brisbane, Australia time).

At SFF Chat there's a great giveaway for your choice of a fantasy or science fiction book from their online bookstore. Lots of possible choices, and many extra entries available (especially if you live in Israel, lol). Open internationally; ends on Dec 25.

17 books for 5 winners at The Neverending Shelf's amazing Thank You contest! International and ending on Dec 31.

2 winners will get a book from their wishlist (up to $20 at the BookDepository) at A Passion for Books. Open internationally and ending on Dec 31.

Get to spend up to $16 at the BookDepository, courtesy of YA Vampire Books. International; ends Dec 31.

And the amazing Book Resort has a giveaway for Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves. (Check out that pretty purple cover!). International and ending Dec 31.

A good list of international giveaways can be found every Sunday at Ms Bookish, courtesy of Belle herself. Check out her latest list, updated on Sunday Nov 22.

Of course, there are whole blogs devoted to book giveaways. My favourites are West of Mark - Win A Book! and Contests and Freebies.

Also, if you follow the Book Blogs network on Ning, you can check the three main forums about book giveaways there (at least, that I know of): Book Giveaways, Blogging for Books and Giveaways, and Book Giveaways - Open Internationally. The first two threads include both international and North-America-only contests (you usually have to check the single giveaways to know for sure, because people don't always remember to mention that when they leave a link), while the third thread features only worldwide contests.

There would be so many giveaways to include, but I just don't have time to list them now. As usual, you're more than welcome to use the comments to post links to your own giveaway/list of contests, or to contests that you find on the Web and that you consider worth mentioning. Do your own exploring, and see you next week with a (hopefully) more substantial Winning Wednesday post (which I should find the time to draft in the weekend)!

Video Sunday

I'm creating another regular feature on this blog! It's called Video Sunday (OK, not a very rock-and-roll name, I agree... have any better suggestions? Let's hear 'em) and it will contain... guess what... a video! Possibly, but not always, book-related. Today, just to send off things with a splash, I'm featuring a song by Sara McLachlan which I've recently discovered and love to pieces. It's called Stupid. Here you can watch Sara and her band perform it live. Such a beautiful, haunting song.

I especially love the part that says:

Love has made me a fool
it set me on fire and watched as I floundered
unable to speak
except to cry out and wait for your answer
but you come around in your time
speaking of fabulous places
create an oasis
dries up as soon as you're gone
you leave me here burning
in this desert without you

I think this live version is very good, while the CD track is not as engaging - as far as I can hear from Youtube. There's also another version of the song, called Mark Bell remix, which is more "beat" and absolutely beautiful: you can watch the video on Youtube.

I'm thinking that maybe in the future posts I can feature book trailers, video book reviews (I saw one at Mrs Magoo Reads and I was all, "I want to do one too! Teach me how!". Either I find someone willing to teach me or I'll keep pestering y'all, you know), or possibly a vlog. I love watching other book bloggers' vlogs because it's nice to associate a face to a blog (yeah, there are pictures, but it's not the same as seeing a person in a video), and also to hear everyone's voices. I found some software to record a vlog a while back, and if (big if, considering my very limited technical skills) I can learn to use it, you can expect a vlog from me! So you can all hear my terrible Italian accent and beg me never to make another vlog again. Hahahaha. No, I promise, it's not so terrible. Or at least I can make an effort :)

In other news, my dad fixed my grandfather's old exercise camera for me, and I've been cycling like crazy ever since. I like to do it while reading a book, so I get distracted and don't notice the minutes tickling by. My mum says it's not really going to work if I read a book while exercising. Maybe she thinks I'm not doing it fast enough when I'm reading, but she's wrong. My brother says I need to get on that bike every time I feel hungry and it's not mealtime. I did it just now, and although the endorphines releasing in my body are very nice and relaxing, I'm still hungry as hell. Slimming down is going to take a long, long time, I suspect.

Sneak A Peek Mystery Contest at Princess Bookie!

Well, apparently Cindy of Princess Bookie wants to have a contest to celebrate Thanksgiving & Christmas all together: the Sneak A Peak Mystery Contest (don't you just love the name?). We don't know yet what will be in the contest, but here's a hint:

Hint: 8 Books total. One of which has been in ALOT of Waiting On Wednesday Posts I've seen lately!!! And another, that I have reviewed in the past 30 days. 

So, when you enter Cindy's contest and start following her, you should write a comment on her blog and say you're a new follower, and link to my blog as referral. Thanks a lot!

Picture Thursday - From We Heart It

OK, I know, I'm really going overboard with these weekly features, and wasn't blog supposed to be about book reviews, anyway? Well, hear what I have to say: who cares?

So, while browsing through All About {n}, I stumbled on this extremely cute website, We Heart It. It's a "visual bookmark site" - you can put a "heart" next to pictures you find on the web and then classify them with tags on your page. Here's my page, if someone wants to have a look - at the moment full of pretty pictures of books, cats, and sometimes books&cats together.

So here's my pic for this week's Picture Thursday. Look at this kitty. It looks very comfortable, doesn't it? Even though a pile of books should be hard, not soft, don't you think? Lol.

From we heart it

News: I have managed to get a couple of decent shots of my own cat, Brutus, with my cell phone camera. I'm going to post them as soon as I download them on the computer. Next week, maybe. Stay tuned.

Winning Wednesday 18 Nov 2009

So, here we are with another week's Winning Wednesday post! Hope you find this list useful and you enter to win fabulous prizes. Yesterday I was happy to receive a beautiful signed hardback copy of Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani, won in a contest at Tattooed Books. I was also informed I have won a copy of Anita Shreve's latest novel, A Change in Altitude, at The Book Rabbit. All in all, a lucky week :)

But I'm ready to put out some good book karma in return. Do you want a free book? (And if you don't, why are you reading this post?) Then, you can enter my very first giveaway! Winner's choice of a book up to €12 from BookDepository.co.uk - open to anywhere the site delivers. Check out the complete details here. Ends December 6, 2009 at midnight GMT+1.

And a very special mention goes to The Great Kindle Giveaway hosted by Bibliofreak. Want a Kindle? Subscribe to Bibliofreak's giveaway and you're entered to win, as easy as that! Check out how you can gain a number of extra entries. Contest ends Dec 18.

Another special mention goes to Trish's Words Move Me Giveaway for a Sony Reader Pocket Edition. I'm not sure if this is international, but there are no geographical restrictions stated. It's international. and ends midnight PST Friday, November 20.

Weekly or monthly regular giveaways

Check out Katrina Stonoff's Monday Giveaway. Remember to enter every week before Sunday at noon for a chance to win! (Edit: there's no giveaway this week, because Katrina is at a retreat for writers. Enjoy your stay, Katrina!)

You can also enter Melissa Walker's Win-It Wednesday contests. This week's contest is not up on her blog yet, but it will certainly be later on. It's Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott! Wow. *is staring at the cover lustfully*

For children's books, check out Lori Calabrese's Fish For a Free Book weekly feature (where readers can link up to their book giveaways) and the blog Winning Readings (which lists giveaways for kids books and Christian fiction). For other lists of children's books giveaways, see Full to the Brim, a regular feature in Brimful Curiosities.

I've also just discovered Gotta Love Giveaways at Layers of Thought - a list of giveaways for mostly sci fi, horror, and fantasy books. It seems to be a regular feature. Great!

For regular updates on book giveaways, you can turn to Cherry's Contests and Freebies blog, or Susan's West Of Mark! Win a Book.

International giveaways

Get a sneak peek at the first chapters of The Dark Divine by Bree Despain, and enter to win random prizes from Bree's Random Prize Grab-Bag (including signed books, TDD nail polish, gift cards, etc.). See The Dark Divine preview at Romantic Times. Enter for the prizes at Bree Despain's blog.

Win a copy of Crocodile Tears by Anthony Horowitz and a goodie bag at The Book Rabbit. Ends tomorrow Nov, 18 - hurry up and enter, if you want to!

Win Fallen by Lauren Kate at The Neverending Shelf. Ends today, Nov 18, so hurry up!

Justine Larbalestier giveaway at Devourer of Books! One winner will get Liar, another How To Ditch Your Fairy. You can enter for either book or both. Ends tomorrow, Nov 19; hurry up and enter!

Win They Call Me Naughty Lola at Inner Pickle. It's a collection of the best London Review of Books personal ads, and apparently very funny. Ends Nov 20 at 8 pm AEST.

A total of seven YA books are up for grabs at YA Book Queen. There will be three winners. Ends Nov 20.

Win a book of your choice from Victoria Schwab! Watch her video, pick a book from her bookshelf, tell her which one you want, and you are entered to win! Ends this Friday, Nov 20. Dont know for sure if it is international or not.

Win The Harlot's Progress by Peter Mottley at Hist-Fic Chick. Ends Nov 22.

Win some of the best (YA) books of 2009 at I Should Be Writing. Ends Nov 22.

You can win a copy of Willoughby's Return byJane Odiwe  at Stephanie's Written Word. Come on, don't you love Jane Austen spin-offs? I most definitely do. Ends November 23.

Win Under The Dome by Stephen King at The Book Rabbit. Ends Nov 24 at noon (I think).

Win A Courtesan's Scandal by Julia London at Book Junkie. Ends Nov 25.

A copy of Fallen by Lauren Kate is available at Pure Imagination. Ends Nov 25.

To celebrate her fourth (!) blogiversary, Marg of Reading Adventures is giving away one out of four books to a lucky reader, plus some bookmarks painted by her. Ends Nov 25. Congratulations and many happy blogiversaries for you, Marg!

Another blogger is celebrating her blogiversary: it's Nish from Nishita's Rants and Reviews. You can choose one of the books in her reading list, and if you win, you get that book! Ends Nov 25,

Win Under the Dome (collector's edition) by Stephen King at RKCharron. Ends Nov 26.

Lisa McMann is giving away 3 ARCs of her new novel Gone (third book in the series after Fade and Wake). at her blog. Enter before Nov 26 at midnight EST. (If you'd rather haveFade or Wake instead, just tell her!).

Win Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran (and an authentic Roman coin, wow) at Made in Canaries. Ends Nov 28.

Various Christmas titles are up for grabs at All About [n]. The last three books are available internationally. Ends Nov 28.

Win War Dances by Sherman Alexis at One Literature Nut. It's not stated if there are geographical restrictions. Ends Nov 30 at midnight, MST.

Win a book among those reviewed by Misty at Book Rat. Two winners. Ends Nov 30.

Your choice out of four books at Mom Musings (I want Beautiful Creatures!). Ends Nov 30.

Win Crossed Wires by Rosie Thornton at The Tome Traveller's Weblog. Ends Nov 30.

Several paranormal/fantasy romance books are up for grabs at Rex's Robot Reviews. Ends Dec 1.

Win any YA book you want (wow!) from Running For Fiction. Ends Dec 1.

Win 1 out of 3 copies of Fallen by Lauren Kate at Reading Cause I'm Addicted. Ends December 1.

Another copy of Fallen by Lauren Kate is up for grabs at The Bookette. Enter before December 2, midnight UK time.

Win Waking the Dead by Kylie Bryant at A Book Blogger's Diary (print copy if winner is in the US, ebook otherwise). Ends Dec 3.

Win Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen & Ben Winters at SciFiChick. Ends Dec 4.

5 copies of Fallen by Lauren Kate are up for grabs at Ellz Reads.Contests for this book are popping up like mushrooms, lol. Let's see if I can win a copy for myself! Ends Dec 4.

Win Thirsty by Tracey Bateman at  All About {n}! Two copies are available. Ends Dec 5.

Win another  5 (!) copies of Fallen by Lauren Kate at A Good Addiction. If you enter Flamingo's contest, tell her I sent you for extra entries! Ends Dec 6 at midnight CST.

Win a signed copy of A Sign For Drowning by Rachel Stolzman at [insert suitable snappy title here...]! I hadn't heard of this book before, but I couldn't resist because the cover is gorgeous. Ends on Dec 7.

The Tainted Poet's YA Book Review is giving away a hardback copy of Sarah Beth Durst's novel Ice. Isn't the cover gorgeous? Ends on Dec 10, midnight your time.

Win The Dark Divine by Bree Despain at Dark Faerie Tales. Ends Dec 14.

Win Lipstick Apology by Jennifer Jabaley at Park-Avenue Princess! Ends Dec 15 at midnight EST. If you join her contest and start following her, please, pretty please say *I* sent you for some nice extra entries, both for me and you!

Win an ARC of In A Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth at Park-Avenue Princess! Ends Dec 16. at midnight EST. I *so* want this. If you join her contest and start following her, please, pretty please say *I* sent you for some nice extra entries, both for me and you!

1000 followers contest at The Story Siren! One extremely lucky winner will get to spend $40 in books. Wow. Ends Dec 18. (I haven't entered this one yet, because you need to tell Kristi which books you want straight away, and I can't decide, lol.) Isn't it huge, to have 1000 followers?! I can't even manage 30 50, lol.

Various YA books and surprise swag goodies (for two to four winners) are up for grabs at Brizmus Blogs Books, as part of her Super Mega Radical Star-Studded 100 Followers Contest. Just reading what you have to do to gain extra entries game me a small headache (in the best possible way, of course), so let's just say that there are tons of ways to gain extra entries if you want. Ends Dec 18 at 8 pm central time.

Win your choice of a Kindle, Sony E-reader, or Nook, as well as other prizes such as gift cards and copies of Liquid Soul by Matthew Carter, at Park-Avenue Princess. Ends Dec 24.

Win Shadowland by Alyson Noel at The Book Resort. Ends Dec 31.

Win The Mark by Jen Nadol at The Book Resort. Ends Dec 31.

Win Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham at The Book Resort. Ends Dec 31.

Win Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves at The Book Resort. Ends Dec 31.

Win The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard at The Book Resort. Ends Dec 31.

Win The Untamed Bride by Stephanie Laurens at The Book Resort. Ends Dec 31.

North America-only giveaways

Win a book of your choice up to $25 at La Femme Readers. US and Canada only, two winners, ends Dec 20.

Win The Blood Coven series by Mari Mancusi at The Story Siren. US only, ends Nov 20.

Book Junkie has 5 copies of It Happened One Night by Lisa Dale up for grabs. US and Canada only, no PO boxes. Ends Nov 22.

5 copies of Survival of the Fiercest by Anne Carey are up for grabs at The Story Siren. US only, ends Nov 25.

Random (non-book) prizes

Win an item of your choice (up yo $20, shipping included) from Artwark's Jewellery at Mom's Focus on Cyber World. Ends today, Nov 18, so hurry up and enter!

What would you choose? A new blog design or a $25 Amazon gift card? Enter to win one of them at With Purpose. Ends this Friday, Nov 20 at 5 am, so you need to hurry!

Win a blog button, business card, or signature design from The Pixel Boutique at Canadian Natural Mama. International, ends Nov 22.

Win a Bagnesia Reusable Bag Reminder Kit from Not the Jet Set. International, ends November 20th at 5:00pm EST.

Enter nitro:licious's HP Envy 13 Laptop giveaway! International, ends Nov 26, 2009 – 11:59pm EST. This doesn't have much to do with books, but... have a look at the pictures, who wouldn't want it? (I've also gotten my brother to enter, lol.) Chances are slim, considering that after only one day there are already about 670 entries, but who knows? The winner might be you!

There's a Mark. Blockbuster Giveaway going on at Aquahearts Makeup Obsession. You can win a make-up case full of cosmetics. International, ends Nov 27.

Congratulations to Crafty Missus D who's having a giveaway to celebrate her second month blogiversary! She's giving away a batik brooch and notebook. One entry per day per person (think, you can enter once a day, lol!) Enter before Nov 30, at noon GMT+1.

Win a $25 Amazon gift card at Gothic Asylum Reviews. You only need to tell Deirdre what you are thankful for. Ends Nov 30.

A bunch of giveaways (books, cosmetics, etc) open at Tara's View of the World. All open to North America only.

Enter for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card at The Book Resort! You only need to tell Diane your favourite name for her new literary agency. Good luck for your business, Diane!

I'm going to stop here, because I've been working non-stop on this post for more than three hours (!) and I'm starting to feel exhausted. Happy contest entering, people!

Giveaway: A Book Of Your Choice

*THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED*

So, people. Christmas is approaching. Would you like to receive a book gift from me? If the answer is yes, then this contest is for you. I'd like to offer one of my readers a book of their choice, for a value of up to €12 at BookDepository (this means most fiction books in paperback and some hardback, too. Sorry for the value limit, but I' sort of broke at the moment.) This contest is open to anywhere in the word BookDepository ships to. You can check here if your country is included (if it isn't, that's too bad. Blame them).

To enter, you simply need to state your name and the book you'd like to win in the form below.You can also gain some extra entries:

+1 if you're a follower (via Google Friend Connect)

+2 if you already were a follower before you heard of this contest

+1 if you tweet abou this contest (please provide link)

+2 if you link to this contest on the sidebar of your blog (please provide link)

+3 if you mention this contest in an actual blog post (please provide link).

Following my blog isn't necessary in order to enter the giveaway, though it might improve your chances of winning. Frankly speaking, I'd like people to follow my blog because they like it, not to win a contest, but you know, seeing the "Followers" box on the sidebar gratifies my vanity, so...

If you want to make the extra entries for following count, PLEASE make sure you enter the form with the same name you follow me under, especially if we haven't talked often. Otherwise, it's going to be too confusing for me to figure out. Thanks.

This contest ends on December 6 at midnight my time (GMT +1). The winner will be announced on this blog as soon as I've finished tallying up entries (let's say either Dec 7 or 8). The winner will then have 3 days to contact me by email to claim the prize, otherwise I'll have to draw another winner. I'm not going to contact you by email if you win - make an effort and check back. If you don't want to miss it, follow my blog, either through Google Friend Connect or a RSS feed reader.

If this giveaway is successful and, say, more than 100 people enter (which I don't find very likely, but who knows? Surprise me), I'll add a second winner.

Winning Wednesday 11 Nov 2009

Hello, everyone! So, here we are with the second post of Winning Wednesday. I have to say it takes quite a bit of work to put together this lists of links, but I think it's totally worth it!

The Winning Wednesday feature is a compilation of nice and generous book giveaways I found in the book blogosphere for every week. We all like winning prizes, so let's see how is giving them away! As usual, don't forget to check out useful resources like Susan Helen Gottfried's blog West of Mars - Win a Book!, or Cherry's Contests and Freebies, which both list many book giveaways going on in the book blogosphere right now.

Regular (weekly or monthly) contests (or compilations)

These are contests which take place regularly, once a week/month. For example, Katrina at Stone Soup has her Monday Book Giveaways- she gives away a book (or more) every Monday, to a lucky commenter who has access to "reliable mail service". This week, she's giving away "any book she has mentioned before": any book that she has given away in the past, or reviewed in one of her blogs, or featured on her giveaway shelves. Remember to comment before next Sunday at noon for a chance to win, and, of course,  check out her blog every Monday!

Melissa Walker has a steady book giveaway every Wednesday (the famous Win-It Wednesday feature). I've never really understood if this is an international giveaway, but I'm assuming it is (if you know for a fact that it isn't, let me know). As I'm writing this, her new giveaway isn't listed on her blog yet. But I suppose it will be in the next few hours.

At the beginning of each month, Alyce at At Home With Books has a Bookshelf Cleaning Giveaway, that is, she gives away three or four books that she read during the previous month. For example, for the November Bookshelf Cleaning Giveaway, she has Fire by Kristin Cashore, The Maze Runner by James Dashner, Shadow of the Sword by Jeremiah Workman, and An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell.This giveaway is restricted to residents of the US and Canada.

A good compilation of YA book giveaways is provided at The Story Siren. At the bottom of each YA Connection weekly post, Kristi has a Mr Linky for people to submit links to their own book giveaways. See, for example, the latest YA Connection post. I found this a very good idea, and there are always a number of interesting contests linked there (that is, if you like YA fiction; if not, there's not much point even looking). Pity many of them are only restricted to the US or North America, but I can understand that, since postage is not getting any cheaper :( Moreover, Kristi herself always has various contests going on at her blog, most North America only, but some international as well, so if you like YA lit, you'd better keep an eye on her blog.

Ongoing giveaways - international

100 Followers Contest at YA Book Queen. Lea is giving away a selection of YA books. Three winners. Ends Nov 20.

MegaBook Giveaway at Teens Read and Write! Become a follower and have a chance of winning one YA book out of their pile. Every 25 followers, they're adding a new winner and book to the pile. This contest is getting huge! For more chances to win, comment on the book reviews of the books in the pile (within 4 days of the publication date). Now they're up to 23 (!) winners who will get a book each. I wonder how many winners will they have at the end of the contest, on Nov 20?

Reggie at The Undercover Book Lover is giving away an ARC of Captivate by Carrie Jones, the much awaited sequel to the amazing Need. You have until Nov 14 to enter. I want to win this so much that it hurts, seriously.

Another copy of Captivate by Carrie Jones is available at The Bookologist. Ends Nov 15 (hurry up!).

Book Rabbit Blog is giving away 10 (yes, ten) brand-new copies of Anita Shreve's latest novel, A Change in Altitude. Ends Nov 16 at noon.

An ARC of Fallen by Lauren Kate is up for grabs at The Neverending Shelf. Leave a comment and tell Kate why you want to read it! Ends Nov 18.

Win Karma for Beginners by Jessica Blank at Melissa's Bookshelf. Ends Nov 21 at 8 pm.

ARCs for some of the best (YA) books of 2009 are the prizes for the contest at I Should Be Writing! Enter before midnight on Nov 22. Five winners (yay!).

A hardcover copy of Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl is up for grabs at Reading Nook! Ends Nov 22.

A copy of Are U 4 Real? by Sara Kadefors is up for grabs at The Story Siren. Ends Nov 24.

Alaine at Queen of Happy Endings is giving away two books - Fire by Kristin Cashore and Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. Comment and tell her which one you'd prefer. Ends Nov 25.

Pure Imagination is giving away an ARC of Fallen by  Lauren Kate. Ends Nov 25.

Another ARC of Fallen by Lauren Kate is up for grabs at Read This Book. Ends Nov 25, too.

Win an ARC of The Dark Divine by Bree Despain at Penultimate Page. I actually don't know if this is internatioanl or not, but I hope so. Ends Nov 26.

Win a copy of Rooftops of Teheran by Mahbod Seraji at Booklover Carol! Just enter her spiffy form and you're done. Ends Nov 27.

Win Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran at Squeaky Books! The winner will also receive a Roman coin, complete with authentication certificate. Enter before Nov 27. (I'd probably love the coin more than the book, lol... the oldest coin we have in the house is one from the Fascist period, that is 1922-1943, which my parents found in our field.)

Michelle at Windowpane Memoirs is giving away a Fallen prize pack (an ARC and some swag goodies). This is her monthly contest, which means you have until Nov 30 to enter. You can get various extra entries, so read her post carefully.

A Book Lover's Diary is having a big contest to celebrate having over 150 followers, her birthday, and the holidays. She's giving away various book prizes  to 4 winners (first winner wins a $35 Amazon gift card!). Ends Nov 30 at midnight.

Win any book already read and reviewed by Book Rat on her blog! Enter before Nov 30.

Win your choice out of 4 books at Mum Musings! I want Beautiful Creatures, of course, but you can also choose Angel Time by Anne Rice, The Bastard by John Jakes, or When You Went Away by Michael Baron. Ends Nov 30 at 11.59 CST.

Win an ARC of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater at Shut Up! I'm Reading. Ends Dec 2.

Because Angels Are Hot! Contest at The Story Siren. Kristi is giving away a copy of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, a copy of Fallen by Lauren Kate, and a Hush, Hush poster to one lucky reader. Another reader will get a second Hush, Hush poster. Deadline is Dec 8.

Win Ice by Sarah Beth Durst at The Tainted Poet's YA Book Review! Ends Dec 10 at midnight your time.

And an awesome $100 gift card to the bookstore of your choice is available at The Book Resort! Think how many books that can be. I tell you: a LOT. Enter before Dec 31 at midnight EST.

The Book Resort also has a wonderful copy of The Mark by Jen Nadol to give away! Enter before Dec 31 at  midnight EST.

If you want  a copy of The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard, then, again, The Book Resort is where you need to go! Enter before Dec 31 at midnight EST.

Ongoing giveaways - North America only

Alyce at At Home With Books is giving away a copy of In The First Circle by Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn. Open to readers in the US and Canada only. Ends Nov 22 at midnight. 

Alyce is also giving away a copy of Kissing Games of the World by Sandi Kahn Shelton. Open to readers in the US only (sigh!). Ends Nov 22 at midnight. 

Kristi of The Story Siren is giving away 5 copies of Survival of the Fiercest by Anne Carey to some lucky US readers. Ends Nov 25.

Princess Neve Reviews is giving away Vampires by Joules Taylor and Werewolves by John Izzard. I'm not sure if this contest is international or limited to North America, but I'll put it in this section just to be on the safe side. Ends Dec 2. 

Reading Journal 9 Nov 2009

Today I was supposed to post the very first installment of my new blog feature, called "Memories Monday". In this series I'd like to highlight some of my favourite books - the books I read as a child/early teen and have re-read many times over. Books which may be slightly old, and which, for this reason, are not often reviewed on most book blogs (as it seems to me that many book bloggers tend to focus on the books being published now - or maybe they just don't feel the need to review books which everyone has read already - what would be the point in reviewing, say, Pride and Prejudice, when everyone has read it already, preferably more than once?).

So, today the first post of my new feature was suposed to appear - the only problem is, I haven't gotten around to write it already, and I don't feel particularly inspired now. I was planning to devote my post to - guess what? - Pride and Prejudice, since when I'm asked about my favourite book, I usually mention this one. But I think I'd better forget about it today and publish it next Monday, when (hopefully) I'm going to have a fabulous post ready. Curious that I don't feel inspired about writing, because this morning I created six different buttons for Memories Monday, and if I had to pick a favourite, I really wouldn't be able to. They're all so pretty! I'm so, so proud of my new-found artistic creativity.

So, let's have a Reading Journal post today, instead. On Friday night I read If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson. It's a slim novel about the magic of teenage love, but also a meditation on rthe tragic absurdity of racism and prejudice. Although I had a pretty strong feeling the book would not have a happy ending, I was still shocked when I wasn't disappointed. If you plan on tryng this book, keep some tissues ready, 'cause you're going to need them.

On Saturday and Sunday I finished Let The Right One In by John Lindqvist (hope I spelled it right...). At the beginning I was slightly annoyed at the book for being so long and apparently slow-paced. Then things started to pick up, and although I was still relieved when the ending came, at least I knew that all the parts in the book were necessary. It's a good book, although way much scarier than my usual reads.

Today I wanted to start on Origins by Cate Tiernan - I found the Italian translation at the library and my attention was immediately drawn to its dark cover in greenish blue and black ,with a butterfly on a spider's web. After the first two or three pages, though, I was thoroughly confused - it was as if readers were already supposed to know about the main character, her best friend, her boyfriend, how she got together with him, that she's a witch, etc. So I got online and looked up Cate Tiernan on Wikipedia. It turns out Origins is the eleventh (11th!!!) book in the Sweep (a.k.a. Wicca) series. Geez. So I went and found the first book in the series, The Book of Shadows. I practically devoured it, and I'm still in awe of it all. It's so... wow. Fast-paced, adventurous, mysterious... the ending was like fireworks going off. Bang. Where's the second book? I need to know how the story goes on. Feed me my poison, please.

Header Heavy

Since I've practically decided I won't upload a new, complete template to this blog, but will use the Minima Blogger template with a brand-new background and a few adjustments of my own making, I've been working on creating a new header for my blog. I've been trying things out on a test blog to see how things work - but now I have at least 3 good headers that I love, and can't choose which one I should really use (umph).

So will you do me a favour? Could you please go to my test blog, have a look at the headers I made, and tell me which you prefer? Thanks a lot! Your help is very much appreciated.

Winning Wednesday November 4th

Hi, everyone! So, this is my new feature: Winning Wednesday - a compilation of all the nice&generous book giveaways I've found in the book blogosphere. It's not a particularly original idea, as I've seen various people doing it already (well, there are whole blogs devoted to this purpose; just think of Susan Helen Gottfried's West of Mars - Win a Book!, or a recent discovery of mine, Cherry's Contests and Freebies). Anyway, I hope that at least I'm not stealing anybody's name. If I am, please let me know and I'll change it to something else.

As for the name, I actually wanted to call this meme Win-It Wednesday, but the name sounded too familiar for some reason, and, of course, it's because Melissa Walker has such a weekly feature - only that she actually has a book giveaway once a week, not a compilation of links. Still, I decided for Winning Wednesday, and I like the name all the same.

So, let's start, shall we?

Weekly or monthly regular contests (or compilations)

These are contests which take place regularly, once a week/month. For example, Katrina at Stone Soup has her Monday Book Giveaways - she gives away a book (or more) every Monday, to a lucky commenter who has access to "reliable mail service". This week, she's giving away three self-published books: The Long Sleep by Stephen Mellor, Shapeshifter, The Demo Tapes: Year Two by Susan Helen Gottfried, and Grundish and Askew by Lance Carbuncle. If any of these books sound appealing, remember to comment before next Sunday at noon for a chance to win one of them. Once in a while, Katrina does a "every book I've mentioned before" or a "any book of your choice up to $25, shipping excluded" giveaway. Check out her blog every Monday.

As I was mentioning above, Melissa Walker has a steady book giveaway every Wednesday (the infamous Win-It Wednesday feature). I've never really understood if this is an international giveaway, but I'm assuming it is (if you know for a fact that it isn't, let me know). This week, Melissa is giving away a copy of Boys That Bite by Mari Mancusi to a lucky commenter. If you're interested, remember to comment before next wednesday, when the winner is announced.

At the beginning of each month, Alyce at At Home With Books has a Bookshelf Cleaning Giveaway, that is, she gives away three or four books that she read during the previous month. For example, for the November Bookshelf Cleaning Giveaway, she has Fire by Kristin Cashore, The Maze Runner by James Deshner, Shadow of the Sword by Jeremiah Workman, and An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell. This giveaway is restricted to residents of the US and Canada.

A good compilation of YA book giveaways is provided at The Story Siren. At the bottom of each YA Connection weekly post, Kristi has a Mr Linky for people to submit links to their own book giveaways. See, for example, the latest YA Connection post. I found this a very good idea, and there are always a number of interesting contests linked there (that is, if you like YA fiction; if not, there's not much point even looking). Pity many of them are only restricted to the US or North America, but I can understand that, since postage is not getting any cheaper :( Moreover, Kristi herself always has various contests going on at her blog, most North America only, but some international as well, so if you like YA lit yoy'd better keep an eye on her blog.

Another interesting list of giveaways can be found every Sunday at Ms Bookish. All the giveaways she links to are international and divided by genre: general fiction, romance, YA, mystery/thriller, non-fiction, and so on. Watch out for her Salon Sunday posts: see, for example, her latest giveaway compilation.

If you are doing regular giveaways and/or giveaway lists, too, and wnat me to include a link to your blog, please leave a comment.

Ongoing giveaways - international

100 Followers Contest at YA Book Queen. Lea is giving away a selection of YA books. Three winners. Ends Nov 20.

MegaBook Giveaway at Teens Read and Write! Become a follower and have a chance of winning one YA book out of their pile. Every 25 followers, they're adding a new winner and book to the pile. This contest is getting huge! For more chances to win, comment on the book reviews of the books in the pile (within 4 days of the publication date). Now they're up to 17 winners who will get a book each. I wonder how many winners will they have at the end of the contest, on Nov 20?

300 Followers Contest at Confessions of a Wandering Heart. Suzie is giving away three ARCs (The Demon King, Wish You Were Dead, and How to Say Goodbye in Robot) to one lucky commenter. Ends Nov 10. (Huge congratulations to Suzie, because 300 followers in less than 5 months of blogging is an amazing accomplishment!)

Pick your Poison contest at Bloggers Heart Books. The winner will get to choose one book out of a YA list. Ends Nov 6, so hurry up!

Layers of Thought is giving away a signed copy of Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble. Lovely cover, by the way. Ends on Nov 6 (hurry up if you want to enter!)

Suzanne at The Book Butterfly is giving away Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev. This contest, too, ends on Nov 6.

Sharon Loves Books and Cats has a giveaway for 5 books by Nancy Holder. Think - one contestk five books! Ends Nov 7, so you'll better hurry up if you want to win.

Miss Thrifty has a copy of On The Plot With "Dirty Nails" by Joe Hashman to give away - a cute little book for gardening enthusiasts. She will mail worldwide, but she warns that "if you live in, say, the Sonoran Desert, the seasonal instructions may be a little out of whack for you". Ends Nov 8 (hurry up if you want the book!) at 8 pm (GMT).

Lisa at Online Publicist has a giveaway for Falling From the Moon by Lisa Marinelli and God Is No Fool by Lois A. Cheney, in a cute tote bag. Ends at 12 am on Nov 10; winner announced on Lisa's blog on Nov 11.

Suzanne at The Book Butterfly is also giving away a copy of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. Take a fun test written by Becca herself and discover what kind of angel you are! Ends Nov 13.

Dar at Peeking Between the Pages has a copy of The Last Will of Moira Leahy by Therese Walsh up for grabs. Ends Nov 14. (one more copy available for US & Canada residents, offered by the publisher.)

An autographed copy of The Sari Shop Widow is up for grabs at Chick With Books. Wow! Enter before 12 pm EST on Nov 14.

Reggie at The Undercover Book Lover is giving away an ARC of Captivate by Carrie Jones, the much awaited sequel to the amazing Need. You have until Nov 14 to enter. I want to win this so much that it hurts, seriously.

An ARC of Fallen by Lauren Kate is up for grabs at The Neverending Shelf. Leave a comment and tell Kate why you want to read it! Ends Nov 18.

Alaine at Queen of Happy Endings is giving away two books - Fire by Kristin Cashore and Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. Comment and tell her which one you'd prefer. Ends Nov 25.

Michelle at Windowpane Memoirs is giving away a Fallen prize pack (an ARC and some swag goodies). This is her monthly contest, which means you have until Nov 30 to enter. You can get various extra entries, so read her post carefully.

Because Angels Are Hot! Contest at The Story Siren. Kristi is giving away a copy of Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, a copy of Fallen by Lauren Kate, and a Hush, Hush poster to one lucky reader. Another reader will get a second Hush, Hush poster. Deadline is Dec 8.


Ongoing giveaways - North America only

Dan's Journal is giving away nine books in seven days, to celebrate his birthday. Rules are a bit complicated so you'll better read them for yourself. Open to US residents only.

At Lori's Reading Corner an autographed copy of Holiday Grind by Cleo Coyle is up for grabs. Open to US residents only, ends Nov 20. Winner announced on Lori's blog on Nov 21.

Twenty days of Giveaways going on at Libby's Library News. She's currently at Day 4, and giving away a new book every day. Open to US & Canada residents.

Suzanne at The Book Butterfly is hosting a Haunted Halloween Contest! The prizes are books, including Wish You Were Dead. US entrants only, unfortunately. Ends Nov 11.

The Expressologist by Kristina Springer and a Starbucks gift card are up for grabs at The Book Butterfly. US residents only, ends Nov 15.

Two copies of The September Sisters by Jillian Cantor are also available at The Book Butterfly. US residents only. Ends Nov 20.

Suzanne at The Book Butterfly is also giving away a great Laurie Stolarz prize pack. US residents only (sob). Ends Nov 24.

J.Kay's Book Blog is giving away My Soul To Take by Rachel Vincent. 18 and older (otherwise, get your parents to enter), US & Canada only. Winner announced on the blog on Nov 28.

J.Kay's Book Blog is also giving away Bound to Shadows by Keri Arthur. 18 and older, (otherwise, get your parents to enter), US & Canada only. Winner announced on the blog on Nov 28.

Since this post is getting so long already, I think I can cut this short and end it here. If you want me to list your giveaway link in the next issue of Winning Wednesday, please leave a link in the comments (or email me the link, if you want) and I'll be happy to include it in my post, next week.

I had no idea these link compilations took so much time and energy. I feel exhausted. Till next time, folks!

P.S. I made the buttons *myself*. I know, that's mind-blowing. And totally unbelievable. But true.

P.P.S. Am now wondering if I should've called this feature Winning ON Wednesday. It would be more logical. Ahem. Any thoughts, opinions, suggestions? I guess it wouldn't take much time to add a simple "on" on those buttons. Not tonight, though.

I might be back, at last

Hello to you, wonderful people of the book blogging community. As the title says, I might be back. I say "might" because I'm not sure I still have it in me to blog regularly. But maybe I can put in, say, three or four posts per week; two memes, one book review, one reading journal post. That sounds good enough, right?

Last March I just had to get away from blogging. I was stuck, my life was going down the drain for various reasons, my depression was catching up with me again, and blogging seemed to be another obligation I couldn't stand, another chore I would've gladly done without. So I did.

Now, though, it looks like I've been missing my blog. I started twittering and following (stalking?) a bunch of book bloggers. Reading their amazing book reviews, taking part in book giveaways, anticipating the release of this or that title... I've been missing that. It did me good; it kept me sane. Sort of, at least.

So far I've been stalling: devouring a lot of books (I have, like, ten library books at home with me now, and yesterday the librarian actually asked me what I am doing with all these books. Snacking on them when I feel hungry, I felt like saying. Metaphorically speaking, it's totally true), compiling lists of library books I want to read in the not-so-distant future (I filled three sheets of paper in small writing), looking at blog templates (because since I'm going to resuscitate the blog, I might as well do it with style and give it a nice facelift), daydreaming about future posts.

But then, last night, while I was waiting for sleep to come, I actually came up with two weekly meme ideas. Neither is particularly original (especially NOT the first), but who cares, anyway. I've thought them up on my own, and that's what counts. I've never been great at creative things.

So today I actually created buttons for my two new weekly memes (think! Me, doing buttons! I just typed "image editor" on Google, searched for two suitable images, and went to work on them with the very dummy-friendly Free Online Image Editor), so here I am, because these two memes are supposed to be posted on Monday and Wednesday, and guess what?, it's Wednesday today. So, let's bring on Winning Wednesday.