It's Time For a Giveaway!

It's November and there are so many reasons to celebrate--having over 150 followers, my birthday, and the holidays--I think it's time for my first giveaway!
In an effort to celebrate with you, I will be giving away some books that have been featured on my blog and some that I haven't had a chance to post yet. (I tried for variety--some are new, but most are (gently) used; ALL are in great condition.) There will be a total of 24 books to choose from. Why 24? Well, it's the whole Birthday thing.

There will be four (4) winners.

1st randomly chosen winner will receive a .pdf of The Blue Pen by Lisa Rusczyk and a $35 Amazon giftcard.

2nd randomly chosen winner will receive 3 books of their choice from the stack of books (listed below).

3rd randomly chosen winner will receive 2 books of their choice from the remaining stack of books.

4th randomly chosen winner will receive 1 book from what's left in the bunch.


Now, here's what's up for grabs for winners 2-4...

1. The Blue Pen by Lisa Rusczyk (.pdf)
2. Spellbinder by Helen Stringer (Paperback: ARC edition)
3. The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester (Hardcover)
4. A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb (Paperback)
5. Dreamhunter (Book 1 in the Dreamhunter Duet) by Elizabeth Knox (Paperback)
6. Devil’s Kiss by Sarwat Chadda (Hardcover)
7. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (Paperback)
8. Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe (Hardcover)
9. My Soul To Take by Rachel Vincent (Paperback)
10. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (Hardcover)
11. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (Hardcover)
12. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvator (Hardcover)
13. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (Paperback; Movie Tie-in Edition)
14. Leviathan by Scott Westerfield (Hardcover)
15. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (Hardcover)
16. Fearless by Max Lucado (Hardcover)
17. Cracked Up To Be by Courtney Summers (Paperback)
18. One Lonely Degree by C.K. Kelly Martin (Hardcover)
19. I Can See You by Karen Rose (Hardcover)
20. Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner (Hardcover)
21. Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeiffer (Paperback)
22. Graceling by Kristin Cashore (Hardcover)
23. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (Paperback)
24. How to Catch and Keep a Vampire by Diana Laurence (Paperback)

To enter: just leave a comment with your e-mail address.
If you're not comfortable leaving your e-mail address here then e-mail it to me at bookloversdiary@yahoo.com
Without an e-mail address, your entry will be void.

For those of you interested in extra entries:
+4 if you're already a follower.
+2 if you're a new (after the posting of this contest) follower.
+2 if you're a top commenter on my 'Top Commenters widget' (I've already taken note).
+1 for linking to this contest on your sidebar, twitter, facebook, etc. (leave a link showing me where. Max: 3)
+3 for blogging about this giveaway.


*This is an international giveaway!*
-Contest starts now and ends November 30 at midnight
-Winners will be chosen randomly, posted on my blog, and e-mailed seperately in the first week of December.
-Winners will have 3 days to respond to my e-mail; otherwise, I'll choose another winner.

Good luck!

A special thanks to Lisa Rusczyk, Harlequin Teen, and others who have contributed to this giveaway.

Enjoy your weekend, then come back and enter my first giveaway! Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Hello lovely readers,

It doesn't seem too long ago that it was September and now we're nearing the second week of November. I don't normally post on Saturday, but here's the thing:

I wanted to give you a heads up on my very first giveaway, which I'll be posting on Monday! (yay!) I figured with surpassing 100 followers (a feat that didn't seem possible when I first started this blog), my Birthday (which is tomorrow--the 8th) *wink wink nod nod*, and November being the official month of giving thanks, now seems like a perfectly good time. So I'm planning a sort of cleaning-off-the-shelves (international) giveaway--where many of the books will be used (read once), and a couple will be new, but I guarantee that all of the books included will be in good condition!

I've been meaning to hold a giveaway but I wasn't exactly sure what to do or when to do it--until now. :)

So I hope you plan on celebrating with me and entering my giveaway. I know I'm excited!

Remember... MONDAY!

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Now I'm off to enjoy the rest of my Birthday weekend (which has been pretty great already)!

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On a side note: I'm soooo excited about The Twilight Saga: New Moon! (Can you believe it's less than two weeks away?) I grabbed my tickets today, so I'm ready! ;)

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A little behind the scenes footage if you're interested...

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Guest Post from Rolf Hitzer, author of Hoodoo Sea

The Reader’s Voice Matters

Hoodoo Sea being my first novel, I feel fortunate the book made it to publication. I can’t thank, Johanna Bates, my agent, and Joe and Ardis Clark, from Bluewater Press, enough.

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When I first received the news my novel was going to print, my emotions overwhelmed me. I remember thinking how, to this point and this day forward, it didn’t matter what would happen next with Hoodoo Sea, getting published was way past my expectations already.

Then time rolled along. Over a year had passed when finally Hoodoo Sea was going to see the light of day. I became anxious to give our children their signed book, as they hadn’t read the novel yet. Would they like what I had scribbled with such dedication? A change happened within me. I had become to realize their thoughts and approval mattered. Where did this new feeling come from?

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The gratitude I have for my family and friends when they called and offered their opinion and support after reading Hoodoo Sea is endless. For a rookie author, it means an awful lot to know what people think of the book.

I can’t speak for other writers and how they feel, but I can honestly say to the readers of our books, whether you like our story or not, your feedback is important. Take a few minutes from your day and offer your thoughts on what you’ve read recently. We appreciate it.

For more information on Rolf and his debut, visit the Hoodoo Sea website.

My review for Hoodoo Sea here.

Blog Tour: Hoodoo Sea by Rolf Hitzer

Synopsis
The government of the United States of America is on the verge of startling the world. Billions of dollars had been invested in its space program . And now, the moment of truth had arrived… Scott Reed is the man for the historic mission. He is the Wing Commander chosen by the elite brass at NASA. The assignment to test flight the first speed of light craft, held top secret, was about to shock the world. The risk? Utter and complete failure. The reward? Being a part of the greatest human accomplishment ever known to mankind. Major James Harrow, second in command of the four person crew, despised his Wing Commander. Harrow was a proud and patriotic American. What was NASA thinking when they selected a Canadian to pilot the voyage? There was no comparison as to who was the better skilled aviator. This was his time, his moment. Major James Harrow was about to prove to everybody they were wrong to bypass him as Commander. The weather conditions were perfect and lift-off for the test flight was text book. The triumphant cheers from Mission Control in Houston were echoed all the way to Cape Canaveral. The silent fear of the first hurdle of the flight had been succumbed. All systems were a go! That is, until the crew and SOLT-X1 entered the Bermuda Triangle…

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I started reading Hoodoo Sea. However, I must say, I remained in suspense and fascination throughout this novel. The narration was easy to follow, and the twists interspersed throughout the story kept me reading into the night—thinking, just one more page; just one more chapter.

The story starts as the crew is preparing for their nerve-racking and exciting top-secret mission to test the first speed-of-light craft. From their mission-preparation to the moment they fly over Hoodoo Sea, I remained completely enthralled; which only intensified with all that came next . . . all leading to a rather surprising, yet equally unforgettable ending.

Upon opening this novel, I was a little discouraged by the font size as it seemed just a little smaller than I care for. Fortunately, once I started on the first chapter I quickly forgot about the size of the font and became enveloped in the story at my fingertips.

Hoodoo Sea included a wonderfully balanced cast of characters—the likeable hero, the comic relief, the villain, and the beauty who puts things into perspective. Scott was my favorite character, he took on all the qualities of a hero, yet he was humanized by his struggle of doing what was right. And even though he succumbed to things that I didn’t necessary agree with for his character, he was still likeable. As for the other characters, I didn’t feel connected to them in any way. While they each did their part in moving the story along, I didn’t care about what happened to them. I think I preferred the secondary characters (the tribe of The Land) over Scott’s crew.

The bottom line: this is a fascinating book that will keep you reading until it’s over.

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My Rating: 1/2

Check back tomorrow (Thursday, November 5) for a guest post from Rolf Hitzer.

The Official Cover of LINGER by Maggie Stiefvater and 1st Paragraph

LINGER is the sequel to SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater

&

It's coming out July 20th!

• grace •

This is the story of a boy who used to be a wolf and a girl who was becoming one.

Just a few months ago, it was Sam who was the mythical creature. His was the disease we couldn’t cure. His was the good-bye that meant the most. He had the body that was a mystery, too strange and wonderful and terrifying to comprehend.

But now it is spring. With the heat, the remaining wolves will soon be falling out of their wolf pelts and back into their human bodies. Sam stays Sam, and Cole stays Cole, and it’s only me who’s not firmly in my own skin.

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Visit 'The World According to Maggie'.

Review: Spellbinder by Helen Stringer

Synopsis:
Belladonna Johnson can see ghosts. It’s a trait she’s inherited from her mother’s side of the family, like blue eyes or straight hair. And it’s a trait she could do without, because what twelve-year-old wants to be caught talking to someone invisible? It is convenient, though, after Belladonna’s parents are killed in a car accident. They can live with her the same as always, watching the same old TV shows in their same old house. Nothing has changed . . . until everything changes.

One night, with no warning, they vanish into thin air—along with every other ghost in the world. It’s what some people think ghosts are supposed to do, but Belladonna knows it’s all wrong.

With the help of her classmate Steve, a master of sneaking and spying, Belladonna is left to uncover what’s become of the spirits and to navigate a whole world her parents have kept well-hidden. If she can’t find her way, she’ll lose them again—this time for good.

Spellbinder is an enchanting story of a young, quiet girl named Belladonna. She can see ghosts and sometimes can’t easily tell the difference between the living and the dead so she’d rather just keep to herself in an effort to mitigate any suspicion that she’s talking to herself. Spellbinder takes Belladonna, Steve and their ghost-friend, Elsie, on an adventure to the other side. What happens when all of the ghosts on earth suddenly disappear? Sorry, you’ll have to read this book to find out. But I will say this: what starts out as a rescue mission to save her parents, turns into a mission to save mankind.

Belladonna is an endearing character who must push aside her fears and take matters into her own hands. Though intended for ages 9 – 12, I think many adults will enjoy this story—whether they have children or not. I found myself at the edge of my seat several times throughout this novel and couldn’t help but appreciate the humor that Helen Stringer incorporates into the story.

Overall: I thoroughly enjoyed Helen Stringer’s debut and I cross my fingers for a sequel.

My Rating: 1/2

Fun quotes:

• “We’re going to have to stand and fight,” said Elsie grimly. “Easy for you to say,” said Steve, “You’re already dead.”
  


• “No, it didn’t make sense!” said Steve, “It was like something from one of those crosswords where the clue is a train and the answer is a caterpillar.”
  


• “When people start throwing around words like ‘amulet’ you know you’re dealing with magic.”

Happy Halloween! -♥-

Whatever you decide to do today...

Have a SAFE and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

(And try not to eat too much candy. *wink*)

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Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Jessi