The Rules Open to Canada and United States residents only. No PO Box addresses. Three winners will be randomly selected. Winners will be notified by email on Tuesday November 3rd. Prize packs will be mailed out by Hachette Book Group.
How To Enter For one entry, leave a comment (with email address.) For 4 extra entries, tell me what your favorite spooky movie, or book is. For 2 more entries, share a favorite Halloween tradition, or costume.
If anyone were to ask me about my favorite writers of comics, Neil Gaiman would be tops. I’d planned to re-read the entire Sandman collection this year, but I refuse to start until I have all the glorious volumes in front of me – nothing is more irksome than interrupting the flow of a series to search out the next installment. So while waiting on Volume 3 I decided to read some of Gaiman’s other comics – which my library has almost all of!
So here are just a couple I’ve read so far, but first I wanted to share these two quotes from Gaiman which I love.
“Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and adventures are the shadow truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes and forgotten”
“You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we're doing it.”
Murder Mysteries
Myth… Angels… Murder…
From the looks of the solitary man on the park bench, one would never guess his origins – a former angel, descended from the heavens and ages. He’s appeared on Earth to tell a story that must be heard – a story of the earliest time, when Earth was still a design in the eyes of God, and sin was not yet known, and of the first and most unspeakable crime in God’s newly unfolding universe.
My Thoughts The format of this comic was really what made it so enjoyable. The framework of the story is a stranger telling a story to another man on a park bench. The story he tells is the flesh of the book and concerns the suspected murder of an angel. The setting of the murder is a time and place before the world was fully created, when angels are responsible for breathing life into the ideas of the creator. After the dead angel is discovered, another angel is assigned the role of detective to uncover what has happened. The plot is not the main thing that grabbed my attention, it was the ideas that were being presented. It’s very a very short book, but it’s not light. It brings up many questions that seemed to be only answerable by the person reading it. I’m sure that Murder Mysteries is one of those stories that would lead to intense debate among readers. It’s all in how you personally relate, perceive or believe.
Another thing to consider is that this particular graphic novel is adapted from Gaiman’s short story of the same name. (Which I really want to read now.)
Harlequin Valentine
A Modern, Magical Love Story!
Those who have spent Valentine’s Day alone are aware that the cold February holiday can be hard to swallow. Award-winning creators Neil Gaiman and John Bolton want you to know that all it takes is a steak knife, a fork, and a bottle of quality ketchup…
In this contemporary retelling of a classic Commedia dell’arte legend of tomfoolery and hopeless, fawning love, Gaiman and Bolton update the tale of Harlequin and Columbine. A magical buffoon burdened with a brimming heart, Harlequin chases his sensible, oblivious Columbine around the city streets, having given his heart freely. Consumed with love, the impulsive clown sees his heart dragged about town, with a charming surprise to bend the story in a modern direction.
My Thoughts Harlequin Valentine is apparently based on the Italian love story of Harlequin and Columbine – which I know nothing about! But it is now on my must-learn-about list. Even though I was completely ignorant of the story’s background, I really enjoyed it. However, that enjoyment was mostly due to the beautiful artwork of John Bolton. Not your typical comic style, it was more like actual photographs touched with splashes of paint. I wish now that I had taken a few pics before returning this to the library.
The Dangerous Alphabet
A is for Always, that’s where we embark…
Two children, treasure map in hand, and their pet gazelle sneak past their father, out of their house, and into a world beneath the city, where monsters and pirates roam.
Will they find the treasure? Will they make it out alive?
The Dangerous Alphabet is a tale of adventure, piracy, danger, and herois told in twenty-six alphabetical lines – although even the alphabet is not to be relied upon here. A delightfully dangerous journey from national bestselling author Neil Gaiman, and the monstrously talented Gris Grimly, The Dangerous Alphabet is sure to captivate and chill young readers.
My Thoughts How could I resist this picture book after reading what Nymeth and Chris had to say in their reviews?! Dangerous Alphabet is awesome – that’s pretty much all I can say. Gaiman’s rhymes are perfect for speaking aloud and Gris Grimlys’ artwork is fabulous as always. I’d say this would be the best alphabet picture book for children and adults both. It is creepy, but in a fun and magical way.
Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy Of Mr. Punch
Mister Punch ”He threw the baby out of the window. Then he battered his wife to death. He killed a policeman who came to arrest him. He caused the hangman to be hanged in his place. He murdered a ghost. And outwitted the devil himself.”
“He never died”
“And Mister Punch still lives – to travel up and down the countryside, amusing and delighting both old and young.”
In his grandfather’s failing seaside arcade, a young boy encounters a mysterious Punch and Judy Man with a dark past, and a woman who makes her living playing a mermaid.
As their lives intertwine and their stories unfold, the boy is forced to confront family secrets, strange puppets and a nightmarish world of violence and betrayal, in a dark fable of childhood innocence and adult pain.
My Thoughts This graphic novel is one that has to be read, whether you know anything about the history of Punch and Judy or not. If like me you aren’t all that familiar with the history of this famous British puppet show, Mr. Punch gives you the perfect starting lesson. Along with learning, this comic also features a wonderful story of a boy growing up, looking back on life, and learning about his family. Rhinoa has written a much more in-depth review that prompted me to search out this book.
Another thing I discovered after looking for more info about Punch & Judy culture, was that Jan Svankmajer, a Czechoslovakian stop-motion filmmaker, who created the wildly bizarre movie Alice, also had a short film called Punch & Judy/The Lynch House. Done in the same puppet style it features Punch (no Judy) and a supporting character named Joey who get into a scruffle over a guinea pig. Very strange, but very cool if you like that sort of thing :P
Now I have a surprise! If you made it this far, and you love Neil Gaiman and all his fantastic books, comics, short stories, movies etc. I’ve got an official Coraline bookmark to give away.
If you would like to win this bookmark, simply comment below and let me know what your very favorite Gaiman work is. If you haven’t experienced anything Gaiman yet, let me know what you most look forward to.
This is open to everyone, everywhere. I will draw the winner on Saturday July 11.
Well, aren’t I quite the moron this month. I hosted a giveaway awhile back and completely forgot to announce the winners. I used List Randomizer to shuffle all the names and put them into a spreadsheet and assigned each one a number, then I consulted the wonderful random.org Random Number Generator.
The first three numbers and the people they correspond to will each be recieving a copy of Carrie Vaughn’s newest Kitty Norville book Kitty Raises Hell.
Darla D. says she would like to shapeshift into a dolphin or maybe if she was in the mood for flying she might like to be a dragon!
Congrats to the winners and thanks to everyone who took part in my giveaway. Huge thanks to Miriam at Hachette for organizing this blog tour and Ginormous Thanks to Carrie Vaughn for writing such a fantastically fun series of books. I will be emailing all the winners for your addresses, which I will forward along to The Hachette Book Group which is who will be mailing your books out to you.
Seems my mind was on a vacation when I announced my Kitty Norville giveaway, because I failed to leave an entry deadline. So winners will be drawn on Sunday, April 12 (midnight EST) and announced/notified Monday, April 13! Thanks to everyone whose entered already :)
Yesterday was the official Carrie Vaughn / Kitty Norville blog tour, and it was awesome to see so many terrific posts about this great series that I’ve enjoyed reading so much. If you didn’t get a chance, make sure to take a look at all the participants that got together to celebrate these books.
I decided to break the rules and continue on with another day’s posting about the series. 6 books is a lot to talk about in just one day! In my last post, I blabbered on about why I liked this series and provided the book jacket summaries for books 1 through 5. So today I am going to present my thoughts on book 6 – Kitty Raises Hell – write a bit about the author – Carrie Vaughn – and then give you all a chance to win some books – Sound good? Okay here goes…
Too Darn Hot.
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas… except when it doesn’t. Kitty and Ben return to their werewolf pack in Denver only to discover an invisible evil that smells of brimstone and plays with fire has followed them home. Stalking the whole pack, it leaves a charred trail of ashes and death across the city.
Kitty seeks help from Rick, the master vampire of Denver, as well as from the paranormal investigators on a popular reality TV show. But when a mysterious vampire who claims to be a demon hunter – and the only one who can help them – suddenly arrives, Kitty and her allies won’t be able to predict what he really wants… or what they must do to extinguish the terror that can torch them all.
Kitty Raises Hell, is by far my favorite book of the series, so far! It starts off right from where Book 5 ended. Kitty returns to Denver, but she seems to return a stronger, more kick-ass Kitty. When her pack, family and friends are facing danger this time, it is apparent that all the crap that’s happened in the past has finally become enough for Kitty. She is clearly more confident and sure of herself this time. Which is cool, there’s been steady development in her character, but it’s here that we see the realization of just how powerful Kitty can become.
I don’t want to give away too much of what happens plot-wise, but there were a lot of things in this book that I really enjoyed. Action – again, I have to highlight the fact that the action sequences are terrifically played out. You never doubt that Kitty will pull through, but the scenes are still pretty intense. I also enjoy how more characters are introduced, as they have been steadily through the series. This series is very full of people, but the author is pulling them into the story in a way that is not overdone. All of the characters are given the right amount of focus to make them memorable and individual. Sometimes in a series with such a large cast, people seem to pop in and out and leave the reader wondering “hey who was that?” but it’s skillfully done here. The connections between the characters are also great, in this book specifically, the way that Kitty feels about the ‘mysterious vampire’ is especially well done. It’s clear that Kitty is fighting internally about how this vamp can help them, and what is she willing to risk. Her feelings of being stuck between a rock and a hard place come through wonderfully. And I know I’m gonna sound like a total geek, but I loved the Paradox P.I. bits. I’m a sucker for those true haunting style reality shows, and I thought this was a great way to bring a bit of current pop culture into the series!
Overall, an awesome read! Great follow-up to the Vegas vacation. I was a little worried about where the series would head after Kitty and Ben got married, but Carrie Vaughn pulled it off fantastically. Needless to say, I’ll be first in line for the next installment!
Author Bio: Carrie Vaughn had the nomadic childhood of the typical Air Force brat, with stops in California, Florida, North Dakota, Maryland, and Colorado. She holds a Masters in English Literature and collects hobbies-fencing and sewing are currently high on the list. She lives in Boulder, Colorado.
While checking out Carrie’s blog, I came across the most awesome picture ever! Seriously how cool is this chick -----------> Carrie Vaughn as Vampire Hunter! With Stakes!! Love it :)
Author Essay: There are two essays by Carrie available for reading on her page at Hachette Book Group, I knew almost immediately that I wanted to share one because of this particular passage: “Everyone who's a lifelong reader has that book, that best friend they read as a teenager and still read because it feels like coming home.” Feels like coming home – that’s exactly the feeling I get when re-reading a treasured book.
Books As Friends by Carrie Vaughn
I've been thinking lately about the idea of books as friends. Maybe even best friends. When I was about 15, I read Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword for the first time. It's about a girl who is orphaned, uprooted from her home to move halfway around the world, where she discovers a mysterious foreign land full of magic, danger, and beautiful horses. Here, she becomes a warrior and saves the world, but more than that she finally finds a place where she belongs. This novel is custom made for slightly misfit, horse-crazy 15-year-old girls, and I was definitely a slightly misfit, horse-crazy girl (around this same time I broke my collarbone falling off a horse, and was back riding four weeks later). I've reread The Blue Sword almost every year since then. That's getting to be a lot of rereadings. Not only does this book make me happy--especially when I'm down, I can curl up with it and a cup of cocoa and retreat from my troubles--it's one of the books that made me want to be a writer. Harry was so real to me, I wanted her to step out of the pages and take me on her adventures. Since that wasn't going to happen, I wanted to write adventures of my own, and create characters who could also be friends, who could comfort me, cheer me up, and who I could root for and weep for.
This is an amazing thing. I'm constantly amazed by the power of words, of mere ink on the page, to evoke this kind of emotion, this feeling of loyalty I have for a character and a world that don't even exist. (The Blue Sword is at the top of the list of books I hope I have if I'm ever stranded on a desert island.) And it isn't just me. Everyone who's a lifelong reader has that book, that best friend they read as a teenager and still read because it feels like coming home.
Okay, one last thing… Carrie includes a special something at the beginning of each book. When I saw these somethings I thought it was such an amazing way of sharing the writing experience with the reader. So what Carrie does, is she includes a playlist at the start of every book. Not just any playlist though, it’s the music she found herself listening to as she wrote the Kitty books. How cool it that? Sharing her musical inspiration with us – I also like to think (in that geeky fan-girl part of my mind) that these songs are ones that Kitty would be playing on her radio station. I’m a big music nerd, so anything that exposes me to music or bands that I might not know of is wicked! To get an idea of how cool this is, here is the playlist for book 6 Kitty Raises Hell.
Kitty Raises Hell:The Playlist
Eric Burden & The Animals - “Paint It Black” KT Tunstall - “Hold On” Thompson Twins - “In The Name Of Love” Pretenders - “Day After Day” Oingo Boingo - “Just Another Day” Squirrel Nut Zippers - “Soon” The Cardigans - “Happy Meal II” Abby Travis - “Blythe” Duran Duran - “View To Kill” They Might Be Giants - “Istanbul (Not Constantinople)” Garbage - “As Heaven Is Wide” Cyndi Lauper - “All Through The Night”
And now, here is your chance to win some Kitty books of your own! I’ve got a couple books to offer everyone and a couple of ways to earn some extra entries. First here is what’s up for grabs:
3 people will win a copy of the newest Carrie Vaughn book Kitty Raises Hell!
1 Lucky person will win all 6 books in the Kitty Norville series!
Here’s how you can enter:
For your first entry – Just let me know you want to enter by leaving a comment.
+1 extra entry – If you could shape-shift into any animal, which would you choose?
+1 extra entry – Blog about this contest – side bar is fine.
+1 extra entry – Do you follow or subscribe? Let me know.
+3 extra entries – This is the big question – Zombies take over the world do you barricade yourself in the house, run to the nearest shopping mall, or grab some weapons and bash some brains?
Complete all five things and get 7 chances to win! You can use multiple comments for each entry or just one comment for all – but please be sure to state how many entries you have qualified for and make sure that I have some way to contact you should you win. Leaving your email is the best way – just format it like this ‘whoever [at] email [dot] com’ to fool any spam-bots.
This giveaway is open to anyone with a US or Canada mailing address. (Sorry no P.O. Boxes) Winners will be notified by email and must respond with mailing address. Books will be mailed by Hachette Book Group directly. Entrants may only win one prize. Winners are chosen at random.
Congratulations to both winners, and thanks to everyone who entered! And a huge thank you to Tracy at BookRoomReviews for hosting the Book Giveaway Carnival.
This giveaway is for a two book package! WooHoo right? Well maybe… the catch here is that for one reason or another I didn’t like ’em. But different strokes for different folks and all that, I figure someone out there will love ‘em. And as a book lover I think every book should find it’s perfect reader. So I’m going to pass them on to someone else.
This contest will end on Saturday November 8 and the winner will be announced shortly afterwards. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you win.
This is open to everyone! Just leave a comment below to be entered. Good Luck!
Book Giveaway Carnival Hosted by BookRoom Reviews November 3-8, 2008
For your chance to win my copy of The Uncommon Reader by Allan Bennett, leave a comment below, please make sure I have some way of contacting you also.
This contest will end on November 8 and winner will be announced shortly after.
Open to everyone!
Book Giveaway Carnival Hosted by BookRoom Reviews November 3-8, 2008
The Book Giveaway Carnival is coming up soon, and lots of bloggers have signed up to participate. If you are planning a giveaway or contest head over to BookRoom Reviews for all the details and the sign up information. If you aren’t having a giveaway, but are interested in entering for the chance to win some prizes, remember to mark your calendars for the week of Monday November 3rd to Saturday November the 8th
And don’t forget to check out my blog, as I will be participating with a few giveaways of my own! Hope to see you soon.
Head over to The Hidden Side Of A Leaf to see what the delightfully, dandy Dewey has decided to do out of the blue! It’s a fabulous giveaway, but not just any giveaway, this one is a Hauntingly Halloweenish Hachette giveaway. Just in time for All Hallows Eve, enter for your chance to win a Box O’ Bloodcurdlingly Boo-ish Books!
Dar over at Peeking Between The Pages is hosting a great giveaway for three brand new copies of Simple Little Words by Michelle Cox and John Perrodin. Visit Peeking Between The Pages for all the details and while you’re there check out her review of Simple Little Words!
If you follow along for the festivities of BBAW at My Friend Amy, you will find many chances to win LOTS of goodies! Like what? Well have a look below. All of these things will be given away between September 15-19. There will be a huge variety of ways to win them and giveaways will be announced constantly throughout the week. So be sure to check in often!
Win a Book Club Girl Hostess Survival Kit! Do you find it's your turn to host book club and not only do you not know what to serve but you don't know what books to offer up for the next month's selection?! Let Book Club Girl come to your rescue with the Book Club Girl Hostess Survival Kit. One lucky winner of the kit will receive: * A basket of cheese, crackers, cookies and wine for up to 12 people * 5 great book group books to vote on for your group's next pick. And Book Club Girl will then donate 12 copies whichever book is chosen for your entire group to read. * 12 Book Club Girl mousepads to give out as party favors that night * 12 Book Club Girl bookmarks to mark everyone's favorite passages * 12 Book Club Girl coasters to protect your coffee table from all those wine glasses!
TWO SORMAG Goody Bags containing books and more!
A Special Pamper Me Basket from Cafe of Dreams! From Avon Foot Works ~ Inflatable watermelon shaped foot tub ~ 3.4 FL oz Watermelon Cooling Foot Lotion ~ 3.4 FL oz Watermelon Exfoliating Foot Scrub ~ 12 count Watermelon Effervescent Foot Tablets ~ An ARC of So Long At The Fair by Christina Schwarz ~ A variety of Hot Chocolate and Tea mixes
BOOKS Mistress of the Revolution by Catherine Delors The Moon in the Mango Tree by Pamela Binnings Ewen The Spanish Bow by Andromeda Romano-Lax John's Quest by Cecelia Dowdy Confessions of a Contractor by Richard Murphy Acedia & Me by Kathleen Norris The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer Supreme Courtship by Christopher Buckley A Tale Out of Luck by Willie Nelson with Mike Blakely The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent When Will There Be Good News by Kate Atkinson An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination by Elizabeth McCracken Exit Music by Ian Rankin The Smart One and the Pretty One by Claire LaZebnik Gunmetal Black by Daniel Serrano Isolation by Travis Thrasher The Miracle Girls by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt Every Freaking! Day With Rachell Ray by Elizabeth Hilts Dewey by Vicki Myron The Shiniest Jewel by Marian Henley Keep the Faith by Faith Evans The Book of Calamities by Peter Trachtenberg A is for Atticus by Lorilee Craker After the Fire by Robin Gaby Fisher Mike's Election Guide by Michael Moore War as They Knew It by Michael Rosenberg Fixing Hell By Col. (ret.) Larry C. James Wild Boy: My Life with Duran Duran by Andy Taylor The Last Under-Cover: The True Story of an FBI Agent's Dangerous Dance with Evil By Bob Hamer Border Lass by Amanda Scott Insatiable Desire by Rita Heron Hungry for More by Diana Holquist Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee Trespassers Will Be Baptized by Elizabeth Emerson Hancock He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not by Trish Ryan Never Surrender by General Jerry Boykin Dream in Color by Congresswoman Linda Sánchez, Congresswoman Loretta Sánchez Beyond Belief by Josh Hamilton Cobain Unseen by Charles R. Cross Doing Business in 21st Century India by Gunjan Bagla Branding Only Works on Cattle by Jonathan Salem Baskin Launching a Leadership Revolution by Chris Brady, Orrin Woodward How to Hear from God by Joyce Meyer Knowing Right from Wrong by Thomas D. Williams Pope John Paul II: An Intimate Life by Caroline Pigozzi Pure by Rebecca St. James He Loves Me! by Wayne Jacobson So You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore by Wayne Jacobson and Dave Coleman Move On, Move Up by Paula White The Rosary by Gary Jansen Shoot the Moon by Billie Letts The Choice by Nicholas Sparks Right Livelihoods by Rick Moody by George by Wesley Stace The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold Trunk Music by Michael Connelly Hollywood Crows by Joseph Wambaugh Dead Boys by Richard Lange The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez Sisterchicks Go Brit! by Robin Jones Gunn Beyond the Night by Marlo Schalesky With Endless Sight by Allison Pittman Harlequin Titles: To Be Announced
Many other blogs are giving away books and prizes for BBAW as well! You can see the links to all of these giveaways here.
Interested in gaining entries into the daily raffles? Post this complete list on your blog with links and you'll earn two extra entries!
The Book Lady is hosting a fabulous giveaway for The Gone Away World by Nick Harkaway. Details can be found here!
Check out Bookshipper for a great review of Notes From The Backseat by Jody Gehrman, a great new chick lit title from Red Dress Ink. Click here to read the review and enter the contest.
BookRoomReviews is holding a contest where the winner will receive a copy of Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer. Details and review can be found here.
Head over to Bart's Bookshelf where you will find lots of great reviews along with a chance to win 2 fantastic giveaways - a copy of The End Of Mr Y by Scarlett Thomas or the first two Witches titles by Michael Molloy. For all the information just click here.
30/yo who enjoys reading (perhaps too much), I've usually got at least 5 books going at anytime. I've just completed taking some English and Sociology University upgrading courses, and I am in the process of obtaining a Library and Research Tech certificate.
I read constantly and I have been known to read instruction manuals, cereal boxes and the YellowPages if I am without a book.
A is for Always, that’s where we embark…
Now I have a surprise! If you made it this far, and you love Neil Gaiman and all his fantastic books, comics, short stories, movies etc. I’ve got an official Coraline bookmark to give away.
