Giveaway Winner (Falling Home by Karen White)

Thanks to all who participated in my giveaway last week. Based on the draw result from Random.org, the winner is ...

Iliana

Congratulations, Iliana! I'll be emailing you shortly for your mailing information. I hope you will enjoy reading this book!

Teaser Tuesdays (And a GIVEAWAY!)

Please scroll down to find out more about the Giveaway!

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

• Grab your current read.
• Let the book fall open to a random page.
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
• You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
• Please avoid spoilers!

He was still drop-dead gorgeous, with laughing brown eyes that narrowed to slits when he smiled, but he'd lost the power to suck the air out of her lungs with just a look. He was her sister's husband, an old friend, and nothing more.

(Pg 38-39, Falling Home by Karen White)

---

Karen White, The New York Times Bestselling Author of On Folly Beach, tests the limits of love and the resilience of family in her highly anticipated novel, Falling Home

After arriving in New York, Cassie did everything she could to reinvent herself, from losing herself in a career to squashing her accent. But a single late-night phone call brings back everything she has tried to forget. She hasn't spoken to her sister Harriet since Cassie wiped the Georgia clay from her high-heeled pumps - not since Harriet stole Cassie's fiancé and married him. Now Harriet's on the line with the news that their father is dying.

Cassie makes the trip back, and the only thing that frightens her more than losing her father is seeing Harriet and the family who should have been hers. But she can't help loving her nephews and nieces any more than she can help feeling at home in a place where people ask how you are and actually expect to hear the truth. As she fights a surprising reaction to a forgotten friend and faces an unexpected threat to the family she left behind, Cassie comes to realize that moving on doesn't always mean moving away from who you are - and that home is a place that lives in a person's heart, waiting with open arms to be rediscovered.

Once again, Karen White shares a place that has touched her heart. In this case, it is Monroe, Georgia, which she visited years ago and which inspired the fictional town of Walton. "My parents are from Mississippi, so I've always considered myself a Southern girl," says Karen. She lived in four states and two countries before actually living in the south. "I spent most of my childhood wishing I had a home town to call my own," she notes. When she first saw Monroe, located just an hour from her Atlanta home, she recognised it as the kind of small southern community she'd always hoped to claim for herself.

Falling Home was originally published in 2002, and is being released again in November 2010 in response to the many readers who reached out after unsuccessfully searching for the out-of-print novel. It has been extensively revised for this new publication. "Readers told me they loved the story and characters, so it was hard to see what I might change," says Karen regarding the revisions. "Then it clicked. I didn't want to change the story. I wanted to change some of the writing - to take the experience and education of having written nine other novels and to work at creating a better book."

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

Thanks to the author's publicist, I have one copy of Falling Home to be given away to one lucky winner! To enter for the giveaway:

• +1 Leave a comment on this post stating your name and your email address (Please also state the total number of points given).
• +1 Tweet about this giveaway.
• +1 Blog about this giveaway (posting on your sidebar is also acceptable.)

Because this book will be sent directly from the publicist, this giveaway is open to US/Canada readers only (no PO boxes, thank you!). I will be drawing for the winner on November 2nd (Tuesday), the day when Falling Home goes on sale.

Good luck!

Winner of Fishing for Bacon by Michael Davie

Many thanks to all the participants for entering my giveaway during the Green Books Campaign on 10 November.

According to Random.org, my gently used copy of Fishing for Bacon goes to...

Alice of Hello, My Name Is Alice

Congratulations, Alice! I will be in touch with you shortly.

BBAW Giveaway: Winner!

First of all, I want to thank everyone for participating in my giveaway during the Book Blogger Appreciation Week. I received a lot of response and thanks to all the participants for recommending your favourite YA novels to me. I will be sure to check them out!

Onto the topic, I have drawn a winner with a little help from Random.org and she is Kathy of Bermudaonion!

~~Congratulations, Kathy!~~

Kathy won a copy of Looking for Alaska by John Green. (Note to Kathy: I will email you shortly for your mailing address.)

My Kick-off BBAW Post: Favourite Books and A Giveaway

Hello, my dear readers! Today is the first day of Book Blogger Appreciation Week (BBAW) and I am very excited to participate in this event again. Last year's BBAW was a blast and I was so thrilled to see a few of my favourite bloggers were voted the best in various categories. This year's BBAW is bigger and better than the last because there are over 1000 bookbloggers participating and more awards being introduced and awarded, but aside from the fun and recognition, this event is actually about bookbloggers and its wonderful community so this is a great time for you to say "Hello" and "Thank you" to the other bookbloggers out there and of course to talk about books and reading!

For today's post we are supposed to write a post thanking and spotlighting our favourite blogs that did not make the shortlists. Though I would love to write about this, I know it is impossible for me to list every of my favourite blogs (trust me, I have a lot!) and the fact that I might leave someone out given that I have a short memory, so my kick-off post for the BBAW today is all about sharing our favourite books instead. (I hope Amy, the founder of BBAW, wouldn't mind that I write a different topic!)

To make it more fun, I am having a giveaway and a lucky reader will win a book from my favourite books list (it will be a brand new copy purchased from The Book Depository). Just tell me what are your favourite books and name me a YA title (or a few if you like) that you would like me to read (I am addicted to YA novels lately and I would love all the recommendations I can get!). The giveaway is open worldwide, and the closing date is September 18. Don't forget to list the title you want to win from my list and your email address in this post. The winner will be announced on the following day, September 19. Good luck!

Here is a list of my 2009 favourite books so far:

• Ritual by Mo Hayder
• Fallen Skies by Philippa Gregory
• Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
• The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
• Evermore by Alyson Noel
• The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• The Lost Hours by Karen White
• Godmother : The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon
• Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
• Stolen by Lucy Christopher
• Looking for Alaska by John Green
• The Ghost Writer by John Harwood
• Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
• Ash by Malinda Lo

Happy Book Blogger Appreciation Week! Bookbloggers rock!

Winners of The White Queen Giveaway

Thanks to Random.org, I have two winners for The White Queen giveaway and they are:

Ceri of Not in the Pink

and

Molly of My Cozy Book Nook

Congratulations, Ceri and Molly!

I will be emailing you for your snail mail address and Wiredset will be sending out the books to you.

Thanks to all who participated!

Giveaway: The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

Do you know that Philippa Gregory's latest release, The White Queen, will be released on August 18, 2009?


Book description:

Philippa Gregory, "the queen of royal fiction" (USA Today) Presents the first of a new series set amid the deadly feuds of England known as the Wars of the Roses.

Brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize, the throne of England, in this dazzling account of the wars of the Plantagenets. They are the claimants and kings who ruled England before the Tudors, and now Philippa Gregory brings them to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women, starting with Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen.

The White Queen tells the story of a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition who, catching the eye of the newly crowned boy king, marries him in secret and ascends to royalty. While Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the missing princes in the Tower of London whose fate is still unknown. From her uniquely qualified perspective, Philippa Gregory explores this most famous unsolved mystery of English history, informed by impeccable research and framed by her inimitable storytelling skills.

With The White Queen, Philippa Gregory brings the artistry and intellect of a master writer and storyteller to a new era in history and begins what is sure to be another bestselling classic series from this beloved author.

(Please click here for a preview excerpt.)

Book Trailer:


Become a fan of The White Queen: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-White-Queen/108761054009

Follow The White Queen: http://twitter.com/WhiteQueen_book

About the author:
Philippa Gregory is the New York Times bestselling author of several books, including The Other Boleyn Girl and The Boleyn Inheritance. A writer and broadcaster for radio and television, she lives in England. She welcomes visitors and messages at her website, http://www.philippagregory.com/.


Thanks to Wiredset, I have two copies of The White Queen to be given away to my two lucky readers!

The rules:

1. Leave a comment and please include your email address on this post.

2. Blog about this giveaway and this will entitle you another entry (Don't forget to send me a link to your blog). Posting the giveaway on your sidebar is also acceptable.

3. This contest is open to ALL international readers. The deadline for entry is midnight, August 17th. Winners will be announced on August 18th (the day The White Queen releases).

Winners of The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer

Thanks to Random. org, Iliana at Bookgirl's Nightstand and Julia at Julia's Books Corner has each won a copy of The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer, with compliments from Sourcebooks.

Congratulations, Iliana and Julia!

Please send me an email with your snail mail address and I will forward it to Sourcebooks.

Thanks, everyone, for participating!

The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer (And a Giveaway!)

ISBN-13: 9781402218941
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc
Published: July 2009
372 pgs




I have not read anything by Georgette Heyer so when Danielle from Sourcebooks contacted me and asked if I want to review The Grand Sophy, I jumped at the offer!

After reading this book, I am happy to declare that I fell in love with Heyer's writing and I think the plot and the characters are very engaging! I liked Sophy Stanton-Lacey and I think she is simply one extraordinary heroine. She is bold, headstrong and a very intelligent young woman and she refused to let anyone bully or get into her way if she doesn't want to. Considering the generation and society at that time, I think what her attitude and some of the tings she did would be most likely to be frowned upon but that does not stop Sophy from doing the things she wanted to do. Simply put, I admired her.

The Grand Sophy begins with Sophy's arrival in the Rivenhall's residence when her father, Sir Horace, is to leave for Brazil and her aunt, Lady Ombersley has agreed to take her into the family temporarily until her father is back.

Sophy caused an uproar when she arrived at the Rivenhall's residence with a magnificent equipage and although the members are flabbergasted by her outrageous behaviour, they quickly warmed up to her and they are quite impressed by her sharp wit and intelligence. However, Charles Rivenhall, the eldest son in the family is not pleased with her at all and thinks she should behave like a real lady. Conflicts arise and sparks fly between them; and he is most certainly not pleased that one of his sisters, Cecilia who always seem to seek for her advice concerning her betrothed whom he deemed favourable but it seems Cecilia already has a gentleman in mind and he is none other than poet Augustus Fawnhope.

It seems this is not the only issue that infuriates Charles. Sophy also goes to extra length in saving his brother from an infamous moneylender when he loses his games and is in debt. Despite she managed to settle things without getting anyone hurt, Charles thinks what she did is improper and he is most certainly shocked that she own a gun and could handle it as well as him! But most of all, what bother him is the way she deals with things in general and her determination in rearranging the lives of anyone she encounters (in particularly the Rivenhall's members), never mind if her intentions are all good.

Seriously, I had great fun reading the exchanges between Charles and Sophy because most of their dialogues had me chuckling, and not to mention it made me wonder when or what it would take to make them see each other in a less prejudice manner. I really liked Sophy; I was in awe of her direct approach when dealing in certain situations and not at all wishy-washy.

I really enjoyed reading The Grand Sophy, and I can totally understand why this book is classified as one of Heyer's most beloved regencies. This is my first Heyer's book but definitely not the last!

Many thanks to Danielle for sending this book to me for review!

~*~*~*~*~

GIVEAWAY!

As The Grand Sophy hits stores officially in July and August is Heyer’s birthday month, Sourcebooks is very generous to offer two copies to my two lucky readers here!

Rules:

• This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only, courtesy of Danielle from Sourcebooks.
• Leave your email address in your comment so I can contact you and forward your address to Sourcebooks if you win.
• I will draw the two winners on 31 July (Friday). Good luck!

Winners

Thanks to Random.org, two winners have been chosen for my giveaway.

The copy of The Promised Land goes to Cmate from Mini Bites;

and the copy of The Sanctuary goes to Jen from Up Close & Personal with LadyTink.

Congratulations, ladies!

I will send both of you an email shortly.

Thanks everyone, for your participation. Till next time!

Books Giveaway

As I mentioned last week, I did my TBR pile spring cleaning and will be giving away some books which I have not read (due to my current reading mood, I have no interest in reading them). Below is the first batch of books which I am giving away:





The Promised Land by David Hewson

The Sanctuary by Raymond Khoury

Rules:

• Just leave a comment on this post and tell me which book you are interested in winning. You may enter two books but you can only win one.
• Include your email address at the end of your comment post.
• You will be given an extra entry if you post a comment on any of my post this week.
• Open worldwide.
• Entries will be closed on Sunday, 19 April and winners will be announced on Monday, 20 April.

Good luck!

Audio Book Giveaway Winner

The winner of my audio book giveaway goes to ... Elizabeth of BlueViolet!

Congratulations, Elizabeth!

Please email me your snail mail address and I will send the CD set to you as soon as possible. Thanks everyone for participating! :-)

Audio Book Giveaway

{STICKY POST ! ~ Please scroll down for other entries}

Thanks to bellebooks, I have one audio CD to give away to one lucky winner.

Before Garden Spells (click here to read my review) and Sugar Queen, Sarah Addison Allen wrote some lovely stories for bellebooks and they are now compiled into a novella, In My Dreams, available in audio CD and narrated by New York Times bestselling author Deborah Smith.

Synopsis:
Six charming stories illuminate the everyday magic of life in the small North Carolina town of Clementine. With the help of her wise and colourful Great Aunt Sophie, young Louise learns to deal with life, death, love and friendship.

Genre: Novella, Women's Fiction, Southern, Contemporary
Appropriate for YA as well as adult audiences

Leave a comment on this post if you are interested to win this CD set. Closing date for the draw is 26 August (GMT +8.00). The winner will be announced on the following day. Good luck!

Book Giveaway Winner

I would like to thank everyone who participated in my book giveaway under my Weekly Geeks post last week. It is a great joy to me to host every book giveaway because I just love the feeling of sharing books with fellow book lovers.

Random.org has helped me to draw a winner and a copy of Taken by Barbara Freethy goes to Shana of Literarily.

Congratulations, Shana!

Please email me your snail mail address so I can send the book to you as soon as possible.

All About Sharing

I found two book giveaways which I though I would share and might interest you. I know most of you are huge Neil Gaiman fan (and this including yours truly), thus I am excited when I read about this great giveaway hosted by Fashionista Piranha. If you are looking forward to reading his newest book, The Graveyard Book, this is your chance to win an ARC copy (as well as other goodies). (Click here for more details.)

I have also read a lot of great reviews on The Gargoyle written by Andrew Davidson, so I am definitely looking out for this one (even though if I do not get to win)! Ruth from Bookish Ruth will be giving away one paperback ARC of this title (click here for more details); and on top of that she is also giving away Kaimira: The Sky Village by Monk and Nigel Ashland (click here for more details).

Onto an unrelated note, has anyone read Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer? This is the final installment of her Twilight series. Based on some reviews I read from blogs and on online bookstores, readers who had read it either love it or hate it. If you ask me, I can tell you that I have not read the previous installment Eclipse yet! But I am definitely getting this copy today.

Finally, I would like to thank Alice and Julia for passing this Bunch of Tulips Award to me. Both of them are good friends of mine and I really treasure our friendship despite the fact that we have not met one another. And this, I think is the wonderful part of blogosphere, because you do not need to travel to know new friends. To spread the love of friendship, I would like to pass this award to all my book blog friends (you know who you are!). Thank you for your wonderful book recommendations, and for reading and leaving comments on my blog. You know I really appreciate them!

Thank you, everyone!

Weekly Geeks #13

This week’s theme is a sort of meme. The basic challenge is to post author photos.

Using the meme-like list below, post photos of authors in response. Please feel free to skip any you don’t like. You’re also free (encouraged!) to add your own, but if you do that, please be sure to indicate which are yours, so that people can credit you if they use yours.

But don’t put words/names with your photos. Ask your readers to guess your answers! If you have a book to give away, you may want to offer a prize, maybe draw a name from those readers who guess correctly.

# # #

1. Photos of your favorite author(s).

2. Photo(s) of the author(s) of the book(s) you’re currently reading.

3. A youtube of (an) author(s) you’ve heard speak. (I attached the picture since I couldn't have it linked.)

4. A photo of the author of the book you’ve most recently finished.

5. Photos of the hottest author(s)!

Bonus Question:
List any title written by this author. (Hint: She writes historical fictions. One of her works was shown on the big screen this year.)

Note: You will stand a chance to win a copy of Taken by Barbara Freethy if you can answer this bonus question correctly. Please send your reply to melreadingcorner (AT) gmail (DOT) com; deadline is Thursday, 7 August (GMT +8.00) and the winner will be announced on the following day.

Good luck!