Monday, July 26, 2010

Got Books? Event Winners

http://gotbooksevent.blogspot.com

Wow what an event.  I had well over 100 entrants for my giveaways and thank everyone who left a comment as well as filled out the form.  I had a lot of fun entering the giveaways as well and finding new book blogs to read - my Google Reader has many more subscriptions after this weekend.  The Got Books? Event was the work of GMR of Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers and The1stdaughter of There's A Book.  Thanks so much to both of them for putting this together - it was a lot of fun!

All winners have been emailed and have 48 hours to contact me with their address or I will draw another winner.  Books will be mailed early next week to the winners.

Winner Christian Suspense/Thriller:

Indivisible: A Novel  The Last Christian: A Novel

Bethie

Romantic Suspense:

Death Echo  Enemy Lover

Latisha D

Suspense:

The Rule of Nine: A Paul 
Madriani Novel  In the Name of Honor

Wendy W

What are you Reading Monday - July 26th

Come post weekly and see what others are reading too just so you can add to your tbr - I always do! For more information see Sheila at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books and join in!

Books Completed Last Week 
  • Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs (audiobook)
  • Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare (review)
  • Brightly Woven by Alexandria Bracken (review) 
  • Wings by Aprilynne Pike (library) 
  • The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong (mine)  
  • The Summer of Skinny Dipping by Amanda Howells (review) 
Reading Now:
  • The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan (audible at work)
  • Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs (audiobook in car)
  • Virals by Kathy Reichs (review)
Next:
  • The Passage by Justin Cronin
  • The Island by Elin Hildenbrand (review) 
  • Running Dark by Jamie Freveletti (review)
Reviews completed this week (books read before this week):
Other books still need to review:
  • The Van Alen Legacy by Melissa de la Cruz
  • Losing Faith by Denise Jarden (review)
Summary -

Great reading week - lots of good books.  On the home front we finally took our boat out for the first time this summer and had a great time.  The boys played in the water and got along for 2 hours, Mitch rested and I sat in my chair got a little sun and finished up The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong.  Great Saturday.


Favorite book of the week:  It's a tie between Brightly Woven by Alexandria Brackman and The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong.  The Summer of Skinny Dipping was wonderful as well.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Winner - Two Blazes by Samantha Hunter


Blazing Bedtime Stories, Volume IV  Make Your Move

Thanks for all who participated and ask Samantha such great questions - I really learned a lot.  I hope you also checked out my review of her mystery title she talked about in the guest post, Past Tense.
 
And thanks too to Samantha for taking time out of her busy schedule to do the guest post and answer questions!

The Winner is:

Karenk

I have contacted Karen by email and she has until Monday at 6pm to contact me or I will draw a new name.  Karen if you see this and haven't received my email, please email me at crystalfulcher(at)ec(dot)rr(dot)com.

Winner - The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong






Thank you so much for all the entries and for those of you who tweeted - this was a really popular giveaway.

The winner is:

Cass

I have contacted Cass by email and she has until Monday at 6pm to contact me or I will draw a new name.  Cass if you see this and haven't received my email, please email me at crystalfulcher(at)ec(dot)rr(dot)com.
Thanks!

Got Books? Event Giveaway

http://gotbooksevent.blogspot.com


It's time for the first ever Got Books? Event.  Hosted over at the Got Books Blog, Got Books? is the work of GMR of Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers and The1stdaughter of There's A Book.  I decided to join in this weekend and I'm so excited to be a part of this.  The main gist is to show off book blogs and to offer giveaways.  What better event is there?

So what do I offer to this event?

Well first - if this is your first time visiting, please look around, I review all types of books, romance, suspense/thriller, literary, non-fiction, young adult, paranormal and any combination of those types.  I try to post most days during the week, involve myself in a few memes and  post a lot of reviews and some giveaways as well.  I love to read and a normal reading month has me reading 15-20 books.  I also love my local library and I love that I found blogging almost a year and a half ago.  I never imagined sticking with it this long, but it's a part of my life now and I enjoy it.

Second is the giveaway(s):

Do you like Christian Suspense/Thrillers, Romantic Suspense, or pure suspense, well you have come to right place.  I have three giveaways you can choose from.

Christian Suspense/Thriller:

Indivisible: A Novel  The Last Christian: A Novel

Romantic Suspense:

Death Echo  Enemy Lover

Suspense:

The Rule of Nine: A Paul Madriani Novel  In the Name of Honor

So which prize pack would you choose?  Use the following form to enter.  You can enter 1, 2 or all of them.  Only In the Name of Honor is an ARC and the rest are the published versions.

The giveaway ends 7/24 at 11:59pm and I'll draw winners early next week.  Open to US/Canada only.  The packages will not go out until the following Monday as next week is going to be crazy.  So be just a little patient with me and you will get your books with plenty of summer reading time left!

Following is not a must, but appreciated, tweeting would be nice, help get the word out about the Got Books? event, but no extra entries this go round, just trying to keep things simple.

Thanks!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Book Blogger Hop - July 23-26

To check out other answers and join the hop go and check out Crazy-For_Books.com for the Mr. Linky for the Blog Hop. 

This week's question:

TELL US ABOUT THE BOOK YOU ARE CURRENTLY READING!

I'm currently reading Wings by Aprilynne Pike - I'm on page 100 and it has had me from the very beginning.  I really like Lauren and David so far and look forward to learning more about Laurel and the faerie world in this book.  It seems I started reading faerie books a few weeks ago and have read more and more of them.  I really enjoy them more than I thought I would.


I have Spells waiting to read after this and I can't wait.


Wings

Book Review: Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill


Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: July 1, 2010
Hardcover, 336 pages


My Review:
I will admit I am fascinated by the Salem Witch Trials and the truth of the matter is I know very little about them.  When I saw Wicked Girls I knew I had to read it.  What I didn't realize was that it was written in verse.  I have never read a novel in verse and honestly I thought about sending it on and not reading it (it was for a book tour).  But I started it, and once I started it I could not put it down.  After reading the first 5-10 pages I became use to the writing in verse and it flowed so well.  I liked the little stories told by each of the main players and how they interweaved.  When one would stop the story, another would pick it up and it just flowed so well throughout the book.

Told from the point of view of Mercy, the servant girl, Ann Jr., the girl in the group with the highest standing in the community and Margaret, Ann's cousin, it unfolds a timeless story of girls who seek attention and will go to any lengths to get it.

I made a note in the middle of the book about the timeless theme, then read the author's note at the end on how she used that to help with the creation of this book - I was so pleased that I picked up on something like that (sometimes themes go over my head - I will confess I was never and English major and frequently just read books for enjoyment).  Ms. Hemphill weaves this beautifully into the story.  I read this in one day, never leaving it for very long at a time.  I needed to know more about Ann, Mercy, Margaret and the other main players and what would happen next in the village of Salem.

If you enjoy historical young adult novels, or historical novels in general, I think you will enjoy Wicked Girls. It tells a great story of what might have happened during the days of the Salem Witch Trials from the point of view of the major players.  It's a fascinating and captivating read and I am now intrigued by Ms. Hemphill's writing and will be seeking out her backlist as well.

My Rating:  4.5/5.0

About the Book:
Wicked Girls is a fictionalized account of the Salem witch trials based on the real historical characters, told from the perspective of three young women living in Salem in 1692—Mercy Lewis, Margaret Walcott, and Ann Putnam Jr. 

When Ann’s father suggests that a spate of illnesses within the village is the result of witchcraft, Ann sees an opportunity and starts manifesting the symptoms of affliction. Ann looks up to Mercy, the beautiful servant in her parents' house. She shows Mercy the power that a young girl is capable of in a time when women were completely powerless. 


Mercy, who suffered abuse at the hands of past masters, seizes her only chance at safety. And Ann’s cousin Margaret, anxious to win the attention of a boy in her sights, follows suit. As the accusations mount against men and women in the community, the girls start to see the deadly ramifications of their actions. Should they finally tell the truth? Or is it too late to save this small New England town?

About the Author:
Stephanie Hemphill is the author of Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath and Things Left Unsaid: A Novel in Poems. Your Own, Sylvia was a 2008 Michael L. Printz Honor Book. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.
FTC Information: I received this book through Traveling ARC Tours for review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.