Tag: Blogiversary

Blogiversary YEAR 5!!! Biggest Giveaway Of The Year!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)187 Comments

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Holy smokes???  5 Years!  I never thought that when I started this “on-line book journal” (that’s what I thought I was doing in the beginning), that it would take me on this AMAZING adventure ride!  This year I would like to list a few things that have changed in my life in the past 5 years mainly due to this little project website I call Book Journey:

 

  • I was asked to write for a local magazine after an editor seen my reviews here

  • I learned about the Book Expo in New York by reading other blogs and have just returned from my 5th year attending, representing this blog site.

  • I have met the most incredible people through blogs and then in many cases, in person which blows my mind, and they have become great book friends – you all know who you are 😉

  • 3 years ago I did not have a library card :shock:, but reading other blogs helped me realize that this is an important part of our community and I have since carded up, became President of our local Friends Group and was put on our City Library Board.

  • I have participated in World Book Night the past three years

  • I have been asked to speak on panels around Minnesota and beyond (most recently at the book expo!) on blogging, writing, and reaching readers

  • My advocacy for books has risen times a zillion…. I will talk books any day… any time 😀

  • I have learned A LOT about social networking, blog “curb appeal”, and advanced my knowledge of the internet.

  • I have written a book and have connected it to publishing houses.  *fingers crossed*

  • I have made wonderful relationships with the Publishing world and have learned much.

  • Don’t even get me started on the wonderful authors I have had the privilege to meet and talk with.

  • Myself and a team created the Wine and Words event in Brainerd Minnesota, a literacy fundraiser and I invited authors I knew from the expo to come and talk books…. and they did.  (My heart overflows with gratitude!)  The event was such a success last year, that we are doing it again this fall and 5 authors are coming again.  ♥♥♥

  • Just yesterday I was called by MALF (Minnesota Association Of Library Friends) and asked to be nominated to be on their board.

Non of this would have happened without Book Journey.  Sure, pre-Book Journey I was a reader, but nowhere near to this extent or involvement.  I think those of you who have book blogged for a while can relate to what I mean. 🙂  For this… all of the above… I am so grateful.

 

Enough about me.  This blogiversary is really my celebration of YOU!  The readers!  Because seriously… as much as I enjoy talking books… I LOVE LOVE LOVE talking about them with you.  I love your comments, your questions, your occasional emails, and honestly… I love it when I see Book Journey on your sidebars (if you blog) – to this day it gives me a little “SQQQUUEEEE” inside that you enjoy reading my crazy ramblings here enough to add me so others may come visit too.  You are what makes Book Journey a well…. Book Journey.  You are why I get up in the morning with COFFEE CUP and turn on my laptop and share with you the inner workings of my day, life, work, wins and fails, and the books I am reading.

Thank you.

For today only, as in past years… I offer up a set of giveaways.  A few of these books are duplicates from the expo, many are from my personal stash.  I will add what is in each group shortly here – right now I just want to get this post up (I meant to write this last night but instead went with a friend to the movie Fault In Our Stars, then out for appetizers and to chat and got home after midnight.  *oops*  😉  Winners will be announced tomorrow morning – Sunday June 8th.

 

BookJourney, Blogiversary, Book Expo

 

 

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As per tradition,

For those of you who have come to my party the last few years, the basics are pretty much the same… to be entered for the great giveaways (pictured above), simply leave me a comment here telling me how you traveled to the party, and what virtual gift or food item you brought with you:  For example, you may have come by freight train to the party and brought with you Twinkies … (really be as crazy as you want… I love the fun imaginative comments!) For a little bonus if you would like to share how long we have known each other (blog or otherwise) and if you are brand new to the house of Book Journey – feel free to share that too!  I love new friends!  :D

 

Blogiversary! Year 4 – and Gifts Galore!!!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)229 Comments

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Hi everyone!  Welcome to my 4 years of blogging blogiversary – this is the actual day, June 9th, when I officially became a blogger.

I never dreamed when I started writing reviews on line in 2009 that 4 years later I would still be doing it.  Blogging has really changed my life in positive ways that I would never have expected :

  • Writing reviews for a local magazine
  • being on a Twin Cities Panel
  • Going to the Book Expo for the past 4 years
  • Becoming President of The Friends Of The Library
  • Being on the city board for the library

Now you might think that some of these things I would have done without the blog but I dot think that is true.  Through this community of bloggers I have learned the value of reading and sharing what we read.  I have also read post after post of libraries and book stores closing, so I have become an even stronger advocate for the written word.  All that I owe to this little space on the internet that I call Book Journey.

 

For those of you who have come to my party the last few years, the basics are pretty much the same… to be entered for the great giveaways (pictured below), simply leave me a comment here telling me how you traveled to the party, and what virtual gift or food item you brought with you:  For example, you may have rollerbladed to the party and brought with you foot long licorice vines … (really be as crazy as you want… I love the fun imaginative comments!) For a little bonus if you would like to share how long we have known each other (blog or otherwise) and if you are brand new to the house of Book Journey – feel free to share that too!  I love new friends!  :D

My party will go for 24 hours so this post will go up at 12:01 am on June 9 (central time) and stay up until midnight.  Every comment will be entered into the random drawings and winners (using random.org)will be announced here on Monday morning on Its Monday What Are You Reading Post.

See last years party here

Your comment will go into a drawing (using random.org) for one of the following packages:

1
Package #1: 4 books, a sample chapter, swag and book bag

 

 

2
Package 2: YA pack – 3 books, swag items and book bag

 

 

3
Package #3: 4 books, swag and book bag

 

 

4
Package #4: 4 books, swag and book bag

 

 

♥Thank you readers, you make this blog a whole lot of fun!  I am so excited to celebrate with you.  I have cleaned the house and set out the “red solo cups” and have the punch on ice….  just waiting to see who will be knocking on my door…

wait!  There’s a knock!  Who could it be?

*opens door and looking surprised!*

PARTY TIME!!!

Blogiversary Year 4 Invite and Save The Date!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)

1a1oHi everyone, This coming Sunday June 9th is my 4 Year Blogiversary and I am asking each of you to please save the date and stop on by this Sunday.  Each year I have a lot of fun with the blogiversary post and each year there are BIG FUN giveaways here to celebrate.  Mark your calendar and be sure to stop by and see one of the biggest posts on the blog each year.  Its going to be AWESOME and I want you to be a part of that awesomeness 😀

See you there!(see my 2012 Blogiversary here to get an idea of what will be happening 😀 )

Morning Meanderings…Winners and Cat-Dogs

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)50 Comments

Happy Saturday everyone!  Did you know this is my favorite day of the week?  Saturdays are the one day each week I can linger a bit more in the morning without rushing out the door.  If I can, I keep them fairly open, non commitment filled… I like the options of choosing what I do with my day, at least once a week 🙂

I hope you had a chance to stop by yesterday to my annual Blogiversary Party.  It is always fun that it lands shortly after BEA so I can give away a few books and swag.  If you have a few minutes, it is well worth just reading the imaginative comments that make me smile, and occasionally laugh out loud.  (I challenge everyone to let me know how they arrive at the party and what virtual food item/or gift they brought with.  Lets just say it is going to take me weeks to get the crumbs out of my blog side bars and pretty sure there was a little cake on the header this morning too I had to clean up.  😛

SO now…. for my winners!  Using random.org, here are the winners of the packages:

Package 1 goes to:  Kaye (comment #61)

 

Package #2 goes to Julie at Read Handed

 

Package #3:  A Book Dragon’s Lair

 

Package #4:  Lydia from The Lost Entwife

 

The $10 Amazon Gift Card:  Joan (comment #45)

 

Congratulations everyone!  As soon as I have your addresses I will be able to mail out – email me at

journeythroughbooks @gmail.com

 

Ok, now that the business portion of this morning post is done I do have a picture – yes, one picture (so unlike me) for Alyce’s Saturday Snapshots.  This one I took the other day while sitting outside on the deck with a friend and my to dogs…. we were sitting in the tall chairs at the tall table and Bailey, decided to climb up on the deck table… while that was shocking enough, Sam… climbed from the deck, to the table, to the chair, leaped up on the deck railing and sat there…. like a cat.  😯

Be sure to stop by Saturday Snapshots at At Home with Books to see what other people are taking pictures of!

One last little “housekeeping” item… I am running a blog survey this week (see upper right side bar) and I would love it if you could take a minute or two to give me some feedback.  Next week after it is complete I will post the results and offer up a $10 gift card to one of the participants in this survey.  😀

Enjoy your Saturday, I am about to write a guest post for a friend and a post for later today…. then… I think I will be outside – it is gorgeous out today and I want to take full advantage!

Blogiversary!!!!!!! Year Three – And You Get The Gifts!!!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)232 Comments

Woo hoo!!!!I have officially hit the year three mark, as of June 9th I have been book blogging/reviewing/chatting/gushing for three years!  THREE YEARS!!!

When I started blogging I had no idea it would one day lead me to:

  • Not one, not two, but three trips (so far!) to New York to the Book Expo!

  • I would not only make great friends who love books as much as I do – but in some cases I was able to meet them!

  • Writing reviews for a local magazine

  • Connecting with our local library

  • and stretch my reading palate to try books I never thought I would enjoy and found out in many cases I did!  😛

I can hardly remember what life was like before I started writing posts (this one by the way is number 2,192!)

For those of you who have come to my party last year or the year before, the basics are pretty much the same… to be entered for the great giveaways (pictured below), simply leave me a comment here telling me how you traveled to the party, and what virtual gift or food item you brought with you:  For example, you may have rode a pogo stick to the party and brought with you jalapeno poppers laced with jumping beans… (really be as crazy as you want… I love the fun imaginative comments!) For a little bonus if you would like to share how long we have known each other (blog or otherwise) and if you are brand new to the house of Book Journey – feel free to share that too!  I love new friends!  😀

My party will go for 24 hours so this post will go up at 12:01 am on June 15th (central time) and stay up until midnight.  Every comment will be entered into the random drawings and winners (using random.org)will be announced here on Saturday morning.

Here is what I will draw winners for:

*Personal thank you to publishers who gave me copies of these books to give away for this event.

One more “bonus” side giveaway – you will see on my right sidebar that I have a Book Journey survey going on.  This is a quick survey to help me analyze what you like or what brings you to Book Journey.  If you would be so kind as to take a couple of minutes and fill out the survey for me, it will assist me to be a better blogger.  😀  This survey will be up for one week and then I will draw from the participants a winner for an Amazon gift card.

Thank you readers of Book Journey –  You make me smile with your comments, nod in understanding, and occasionally I laugh (snort) out loud.  I am so appreciative of all of you!!!

Let’s get this party started!!!!  I hear knocking at the door… who could it be….

*opening the door – look of surprise!*

Blogiversary – year 2 and I want to party with you!!!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)222 Comments

Oh I am just giddy with excitement!!!  Today officially marks my two-year anniversary of my step into the book blogging world.  Whoever thought that this day would come?  I sure didn’t!  When I first discovered book blogging I would never have dreamed what a life changing experience it would be… I did not know that by chatting books I would:

  • start having conversations with authors

  • be part of a Minnesota book event panel

  • Go to New York – not once, but twice for BEA

  • meet many awesome book bloggers throughout this wonderful and crazy hobby

  • and of course, get to chat with all of you

Life is really not as it was before I book blogged.  😀

This party is to really celebrate you, because honestly…. if I was talking to myself every day…. I know I would not do this blog, at least not to the extent and to the love that I do now.  SO please, come on in!

You may drop your coat at the coat check (be sure to get a claim number), and help yourself to the beverages and snacks.  Excuse me a minute while I get the music going…

*runs into other room*

*runs back*

There.  Nothing like a little cheesy 80’s background music.  😛

At this party – the gifts are for you!  It’s easy to participate – simply leave a comment on this post about how you arrived at the party (have fun with this) and what virtual gift or food item you brought with you, such as you rode your scooter and brought flaming shish kabobs.  (I did this last year and the sheer imaginative comments had me laughing for days after…. :D)

This giveaway is open for today only – tomorrow morning I will announce the winners using random.org on my Morning Meandering post.  If you have a preference (package 1,2,3, or 4) you can say that in your comment and if your name is drawn that will be yours if not already won by someone else – otherwise no need to say which as you will be eligible for all. 

Ok… let’s get to the good stuff:

An advanced reader copy of Forever by Maggie Stiefvater, Between by Monica Warman, Camerons Coffee (Caramel Brownie), Ghiradelli Chocolate, and a Mysterious Benedict Society puzzle

Nazareth Child by Darrell James, Ghiradelli Chocolate, Cameron’s French Vanilla coffee, The Soldiers Wife by Margaret Leroy, and Crooked Letter Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin.

The Art Of Choosing (AUDIO!), Dark Legacy and Secret Legacy by Anna DeStefano, Lethal by Sandra Brown, Lindt Truffles, Cameron’s Cinnamon Sugar Cookie coffee

The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly, The Taker by Alma Katsu, The Sandalwood tree by Elle Newmark, Ghiradelli Chocolate, and Java delight Hazelnut Creme Coffee

*Personal thank you to publishers who gave me copies of these books to give away for this event.

Thank you readers of Book Journey –  You make me smile with your comments, nod in understanding, and occasionally I laugh out loud.  I am so appreciative of all of you!!!

Let’s get this party started!!!!  I am opening the door….