Tag: Giveaway

Literary Blog Hop June 25-29

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)146 Comments

The Literary Giveaway Blog Hop is hosted by Leeswammes’s Blog.  Follow the link I provided here to sign up for many fun literary giveaways from now through Wednesday.  

I am offering here an international chance to win one of 2 $10 Amazon gift cards!  *I will email the gift cards to the winners so as long as you have access to an Amazon you are good to go!   Simply leave me a comment here telling me what book you wish you currently had in your possession and why.  That’s it!  😀  Party on fellow book lovers 😛

My Journey With Audio Books – and a GIVEAWAY for you!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)60 Comments

Today is the kick off to audio book week (thank you Jen at Devourer of Books!)and I could not be more THRILLED!  I listen to as much audio as I read books…. some weeks, audio beats out the books.  Now – before you non audio book listeners click off this page, bear with me because really – this post is for you.  😀

Those of us who listen to audio know how awesome it is… yet I know from many of my readers, they think it is all good and well for me… but they really couldn’t possibly.  SO let’s take a little journey together shall we?

It’s fall 2009 and I have several trips I need to make to Grand Marias Minnesota.  this is a 4 hour drive, one way from my home.  Now normally, I am an 80’s rockin’ to the music kind of gal… but 4 hours of hard pounding tunes in my head (even if some are pop music – yup… I said it :razz:), gets to be too much.  At that point… I would rather listen to silence.

But this particular fall is different… as I am  fairly new to the book blogging world and recently had discovered Hachette Audio.  They gave audio books away to listen to and review.  Seriously new concept for me.  SO sure enough, in my jeep I have an audio book… it is James Patterson’s Worst Case (the Michael Bennett series – and yes…totally the third book in the series but how would I have known that?)  Anyway… I popped the audio into my vehicle and I was hooked.  The story grabbed me and while making the long haul to Grand Marais, I was able to get deep into the story – loving the sound effects, the narrator, EVERYTHING.

I ask myself, “Where can I get more of this?”

So that is where it began – but it only lead to more… I had to have more.  I loved it and I could listen to audio when I was unable to read a book.

*Hand waving rapidly back and forth*

“But Sheila, I can’t listen to audio – I can’t stay focused on it and it puts me to sleep!”

I hear that a lot.  So here’s the thing.  I can not just get cozy in a chair and listen to audio.  I would be passed out in no time or my mind drifting to something else…. like if there is ice cream in the house, or is the DVR is set up right to record Survivor…. HOWEVER as many of us readers are multi taskers, here is how audio works, and when it works for me:

  • In the car – I have audio all the time.  I listen to it to work, to the grocery store, everywhere…. and road trips where I am riding alone – it is awesome and passes the time!

  • While mowing the lawn.  We have a big lawn.  On the rider I still invest 3+ hours on the lawn once, sometimes twice a week.  I pop in my ear buds on the IPOD and mow to a story… now instead of singing while I mow and scaring the neighbors, I can laugh out loud or cry and let them think I am crazy.  😛

  • While cooking.  I don’t have the patience to stay in the kitchen.  I have to start dinner, then move on to something else which usually means I forget about dinner.  Dinner dies.  BUT now I listen to audio Cd’s in the kitchen and I hang out…. its like it calms me and suddenly I enjoy chopping vegetables, and cleaning up while an audio is on.  I am happy – my hubby is really happy.

  • While Cleaning… if I am working on one room I place the audio where I can listen to it and go to work.  I enjoy the work more, and get a book in on the side.  “Look ma – no hands!”

  • Getting ready in the mornings.  I spend about 30 minutes average a day in the bathroom in the morning.  I keep my IPOD speakers in there and can listen to audio while I get ready for my day.

Audio doubles my “reading” in a year.  There are books I would probably never get to if it were not for audio.  I am more daring with audio… I listen to classics on audio, and non fiction as well as fiction.  You may be amazed at what a great narrator can do. 

*hand shoots up*

“But Sheila…. audio can be pricey…”

True.  However check your local library.  Ours has a wide variety of audio and is connected to many more libraries in the state so I can reserve from another library on-line and have it delivered to my library within days of the request.

Also – audible.com is your friend.  I signed up last year and right away you receive two free audio, after that you receive a credit a month to pick one out for 7.99.  No contract – you cancel anytime.  AND they have wonderful sales – a couple of months back I picked up quite a few for 4.95 each.

That all being said – audio and non audio listeners alike, here is my challenge to you.  This week… start an audio.  Any audio… once you have listened to it come back here and link your review to this post.  I will make a side bar contest link so you can find it.  If you are not a blogger, you can still participate by coming back after you have listened to an audio and share in the comments what you listened to – where you listened to it and what you thought of it. 

In two weeks from today I will draw a name using random.org out of those who link (or comment) about an audio they listened to and the results.  (If you have a blog – I would prefer you also link your review of the audio).  The winner will receive an audio sent to them from Amazon of a value of $20 or less before shipping.

That’s it – happy audio week everyone – let the festivities begin!  😀

** When you have your audio reviewed – link it below to be entered!

Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…

Fairy Tale Fortnight: Review and Giveaway of Cloaked by Alex Finn

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)23 Comments

 When I seen this bookish adventure coming up hosted by Misty at The Book Rat and Ashley from Basically Amazing Books, lets just say my “spidey senses”…. were activated…

I had not read any of the “New” fairy tales but have many fond memories of fairy tales as a child…

… and I remember my Great Grandmother reading these stories to me, large hard cover books with gorgeously detailed pages read so often that I knew the words before I could read them…. and who knew then that those stories would stick with me a lifetime? 

So… the question was when I was asked to create a quest post about a fairy tale book of my choice… could I bring the magic of those books back?

Fairy tale is a type of short narrative that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments.

I personally find this interesting as in todays stories of wolves, vampires, fairies and feys – they are considered paranormal and not fairy tales at all. 

And my quest began…. did I want to read and review a classic fairy tale… or did my literary mind long for  a new fairy tale and see what they were like… not knowing of course, old or new – if I would be able to capture that fairy dust again that makes a fairy tale come to life…

“flip flip flip” I went through the pages of fairy tales I found on-line and “click click click” as I went through the books on Amazon until…. finally

FINALLY….

I settled on Cloaked.

Why?

I liked that is seemed to be a mix and match of old fairy tales put in a blender to make a new one… it was both old and new…. both classic and new release….  that appealed to me.  I also liked that this was the author of Beastly which I have not read, but know of and know that it is also being made into a movie…. that too appealed to me. 

The review and giveaway are not posted here as I did this review for this event at Book Rat and Basically Amazing books.  Pop over to see the review here and the giveaway here. 

As for here….. what are your thoughts on Fairy Tales?  Yay back in the day but Nay now?  Or yay and yay?  Do you like the new and creative touches to the old classic tales or do you prefer them left untouched as they were?

Literary Blog Hop

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)112 Comments

This is a sticky post – all new posts are below 😀

My friend Judith at Leeswammes has put together this 4 day Literary Giveaway HOP.  I am thrilled to share in this opportunity for you to win a great book and think I put together a pretty good selection here:

 

Sadly, many on this grouping I have not read myself.  To enter this giveaway leave a comment here on which of these 8 books you would like to win.  If you are my winner (drawn with random.org on February 24th) I will ship you the book directly from Amazon and if I have not read it myself, I will order one for me as well.  I love win, win….LOL

This book giveaway is open to US only.  If you are out of the US and have access to order from Amazon, you are welcome to participate and if you are the winner I will email you a $10 gift card from Amazon instead.

Make sure you pop on in and see the rest of the hop at Leeswammes’ Blog!

Morning Meanderings… Back in Minnesota and with a giveaway!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)34 Comments

Good morning!

I am sitting at MY OWN kitchen table this morning with MY OWN coffee cup.

We left Honduras (84 degrees) yesterday at 1:00 pm and arrived back on my doorstep at 1:30 a.m. (17 degrees and snowing) this morning.

Finally… the snow on my blog makes sense again.

I am glad to be home and over the next few days I will share pictures, happenings, and recipes with you surrounding the 10 days I spent traveling around Honduras with 6 friends, exploring options of where we can team up in the future.  It was an amazing trip, but we spent a lot (A LOT) of time in a car traveling here and there, sometimes 4 -5 hours one way so you can imagine that I am excited to start moving (literally) again!

The people who were with us and drove us around were Terry and Colleen Hawk.  Missionaries of Honduras and amazing people.  I have known them for years, but this year was the year these two amazing people went from acquaintances to friends.


Terry’s dad, Don Hawk was the man who came to Honduras on a banana boat in 1968 to start a school for underprivileged boys.  He applied to do this through a mission agency and was turned down – however he felt called to do this anyway, so packed up his wife and his two small sons at the time and to Honduras they went.

Now all these years later, while Don passed away at the age of 59, the school (the farm school I showed pictures of earlier) flourishes, and Terry’s sons and grandchildren are still doing things in Honduras that has really changed the country.  It was an honor to spend time getting to know Terry and Colleen better.

Terry and Colleen Hawk

SO – I tell you all this today because the book, Come What May by Betty Hockett is the story of Dawn Hawk.  I read it several years back but now that I know more of the story, I want to read it again.


The Giveaway

The giveaway I want to do is for a bag of Honduran coffee (which is delicious!).  All I would like is a comment here for letting me know a trip that you have taken that has inspired a book purchase (trip and book title).

One Bonus Entry

If you would like to subscribe to my blog (upper right side bar) and let me know in a separate comment here (or if you already subscribe) and that will count as an extra entry.

Winner will be chosen using random.org on Wednesday morning – December 14th.

 

It’s good to be home!

My Lost Daughter by Nancy Thayer Rosenberg – Hard Cover Giveaway!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)49 Comments

Lily Forrester is a tough Ventura County judge who has overcome adversity and heartache to get to a place where she can help those who can’t help themselves. She’s put all of her passion and energy into this cause and has no regrets. That is, until she receives word that her daughter Shana, who is attending law school hundreds of miles away, seems to be having a nervous breakdown.

Feeling guilty at what she sees as a failure in her duty as a mother, Lily rushes to Shana’s side. With a major murder trial underway in her court, Lily faces an agonizing choice: stay with Shana — and possibly see a killer go free due to a mistrial — or return to work and possibly sacrifice her daughter’s sanity. In a desperate balancing act, Lily takes Shana to a supposedly prestigious treatment facility for help.

Unfortunately for the two women, the institution is far less interested in treating patients than it is in bilking insurance companies out of extravagant fees�Ķ and the staff is less than scrupulous about patients’ rights. After being stonewalled for weeks, Lilly discovers that Shana has been threatened by sadistic so-called caregivers, given mind-deadening drugs without consent, and held for hours in a tiny, bare cell without food or water. Lily will have to use all her knowledge of the law to find a way to free Shana. Lily does not know that Shana faces another danger — one that isn’t institutional. A sociopath is in hiding at the hospital, using the organization’s criminal activities for his own purposes. And Shana is his new obsession.


The cooler weather makes me crave mysteries that require a comfy chair, a warm blanket, and a cup of something steamy and delicious! This is where a book like My Lost Daughter pulls at my attention.

Thanks to Forge Publishing, maybe this book will call to you as well.  Forge Publishing has graciously sent me two extra hard cover copies of this read to share with my readers.  TWO WINNERS!!!  I hope that is exciting news!

Here is how to enter:

Share with me in a comment  what sort of books call to you this time of year as the temperatures cools and the days grow shorter.  (*This question mush be answered to be entered)

Bonus Entries (but not necessary)

Subscribe to my posts (upper right side bar and let me know you have in a separate comment and I will add a bonus entry

Tweet or put this giveaway on Facebook and let me know here in a separate comment  and I will add an extra entry

Blog about this giveaway and leave me a link in a separate comment here and I will add an extra entry

 

That’s it.  Giveaway open to USA and Canada addresses only please.  Giveaway will end on November 3.

Lori Lansens Huge Signed Books Giveaway

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)110 Comments


Lori Lansens is my feature Word Shakers On Line Book Club Author of the month.   The Wordshakers read her book, The Wife’s Tale, over the past 5 weeks and discussed it through an online format.  Now Lori has generously offered three copies of each of these books for a give away to Book Journey readers!

How To Enter

To enter please leave a comment here letting me know if you would prefer a chance to win #1) The Wife’s Tale, #2) The Girls, or #3) Rush Home Road.  You may choose more than one in your comment, and if have no preference say so, and you will be eligible to win any one of the books. **You must answer this question to be eligible for any other entries.

Bonus Entries

If you subscribe to Book Journey (upper right hand side bar) please let me know in a separate comment here and I will add another entry for you.

If you link to this giveaway on twitter, on your blog, or on Facebook, let me know here and I will add another entry for you.

If you left a comment on The Wife’s Tale Review and let me know in a separate comment here I will add another entry.

** For those of you who linked your review of the book The Wife’s Tale to the review post I have here, or if you were a part of the WordShaker book group and discussed the book using the discussion form, let me know here in a separate comment and you will be given another entry.

USA entrants only this time (sorry but all the books were sent to me and the shipping costs are all mine) If you live outside the USA but have a USA address you could send the book to if you win that would be fine.

This giveaway will end October 20th

Good luck everyone!!!

A special thank you to the generosity of Lori Lansens who provided three signed copies of each of her books for a giveaway.