Giveaways in Blogland

by Carol3 Comments
I thought I’d let you know a few of the giveaways I ran across this week. As always, my current giveaway is listed on my sidebar and make sure you check out West of Mars- Win a Book! where there's always a ton of links to great contests, interviews and guest posts. The Listeners by Gloria Whelan, at She Is Too Fond of Books (ends today, US and Canada) Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs, at Lori's Reading Corner (ends October 15, US) You Can't Drink All Day if You Don't Start in the Morning by Celia Rivenbark, at Booking Mama (ends October 22, US) Crossing Washington Square by Joanne Rendell, at Peeking Between the Pages (ends October 24, International) Detectives Don't Wear Seatbelts by Cici McNair, at A Sea of Books (ends October 24, US and Canada, no PO boxes) The Bible Salesman by Clyde Edgerton, at The Tome Traveller's Weblog (ends October 26, US and Canada, no PO boxes) By the way, if you...
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Sex, Drugs & Gefilte Fish edited by Shana Liebman with Giveaway

by Carol22 Comments
Sex, Drugs & Gefilte Fish: The Heeb Storytelling Collection edited by Shana Liebman In the preface, Liebman writes, "So here in all their well-deserved published glory are the stories of nerds, ex-girlfriends, liars, rockers, goody goodies, sex fiends, neurotics and yes, summer campers. The authors are not all Jewish, but their stories are...sort of." The stories in this collection are both hilarious and honest, they're vulgar and sentimental. They run the gamut from a broken-hearted Bigfoot to  a "gay" Bar Mitzvah to discussing politics with Grandma. The writers discuss their love lives, their careers and, of course, their families.  I'm not Jewish, but I could still relate to many of the stories and laugh out loud along with the writers. One especially warm afternoon on summer break from college, I found myself sitting on the steps of a Conservative Jewish synagogue, eating ice cream. It seemed natural to experience a vague sense of guilt about this. For all my ignorance of Old Testament...
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24-hour Read-a-Thon

by Carol6 Comments
Okay, I'm signing up, before any more events conspire against me. I know I won't be able to read the entire 24 hours, but I'm going to do what I can. The event takes place on the 24th, so, David, if we're doing anything for our anniversary, it'll have to be the night before, okay? You can even have the boys over for Axis & Allies that night if you want....
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More about me

by Carol8 Comments
44 Random Questions I'm stealing this from Ryan over at Wordsmithonia. It seemed like fun. 1. Do you like blue cheese? No. 2. Have you ever been drunk? Yes, but it's been a while. 3. Do you own a gun? Yes, actually. It's a reproduction black-powder Colt that a crazy man gave me once upon a time. It's beautiful, which is why I keep it. We don't have any ammunition for it and I don't know how to shoot or load it. 4. What flavor of Kool Aid was your favorite? Red. I'm not sure what flavor it was. 5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Yes, definitely. 6. What do you think of hot dogs? I like them, but only grilled or over a fire. I cook them fairly often, though, because they're a perfect match for mac and cheese out of the box. 7. Favorite Christmas movie? There are several. Charlie Brown's Christmas, The Muppet Christmas Carol, the traditional Christmas Carol. I'm sure I'll...
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Charlie and Mama Kyna by Diana Rumjahn

by Carol3 Comments
Charlie and Mama Kyna by Diana Rumjahn This cute story starts when Charlie, an adorable frog, breaks his mom's favorite vase. Instead of telling his mom, he runs away. He meets Leo, a lion, and Joe, a giraffe, and the three of them live in a tent outside a bakery. Eventually Charlie decides that he wants to go back  home and his new friends accompnay him on the journey. When they get back to Charlie's house, his mom, Mama Kyna, is thrilled to see them and invites the two friends to live with them, too. Of course, they all celebrate and in the end Charlie promises never to run away again. This delightful book is geared for kids ages 3-8. Amber, my daughter who is 9, said it would be good for younger kids even though she found it a little boring. The book itself is a sweet story, but it felt disjointed at times. It touches on some good lessons, like...
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The Lost Years of Merlin by T. A. Barron

by Carol1 Comment
The Lost Years of Merlin by T. A. Barron When we bought this, I really had no idea what it would be like, but my daughter had a minor Merlin obsession at the time, so we picked it up. I was pleasantly surprised. The story starts off with a boy, Emrys,  washed up on shore with no memory of who he is or where he came from. The woman who is with him, Branwen, claims to be his mother, but never tells him anything personal or anything about their past, so Emrys is suspicious of her claim. As he gets older, he develops unusual powers. The turning point in the book is when, in defense of Branwen, he uses those powers to kindle a fire, almost killing another person and blinding himself. As he is healing, he learns to use his "second sight" instead of his eyes. At the age of twelve, Emrys sets off alone to find the truth about who he...
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