A Second 2013 BEA Giveaway!!

First off, CONGRATULATIONS to Ashly from Lost in the Stacks who won the first 2013 BEA giveaway! Now that I've mailed her books off, I decided to host another giveaway to help share the book love. This contest, sadly, will have to be limited to the US so I don't go broke shipping books out.  Sorry!

Here is the entry form:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

...AND... here are the books you can choose from:

Winner gets to choose three of these books: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud, Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein, United We Spy by Ally Carter (chapter sampler), (signed) MP3 audio book of Sylvia Day's Entwined with You (adult), The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon, All the Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry, Skin by Donna Jo Napoli, and (signed) Stalked by Death by Kelly Hashway. 

GOOD LUCK!!! 

My BEA 2013 Experience and a GIVEAWAY!!

This past Friday, May 31st, I went into New York City to attend Book Expo America...my favorite day of the entire year. I seriously love the experience every time I go.

This year, my friend, Kim, and I stayed at a hotel right near the train station in New Haven the night before, so I only had to get up at 4:30 a.m. to get ready (got to sleep for a whole extra hour this year! :D). We took an early train into the city so that we could go to the Children's Author Breakfast (I covered this event for Yalsa's The Hub, so if you want to see a full write up, check it out here).  We got there with enough time to check our roll-y bags, try to get tickets to the Rick Riordan signing later in the day (they were gone by 6:45!!) and to find seats at one of the breakfast tables. This year's awesome speakers included Octavia Spencer, Mary Pope Osborne, Rick Riordan and Veronica Roth.

In addition to hearing them talk about literacy, books, and writing, we each got a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, a Magic Tree House mug, a paperback copy of Divergent, and a copy of The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit, the first book in the new Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective series. They also revealed the cover for Rick Riordan's upcoming, The House of Hades, book four in the Heroes of Olympus series while we were there, which was really cool!

After the breakfast began the madness of trying to find the ARCs that I'd really hoped to snag, trying to get books signed by the authors I love and admire, and trying to see my Librarian friends that I knew were there... I literally spent the majority of the day moving from one part of the floor to another like a shark that can't seem to ever stop in one spot for fear of dying... LOL.  In fact, I was moving so much that I never even saw one of my friends, Heather, though I *know* she was there!

Here in brief are some of my experiences during the whirlwind of the day:

*Giraffe stalking - throughout the day I spotted and took pictures of probably about six different instances of adorable giraffes on the floor because...well, I just can't help it. I'm obsessed!

*Getting Alethea Kontis to autograph an ARC of Hero for me. Had to snap her
pic because she was dressed in such a pretty Princess outfit! Sparkles!

*Hanging out with Evie from Bookish! It was so cool to meet her in real life and to hang out at the expo.  We took turns standing in lines together so that we could still sneak off and grab other things...everything was happening at once!...and I wish I'd remembered to snap a picture, but I'm terrible at that. Oh well.

*Getting to talk to both Diana Peterfreund and Shannon Hale (both of whom I adore) informally on the floor!  I literally just stalker bombed them both and started gushing, LOL. Glad they didn't just run from me. I also ended up talking to Suzanne Young, Cat Patrick, David Levithan, Leanna Renee Hieber, and Amy Tintera (So cool! I love getting to speak to authors) out on the floor.  That's not even counting the authors I spoke to while getting books signed!

*Giant lego sculptures.  (This is my friend, Kim, who runs a lego club at her library so we had to take pictures she could show to the kids!)

*Whiskey tasting, champagne and cake at the Abrams booth...need I say more?

*A close encounter with a real scallywag of a pirate! LOL, he was kind of scary,
actually...

*Having a picture book signed and then stamped by the dog that it's about to my little doggie, Noel! So

sweet and Kushka was really adorable in real life.

*Getting to grab eight books that I'm especially looking forward to reading JUST
FOR FUN!!!! (The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider, The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer, How to Love by Katie Cotugno, Teardrop by Lauren Kate, The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle, Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund [which I'm reading right now...], The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black, and Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas)

*Standing in line with other crazy librarians all trying to get Diary of a Wimpy Kid umbrellas for ourselves summer reading prizes...

As I said, those were just some of the highlights of what I did during my crazy day at BEA this year.

Now...on to the super fun (for you!) part... First, here is a quick video showing the booty I brought home from BEA:

This haul actually managed to fit into one LARGE roll-y suitcase and my little library bag that I carried around the floor with me.  Thankfully this year because I stopped back to my big bag about four times throughout the day, I wasn't nearly as sore the next day as I was last year! I was still tired, but my shoulders and neck and feet were all much, much happier.

Aside from my favorite ARCs and some stuff that I picked up for work, I came out with a few ARCs that are either duplicates of books that I got signed or are ones that I probably won't have time to enjoy.  SO...I thought that I would have a couple of giveaways to let YOU all enjoy my bounty. Giveaway Number 1: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winner gets to choose three of these books: Rose Under Fire by Elixabeth Wein, The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider, Left Drowning by Jessica Park,  a chapter sampler of United We Spy by Ally Carter, All the Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry, Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles, Stalked by Death by Kelly Hashway, Skin by Donna Jo Napoli, and an MP3 audio book of Sylvia Day's Entwined with You (adult).  

After the winner of this giveaway has been announced next week, I will have a second giveaway where the winner will get to choose from those titles left after this winner chooses their bounty.

Good luck!!

Winner - The Crown of Embers and Origin ARCs Giveaway!

 

I am pleased to announce that the winner of The Crown of Embers and Origin ARCs Giveaway (via random drawing at random.org) is...

Angie!!

Angie, check your email...and get me your mailing address before the end of the day on Saturday, Sept. 29th, so that I can get those ARCs mailed out to you ASAP! Congratulations again! 

ARCs giveaway - The Crown of Embers and Origin!

Origin
by Jessica Khoury

Publication date: Sept. 4, 2012

Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home--and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.

Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia's origin--a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever. (description from Amazon.com)


The Crown of Embers
by Rae Carson
sequel to The Girl of Fire and Thorns

Publication date: Sept. 18, 2012

She does not know what awaits her at the enemy's gate.Elisa is a hero. She led her people to victory over a terrifying, sorcerous army. Her place as the country's ruler should be secure. But it isn't.

Her enemies come at her like ghosts in a dream, from both foreign realms and within her own court. And her destiny as the chosen one has not yet been fulfilled.

To conquer the power she bears once and for all, Elisa must follow the trail of long-forgotten--and forbidden--clues from the deep, undiscovered catacombs of her own city to the treacherous seas. With her goes a one-eyed spy, a traitor, and the man who--despite everything--she is falling in love with.

If she's lucky, she will return from this journey. But there will be a cost. (description from Amazon.com)

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It's someones lucky day! I won this ARC of The Crown of Embers from Epic Reads (Thank you, BTW!!) and I had actually already preordered a copy for my Nook...so I'm going to give the beautiful ARC away. :)  I also figured that if one ARC is a great win, why not have someone win two...even better!  I just finished Origin (review to follow shortly) and want to pass it on. 

So...if you would like to be the winner of these two beautiful ARCS, just leave me a comment, with your name and email address before the end of the day on Tues., Sept. 25th.  I will choose one winner (via Random.org) on Wed., Sept. 26th.  The winner will have until Sat. Sept. 29th to email me back with their mailing address. 

Good luck!!

BEA Giveaway #2 - Laini Taylor Preview

Fans of Laini Taylor, pay attention!!

I have here one Laini Taylor preview pack that contains a paperback copy of Daughter of Smoke and Bone and a chapter sampler from the upcoming sequel. Days of Blood and Starlight doesn't come out until November, so our lucky winner will be able to whet their appetite for Laini's gorgeous prose while they wait anxiously for it to come out...

SO, how do you win?

Simple.  Comment with your name and email address.  That's it! I will pick one winner using random.org at the end of the day on Sat., July 14th and announce the winner on Sunday, July 15th. That winner will have until Wed., July 18th to get me their mailing address (US only, sorry!) so that I can mail their prize.

Good luck!! 

Winner - BEA ARCs Giveaway!!

I am pleased to announce that the winner of the BEA ARCs giveaway (via random drawing at random.org) is...


Jamie Krakover!!

Jamie, check your email...and get me your mailing address before the end of the day on Sunday, July 1st, so that I can get the ARCs out to you ASAP! Congratulations again!

My (*REALLY Belated) BEA 12 Wrap-Up Post...and a Giveaway!

Well...this is long overdue, but I've just been seriously overwhelmed lately.  Today is the first day since BEA that I really felt up to tackling a post of this size...

Anyway, on June 6th - ages ago, now!- I went into New York City to attend Book Expo America...my favorite day of the entire year.  I seriously love the experience every time I go. 

This year, I got up at 3:20a.m. so that I could drive down to the train station to meet my friend, Kim, and take the earliest train possible (well, for us anyway...) into the city in time to make the Children's Author Breakfast.  We got there in plenty of time so that Kim could check her roll-y bag, we picked out our seats (next year, we vowed to pay for the real breakfast table seats) and even got to chat with other Librarian friends before it started. I was super excited to catch up with my CT Librarians like Andrea, Kristi, and Heather!!  <3

If you want to read all about the Children's Author Breakfast (and I think you should - Chris Colfer moderated and it was amazing!!),  you can check out the write up I did for YALSA's The Hub. 

After the breakfast, Miss Kim and I were forced to split up. There is just so much to do and we had different things we desperately wanted to hit during the day. Of course, the first thing I wanted to do was get a signed copy of Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas, so I waited in line for more than an hour right off the bat. 

Having learned from going the last three years, I usually make a plan of things I'd like to do at BEA and then I  kind of take the day as it comes. While this year I did go in with certain signings that I *HAD* to attend, I  also made a point to give myself plenty of time to walk around and talk to the different people at Publishers' Booths. This worked out just great, as I was able to hand my blog card out to several different  people and I picked up some ARCs I never would have grabbed, based on the publisher's rep's recommendations. 

Alright, want to see what I got?

I was beyond excited to grab one of Chris Colfer's ARCs from the Children's Author Breakfast (bottom of the pile)! It came in the cutest little box, too. Another one I refused to leave BEA without was a signed copy of Diana Peterfreund's For Darkness Shows the Stars. That was a must-grab for me!!  I  was also super excited to meet Jonathan Maberry in person and to get a signed copy of  Rot and Ruin. 

I was so happy to grab Libba Bray's The Diviners, too! Miss Kim grabbed a copy of Prodigy for me (Thank you!!) and I picked up several others I can't wait to read.  :)

Throughout the day, I met tons of authors, which is always one of my favorite things about all of BEA. I have to say this year's highlights included having Julianne Donaldson (Edenbrooke) and her publisher recognize me from the blog tour and then getting to have a real-life one on one conversation with JOHN GREEN!  Yes, the John Green.  He thanked me for being a Librarian and working every day to connect kids to books. So, of course, I thanked him for writing such great books for us to connect them to!!  (Awesome moment!)

Overall it was a great, and exhausting day. I made new contacts, caught up with old friends, and got a whole pile of books that it will probably take me a whole 'nother year to plow through, LOL.

How would you like some spoils from my efforts at BEA? I grabbed a couple extra ARCs and decided to give them away!  :D 

I have an extra copy of Jessica Khoury's Origin and Sharon Cameron's The Dark Unwinding. (If you click  on each title, it will take you to the Goodreads page for each book, where you can find a description) 

If  you would like to enter to win *both* these ARCs, please leave me a comment below  before Wed., June 27th. Please include your email address, too, so that if your name is chosen by Random.org on Thurs, June 28th, I can get in touch with you to get your mailing address  (US only, sorry!).   The winner will have until  Sunday, July 1st to get me their mailing address or I will pick a new winner.  GOOD LUCK!!

Winner - Edenbrooke ARC giveaway!!

I am pleased to announce that the winner of the Edenbrooke ARC giveaway (via random drawing at random.org) is...

Lexie @ BookBug!!

Lexie, check your email...and get me your mailing address before the end of the day on Friday, April 13th, so that I can get the ARC out to you ASAP! Congratulations again!

Winner - Belles ARC giveaway!

I am pleased to announce that the winner of the Belles ARC giveaway (via random drawing at random.org) is...

Martha Lawson!!

Martha, check your email...and get me your mailing address before the end of the day on Thursday, April 12th, so that I can get the ARC out to you ASAP! Congratulations again!

ARC Giveaway - Belles by Jen Calonita

Belles
by Jen Calonita

Publication date: April 10, 2012

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Fifteen-year-old Isabelle Scott loves her life by the boardwalk on the supposed wrong side of the tracks in North Carolina. But when tragedy strikes, a social worker sends her to live with a long-lost uncle and his preppy privileged family. Isabelle is taken away from everything she's ever known, and, unfortunately, inserting her into the glamorous lifestyle of Emerald Cove doesn't go so well. Her cousin Mirabelle Monroe isn't thrilled to share her life with an outsider, and, in addition to dealing with all the rumors and backstabbing that lurk beneath their classmates' Southern charm, a secret is unfolding that will change both girls' lives forever. (description from Amazon.com)

Want to win an ARC? Leave me a quick comment with your name and email address before the end of the day on Mon., April 9th. I will randomly draw a winner on Tues., April 10th and contact them for their mailing address (US only, sorry!). Good luck!!




We have a winner! Thanks everyone for entering. :)

Winner - *signed* The Daughter of Smoke and Bone ARC!!

I am pleased to announce that the winner of the *signed* Daughter of Smoke and Bone ARC giveaway (via random drawing at random.org) is...

Samjam G!!

Samantha, check your email...and get me your mailing address so that I can get the *signed* ARC out to you ASAP! Congratulations again!

I Met Laini Taylor *squee!* and Have a Signed ARC of The Daughter of Smoke and Bone to Giveaway!!

I was sooooo lucky to be able to meet Laini Taylor in person at RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT. Let me just say that she is AWESOME. Laini was so personable and inspiring and creative. (She even made my YA skeptic mom ask to borrow the book later!)



Laini started out by describing how she got to this tour. Her first two books, a halted attempt at a science-fiction title, how she came to write Lips Touch: Three Times and finally came to publish The Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I was stoked to find out that it is the first book in a trilogy!!

When she read from the book, you really felt as if you were there, in the story. The main character, Karou, is so fully formed that you had no question about her motives...only the intriguing and wondrous world that she lives in! You could hear the rustling of pages throughout the room even before she stopped reading, lol.

Laini was super gracious answering questions, giving great reading advice, and just being a generally hilarious and warm-hearted person. It was amazing to meet her and in a such a cozy environment! When she did the signing, it was great because only about 25 people were there, so we actually got to chat a little with Laini.



I was lucky enough to be able to ask Laini ahead of time if she would sign not only the finished copy of the book, but the two ARCs that I had as well. My friend, Jen from Yabooknerd, was in Vermont for the NELA (New England Library Association) conference, so one signed ARC is going to her, *but* I have another signed ARC to give away!



So, if you would like the chance to win a *signed ARC* of Laini Taylor's The Daughter of Smoke and Bone, leave me a comment with your name and email address before this Friday, October 7th. I'll randomly choose a winner on Saturday, October 8th. Good luck!!

Winner #2 - BEA ARC Giveaway!

I am pleased to announce that the SECOND winner of the BEA ARC giveaway (via random drawing at random.org) is...

Zareen!!

Zareen, check your email...you have until Friday, June 17th to contact me with your mailing address and the ARC title that you want (your choices are shown below). Congratulations again!

Winner #1 in the BEA ARC Giveaway!!

I am pleased to announce that the FIRST winner of the BEA ARC giveaway (via random drawing at random.org) is...

Ashly at Lost in the Stacks!!

Ashly, check your email...you have until Monday, June 13th to contact me with your mailing address and the two ARC titles that you want. Congratulations again!

Don't forget, I'll be choosing the second ARC winner on Wed, June 15th! Good luck. :)

BEA wrap-up and Giveaway

Hmmm...how to summarize Book Expo?

I got up at 4:40 a.m. to get ready and leave by 5:15 a.m. to drive the hour to the train station. Got Dunkin Donuts breakfast after my ticket and panicked while waiting for my friend and co-worker, Miss Kim, to arrive...just before the train!

Train ride full of "Oh, we have to do this...and oh.my.god. I have to get this book signed, and do you think we could hit this one and this one before the time's up???"

Arrival at NYC Grand Central Station...asking which exit to find taxi stand...worst taxi ride of my life (serious fears of dying, people!!)

Arrival at Javitz Center...WOOT!! BEA. AWESOMESAUCE.

We tag teamed the booths first, then hit some signings...more booths, more signings...and REST. Sort of...Poor Miss Kim went off to buy lunch while I powered through with a PB&J and some yogurt covered raisins in line.

We hit the YA Book Buzz which was great...until they had no one handing out the ARCs at the end. Talk about a mad crush! Some brave souls finally ripped open the tops of the boxes stacked at the edge of the room and a huge crowd gathered to grab...people were nice, though, and were passing back to others. (Psst...I also saw Laini Taylor in the back of the room...ie. She was within 10 feet of me...Oh.My.God!! That made my day, right there...)

Other highlights...
*Popped by Harlequin after their teen signing and talked to Cara Lynn Shultz (who rememebered me from our CLA annual conference panel!)
*Bumped into Violet Haberdasher and snagged a totally unexpected ARC of The Secret Prince
*Managed to snag the one ARC Miss Kim was absolutely desperate for, even though they weren't technically handing them out
*Ran into a ton of my fave Library people!! (Jen, Bailey, Karen, Heather, and Andrea!!)
*Got to meet Michael Scott and get a totally unexpected signed copy of Warlock
*Snagged a signed copy of Trial by Fire from Jennifer Lynn Barnes, who also remembered me from our CLA event!
*I met some awesome bloggers in real life standing in line!
*Five bloggers actually recognized my blog...doesn't sound like a lot, but to me that meant the world!!

There were so many other awesome moments, I can't even get them all down. I really, really love BEA. To help share the BEA love, I'm doing a GIVEAWAY!!

Here's how it will work:
I have six extra ARCs from BEA...


Signed ARC - Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz
ARC - Down the Mysterly River by Bill Willingham


ARC - Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
ARC - The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima

ARC - The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer Smith
ARC - Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment with your name and email address before Friday, June 10th. On Saturday, June 11th, I will randomly choose our FIRST WINNER.

The first winner has to get back to me by Monday, June 13th with their mailing address (US only this time...sorry!) and their choice of TWO of the ARCs below.

Then on Wed., June 15th, I will choose a SECOND WINNER. This person will have their choice of one ARC from the remaining titles. The second winner will have to get back to me by Fri., June 17th with their mailing address and the ARC they want.

So...even if you couldn't make BEA this year...you can still read like you did! Good luck!!

Winner! The Girl in the Steel Corset signed ARC

I am pleased to announce that the winner of The Girl in the Steel Corset signed ARC (via random drawing at random.org) is...

Diana at The Lovely Getaway!!

Check your email...you have until Wednesday, May 18th to contact me with an address. Congratulations again!

Hunger Celebration - ARC Giveaway

Hunger
by Jackie Morse Kessler
Horsemen of the Apocalypse, book one

Wayyyy back in May, I blogged about my love for Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler (see my review here). I was lucky enough to snag an ARC from BEA 2010. Well, it was officially released last Monday, October 18th.

To help celebrate Hunger's release I'm going to do a giveaway of my ARC. If you'd like to see what all the fuss is about and read Hunger for yourself, please leave a comment with your email address in it. On Monday, November 1st, I will choose a winner using random.org and email them to get their mailing address (only within the U.S. this time, sorry!). If the winner does not contact me back with their address by Friday, November 5th, I will choose a new winner.

Good luck everyone! Don't forget to read Hunger, then like me you'll be drooling over the upcoming sequel Rage!!

Winner! "Girls Who Could Definitely Kick My Butt" ARC Giveaway

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Using a random generator (random.org), the official winner of the "Girls Who Could Definitely Kick My Butt" ARC giveaway was determined to be...

Christina!!

Congrats again! I have emailed you directly, so as soon as you get back to me with an address I will get all three awesome ARCs into the mail on their way to you!