Call for Contest Donations

Well bloggers, I have good news. I’ve finally gotten my circulation up to a point where I can begin to offer occasional contests. Wahoo! I’m so excited to get started. Details are coming soon, so stay tuned.

Now I have a few prizes to get us started, but what I have on hand is not going to last us very long. If you are an author/publicist/publisher/etc. and you have a book related prize you would like to donate, please email me or leave me a comment and I’ll get back to you. Please donate something if you can!

If you don’t have anything to donate, just help out by spreading the word about the site. Tell your friends, tell your family, and, uh, whoever else you can think of.

As always, I’m looking forward to your comments, so leave me one to let me know what you think.

Check this out!

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If you've ever wondered about copyright law, this is great way to learn about it. Trust me, eve if you don't want to know about copyright, this is hilarious! Thanks to Kelly from Big A little a for the tip!

Update: Random News (again...)

Boy am I tired! My first venture into the world of full-time employment has been EXHAUSTING! I haven’t had nearly as much free time as I thought I would have, and my posts and reviews are severely lacking because of it. I’ll try to have things back on track, but I didn’t have time to catch up on writing this weekend.

So here’s what I hope to get up in the next few days (time permitting, of course):

1. A new Spring Reading Challenge Update- With a little over a month left, it’s pulling into the final days. In reflection, I probably won’t finish my list (I’ve added WAY too many books) but it’s a great way to keep track anyway.

2. Reviews- Of course! As soon as I can sit down and write them, I promise!

3. Ramblings- This is something I’ve done off and on, but I’ve decided to make it a regular feature. Subjects I have stewing the back of my brain to come include podcasts, children’s books, and libraries.

4. Quotes- I’ve found some good ones lately, I just need to find time to post them...

That’s pretty much it for now. In other news, I got a new bookshelf yesterday, which means all those wonderful books that have been packed away are now sitting on a new shelf. My dad managed to round up one at IKEA for only $4.00! Said new bookshelf is the main reason I didn’t have time to write more postings today. I just couldn’t wait for my books to finally be free from their boxes. Unfortunately, by the time I unloaded everything, the shelves were already mostly full. Time to get reading, I guess.

That’s all for now, but I’ll update when I can. In the meantime, happy reading!

Book Website: Bookmooch.com

I know it's been awhile since I've done one of these, but I love this site so much I just had to share. Bookmooch is my new favorite way to swap books, and it is absolutely amazing! Get ready to trade your old, used, and neglected books for books you haven't read. And best of all, the service is absolutely, 100%, totally and completely FREE! Here's how it works:

1. Go to www.bookmooch.com and sign up for an account.
2. List any books you have lying around that you've read and/or ready to get rid of. (You recieve 1/10 of a point for every book you list.)
3. Get points when another member requests one of your books. (You do have to pay postage to send out the book.)
4. Use your points to request the books you want from other members. (When you mark the book recieved, you get another 1/10 of a point.)
5. Repeat and enjoy!

For example, here's a small amount of what I currently have listed to give away right now:

Swap your books at BookMooch.com

Since there are a LOT of trading sites popping up nowadays, let me explain exactly why I love Bookmooch so much.

1. Points are very easy to get- You get points for requests, and fractions of points every time you list a book to giveaway or mark a book recieved. Potentially you could get tons of free points without having any of your books requested. This is a great feature to get points when a book on your wishlist has been listed and you're out of points.

2. Wishlist options- You can list books you want on your wishlist, and Bookmooch will send you an email when that book is listed in the system. These are first-come, first-serve though, so make sure you request the book you want right away!

3. Selection- I was (and still am) a member of paperbackswap.com for a year before joining Bookmooch, and I've used Bookmooch 10 times more often. They have many more books that I'm looking for, and my books get requested much faster too. Which is great for me, so I can go order more books. :-)

Just look at the neat stuff I've gotten recently from other Bookmooch members:

Get a book from BookMooch.com

4. Save-for-later list- If a book you want is available, but you don't have any points, you can save it on this list so you'll remember to request it later.

5. Member status and feedback- Each member's profile shows when they were last logged into Bookmooch, so you can see how fast you're likely to get your books. Plus a feedback system allows you to check their trading history before you request books.

6. Condition notes- Most books have condition notes so you know exactly what condition it is in before you get the book.

7. ARCs- Unlike most trading sites, Bookmooch allows you the option of listing ARCs, which means when you're done with those excellent books, someone else can enjoy them. I've also gotten tons of books before they were released to the public this way, which is always a perk!

So I still haven't convinced you that this site is great, you should go check it out for yourself. And if anyone decides to join, leave me a comment or send me an email. I'd love to add you to my Bookmooch Friends list. :-)

Update: Spring Reading Thing, Report 3

Whew! I've had a busy week. My vacation gave me a ton of time to work on the Spring Reading Challenge posted over at Callapidder Days. I'm still managing to add books, so it's possible I won't end up finishing everything I've listed. But that's fine for me, because I'm all about flexibility when it comes to reading. :-) Here's the latest on the Challenge:

Books I’ve finished (reviews coming soon... I mean it this time...)
Travels of Thelonious (Fog Mound, the) by Susan Schade and Jon Buller
The Phantom of the Opera: The Original Novel by Gaston Leroux
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Alena and the Favorite Thing by Eric Anderson
Totally Spies #3: Evil Jerry by Marathon Team
Flight Volume 1 by Various
Dancing with Dragonflies by Jack Francis Gorfien
A Boy's First Diary by Glenn K. Currie (This was both added and finished this week)
Peace I Ask of Thee, Oh River by Lyda Phillips
The Hardy Boys #6: Hyde & Shriek (Hardy Boys: Undercover Brothers) by Scott Lobdell and Daniel Rendon
Prairie River 2: Grateful Harvest by Kristiana Gregory
An Acceptable Time by Madeline L’Engle

Books I’ve started
Full Moon O Sagashite 1 by Arina Tanemura
Mystery Stories: An Intriguing Collection by Helen Cresswell
Pretty Pretty by KC Oliver

Books I’ve added
Rani in the Mermaid Lagoon by Lisa Papademetriou
Vidia and the Fairy Crown by Laura Driscoll
In the Realm of the Never Fairies: The Secret World of Pixie Hollow by Monique Peterson
Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace by Mary Janice Davidson and Anthony Alongi

So that leaves the rest of everything as follows:

Already Reading
Before the Storm (Star Wars: The Black Fleet Crisis, Book 1) by Michael P. Kube-Mcdowell
Terrier (Beka Cooper) by Tamora Pierce
Star Baby (Hollywood Daughters, No 1) by Joan Lowery Nixon

Graphic Novels
Flight Volume 2 by Various
Full Moon O Sagashite 2 by Arina Tanemura
Full Moon O Sagashite 3 by Arina Tanemura
Full Moon O Sagashite 4 by Arina Tanemura
Saint Tail, Book 4 by Megumi Tachikawa
Saint Tail #5 by Megumi Tachikawa
Saint Tail, Book 6 by Megumi Tachikawa
Oh My Goddess! Volume 21 by Kosuke Fujishima
Oh My Goddess! Volume 22 by Kosuke Fujishima
Oh My Goddess! Volume 23 by Kosuke Fujishima
Oh My Goddess! Volume 24 by Kosuke Fujishima

Series Books
Among the Betrayed by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Clique #6, The: Dial L for Loser (Clique Series) by Lisi Harrison
The Magic Medallion (Cynthia's Attic) by Mary Cunningham
Into the Cold Fire (Daughters of the Moon #2) by Lynne Ewing
Night Shade (Daughters of the Moon #3) by Lynne Ewing
Secret Scroll (Daughters of the Moon #4) by Lynne Ewing
Public Enemy Number Two (Diamond Brothers Mysteries) by Anthony Horowitz
Missing Persons #1: Rose Queen by M. E. Rabb
Winter Tidings (Prairie River, Book 3) by Kristiana Gregory
Hope Springs Eternal (Prairie River #4) by Kristiana Gregory
Barbarian (Sons of the Dark #1) by Lynne Ewing
Princess School #06: Apple-y Ever After by Jane B. Mason and Sarah Hines Stephens
Princess School #07: Thorn In Her Side by Jane B. Mason and Sarah Hines Stephens

Everything Else
A Matter of Profit by Hilari Bell
Allie's Journey by Veronica Janczuk
Dragon Keeper by Carole Wilkinson
The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker
Hope's Crossing by Joan Elizabeth Goodman
The Legend of Lady Ilena by Patricia Malone
Lost: A Novel by Gregory Maguire
Mates, Dates, and Inflatable Bras by Cathy Hopkins
May Bird and the Ever After by Jodi Lynn Anderson
My Alien Penfriend by Faiz Kermani
My Lady, Pocahontas by Kathleen V. Kudlinski
Sword of the Rightful King: A Novel of King Arthur by Jane Yolen
Raven Hill Mysteries 1-2 by Emily Rodda
Tales from the Secret Annex by Anne Frank
Torn Thread by Anne Isaacs
The Vampire Hunters Stalked by William Hill
Water Shaper by Laura Williams McCaffrey
The Whispering Road by Livi Michael
The Wizard Test by Hilari Bell

Visit the Shady Glade Store for more recommended reads, movies, music and more!

Update: Random News

Whew! It’s amazing how much being on vacation can make you tired! But I suppose that’s what I get for staying at Walt Disney World until about 11:00 at night only to get up at about 7:00 the next morning for a week. But I’m happy to report that we pretty much did everything there is to do at all four parks (which is quite an accomplishment, even if we didn’t quite finish Epcot). I had a fantastic time, and I suppose that is a subject I may return to in a future blog rambling post.

Anyway, in other news, you can look forward to my latest update of the Spring Reading Challenge soon. I had to fly space available this trip, so we had quite a bit of time to get some reading done. I am also WAY behind on reviews, but I hope to have another one up tomorrow.

Well, it’s getting late for me, and I need to get some sleep, so I think I’ll sign off now. Night!