Winner of Contest Monday: The Unknowns

So I totally meant to post this earlier in the day. Unfortunately, the time I had scheduled for posting was eaten up digging a glass shard out of my heel. I had to go through 2 hours and 3 family members of prodding and digging to get it out. Learn from my mistake kids... don't go outside in your bare feet!

But I digress. Let's announce the winner of the signed ARC of The Unknowns: A Mystery by by Benedict Carey:

GreenBeanTeenQueen
Congratulations! Email me with your mailing address and I'll drop your new book in the mail. Don't forget that you can now enter a new contest this week.

The Unknowns: A Mystery is offically available tomorrow (April 1st) so get your copy from Amazon.com if you didn't win this time:

Teaser Tuesday: 3.31.09

So it's time for another weekly post. But this one is short, I promise!

Teaser Tuesdays!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a random page
3. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
4. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
5. Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Okay, I'll bite. This sounds like fun. So here's my teaser this week. It's from Backtracked by Pedro De Alcantara

From page 5 of the hardcover edition (I just barely started it):

"Soon it'd be five years since the towers went down, and Jimmy with them. Jimmy the All-American, Jimmy the Hero, Jimmy the Saint. Dying in your prime is a good career move. Nobody remembers your defects."

Okay, so that's more than two sentences. But I couldn't just stop in the middle of the thought. If you've been intrigued, follow the Amazon link below to find out more about Backtracked. And look for a review (someday) soon. I do have to finish the book first, after all!

Contest Monday: Win a Copy of Diamond of Darkhold

Despite my promise yesterday for new posts, this week it is still time for Contest Monday. Our last Contest Monday in March features a prize of a brand new hardback by Jeanne DuPrau: The Diamond of Darkhold: The Fourth Book of Ember. I haven't read these books or seen the movie yet, so I can honestly say this is a book I know nothing about. It's time for it to find a new home with one of the series' fans.

About the Book (From Amazon.com): "It’s been several months since Lina and Doon escaped the dying city of Ember and, along with the rest of their people, joined the town of Sparks. Now, struggling through the harsh winter aboveground, they find an unusual book. Torn up and missing most of its pages, it alludes to a mysterious device from before the Disaster, which they believe is still in Ember. Together, Lina and Doon must go back underground to retrieve what was lost and bring light to a dark world.In the fourth Book of Ember, bestselling author Jeanne DuPrau juxtaposes yet another action-packed adventure with powerful themes about hope, learning, and the search for truth."

How to Enter: To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post. Or, if you can't leave a comment, send an email to shadyglade (AT) mail (DOT) com with the subject line "Diamond Contest" and include your name, your email address, and the correct subject line.

How to earn Extra Entries:

1. Post about the contest on your blog or website. Post a link in the comments, or email the link to me.
2. Become a follower of this Blog (post a comment to let me know).
3. Come up with and post your own Contest Monday (post a comment with the link).

Rules: The contest is open until Monday, April 6th, 2009 when the new contest will be posted. Everyone in the US and Canada is eligible, even if you've won a contest in the past. The winner will be chosen by a random number generator. One free entry per person allowed. See above for instructions to earn extra contest entries. Questions? Post a comment or email and ask.

Good luck to everyone! I'll announce the contest winner on Tuesday, April 7th. Look for an announcement tomorrow to find out who won last week's contest.

As always, if you don't want to wait to see if you won, you can pick up The Diamond of Darkhold: The Fourth Book of Ember from Amazon.com:

Guest Post Policy

Along with a new review policy, I am now accepting guest posts for this blog. I think this is a great way to network with other writers, bloggers, readers, etc. so please read the policy below if you are interested in submitting something.

Guest Post Policy
If you'd like to submit a guest blog post to The Shady Glade, I'd love to have you! Whether you are an author, a writer, blogger, or just a blog reader, I will happily accept any guest posts, whether they are reviews, interviews, ramblings, or whatever!

Email me at shadyglade (AT) mail.com to arrange your post. I ask that you keep any posts somewhat topic-related. You'll also need to send your post over in advance for review. While I won't ever edit what you say, I may ask you to change something to make it more blog appropriate. Rest assured that you will have complete control over any changes made.

I'm pretty hands off, but I do need to make sure this blog stays somewhat on topic!

Review Policy

Review Policy
If you are an author, publisher, or publicist who would like to send me a book, please send me an email at shadyglade (AT) mail.com. I am always happy to look into new books.

However, please keep the following things in mind:

1. This is a Young Adult blog. I do occasionally review/feature children's, middle grade, and/or adult books. But mostly it's all Young Adult. If I don't feel like your book is a good fit for the blog, I will ask that you not send me a copy. I always try to recommend places that WILL fit your book though, so don't be too discouraged if this happens to you.

2. If you send me a book, I don't guarantee a review. I am way to busy to review every single book that I read. But I will try to review it. And if I don't do a review I will either pass it on to a different reader or feature it in some way on the blog. I try to give every book I receive it's moment in the spotlight.In other words, I reserve the right to not review any book sent to me. I try not to post wholly negative reviews, so if I don't like the book I may not review it at all. Which leads me to:

3. I write honest reviews. This means that you might not get a "It was great!" review. If I can't find anything good to say about a book I won't review it at all. But if there is good and bad about it, I will post a review that will include the good things and the bad things. I expect myself to be honest about how I feel about a book, but more importantly, my readers expect it too.

4. I don't promise timelines for reviews. I used to and it stressed me out too much, so I'm not doing that anymore. If you have a special event you want to coordinate a review with, let me know. We might be able to work something out. But otherwise, no timeline promises. And constant emails about the book is not going to have me review it any faster.

If you have any questions about this review policy, please feel free to send me an email. Thank you for stopping by The Shady Glade.

I reserve the right to change, revise, edit, or take down this review policy at any time, without notice.

Computer Problems Fix

Well, it appears as if my computer problems are over for now. I managed to get everything somewhat backed up before my hard drive had to be completely replaced. Now it's just a matter of trying to piece my life back together. Of course now, that I've said it's fixed something else will happen. Quick, everybody knock on wood! (Yeah, you too. Yes, you. The one sitting in front of the computer.)

So hopefully things will get back to normal. Work is still keeping me busy (no change there) and I'm in the middle of two moves. Two! It seems like my life never settles down... There's also another big project I've been working on, but you'll have to wait a week or two to find out about that.

But I've got a lot of blog posts planned. I just need to find time to post them! I makes me kind of sad I haven't had that time lately. My plan was to do it this weekend, but then I spent Thursday through Saturday at a FIRST robotics competition that my brother was in. I went for moral support. Poor guy broke his big toe, so now he's on crutches. Actually, I still think it's kind of funny, since he broke it when he when to kick a soccer ball and kicked the floor instead. (And I know he follows this blog, so I'm going to get hit with his cast when he reads this...)

Anyway, look to the future for more posts. I apologize to those of you who are new following my blog. You probably think all I do are Contest Mondays and Waiting on Wednesdays! Believe it or not, when I started this blog, the main content was supposed to be book reviews. But writing reviews is a whole 'nuther story. I always finish the books, but can't seem to find time to write the reviews. And as far as weekly posts go, I'd like to participate a lot more. I think the next one I'll add is Teaser Tuesday. But, again, I need to find the time!

Well, that's if for rants from me right now. Look for more content coming your way soon.

Winner of Contest Monday: Cycler

So I'm trying to repair my hard drive damage pretty much as I write this, but I wanted to make sure our winner got posted on time this week. So without further ado, congratulations to:

Wrighty
You're having a good day! Email me with your mailing address and I'll get your copy of Cycler in the mail.

Everyone else, don't forget to enter this week's Contest Monday for a chance to win a Signed ARC of The Unknowns: A Mystery.

And for those of you who didn't win this time, you can order your own copy of Cycler from Amazon.com:

Contest Monday: Win a Copy of the Unknowns

So this is on time this week! I'm still having issues with my computer, but I was able to finish work early enough to get this posted today anyway. This week's prize is a signed ARC of The Unknowns: A Mystery by Benedict Carey.

About the Book (From Amazon.com): "In a trailer park called Adjacent, next to the Folsom Energy Plant, people have started to vanish, and no one seems to care. At first Lady Di and her best friend, Tom Jones, barely notice the disappearances—until their beloved math tutor, Mrs. Clarke, is abducted, too. Mrs. Clarke has left them clues in the form of math equations that lead them all over the trailer park, through hidden tunnels under “Mount Trashmore,” and into the Folsom Energy Plant itself, where Lady Di and Tom Jones and a gang of other misfits uncover the sordid truth about what’s really happening there."

How to Enter: To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post. Or, if you can't leave a comment, send an email to shadyglade (AT) mail (DOT) com with the subject line "Unknowns Contest" and include your name, your email address, and the correct subject line.

How to earn Extra Entries:

1. Post about the contest on your blog or website. Post a link in the comments, or email the link to me.


2. Become a follower of this Blog (post a comment to let me know).


3. Come up with and post your own Contest Monday (post a comment with the link).

Rules: The contest is open until Monday, March 29th, 2009 when the new contest will be posted. Everyone in the US and Canada is eligible, even if you've won a contest in the past. The winner will be chosen by a random number generator. One free entry per person allowed. See above for instructions to earn extra contest entries. Questions? Post a comment or email and ask.

Good luck to everyone! I'll announce the contest winner on Tuesday, March 30th. Look for an announcement tomorrow to find out who won last week's contest. And since last week's contest was posted late, I'm extending the deadline until midnight tonight. Enter quickly if you haven't already, and the winner will be posted tomorrow.

Although the offical release date isn't until April 1st, you can currently get your own copy of The Unknowns: A Mystery right away if you order from Amazon.com:

Waiting On Wednesay: 3.18.09

Well, this is one post I can do on the right day this week. :-) Here's this week's Waiting on Wednesday post.

Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary by Brandon Mull

From Amazon.com: "Brace yourself for a shocking secret. Two hidden artifacts have been found. Three more remain unrecovered. More preserves face destruction as the Society of the Evening Star relentlessly pursues new talismans. Reading in Patton s Journal of Secrets, Kendra learns the location of the key to a vault housing one of the artifacts. In order to retrieve it, the Knights of the Dawn must enter a death trap a dragon sanctuary called Wyrmroost. The mission cannot proceed without stealing a sacred object zealously guarded by the centaurs. Anybody seen Seth? The race is on to acquire all five of the artifact keys to the great demon prison. Will the Knights of the Dawn conquer Wyrmroost? Who can stop the Sphinx? Can Vanessa be trusted to help? What artifact will be found next? Find out in Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary."

This is the fourth book in the Fablehaven series. I love Brandon Mull, and he was the first author I got to meet in person. I can't wait to read this, even if I still need to get my hands on the third one...

Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary will be offically released on March 24th, although you can already order your copy from Amazon.com:

Winner of Contest Monday: Riding the Universe

Yeah, this is late too. I'm still having computer problems. But enough about me. The winner of a new ARC of Riding the Universe by Gaby Triana is...

Brooke Reviews
Congratulations to you! Email me with your mailing address and I'll get your ARC of Paper Towns in the mail.

Everyone else, don't forget to enter this week's Contest Monday for a chance to win a copy of Cycler.

And for those of you who didn't win this time, you can pre-order your own copy of Riding the Universe from Amazon.com:

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Pat's Day everyone. I've got a bit of Irish in me, so I get to celebrate, right? Haha. So, here's something to keep you laughing today...

Contest Monday: Win a copy of Cycler

I may be posting this late, but at least it's still posted! Today's prize is hardback copy of Cycler by Lauren Mclaughlin.

About the Book (From Amazon.com): "As far as anyone at her high school knows, Jill McTeague is an average smart girl trying to get her dream date to ask her to the prom.

What no one knows, except for Jill’s mom and dad, is that for the four days Jill is out of school each month, she is not Jill at all. She is Jack, a genuine boy—complete with all the parts. Jack lives his four days per month in the solitude of Jill’s room. But his personality has been building since the cycling began. He is less and less content with his confinement and his cycles are becoming more frequent. Now Jill’s question about the prom isn’t who she'll go with, but who she'll be when the big night arrives."

How to Enter: To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post. Or, if you can't leave a comment, send an email to shadyglade (AT) mail (DOT) com with the subject line "Cycler Contest" and include your name, your email address, and the correct subject line.

How to earn Extra Entries:

1. Post about the contest on your blog or website. Post a link in the comments, or email the link to me.
2. Become a follower of this Blog (post a comment to let me know).
3. Come up with and post your own Contest Monday (post a comment with the link).

Rules: The contest is open until Monday, March 23, 2009 when the new contest will be posted. Everyone in the US and Canada is eligible, even if you've won a contest in the past. The winner will be chosen by a random number generator. One free entry per person allowed. See above for instructions to earn extra contest entries. Questions? Post a comment or email and ask.

Good luck to everyone! I'll announce the contest winner on Tuesday, March 24th. Look for an announcement tomorrow to find out who won last week's contest.

Remember, you can also order your own copy of Cycler from Amazon.com:

Quick Update

My computer hardrive has crashed. I seem to have such bad luck with computers. Meanwhile, I'm working on a borrowed computer until it is fixed. You can expect the regular posts, but the extra ones I have planned may have to wait a few days. Just so you know where I've been. ;-)

Contest Monday Update

Surprise! Were you expecting a winner today? You probably were, so I'll make this quick. My birthday is this week, so I've been running around a lot trying to prepare things. So in honor of that occasion, I'm extending Contest Monday another week. You still have a chance to win paperback ARC copy of Riding the Universe by Gaby Triana.

And as an extra bonus, everyone who posts any comments this week will earn an extra entry.

Catch up a week from today to see who the lucky winner is!

A Slight Deviation of Plans

So I was planning on plunking out my "About Me" post where I answer all your questions this afternoon, but I got a pleasant surprise instead. So you'll just have to wait a few more days for that post.

Deltay has nominated me for the Your Blog Is Fabulous Award. And that was before I changed by layout (haha). Yay! My first blog award. Happy dance of joy! And cute badge, no?

Rules: List five things you are obsessed with/addicted to and then nominate five other fabulous blogs to pass on this award on to!

You probably guessed that Books would be 1-5 on that list. Okay, so let's do something a little differnt. Well, this smacks of the "guilty pleasures" introduction my American lit professor had us do. So I guess we'll go with that them for my five things. Here are five of my guilty pleasures, or five things I could live without, but probably wouldn't admit to the general public:

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups- Probably the reason my figure is *ahem* not what it could be. I went through entire bags of these things during finals every semester. I don't care if chocolate experts say you should never freeze chocolate. Frozen is the only right way these things should be eaten.

Bookmarks- Yeah, you read that right. In additon to having tons and tons of books about, I have lots and lots of bookmarks. I kinda collect them. I love the beaded ones you get from Borders by the checkout. Though I've probably worn the tassels off of most of them.

Jigsaw Puzzles- My other main hobby (besides reading). In fact, this is why I haven't done much reading lately. I go in spurts. I kind of collect puzzle too. I like puzzles that are unique in some way. I have a few that have unique borders, I have one that's made with real wood, I have one that's all edge pieces, I have one that has glitter on it, a photomosaic one, several round ones, you get the picture.

Sailor Moon- Yeah, you read that right. I'll admit to it. It was a middle school obsession, and I never quite let it go. I still enjoy watching the cartoons and reading the books (although the cartoons are too young for me now). It's something I associate with happy memories of my childhood. All of my friends picked a character, and we would role play during PE (hehe). I was Sailor Venus, though I look nothing like her, and she's still my favorite. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can google it.

Disney- Anything Disney, but especially Disney Princesses. Aurora to be exact. If you've paid attention to this blog for any length of time you are probably aware of this obssession. But I wonder if you know how obsessed I am... I have Disney books, over 300 Disney pins, lots of Disney movies, Disney calendars, Disney posters, and um, Disney puzzles (see above). And of course I love the Disney theme parks. My biggest dream is to someday make it to both Disneyland Paris and Tokyo Disneyland. But the princesses by far trump my obsession. Hey, college is your second childhood. :-) I even wear a tiara when I go to the parks. Much to my family's embarassment....

Now that you've learned about me (probably more than you wanted to know), it's time nominate other people!

Well, I have to include Miss Erin and Teen Book Review since they got me into blogging. Chances are they've already been nominated (they are that awesome) but, hey, this is my blog, my rules. :-) My fellow Cybils panelists Em's Bookshelf and The Compulsive Reader have great blogs too. And my last choice would be author Sarah Beth Durst. Unusual, maybe, to nominate an author, but you really should check her blog out. She is a hilarious and very talented lady. Her obscure fairy tale posts make my day everytime she posts them.

And thanks again to Deltay, the wonderful person who nominated me. I think I shall print out my award and frame it. Okay, maybe not, but it's fun to think about.

Finished!

All done for now. What do you think? I've wanted a 3-column template for a long time, and I wanted a background that was a little more fun and feminine. After all, I had that old one for almost 3 years now!

I'm still playing around with colors, etc. Leave me your comments/feedback. I'd love to know what you think. :-)

Playing Around Again

I'm playing around with the template on my blog again. :-) I've gotten sick of this blogger template so I'm going to play around with headers and backgrounds, as well as try to add another column. I've wanted a 3-column template for awhile now.

So things may be unavailable for the next few hours while I move things around. See you on the other side of the changes!

Waiting On Wednesday 3.3.09

First Waiting On Wednesday for March! I really, really, can't wait for this one.

The King's Rose by Alisa Libby

From Amazon.com: "Life in the court of King Henry VIII is a complex game. When fifteen-year-old Catherine Howard catches the king’s eye, she quickly transforms from pawn to queen. But even luxury beyond imagination loses its luster as young Catherine finds her life—and her heart—threatened by the needs of an aging king and a family hungry for power. Will their agendas deliver Catherine to the same fate as her infamous cousin, Anne Boleyn—sacrificed at the altar of family ambition? Engaging historical fiction with a throbbing YA heartbeat, this thrilling novel will draw readers into the intrigues and dangers of the Tudor court."

You know how I said on a previous post that I'll read pretty much anything set in Regency England. Yeah, Tudor England does that too. And Elizbethan England, and revolutionary France, and Civil War America, and... okay I'll shut up now. You can see that the only thing I enjoy more than Fantasy is Historical Fiction. :-) Plus, I have a soft spot for Catherine Howard, since I wrote an article about Hampton Palace for my senior magazine project.

I also found a book trailer on YouTube for The King's Rose:


The King's Rose will be released on March 19th, and you can pre-order your copy now from Amazon.com:

Winner of Contest Monday: Paper Towns

Yikes! I got so busy today I almost forgot to announce the winner of Contest Monday. Sorry to keep everyone in suspense. :-) So without making you wait longer, the winner of a new ARC of Paper Towns by John Green is...

Ladytink_534

Congratulations to you! Email me with your mailing address and I'll get your ARC of Paper Towns in the mail.

Everyone else, don't forget to enter this week's Contest Monday for a chance to win an ARC of Riding the Universe.

And for those of you who didn't win this time, you can order your own copy of Paper Towns from Amazon.com:

Contest Monday: Win a copy of Riding the Universe

Hey everyone! I know I've been a bit scarce this week, but work has me hopping! I hoping to have time to sit back and do some blogging this week, but we'll have to see. Meanwhile, you know I wouldn't deprive you of Contest Monday... :-)

Thanks to everyone who voted in the Contest Monday poll. The highest result was for more prizes before they are released, so your wish is my command! This week's prize is for paperback ARC copy of Riding the Universe by Gaby Triana.

About the Book (From the back cover): "Chloe Rodriquez values three things above all else--her adoptive family; her best friend, Rock; and her Harley-Davidson 1200 Sportster motorcycle, inherited from her late uncle, Seth. There there's her amazing new boyfriend...and he changes everything. But just when Chloe thinks she's got life all figured out, a bump in the road comes out of nowhere and sends her skidding. At turns funny, wise, and touching, Riding the Universe will speak to anyone who has ever loved, lost, or experience the joy of the open road ahead."

Riding the Universe will not be released until May 5, 2009, so this is your chance to read it early!

How to Enter: To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post. Or, if you can't leave a comment, send an email to shadyglade (AT) mail (DOT) com with the subject line "Universe Contest" and include your name, your email address, and the correct subject line.

How to earn Extra Entries:

1. Post about the contest on your blog or website. Post a link in the comments, or email the link to me.
2. Become a follower of this Blog (post a comment to let me know).
3. Come up with and post your own Contest Monday (post a comment with the link).

Rules: The contest is open until Monday, March 9, 2009 when the new contest will be posted. Everyone in the US and Canada is eligible, even if you've won a contest in the past. The winner will be chosen by a random number generator. One free entry per person allowed. See above for instructions to earn extra contest entries. Questions? Post a comment or email and ask.

Good luck to everyone! I'll announce the contest winner on Tuesday, March 10th (and thanks to Epic Rat who caught my deadline mistake last week). Look for an announcement tomorrow to find out who won last week's contest.

You can currently pre-order your own copy of Riding the Universe from Amazon.com:

Willow Contest

Another Contest Monday will be posted tomorrow, but I wanted to take today to let you know about another huge contest you will definitely want to enter.

Lauren over at Shooting Stars Magazine has come up with a huge contest to celebrate the release of Willow by Julia Hoban. So here's the details:

How to Enter: Buy a copy of Willow (you can use the links on this post to get it from Amazon.com) and send proof (as in a receipt, a picture of the book, etc.) to Lauren at Lauren51990 (AT) aol (DOT) com from now through April 30. ARCs do not count for this contest, it must be a real copy of the book. Since Willow won't be released until April 2, you can enter after that time, or you can pre-order the book and enter right away.

Prizes: Since that's the fun part. :-) Not only will you have your own copy of Willow, you will be entered to win one of these fantastic prizes:

I am giving away an ARC of Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

Khy is giving away Does This Book Make Me Look Fat?

Kelsey is giving away a $10 B&N gift card in a cute felt penguin “bag” and some bookmarks.

Carrie will give Zombie Queen of Newbury High by Amanda Ashby

Kelsey is giving an ARC version of Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

Alea is giving away Sherlock Holmes Volume I.

Kristi is giving a $10 Amazon gift card.

Harmony is making a soundtrack with songs she feels fit the book.

Lenore is giving $10 to Amazon

Gabbi is giving Chloe Doe by Suzanne Phillips

Lauren will give the winner a book of their choice (has to be paperback!)

Chelsea is giving a $10 card to Amazon

Vanessa is giving Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

Shalonda is giving away Sherlock Holmes Volume II.

Carol is giving an ARC of Because I am Furniture.

Tirzah is giving Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Lauren is giving a $15 B&N gift card

Laura is giving a $10 Borders gift card and the book Flygirl.

Sarah is giving The Adoration of Jenna Fox

After seeing those prizes, you might want to enter now. You can follow this link to pre-order your copy of Willow and get entered right away: