Is there a Secret Santa Out There?

So I have kind of an odd request. The past few years I've participated in the Book Blogger Holiday Swap as well as a few other Secret Santa swaps and I've had a lot of fun with it. I have a good friend who's also done the swap the last few years. But this year he missed the deadline for signups and was quite upset when he realized it.

So I'd like to surprise him with a Secret Santa present anyway. Would anyone be willing to be his Secret Santa? I can give you his wish list and if you could mail something to him (under $20) he would be so surprised. In return you give me your own wish list, and I'll send you a return surprise in the mail. So basically I'll be your Secret Santa if you be his. :)

If anyone is interested in making a kid's holiday a little brighter, send me an email at shadyglade(AT)mail(DOT)com. I'd be very, very, very grateful!

Call for Guest Posts

After lots of thought and going back and forth, I decided to once again host A Shady Glade Christmas this December. For those of who you missed the event last you, you can see a round up of all the fun stuff we did last year here.

The general idea is to put of Christmas-themed post every day from December 1st through December 25th. I did pretty well last year, although I did miss a day or two.

But on of my favorite things last year was the few guest posts I hosted about favorite holiday traditions. So I'm putting out another call this year for guest posts. I'm looking for any Christmas-themed posts, especially of your family's favorite Christmas traditions, reviews of holiday books, and posts about your favorite Christmas movies. You don't have a blog to participate, everyone is welcome.

So if you're interested in participating, email me at shadyglade(AT)mail(DOT)com and let me know.

Anyone Have These?

I'm looking for the below books as a Christmas present for a friend. Does anyone have these and want to trade? I have a bunch of 2011 ARCs including Unearthly, Once In A Full Moon, A Touch Mortal, and others, as well as a whole bunch of other paperbacks and hardcovers I can trade as well.

So if you have any of these, send me a email at shadyglade(AT)mail(DOT)com and I can send you a full list of what I have available to trade. ARCs might be okay too, so even if you only have an ARC copy, let me know.

Thanks for the help!

13 to Life by Shannon Delany
Angel Star by Jennifer Murgia
Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri
Blood Feud by Alyxandra Harvey
Dark Flame by Alyson Noël
Deadly Little Lies by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog
I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel
Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
Night Star Alyson Noël
Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers
So Many Boys by Suzanne Young
The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
The Plague by Joanne Dahme

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to my readers in the US who are celebrating. I'm off to go make scads of pumpkin and pecan pie (and we're going to see Tangled, yay!) so I'll just show my favorite Thanksgiving-themed clip from TV:

Holiday Bookmark Swap: Inspiration (Part 7)

Today's one more installment of my continuing inspiration series for the upcoming Holiday Bookmark Swap. I hope all of you are having as much fun admiring the pretty bookmarks as I am. :) And in the chance that you may have missed some of the past inspiration posts, you can search using the bookmarks label to see more of the great bookmarks we've traded in the past.

Anyone who would like to sign up to participate in the swap, signups will still be open until November 24th. Visit the main post about the swap for information on how to sign up. Tomorrow is the last day to sign up, so don't miss out!

Here's today's inspiration:

Another good mix of both handmade and store bought. Isn't that wood one in the middle neat? The person who sent it in made it from the branches of trees in their orchards. It's super cool! And I love the other two too. So much fun stuff...

Holiday Bookmark Swap Reminder

Just a quick reminder that signups for the Holiday Bookmark Swap close this Wednesday at midnight. To sign up, you will need to send me your email address using the form embedded on this post and then I will send you the additional details by email with instructions on how to proceed.

Important! For those of you who've filled out the interest form here and have NOT received an email from me with "Bookmark Swap Confirmation" in the subject line, you are not currently signed up to participate. I sent out reminders to everyone by email yesterday, so if you didn't get it the email, or if you thought you signed up by have not yet gotten a confirmation email from me, please let me know right away: shadyglade(AT)mail(DOT)com.

The mailing deadline for those signed up is December 1st, don't forget! Bookmarks are starting to roll in, and they're super cute!

Handmade Bookmarks Available to Order

After sharing my cross stitch bookmark hobby on Wednesday, several people asked about the possibility of ordering one for Christmas gifts. I still have time to make a few more for the holidays (they take about a week to do, give or take) and I have some generic ready made ones available as well that you won't have to wait for.

If you want one of my custom bookmarks, send me an email at shadyglade(AT)mail(DOT)com to discuss details. Normally I do them for about $8, but for anyone who reads this blog, I'll do them for $5-$7, depending on how complicated of a design you want. I can do a name, word, short phrase, or simple design as shown in the picture to the left. I'll custom design it for you, and can pretty much do any color(s) you want.

This will be first come, first serve, so if you want one, make sure you email fast!

I'll also take orders for future time periods (someone asked about a birthday in January) as well.

Holiday Bookmark Swap: Inspiration (Part 6)

It's drawing close to the closing of signups for The Holiday Bookmark Swap, but I still have a few bookmarks I want to show off. If you're new to this, this series of posts is intended to show off some of the bookmarks we had for the last bookmark swap I hosted. Everyone needs a little inspiration sometimes. :) And if you weren't aware by now, I'm a total bookmark nut.

If you'd like to see past inspiration posts, you can search using the bookmarks label.

If you want to join the fun, make sure you visit the main post for the details. Upcoming deadline is November 24th!

And here's today's inspiration:

Aren't these neat? I have no name for them other than "mixed media". The swapper who made these was so creative in the way they combined different objects, so these are super fun to look at.

Happy Haul-idays from Chronicle Books

This is a super-cool contest. Chronicle Books is hosting something they call Happy Haul-idays, giving bloggers a chance to win a $500 shopping spree for their books. To enter, we just have to make a list of the books we'd choose if we $500 to spend at Chronicle.

Want to get in on the contest? By commenting on this post, you're entered to win too!

Can I just say that browsing Chronicle's website was so much fun! There's something for everyone, and these are perfect gift books. I think I have some great ideas for Christmas now. There's baking books for my mom, crafting books for my aunt, a puzzle book for my dad, Star Wars and a photography book for my brother... and Disney books for me!

So here's my list, valued at a total of $499.44 (I just barely squeaked in under the $500) in no particular order:

Cake Pops by Bakerella: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for Irresistible Mini Treats
By Angie Dudley

Prisoners in the Palace: How Princess Victoria became Queen with the Help of Her Maid, a Reporter, and a Scoundrel
By Michaela MacColl

The Book of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks: A Celebration of Creative Punctuation
By Bethany Keeley

Disneystrology: What Your Birthday Character Says About You
By Lisa Finander

The Art of Tangled
By Jeff Kurtti, John Lasseter, Nathan Greno, Byron Howard

The Art of The Princess and the Frog
By Jeff Kurtti, John Lasseter, John Musker, Ron Clements

Obsessed With Star Wars
By Benjamin Harper

Very Merry Cookie Party: How to Plan and Host a Christmas Cookie Exchange
By Barbara Grunes, Virginia Van Vynckt, France Ruffenach

Craft, Inc.: Turn Your Creative Hobby Into a Business
By Meg Mateo Ilasco

Wordoku Puzzle Pad
By Zachary Pitkow

Kakuro Puzzle Pad
By Hagai Izenberg

Eye Candy Notecard Set
By Helen Dardik

See's Famous Old Time Candies: A Sweet Story
By Margaret Moos Pick

Star Wars Chronicles Collection

Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes
By Alisa Huntsman, Peter Wynne, Tina Rupp

What I Do When Not Reading

Alea of Pop Culture Junkie has a meme I love to read that she calls her Weekly Dose of Crafts. Every week or so she shows off the projects she's worked on during the past week.

So I decided to do something a little different and show off my own crafting hobby. With the Holiday Bookmark Swap coming up, I've been busy making bookmarks. And one of my favorite bookmark projects are cross stitch bookmarks. I like doing cross stitch because it gives me a break from work and reading (although I still enjoy reading a lot) and bookmarks are a quick project that I won't get burned out on easily.

My big thing at the moment are name bookmarks. I made one for myself and my brother and one of my best friends for her birthday and they were a big hit. So then I started to get orders for them. So I custom make and sell them now. And it's a lot of fun, because I design them myself.

Here's one I did for a kid who loves Disney. I found a Disney handwriting font and was able to convert it to stitches. I then did it in his favorite colors of navy blue and gray.

After making that one, he liked it so much that he ordered one for his friend, who loves Halo. Hence the Halo font on this one. He also wanted the edges fringed instead of folded over, which was a little bit different effect:
(sorry for the crappy picture. My cell phone camera is all I had when I took this and it sucks)

Here's the first bookmark I did with variegated (color changing) thread. It's a little hard to see because the picture is so bad (see comment about camera phone above), but the thread changes colors as it goes along the letter. It took a little experimenting to figure out the best way to use the thread, but in the end I think it blended really nicely.

This is my latest project, finished last night. Again, I used variegated thread, but only one color this time instead of two. I really like the way it turned out, although I wish I could have gotten the text a little taller. It was a bit hard to work with since the name was so long.
Anyway, that's a little preview of what I've been working on lately. Let me know what you guys think of this post. If this kind of stuff interests you I'll share my projects occasionally. And if not, then I'll just keep my stitching to myself. :) Anyway, I have to go finish another order I have for someone's birthday in December, so I'll wrap this up.

Waiting On Wednesday: 11.17.10

So today's choice is a little different. It's not out until December 6th officially, but as I was composing this post it seems to already be available on Amazon.com. Go figure. But since I'm so excited for it, I'm going to feature it anyway.

Castle Waiting (Vol. 2) by Linda Medley

About the Book (from Amazon.com): "The long-awaited return to Castle Waiting! With its long-awaited second volume, Linda Medley’s witty and sublimely drawn fantasy eases into a relaxed comedy of manners as Lady Jain settles into her new life in Castle Waiting.

Unexpected visitors result in the discovery and exploration of a secret passageway, not to mention an epic bowling tournament. A quest for ladies’ underpants, the identity of Pindar’s father, the education of Simon, Rackham and Chess arguing about the “manly arts,” and an escape-prone goat are just a few of the elements in this delightful new volume.

The book also includes many flashbacks that deepen the stories behind the characters, including Jain’s earliest romantic entanglements and conflicts with her bratty older sisters, the horrific past of the enigmatic Dr. Fell, and more. 384 pages of black-and-white comics."

Long-awaited is right! I was introduced to the first Castle Waiting book back in my very first year with the Cybils and I fell in love instantly (my review from back then here). It's one of those excellent books that just really doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Everyone I recommend it to loves it, but you just don't see it as a large-scale popularity book.

Anyway, getting back to this volume. So many questions were left unanswered that I wanted so bad for there to be a sequel. And now there is! True, the story was available in comic book format, and this volume just anthologizes the material, but comic books are just not the same as having a solid sturdy book in your hands.

Castle Waiting (Vol. 2)will be officially released on December 6th, 2010, but appears to be currently available for order off Amazon.com:

A Quick Contest Update

We're one week into the Great ARC Giveaway, with just under 3 weeks left to enter.

Right now we're sitting at about 70 entries shy of adding another winner to the pot.

So how do you boost those entries numbers? If you've already entered, wonderful. If you haven't entered, what are you waiting for? And don't forget you can still earn extra entries, whether or not you've entered already.

The easiest way to gain extra entries is to leave comments, but here's a reminder just in case you need it:
+1 For every comment made during the contest period
+3 For posting the Holiday Bookmark Swap button on your blog or website(it's in the right sidebar)
+5 For posting about the Holiday Bookmark Swap
+1 For linking the contest
+2 For posting about the contest

Good luck to everyone!

Holiday Bookmark Swap: Inspiration (Part 5)

I needed a little inspiration today, so I'm happy that I have time to do this post today. In case you are new to these, this is part of my ongoing series of inspiration posts for the Holiday Bookmark Swap. Whether you are a participant in the swap who'd like ideas, or you just are a fellow bookmark lover, this is a post for you. If you'd like to see past inspiration posts, you can search using the bookmarks label.

If you're new to the blog, you can still join the swap. Signups are still open until November 24th.

And here's today's inspiration:
These were some of the purchased bookmarks sent in. Aren't they fun? I love Anne Geddes' stuff, and the stamp one is fascinating to look at. Funny story about the one on the far left. I bought that same exact bookmark at a Scholastic Book Fair (remember those?) when I was in third grade. I still have it, although mine is in much worse condition than that one.

LOL of the Week: Library Cat

I've been spending a lot of time at the library to find books for the Cybils, so I thought this one was appropriate:


Awww... I want a library cat at my library! On the other hand, I get the stink eye from the librarians often enough, I can only imagine what kind of looks a cat would give me.

Have a great week!

If you'd like to learn more about LOLcats, you can check out the website, or read my review of the book.

Holiday Bookmark Swap: Inspiration (Part 4)

Today we have another installment of the continuing inspiration series created for the holiday bookmark swap. It's a time to share inspiration for bookmarks, and give participants a sneak peek of some of the types of bookmarks they might receive. If you'd like to see past inspiration posts, you can search using the bookmarks label.

And if you want to join the swap, it's not too late. Visit the main post for more info, and sign ups are up until November 24th.

Here's today's inspiration:
Here's someone who sent a combination of handmade and bought bookmarks. I love that butterfly one, and the owl book thong is super cute too. I can't wait to see what people will send in this time.

Bookmark Swaps: FAQs and How They Work

So you want to sign up for a Bookmark Swap at The Shady Glade? It's easy! Here's all the information you will need to sign up for a bookmark swap. Make sure you carefully read this entire post, and then return to the bookmark swaps signup page to get started.

If you have any questions about any swaps you can reach me with your questions at shadyglade(AT)mail(DOT)com (yes, it's "mail" and not "gmail" or "ymail" or anything else).

If you are not signing up at the moment but would like to be emailed when we're having swaps in the future, leave a comment on this post or send me an email and I will add you to my email list.

How Swaps Work

The idea of a bookmark swap is to share your love of bookmarks with other swappers. Each person will be responsible for mailing in 5 bookmarks and will get at least 5 bookmarks in return.

Please remember that the point of this is to have fun, not to be stressful/expensive to anyone. Handmade bookmarks don’t have to be perfect, but please remember that some of our swappers will be putting hours into creating something special. So let’s all create something memorable!


FAQs and Full Details (if a new participant, please read them all!)

How many bookmarks do I need to send?
You will be responsible for sending 5 bookmarks to the swap. They can be handmade or store bought, it’s up to you. In return, you will receive 5 brand new bookmarks in the mail.

What does it cost to sign up?
Registration is $3 for US swappers, $4 for Canada and Mexico, and $5 for any other international participant. This covers the cost of postage for a return package. Payment can be made via PayPal, or by cash in the mail at your own risk.

If I’ve done a swap before, can I do it again?
Sure! We’d love to have both new and returning swappers participate. Returning participants will have to pay the swap fee again (since it covers postage), but we’d love to have you join us again.

Do the bookmarks have to be handmade?
No. You can buy your 5 bookmarks if you don’t feel comfortable making your own.

Can I mail my package before the mailing deadline?
Sure! As soon as you’ve paid your registration fee you can send your bookmarks in anytime before the deadline. In fact, if everyone mails early then you’ll get your packages back early too. Just make sure it’s in the mail by the deadline.

What kind of bookmarks do I have to send?
Any kind you want. They can be paper, ribbon, beaded, fabric, clay, clips, anything you can think of. Remember that your handmade bookmarks don’t have to be perfect. A nicely laminated bookmark of your own design and printed from the computer is just as wonderful as a fancy ribbon or beaded bookmark. Let your imagination run wild and have fun with it!

Do “swag” or other advertising bookmarks count towards the 5?
Although swag bookmarks are fun, they do not count for this swap. You are more than welcome to include some swag in your package (and if you do you will probably also get some back) but you will still be required to contribute 5 other bookmarks to the swap.

Do I need to send my bookmarks via Priority mail?
This is up to you. You can if you want, but they are going to my post office box, which I don’t check every day. It might not be worth the extra money to send them expedited. Your new bookmarks will be shipped back to you by me via First Class Mail.

How many bookmarks will I receive in return?
You are guaranteed at least 5 bookmarks, the same number as you sent out. In the past we had some generous swappers who also included swag and extra bookmarks in their packages, so I was actually able to send more bookmarks back to people than they sent in. But this totally depends on what your fellow swappers send in. Either way, you will get 5 bookmarks no matter what.

What happens if my return package gets lost in the mail?
I will be acting as “angel” for this swap. This means that if anyone’s return package gets lost I will make sure you get a new package as a replacement. If anyone wants to add an additional bookmark or two to contribute to the “angel fund” then it is appreciated. And if not, that’s fine too.

What happens if I mail my package late?
If you have to mail your package late, please mail it as close to the deadline as possible. First send me an email to let me know to expect the package later. If I know in advance you’ll still be able to participate in the swap. If you mail you package late without telling me, it’s possible everything else will have been sent out before the package arrives and you won’t be able to participate in the swap.

When will I get my exchanged bookmarks back?
This partly depends on whether or not swappers mail their packages on time, and how many international participants we have. My goal is to get them back to you ASAP, so rest assured knowing that I will send them back as soon as I can.

What if I forget to mail something?
If you forget to mail either your bookmarks or your payment (if you signed up to do it by mail) then you might not get anything back in return. It entirely depends on what others send in. So don't forget anything!

Waiting on Wednesday 11.10.10

I know these posts can be somewhat sporadic. Hopefully I'll make up for it with today's post, which is one I'm really excited about:

Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale by Carolyn Turgeon

About the Book (From Goodreads): "The story of two very different women, one mortal, one mermaid, and the clash between worlds best kept apart... It is a cold day at the end of the world when a young woman, a princess in hiding, looks out across a Northern sea and sees something she could not have seen. It looks...it can't be. It looks like a mermaid's tail. And, as she looks more closely, she sees that the mermaid is dragging a drowning sailor in her arms. Because, only hours before, another princess, the daughter of the sea queen, has decided to risk everything and take a look at the world above the sea: the world of mortals. And there she finds a storm, a shipwreck, a sailor, and sets in train events which will change both women's worlds for ever."

It seems like mermaids are the new vampires, with all the new mermaid books coming out. I've loved mermaids since I grew up with Disney's Ariel, and this one is a fairy tale retelling to boot. I'm not crazy about the cover, but it's interesting enough. From what I can tell this is actually an adult book (I think?) which will be a little bit of a different direction for me. But I'm super excited anyway.

Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale will be released on March 1, 2011. In the meantime, it is also available for pre-order through Amazon.com:

Holiday Bookmark Swap: Inspiration (Part 3)

This is part of my continuing inspiration series of posts for the holiday bookmark swap. The point of these features is to share from time to time a photo of some of the bookmarks we had sent in last time, for inspiration's sake. And because I like showing off bookmarks. (Yes I know I'm addicted...)

So whether you are a swap participant who needs a little inspiration, or if you just like bookmarks (like me), here's a post for you. If you'd like to see past inspiration posts, you can search using the bookmarks label.

If you want to join the swap, it's still open. Visit the main post before November 24th to sign up.

Here's today's inspiration:

Here's an example of a few handmade bookmarks. Can I just say that those beads are HUGE. It's kind of hard to tell in the photo, but seriously, they are enormous. These were lot of fun to look through, and those beads are so cool.

The Great ARC Giveaway

Okay, so it's not the greatest title for a contest. But it sounded better than the Contest Monday/Comment Contest for November/December for three ARC books Giveaway. :)

As that suggests, I decided to combine my usual contest Monday posts with the comment contest for November and a little bit of December to create a bigger giveaway. I'm going to end it shortly after the first part of December so the winners can hopefully get their prizes in time for Christmas.

Rules:

So here's how you play. Everyone gets one free entry by filling out the form below. And there will be extra entries too, which I'll get to in a minute. And you're prizes? I have three ARCs to give away:
Blood & Flowers by Penny Blubaugh, Vesper: A Deviants Novel by Jeff Sampson, and Three Quarters Dead by Richard Peck

The winner will get to choose their prize from these three. If there are 200+ entries into the contest, then I will add a second winner. 300+ entries, and I will add a third winner. 500+ entries and I'll add another prize AND another winner. First place will choose first and then on down until all the prizes are claimed.

Contest will be open until Sunday, December 5th. Winners will be announced the next day. Open to US and Canadian residents only this time. Winners will be responsible for claiming their prizes within 72 hours, or it will be passed to someone else. Winners will be announced on the blog, and will not be emailed.

Extra Entries:

Here's the key part. The more extra entries you get, the more total entries we have, and the closer we get to having multiple winners. I'm busy trying to spread the word about my Holiday Bookmark Swap, so there will be lots of extra entries for that. And since this is taking the place of November's comment contest, there will be entries for that. So here's the breakdown.

+1 For every comment made during the contest period
+3 For posting the Holiday Bookmark Swap button on your blog or website(it's in the right sidebar)
+5 For posting about the Holiday Bookmark Swap
+1 For linking this contest
+2 For posting about this contest

So that's a total of 12 entries right off the bat, without earning additional entries from comments!

How To Enter:

To enter, fill out this form below. Add up your entries, and I will add the comment ones in manually at the end of the contest. Good luck to all!



About the Prizes:

Blood & Flowers by Penny Blubaugh (Summary from Goodreads): "Three years ago, Persia ran away from her drug-addict parents and found a home with the Outlaws, an underground theater troupe. With time, this motley band of mortals and fey, puppeteers and actors, becomes the loving family Persia never had, and soon Persia not only discovers a passion for theater but also falls in love with one of the other Outlaws. Life could not be more perfect.

Until an enemy makes an unfair accusation against the group and forces them to flee their world and hide in the neighboring realm of Faerie. But in Faerie, all is not flowers and rainbows. With bloodthirsty trolls, a hostile monarchy, and a dangerous code of magic, the fey world is far from the safe haven the Outlaws had hoped for....

Following up her critically acclaimed Serendipity Market, Penny Blubaugh has created a beautiful and mysterious world where anything can happen—especially what you least expect."


Vesper: A Deviants Novel by Jeff Sampson (Summary from Goodreads): "Emily Webb is a geek. And she’s happy that way. Content hiding under hoodies and curling up to watch old horror flicks, she’s never been the kind of girl who sneaks out for midnight parties. And she’s definitely not the kind of girl who starts fights or flirts with other girls’ boyfriends. Until one night Emily finds herself doing exactly that . . . the same night one of her classmates—also named Emily—is found mysteriously murdered.

The thing is, Emily doesn’t know why she’s doing any of this. By day, she’s the same old boring Emily, but by night, she turns into a thrill seeker. With every nightfall, Emily gets wilder until it’s no longer just her personality that changes. Her body can do things it never could before: Emily is now strong, fast, and utterly fearless. And soon Emily realizes that she’s not just coming out of her shell . . . there’s something much bigger going on. Is she bewitched by the soul of the other, murdered Emily? Or is Emily Webb becoming something else entirely—something not human?

As Emily hunts for answers, she finds out that she’s not the only one this is happening to—some of her classmates are changing as well. Who is turning these teens into monsters—and how many people will they kill to get what they want?"


Three Quarters Dead by Richard Peck (summary from Goodreads): "Kerry is chosen by the coolest clique in school and so she thinks life has finally begun. But then it seems all over when her three friends are killed in a shocking car accident. Or are they? Only weeks after the accident, Kerry receives a text from one of the girls: We're all 3 here at my aunt's in the city. Take the 3:50 train. B there.

Exhilarating, terrifying suspense is crossed with a thought-provoking examination of peer pressure in Richard Peck's return to his contemporary teen- and ghost-story roots. This is a master author's gift to the Gossip Girl/Twilight generation: his own smart, stylish, and fun take on the paranormal."

LOL: How to Remove Hairballs

Now that October is over we're back to your regularly themed LOLs.


And look, someone's on Facebook... :)

Have a great week!

If you'd like to learn more about LOLcats, you can check out the website, or read my review of the book.

Holiday Bookmark Swap: Inspiration (Part 2)

This is part of my continuing inspiration series of posts for the holiday bookmark swap. The point of these features is to share from time to time a photo of some of the bookmarks we had sent in last time, for inspiration's sake. And because I like showing off bookmarks. (Yes I know I'm addicted...)

So for those of you who are participating and need ideas, or for those who would like to know what kind of bookmarks you'll be getting in the mail, here's a sneak peek. If you'd like to see past inspiration posts, you can search using the bookmarks label.

And if you want to join the swap, it's not too late. Visit the main post before November 24th to sign up to participate!

Here's today's inspiration:

The swapper who contributed these mentioned she picked them up in a little Asian stationary shop she was browsing. Aren't they adorable. They may not be big (they're only a little over 3 inches long) but they are super cute. I love the glitter on them too, which you can't really see in the picture so much. But, you know, I'm super girly like that. :)

Post Updated

I'm staying in bed today since I'm feeling horribly sick with the cold my brother passed on to me.

But I wanted to pop in and let everyone know the Books for Sale post has been updated. I've been getting lots of emails asking if certain books are still available. Well, now you can know for sure. All the details are at the original post.

And now I'm off back to bed.

A Bookish Conundrum

I was trying to get my mom to read Pride and Prejudice today because she just got done reading a modern retelling of it and didn't really like it that much because she hadn't read the original. After explaining what it was about, she was reluctant to read it because she doesn't like historical fiction.

Which made me wonder something...

If a book that whose setting was contemporary at the time it was written, now that time has passed, is it considered historical fiction.

Take Pride and Prejudice, for example. Ignoring the fact that it's usually branded nowadays as a classic, is it historical fiction? Austen wrote about her own time period, which would be the equivalent of today's young adult fiction set in modern high schools. So 140 years from now, will those books be considered historical fiction, even though they were contemporary for the period they were written in?

Anyway, my brain thinks of weird things this late at night...

Holiday Bookmark Swap: Inspiration (Part 1)

For those of you who are interested in the Holiday Bookmark Swap, I thought it would be fun to see some of the bookmarks we had in the last round. For inspiration's sake. :) I'll be sharing a post from time to time with a photo of some of the bookmarks we had sent in last time.

So for those of you who are participating and need ideas, or for those who would like to know what kind of bookmarks you'll be getting in the mail, here's a sneak peek.

And if you want to join the swap, it's not too late. Visit the main post before November 24th to sign up to participate!

And now, on to the bookmarks!


Aren't these little scrapbooking bookmarks cute? There was such a diverse range of styles/colors, these were so fun to look at. I've got one of my own sitting in a book right now!

Vote Today!

It's the first Tuesday in November, so here in the United States that means it's election day. For those of you who are old enough to do so, don't forget to vote today!

There is nothing more you can do to exercise your freedom in this country more than to vote. If you don't vote you've lost the right to complain about the way the country/state/county/city/whatever is heading, because you did nothing to try and change it.

Of course, if you vote and the person you voted for loses, you can still complain, because at least you tried to shake things up. :)

I'm super excited (and a little nervous) because this is my first time voting in person. The 2008 election was the first one I voted in, but I had to do it by mail since I was away at school.

So what are you waiting for? Go vote!

Winner of Gemini Night: Take 2

Since this prize has not been claimed yet, it's time to choose another winner for a new copy of Star Crossed: Gemini Night. This time the random number generator picked number 26, which means:

misskallie2000
...you are a winner! Congrats! Please send me your mailing address to me at shadyglade(AT)mail(DOT)com within the next 72 hours to claim your prize.

And for those of you who didn't win, better luck next time. Look for more chances to win coming soon!