10-25-2009
[TSS] International Book Giveaways, Readathon and NaNoWriMo
I just realized, now that my regular Sunday Salon book giveaways list is much shorter because I’m only featuring book giveaways open to everyone, I can get all chatty in my Sunday Salon post! When the giveaways list was a huge, massive list, there really wasn’t space for any chatting.
Yay! Because I also want to talk about the readathon and NaNoWriMo today!
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List of Book Giveaways Open to Everyone
First, here’s the international book giveaways list. As always, the links in this list will open up in either a new tab or window (depending on how you have your browser set up) to make it more convenient for you. I’m also indicating the genre of the book being given away.
This international book giveaways round-up post is a regular feature here at MsBookish so if you’re holding a book giveaway that’s open worldwide, let me know and I’ll include your giveaway in my next international book giveaways round-up post.
- Children’s Picture Book: Danny the Dragon “Meets Jimmy”, by Tina Turbin, at Simply Stacie (ends Nov 1)
- General Fiction: Only Milo, by Barry Smith, at Beth Fish Reads (ends Nov 2)
- Historical Fiction: Virgin and the Crab, by Robert Parry, at Historical Fiction (ends Nov 4)
- General Fiction: The Last Will of Moira Leahy, by Therese Walsh, at Peeking Between the Pages (ends Nov 14)
- Fantasy/Paranormal: Bound to Shadows, by Keri Arthur, at Fantasy Dreamer’s Ramblings (ends Nov 1)
- Fantasy/Paranormal: Bite Marks, by Jennifer Rardin, at Fantasy & SciFi Lovin’ News and Reviews (ends Oct 26)
- Fantasy/Paranormal: choice of Bite Marks or Once Bitten, Twice Shy, by Jennifer Rardin, at Vampire Wire (ends Oct 28)
- Fantasy: Shadowfae, by Erica Hayes, at Dark Faerie Tales (ends Oct 27)
- Fantasy/Paranormal: Some Girls Bite, by Chloe Neill, at The Book Resort (ends Nov 30)
- Fantasy/Paranormal: Charmed to Death, by Shirley Damsgaard, at The Book Resort (ends Nov 20)
- Selection of books, at Teens Read and Write (ends Nov 15)
- Mystery: Happy Hour, by Michele Scott , at The Book Resort (ends Nov 9)
- Fantasy/Paranormal: Release (e-book), by Nicole Hadaway, at Layers of Thought (ends Oct 30) **Note: you need to email your entry, rather than comment for an entry
- YA/Paranormal: Hush, Hush, by Becca Fitzpatrick, at Liyana Lands (ends Oct 31)
- Fantasy/Paranormal: Covet, by J.R. Ward, at Fiction Vixen (ends Nov 3)
- Fantasy/Paranormal: Once Upon A Nightmare, by Lee Moylan, at Friends and Family (ends Oct 31)
- Nonfiction: The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Junior Edition, at Traveling Mom (ends Oct 30)
- Fantasy/Paranormal: Dark Times, by Dakota Banks, at Wordsmithonia (ends Nov 6)
- Cookbook: Chocolate, A Love Story, by Max Brenner, at Book Junkie (ends Oct 30)
- Selection of short story collections, at Fantasy/Sci-Fi Lovin’ Giveaways (ends Oct 30)
- Fantasy: Traitor’s Gate, by Kate Elliott, at Fantasy/SciFi Lovin’ Giveaways (ends Oct 31)
- Science Fiction: Red Claw, by Philip Palmer, at Fantasy/SciFi Lovin’ Giveaways (ends Nov 2)
- Nonfiction (for Twilight fans): Robert Pattinson Inside Out or Taylor Lautner Inside Out, by Mel Willliams, at Chicklish (ends Oct 26)
- Nonfiction: Parlour Games for Modern Families, by Myfanwy Jones and Spiri Tsintziras, at Mommy PR (ends Nov 5)
- Paranormal: Choice of one book from Carrie Vaughn’s Kitty series, at Book Chick City (ends Oct 31)
- Historical Fiction: Sarah, by Marek Halter, at Historical Fiction (ends Oct 31)
- Historical Fiction: In the Company of the Courtesan, by Sarah Dunant, at Historical Fiction (ends Nov 7)
And for writers, there’s the *Another* Another Faust “retelling” contest. The contest is open to all unpublished authors. This one ends Jan 31, 2010, so you’ve got lots of time.
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The Readathon!
I had a blast cheering for Dewey’s Read-a-thon yesterday. The Read-a-thon occurs every six months, so the next one will be in April. Will I be participating? Definitely, but probably as a cheerleader again.
Probably the most fun for me was the time I spent on Twitter between 11:00 pm and 2:30 am; it was getting down to the wire, and all the lovely, committed and dedicated readathon readers out there were getting tired. I did my best to tweet encouragement and support because truly, because of the immediacy of Twitter, I felt like I was right there with them! My tweets were my version of cups of hot, strong coffee.
At one point, I made so many tweets, Twitter locked me out for a while. Thankfully, Twitter relented after about 20 minutes and let me tweet again.
By 2:30 am, though, I couldn’t stay up any longer. I really, really wanted to, because there were quite a few readers still up and trying to get a few more pages in, but I couldn’t. So I had to sign off, but I dreamed about waving my readathon pompoms in my sleep!
Altogether, I visited 170 blogs from the sign-up list, plus clicked over to blogs via links in Twitter. I left comments on all blogs I visited that had a readathon post up.
I am so impressed with the amount of pages everyone was reading. The update posts were all wonderful. Some bloggers even managed to put up reviews!
I’m hoping to have some time later tonight to check out as many readathon wrap-up posts as I can.
What did I get out of my participation? A real sense of community. Community has been the best thing about blogging for me, and my experience during the readathon has enhanced this feeling of community.
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NaNoWriMo Is Only Seven Days Away!
I know! It blew me away when I realized that November 1 is next Sunday! Even though I theoretically had the entire month of October to do all my prep work for NaNoWriMo, I still haven’t gotten as much done as I’d have liked.
So this week, I’m going to get through all the things on my “prep” list. No outlines, because I’m not an outliner, but here’s what I’d like to have done before next Sunday:
- Finish up my “words” research (my novel involves “words as words”, and I’d like to have several lists on hand so that wherever my muse takes me as I write, I won’t have to stop to think.
- Create a whole bunch of character collages for potential secondary characters. I’m hoping having a lot of characters on hand who might or might not play a part in the story will help prevent me from having to stop to think. (You might be noticing a trend, here. Yes, I do not want to stop and think while I’m writing. I want to get 50K words written in November! Stopping and thinking would make things more difficult.)
- Create a “Shiny” list. This is just such a fabulous idea!
- Along the same lines, create a list of things I like in fiction.
There’s a Toronto meetup for NaNoWriMo participants this coming weekend, and if I can get my sister to go with me, I just might attend, even though doing things like that scares the bejeebers out of me. I am not good at meeting people, although I’m good at becoming friends with people, if that makes sense (I call it my introverted extroverted tendencies).
Are you doing NaNoWriMo? What (if anything) will you be doing this week to prepare?
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I'd love to hear from you! Click here to add your comment.
October 25th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
My Thoughts on the Readathon & NaNoWriMo plus Giveaways List! http://msbookish.com/tss-international-b…
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October 25th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
We had a meet up last week for NaNo. I’m terrified of those things, but had fun!
Amanda´s last blog ..Sunday Salon: Readathon Wrapup
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Belle Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 9:26 pm
My sister was going to do NaNo, and then she decided not to. I’m hoping she’ll change her mind again. Plus, the pub where the meet-up is being held is so close to where she lives!
Good to know you had fun at your NaNo meet up – that makes me want to go even more!
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October 25th, 2009 at 3:42 pm
I totally agree about the sense of community with Twitter, blogging, the read-a-thon, etc. Reading and writing are both solitary activities, so it’s wonderful to have these technologies and events as ways to feel connected with other readers and writers, because ultimately reading and writing are about sharing ideas and stories and experiences.
Nikki´s last blog ..Read-a-thon Pseudo-participation and Out-of-control Widgets
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Belle Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 9:27 pm
So well said! That is exactly what reading and writing ultimately are. Twitter and blogging and online events are a perfect match for people who like to read and/or write.
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October 25th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
It sounds like you were a fantastic cheerleader!
Kathy´s last blog ..Review: Permission Slips
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Belle Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Thanks, Kathy. I still can’t believe I had such fun – and I’m as tired today as if I’d participated as a reader (or had literally shook pompoms all day!)
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October 25th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
I love the idea of a Shiny List!
rhapsodyinbooks´s last blog ..Sunday Salon – Review of “Sisters in War: A Story of Love, Family, and Survival in the New Iraq” by Christina Asquith
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Belle Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Isn’t it just so wonderful? And the name itself – shiny things are just so appealing.
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October 25th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Well, I am sure that it is quite obvious that I don’t just “jump” into anything. I love the concept of Nanowrimo – but I am just not ready to commit this year. HOWEVER….I love the idea of keeping a list of things I like in fiction. Perhaps if I make a conscientious effort to start that list now — I will be ready to participate in Nanowrimo 2010 :)
Hope you were able to get some good sleep amidst all those night time pom-poms!
molly´s last blog ..Review: Confections of a Master Baker
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Belle Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 9:29 pm
I hope you’ll be participating next year, Molly (and really, there’s still time to change your mind for this year’s NaNo, you know!). I have a feeling this year will be so much better for me than last year just because I’ll also be “participating” online through this blog and others’ blogs.
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October 25th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Your cheerleading skills rock! I think you’re right about the community aspect, too; it’s what makes blogging so much fun, and Twitter adds a wonderful sense of immediacy to it.
I’m mostly prepared for NaNoWriMo, though I’m a little bummed that I probably won’t have switched over to my new laptop by the time it starts. (I’m still waiting for Word to arrive. Needless to say, I’m unimpressed with Microsoft’s mailing skills). I just need to make one fairly major choice about my timeline and I’m all set to write!
Memory´s last blog ..The Sunday Salon: Read-A-Thon Wrap-up
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Belle Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Memory, you definitely have to give Open Office a try. You don’t even have to install all the different programs (it is very similar to the Microsoft Office Suite of programs). Open Office’s Writer program is what I use, even though I also have Word on my computer. I just find it so much nicer to use. And it includes a feature to convert your document into a PDF file!
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October 25th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Wow! That’s a lot of blogs to visit! Good for you! Thank you so much.
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Belle Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Thank you for coming by!
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October 25th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Thanks as always for the giveaway links, Belle! I am glad you had such a good time cheerleading for the read-a-thon. It sounds like everyone who participated had a lot of fun. I hope you have a great week, Belle, and good luck with NaNoWriMo!
Literary Feline´s last blog ..Sunday Salon: A Reading Retrospective (October 2004)
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Belle Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Thank you – I always like doing the giveaway links (it gives me a chance to see what’s out there, plus of course, I’ve won quite a few books simply because I can’t resist entering a few every time I put the list together!).
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October 25th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Oh my gosh – I am freaking out that NaNo starts in 7 day! Breathe, Carrie, breathe…
Carrie K.´s last blog ..The Sunday Salon – October 25, 2009 (the “read-a-thon wrap-up” post)
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Belle Reply:
October 25th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
I know – when I realized I had the same thought. What do you mean, seven days away??? It can’t be! I’ve been thinking, yes, there’s still the entire month of October to get through before NaNo starts. But apparently, time hadn’t stopped.
I am so NOT ready, Carrie!!
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October 26th, 2009 at 4:49 am
This is my first Nanowrimo and I can’t believe it’s starting in less than a week! I’m not at all ready. I’m not sure how I’m going to prepare either – I need to spend some time brainstorming!
Meghan´s last blog ..Review: A Marquis to Marry, Amelia Grey
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Belle Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Meghan, it’s going to be so much fun! Last year was my first year doing it, but I did it in a kind of vacuum, so it was quite a solitary thing. This year, I know so many people who are also doing NaNoWriMo and I can already feel the energy building up!
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October 26th, 2009 at 8:18 am
Hey Belle! Got booted off twitter? That’s so cool! You were cheerin’ hard. I’m catching up on all your posts since I unplugged.
I see you are doing great on the fitness challenge. I’m about where I should be. I haven’t had time to put a progress meter on my blog about it. Maybe I can this week.
Good luck with NANO. I’m pulling for you. :) Hey I almost forgot. You have an award on my blog. Grab it if you like. :)
Happy writing my friend! :)
Robyn Campbell´s last blog ..How’s your voice?
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Belle Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Thank you, Robyn! It’s a lovely award!
I’m not doing very well on my fitness challenge, actually – I only did a mile last week! I’m hoping to get into the rhythm of things this week but this cold I have just doesn’t seem to want to leave me alone. It’s only mildly annoying, but definitely the sort of thing that keeps me postponing my treadmill time!
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October 26th, 2009 at 8:28 am
I’m crazily trying to plan for NaNo too this week. I brainstormed a story a couple weeks ago, but now I need to fine tune the major plot points and do a little research before Sunday flies in.
Eileen Astels Watson´s last blog ..I Have A Love Hate Relationship With…
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Belle Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
For some reason, knowing others are doing much the same thing is making me feel better! First thing I did this morning was sit down and get myself straight on all my main characters names. I felt a little better after that! it’s going to be a crazy but fun week leading up to NaNo, I think.
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October 26th, 2009 at 9:11 am
This is really nice of you to collect and post information about giveaways :)
Mark David´s last blog ..Back in Time
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Belle Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Thank you – I post this list every Sunday (or try to, anyway!) and it only includes giveaways that are open to everyone, not just people in North America, so hopefully you’ll find it helpful. It’s mostly genre books, unfortunately (I know you’re more interested in literary works) but there’s an occasional classic every once in a while.
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October 26th, 2009 at 9:14 am
Thanks for all the great links! I am super impressed by your Saturday cheerleading, and GOOD LUCK WITH NANO!
Natalie´s last blog ..Things I Learned From My Kids: How To Wait
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Belle Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Good luck with NaNo too! I am super excited about November – and by the way, it was very nice getting to know you last week too :)
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October 26th, 2009 at 9:53 am
Thanks for cheering during the read-a-thon. It was so much fun!
Stephanie´s last blog ..Mailbox Monday
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Belle Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Thanks, Stephanie. You did such a fantastic job with the readathon – staying up from 9 am to 5 am is just so amazing! It was very easy to cheer for readers like you :)
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October 26th, 2009 at 11:37 am
I loved tweeting with the other participants as well, because it was so instant!
Ronnica´s last blog ..Ronnica’s Read-a-Thon, Actual Final Update
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Belle Reply:
October 26th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
I enjoy Twitter so much these days, Ronnica. It’s amazing the sense of community you can get just writing 140 word tweets!
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October 26th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Thanks for all the cheerleading. You all were great. Good luck with NaNo
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October 26th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Great list, as always :) Wow, I didn’t know twitter could lock you out. Glad you could tweet again :)
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October 27th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
Thank you so much for stopping by and cheering me on during the read-a-thon. As a first-timer, I really appreciated the support.
Stacy´s last blog ..Teaser Tuesday – Seduce Me
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October 27th, 2009 at 9:36 pm
Thanks for all those giveaway links, and thanks also for coming to visit my blog during the readathon. It really is an encouragement!
3m.michelle´s last blog ..Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
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