2012 Mid-Winter's Eve Blog Hop!

I'm baaaaaack. Mostly. More on that later.

For now, I am thrilled once again to be participating in the Mid-Winter's Eve Blog Hop hosted by I am a Reader Not a Writer and Oasis for YA.

Several authors have generously offered to give away copies of their books. This blog hop is open from December 21-27. Hundreds of bloggers are participating, so there's definitely something for everyone!

Ten Books You Should Read

Hop on over to Cookie's Chronicles today to read my list of the
Ten Books You Should Read.


See the full list of ten at Cookie's Chronicles.

Showers of Books Giveaway Hop! New books by André Jute and Dakota Franklin

Spring is in the air! And I have TWO great giveaways for you, both courtesy of Cool Main Press.

I'm linking up with I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and One A Day Y.A to offer you a chance to win one of three copies of each of the following two books:

AN ELECTION OF PATRIOTS 

by André Jute

REQUIEM AT MONZA 

by Dakota Franklin

Be sure to check out the hundreds of other bloggers participating in this blog hop for more great prize opportunities. The list is included at the end of this post.

Interview with Sarah Winman author of WHEN GOD WAS A RABBIT PLUS a GIVEAWAY!

I had the privilege recently to ask a few questions of Sarah Winman, author of The Sunday Times bestseller When God Was a Rabbit.

Sarah was also kind enough to request a giveaway copy of her book. I am grateful to Carrie of Bloomsbury for agreeing to the request.

Headline UK Cover (the copy I read)

From the back cover of the UK copy:

This is a book about a brother and a sister. 

It's a book about childhood and growing up, 

friendships and families, triumph and tragedy

 and everything in between.

More than anything, 

it's a book about love in all its forms.

Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop!

Today, I'm excited to bring you another giveaway from author Donna Fasano.

I'm teaming up again with Kathy @ I am a Reader not a Writer and Yara @ Once Upon A Twilight for the Hoppy Easter Eggstravaganza Giveaway Hop! Be sure to check out all of the other great giveaways happening along with this hop. You can find the links to the other bloggers at the end of this post.

Now onto today's giveaway from Donna Fasano!

It's Read an E-book Week!

March 4-10 is Read an E-book Week! 
(In Canada, the whole month of March is Read an E-book Month!)

Visit the Read an E-book Week website for details on the challenge and the contests they are hosting. It sounds like there may even be an opportunity to win an E-reader!

Here's what I'm reading this week:

Free E-Books of the Month: March 2012 Free E-Book Offerings

As mentioned in my post, Locating reasonably priced and free e-books, there are a couple of publishers that offer a free e-book each month. Here are their selections for March, 2012.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Each month Pheonix Pick, an imprint of Arcmanor.com, offers a free science fiction ebook. The free ebook for March is Leigh Brackett’s The Big Jump.

From Phoenix Pick:

About the Author:

Leigh Douglass Brackett (December 7, 1915 – March 18, 1978) was an American author, particularly of science fiction. She was also a screenwriter, known for her work on famous films such as The Big Sleep
(1945), Rio Bravo (1959), The Long Goodbye (1973) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980).

Experience the 2012 Iditarod!

Want to experience the Iditarod?

A special invitation from Andre Jute, author of "Iditarod - a novel of The Greatest Race on Earth":  

You (yes, even if you haven't read any of my books) are cordially invited to come racing with me. 

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is 1246 miles long, running behind a team of a sled dogs a stone's throw from the Arctic Circle in Alaska. 

Alaska is that place where men are men — and women win the Iditarod, regularly. It is perhaps the most dangerous, and certainly the most exciting race in the world. It is definitely the only race in the world that can presume to call itself the successor to the Marathon of the Greeks. 

Author CJ West is in a Generous Mood!

Guess what?

CJ West's gripping suspense thriller, The End of Marking Time, is free today and tomorrow in the Amazon Kindle Store. 

A token of my gratitude. Blogiversary Giveaway!

Today is the anniversary of the day I began Cookie's Book Club! What a year it's been!

I've met some superb authors and I have discovered some fantastic reads that I would not have if it weren't for my Kindle and this blog. I have ventured into the world of independent authors, and have found some really good books that I would not otherwise have ever heard of.

In celebration of my Blogiversary, and as a small token of my appreciation for you, my friends and followers, I am giving away one of my favourite books from this past year!

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day: Feel the love!

Warm up by the fire with one of these romantic reads:


The Notebook ~ Nicholas Sparks
From Amazon.com: Every so often a love story so captures our hearts that it becomes more than a story-it becomes an experience to remember forever. The Notebook is such a book. It is a celebration of how passion can be ageless and timeless, a tale that moves us to laughter and tears and makes us believe in true love all over again... At thirty-one, Noah Calhoun, back in coastal North Carolina after World War II, is haunted by images of the girl he lost more than a decade earlier. At twenty-nine, socialite Allie Nelson is about to marry a wealthy lawyer, but she cannot stop thinking about the boy who long ago stole her heart. Thus begins the story of a love so enduring and deep it can turn tragedy into triumph, and may even have the power to create a miracle...

What Should I Read Next? February 2012 Edition

Good day readers! I have a massively huge TBR - so many books to read and review - it's hard to decide what to read next. I need your help!

I've selected five books from the pile that I'm looking forward to reading. Now you get to pick which one I'll read next!


In Search of the Fuller Brush Man

Sean Marcum is driven to find the meaning of his mother's swan song. The last words she wrote in her journal were, "Fuller Brush Man". She always communicated life's most important lessons via riddles, and he is convinced this is her finale. Sadly, Sean was never good at solving riddles, and his quest turns into an obsession, nearly costing him his marriage, and his life.