Happy 4th Blogoversary!

It's my Blogoversary! 4 years ago today I put text to virtual paper and created Chick with Books Blog!

During the past 4 years, Harry Potter flew from across the pond and landed, Twilight became a sensation and not just a time of day, We found out there were fifty shades of gray, and liked them …

We saw the eReader become a reality, Borders said goodbye, We learned to tweet (not twerk), found Facebook was more than a place to put your face, and learned to pin on Pinterest…

We traveled far & wide (and even time traveled), fell in love with many a hero including a few in kilts, and revisited some classics including a visit to a pig named Wilbur and his spidery friend Charlotte…

We saw writers getting published, and banned, and we read many great books. I've met many great people blogging here, and I want to thank you all for making Chick with Books the blog that it is today! You came here to read about books and bookish things, you shared your likes, dislikes and part of yourselves. You commented, lurked and tweeted. Thank you for it all! And as a thank you, here's another Blogoversary Giveaway!

I've read & reviewed a lot of books on Chick with Books, so I thought it would be fun if I gave away one of the books I've read & reviewed. ANY one of the books I've actually read and reviewed in the past 4 years! (not just blurbed about, but actually read & reviewed)  So, here's the giveaway…

Happy 4th Blogoversary Giveaway #2…

Take a look through all the books I've read & reviewed over the past 4 years and pick one out. The post will say "… a Review". This giveaway is for a paperback of any one of the books I've read & reviewed (not just blurbed about but actually reviewed). If you prefer a ebook version, that's ok too. If the book isn't out in paperback yet, you'll get a hardback. And if for some reason the book isn't available any longer, you can pick another book. Sounds simple enough? I hope so!

TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY… YOU MUST LEAVE A COMMENT (a post comment) AND in your comment along with your email, just let me know what book you'd like. And here's something new I'm going to try- Rafflecopter. A lot of bloggers use Rafflecopter for their giveaways, and I thought I would give it a try. (Not as part of the giveaway, but let me know if you like using Rafflecopter).




a Rafflecopter giveaway

Love & War Audiobook Giveaway!

They seemed the most unlikeliest of couples. 

Two political powerhouses from opposite sites of the floor who simply fell in love…. 

And... It's An Audiobook GIVEAWAY!

Love & War: Twenty Years, Three Presidents, Two Daughters and One Louisiana Home by Mary Matalin and James Carville is not what you'd expect and then again everything you'd expect. I have always been fascinated by the romance of this couple. How can such political powerhouses and adversaries find love between campaigning? I never thought that their relationship was created for publicity, but it seems that enough people did think that and have asked that question point blank to them. And that's what makes this tale of love and politics so interesting, because even though the media made such a big deal out of their romance, it wasn't a big deal. It was just a working class girl from Chicago and a boy from Louisiana falling in love and raising a family in the craziness of Washington, DC and then taking a step back and making lives for themselves outside the fray and dealing with the fray. Both Mary Matalin and James Carville are smart, savvy political engineers, but that's just one of the wonderful things about their relationship- they knew how to run a campaign, love politics and they could relate to what the other was doing. Political opposites, but that's what makes life interesting. Their life together is as normal as any husband and wife raising a family, buying a house, going to work every day but also filled with some people and places that we as readers have become familiar with if we've payed attention to anything happening to our country in the past 15 years. BUT, this is NOT a book on politics!

I listened to this audio book of Love & War and loved it! Read by Mary Matalin and James Carville, it's almost as if they are speaking to us directly about what's going on in their lives and what had been going on in their lives. They individually answer those questions about getting along, raising children, dealing with being "well known" and trying to live a normal life at the same time, and basically giving us a peek into their lives. Yes, they do talk about their jobs, but it's really not about that. It's about marriage, children and dealing with everything that goes along: Falling in love, staying in love, giving birth, ADHD, buying that first house, going to school, having a job, friends, and keeping your sanity in a Washington DC existence. This book lets you see beyond what you may have thought about Mary and James (individually and as a couple), and find common ground in your own life. Listening to Mary read and then James read what seems to be his "view" of the topic was fun. They both have great voices in respect to audiobooks, and they read wonderfully.

The audiobook of Love & War is unabridged, 9 CD's and 10.5 hours. Thanks to Random House Audio I received a review copy of this! Thanks Random House! AND thanks to Random House Audio I have a copy of this audiobook to GIVE AWAY! It's part of my week long Blogoversary Celebration! I've always talked about Memoirs on Chick with Books and this one really captured my attention. Here's how to enter…

To Enter this giveaway…

*For one entry leave me a comment with your email address!

*Get an extra entry for following my blog! Just let me know you're a follower when you leave your comment! ( Not a follower yet? No problem, sign up by clicking on the 'followers" button on the sidebar to the left by Google Friends Connect or Google +! Just let me know you became a new follower!)

*Blog or tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link for one more entry.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only. Contest ends 11:59pm EST on Feb. 24th. I will randomly pick the winner the next day and email you! (please check your email.. winner must reply to me within 3 days! Thanks!) Good Luck!

The Sunday Salon... Celebrating My 2nd Blogiversary and The Sunday Salon!

Welcome to the Sunday Salon! What is the Sunday Salon? Imagine some university library's vast reading room. It's filled with people--students and faculty and strangers who've wandered in. They're seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them, and they're all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go. Later they'll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon's literary intake....

That's what happens at the Sunday Salon, except it's all virtual. Every Sunday the bloggers participating in that week's Salon get together--at their separate desks, in their own particular time zones--and read. And blog about their reading. And comment on one another's blogs. Think of it as an informal, weekly, mini read-a-thon, an excuse to put aside one's earthly responsibilities and fall into a good book.

Each Sunday I sit down with a cup of joe in my virtual corner of the reading room and chat books. Lately I've had books wrapped around a theme, like Epistolary Novels or Scholarly Women Heroines. But I've also just chatted about books (and ebooks) that just caught my eye as I wandered my favorite bookstores, taken a trip through the WWW, or opened up a surprise in the mail. This week I celebrate my 2nd Blogiversary, and I hope you'll join me!

Today I wanted to celebrate The Sunday Salon. Have you enjoyed the sneak peeks at the books I highlighted on Sundays? Well, here's your chance to win one! One lucky reader is going to have their choice of any one of the books I've highlighted on the past Blogiversary years' Sunday Salons. What's the past Blogiversary Year Sunday Salons? Any Chick with Books Sunday Salon post between the February 28th, 2010 Sunday Salon, the Sunday Salon after last years Blogiversary celebration, and the February 13th, 2011 Sunday Salon, the last Sunday Salon before my 2nd Blogiversary. How do you take a peek at those older Sunday Salons? I've moved the searchable "Blog Archive" to the left sidebar. All you need to do is click on the month or year to bring up the list of posts, then click on a particular Sunday Salon post and see what books were hot that week! What do you have to do to enter? Just fill out the form below (only I will be able to see your answers!). AND since we're celebrating great books, as part of the giveaway, how about sharing a great book with me?! Here's the particulars of entering...

How to Enter The Sunday Salon Blogiversary Celebration Giveaway...

* Find a book from any of my Sunday Salons from Feb. 28, 2010 through Feb. 13, 2011

* Fill out the form below, which includes a favorite book of yours! (Remember, your information is private, like your mailing address, - only I will be able to see what you write!)

* Anyone can join in on the fun! As long as I can mail a book to you using the US Postal Service or in the case of International Entrants, anywhere The Book Depository can mail a book, you can enter the giveaway!

*This Giveaway will end 11:59 pm EST Feb. 27, 2011. I'll randomly pick a winner the next day. And I'll come back to this post and update it with the name of the lucky winner!

Tumble Down the Rabbit Hole and Win a copy of Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin! It's a Blogoversary Celebration!

Tumble Down the Rabbit Hole and...

Win a copy of Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin!

It's a Blogoversary Celebration Giveaway!

And the Winner is... Rebecca! Congrats! And Thank you to EVERYone who joined in on the fun by entering, tweeting and blogging about the giveaway!

At the end of January, I participated in Melanie Benjamin's Virtual Book Tour for her soon to be released book Alice I Have Been! If you love historical fiction you should READ THIS BOOK! This book was wonderful! The writing and the story! Here's what I wrote about it...

I never really thought about the real Alice. Aren't most characters in a story inspired by someone or something? But when I heard all the buzz about Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin, I became fascinated. It seems that the author of Alice in Wonderland, Charles Dodgeson (who wrote under the pen name of Lewis Carroll) met young Alice Liddell and her rather large family while photographing the cathedral at Oxford... Alice Liddell's father was appointed to the deanery at Christ Church, Oxford... Alice was 5 years old at the time... And Dodgeson's fascination with the young girls , Alice & her two sisters, began... And Melanie Benjamin does a wonderful job blending history with fact. She captures the precociousness of the real Alice, and the Alice we all know from Alice in Wonderland.

The story is told through the eyes of Alice. We meet her family, including the sisters she was most close with, Lorina & Edith, her governess, the servants, Charles Dodgeson, and even Royalty. The story goes beyond Alice and the man who wrote the story that would keep her a child forever... Melanie shows us how sisters can love and hate each other. There is jealousy, deceptions and an underlying uncomfortableness in the fascination that Charles Dodgeson has with Alice. There is love, first kisses and consequences. Melanie's writing is compelling in the voice of Alice and I found myself not being able to put the book down. The story also does a perfect job of showcasing the restrictions on young women during the victorian age. How each and every action and the way a young lady dressed all played a part of a "proper" upbringing and how rumors and speculation can ruin a reputation, whether or not the rumors were founded. I don't want to give too much away here, but I felt so much empathy for Alice as her life seemed to fall apart! You'll know what I mean when you READ THIS BOOK! You can read my Full Review for Alice I Have Been by following the link to the Jan. 28th post! Would you like to win a copy of your very own!? There has been so much great buzz about this book, don't miss out!

Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours and Random House join in on the fun by sponsoring a giveaway for a copy of Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin! Pump Up Your Book Promotions is a full service public relations agency specializing in online book promotions! Thanks Cheryl & Pump Up Your Book Promotions for joining in on the festivities! Here's how you can enter...

*For One Entry, leave me a comment with your email address!

*For One more entry, Blog or tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link.

This giveaway is open to U.S. & Canadian residents only.(No PO boxes). The book will be shipped to the winner directly from the publishers. Contest ends 11:59pm EST on March 3rd, 2010. I will randomly pick the winner the next day and email them! Good Luck!

A 'Sinful' Giveaway for Chick with Books Blogoversary Celebration Day 2!

A 'Sinful' Giveaway for Chick with Books Blogoversary...

And the Winner is... Elaine from Canada! Congrats! And Thank you to EVERYONE who joined in on the fun by Entering, Tweeting & Blogging about this Blogoversary Giveaway!

Last June I read a devilishly fun book called The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns by Elizabeth Leiknes. This is what I wrote... "Lucy Burns just wants a normal life. She's gorgeous, forever young and can eat all the chocolate she wants and not get fat! What's so bad about that?! Well, those are some of the perks of the job she has, but she also can never see her family again, never have a boyfriend and must spend her entire life leading sinners to justice! (That last part isn't so bad really)... What's her job?! Lucy Burns is a Facilitator to HELL! (Hell now located behind her basement door!) And her boss is "a real devil!" When Lucy was 11 her sister Ellen had a horrible accident and ended up in the hospital in a coma. Desperate to save her, Lucy wrote a note:

To Whom It May Concern: ...Make Ellen wake up and I'll be forever in your debt. Sincerely, Lucy Burns

She went out in the middle of the night to her & Ellen's magic mailbox, that was in front of their playhouse and usually saved for Dear Santa letters, put the note in, raised the flag and crossed her fingers. By morning "a miracle" had happened and Ellen was fine! Feeling foolish, Lucy raced out to the mailbox to destroy the letter. But her letter was not there. Instead there was a new note:

Dear Lucy, It's a deal... I'll be in touch. Sincerely, "To Whom It May Concern"

And with that Lucy's fate was sealed. But after 19 years as the devil's check-out girl, she misses her family, would like some steady companionship and has become a bit bored with her routine. She wants out! Eternity is eternity, right?! Not so fast....She may be able to retire after all!... Lucy found a loophole! But it won't be easy and she'll have to follow her heart along the way...

I liked The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns! It was fun, sassy and a quick read. A kind of chick-lit with a dark side. How could it not be 'dark' with a job like hers- facilitator to the devil? (Of course going to Squeaky's car wash makes her feel cleansed after a tough day at work!) But in essence Lucy is a single girl struggling to make a life for herself. She's gotten herself into this tough situation and is trying to dig her way out. Along the way, we see her frustrations with her job (it's really not so fun leading sinners to their end all the time and accidents DO happen!), and her personal life (boyfriends aren't allowed but men can still be tempting!) and her success at having a best friend even though she has to lie to her constantly about what's going on 'at work'. We begin to root for Lucy in being able to lead a normal life, and her antics in getting there are what makes this book so much fun! She is a great character! And you will be entertained! I recommend you put The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns by Elizabeth Leiknes in your beach bag this summer!

Bancroft Press joins in to help celebrate Chick with Book's First Year Blogoversary by sponsoring a giveaway of a copy of The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns for my U.S. & Canadian readers! Bancroft Press is a small press publisher has grown leaps & bounds since 1992. And Publishers Weekly called them "small but enterprising". Thanks Bancroft Press for joining in on the festivities!

How to Enter this Giveaway...

*For One Entry, leave me a comment with your email address!

*For One more entry, Blog or tweet about this giveaway and leave me the link.

This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only.(No PO boxes). The books will be shipped to the winners directly from the publishers. Contest ends 11:59pm EST on Feb.26th, 2010. I will randomly pick the winners the next day and email them! Good Luck!