giveaways!

Ashes of a Black Frost (11/1) | The Shattered Vine (11/3)
Coming soon:

drey's Giveaway Policy

FTC Disclosure: I am an affiliate at IndieBound, The Book Depository, and Amazon, and any purchases made by clicking on covers or links here may result in monetary compensation.

Agnes and the Hitman, by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer

November 30, 2008


Agnes and the Hitman is a chick-lit comedy with a dash of death, mystery, mayhem, and anger management issues. Of course, having the mob show up at your doorstep probably ups the probability of all of the above.

Continue...
Agnes is a chef who's writing another best-selling cookbook with fiance Taylor Beaufort. She buys a house from her friend Lisa's mom, with the condition that Lisa's daughter's wedding takes place on the grounds. Lisa's mom then goes all out to sabotage the possibility of that occuring, so that she can get the house back from Agnes.

The "hitman" is Shane, who is called to help protect Agnes after somebody shows up at her door looking to steal her dog Rhett, but ends up dead in her basement instead. Shane and his partner Carpenter take care of the bodies that pile up around Agnes. Pretty handy to have around when you have a penchant for hitting people with a frying pan! =)

The body count piles up, the witch is served a few helpings of karma, the wedding goes off without too many hitches, the hitman unravels the mystery, and Agnes gets the house AND the guy. Entertaining read - good for curling up with a mug of hot chocolate with. As long as you don't spit it out laughing.

BTT - Thankful...

November 28, 2008
This week's Booking through Thursday:

Today is Thanksgiving here in the U.S.

Now, you may have noticed that the global economy isn’t exactly doing well. There’s war. Starvation. All sorts of bad, scary things going on.

So–just for today–how about sharing 7 things that you’re thankful for?

This can be about books, sure–authors you appreciate, books you love, an ode to your public library–but also, how about other things, too? Because in times like these, with bills piling up and disaster seemingly lurking around every corner, it’s more important than ever to stop and take stock of the things we’re grateful for. Family. Friends. Good health (I hope). Coffee and tea. Turkey. Sunshine. Wagging tails. Curling up with a good book.

So, how about it? Spread a little positive thinking and tell the world what there is to be thankful for.
Continue...
Here's my 7:
  1. Family. My family at home, whom I miss terribly, especially around the holidays. My family here - the Mr. and the little man, and the Mr.'s extended family. I am thankful for everyone's good health and happiness.
  2. Friends. With my own family so far away, my friends have been my substitute family for a very long time. Who have been there in good times and in bad. For laughter and tears, celebrations and consolation.
  3. I am thankful that I still have a job, as does the Mr. Especially in today's economy.
  4. Books good enough to curl up with on a cold evening. With a mug of hot cocoa (or two) as the perfect accompaniment.
  5. Movies that produce warm-fuzzies, that the little man can watch with.
  6. Evenings at the symphony, where I share my delight in rediscovering my love of classical music, with my girlfriends.
  7. The flowers in my garden in spring. The leaves changing color in fall. God's presence in the beauty that surrounds us every single day.
Happy Thanksgiving, all!

2009 1st in a Series Challenge...

November 26, 2008
I'm signing up for J.Kaye's Book Blog's 1st in a Series challenge. Challenge rules are pretty simple:
  1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.
  2. Read 12 books that are the first in any series. You may read & list your chosen books any time during the year.
  3. Challenge runs January thru December, 2009.
  4. You can join anytime between now and December 31, 2009.
  5. You do not have to decide your books ahead of time. You can add or subtract from your list during the year.

I'll be updating this post with books as I read them. I can't wait to start! =)
  1. One for the Money ~ Janet Evanovich
  2. Twilight ~ Stephenie Meyer
  3. Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning
  4. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
  5. Scot on the Rocks by Brenda Janowitz
  6. Kitty and the Midnight Hour by Carrie Vaughn
  7. Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
  8. The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
  9. Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill
  10. A Darkness Forged in Fire by Chris Evans
  11. Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper
  12. Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz
  13. The Ashleys by Melissa de la Cruz
  14. The Devil You Know by Mike Carey
  15. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
  16. My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent
  17. Flesh and Fire by Laura Anne Gilman
  18. The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
  19. Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

What's on your nightstand? November edition...

Wow, time sure flies. I can't believe it's time for this 5 Minutes for Books event again... Where'd the last four weeks go?





This month, I've slowed down on my reading. The list of read books include:
  • The Bourne Sanction by Eric Van Lustbader - I'm a fool for Jason Bourne. This story pits him against an assasin by the name of Arkadin, and makes Bourne a pawn in the machinations of two men.
  • Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner - This book about less-perfect-than-other-moms-in-suburban-Connecticut Kate, was entertaining and fun. The plot wasn't the greatest, and I didn't really care about the deceased Kitty (& couldn't figure out why Kate did), but the story was quick, the dialog funny, and I could actually "see" Kate in my head as I read this book.
  • The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner - This collection of short stories left me a little down. Not because of the writing, but because of the storylines.
  • The Queen's Bastard by C.E. Murphy - This is a re-read. I wasn't sure I liked Belinda Primrose in my first go at this book. Now I'm pretty sure this isn't one of my favs from Murphy. I'll still follow the series, if only to find out where Javier ends up, but I'll probably borrow from the library instead of getting it at the bookstore...
Continue...
To be read:
And the maybes (since I'm #1 on the holds queue at the library, I'm assuming I'll get to these in the next four weeks):

The latter two mostly because of Brenda's holiday giveaways. Now I'm curious. And she replies to emails! =) What can I say, I'm easy to please...

Brenda Janowitz's Holiday Book Giveaway, version 2.0...

November 25, 2008
Author Brenda Janowitz is giving away MORE books, signed by the authors, on her blog. The winner of the following books will be announced on December 16, so don't wait. Go check it out!


Welcome!

November 23, 2008
Hi! Welcome to my new blog - drey's library. I felt that the posts on books, reading, and all those giveaways, were cluttering up my random musings on drey's house, so I'm moving 'em here. I also hope to start doing reviews in '09, mostly for books, but some movies too. Wish me luck, and come back often! As always, comments are welcome.

Twilight Mania! Bitten by Books giveaway...

** moved from drey's house **

For all of you Twilight fans out there... Bitten by Books is giving away the hardcover boxed set of the Twilight saga. See here for more information.

There's lots of ways to enter the contest, which ends Dec. 7th, so head on over.

Peeking Between the Pages book(s) giveaway!

** moved from drey's house **


Peeking Between the Pages is giving away all nine books from CBS' web series Novel Adventures to one lucky winner. Go here for rules, and register by November 30!

The books are:





Diary of an Eccentric book giveaways...

November 20, 2008
** moved from drey's house **

Anna at Diary of an Eccentric is giving away M.J. Rose's The Reincarnationist and The Memorist, to two winners. I've been seeing giveaways for The Memorist on quite a few blogs, hopefully I'll actually win one of them? =)

An interview with author M.J. Rose is also posted on the blog.

Brenda Janowitz's Holiday Book Giveaway...

** moved from drey's house **

Author Brenda Janowitz is giving away the following books, signed by the authors, on her blog. The winner will be announced on November 25, so don't wait. Go check it out!

Book Dads giveaway: The Magician's Book...

November 19, 2008
** moved from drey's house **


Book Dads is giving away three copies of The Magician's Book by Laura Miller. While I'm excited to have found so many giveaways, I'm kinda feeling bad that they're all from one site. Ok, I'll be honest and admit that that fact probably impacts my ability to win all the books I'm entered for...

Contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada, and ends on Tuesday, Nov. 25.

See rules and enter the contest here. Good luck!

Book Dads giveaway: The American Journey of Barack Obama

** moved from drey's house **

In commemoration of the election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States, Book Dads is giving away The American Journey of Barack Obama.


Contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada, and ends on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

See rules and enter the contest here. Good luck!

BTT - Why Buy?

November 17, 2008
** moved from drey's house **

I know it's not Thursday, but I've never done one of these, and was really intrigued by the question on last week's Booking Through Thursday:

I’ve asked, in the past, about whether you more often buy your books, or get them from libraries. What I want to know today, is, WHY BUY?
Even if you are a die-hard fan of the public library system, I’m betting you have at least ONE permanent resident of your bookshelves in your house. I’m betting that no real book-lover can go through life without owning at least one book. So … why that one? What made you buy the books that you actually own, even though your usual preference is to borrow and return them?
If you usually buy your books, tell me why. Why buy instead of borrow? Why shell out your hard-earned dollars for something you could get for free?


Continue...
I buy and borrow my books. I prefer buying, because I keep forgetting the deadline on my library books. Seriously though, I love the library for letting me try new authors. There's no commitment to a book if I don't like it. There's also no shelf-space hogged by a book that isn't going to stay. I've always felt bad about not liking a book, but it probably has more to do with having to admit that I made a bad choice. =P

I buy books to read and re-read. And re-read. And re-read. I've read The Name of the Wind three times. Cast in Shadow, probably around a half-dozen... A Game of Thrones, at least a dozen.

With books on my shelf, I can pick them up any time I want to, without waiting for the book to become available - if the library even has it, or running somewhere to pick it up, or remembering when it needs to go "home". With a selection of my own, I can run my fingers down the spines, feeling until they meet the book that fulfills the needs of the moment...

I will take this time to say that I am glad I'm privileged to be able to buy all the books I want. Not that I will, because it would take some explaining to the Mr... =)

Book Dads' book giveaways!

** moved from drey's house **

Book Dads is hosting a book giveaway of two books:













Contest is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada, and ends on Tuesday, Nov. 25.

See rules and enter the contest here.

2009 100+ Reading Challenge...

November 10, 2008
** moved from drey's house **

I found this challenge on Reading Adventures, and thought it sounded like fun. After all, I MUST'VE read at least 100 books this year already! =)


The 2009 100+ Reading Challenge will be hosted at J.Kaye's Book Blog. Challenge rules:
  1. You can join anytime as long as you don’t start reading your books prior to 2009.
  2. This challenge is for 2009 only. The last day to have all your books read is December 31, 2009.
  3. You can join anytime between now and December 31, 2009.
  4. If you don’t have a blog, please join the challenge's Yahoo Groups.
  5. When you sign up under Mr. Linky (on J.Kaye's blog), list the direct link to your post where your 100+ books will be listed. If you list just your blog’s URL, it will be removed.
  6. All books count: children’s, YA, adults, fiction, non-fiction, how-tos, etc.
  7. Feel free to post in the comment section or on Yahoo Groups your monthly progress as well as your favorite books that month.
  8. If you have any questions, feel free to email the host at jkayeoldner@yahoo.com. Comments on J.Kaye's blog usually get a quicker response.
  9. You do not have to decide your books ahead of time. You can add or subtract from your list during the year.

The list of books can be found on my 2009 books & reviews tab.

A book meme...

November 9, 2008
** moved from drey's house **

Something fun I came across at Reading to Know. It's very simple - an ABC of your favorite books (or books you've read), if you will - so do the meme & let me know so I can check your list(s) out! =)

Continue...
I left out the "A"s, "The"s, etc at the beginning of titles...
A - (The) Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama
B - (The) Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
C - (The) Chosen, by Chaim Potok
D - Digging to America, by Anne Tyler
E -
F - Fledgling, by Octavia Butler
G - (A) Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin
H - Having Our Say, by Sarah L. and A. Elizabeth Delany
I - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
J - Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
K - (The) Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
L - (The) Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkein
M - Moon Called, by Patricia Briggs
N - Night, by Elie Wiesel
O -
P - Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler
Q - Queen of the Darkness (Black Jewels Trilogy), by Anne Bishop
R - Richard III, by William Shakespeare
S - Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See
T - (The) Two-Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Parents are Going Broke, by Elizabeth Warren
U - Urban Shaman, by C.E. Murphy
V - (The) Virgin's Lover, by Philippa Gregory
W - Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte
X -
Y -
Z -

I so wanted to put multiples for some of these - just picking one was HARD!!
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