My 1000 Follower Giveaway

December marks my 2nd blog-anniversary.  *pops champagne cork*  2 years is nothing to sneeze at is it?  As promised, I'm running a huge giveaway for two reasons.  1) I want to celebrate my blog-anniversary and 2) I'd really like to reach 1000 followers before year 3 starts.  

Anyway, my Free Sh** Fairy and I deliberated over the best books to give away and then we thought...why not give an Amazon GC and let them pick it?  I really wanted to giveaway a few books by Charlene Harris, but that didn't pan out.  Nice going Fairy!  Sorry about that.  Anyway, 25 bones isn't half bad, huh?  


I finally signed up with Rafflecopter to keep the entering simple, so let me know if you have any issues with that.  To enter follow the directions.  There are more than a few opportunties for extra entries, but I'd love for my blogger/writer friends to snag my button and place on the side bar of their blogs.  See the html code below and good luck!
  

<center> <a href="http://minaburrows.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/5760/minaburrowsbuttonhj.jpg"target="_blank" /></a></center>

  

Book Review: Andrea Cremer's Wolfsbane

Book 2 in Andrea Cremer’s Nightshade series is Wolfsbane. I’ll do my best not to mention too many spoilers, but that may prove impossible.  First, for those that haven’t had a chance to read Book 1, Nightshade, take a moment to check out my review.

In Nightshade (Book 1), we left off where Calla made a choice to save Shay; her secret love or the Scion who would tip the scales of the War of the Witches from the Keepers to the Searchers.  In Wolfsbane, Calla, originally a Guardian for the Keepers, awoke in a place of her enemy, the Searchers' abode.  In her wake, she left behind her betrothed, Ren, her family and above all her pack. She left them for love, for Shay and in doing so, she sealed her fate and the fate of her loved ones to the merciless, sadistic transgressions of the Keepers. 

Wolfsbane had a sluggish start for me.  Overall, I liked the story, but it left me feeling conflicted -- very much like its protagonist, Calla.  Before I grumble a bit, let me start by reiterating how much I love the intricate & beautiful world Andrea Cremer created.  It’s breathtaking at times to say the least.  My main issue was with Calla’s uncertainty about her entire situation.  As an alpha wolf, her indecision seemed odd or out of place. However, when you consider her entire life was uprooted, I guess it’s understandable.  Still, Calla was constantly second guessing her decisions, including her love for Shay & then Ren. I adore love triangles, but this one confused me. To me, it was obvious in Nightshade that she chose Shay. Even so, with all the doubt plaguing her throughout Book 2 and still doubt after she chose Shay, I was like huh?  Furthermore, Calla's shock at how her pack was treated by the Keepers was equally perplexing.  As a reader, I found myself asking the question: what did you expect?

Is it okay to enjoy a book even though your disappointed in the main character(s)? I have to say that's the way I felt.  There are times when I've read a series, and then I stopped because of the disappointment in the story lingers. That's not the case here. Despite Calla’s relentless doubt and or flawed decision-making, I still found myself suspended in the action-packed adventure of the Searchers, the Guardians and of course, the Keepers.  Now that some of those irrevocably life-altering decisions were made, I have to know what happens with Shay, Calla, Ren and the rest of the gang.

Wolfsbane was a 3.75 for me. I enjoyed it and am definitely committed to finishing this YA series.  Click here to read Bloodrose Chapter One.  Whew...boy, oh boy!  You have to read this one.


Mina B,

Fridays with Fred: The Reading TeePee

Today's Fridays with Fred is all about books and Fred of course. For those that don't know, I have two hellions - spawns from my demon husband.  Anyway, my son's birthday is in November and one year to celebrate his special day, we made him a teepee.  And now every year, during the months of October/November, we pull our the teepee and have renamed it the...The Reading Teepee.  Cool, huh?  We think so and so does Fred.  When the hellions and I are in the tent, Fred's squishes his way in there too, dying to be part of the action.  Silly dog.  And from time to time, I catch him sneaking in the tent for some shuteye.  I can totally relate to this, because I've done that once too w/ my daughter.

Anyway, I took this pix, so you could see the Fred hanging in The Reading Teepee.

Want to make your own Reading Teepee?  Send me an email and I'll show you how it's done.  Be sure and check out Schatze over at Mary’s BookHounds too.  Have a good weekend.

Mina B.

Spooktacular Book Hop Winner

Congrats to Judy C.; the winner of my Spooktacular Book Hop.  The winner will be notified via email and will have no more than 72 hours to respond before another winner is drawn. Winners are selected by the reputable Random.org. 

Special thanks to the magic wielded by my talented Free Sh** Fairy, Judy is the proud recipient of Andrea Cremer's thrilling YA Nightshade series, Wolfsbane!  If you haven't had a chance to read book 1, Nightshade, take a moment and check out my review.  I plan on posting my review for Wolfsbane this week, so stop back by to get the details!

And...thanks to all my minions who entered.  THANK YOU!  And because you all are so fabulous, I'm participating in the Gratitude Giveaway over the Thanksgiving break.  This giveaway is all about giving thanks, so let me know if you have a particular book you'd like to read, and I'll talk to the Free Sh** Fairy about it.  Also, December marks my 2nd year blog-anniversary.  WOW!  Can you believe I've been doing this for 2 years?  Anyway, I'm planning a huge blow out 1000 follower/blogoversary giveaway.  Stay tuned for details on that as well.  I'm working on my button - see the one that's on my right here.  What do you think?  You like?  Stay tuned for post details.

We've got lots of action going on before the end of the year.  This month is National Novel Writing Month, and yes I'm participating in this event attempting to finish the paranormal romance book I've been working on called Mystic Deeds.  Here's the opening of the novel.  Take a look when you can and let me know what you think.  

I'll be insanely busy, so I'll post when I can.

Cheers!

Mina B.

Fridays with Fred: Fredenstein

Hey, minions. I wanted to post Fred in his Halloween costume today.  Frankenstein was the mask of choice since its one of the Creepy Classics I reviewed and it's one of the more popular posts. I'm not sure if you've had a chance to read it, but it's well worth it and the timing couldn't be better.

Anyway, I hope you all have a great weekend.

Can you see Fred's eyes?

Don't forget that my Spooktacular Book Hop runs until October 31st (eod) so be sure and stop by to enter to win.  For this book blog hop, I'm giving away Andrea Cremer's Wolfsbane! Wahoo! 

Be sure and check out Schatze over at Mary’s BookHounds too.

Mina B.

Novel Questions For Readers & Writers

I’m writing this post today with two things in mind.  First, I’d like to get perspective from readers, and then I’d like to hear from my writer friends. 


As for readers, yesterday I was given a survey from goodreads, asking specific questions about how many books I purchased i.e. hard cover, paperback, used, eformat, audio, borrowed from the library, etc…Naturally, I had much to offer.  But then the topic got me thinking...  As a reader, with so many book formats available these days, which ones do you prefer?  How do you like your books?


Two years ago, most people were reluctant to read eBooks, now with the abundant technology platforms/devices available, people are more accepting of them – at least ebook sales certainly indicate so.  As a reader, I don’t particularly care which format the book comes in, only the content.  For me, eBooks are easier to read at night, but that can be a curse when you need sleep. 

As for my writer friends, having all types of formats available for your book is essential.  However, with the demand of eBooks, writers are not only considering their formats or pricing more closely, but also how frequently they publish their books.  I had the pleasure of reading an insightful post from a writer, Vincent Zandri at from House Wife Blues and Chihuahua Stories.  Gone are the days when an author could write one book a year.  Nowadays, writers must strive to write at least 2-3 a year plus more.  I found this and his perspective enlightening, describing how the publishing industry used to be vs. how it is today.   Much has changed in publishing for all sides of the industry.  (On a side note, Vincent also has an excellent blog post about his personal journey as a writer - filled with successes and failures.  A must read)

Overall, the demand is good news for writers, especially self-publishing ones.   Which brings me to my question to my writer friends - whether traditionally or self-published - are you experiencing any of the demand mentioned?  I'm sure all cases vary, but still have you increased your writing to supply for the demand.  Thoughts?   

Mina B.

Spooktacular Giveaway Hop

Hi, minions!  Welcome to one of the biggest book blog hops of the year...the Spooktacular Giveaway Hop hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer & The Diary of a Bookworm.  With over over 400 blogs participating, you can bet there will be some amazing giveaways.  Halloween is one of my favorite holidays - which shouldn't be that much of a surprise, huh?  Like most of my giveaways, I've gotta give a shout out to my Free Sh** Fairy.  Once again, he worked his mojo and sourced one heck of a giveaway.    


For this year's spooktacular book giveaway, I'm giving away one (1) copy of book 2 of Andrea Cremer's thrilling YA Nightshade series, Wolfsbane!  If you haven't had a chance to read book 1, Nightshade, take a moment and check out my review.  The series is truly addicting.

To enter…

You MUST be a follower of my blog and MUST fill out this entry form. (And yes, I do check GCF)

Extra entries…
+2 For Becoming my Fan/Like on Facebook/MinaBurrows
+2 Subscribing via email to my blog
+1 if you Retweet this on Twitter (limit 1 retweet)

Again, the giveaway runs from 12:01 AM on Oct. 24th - October 31st, midnight. Contest is open to International participants. 

Want to see who else is participating?  Visit I Am A Reader, Not A Writer or The Diary of a Bookworm and check out all the links and hop on by.

Mina B.