Contests of the Week - December 30th

Happy New Year, all!  It's a busy giveaway time these days in the blogosphere.  Here are the latest giveaways that I've discovered!

• Nely at All About {n} is hosting a 400 Follower Spectacular Giveaway, with a box of books for the winner!  Deadline is January 28th.

http://bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/2009/12/400-follower-spectacular-giveaway.html

• Serena at Savvy Verse & Wit is hosting a giveaway/interview for Abigail Reynolds'  Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy:  The Last Man in the World.  Deadline is January 11th. 

http://www.savvyverseandwit.com/2010/01/interview-with-abigail-reynolds-author.html

• Natalie at Mindful Musings is celebrating her 400 followers milestone by offering all sorts of books, especially if she reaches 450 or 500 followers! Come follow her so we all can benefit, but she really does have a cool blog!  Deadline is January 20th.
  

http://themindfulmusingsbookblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/400-followers-giveaway.html

• The Bookologist is hosting a Mega 2010 Box Contest, with three boxes of books up for grabs! Deadline is January 31st.

http://the-bookologist.blogspot.com/2009/12/mega-2010-box-contest-international.html

• Over at Bookworming in the 21st Century, Kristen is celebrating her 600 (soon to be 700) followers! She's got lots to offer, including credits at The Book Depository or Amazon! Deadline is January 15th.
  

http://www.bookworminginthe21stcentury.com/2009/12/600-follower-contest-bit-late.html

In My Mailbox - December 27

As it's the Christmas season, I've got quite a report for In My Mailbox this week.  This weekly meme is sponsored by The Story Siren and The Printed Page ("In My Mailbox"/"Mailbox Monday").  Thanks to any fellow participants who stop by The Calico Critic!  I'll do my best to get around to as many of your sites as I can this week.  The cover art of each book will be forgone this week, due to the high number of titles.

Here are the books that have arrived since December 20th, not counting Christmas gifts:

Monday the 21st - Really Woolly Bedtime Prayers by Bonnie Rickner Jensen- Amazon Vine Reviewers program
Tuesday the 22nd - The Gospel According to Lost by Chris Seay - Sent over by Thomas Nelson, publisher
Wednesday the 23rd - Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy by Sara Angelini -  Waldenbooks going-out-of-business sale  :(
Thursday the 24th - Twilight - Goodreads Swap (Thanks, Linda!)
Friday the 25th - Jumper: Griffin's Story - Bought for myself to get the free shipping on an Amazon order


Other books given to me as Christmas gifts on Friday and earlier in the season:

Red Dragon by James A. Owen (Thanks, Mom!)
Peter and the Sword of Mercy by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson  (Thanks, Mother-in Law!)
The True Darcy Spirit and The Darcy Connection by Elizabeth Aston (Thanks, VideoFitness.com Secret Santa!)
A Match for Mary Bennet by Eucharista Ward (Thanks, Blogger Secret Santa!)
Angel Time by Anne Rice (Thanks Blogger Secret Santa!)
Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt by Anne Rice (Thanks, Blogger Secret Santa!)

It's been quite a week, and quite a season.  I really need to win the What Bri Reads contest for a new bookshelf!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and have a happy new year this next Friday!

Contests of the Week - December 23

Every Wednesday I post the latest contests that I'm entering this week. Here are the newest giveaways that I've discovered.  Have fun!

• Parajunkee is lending her talents and services to her blog graphics giveaway.  Get a new header, background and button!  Deadline is January 9th.

http://parajunkee.blogspot.com/2009/12/new-year-new-blog-design-contest.html

• Tina at Tina's Book Reviews is celebrating her 150 followers (although I was #168!) by giving away $20 at The Book Depository.  Deadline is January 25th.

http://willowdustreviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/lets-celebrate-hurray-for-150-followers.html

• The Bibliophilic Book Blog is honoring our armed forces and giving away your choice of an E-reader or a $150 Gift Card to the bookstore of your choice. Deadline is March 1, 2010.  If you mention that I sent you (just say "@LHartness on Twitter referred me"), we both get an extra 5 entry points! Good luck!
  

http://www.bibliophilicbookblog.com/2009/12/ereader-anyone-you-choosei-knowagain.html

Teaser Tuesdays - December 22 - The Maze Runner

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My Teaser:

"Thomas looked around one more time, the feel of the place completely different now that all the walls were solid with no way out.  He tried to imagine the purpose of such a thing, and he didn't know which guess was worse-- that they were being sealed in or that they were being protected from something out there."

p.29, The Maze Runner 

by James Dashner

Feel free to leave a comment here with any thoughts/questions about the book.  If you have a teaser to share, post it here or give us your link!  And while you're at it, share the link on MizB's site as well.  Happy reading!

In My Mailbox - December 20

This is my first week as a participant in Story Siren's and The Printed Page's weekly memes, "In My Mailbox"/"Mailbox Monday".  Thanks to any fellow participants who stop by The Calico Critic!  I'll do my best to get around to as many of your sites as I can this week.

As far as my mailbox...I'm getting very spoiled! All sorts of things arrived this week.  It won't be long before I'll need a new bookshelf!  Here are all the lovely things that have come in since December 13th:

• Leviathan - Prize from the Book Love Affair blog's contest.  The artwork alone won me over on this one.  Very excited about disappearing into this world.
  
• How to Teach Physics to Your Dog - Sent over by Scribner/Simon & Schuster.  I'm a bit of a science geek and an animal lover.  This one just looked fun and interesting!
  
• Hester: A Novel - Sent over by St. Martin's Press.  I've been enjoying lots of Jane Austen sequels and I thought this (along with Deborah Noyes' Angel & Apostle) looked interesting.  A sequel to Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.
• The Bread of Angels - Sent over by Doubleday/Random House.  A true story about a woman who goes to Damascus to study the role of Jesus in Islam.  As Stephanie studies, she also falls in love with Frederic, a young French novice monk.  What will he choose: his monkhood or a romance with Stephanie?
  
• Me & Mr. Darcy - I bought this in the Bargain Books section of the Vero Beach Book Center. Discovered a year ago (but not bought- over my limit!) in Winston-Salem's Ed McKay used book store, I was thrilled to be able to get my hands on it this year. Although it's used, it's in great condition!
• Mr. Knightley's Diary - Also bought in the Bargain Books section at the Book Center. It looks brand new, aside from the "used" mark on the bottom of the book.
• The Maze Runner - Prize from Alessandra of Out of the Blue.  I highly enjoyed The Hunger Games and Catching Fire this year.  The Maze Runner has received alot of buzz this year, and it's been touted as the type of book that Hunger Games fans would enjoy.  I've deliberately avoided reading too much about this story and want to remain as spoiler-free as possible until I read it.  I suspect that it will be devoured rather quickly!

That may not look like alot to some of you more experienced bloggers, but I've never had anything like this!  So many good books to read.  My television must be beginning to think I don't love it any more!

Thanks to all the contest hosts and publishers who sent these things my way.  I'll be sure to let you know when reviews are up, and many will be passed on for others to enjoy.

Book Review: A Not-So-Silent Night by Verlyn D. Verbrugge

Sent to me as a complimentary copy from Goodreads.com, A Not-So-Silent Night piqued my interest, as it presented some very interesting ideas to ponder during this Advent season.  Dr. Verlyn D.Verbrugge has written a slim yet interesting treatise that urges his readers to take another look at the birth of Christ.

Traditionally, Christmas has been celebrated as a time of joy, peace and light.  Verbrugge takes a different viewpoint.  If you consider why Christ came into the world, His birth ushered in a new era of spiritual and physical conflict.  The heralding angels should really be seen as soldiers of a heavenly army, declaring their readiness to their Commander in Chief.  Essentially, "Christmas is the beginning of war." (p.74)

While I felt that Verbrugge was a bit heavy-handed with his depiction of Christ's birth as a death-scented occasion, there were a number of points made that have made me appreciate this holiday in a deeper way.  His portrayal of the trials that Mary and Joseph had to endure as social and familial outcasts was very compelling.  I will never look at their diversion to the animals' stable in the same way again.  I also found the comparisons made between Genesis' Tree of Knowledge and Christ's cross to be very interesting.

There are many angles to the Christmas story that I have never considered before, and this concise book clearly presents them in a scriptural, deliberate way.  It is certainly worth 98 pages of reading to enhance your appreciation for what God has done for us in the birth of Christ Jesus the Messiah.

Contests of the Week - December 16

Here's my weekly post detailing contests I've entered recently.  More contests are also listed in the left hand sidebar below.

• Robbie at BoyWithBooks.com is currently holding a contest for a signed copy of Beautiful Creatures. Deadline is 12/31.

http://rowijo.void-star.net/index.php/2009/12/win-a-signed-copy-of-beautiful-creatures/

• Jennifer at Extreme Reader is giving away the first two books in the Looking Glass Wars trilogy. Deadline is January 24th.

http://extremereaderbookreviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/looking-glass-wars-contest.html

• Misty at Book Rat is giving away 5 books of the winner's choosing from her selection of dozens of books! Contest runs through the end of the year.

http://bookrat-misty.blogspot.com/2009/12/on-6th-day-of-christmas-formerly-10th.html

• Jenny at Jenny Loves to Read is giving away two copies of Searching for Pemberley. Contest ends December 28th.

http://jennylovestoread.blogspot.com/2009/12/interview-and-giveaway-with-mary-lydon.html

• Kim at The Book Butterfly is giving away FIVE copies of The Maze Runner.  End date is 1/10/2010.

http://butterflybookreviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/guest-post-with-lindsay-eland-author-of.html

• Stormi at Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! is giving away a copy of The Maze Runner, too.  Her holiday contests are running till the end of the first week in January.

http://writesthoughts.blogspot.com/2009/12/day-eighteen-maze-runner-contest.html 

• Lucy at Enchanted by Josephine is hosting a guest blogger, author Mary Lydon Simonsen.  They're also giving away two copies of Mary's book, Searching for Pemberley.  Winner announced 12/23.

http://enchantedbyjosephine.blogspot.com/2009/12/author-guest-post-giveaway.html